Pressure Switch with Corrugated Sheets for High Vibration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pressure switches, whether piston or diaphragm types, fail to simultaneously meet the requirements of precision and high pressure endurance, especially in harsh environments with high frequency vibration, due to issues like friction-generated errors in piston switches and structural weakness in diaphragm switches.
Innovation Solution
A pressure switch design incorporating a tube structure with a pressure transmitting assembly, a microswitch, and at least one corrugated sheet, where the corrugated sheets are used to form a sealing and pressure transmitting interface, providing enhanced sealing, buffering capacity, and mechanical response rate through electron beam welding and a composite corrugated sheet assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a piston pressure switch with coil spring assembly is used, then high pressure endurance is achieved, but volume and weight increase making it inadequate for aerospace applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a diaphragm (a flexible thin film structure) instead of a rigid piston with coil spring assembly. The diaphragm can deform under pressure to actuate the switch while maintaining a compact form factor, thus achieving both pressure endurance and volume reduction for aerospace applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the coil spring assembly from the pressure switch design, replacing it with a diaphragm-based mechanism. This removal of the bulky spring component directly reduces volume and weight while maintaining functional performance.
2Strength
If a piston pressure switch with compressed O-ring is used, then high pressure endurance is achieved, but friction causes larger pressure difference leading to guide rod misalignment and detection errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the compressed O-ring sealing mechanism from the piston design. By eliminating this friction-generating component, the guide rod can move more freely and accurately, reducing pressure detection errors while maintaining pressure endurance through the diaphragm structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical friction-based O-ring sealing system with a different sealing approach that does not generate significant friction on the guide rod, thereby improving measurement precision while maintaining the pressure containment function.
3Volume of moving object
If a diaphragm pressure switch is used, then small volume and sensitivity to small pressure differences are achieved, but structural strength is insufficient for high pressure environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite material construction for the diaphragm, combining materials with different properties to achieve both the flexibility needed for sensitivity and the strength required for high pressure endurance. This allows the diaphragm to maintain structural integrity under high pressure while remaining responsive to pressure changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different material properties or structural characteristics to different regions of the diaphragm. The central area may be designed for flexibility and sensitivity to pressure changes, while the peripheral or supporting structures are reinforced for strength and pressure endurance, achieving both small volume and high pressure capability.
4Ease of operation
If conventional pressure switches are used in high frequency vibration environments, then basic pressure detection is achieved, but precision and reliability deteriorate due to friction and structural weakness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates friction-generating components like compressed O-rings that are particularly problematic in high frequency vibration environments. This removal prevents friction-induced errors and misalignments that would otherwise compromise reliability under vibrational stress.
Solution Approach 2:
The diaphragm structure inherently handles vibration better than rigid piston assemblies with friction-based sealing. The flexible nature of the diaphragm allows it to absorb and accommodate vibrational movements without generating the friction and misalignment issues that plague conventional designs, thereby maintaining detection reliability.
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
The pressure switch achieves precise pressure measurement and control in high-pressure, high-vibration environments with improved sealing and mechanical response, making it suitable for aerospace, semiconductor, biomedical, and petrochemical industries.
Implementation Method 1
The spring component is compressed between the restraining body and the restraining portion
Implementation Method 2
The at least one corrugated sheet is fixed inside the tube structure and stacked at an end of the piston structure away from the fluid inlet
Data Source
AI summary
The present application discloses a pressure switch which includes a tube structure, a pressure transmitting assembly, a microswitch, and corrugated sheets. The pressure transmitting assembly disposed inside the tube structure includes a guide rod with a piston, and a fluid chamber providing working pressure is defined between the piston and a fluid inlet. The microswitch is disposed at another end of the tube structure away from the fluid inlet and can be actuated by the guide rod. The corrugated sheets are fixed inside the tube structure and stacked on the piston structure so as to form a sealing and pressure transmitting interface for the pressure switch. Therefore, the pressure switch has good sealing property, good buffering capacity, and enhanced mechanical response rate with the corrugated sheets and is suitable for precision pressure measurement and control in an environment with high pressure and high frequency vibration.