JP7549784B2 - Temperature sensor mounting fixture - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a temperature sensor mounting jig used to attach a temperature sensor to a pipe.

Among the temperature sensors (using thermistor elements) used in home appliances, automobile-related products, electrical products, etc., there are those that are attached to pipes to measure the temperature of the pipes in order to detect the condition of gases or liquids, etc. that are supplied, circulated, or discharged through the pipes.
Conventionally, a temperature sensor has been known in which a leaf spring made of stainless steel or other thin metal plate with an anti-corrosive coating is used to secure the temperature sensor to the pipe, taking into consideration corrosion resistance, retention of mounting force against temperature history, ease of mounting, etc.

For example, Patent Document 1 describes a pipe clip that has a pipe holding part that holds a pipe, and a temperature sensor holding part that holds a temperature sensor (temperature sensor) that measures the temperature of the pipe, and is used to secure the temperature sensor to the pipe.

JP 2002-340453 A

The above conventional techniques still have the following problems.
In the technology of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when mounting the sensor on a fixed pipe, the pipe insertion side needs to be opened widely to fit the sensor into the pipe, and in order to maintain sufficient holding force, the spring force needs to be set large. However, since a strong force is required to open the pipe insertion side against the spring force (biasing force/elastic force) during mounting, mounting may not be easy for some workers. Therefore, it is conceivable to make the mounting work easier by setting the spring force of the holding part to a certain degree, but in that case, there is a problem that the holding force becomes insufficient, which is a factor that hinders stable temperature measurement. In addition, it becomes difficult to completely fix the sensor, and there is a risk that the temperature sensor or clip may come off the pipe due to an unexpected force.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a temperature sensor mounting jig that has sufficient holding force and can be easily attached to piping.

The present invention employs the following configuration to solve the above problem. That is, the temperature sensor mounting jig according to the first invention is a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs used in a state where they are opposed to each other, and one of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs and the other of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs each have a pipe-side leaf spring part into which a pipe can be fitted and a sensor-side leaf spring part into which a temperature sensor in contact with the pipe can be fitted, and one of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs has a recess, and the other has a protrusion that can be fitted into the recess of the one of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs when facing the one of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs and sandwiching the pipe and the temperature sensor.

In this temperature sensor mounting jig, one of the two has a recess, and the other has a protrusion that can be fitted into the recess of the other when facing the other and sandwiching the piping and temperature sensor, so that the spring force (biasing force/elastic force) of the pipe side plate spring part against the fitted piping, as well as the fitting force between the recess and protrusion, allow the temperature sensor to be easily mounted on the piping with stable and sufficient holding force. Also, since the pipe and temperature sensor are sandwiched from both sides by a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs, the heat of the pipe can be efficiently transferred to the temperature sensor. Also, by holding the pipe and temperature sensor from both sides by a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs that face each other and sandwich the pipe, a higher holding force can be obtained compared to when fixing with only one jig.

The temperature sensor mounting jig of the second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the piping is fitted into the piping side leaf spring portion of one of the first inventions, the sensor side leaf spring portion of the one of the first inventions is fitted into the temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor is further fitted into the sensor side leaf spring portion of the other of the first inventions, the other of the first inventions can be rotated around the axis of the temperature sensor to fit the piping into the piping side leaf spring portion, and the convex portion of the other of the first inventions and the concave portion of the one of the first inventions can be fitted into each other.
In other words, with this temperature sensor mounting jig, a pipe is fitted into one of the pipe side leaf spring portions and one of the sensor side leaf spring portions is fitted into the temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor is further fitted into the other sensor side leaf spring portion.The other can then be rotated around the axis of the temperature sensor to fit the pipe into the pipe side leaf spring portion, and the convex portion of the other and the concave portion of the one fit into each other, so that the pipe can be easily clamped and fixed with the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs by rotating the other.

The temperature sensor mounting jig of the third invention is characterized in that, in the first or second invention, the one of the recesses is formed in the pipe side leaf spring portion, and the other is provided with an uneven leaf spring portion having the convex portion that can be fitted into the one of the recesses.
That is, in this temperature sensor mounting jig, one of the recesses is formed in the pipe side leaf spring portion, and the other is equipped with an uneven leaf spring portion having a convex portion that can fit into one of the recesses.By providing a separate uneven leaf spring portion whose spring properties can be adjusted separately from the pipe side leaf spring portion, the fitting force between the recess and convex portion can be adjusted separately from the spring properties of the pipe side leaf spring portion, and the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs can be fixed more stably.
In addition, by overlapping the pipe side leaf spring part with the pipe fitted inside by pressing it down from the outside with the concave-convex leaf spring part and fitting the concave and convex parts together, it is possible to prevent the pipe side leaf spring part from opening due to unexpected force.

The temperature sensor mounting jig according to a fourth invention is characterized in that, in any one of the first to third inventions, the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs have the same shape.
In other words, in this temperature sensor mounting jig, a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs have the same shape, so by using two of the same parts, there is no need to create ones with different shapes, and the unit cost of the parts can be reduced.

The temperature sensor mounting jig of the fifth invention is characterized in that, in any of the first to fourth inventions, at least one of the temperature sensors has a leaf spring locking portion that locks the other sensor side leaf spring portion from the outside when the temperature sensor is fitted into the one and the other sensor side leaf spring portions.
In other words, with this temperature sensor mounting jig, when the temperature sensor is fitted into the one and the other sensor side leaf spring portions, at least one of the portions is provided with a leaf spring locking portion that locks the other sensor side leaf spring portion from the outside.Therefore, by locking the sensor side leaf spring portion with the temperature sensor fitted inside from the outside with the leaf spring locking portion, it is possible to prevent the sensor side leaf spring portion from opening due to unexpected force.

The temperature sensor mounting jig of the sixth invention is characterized in that, in any of the first to fifth inventions, the sensor side leaf spring portion is provided in multiple pairs spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the temperature sensor when the temperature sensor is fitted in.
In other words, in this temperature sensor mounting jig, the sensor side leaf spring portions are provided in multiple pairs spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the temperature sensor with the temperature sensor embedded therein, so that the temperature sensor can be held at least at four points in its axial direction, resulting in a more stable holding force and high thermal conductivity to the temperature sensor.

According to the present invention, the following effects are obtained.
In other words, according to the temperature sensor mounting jig of the present invention, one of the two is provided with a recess, and the other is provided with a convex portion that can be fitted into the recess of the one of the two when the other is opposed to the other and the piping and temperature sensor are sandwiched between them.Therefore, the spring force of the piping side plate spring portion as well as the fitting force between the recess and the convex portion allow the temperature sensor to be easily attached to the piping with stable and sufficient holding force, and the heat of the piping clamped between the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs can be efficiently transferred to the temperature sensor.
Therefore, with the temperature sensor mounting jig of the present invention, a sufficiently high holding force can be obtained without setting the spring force of the pipe-side leaf spring portion large, and it is possible to prevent the pipe or temperature sensor from becoming detached due to an unexpected force. Also, since the spring force of the pipe-side leaf spring portion and the sensor-side leaf spring portion can be set to a level that allows an operator to easily perform installation, installation becomes as easy as or easier than before.

1 is a side view showing a state in which a temperature sensor is attached to a pipe by a pair of temperature sensor attachment jigs according to one embodiment of the temperature sensor attachment jig of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which a temperature sensor is attached to a pipe by a pair of temperature sensor attachment jigs in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which one of a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs is attached to a pipe and a temperature sensor, and the other is attached only to the temperature sensor in this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the temperature sensor mounting jig as viewed from the uneven leaf spring portion side in the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the temperature sensor mounting jig as viewed from the pipe-side leaf spring portion side in the present embodiment.

Below, one embodiment of a temperature sensor mounting jig according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5.

The temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A and 1B of this embodiment are a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs that are used in a mutually opposing state as shown in Figures 1 to 5. One of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A and the other of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1B each have a pipe-side leaf spring portion 2 into which a pipe can be fitted, and a sensor-side leaf spring portion 3 into which a temperature sensor S in contact with a pipe P can be fitted.

Of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B, one 1A has a recess 4a and a protrusion 4b, and the other 1B faces the other 1A and has a protrusion 4b that can be fitted into the recess 4a of the other 1A and a recess 4a into which the protrusion 4b of the other 1A can be fitted, when the other 1B is opposed to the other 1A and sandwiches the piping P and the temperature sensor S therebetween.
In this embodiment, a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B are configured so that, with a piping P fitted into the piping side leaf spring portion 2 of one 1A and a temperature sensor S fitted into the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 of the other 1B, the other 1B can be rotated around the axis C of the temperature sensor S to fit the piping P into the piping side leaf spring portion 2, and the convex portion 4b of the other 1B and the concave portion 4a of the one 1A fit into each other.

The recess 4a of the one side 1A is formed in the pipe-side leaf spring portion 2. That is, the recess 4a of the one side 1A is provided in the middle portion of the pipe-side leaf spring portion 2, and the outer side is recessed.
Further, on the tip side of the recess 4a of the pipe side leaf spring portion 2, a tip curved portion 2a is formed which is curved in an arc shape in cross section so as to form an outward convex portion, thereby increasing the strength of the tip portion.
The other side 1B is provided with a leaf spring portion 5 for projections and recesses having projections 4b which can be fitted into recesses 4a of the other side 1A.
That is, the convex portion 4b of the other side 1B is provided at the tip of the uneven leaf spring portion 5, and the inside thereof is a convex portion that can be fitted into the concave portion 4a of the other side.

The pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B each have an intermediate plate portion 6 to which the piping side leaf spring portion 2 is continuous at the upper portion and to which the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 and the uneven leaf spring portion 5 are continuous at the lower portion, and the entire jig is formed by bending a single metal plate.
The pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B have the same shape.
Therefore, the one side 1A also has a leaf spring portion 5 for projections and recesses having a projection 4b, and the other side 1B also has a pipe-side leaf spring portion 2 having a recess 4a.
That is, the convex portion 4b of the one side 1A can be fitted into the concave portion 4a of the other side.

The temperature sensor S is formed, for example, in a cylindrical shape and contains a temperature-sensing element (not shown) such as a thermistor element. As shown in Fig. 2, the temperature sensor S has a pair of lead wires L connected to the internal temperature-sensing element and extending from one end to the outside.
The outer diameter of the pipe P is larger than the outer diameter of the temperature sensor S, and the pipe-side leaf spring portion 2 is curved along the outer circumferential surface of the pipe P.
Further, the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 is curved along the outer peripheral surface of the temperature sensor S with a smaller radius of curvature than the pipe side leaf spring portion 2 and has an arcuate cross section.

In this way, the pipe-side leaf spring part 2 is curved along the outer peripheral surface of the pipe P, and the sensor-side leaf spring part 3 is curved along the outer peripheral surface of the temperature sensor S with a smaller radius of curvature than the pipe-side leaf spring part 2, so that the temperature sensor S can be firmly attached by the sensor-side leaf spring part 3, which has a small radius of curvature that provides a strong biasing force (spring force). In addition, because the pipe-side leaf spring part 2 has a larger radius of curvature than the sensor-side leaf spring part 3, the pipe-side leaf spring part 2 can be easily opened wide even with a relatively weak force, making it easy to attach to a thick pipe P.

A pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B are provided with a leaf spring engaging portion 7, at least one of the temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A and 1B, which engages the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 of the other temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A and 1B from the outside when the temperature sensor S is fitted into the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 of the other temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A and 1B.
The leaf spring engaging portion 7 is formed to have an S-shaped cross section.
Furthermore, the sensor-side leaf spring portions 3 are provided in pairs spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the temperature sensor S with the temperature sensor S fitted in. In this embodiment, two sensor-side leaf spring portions 3 are provided on each of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B. Thus, the temperature sensor S is supported by four sensor-side leaf spring portions 3.

A sensor locking portion 8 for positioning the tip of the temperature sensor S is provided at the side end of the sensor-side leaf spring portion 3 so as to protrude inward.
On the upper portion of the intermediate plate portion 6, a pair of leaf spring locking portions 7 and a pair of sensor side leaf spring portions 3 are alternately formed.
Further, at the lower part of the intermediate plate portion 6, the pipe side leaf spring portion 2 and the uneven leaf spring portion 5 are formed with a slit portion 9 therebetween.

Next, we will explain how to attach the temperature sensor S to the pipe P using a pair of temperature sensor attachment jigs 1A and 1B.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, a pipe P is fitted into the pipe-side leaf spring portion 2 of one of a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, and the sensor-side leaf spring portion 3 of the first jigs 1A is fitted into the temperature sensor S. Even when only the first jigs 1A are used, the temperature sensor S can be held in contact with the pipe P, but the holding force of the pipe-side leaf spring portion 2 and the sensor-side leaf spring portion 3 is set to be relatively weak so that they can be easily spread apart during mounting.

Therefore, the temperature sensor S is further fitted into the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 of the other 1B of the pair of temperature sensor mounting fixtures 1A, 1B, and from this state, the other 1B is rotated around the axis C of the temperature sensor S to fit the piping P into the piping side leaf spring portion 2 of the other 1B from a state facing the one 1A.
At this time, the concave portions 4a of the pipe-side leaf spring portions 2 and the convex portions 4b of the uneven leaf spring portions 5 of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B are fitted together and fixed.

That is, when the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B face each other, their own uneven leaf spring portion 5 overlaps the other's pipe-side leaf spring portion 2, and their respective recessed portions 4a and protruding portions 4b fit together. Also, their own leaf spring locking portion 7 faces and abuts against the other's sensor-side leaf spring portion 3.
In this way, when a pair of temperature sensor mounting fixtures 1A, 1B are attached in a state in which they sandwich the temperature sensor S and the piping P, as shown in Figure 1, the pair of temperature sensor mounting fixtures 1A, 1B can firmly hold the temperature sensor S in contact with the piping P.

In this manner, in the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B of this embodiment, the one 1A has a recess 4a, and the other 1B has a protrusion 4b that can be fitted into the recess 4a of the one 1A when facing the one 1A and sandwiching the pipe P and temperature sensor S. Therefore, the temperature sensor S can be easily attached to the pipe P with a stable and sufficient holding force due to the fitting force between the recess 4a and the protrusion 4b in addition to the spring force (biasing force/elastic force) of the pipe side leaf spring part 2 against the fitted pipe P. Also, because the pipe P and temperature sensor S are sandwiched from both sides by the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B, the heat of the pipe P can be efficiently transferred to the temperature sensor S.

In addition, by using a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B facing each other and sandwiching the piping P and the temperature sensor S, respectively, the piping P and the temperature sensor S can be held from both sides, thereby obtaining a greater holding force than when fixing them with only one jig.
In addition, with a pipe P fitted into the pipe side leaf spring portion 2 of the one side 1A and a temperature sensor S fitted into the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 of the one side 1A, and further with the temperature sensor S fitted into the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 of the other side 1B, the other side 1B can be rotated around the axis C of the temperature sensor S to fit the pipe P into the pipe side leaf spring portion 2, and since the convex portion 4b of the other side 1B and the concave portion 4a of the one side 1A fit into each other, by rotating the other side 1B, the pipe P can be easily fixed in a clamped state by the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B.

In particular, the recess 4a of the one side 1A is formed in the pipe side leaf spring portion 2, and the other side 1B is provided with an uneven leaf spring portion 5 having a protrusion 4b that can be fitted into the recess 4a of the other side 1A.By separately providing the uneven leaf spring portion 5, whose spring properties can be adjusted separately from the pipe side leaf spring portion 2, the fitting force between the recess 4a and the protrusion 4b can be adjusted separately from the spring properties of the pipe side leaf spring portion 2, and the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B can be fixed more stably.
In addition, the pipe side leaf spring part 2 with the pipe P fitted inside is overlapped so as to be pressed from the outside by the uneven leaf spring part 5, and the recessed part 4a and the protruding part 4b are fitted together, so that the pipe side leaf spring part 2 can be prevented from opening due to an unexpected force.

Furthermore, when the temperature sensor S is fitted into the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 of the one side 1A and the other side 1B, at least the one side 1A has a leaf spring locking portion 7 that locks the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 of the other side 1B from the outside. Therefore, by locking the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 with the temperature sensor S fitted inside from the outside with the leaf spring locking portion 7, it is possible to prevent the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 from opening due to an unexpected force.

In addition, since the sensor side leaf spring portion 3 is provided in multiple pairs spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the temperature sensor S with the temperature sensor S fitted in, the temperature sensor S can be held at least at four points in the axial direction, providing a more stable holding force and high thermal conductivity to the temperature sensor S.

In addition, since the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs 1A, 1B are identical in shape, by using two of the same parts, there is no need to create parts with different shapes, and the cost per part can be reduced.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above embodiment, the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs are formed from metal plates, but they may be formed from other materials such as resin. That is, in the present invention, sufficient holding force can be obtained even with resin or the like that has a weaker elasticity than metal plates. In addition, when molding with resin, if the piping or the case of the temperature sensor is made of metal, the occurrence of corrosion due to contact between dissimilar metals can be suppressed.

1A, 1B...Temperature sensor mounting jig, 1A...One of a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs, 1B...The other of a pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs, 2...Pipe side leaf spring part, 3...Sensor side leaf spring part, 4a...Concave part, 4b...Convex part, 5...Concave and convex leaf spring part, 7...Leaf spring locking part, P...Pipe, S...Temperature sensor

Claims (6)

A pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs used in a state where they face each other,
One of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs and the other of the pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs each have a pipe side leaf spring portion into which a pipe can be fitted;
a sensor side leaf spring portion into which the temperature sensor in contact with the piping can be fitted,
The one of them has a recess,
The temperature sensor mounting jig is characterized in that the other one has a convex portion that can be fitted into the concave portion of the one when facing the one and sandwiching the piping and the temperature sensor. 2. The temperature sensor mounting jig according to claim 1,
The pipe is fitted into the one of the pipe-side leaf spring parts, the one of the sensor-side leaf spring parts is fitted into the temperature sensor, and the temperature sensor is further fitted into the other of the sensor-side leaf spring parts,
A temperature sensor mounting jig characterized in that the other one can be rotated around the axis of the temperature sensor to fit the piping into the piping side leaf spring portion, and the convex portion of the other one and the concave portion of the one one can be fitted into each other. The temperature sensor mounting jig according to claim 1 or 2,
The one of the recesses is formed in the pipe side leaf spring portion,
a temperature sensor mounting jig including a plate spring portion for projections and recesses on the other side of the temperature sensor, the plate spring portion having a projection that can be fitted into the recess of the one side of the temperature sensor; The temperature sensor mounting jig according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The pair of temperature sensor mounting jigs are formed to have the same shape. The temperature sensor mounting jig according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A temperature sensor mounting jig characterized in that when the temperature sensor is fitted into the sensor side leaf spring portions of the one and the other, at least one of the temperature sensors has a leaf spring locking portion that locks the sensor side leaf spring portion of the other from the outside. The temperature sensor mounting jig according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
a temperature sensor mounting jig comprising a plurality of pairs of sensor-side leaf spring portions spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the temperature sensor with the temperature sensor fitted therein;

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