Remote Sensor Interface Modular Housing for Battery Replacement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing remote sensor interfaces (RSIs) face challenges in protecting electronic components from harsh environments during battery replacement and maintenance, as they are often exposed to outdoor conditions such as sea ports, vessel decks, or truck loading areas, leading to potential damage from moisture and corrosive substances.
Innovation Solution
A remote sensor interface design featuring a modular structure with a separate housing for power source components, allowing for easy replacement without exposing electronic components to harsh environments, combined with a wireless magnetic seal kit for monitoring assets, which includes a magnet housing and sensor interface for detecting changes in proximity, enabling secure and efficient data communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the RSI uses a integrated housing design for electronic components and power source, then the device structure is simpler, but the electronic components are exposed to harsh environments during battery replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into two separate modules: a first housing for electronic components and a second housing for power source components. This segmentation allows the power source to be replaced without exposing the electronic components to harsh environments, resolving the contradiction between structural simplicity and component protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The power source components are extracted into a separate removable second housing that can be independently opened and serviced. This extraction enables battery replacement without compromising the sealed environment of the electronic components, maintaining reliability while simplifying maintenance.
2Reliability
If the RSI uses a separate modular housing for power source components, then the electronic components are protected during maintenance, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second housings are merged into a unified sealed housing assembly that maintains environmental protection when connected. This merging approach allows modular maintenance capabilities while preserving the integrity and simplicity of the overall sealed structure during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing configuration is made dynamic, allowing the second housing to be selectively opened for power source maintenance while the first housing remains sealed. This dynamic capability provides protection when needed without permanently increasing structural complexity.
3Reliability
If the RSI housing is sealed to protect electronic components, then protection against harsh environments is improved, but the power source cannot be easily replaced
Solution Approach 1:
The sealed housing is segmented into two independently accessible modules, allowing the power source housing to be opened and serviced without compromising the seal of the electronic components housing. This segmentation enables easy battery replacement while maintaining environmental protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The power source is extracted into a separately accessible module that can be serviced through its own opening mechanism, eliminating the need to open the main sealed housing. This extraction provides both protection and ease of repair simultaneously.
4Ease of repair
If the power source housing can be opened separately, then the ease of maintenance is improved, but the sealed environment for electronic components may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is segmented into distinct sealed modules with independent access points. The power source housing can be opened separately without affecting the seal integrity of the electronic components housing, enabling easy maintenance while preserving the protected environment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the housing have different accessibility qualities: the power source housing is designed for easy separate access while the electronic components housing maintains a permanent sealed quality. This local differentiation enables both ease of repair and environmental protection.
Data Source
AI summary
An all weather housing assembly for protection of electrical components includes a first housing having an open end and defining a first compartment for receipt therein of electronic components; a cover attached to the first housing for enclosing the first compartment, the cover further including a mounting structure for receiving and retaining a power source which structure is mounted on a side of the cover that is exterior to the enclosed first compartment; and a second housing having an open end and defining a second compartment that is dimensioned to cover and protect a power source when received and retained by the mounting structure of the cover, the second housing being connected to the first housing independent of the attachment of the cover to the first housing.