Disclosure of Invention
The present invention is directed to solving at least one of the above-mentioned problems and disadvantages of the prior art.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pressure sensor comprising: a housing having an inner cavity and a through hole communicating with the inner cavity; a first breathable waterproof membrane attached to the housing and covering an outside opening of the through-hole; a second breathable waterproof film attached to the housing and covering an inner side opening of the through hole; and a hydrophobic liquid filled in the through hole and dividing the through hole into a first air cavity and a second air cavity, the first air cavity being in air communication with an external environment of the housing via the first breathable waterproof membrane, the second air cavity being in air communication with an inner cavity of the housing via the second breathable waterproof membrane, the through hole being blocked by the hydrophobic liquid such that moisture and gas outside the housing cannot enter the inner cavity of the housing via the through hole.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, when the pressure in the inner cavity of the housing is greater than the pressure outside the housing, the pressure in the inner cavity pushes the hydrophobic liquid to move toward the first air-permeable waterproof membrane so that the volume of the second air cavity becomes larger to reduce the pressure in the inner cavity until the pressure in the inner cavity is equal to the pressure outside the housing.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when the pressure of the outside of the housing is greater than the pressure in the inner cavity of the housing, the pressure of the outside of the housing pushes the hydrophobic liquid toward the second air-permeable waterproof membrane so that the volume of the second air cavity becomes smaller to increase the pressure in the inner cavity until the pressure in the inner cavity is equal to the pressure of the outside of the housing.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a blind hole is formed on the housing, which is not in communication with the inner cavity, and is used for fluid communication with the detected device; the bottom wall of the blind hole separates the inner cavity from the blind hole, and the bottom wall of the blind hole forms a diaphragm suitable for sensing the fluid pressure of the detected equipment.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pressure sensor further comprises a pressure detection circuit, the pressure detection circuit being disposed in the inner cavity of the housing; the pressure detection circuit is capable of detecting deformation of the diaphragm and converting the detected deformation into an electrical signal, so that fluid pressure of the detected device can be calculated from the electrical signal.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pressure sensor further comprises a wireless communication module disposed in the interior cavity of the housing for transmitting the electrical signal to an external computing device.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pressure sensor further comprises a connector provided on the housing and electrically connected to the pressure detection circuit; the pressure detection circuit is adapted to connect to an external computing device via the connector to deliver the electrical signal to the external computing device.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the through hole is a straight through hole extending along a straight line or a curved through hole extending along a curved path.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the housing is an integral piece.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the housing comprises: a main body portion having opposite first and second ports; a terminating portion mounted to a first port of the body portion; and an end cap portion mounted to the second port of the main body portion, the end cap portion being formed with the blind hole and adapted to be connected to the device under test, the through hole being formed in the main body portion.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a thread is formed on the terminating portion so that the terminating portion can be screwed to the device under test.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the hydrophobic liquid is a hydrophobic oil having a predetermined viscosity.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pressure sensor is a gauge pressure sensor adapted to be mounted on a device under test for detecting the pressure of a fluid in the device under test.
According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the pressure sensor further comprises a filler filled in the inner cavity of the housing to reduce the amount of gas in the inner cavity of the housing.
In the foregoing respective exemplary embodiments according to the present invention, not only the breathable waterproof film is provided on the opening of the through-hole, but also the through-hole is filled with the hydrophobic liquid. Therefore, the invention can prevent liquid and gas from entering the shell, and can dynamically adjust the pressure in the inner cavity of the shell, thereby realizing dynamic balance between the pressure in the inner cavity of the shell and the pressure outside the shell.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, which provide a thorough understanding of the present invention.
Detailed Description
The technical scheme of the invention is further specifically described below through examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the specification, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components. The following description of embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings is intended to illustrate the general inventive concept and should not be taken as limiting the invention.
Furthermore, in the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure. It may be evident, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in the drawings in order to simplify the drawings.
According to one general technical concept of the present invention, there is provided a pressure sensor including: a housing having an inner cavity and a through hole communicating with the inner cavity; a first breathable waterproof membrane attached to the housing and covering an outside opening of the through-hole; a second breathable waterproof film attached to the housing and covering an inner side opening of the through hole; and a hydrophobic liquid filled in the through hole and dividing the through hole into a first air cavity and a second air cavity, the first air cavity being in air communication with an external environment of the housing via the first breathable waterproof membrane, the second air cavity being in air communication with an inner cavity of the housing via the second breathable waterproof membrane, the through hole being blocked by the hydrophobic liquid such that moisture and gas outside the housing cannot enter the inner cavity of the housing via the through hole.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a pressure sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; fig. 2 shows a schematic view of the housing 100 of the pressure sensor shown in fig. 1.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the pressure sensor includes a housing 100, a first air-permeable waterproof membrane 11, a second air-permeable waterproof membrane 12, and a hydrophobic liquid 13. The housing 100 has an inner cavity 103 and a through hole 101 communicating with the inner cavity 103. The first air-permeable waterproof membrane 11 is attached to the outside of the case 100 and covers the outside opening of the through hole 101. The second air-permeable waterproof membrane 12 is attached to the inside of the case 100 and covers the inside opening of the through hole 101. The hydrophobic liquid 13 fills in the through-hole 101 and separates the through-hole 101 into a first air chamber 1 and a second air chamber 2.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the first air chamber 1 is in gaseous communication with the external environment of the housing 100 via a first air-permeable, waterproof membrane 11, and the second air chamber 2 is in gaseous communication with the interior chamber 103 of the housing 100 via a second air-permeable, waterproof membrane 12. The through-hole 101 is blocked by the hydrophobic liquid 13 so that moisture and gas outside the housing 100 cannot enter the inner cavity 103 of the housing 100 through the through-hole 101. The first air-permeable waterproof membrane 11 can prevent liquid outside the housing 100 from entering the inner cavity 103 of the housing 100 via the through-hole 101. Accordingly, the present invention can prevent external water, moisture and air from entering the inner cavity 103 of the housing 100 through the through-hole 101.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the present invention enables dynamic balancing between the pressure in the interior cavity 103 of the housing 100 and the pressure outside of the housing 100.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, when the pressure in the inner cavity 103 of the housing 100 is greater than the pressure outside the housing 100, the pressure in the inner cavity 103 pushes the hydrophobic liquid 13 toward the first air-permeable waterproof membrane 11 so that the volume of the second air cavity 2 becomes larger to reduce the pressure in the inner cavity 103 until the pressure in the inner cavity 103 is equal to the pressure outside the housing 100.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, when the pressure of the outside of the casing 100 is greater than the pressure in the inner cavity 103 of the casing 100, the pressure of the outside of the casing 100 pushes the hydrophobic liquid 13 toward the second air-permeable waterproof membrane 12 so that the volume of the second air cavity 2 becomes smaller to increase the pressure in the inner cavity 103 until the pressure in the inner cavity 103 is equal to the pressure of the outside of the casing 100.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, a blind bore 102 is formed in the housing 100 that is not in communication with the interior cavity 103, the blind bore 102 being for fluid communication with a device under test (not shown, such as a pipe). The bottom wall of the blind bore 102 separates the interior cavity 103 from the blind bore 102. The bottom wall of the blind hole 102 is thin in thickness, and thus can constitute the diaphragm 14 adapted to sense the fluid pressure of the device to be detected.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the pressure sensor further includes a pressure detection circuit 20, the pressure detection circuit 20 being disposed in the interior cavity 103 of the housing 100. The pressure detection circuit 20 is capable of detecting deformation of the diaphragm 14 and converting the detected deformation into an electrical signal, so that the fluid pressure of the device to be detected can be calculated from the electrical signal.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the pressure sensor further includes a wireless communication module 30, the wireless communication module 30 being disposed in the interior cavity 103 of the housing 100 for wirelessly transmitting electrical signals to an external computing device.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the through hole 101 is a linear through hole extending along a straight line, for example, the through hole 101 may extend along a horizontal straight line. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the through hole 101 may be a curved through hole extending along a curved path.
As shown in fig. 1 and 2, in the illustrated embodiment, the housing 100 is an integral piece. The present invention is not limited thereto and the housing 100 may be assembled from a plurality of parts.
Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of a pressure sensor according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.
As shown in fig. 3, in the illustrated embodiment, the pressure sensor includes a connector 40, the connector 40 being disposed on the housing 100 and electrically connected to the pressure detection circuit 20. The pressure detection circuit 20 is adapted to be connected to an external computing device via the connector 40 to deliver an electrical signal to the external computing device.
Other technical features of the pressure sensor shown in fig. 3 are substantially the same as those of the pressure sensor shown in fig. 1-2 except for the foregoing differences, and reference may be made to the embodiment shown in fig. 1-2, and details thereof are omitted.
Fig. 4 shows a schematic view of a pressure sensor according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.
As shown in fig. 4, in the illustrated embodiment, the pressure sensor includes a filler 50, the filler 50 being filled in the interior cavity 103 of the housing 100 to reduce the amount of gas in the interior cavity 103 of the housing 100. In general, it is desirable that the smaller the amount of gas in the interior 103 of the housing 100, the better.
Other technical features of the pressure sensor shown in fig. 4 are substantially the same as those of the pressure sensor shown in fig. 1-2 except for the foregoing differences, and reference may be made to the embodiment shown in fig. 1-2, and details thereof are omitted.
Fig. 5 shows a schematic view of a pressure sensor according to another exemplary embodiment of the invention.
As shown in fig. 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the housing 100 of the pressure sensor includes: a main body portion 120, a terminating portion 110, and an end cap portion 130. The body portion 120 has opposing first and second ports. The terminating portion 110 is mounted to a first port of the body portion 120. The end cap portion 130 is mounted to the second port of the body portion 120. The terminating portion 110 is formed with a blind hole 102 and adapted to be connected to a device under test, and the through hole 101 is formed in the main body portion 130.
As shown in fig. 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the through-hole 101 is a curved through-hole that extends along a curved path, e.g., the through-hole 101 extends along a V-shaped path.
As shown in fig. 5, in the illustrated embodiment, threads 111 are formed on the terminating portion 110 so that the terminating portion 110 can be screwed onto a device under test.
As shown in fig. 1 to 5, in the illustrated embodiment, the hydrophobic liquid 13 may be a hydrophobic oil having a predetermined viscosity.
As shown in fig. 1-5, in the illustrated embodiment, the pressure sensor is a gauge pressure sensor adapted to be mounted on the device under test for detecting the pressure of the fluid in the device under test.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the above-described embodiments are exemplary and that modifications may be made to the embodiments described in various embodiments without structural or conceptual aspects and that these variations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention.
Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, the examples disclosed in the drawings are intended to illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.
Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and that the word "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. In addition, any element numbers of the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.