Gas sensor packaging including structure to maintain devices in a state of readiness

Abstract

Packaging for electronic components includes provisions to short selected electrodes of the components together. A plastic base portion with a plurality of component receiving cavities carries a flexible, carbonized shorting element which extends between cavities. The cavities include a recess which is adjacent to the shorting element. Components can be inserted into respective cavities, and some of the electrodes will contact the shorting element. Other electrodes will extend into the recess and not be shorted.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: a multi-electrode electrochemical gas sensor comprising electrodes; a tray, wherein the tray comprises a plurality of moldable pockets each configured to removably hold the sensor, wherein each moldable pocket includes a recessed surface; a shorting element positioned on the tray, wherein the shorting element comprises a conductive foam; wherein the sensor is positioned and removably held within one of the moldable pockets of the tray; wherein the multi-electrode electrochemical gas sensor is positioned in contact with the conductive foam; wherein the shorting element is electrically connected to short selected electrodes to one another while the gas sensor is removably held in the tray, but wherein the selected electrodes are asynchronously unshorted upon removal of the gas sensor from the tray; wherein the recessed surface is adjacent to the shorting element; wherein the shorting element is sufficiently elongated to extend through the plurality of pockets; and wherein the shorting element is received in an elongated depression formed in the tray which spans the plurality of pockets.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a pin is electrically coupled to a non-shorted electrode, and wherein the pin is positioned in an open region of the recessed surface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein portions of the tray include break-away segments whereby a portion carrying at least one cavity is separable from the remainder of the tray.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shorting element extends into at least one of the moldable pockets.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the tray defines a trough which receives the shorting element so as to provide a plurality of shorting regions in the tray.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the shorting element defines breakaway regions, whereby portions of the shorting element are separable from one another at predetermined regions.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shorting element comprises carbon.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a resistance of the shorting element is less than 10,000 ohms.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the shorting element is retained in the tray.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein at least some of the pockets comprise an electrode receiving recess.

11. An apparatus comprising: a multi-electrode electrochemical gas sensor comprising electrodes; a tray, wherein the tray comprises a plurality of moldable pockets each configured to removably hold the sensor, wherein each moldable pocket includes a recessed surface; a shorting element positioned on the tray, wherein the shorting element comprises a conductive foam; wherein the sensor is positioned and removably held within one of the moldable pockets of the tray; wherein the multi-electrode electrochemical gas sensor is positioned in contact with the conductive foam; wherein the shorting element is electrically connected to short selected electrodes to one another while the gas sensor is removably held in the tray, but wherein the selected electrodes are asynchronously unshorted upon removal of the gas sensor from the tray; wherein the recessed surface is adjacent to the shorting element; and wherein a pin is electrically coupled to a non-shorted electrode, and wherein the pin is positioned in an open region of the recessed surface.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the shorting element is sufficiently elongated to extend through the plurality of pockets.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein portions of the tray include break-away segments whereby a portion carrying at least one cavity is separable from the remainder of the tray.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the shorting element extends into at least one of the moldable pockets.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the tray defines a trough which receives the shorting element so as to provide a plurality of shorting regions in the tray.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the shorting element defines breakaway regions, whereby portions of the shorting element are separable from one another at predetermined regions.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the shorting element comprises carbon.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a resistance of the shorting element is less than 10,000 ohms.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the shorting element is retained in the tray.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least some of the pockets comprise an electrode receiving recess.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a packaging system in accordance herewith;

(2) FIG. 2 is a plan view of the system of FIG. 1;

(3) FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along plane A-A of FIG. 2; and

(4) FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a portion of the sectional view of FIG. 3.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(5) While disclosed embodiments can take many different forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles thereof as well as the best mode of practicing same, and is not intended to limit the application or claims to the specific embodiment illustrated.

(6) In one aspect, in embodiments hereof a shorting medium is integrated into the packaging or storage container. The respective sensor is immediately shorted once placed in the storage container. By using a purposefully shaped conductive material a short can be created only between the required sensor contacts. Those contacts which do not require shorting are isolated from the shorted contacts.

(7) By using a material which is conductive and has good elastic properties, contact resistance between the conductive material and the sensor contacts can be maintained prior to use by instrument manufacturers. The instrument manufacturer could then remove the sensor from the packaging without removing the shorting medium as it is retained in the packaging. This eliminates the labor associated with removing the spring from the sensor, or reduces the time required to match the electrodes with the instrument driver circuit or other shorting method for manufacturers who opt not to request a shorting spring.

(8) In another aspect, a common shorting method is provided for sensors packaged individually or bulk packed. For example, for sensor manufacturers who store all sensors in bulk trays prior to shipping and then configure packing to suit orders, the conductive material (whilst retained by the tray) could be detached via an intentional break point to allow sensors to be individually removed from the storage trays with the conductive material still attached to the sensorallowing the sensor to be packaged individually without re-introducing a manual springing operation.

(9) An exemplary conductive material would preferably exhibit electrical characteristics of <10 KOhms between the sensor contacts and have elastic properties sufficient to maintain contact resistance over shelf storage life. A conductive foam in accordance herewith can be shaped and incorporated into a carrier tray. The foam can be configured to provide a short between only the sensor contacts which require shorting to one another. Other contacts are isolated.

(10) In designing the properties of the shorting foam, or, link, it is useful to recognize how such sensors are shorted within unpowered instruments. This is useful to avoid the same type of start-up problems as can occur on first integration of a new sensor into the instrument. A recommended shorting resistor has a value on the order of 10K ohms.

(11) In yet another embodiment, a bulk packaging tray can be designed to retain the foam so that when a sensor is removed from a tray it is asynchronously unshorted. The foam can be designed to be used to pack sensors in bulk trays. Alternately, the foam can be interrupted to provide a shorting method for individual sensors.

(12) With respect to the figures, a packaging unit 10 includes a tray 12 which could be molded plastic or formed of a degradable, cardboard-like material. The tray 12 is substantially rigid and can be formed in a variety of shapes without limitation. The form factor of the tray 12 is not a limitation hereof.

(13) The tray 12 includes or defines a plurality 14 of cavities or pockets which receive and carry sensors, or other electronic components. The exact shape of the pockets 14 is not a limitation, except as described subsequently.

(14) As illustrated the pockets 14a, 14b can be formed or molded to any convenient shape for the component to be received in the packaging 10. Where large numbers of components are to be packaged the members of the plurality 14 can be substantially identical.

(15) A plurality of conductive foam inserts 18 is carried by the tray 12. Members of the plurality 18, such as insert 18a, as described above are loaded with carbon to form a shorting resistive element which interacts with selected electrodes, or pins, of sensors 20, 20a or other components to be carried by packaging 10.

(16) In FIG. 2, the sensors 20, 20a are illustrated with their covers removed to illustrate how selected pins or electrodes can extend to and be in contact with the adjacent portion of insert, such as 18a, to implement the shorting function between those pins. As shown in FIG. 4, the respective cavity 14b can include an open region, illustrated by recessed surface 14c into which a non-shorted pin is to extend, adjacent to but displaced from the respective portion of insert 18a.

(17) As best seen in FIG. 4, with respect to representative cavity 14b, tray 12 can be formed with a trough 12a which extends through a plurality of the cavities 14b. The members of the plurality 18, such as 18a are slidably received in the trough 12a with a press fit. It will be understood that other attachment mechanisms, such as adhesive, or overhanging moldings can be used to retain the inserts in respective ones of the troughs such as 12a.

(18) To provide flexibility, break away regions 22 can be provided for the inserts 18 and/or the tray 12. If desired, individual cavities, such as 14b can also be formed with bread away regions.

(19) In summary, the shorting foam and tray are designed to selectively short only selected pins or electrodes. Other pins are left isolated, see FIG. 2.

(20) The conductive foam is heavily carbon loaded to provide a resistance between pins of less than 10K ohms. When the sensor is inserted the pins slidably engage the adjacent conductive foam insert, see FIG. 4.

(21) As the foam is cut into strips and held in position in the tray, only the selected pins are shorted. This selective shorting of only 2 pins on a 3 pin sensor, for example, or two pins of a two pin component is achieved using low cost foam, integrated in to the package. This results in cost and labor savings for the manufacturer of cells and instruments. Neither the total number of pins nor the shorted number, per component, are limitations hereof.

(22) From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope hereof. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific apparatus illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. It is, of course, intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.

(23) Further, logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve desirable results. Other steps may be provided, or steps may be eliminated, from the described flows, and other components may be add to, or removed from the described embodiments.