Reusable Magnetic Sensor Circuit for Sealed Battery Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing intrinsically safe devices, such as radar products, face challenges in meeting safety requirements due to the need for hermetically sealed enclosures, which prevents the installation of batteries without opening the device, and the inability to reuse magnetic sensor circuits after initial activation.
Innovation Solution
A reusable system that includes a magnetic sensor circuit and a magnet placed outside the device's enclosure, allowing the device to power up by detecting the absence of the magnetic field, and enabling the reuse of the magnetic sensor circuit for various applications such as door detection, hopper switch detection, and trailer connector detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the device enclosure is hermetically sealed to meet intrinsically safe requirements, then safety is improved, but the ability to install or replace batteries is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separate functional modules: a hermetically sealed intrinsically safe module containing the magnetic sensor circuit, and an external battery module. This segmentation allows the intrinsically safe enclosure to remain sealed while enabling external power supply through the magnetic coupling interface.
Solution Approach 2:
A magnet serves as an intermediary component that enables power transfer and device activation without physical opening of the hermetic seal. The magnet couples the external battery to the internal circuit through magnetic field interaction, allowing energy transfer while maintaining enclosure integrity.
2Ease of manufacture
If the magnetic sensor circuit is used for initial activation and then discarded, then the activation function is achieved, but resource waste occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The magnetic sensor circuit is designed to be reusable rather than disposable. After initial activation, the circuit can be recovered and reused for additional activation events or other sensing functions, reducing waste and extending component lifecycle through multiple utility phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic sensor circuit is designed with multi-functionality: it serves both as an activation trigger sensor and as a reusable component for subsequent operations. The circuit can detect multiple magnetic field events and perform various sensing tasks throughout the device lifecycle, maximizing component utilization.
3Ease of operation
If the magnet is removed and tossed in the trash after activation, then the activation process is complete, but environmental waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
The magnet is designed as a reusable component rather than single-use waste. After the activation function is performed, the magnet can be recovered and reused for subsequent activation events or other magnetic coupling applications, eliminating the need to discard functional magnetic components.
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 solution allows for the reuse of magnetic sensor circuits, enabling multiple use cases while maintaining intrinsically safe requirements, thus extending the device's functionality and reducing waste.
Implementation Method 1
The magnetic sensor circuit may be used for detecting a magnetic field
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for switching the operating mode of a controller based on the detection of a magnetic field, and in response to having detected a change in the presence of the magnetic field, sending a message to the remote server.