Conductive Ring Housing Assembly for Stable Sensor Grounding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vibrating fork level switches often experience poor ground connections, leading to unstable electronic circuitry and resulting in false alarms or incorrect readings, which can cause safety hazards and process inefficiencies in industrial applications.
Innovation Solution
A housing assembly for level sensor field devices featuring an electrically conductive ring with protrusions that deform upon insertion into the housing body, providing a stable mechanical and electrical connection, eliminating the need for soldering or welding and allowing for simplified manufacturing by forming electrical connections directly on the ring before assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soldering or welding is used to create electrical connections inside the housing body, then reliable electrical connection is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electrical connection function from the housing body by introducing a separate electrically conductive ring component. This ring is inserted into the housing body and provides the electrical connection through its conductive properties, eliminating the need for complex soldering or welding operations inside the housing. The ring acts as an independent element that carries the electrical connection function outside the main housing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrically conductive ring is prepared in advance with its electrical connection properties before being inserted into the housing body. The ring can be pre-soldered, pre-wired, or pre-configured with electrical contacts, and then simply inserted into the housing to establish the electrical connection. This preliminary preparation simplifies the final assembly process and eliminates the need for complex in-situ soldering or welding.
2Ease of manufacture
If a simple ring structure is used without protrusions, then ease of manufacture is improved, but mechanical stability and electrical connection reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The ring is designed with localized protrusions at specific positions rather than being uniformly complex throughout. These protrusions are concentrated at the insertion interface where they are needed to engage with corresponding features in the housing body. The rest of the ring maintains a simple cylindrical shape, preserving ease of manufacture while providing localized mechanical engagement for stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The ring features asymmetric protrusions that are strategically positioned to provide mechanical engagement with the housing body. These protrusions break the symmetry of an otherwise simple cylindrical ring, creating specific engagement points that ensure proper orientation and stable mechanical connection. The asymmetric design allows the ring to be simple overall while having localized complexity where it is functionally necessary.
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
Ensures a reliable ground connection, preventing measurement errors and enhancing the accuracy and safety of level detection in industrial applications by maintaining a stable electrical connection over time.
Implementation Method 1
a ring (214) comprising protrusions (216) configured to be at least partially deformed when the ring (214) is inserted in the interior hollow portion (204) of the housing body
Data Source
AI summary
A housing assembly for a level sensor field device system, the housing assembly comprising: an electrically conductive housing body having an interior hollow portion and an opening in a first end portion; an electrically conductive ring comprising protrusions configured to be at least partially deformed when the ring is inserted in the interior hollow portion of the housing body; and a lead electrically connected to the ring, the lead being configured to be connected to circuitry for providing a predetermined electrical potential to the housing body via the ring.