Fluid Fitting With Impeller Power Generation for Embedded Sensors
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid fittings in pneumatic and hydraulic systems lack the capability to efficiently generate electrical energy while meeting requirements of compactness, robustness, design simplicity, and insulation, especially in industrial applications where sensor monitoring is necessary.
Innovation Solution
A fitting for pressurized fluid circuits that incorporates an impeller driven by the fluid flow, generating electrical energy through a magnetically coupled coil system, which powers sensors and electronic devices while ensuring compactness, robustness, and insulation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If an impeller and coil system are integrated into the fitting to generate electrical energy, then energy generation capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the impeller, magnets, and coil system into a single integrated fitting assembly. The impeller is mounted directly within the fitting body, and the coil is positioned to interact with the magnets on the impeller, creating a compact energy generation unit that eliminates the need for separate external components.
Solution Approach 2:
The fitting serves multiple functions: it acts as a standard fluid connection component while simultaneously housing the energy generation mechanism. The same fitting body that connects fluid passages also contains the impeller and coil assembly, allowing a single component to perform both fluid handling and electrical energy generation.
2Volume of moving object
If the fitting is designed to be compact and robust, then ease of installation and insulation are improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting is divided into distinct functional zones: the fluid passage section, the impeller mounting section, and the coil housing section. Each section can be manufactured and assembled separately with standardized tolerances, reducing the need for high-precision monolithic manufacturing while ensuring proper alignment of moving parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The impeller is nested within the fitting body, and the coil is nested around the impeller's rotational path. This nested arrangement maximizes space utilization within the compact fitting while maintaining clearances and alignments through concentric positioning, reducing precision requirements compared to distributed component layouts.
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 fitting effectively generates electrical energy from fluid flow, enabling the powering of sensors and electronic devices within the constraints of compactness, robustness, and insulation, thereby addressing the need for energy generation in fluid-based systems.
Implementation Method 1
An impeller 16 is housed in the fitting body 10, which impeller is rotatably drivable by the pressurized fluid crossing the fitting body 10. The impeller 16 supports a plurality of magnets 18... A plurality of coils 20 is also housed within the fitting body 10... In the presence of a variable magnetic field, generated by the rotation of the magnet ring 180, an electric current is generated in the electrical windings of the coils 20
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A fitting (1) for a pressurized fluid circuit comprises an impeller (16) drivable in rotation by the pressurized fluid crossing the fitting. The impeller supports a plurality of magnets (18) coupled to a plurality of coils (20) for generating an electric current in the presence of a variable magnetic field generated by the rotation of the magnets.