US4697165A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ceramic heater and a method of manufacturing the same
Assignee: NGK Insulators Ltd
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Filing: 1985-10-23
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Granted: 1987-09-29
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Expires: 2005-10-23
Abstract
Abstract The cermaic heater includes an elongated plate-like ceramic substrate, a resistance heating element arranged on the ceramic substrate and a pair of conductive lead members extending from the resistance heating element and having a specific resistance smaller than that of the resistance heating element. The oxygen sensor element includes a heater unit and a sensor unit, wherein the heater unit has an elongated plate-like ceramic substrate and a resistance heating element and a pair of conductive lead members arranged thereon, and the sensor unit is integrally united with the heater unit and includes an oxygen ion-conducting solid electrolyte body and reference and measuring electrodes and conductive lead members formed thereon.
Inventors
- 👤 Fujio Ishiguro
- 👤 Hideo Maeda
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 11:08
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01N; G01N27/00; G01N27/26; G01N27/403; G01N27/406; G01N27/407; G01N27/4071; G01N27/4067; Y; Y10; Y10T; Y10T29/00; Y10T29/49; Y10T29/49002; Y10T29/49082; Y10T29/49083
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
137 words
A ceramic heater comprising an elongated plate-like ceramic substrate having a first end portion and a second end portion and a transverse width, a resistance heating element arranged in the vicinity of said first end portion of said ceramic subtrate, said resistance heating element having two electrical connections and a pair of elongated strip-like conductive lead members, each of said lead members extending from one connection of said resistance heating element toward the second end portion of said ceramic substrate; each of said lead members having a specific electrical resistance which is less than a specific electrical resistance of said resistance heating element and each of said lead members having a transverse width, wherein a sum of the transverse widths of the lead members is not more than one half the transverse width of the ceramic substrate.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
137 words
A ceramic heater comprising an elongated plate-like ceramic substrate having a first end portion and a second end portion and a transverse width, a resistance heating element arranged in the vicinity of said first end portion of said ceramic subtrate, said resistance heating element having two electrical connections and a pair of elongated strip-like conductive lead members, each of said lead members extending from one connection of said resistance heating element toward the second end portion of said ceramic substrate; each of said lead members having a specific electrical resistance which is less than a specific electrical resistance of said resistance heating element and each of said lead members having a transverse width, wherein a sum of the transverse widths of the lead members is not more than one half the transverse width of the ceramic substrate.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
35 words
The ceramic heater accoding to claim 1, wherein all of said resistance heating element and at least a portion of said lead members close to said resistance heating element are embedded in said ceramic substrate.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The ceramic heater according to claim 1, wherein said ceramic substrate is a substantially rectangular substrate having an elongated length of not more than 50 mm and the transverse width is not more than 7 mm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
228 words
An oxygen sensor element comprising a heater unit and a sensor unit; said heater unit comprising an elongated plate-like ceramic substrate having a first end portion and a second end portion and a transverse width, a resistance heating element arranged in the vicinity of said first end portion of said ceramic substrate, said resistance heating element having two electrical connections and a pair of elongated strip-like conductive lead members, each of said lead members extending from one connection of said resistance heating element toward the second end portion of said ceramic substrate, each of said conductive lead members having a specific electrical resistance which is less than a specific electrical resistance of said resistance heating element and each of said lead members having a transverse width, wherein a sum of the transverse widths of the lead members is not more than one half the transverse width of the ceramic substrate; said sensor unit comprising an oxygen ion-conducting solid electrolyte body, at least one measuring electrode and one reference electrode arranged in the vicinity of said first end portion of said solid electrolyte body, and conductive lead members extending from each of said measuring and reference electrodes toward said second end portion of said solid electrolyte body; wherein said heater unit is integrally attached to said sensor, thereby heating at least one of said electrode and said reference electrode.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
228 words
An oxygen sensor element comprising a heater unit and a sensor unit; said heater unit comprising an elongated plate-like ceramic substrate having a first end portion and a second end portion and a transverse width, a resistance heating element arranged in the vicinity of said first end portion of said ceramic substrate, said resistance heating element having two electrical connections and a pair of elongated strip-like conductive lead members, each of said lead members extending from one connection of said resistance heating element toward the second end portion of said ceramic substrate, each of said conductive lead members having a specific electrical resistance which is less than a specific electrical resistance of said resistance heating element and each of said lead members having a transverse width, wherein a sum of the transverse widths of the lead members is not more than one half the transverse width of the ceramic substrate; said sensor unit comprising an oxygen ion-conducting solid electrolyte body, at least one measuring electrode and one reference electrode arranged in the vicinity of said first end portion of said solid electrolyte body, and conductive lead members extending from each of said measuring and reference electrodes toward said second end portion of said solid electrolyte body; wherein said heater unit is integrally attached to said sensor, thereby heating at least one of said electrode and said reference electrode.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
The oxygen sensor element according to claim 4, wherein all of said resistance heating element and at least a portion of said lead members close to said resistance heating element in said heater unit are embedded in said ceramic substrate.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
60 words
The oxygen sensor element according to claim 4, wherein at least one strip-like conductive lead member is arranged on said ceramic substrate parallel to and in substantially a same plane as said lead members in said heater unit, and a total transverse width of these lead members is not more than half of the transverse width of said ceramic substrate.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
32 words
The oxygen sensor element according to claim 6, wherein said strip-like conductive lead member is a conductor connecting at least one of said measuring electrode and reference electrode of said sensor unit.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
The oxygen sensor element according to claim 4, wherein said conductive lead members in said heater and sensor unit comprise a conductive material consisting essentially of a platinum group metal.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
26 words
The oxygen sensor element according to claim 8, wherein said platinum group metal is selected from the group consisting of platinum, rhodium, palladium, and mixtures thereof.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The oxygen sensor element according to claim 8, wherein said conductive material contains ceramics.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
19 words
The oxygen sensor element according to claim 10, wherein said ceramics comprises at least one of zirconia and alumina.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
52 words
The oxygen sensor element according to claim 4, wherein said resistance heating element and said conductive lead members each having a given electrical resistance value are formed by print-applying a conductive paste onto said ceramic substrate at regions corresponding to said resistance heating element and conductive lead members and subsequent firing thereof.
Claim 15
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of manufacturing a ceramic heater, comprising the steps of: (a) print-applying onto a first end portion of a surface of an elongated plate-like unfired ceramic substrate a conductive paste for forming a resistance heating element having a given electrical resistance value after firing thereof and a transverse width; (b) print-applying onto the surface of said unfired ceramic substrate a conductive paste for forming at least one conductive lead member having a specific electrical resistance which is smaller than the electrical resistance of said resistance heating element after firing thereof so as to extend from said conductive paste forming said resistance heating element toward a second end portion of said unfired ceramic substrate in the form of at least one strip; and said at least one strip having a transverse width, wherein a sum of the transverse widths of said at least one strip is not more than one-half the transverse width of the ceramic substrate, thereby forming an unfired heater; and (c) firing the unfired heater.
Claim 16
Independent Claim
168 words
A method of manufacturing a ceramic heater, comprising the steps of: (a) print-applying onto a first end portion of a surface of an elongated plate-like unfired ceramic substrate a conductive paste for forming a resistance heating element having a given electrical resistance value after firing thereof and a transverse width; (b) print-applying onto the surface of said unfired ceramic substrate a conductive paste for forming at least one conductive lead member having a specific electrical resistance which is smaller than the electrical resistance of said resistance heating element after firing thereof so as to extend from said conductive paste forming said resistance heating element toward a second end portion of said unfired ceramic substrate in the form of at least one strip; and said at least one strip having a transverse width, wherein a sum of the transverse widths of said at least one strip is not more than one-half the transverse width of the ceramic substrate, thereby forming an unfired heater; and (c) firing the unfired heater.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
36 words
The ceramic heater according to claim 13, wherein said ceramic substrate is a substantially rectangular substrate having an elongated length of not more than 50 mm and the transverse width is not more than 7 mm.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-09-28 | 1991-03-30 | 1991-09-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-09-28 | 1995-03-30 | 1995-09-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-09-28 | 1999-03-30 | 1999-09-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |