Sealed Sensor Housing With Integral Cylindrical Extension
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor sealing housings for fixtures are complex to manufacture and difficult to install, requiring numerous parts and tools, and often fail to effectively prevent contaminants from entering the fixture.
Innovation Solution
A sealed sensor apparatus with a simplified design featuring a housing with an integral cylindrical extension and a gasket that forms a water-tight seal with a mounting plate, using a cylindrical portion and gasket configuration to prevent contaminants, and optionally including a lens and retaining tabs for secure installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional sensor sealing housings are used, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the housing and mounting bracket into a single integrated component. The housing includes an integrated mounting bracket with pre-formed mounting holes, eliminating the need for separate brackets and reducing the number of parts from multiple components to a single unified structure that provides both sealing and mounting functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support, creates the sealing interface with the fixture, and includes integrated mounting features. The single housing component serves as both the protective enclosure and the mounting mechanism, reducing overall device complexity.
2Reliability
If traditional sensor sealing housings are used, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but ease of manufacture deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the housing and mounting bracket into one component, the patent reduces the number of manufacturing steps. Instead of producing separate parts and assembling them, the integrated design allows for single-step production through methods like injection molding, eliminating assembly operations and reducing manufacturing complexity.
3Reliability
If traditional sensor sealing housings are used, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but ease of installation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of the mounting bracket into the housing eliminates the need for separate installation steps. The pre-formed mounting holes in the integrated bracket allow for direct installation into the fixture without requiring separate bracket attachment, simplifying the installation process while maintaining the sealing interface.
4Ease of manufacture
If simplified housing design is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but sealing effectiveness may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a gasket as a flexible sealing element within the integrated housing design. This thin film component provides the necessary sealing effectiveness by conforming to the interface surfaces, while the overall housing structure remains simple and easy to manufacture through integral formation.
Data Source
AI summary
A sealed sensor apparatus for a light fixture includes a housing. The housing has a base portion configured to house circuitry of the sensor apparatus. The housing include an integral cylindrical extension projecting from the base portion. The cylindrical extension has an interior surface defining an interior cavity. The cylindrical extension has an exterior surface radially spaced from the interior surface. A gasket may be received about the exterior surface of the cylindrical extension. A lens may be sealingly mounted to the cylindrical extension.