Sensor device for detecting at least one physical variable

{
  "publication_number": "US12222227B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Sensor device for detecting at least one physical variable",
  "abstract": "A sensor device for detecting at least one physical variable, comprising a housing, at least one sensor element arranged in the housing, at least one circuit board arranged in the housing and comprising a circuit arrangement, and at least one input device arranged on the housing for carrying out input operations which are processed in the circuit arrangement to influence the sensor properties, is characterised in that the input device, to realise a touch-sensitive effect, comprises an actuation area, which is arranged on a housing wall and is permeable to electric fields, and a capacitive area, which is arranged on the circuit board or is formed as part of the circuit board, and in that the circuit board is arranged in the housing such that the capacitive area lies directly below the actuation area.",
  "claims": [
    "1. Sensor device for detecting at least one physical variable, said sensing device comprising: a housing, at least one sensor element arranged in the housing, at least one circuit board arranged in the housing and comprising a circuit arrangement, at least one input device arranged on the housing for carrying out input operations which are processed in the circuit arrangement to influence the sensor properties, wherein the at least one input device, to realise a touch-sensitive effect, comprises an actuation area, which is arranged on a housing wall and is permeable to electric fields, and a capacitive area, which is arranged on the circuit board or is formed as part of the circuit board, wherein the circuit board is arranged in the housing such that the capacitive area lies directly below the actuation area, wherein the capacitive area is arranged on an edge of the circuit board and the circuit board is arranged perpendicularly to the actuation area such that the edge of the circuit board and the capacitive area arranged therein lie below the actuation area, and in that the capacitive area is realized on the edge of the circuit board by metallisation of the edge of the circuit board.",
    "2. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a form of an elongate cube, a width (B) of which is smaller than its height (H), and the height (H) of which is smaller than its length (L), such that two long narrow housing faces and two long wide housing faces exist, in that the actuation area is arranged in a long narrow housing face, and in that the circuit board is arranged parallel to a long wide housing face.",
    "3. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the actuation area is larger than the capacitive area, so that the capacitive area lies fully in the actuation area.",
    "4. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the actuation area is made of a material of high permittivity.",
    "5. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor element is a sensor selected from the group of: magnetic field sensor, acceleration sensor, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, flow sensor, and brightness sensor."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The invention relates to a sensor device for detecting at least one physical variable according to the preamble of claim 1.\n\nSensor devices of this kind are used for example as position-measuring systems. Such position-measuring systems detect, for example, the position of a working piston along a cylinder axis of a pneumatic cylinder. This position is detected here for example using the Hall effect.\n\nSuch a sensor device is known for example from DE 10 2019 203 878 A1. This sensor device comprises a sensor circuit board which is assigned a first sensor array for detecting a first physical variable, and a second sensor array for detecting an electrical capacitance, and a processing device for processing sensor signals of the first sensor array and the second sensor array, as well as a sensor housing which has a recess, in which the sensor circuit board is received, the second sensor array comprising an electrically conductive sensor plate which is received in the recess and which has a contact device with an elastic contact spring. The contact device allows a non-positive and electrically conductive coupling of the sensor plate to the sensor circuit board.\n\nThe first sensor array for detecting the first physical variable can be designed for example to detect a magnetic flux density or a magnetic field strength or a temperature or the like. In order to provide an input possibility, the sensor device comprises the second sensor array, which is designed to detect an electrical capacitance. This allows the detection of an operation intention of an operator without the use of moving parts, such as a microswitch for example.",
  "cpc": [
    "G01D 5/2405",
    "G01D 21/00",
    "G01D 2205/18",
    "G01D 5/145",
    "G01D 5/24",
    "H03K 17/962",
    "H03K 2017/9606",
    "H03K 2217/96023"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "G01D 5/24"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "Balluff GmbH"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Christoph Boeckenhoff",
    "Robert Meisenbacher",
    "Nick Hof"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2023-02-06",
  "publication_date": "2025-02-11",
  "grant_date": "2025-02-11",
  "priority_date": "2022-02-08",
  "application_number": "US-202318105932-A",
  "family_id": "87312853",
  "cited_by_count": 2,
  "citations": [
    "DE102010031079A1",
    "US20130285735A1",
    "US20140028295A1",
    "DE202014011276U1",
    "US20190025959A1",
    "DE102018200219A1",
    "DE102019203878A1"
  ]
}