Patent Description:
Carbon monoxide transducers are commonly used in various fields for detection of carbon monoxide leakage, the concept of which is to monitor the voltage generated by the reaction of carbon monoxide and water. The existing carbon monoxide transducers generally include a water chamber to contain water for reaction with carbon monoxide. In order to meet the designed life of the carbon monoxide transducer (which can be as long as ten years), the water chamber generally includes a relatively large volume, which leads to a relatively large volume of the entire carbon monoxide transducer.

The object of the present application is to solve or at least alleviate the problems existing in the prior art.

<CIT> discloses a sensor main body employing a proton conductive film arranged between a metallic washer and a covering body and held by a metallic can through a dielectric gasket.

<CIT> discloses a gas sensor cell assembly having planar electrodes separated by a planar hydrophilic wick which extends through the electrode into an electrolyte expansion chamber where it contacts an electrolyte.

<CIT> discloses a self-calibrating carbon monoxide detector that utilizes the gas for which the detector was designed to detect as the calibration gas.

<CIT> discloses a filter used for a gas sensor.

According to the invention, a carbon monoxide transducer is provided, which comprises:.

Optionally, the sealing ring is made of natural rubber, and the curling portion is arranged to compress the sealing ring and the multilayer film assembly, so that the total thickness of the sealing ring and the multilayer film assembly is compressed by <NUM>% to <NUM>%.

Optionally, the curling portion is arranged to compress the sealing ring and the multilayer film assembly, so that the total thickness of the sealing ring and the multilayer film assembly is compressed by <NUM>% to <NUM>%.

Optionally, the total thickness of the multilayer film assembly is compressed by at least <NUM>%.

Optionally, the inner side of the main housing has a shoulder, the lower support plate is arranged on the shoulder of the main housing, and the lower support plate and the main housing are made of conductive materials and are connected to each other.

Optionally, the top cover comprises a middle protruding portion and a plane portion at the outside of the middle protruding portion, the upper support plate is formed into a flat plate, the plane portion of the top cover abuts against the upper support plate, and the outer periphery is wrapped by the sealing ring. The top cover and the upper support plate are made of conductive materials and are connected to each other. The filter body is located in a chamber defined by the protruding portion of the top cover, the filter body is an activated carbon bag, and a gasket is further arranged between the filter body and the upper support plate.

Optionally, electrode sheets that are attached to the top cover and the bottom of the main housing respectively are also included.

Optionally, the diameter of the water chamber is less than <NUM> and the height of the water chamber is less than <NUM>.

The carbon monoxide transducer according to the present invention has stronger sealing performance, which can reduce the volume of the water chamber and the volume of the entire transducer without affecting the service life of the transducer.

With reference to the accompanying drawings, the disclosure of the present application will become easier to understand. Those skilled in the art would easily understand that these drawings are for the purpose of illustration, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present application. In addition, in the figures, similar numerals are used to denote similar components, where:.

It is easy to understand that, according to the technical solutions of the present invention, those skilled in the art can propose multiple replaceable structural modes and implementations. Therefore, the specific embodiments and accompanying drawings below are only exemplary descriptions of the technical solutions of the present invention, and should not be regarded as the entirety of the present invention or as limitations or restrictions on the technical solutions of the present invention.

Orientation terms such as upper, lower, left, right, front, rear, front, back, top, bottom, etc. mentioned or possibly mentioned in this specification are defined relative to the configurations illustrated in the respective drawings. They are relative concepts, so they may change accordingly according to their different locations and different states of use. Therefore, these and other orientation terms shall not be construed as restrictive terms.

Referring to <FIG>, a carbon monoxide transducer is described. The carbon monoxide transducer <NUM> comprises: a main housing <NUM>; a lower support plate <NUM> arranged in the main housing <NUM>, wherein the lower support plate <NUM> divides the main housing into a water chamber containing water below the lower support plate <NUM> and a reaction chamber above the lower support plate <NUM>, and the lower support plate <NUM> is provided with an opening <NUM> to allow the water in the water chamber to enter the reaction chamber; a multilayer film assembly arranged in the reaction chamber on the lower support plate <NUM>; and a cover assembly <NUM> on the multilayer film assembly. The cover assembly <NUM> comprises: a top cover <NUM>, an upper support plate <NUM>, a filter body <NUM> between the top cover <NUM> and the upper support plate <NUM>, and a sealing ring <NUM> wrapped around the outer periphery of the top cover <NUM> and the upper support plate <NUM>. The sealing ring <NUM> is, for example, a rubber sealing ring, such as natural rubber. The top cover <NUM> is provided with an opening <NUM> to allow the surrounding gas to enter the cover assembly <NUM>, and then the gas is filtered by the filter body <NUM> and enters the reaction chamber through an opening <NUM> of the upper support plate <NUM>. As shown in <FIG>, the top of the main housing <NUM> is formed as a curling portion <NUM>, which is arranged to press the sealing ring <NUM> of the cover assembly and the multilayer film assembly towards the lower support plate <NUM>. Through this structure, the carbon monoxide transducer <NUM> according to the embodiment of the present invention has stronger sealing performance, which makes it more capable of maintaining water, so that it is more difficult for the water in the water chamber to evaporate. Accordingly, the volume of the water chamber can be smaller, so that the volume of the entire carbon monoxide transducer is significantly reduced as well. Compared with the common carbon monoxide transducers, the volume of the carbon monoxide transducer according to the present invention can be reduced by up to <NUM>%. The reduction in volume of the carbon monoxide transducer can save material costs, such as reducing the use of materials for the respective layers of the multilayer film assembly, reduce the entry of smoke and other interfering substances, and promote the integration of the carbon monoxide transducer and the printed circuit board (PCB).

In some embodiments, the curling portion <NUM> is arranged to compress the sealing ring <NUM> and the multilayer film assembly, so that the total thickness of the sealing ring <NUM> and the multilayer film assembly is reduced by <NUM>% to <NUM>%. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the sealing ring <NUM> and the multilayer film assembly have a total thickness of h1 (which is defined as the distance between the upper surface of the sealing ring <NUM> and the lower surface of the multilayer film assembly) in an uncompressed free state, and have a total thickness of h2 in a state after being compressed by the curling portion <NUM>, wherein h2/h1 is in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>. In some embodiments, the sealing ring <NUM> is made of natural rubber. In some embodiments, the curling portion <NUM> is arranged to compress the sealing ring <NUM> and the multilayer film assembly, so that the total thickness of the sealing ring <NUM> and the multilayer film assembly is reduced by <NUM>% to <NUM>%, that is, h2/h1 is in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>. In some embodiments, the thickness of the multilayer film assembly is reduced by at least <NUM>%. For example, the thickness of the multilayer film assembly is reduced by at least <NUM>%, or the thickness of the multilayer film assembly is reduced by about <NUM>%. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the total thickness of the multilayer film assembly in a free state is t1 (which is defined as the distance between the upper surface and the lower surface of the multilayer film assembly). And, as shown in <FIG>, the total thickness of the multilayer film assembly in an assembled state is t2, where t2/t1 is less than <NUM>. For example, t2/t1 is less than <NUM>, or t2/t1 is about <NUM>. The sealing ring <NUM> and the multilayer film assembly are made of materials with some elasticity, and the sealing performance is enhanced by pressing and deforming them. When selecting material for the sealing ring <NUM>, one also needs to consider the capability of providing sufficient insulation and the aging resistance performance under long-term compression. Natural rubber can meet the above requirements.

The multilayer film assembly comprises: a first insulating diffusion layer <NUM> on the lower support plate <NUM>, a reaction film <NUM> on the first insulating diffusion layer <NUM>, a ring washer <NUM> on the reaction film <NUM>, and a second insulating diffusion layer <NUM>. The second insulating diffusion layer <NUM> is located in the middle of the ring washer <NUM>, i.e., at the opening in the middle thereof. The outer diameter of the ring washer <NUM> is close to the inner diameter of the reaction chamber, so that the position of the second insulating diffusion layer <NUM> can be determined. In some embodiments, the first insulating diffusion layer <NUM> and the second insulating diffusion layer <NUM> may be made of the same material, which provides insulation and allows the passage of gas and water. The reaction film <NUM> may be a platinized electrode film. In some embodiments, the carbon monoxide transducer also comprises electrode sheets <NUM>, <NUM> attached to the top cover <NUM> and the bottom of the main housing <NUM> respectively. When there is carbon monoxide in the environment, the carbon monoxide gas enters the multilayer film assembly from the upper side of the multilayer film assembly and water enters from the lower side of the multilayer film assembly, and reacts in the reaction film <NUM>, resulting in a potential difference between the upper support plate <NUM> and the lower support plate <NUM>. The upper support plate <NUM> and the top cover <NUM> are both made of conductive materials, such as stainless steel, and the lower support plate <NUM> and the main housing <NUM> are both made of conductive materials, such as stainless steel. Since the upper support plate <NUM> and the top cover <NUM> are connected to each other and the lower support plate <NUM> and the main housing <NUM> are connected to each other, a voltage signal is generated between the electrode sheet <NUM> on the top cover <NUM> and the electrode sheet <NUM> at the bottom of the main housing <NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, in an assembled state, the upper support plate <NUM> abuts against the second insulating diffusion layer <NUM>, that is, the lower surface of the upper support plate <NUM> is pressed against the upper surface of the second insulating diffusion layer <NUM>. And, the sealing ring <NUM> abuts against the ring washer <NUM>, that is, the lower surface of the sealing ring <NUM> is pressed against the upper surface of the ring washer <NUM>, and the outer edge of the ring washer <NUM> contacts the lower support plate <NUM>. Specifically, as shown in <FIG>, the ring washer is pressed into the following state: the outer side <NUM> of the ring washer is between the lower support plate <NUM> and the sealing ring <NUM>, the inner side of the ring washer is between the reaction film <NUM> and the upper support plate <NUM>, and the middle part of the ring washer is deformed. Through this arrangement, the curling portion <NUM> of the main housing <NUM> can compress the cover assembly and the entire multilayer film assembly.

As shown in <FIG>, the main housing <NUM> may include an upper part <NUM> and a lower part <NUM>, where the upper part <NUM> has a diameter slightly larger than that of the lower part <NUM>. And, the inner side of the main housing <NUM> has a shoulder <NUM> between the upper part <NUM> and the lower part <NUM>, which can be formed in the process of stamping the upper part <NUM> and the lower part <NUM> of the housing. As shown in <FIG>, the lower support plate <NUM> can be directly arranged on the shoulder <NUM> of the main housing, and is connected with the main housing at the position of the shoulder <NUM>. In alternative embodiments, the shoulder <NUM> may be implemented in other forms. In alternative embodiments, the lower support plate <NUM> can also be fixed in the main housing <NUM> by other means.

In some embodiments, the top cover <NUM> includes a middle protruding portion <NUM> and a plane portion <NUM> at the outside of the middle protruding portion <NUM>. The upper support plate <NUM> is formed as a flat plate. The plane portion <NUM> of the top cover abuts against the upper support plate <NUM>, and the outer periphery is wrapped by the sealing ring <NUM>. In some embodiments, the cross section of the sealing ring <NUM> is basically U-shaped, including an upper portion <NUM> located above the plane portion <NUM> of the top cover, the plane portion <NUM> of the top cover, a middle portion <NUM> at the outside of the upper support plate <NUM>, and a lower portion <NUM> below the upper plane plate <NUM>, where the upper portion <NUM> may have a greater thickness than the lower portion <NUM>, and the upper portion <NUM> may have a larger inner diameter than the lower portion <NUM>. There is a gap between the inner side of the upper portion <NUM> and the side wall of the protruding portion <NUM> of the top cover, so as to allow the entirety of the top cover <NUM>, the upper support plate <NUM> and the filter body <NUM> to be assembled into the sealing ring <NUM> from above. During the manufacturing process, the top cover <NUM> and the upper support plate <NUM> can be welded along their edges to achieve the conductivity between the two, with the filter body <NUM> and a gasket <NUM> contained therein, and the entirety thus formed is then embedded into the sealing ring <NUM> (utilizing the elasticity of the sealing ring <NUM>) from above the sealing ring <NUM>, thus forming the top cover assembly. Then, the lower support plate, the multilayer film assembly and the top cover assembly are placed in the main housing <NUM>, and a curling operation is performed, with the shape and pressing extent of the curling portion <NUM> being controlled, so as to achieve a carbon monoxide transducer with good sealing performance. Therefore, the carbon monoxide transducer according to the present invention can be easily manufactured based on the above steps.

In some embodiments, the filter body <NUM> is an activated carbon bag located in the chamber defined by the protruding portion <NUM> of the top cover. In some embodiments, a gasket <NUM> is also arranged between the filter body <NUM> and the upper support plate <NUM>. Since an air hole <NUM> is processed using laser on the upper support plate <NUM>, the gasket <NUM> in the middle is provided to prevent the processing burr from puncturing the filter body <NUM>. In some embodiments, the water chamber can be defined by the interior of the lower part <NUM> of the main housing <NUM>. In some embodiments, the diameter of the water chamber is less than <NUM> and the height of the water chamber is less than <NUM>, thus having a smaller volume than the existing structure.

Claim 1:
A carbon monoxide transducer (<NUM>), comprising:
a main housing (<NUM>);
a lower support plate (<NUM>) arranged in the main housing (<NUM>), wherein the lower support plate (<NUM>) divides the main housing (<NUM>) into a water chamber containing water below the lower support plate (<NUM>) and a reaction chamber above the lower support plate;
a multilayer film assembly arranged in the reaction chamber on the lower support plate (<NUM>); and
a cover assembly (<NUM>) on the multilayer film assembly, wherein the cover assembly (<NUM>) comprises a top cover (<NUM>), an upper support plate (<NUM>), a filter body (<NUM>) between the top cover (<NUM>) and the upper support plate (<NUM>), and a sealing ring (<NUM>) wrapped around an outer periphery of the top cover (<NUM>) and the upper support plate (<NUM>);
wherein, a curling portion (<NUM>) is formed at the top of the main housing (<NUM>) that compresses the sealing ring (<NUM>) of the cover assembly (<NUM>) and the multilayer film assembly towards the lower support plate (<NUM>),
characterised in that the multilayer film assembly comprises a first insulating diffusion layer (<NUM>) on the lower support plate (<NUM>) and a reaction film (<NUM>) on the first insulating diffusion layer (<NUM>), a ring washer (<NUM>) on the reaction film (<NUM>), and a second insulating diffusion layer (<NUM>), wherein the second insulating diffusion layer (<NUM>) is located in a center hole of the ring washer (<NUM>), and an outer diameter of the ring washer (<NUM>) is close to an inner diameter of the reaction chamber, and
wherein the upper support plate (<NUM>) abuts against the second insulating diffusion layer (<NUM>), the bottom of the sealing ring (<NUM>) abuts against the ring washer (<NUM>), and an outer edge of the ring washer (<NUM>) is pressed down to abut against the lower support plate (<NUM>).