Consumption Meter Housing Separation for Safe Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern consumption meters are designed for durability and resistance to intrusion, making them difficult to dismantle for recycling, especially due to the presence of delicate components like batteries that can be damaged during disassembly.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of push members, such as pins or mandrels, to penetrate the housing element and apply force in a controlled manner to separate the housing elements, minimizing damage to internal components by strategically avoiding sensitive areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the consumption meter is designed to be highly resistant to intrusion and durable, then the reliability and strength of the housing are improved, but the ease of dismantling for recycling deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple segments or layers that can be sequentially separated. The method involves removing the housing cover, separating the front housing from the rear housing, and finally separating the stack from the rear housing, transforming a monolithic difficult-to-open structure into separable segments that maintain durability during use but enable controlled dismantling for recycling
Solution Approach 2:
The dismantling method performs preliminary actions by systematically removing components in a specific sequence before complete disassembly. The cover is removed first, then the front housing is separated, creating preliminary access points that facilitate the final separation of the stack while maintaining control over the dismantling process
2Ease of operation
If conventional dismantling methods are used on resistant housing, then the housing can be opened, but delicate components such as batteries may be damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The method performs preliminary separation actions by removing the cover and front housing before applying force to separate the stack. This preliminary action creates controlled separation points that redirect mechanical forces away from delicate components like batteries, ensuring they remain intact during the dismantling process
Solution Approach 2:
The front housing acts as an intermediary element between the external dismantling forces and the delicate stack components. By separating the front housing first, it absorbs and redirects the mechanical forces applied during dismantling, protecting the batteries and electronic components from direct impact
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C
Figure 1D~1E
AI summary
A method for dismantling a measurement device, e.g. a consumption meter, comprising a first housing element and a second housing element fastened to the first housing element so as to enclose a stack of elements comprising at least: one circuit board comprising electronic components configured for performing a measurement of a physical parameter, and one or more additional components, such as a battery. The method comprises forcing (F_PM) at least one push member, such as 2-10 pins or mandrels, against a wall of the first housing element in a direction towards the second housing element, so as to penetrate through the wall of the first housing element. Further, continuing (C_F_PM) to apply a force on the at least one push member in the direction towards the second housing element, to cause the at least one push member to apply a force on an element of the stack of elements such that it causes another element of the stack of elements to separate the second housing element and the stack of elements from the first housing element. The dismantling can be performed with minimal damage on the elements inside the device, and thus the method is suitable as a first step of an effective recycling process for recycling separated elements of the measurement device.