Hygienic Sensor Cover Assembly for Wall-Penetrating Installation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor units for hygiene-critical areas are either not hygienically compliant when installed separately or are complex and costly when installed within the area, requiring expensive cleaning and posing a risk of damage.
Innovation Solution
A sensor unit with a hygiene cover and connecting device featuring external and internal threads for a force-locking connection, allowing for a penetrating installation that meets hygiene standards, uses commercially available sensors, and ensures easy cleaning and positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sensor units are installed separately from the hygiene-critical area by means of a closed wall, then hygiene compliance is improved, but installation and alignment between receiver and emitter becomes difficult and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit is divided into two distinct parts: a sensor housing that can be installed in the non-hygiene area and a hygiene cover that interfaces with the hygiene-critical area. This segmentation allows each part to be optimized for its specific environment while maintaining overall system functionality and hygiene compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
The hygiene cover acts as an intermediary component between the sensor housing and the hygiene-critical area. It provides the necessary sealing and interface functions, enabling the sensor unit to comply with hygiene regulations while maintaining proper alignment and connection between the receiver and emitter through the installation wall.
2Reliability
If sensor units are installed within the hygiene area to meet hygiene specifications, then hygiene compliance is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor unit is segmented into a standard sensor housing and a separate hygiene cover. This allows the use of commercially available, cost-effective sensor housings while adding hygiene compliance through the separate cover component, thereby reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost compared to fully customized hygienic sensor units.
Solution Approach 2:
The hygiene cover is designed as a universal component that can be adapted to different sensor housing types and installation scenarios. It provides multiple functions including sealing, mechanical protection, and interface provision, thereby reducing the need for specialized custom-designed sensor units and lowering manufacturing costs.
3Reliability
If sensor units are installed within the hygiene area, then hygiene compliance is improved, but cleaning cost and risk of damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the sensor unit into a protected sensor housing and a removable hygiene cover, the sensitive electronic components are shielded from direct exposure to the hygiene-critical environment. This reduces the risk of damage during cleaning operations and lowers cleaning costs while maintaining hygiene compliance through the cover.
Solution Approach 2:
The hygiene cover serves as a protective intermediary that shields the sensor housing from direct contact with cleaning agents and environmental contaminants. This intermediary structure allows the sensor unit to meet hygiene specifications while protecting the internal components from damage during cleaning processes.
4Volume of moving object
If the passage end of the sensor unit is reduced in size, then installation space inside the hygiene area is reduced, but alignment precision becomes more critical
Solution Approach 1:
The hygiene cover with its flange structure acts as an intermediary mounting interface that provides stable mechanical support and alignment reference surfaces. This intermediary structure compensates for the reduced size of the passage end, ensuring adequate alignment precision while minimizing the space occupied inside the hygiene area.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment function is shifted from the radial dimension (passage end diameter) to the axial dimension (flange thickness and positioning). By providing a substantial flange structure, the system achieves precise alignment through the installation wall thickness rather than relying solely on the small passage end diameter, thereby reducing the space needed inside the hygiene area.
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor unit for a penetrating connection to an installation wall of a hygiene-critical technical installation. The sensor unit has a passage end located inside a hygiene area of the technical installation when in use, a hygiene cover for the passage end, and a connecting device for force-locking connection between hygiene cover and installation wall. The connecting device has an external thread on the sensor unit, at least one union nut, and an internal thread on a cover interior of the hygiene cover. The cover interior is formed by a closed-surface, circular front wall and a closed circumferential wall extending axially therefrom. The circumferential wall at its end axially opposite to the front wall has a connecting surface with an axial seal for abutment against the installation wall.