	US 12,235,175 B2
	Sensor
Michael Tester, Zurich (CH); Michael Mueller, Schlatt (CH); Peter Charles Tack, Venice, FL (US); and Christof Sonderegger, Zurich (CH)
Assigned to Kistler Holding AG, Winterthur (CH)
Appl. No. 17/433,810
Filed by KISTLER HOLDING AG, Winterthur (CH)
PCT Filed Feb. 19, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/054339 § 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 25, 2021, PCT Pub. No. WO2020/173786, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 3, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/811,140, filed on Feb. 27, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 19163091 (EP), filed on Mar. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0146355 A1, May 12, 2022
Int. Cl. G01L 19/14 (2006.01); G01L 9/06 (2006.01); G01L 19/00 (2006.01); G01L 19/04 (2006.01)

CPC G01L 19/147 (2013.01) [G01L 9/06 (2013.01); G01L 19/0046 (2013.01); G01L 19/04 (2013.01)]

18 Claims

1. Pressure sensor for determining a pressure in a measuring region, the pressure sensor elongating generally along a longitudinal axis and comprising: a supporting member, a membrane and a jacket that are disposed to bound a sensor space;

a measuring element disposed in the sensor space;

a fluid that surrounds the measuring element;

wherein the membrane separates the fluid from the measuring region;

wherein the membrane has an outer region that extends in an outer flat disposition generally parallel to a reference plane that lies normal to the longitudinal axis, wherein the outer region is fixed to the jacket;

wherein the membrane defines an inner region that extends in an inner flat disposition generally parallel to the reference plane that lies normal to the longitudinal axis, wherein the inner region is spaced apart from the outer region;

wherein the membrane defines a middle region that is disposed between the inner region and the outer region and extends in a direction from the inner region towards the outer region generally parallel to the reference plane that lies normal to the longitudinal axis;

wherein the membrane defines only a first flexible bulge that flexibly connects the outer region to the middle region;

wherein the membrane defines only a second flexible bulge that flexibly connects the middle region to the inner region;

wherein each of the first bulge and the second bulge is flexible and acts as a flexible joint that permits relative movement of the inner flat disposition of the inner region of the membrane in a direction along the longitudinal axis relative to the outer flat disposition of the outer region of the membrane;

wherein the shape of each of the first bulge and the second bulge in a cross-section perpendicular to the reference plane defines a line following a continuously differentiable function; and

wherein a disposition of the inner region is shiftable relative to a disposition of the outer region in the sense that the inner region of the membrane retains the inner flat disposition while being moveable in a direction along the longitudinal axis relative to the outer flat disposition of the outer region of the membrane.