Flexible Proximity Sensor Housing With Bendable PCB Sections
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional proximity sensors have limited flexibility along their length expansion, making them inflexible and prone to damage during external movements or bending, which compromises detection reliability and increases the risk of damage.
Innovation Solution
The sensor incorporates a circuit board with bendable sections and side walls made of flexible material, allowing the sensor to bend in the longitudinal direction, providing increased flexibility and protection without additional mechanical parts, and the circuit board is arranged to extend through the middle of the housing for enhanced bending properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the sensor uses a rigid housing and circuit board structure, then the sensor provides stable detection and structural integrity, but the sensor cannot bend and is prone to damage during external movements
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board is divided into rigid sections and flexible connection sections. The rigid sections provide structural stability for mounting components, while the flexible connection sections enable bending without damage. This segmentation allows the sensor to maintain integrity during external movements.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing incorporates flexible material regions that allow the sensor to bend. These flexible regions act as protective shells that can deform during bending while protecting internal components, eliminating the need for additional mechanical protective parts.
2Measurement precision
If the sensor is made highly rigid along its length direction, then the sensor maintains exact positioning, but the sensor cannot adapt to external forces and movements
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit board is segmented into rigid portions for mounting detection circuitry and flexible connection portions for adapting to external forces. This allows the sensor to maintain positioning accuracy where needed while adapting to movements elsewhere.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor structure transitions from a completely rigid design to a dynamic design with flexible sections that can adapt to external forces. The flexible connection sections between rigid components allow the sensor to move and adapt while maintaining functional integrity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sensor uses additional mechanical protective parts, then the sensor protection against harmful influences is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is merged into the housing structure itself through flexible material regions. Instead of adding separate mechanical protective parts, the housing is designed to provide protection through its flexible nature, reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible material regions in the housing serve multiple functions: they provide mechanical protection during bending, enable the sensor to adapt to external forces, and maintain structural integrity. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional dedicated protective components.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~6
Figure 7~9
AI summary
The invention relates to a proximity sensor for detecting the proximity of an object. The sensor comprises a sensing element (11), a detection circuitry (13) provided on a circuit board (15, 15A, 15B, 15C), and a housing (5) with a rear portion (23) adjoining a rear end (56) of the housing (5) and a front portion (21) adjoining a front end (55) of the housing (5), the sensing element (11) being arranged inside the front portion (21) of the housing (5) such that it is adapted to interact with the object through the front portion (21), the detection circuitry (13) being interconnected with the sensing element (11) in order to receive a detection signal from the sensing element (11), the housing (5) comprising side walls (28A, 28B, 29A, 29B) extending in a longitudinal direction (27) from the rear end (56) to the front end (55) of the housing (5), the side walls (28A, 28B, 29A, 29B) surrounding the circuit board (15, 15A, 15B, 15C). To allow a better flexibility of the sensor along its length expansion, the invention proposes that the circuit board (15, 15A, 15B, 15C) comprises at least one bendable section (61, 75, 76, 77, 85, 86) extending in a transverse direction with respect to said longitudinal direction (27) and that the side walls (28A, 28B, 29A, 29B) substantially consist of at least one flexible material (17) in a region surrounding said bendable section (61, 75, 76, 77, 85, 86) of the circuit board (15, 15A, 15B, 15C) such that the sensor is bendable through said transverse direction.