Foldable Sensor Stabilization Platform for Hazardous Enclosures
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Solution Overview
Problem
In industries like sanitation and wastewater systems, technicians face risks of injury when entering enclosures for maintenance due to the need for physical entry and attachment of sensors, which increases costs and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A sensor stabilization platform with vertically oriented leg members, a securing receptacle, height adjusters, and ballast is designed to be lowered into enclosures, allowing sensors to operate without interference and remain stable, eliminating the need for technicians to enter and attach sensors manually.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If technicians manually attach sensors inside enclosures, then sensor installation and maintenance can be performed, but technician safety risks increase and capital costs escalate
Solution Approach 1:
A robotic arm system acts as an intermediary between the technician (outside the enclosure) and the sensor (inside the enclosure). The robotic arm performs the hazardous task of sensor attachment and maintenance inside the enclosure, while the technician remains safely outside, eliminating direct exposure to harmful environments while maintaining full sensor installation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables automated sensor attachment and maintenance through robotic manipulation, reducing or eliminating the need for human technicians to physically enter hazardous enclosures. The robotic system performs self-contained operations for sensor deployment, adjustment, and retrieval, minimizing human involvement in dangerous environments
2Reliability
If safety equipment is provided for technician entry, then technician protection is improved, but capital costs and insurance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical system of human technicians wearing safety equipment with an automated robotic system. This substitution eliminates the need for expensive safety gear, insurance, and compensation while maintaining or improving operational reliability through consistent robotic performance in hazardous environments
3Ease of repair
If technicians spend time at the bottom of enclosures, then sensor maintenance can be performed, but loss of skilled manpower increases
Solution Approach 1:
The robotic system performs sensor maintenance operations autonomously or with minimal human supervision, eliminating the need for skilled technicians to spend time physically present in hazardous enclosures. The system handles sensor attachment, adjustment, and retrieval automatically, preserving skilled manpower for higher-value tasks
4Stability of the object's composition
If a stable platform is provided for sensor operation, then sensor stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the platform support structure from the sensor assembly, allowing the sensor to be mounted on a simple receptacle while the complex stabilized platform remains outside the enclosure. This separation provides sensor stability through the external platform without adding complexity to the sensor itself or requiring the sensor to operate inside a complex enclosed platform structure
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
This solution reduces the risk of injury, lowers maintenance costs, and enables efficient sensor deployment by allowing sensors to be secured and operated within enclosures without physical entry, applicable to various hazardous environments.
Implementation Method 1
a ballast attached to the platform to prevent movement of the platform when finally resting at the bottom of the vertical enclosure
Implementation Method 2
at least one height adjuster coupled to at least one of the plurality of leg members, allowing leveling of the upper portion of the platform
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor stabilization platform and method for installation in an enclosure is described, wherein the platform can be lowered into the enclosure from the enclosure's entry way (without requiring a person to enter the enclosure) and properly oriented to provide the structural support/securing capabilities needed for a sensor that is “sensing” the material at the bottom of the enclosure. The securing platform is weighted or configured to rest (without movement) at the bottom of the enclosure floor or manhole, and sensors can be lowered into the platform's receptacle(s), etc. The platform may be configured to be foldable, allowing it to be compact and pass through narrow entry ways.