Integrated Metal Housing for Washable Fluid Measurement Tubes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fluid measurement devices face high manufacturing costs and irregularities at the outer circumferential portion due to coupling and welding processes, complicating washability, especially in applications involving food and beverages.
Innovation Solution
A fluid measurement device with a housing that integrates a supporting portion and an accommodation portion, formed by a metal material, eliminating the need for coupling and welding, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and preventing irregularities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the first housing and second housing are coupled via a coupling portion or welded, then the fluid measurement device can be assembled from separate components, but manufacturing cost increases and irregularities occur at the outer circumferential portion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the first housing and second housing into a single integrally formed housing structure. The housing is formed as one piece with an internal partition wall that creates the first and second housing spaces, eliminating the need for separate components and their associated coupling or welding operations. This resolves the contradiction by simultaneously reducing manufacturing cost and eliminating irregularities at connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the coupling portion and welded portion from the housing structure, removing these problematic elements entirely. By forming the housing as a single integral piece with an internal partition, the design eliminates the external connection elements that cause both increased manufacturing cost and surface irregularities.
2Ease of operation
If a coupling portion with screws or welded portion is used, then the housing can be assembled from separate parts, but washability decreases due to gaps and irregularities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the first housing and second housing into a single integral structure, eliminating gaps and irregularities that would trap fluid and prevent proper washing. The smooth, continuous surface of the integrally formed housing allows for effective cleaning while maintaining the functional separation of housing spaces through an internal partition wall.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fluid measurement device includes a measurement tube through which a fluid flows, a measurement element that is provided at the measurement tube and that measures the fluid, a processing unit that processes a signal that has been measured by the measurement element, and a housing that includes a supporting portion that is formed in a cylindrical shape and that supports the measurement tube that is provided to pass through the supporting portion, and an accommodation portion that is formed in a cylindrical shape and that accommodates the processing unit, and in which the supporting portion and the accommodation portion are integrally formed by a metal material.