Sensor Cartridge Isolating Reservoir Forces
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Solution Overview
Problem
The accuracy of sensors mounted in plastic coolant reservoirs is compromised due to temperature-induced expansion and contraction, which applies tensile or compressive forces, affecting signal output, and current solutions to mitigate this involve increasing material thickness or cost.
Innovation Solution
A sensor cartridge with a cylindrical body, a pressure sensor, and a seal displaced from the sensor location, featuring retention features like circumferential indentations and grooves, which isolates the sensor from structural changes in the reservoir, preventing force transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the thickness of the reservoir material is increased to prevent distortion and force transmission, then sensor accuracy is improved, but the cost and weight of the reservoir increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the reservoir structure into two functional zones: a thick-walled sensor mounting section that provides structural stability and prevents force transmission to the sensor, and a thin-walled main body section that reduces overall weight and cost. This segmentation allows the reservoir to maintain sensor accuracy without increasing the weight of the entire reservoir.
Solution Approach 2:
The reservoir is designed with non-uniform wall thickness, featuring a localized thick-walled section at the sensor mounting area and thinner walls in other regions. This local quality variation provides the necessary structural support exactly where needed (at the sensor mounting location) while minimizing the overall material usage, weight, and cost of the reservoir.
2Measurement precision
If the thickness of the reservoir material is increased to prevent distortion and force transmission, then sensor accuracy is improved, but the cost of the reservoir increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is segmented into a thick-walled sensor mounting section and a thin-walled main body section. This allows the expensive thick material to be used only where structurally necessary for sensor accuracy, while the majority of the reservoir uses cheaper thin material, thereby reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining sensor performance.
Solution Approach 2:
By implementing local quality variation with non-uniform wall thickness, the reservoir uses expensive thick material only in the critical sensor mounting zone and inexpensive thin material elsewhere, optimizing the cost-performance ratio by eliminating unnecessary material usage in non-critical areas.
3Device complexity
If sensors are mounted directly in the reservoir, then the structure is simplified, but temperature-induced expansion and contraction apply forces that reduce signal accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is extracted from direct mounting in the reservoir wall and instead mounted in a dedicated thick-walled section that is integrally formed with the reservoir. This extraction isolates the sensor from the thermal expansion and contraction forces affecting the thin-walled main body, maintaining signal accuracy while keeping the overall structure relatively simple through integral formation.
Solution Approach 2:
The thick-walled sensor mounting section acts as an intermediary structure between the thin-walled reservoir body and the sensor. This intermediary absorbs and isolates the thermal expansion and contraction forces, preventing them from being transmitted to the sensor, thereby maintaining signal accuracy without requiring complex isolation mechanisms.
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 solution maintains sensor accuracy without increasing the reservoir's thickness or material cost, ensuring reliable readings across temperature and pressure variations.
Implementation Method 1
a seal (70) disposed in the circumferential groove
Implementation Method 2
a retention feature (66) provided on the outer surface of the sensor cartridge
Data Source
AI summary
Sensors are provided in reservoirs on internal combustion engines, and other applications, in which the reservoir is subjected to variations in pressure and temperature that cause the reservoir to exert variable forces on the sensor, thereby affecting sensor accuracy. To overcome problems in the prior art, a reservoir and sensor cartridge system are disclosing having: a reservoir with first and second openings, a cap coupled to the first opening, and a sensor cartridge disposed in the second opening. The sensor cartridge includes a sensor disposed in a body, a circumferential indentation formed in an outer surface of the body, a seal disposed in the indentation, and a retention feature provided on the body's outer surface. The circumferential indentation with the seal is axially displaced along the body from the sensor.