Adjustable Door Sensor With Threaded Plunger Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional door and window sensors face challenges in accommodating varying gaps between moving and stationary portions, requiring fixed travel and minimum gap distances, and wireless sensors suffer from short battery life and exposure risks during battery replacement.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable sensor device with a plunger, sensor housing, and linkage, featuring a threaded adjustment mechanism and set screw for secure installation, allowing depth adjustment and limiting rotation, along with internal electronics for tamper detection and wireless communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed travel sensor is used, then the device structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate varying gaps between door and frame
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a threaded adjustment mechanism that allows the plunger travel distance to be dynamically adjusted. The sensor housing includes threads that engage with the door frame, enabling the user to screw the sensor to different depths to match varying gap sizes between the door and frame, thus making the sensor adaptable to different installation scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the travel parameter of the sensor by providing an adjustable plunger mechanism. The plunger can be positioned at different depths relative to the sensor housing through the threaded adjustment, effectively changing the travel distance to accommodate different gap widths between the door and frame.
2Ease of repair
If wireless sensors with removable batteries are used, then battery replacement is easy, but battery life is short and exposure risks increase during replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested battery compartment design where the battery is housed within a secure compartment that is integrated into the sensor housing. The compartment can be accessed through a small opening or by removing a cover, allowing battery replacement without exposing the entire sensor or creating security vulnerabilities, while maintaining ease of replacement.
3Ease of operation
If the sensor allows free rotation during installation, then installation is flexible, but the sensor may rotate and malfunction after installation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a rotation prevention feature that is activated during the installation process. The threaded adjustment mechanism serves a dual purpose: it secures the sensor to the door frame and simultaneously prevents rotation once the desired position is reached. The threading engages with the frame material to lock the sensor in place, preventing subsequent rotation that could cause malfunction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adjustable sensor effectively secures building barriers by accommodating different gap widths, extending battery life through secure battery replacement and providing reliable tamper detection and communication.
Implementation Method 1
The adjustment, in turn, comprises a threaded portion that is adjustably inserted through a hole in either the building barrier or surrounding frame, and driver slots enabling the threaded portion to be externally adjusted
Implementation Method 2
a set screw secured in the set hole, wherein the set screw inhibits the threaded portion from rotating when the set screw is screwed into the surrounding frame
Data Source
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AI summary
An entry sensor, which supports either wireless or wired operation, facilitates installation and is adjustable for gaps between a building entry barrier such as a door or window and the surrounding frame. The sensor, which may be implemented as a single piece design, includes an adjustment mechanism that enables an installer to vary the extension of the sensor to match the actual gap so that the sensor properly secures the building entry when closed. The sensor includes a detector that determines the state of a switch that is responsive to the movement of a plunger mechanism, where the state is indicative whether the building entry barrier is opened or closed, and that may determine whether the sensor is tampered with. The sensor also may facilitate battery replacement that protects the associated circuitry during the replacement.