Occupancy Sensor Harmonic Wheel for Tool-less Reorientation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing occupancy sensors lack tool-less manual access for adjustments, require cumbersome installation and reorientation, and have vulnerable lenses that can be easily damaged during handling and installation, necessitating replacement of the entire unit.
Innovation Solution
The occupancy sensor design features a tool-less, manually removable cover assembly for adjustments, a harmonic gear-type profile for 360-degree rotation, and a replaceable lens system with a larger snap-on cover to prevent damage, allowing for easy installation and lens replacement without tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If traditional occupancy sensors are installed with screws or tightly screwed threaded rods, then mounting stability is improved, but ease of reorientation deteriorates as rotation becomes impossible or limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic mounting system using a threaded rod with a specific thread pitch that allows the sensor to be rotated to different orientations after installation. The threaded rod mechanism provides both stable mounting when fixed and flexible reorientation when adjusted, resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability.
2Reliability
If occupancy sensors require screwdrivers and disassembly for adjustments, then adjustment security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates adjustment knobs that can be directly manipulated by users without requiring tools or disassembly. The knobs are designed to be easily gripped and turned, allowing users to perform adjustments themselves without needing screwdrivers or accessing internal components, thus improving ease of operation while maintaining adjustment security through the mechanical design of the knobs.
3Ease of operation
If the lens is exposed and accessible during installation and adjustment, then ease of cleaning is improved, but vulnerability to damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sensor housing into separable sections, allowing the lens to be accessed and removed when needed for cleaning or replacement, while being protected by the housing structure during normal operation and installation. This segmentation enables the lens to be both accessible when required and protected when not in use.
4Ease of manufacture
If the entire sensor unit must be replaced when the lens is damaged, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but cost-effectiveness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the sensor with a modular lens assembly that can be independently replaced. The lens is housed in a separate compartment that can be accessed and the lens removed and replaced without replacing the entire sensor unit. This segmentation maintains manufacturing simplicity while dramatically improving repair cost-effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables the lens to be recovered and replaced independently when damaged, rather than discarding the entire sensor unit. The modular design allows the functional sensor body to be retained and reused, with only the damaged lens component being replaced, improving cost-effectiveness while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
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 design simplifies installation, adjustment, and lens replacement, reducing time and expense, while protecting the lens from damage and enabling flexible orientation and mounting options.
Implementation Method 1
a harmonic wheel within the base assembly enables the base to swivel around the base cover
Implementation Method 2
occupancy sensors employ an array of Fresnel lenses covering an entrance aperture. In operation, thermal infrared radiation from the moving object of interest illuminates the lens array, wherein, for any particular angle of incidence, each lens in the lens array generates a focal spot
Implementation Method 3
thermal infrared radiation from the moving object of interest illuminates the lens array
Implementation Method 4
passive infrared (PIR) or pyroelectric sensors technologies to sense motion
Data Source
AI summary
An occupancy sensor having a replaceable cover with a convenient adjustment and installation scheme is disclosed herein. More particularly, a single or multi-technology occupancy sensor, assembled inside a semi-spherical shaped enclosure includes a replaceable cover with a convenient adjustment and installation scheme. This sensor design enables the sensor to be rotated after installation to obtain a desired coverage patterns. Specifically, the housing for the occupancy sensor includes a front cover having a lens assembly, a base assembly, a harmonic wheel, and a back cover. The front cover couples to the base assembly such that tool-less, manual access is available through the manually removable cover assembly to adjust several features of the sensor. The harmonic wheel enables the front cover, which includes the lens to swivel from zero to 359 degrees relative to the back cover anytime after installation.