Sensor Array With Adjustable One-Piece Closing Cap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Radar sensors face challenges in precise alignment due to opaque housings and manufacturing tolerances, affecting the determination of focal length and overall efficiency in detecting remote objects.
Innovation Solution
A sensor array design featuring a housing with a circumferential cap wall that defines a housing opening, where the high-frequency sensor is directed towards the opening, and a one-piece closing cap with a high-frequency lens, allowing for a predefined distance between the lens and sensor, enabling efficient focusing and simple manufacturing with adjustable cap lengths to accommodate manufacturing tolerances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a radar sensor element is enclosed in an opaque sensor housing, then the sensor is protected and structurally stable, but precise alignment with remote objects becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into two separate parts: a housing body and a closing cap. This segmentation allows the closing cap to be removed and repositioned to different locations around the housing, enabling flexible alignment adjustment while maintaining the protective enclosure during operation
Solution Approach 2:
The closing cap is designed to be movable relative to the housing body through a locking mechanism. This dynamic design allows the cap to be repositioned to different angular positions around the housing perimeter, enabling precise alignment with target objects while maintaining structural protection when locked in place
2Device complexity
If the focal length is determined by housing and lens tolerances, then the structure is simple, but measurement precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A predefined distance element with a fixed, predetermined distance is introduced between the lens and sensor circuit board. This element is manufactured with high precision before assembly, establishing an accurate focal length relationship that is maintained during final assembly, thereby achieving precise focal length determination without requiring tight tolerances on all components
Solution Approach 2:
The predefined distance element serves as a sacrificial or replaceable component that establishes the critical dimensional relationship. By making this specific element the precision-critical component rather than requiring all housing and mounting features to be precision-machined, the overall manufacturing complexity and cost are reduced while maintaining measurement precision
3Ease of manufacture
If the sensor circuit board positioning has irregularities, then manufacturing is easier, but alignment precision worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The closing cap acts as an intermediary element between the sensor circuit board and the external environment. It provides a stable, precisely positioned mounting surface for the lens while allowing the sensor circuit board to be positioned more flexibly on the circuit board substrate, as any positioning irregularities are compensated by the cap's positioning features and adjustment capability
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 allows for efficient focusing of high-frequency signals, simple manufacturing, and increased tolerance in sensor array components, enhancing the precision and reliability of radar sensor alignment and detection capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
The high-frequency lens closes the circumferential cap wall on the front side and is directed towards the housing opening... the high-frequency lens can focus the high-frequency signal efficiently in the direction of the high-frequency sensor
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor array includes a housing with a circumferential housing wall, which defines a housing opening, with a sensor circuit board with a high-frequency sensor. The sensor circuit board in the housing is arranged such that the high-frequency sensor is directed towards the housing opening. A one-piece closing cap closes the housing. The one-piece closing cap has a circumferential cap wall and a high-frequency lens. The high-frequency lens closes the circumferential cap wall on the front side and is directed towards the housing opening. A distance between the high-frequency lens and the high-frequency sensor and thus a focal length is predefined by a lateral length of the cap wall.