Measuring device with a housing and a housing cover

Abstract

The invention relates to a measuring device (100) for process automation in an industrial or private environment, comprising a housing (102) and a housing cover (101) for screwing onto the housing. The housing cover has a circumferential plastic lip (103) which is pressed against the inner side of the housing in order to achieve a sealing effect when the housing cover is screwed onto the housing.

Description

MEASURING DEVICE WITH HOUSING AND HOUSING COVER REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority from German patent application No. 10 2024 201 339.0, filed on February 14, 2024, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference into this document. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates to measuring device technology for process automation in industrial or private environments. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a measuring device and the use of a housing cover for closing a housing of a measuring device. BACKGROUND In process measurement technology in industrial or private environments, measuring instruments or sensors are used whose housing cover is sealed to the housing by means of a polymer seal in the form of a sealing ring. SUMMARY

[0003] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a measuring device with an alternative seal.

[0004] This object is achieved by the features of the independent patent claims. Further developments of the invention emerge from the dependent patent claims and the following description of embodiments.

[0005] A first aspect of the present disclosure relates to a measuring device designed for process automation in an industrial or private environment. It comprises a housing and a housing cover designed to be screwed onto the housing. The housing cover has a circumferential plastic lip, which is pressed against the inside of the housing when the housing cover is screwed onto the housing to create a sealing effect.

[0006] The surrounding plastic lip is located, for example, on the inside of the housing cover and is arranged concentrically to the edge of the cover, so that when the housing cover is screwed onto the housing, the edge of the housing can slide between the edge of the cover and the surrounding plastic lip.

[0007] The circumferential plastic lip thus represents an alternative to the use of a sealing ring, but can also be used in addition to the sealing ring.

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the outer side of the circumferential plastic lip is curved inwardly so that the contact area between the plastic lip and the housing is reduced.

[0009] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the inside of the housing is curved outwardly where the circumferential plastic lip is pressed against the inside of the housing, opposite to the curvature of the outside of the circumferential plastic lip.

[0010] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the circumferential plastic lip is bent inward when the housing cover is screwed onto the housing. This preferably involves an elastic bend, so that the cover can be opened and closed several times without a noticeable deterioration in the sealing effect.

[0011] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, when the housing cover is screwed onto the housing, the housing is bent outwards where the circumferential plastic lip is pressed against the inside of the housing. The wall thickness of the circumferential plastic lip can be of the same order of magnitude as, or even greater than, the wall thickness of the housing. However, the wall thickness of the circumferential plastic lip can also be less or even significantly less than the wall thickness of the housing. Depending on the circumstances, the housing is bent outwards to a greater or lesser extent when the housing cover is screwed on. Alternatively or additionally, the plastic lip can be designed to be somewhat more robust. This advantageously allows sufficient force to bend the housing outwards to be achieved.

[0012] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the measuring device comprises a sealing ring (or several sealing rings) which is arranged in the housing cover and which is pressed against the outside of the housing when the housing cover is screwed onto the housing in order to achieve a sealing effect and / or to increase the sealing effect.

[0013] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, when the housing cover is screwed onto the housing, the housing is bent outward where the circumferential plastic lip is pressed against the inside of the housing, thereby pressing it against the sealing ring. This can further increase the sealing effect.

[0014] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the measuring device is a level measuring device, in particular a level radar measuring device, a limit level sensor, a pressure measuring device or a flow measuring device.

[0015] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the housing has an external thread for screwing the housing cover onto the housing. The external thread is preferably not located at the level where the circumferential plastic lip is pressed against the inside of the housing, but rather slightly below it, allowing the housing to bend outward when the housing cover is screwed on.

[0016] According to a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the circumferential plastic lip and / or the inside of the housing where the circumferential plastic lip is pressed against the inside of the housing, a coating is applied to increase the sealing effect.

[0017] For example, a silicone coating is used. Alternatively or additionally, TPE (thermoplastic elastomers) or TPU (thermoplastic polyurethanes) can be used for the coating. As an alternative to a coating, these materials can be arranged as a thin membrane on the sealing lip.

[0018] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to the use of a housing cover as described above and below for closing a housing of a measuring device as described above and below.

[0019] The housing cover and housing are preferably made of plastic. However, they can also be made of metal. In the latter case, it is advantageous to provide a plastic coating in the seal area.

[0020] The term "process automation in industrial environments" can be understood as a branch of technology that includes measures for operating machines and systems without human intervention. One goal of process automation is to automate the interaction of individual components of a plant in the chemical, food, pharmaceutical, petroleum, paper, cement, shipping, or mining industries. A variety of sensors can be used for this purpose, which are specifically adapted to the specific requirements of the process industry, such as mechanical stability, insensitivity to contamination, extreme temperatures, and extreme pressures. Measured values ​​from these sensors are usually transmitted to a control room, where process parameters such as fill level, limit level, flow rate, pressure, or density are monitored, and settings for the entire plant can be changed manually or automatically.

[0021] A sub-area of ​​process automation in the industrial environment concerns the logistics automation of plants and the logistics automation of supply chains. With the help of distance and angle sensors, processes inside or outside a building, or within a single logistics facility, are automated in the field of logistics automation. Typical applications for logistics automation systems include baggage and freight handling at airports, traffic monitoring (toll systems), retail, parcel distribution, and building security (access control). What the aforementioned examples have in common is that the respective application requires presence detection in combination with precise measurement of the size and location of an object.For this purpose, sensors based on optical measuring methods using lasers, LEDs, 2D cameras or 3D cameras that measure distances according to the time of flight (ToF) principle can be used.

[0022] Another sub-area of ​​process automation in the industrial environment is factory-to-production automation. Applications for this can be found in a wide variety of industries, such as automotive manufacturing, food production, the pharmaceutical industry, and packaging in general. The goal of factory automation is to optimize the production of goods through machines, To automate production lines and / or robots, i.e., to run them without human intervention. The sensors used here and the specific requirements regarding measurement accuracy when recording the position and size of an object are comparable to those in the previous example of logistics automation.

[0023] The terms used in the claims should be construed to give them the broadest possible reasonable interpretation consistent with the foregoing description. For example, the use of the article "a" or "the" in introducing an element should not be construed to exclude a plurality of elements. Likewise, the mention of "or" should be construed to include a plurality of elements, so that the mention of "A or B" does not exclude "A and B" unless it is clear from the context or the preceding description that only one of A and B is intended.Furthermore, the phrase "at least one of A, B, and C" should be understood as one or more elements from a group of elements consisting of A, B, and C, and should not be interpreted as requiring at least one of each of the listed elements A, B, and C, whether A, B, and C are related as categories or otherwise. Furthermore, the reference to "A, B, and / or C" or "at least one of A, B, or C" should be interpreted to include each individual unit of the listed elements, e.g., A, each subset of the listed elements, e.g., A and B, or the entire list of elements A, B, and C.

[0024] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below with reference to the figures. The representations in the figures are schematic and not to scale. Where the same reference numerals are used in the following description of the figures, they denote identical or similar elements. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

[0025] Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a measuring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Fig. 2 shows a sectional view of a portion of a measuring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Fig. 1 shows a sectional view of a measuring device 100 designed for process automation in an industrial or private environment. The measuring device 100 has a housing 102 and a housing cover 101, which is screwed onto the housing 102 by means of a thread 105.

[0028] The housing cover 101 has an edge 110 and, arranged concentrically thereto, a circumferential plastic lip 103. Between the edge 110 and the plastic lip 103, When the housing cover 101 is screwed on, the edge 106 of the housing 102 is pressed against the circumferential plastic lip 103, resulting in a fluid-tight sealing effect.

[0029] During the screwing process, the surrounding plastic lip 103 is bent slightly inward. Likewise, the edge 106 of the housing is bent slightly outward.

[0030] Fig. 2 shows a more detailed view of the area where the circumferential plastic lip 103 and the rim 106 of the housing 102 are located. Where these two elements touch to achieve the sealing effect, they are not curved in opposite directions to each other in order to concentrate the force exerted by these two elements on the smallest possible area.

[0031] The surfaces can be coated to increase the sealing effect, for example with a silicone coating.

[0032] In the embodiment of Fig. 2, a sealing ring 107 is additionally provided, which is mounted in the housing cover 101 and which presses against the outside of the housing edge 106.

[0033] Thus, two seals are provided, one provided by the sealing ring 107 and the other by the area 104 in which the circumferential plastic lip 103 is pressed against the housing edge 106.

[0034] This two-stage sealing system increases the tightness and thus reduces the probability of failure for the 100 meter. The seal is inexpensive and involves little or no additional manufacturing costs.

[0035] The above-described circumferential plastic lip 103 can replace the previously used single-stage polymer seal (sealing ring) if double sealing is not desired. This can further reduce manufacturing and material costs.

[0036] By screwing the housing cover 101 shut, the upper housing ring (housing edge 106) is pressed onto the cover, whereby the surrounding plastic lip 103 is deformed in such a way that the housing is sealed gas-tight and watertight.

[0037] The use of an O-ring is not required. There are also no issues with chemical resistance. The housing components can be used directly without any rework (such as attaching the O-ring 117). The sealing effect is sufficient even if the O-ring 107 is not in place or is damaged. As already described, the housing cover 101 is screwed onto the housing 102 (base body). This deforms the plastic lip 103 in the housing cover and presses it against the housing. This creates a seal that is both watertight and gas-tight.

[0038] If the plastic of the housing 102 is not elastic enough, another plastic can be injected onto the lip, for example in a 2K injection molding process.

Claims

CLAIMS 1 . A measuring device (100) configured for process automation in an industrial or private environment, comprising: a housing (102); a housing cover (101) for screwing onto the housing (102); wherein the housing cover (101) has a circumferential plastic lip (103) which, when the housing cover (101) is screwed onto the housing (103), is pressed against the inside of the housing (102) to achieve a sealing effect.

2. Measuring device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the outer side of the circumferential plastic lip (103) is curved inwards.

3. Measuring device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the inside of the housing (102) is curved outwards where the circumferential plastic lip (103) is pressed against the inside of the housing (102).

4. Measuring device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the circumferential plastic lip (103) is bent inwards when the housing cover (101) is screwed onto the housing (103).

5. Measuring device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (102) is bent outwards when the housing cover (101) is screwed onto the housing (103) where the circumferential plastic lip (103) is pressed against the inside of the housing (102).

6. Measuring device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, further comprising: a sealing ring (107) which is arranged in the housing cover (101) and which, when the housing cover (101) is screwed onto the housing (103), is pressed against the outside of the housing (102) in order to achieve a sealing effect.

7. Measuring device (100) according to claim 6, wherein the housing (102) is bent outwards and pressed against the sealing ring (107) when the housing cover (101) is screwed onto the housing (103) where the circumferential plastic lip (103) is pressed against the inside of the housing (102).

8. Measuring device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the measuring device (100) is a level measuring device, in particular a level radar measuring device, a limit level sensor, a pressure measuring device or a flow measuring device.

9. Measuring device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the housing (102) has an external thread for screwing the housing cover (101) onto the housing (102), which external thread is not arranged at the level of the location at which the circumferential plastic lip (103) is pressed against the inside of the housing (102), so that the housing (102) can be bent outwards when the housing cover (101) is screwed on.

10. Measuring device (100) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the circumferential plastic lip (103) and / or the inside of the housing (102) has a coating where the circumferential plastic lip (103) is pressed against the inside of the housing (102) in order to increase the sealing effect.

11. Use of a housing cover (101) for closing a housing (102) of a measuring device (100), wherein the housing cover (101) has a circumferential plastic lip (103) which is pressed against the inside of the housing (102) when the housing cover (101) is screwed onto the housing (103) in order to achieve a sealing effect.

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