Time Displacement Sensor with Frangible Wires for High-Resolution Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing displacement sensors are limited by their inability to measure an unlimited range of displacements with high resolution and are affected by temperature, restricting their operational use.
Innovation Solution
A time displacement sensor system comprising a hollow body with a pathway and frangible wires, where a solid body travels through the pathway breaking wires at known intervals, allowing a data acquisition system to determine displacement and other measurement characteristics without temperature interference.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If existing displacement sensors are used to measure displacement, then displacement measurement is achieved, but the measurement range and resolution are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor divides the measurement pathway into multiple segments by placing frangible wires at different positions along the hollow body. Each wire represents a discrete measurement point, allowing the system to measure displacement across a wide range by detecting which wires have been broken. This segmentation enables both high resolution (through closely spaced wires) and unlimited range (through multiple wires along the pathway).
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from measuring only displacement magnitude to measuring both displacement magnitude and time. By recording the time at which each wire is broken, the system captures temporal information about the displacement event, adding a time dimension to the measurement and enabling derivation of velocity and acceleration in addition to position.
2Reliability
If existing displacement sensors operate in extreme temperatures, then operational capability is maintained, but measurement accuracy deteriorates due to temperature effects
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces traditional mechanical sensing elements that are sensitive to temperature with a frangible wire breaking mechanism. The wires are positioned such that they break at predetermined displacement points regardless of temperature. The data acquisition system records which wires are broken and at what times, providing temperature-independent measurement data that can be used to calculate displacement, velocity, and acceleration without temperature compensation.
3Adaptability or versatility
If frangible wires are used to measure displacement, then unlimited range and resolution are achieved, but the sensor structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the sensing function from complex mechanical components and isolates it to simple frangible wires positioned along the hollow body. Each wire serves a single purpose: to break at a specific displacement point. This extraction simplifies the overall sensor structure while maintaining the ability to measure unlimited displacement ranges by simply adding more wires at different positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The frangible wire array provides multiple functions simultaneously: it measures displacement magnitude, determines displacement direction (by sequence of breaking), and enables calculation of velocity and acceleration (through time-stamped wire breakage data). This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate sensing mechanisms, thereby simplifying the overall device structure despite the presence of multiple wires.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor for measuring displacement and time comprises a hollow body including a longitudinal axis. The hollow body comprises a wall including an inner surface and an outer surface, and a pathway defined by the inner surface. The sensor further comprises a solid body including an outer surface, the solid body configured to be received by the hollow body and travel through the pathway. The sensor further comprises a plurality of frangible wires, where each wire of the plurality of wires extends through a first opening in the wall, across the pathway, and through a second opening in the wall, and each wire is spaced apart by a distance in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the hollow body.