DIN Rail Sensor Housing for Tool-Free Mounting and Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensors, particularly temperature and humidity sensors, face challenges in installation and integration with electronic equipment due to the risk of shorting and the lack of suitable mounting systems, especially in confined spaces, and are difficult to install without specialized tools.
Innovation Solution
A mountable sensor housing system featuring U-shaped portions with attachment and mating features, clips with tapered appendages, and a DIN rail mounting mechanism that allows easy installation and secure attachment to DIN rails, facilitating sensor placement and integration with computing systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If sensors are installed in confined spaces near electronic equipment, then sensor placement flexibility is improved, but the risk of shorting and installation difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into two separate U-shaped portions (front and rear) that can be assembled together. This segmentation allows the sensor to be mounted on the rear portion with electrical connections made before final assembly, reducing the risk of shorting during installation in confined spaces while maintaining placement flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure acts as an intermediary barrier between the sensor and electronic equipment, providing physical isolation and preventing direct contact that could cause shorting. The DIN rail mounting system serves as an intermediary mounting mechanism that enables installation in confined spaces without direct contact with electronic components.
2Ease of operation
If traditional mounting methods are used for sensors, then installation requires specialized tools, but using custom mounting systems increases device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The housing incorporates attachment features and mating features that enable universal mounting to DIN rails, a standard infrastructure in electronic equipment. This universal mounting approach eliminates the need for specialized tools while the modular clip design keeps the added complexity minimal and standardized.
Solution Approach 2:
The clip and slot mechanism with tapered appendages enables tool-free installation through a simple push-and-lock action. The housing's own structural features (slots, attachment features) serve the mounting function, eliminating the need for external specialized tools while maintaining reasonable complexity through standardized design.
3Volume of moving object
If sensors are mounted directly in confined spaces, then installation space is utilized efficiently, but maintenance and replacement become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The separable housing design allows the rear portion containing the sensor to be detached from the front portion for maintenance. The U-shaped portions can be separated by removing the clips, enabling easy sensor replacement without requiring disassembly of the entire housing or specialized tools, thus maintaining efficient space utilization while improving maintainability.
4Stability of the object's composition
If housing portions are permanently secured together, then structural stability is improved, but ease of assembly and disassembly deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system transitions from a static permanent bond to a dynamic reversible connection. The clips with tapered appendages engage with slots to provide stable mechanical connection during operation, but can be easily disengaged by applying force to release the clips, enabling both stability during use and ease of assembly/disassembly when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
A housing may include a first U-shaped portion having a first wall, a second wall, and a third wall, and an attachment feature, the second wall having a slot with a recess and apertures therein, the first wall and the third wall each having a reception area. The housing may include a second U-shaped portion, the second U-shaped portion having a fourth wall, a fifth wall, a sixth wall, a mating feature, and a hole therein. The housing may include a clip having protrusions for mounting to a railing, the clip being situated within the slot such that the protrusions extend through the apertures. The housing may include a circuit board, the circuit board being received within the reception areas such that the sensor extends through the hole. The U-shaped portions are coupled via the attachment feature and the mating feature.