DE29621433U1 - Temperature sensor - Google Patents

Description

.I.*..' .!..:!. ü*.. »Hans-Jürgen Müller

Gerhard D. Schupfner Hans-Peter Gauger

PO Box 1011 61 Patent Attorneys

Maximilianstrasse &bgr; European Patent Attorneys

D-80085 Some representatives with European certificates

Telephone: +49-89-219912-0 Fax: +49-89-21 9912-20 e-mail: upon request Telegram/cable: MAXIMARK® Munich

7530. GM-DE HJM/MY

Landis & Gyr

Technology Innovation AG

CH-6301 Zug
Switzerland

"Temperature sensor"

a MAXIMARK Form Ul

Temperature sensor

The invention relates to a temperature sensor of the type mentioned in the preamble of claim 1.

Such temperature sensors are suitable, for example, for measuring the temperature of a pipe through which warm water, e.g. heating water, or a coolant flows. They are advantageously used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.

The invention is based on the object of proposing a compact temperature sensor that is corrosion-resistant, easy to manufacture and reliably mountable.

The above object is achieved according to the invention by the features of claim 1. An exemplary embodiment of the invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the drawing.

Shown are: Fig. 1 a temperature sensor in longitudinal section,

Fig. 2a, b the temperature sensor in cross section before and after attachment to a pipe.

Fig. 1 shows a temperature sensor 1 in longitudinal section. The temperature sensor 1 consists of a housing 2, a temperature sensor 3 and a cable 4 for wiring the temperature sensor 3. The housing 2, made of plastic, has lips 6 running along a contact surface 5 and a spring element 7 in the form of a bracket arranged opposite the contact surface 5 and provided with a support 8 for a cable tie 9. The temperature sensor 3 is cast with a heat-conducting paste 10 in the housing 2 directly above the contact surface 5. The cable 4 is led through a longitudinal hole 11 from the inside of the housing 2 to the outside. The housing 2 further has a pin 12 which is directed transversely to the bore 11 and is formed on the housing 2 but is only weakly connected to it, and a second bore 13 arranged in the extension of the pin 12.

As can be seen from Fig. 2a, the lips 6 are formed on the side of the housing 2 and protrude slightly over the contact surface 5. They serve as an aid in positioning the temperature sensor 1 on a pipe 14. They can be deformed laterally. When attaching the temperature sensor 1 to the pipe 14, a fastening strap, preferably a commercially available cable tie 9, is used as the fastening means. The cable tie 9 is placed in the support 8 (Fig. 1) and tightened so strongly that the lips 6 deform laterally until the contact surface 5 rests snugly on the pipe 14. When the cable tie 9 is tightened, the spring element 7 is also pre-tensioned. To a certain extent, age-related shrinkage of the cable tie 9 does not affect the temperature measurement, since the contact surface 5 continues to be pressed against the pipe 14 due to the spring element 7. Fig. 2b shows the temperature sensor 1 attached to the pipe 14.

The pin 12 and the bore 13 are arranged in such a way that the pressed into the bore 13 P2832

·· 4

Pin 12 reduces the cross-section of the first hole 11 and therefore clamps the cable 4. The pin 12 thus serves as cable strain relief.

In a first embodiment, the temperature sensor 3 is separated from the tube 14 by the contact surface 5. Pouring the temperature sensor 3 with the heat-conducting paste 10 is easy, since the heat-conducting paste 10 only needs to be filled into the hole 11 and hardened.

In a second embodiment, the contact surface has an opening at the location of the temperature sensor 3. To encapsulate the temperature sensor 3, the opening is covered with a film. After the heat-conducting paste 10 has hardened, the film is removed.

Both versions are characterized by high resistance to corrosion and short reaction times when there is a temperature jump.

The pin 12 is preferably pressed in immediately after the thermally conductive paste 10 has been filled in, so that the temperature sensor 1 can be suspended from the cable 4 for curing.

P2832

Claims (4)

PROTECTION CLAIMS 1. Temperature sensor (1) which consists of a housing (2), a temperature sensor (3) and a cable (4) for external wiring of the temperature sensor (3), wherein a contact surface (5) of the housing (2) can be fastened to a pipe (14) or to a flat surface using fastening means (9) in such a way that good thermal contact is provided from the pipe (14) to the temperature sensor (3), characterized in that the housing (2) has lips (6) running along the contact surface (5) and protruding therefrom, that the lips (6) are laterally deformable and that the housing (2) has a spring element (7), wherein it is provided that the fastening means (9) pre-tension the spring element (7) on the one hand during assembly and deform the lips (6) on the other hand until the contact surface (5) rests snugly on the pipe (14) or on the flat surface. 2. Temperature sensor (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature sensor (3) is cast in the housing (2) with a heat-conducting paste (10). 3. Temperature sensor (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the contact surface (5) has an opening in which the temperature sensor (3) is cast, wherein the heat-conducting paste (10) fills the opening flat to the contact surface (5). 4. Temperature sensor (1) according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the housing (2) has a first bore (11) for the cable feedthrough, that the housing (2) has a molded-on pin (12) directed transversely to the first bore (11) and a second bore (13) arranged in the extension of the pin (12), into which the pin (12) can be pressed, wherein the pressed-in pin (12) reduces the diameter of the first bore (11) and therefore clamps the cable (4) firmly. P2832