Sensor Cleaning Unit With Segmented Wiper Ring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cleaning units for sensors often fail to effectively prevent dirt deposits around the axis of rotation, leading to increased torque on the motor and reduced service life, and can be defective if not cleaned correctly, affecting measurement quality in analytical measurement technologies like water management and environmental analysis.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning unit with a wiper element having a ring with radial teeth and a lip, made from rubber, attached to a holding element on a drive shaft, which moves to clean the sensor housing, ensuring deposits are avoided and the motor is not subjected to excessive torque, with the wiper element and holding element produced via multicomponent injection molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cleaning unit is used to clean the sensor housing, then the sensor housing is cleaned, but dirt deposits accumulate around the axis of rotation increasing torque and reducing motor service life
Solution Approach 1:
The ring is divided into multiple segments with teeth extending radially outward. These segmented structures create multiple cleaning zones that work together to prevent dirt accumulation in the critical region around the axis of rotation, thereby resolving the contradiction between effective cleaning and preventing harmful deposits.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning unit features localized cleaning elements (teeth and lips) positioned at specific locations on the ring. The teeth extend radially outward to target specific areas, while lips extend radially inward to address the region around the axis. This localized quality ensures thorough cleaning without leaving deposits in harmful areas.
2Measurement precision
If the sensor housing is cleaned regularly, then measurement quality is maintained, but the motor is subjected to high torque reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning unit performs preliminary cleaning actions by preventing dirt deposits from accumulating around the axis of rotation in the first place. The teeth and lips work together to keep the cleaning path clear, preventing the buildup that would otherwise increase torque and reduce motor service life, thus maintaining measurement quality without excessive wear.
3Ease of manufacture
If a simple wiper element is used, then the device is cost-effective, but it cannot prevent dirt deposits in the axis region
Solution Approach 1:
The wiper element is segmented into multiple teeth extending radially outward and lips extending radially inward. This segmentation is achieved through cost-effective injection molding processes, creating a structure that prevents dirt deposits in the axis region while remaining manufacturable and economically viable.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning unit combines different material properties in the molded structure, using materials suitable for the teeth and lips that contact the sensor housing. This composite approach, achieved through multi-material injection molding, ensures both cost-effectiveness and cleaning completeness by preventing dirt accumulation in critical areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning unit for a sensor with a sensor housing and a drive shaft comprises a holding element which extends along an axis and is suitable for being mounted on the drive shaft so that the cleaning unit can be moved by the drive shaft and a wiper element which is fastened to the holding element and has a ring which axially surrounds the holding element, so that the ring is in contact with the sensor housing of the sensor when the holding element is mounted on the drive shaft, wherein the ring has at least one tooth which extends radially to the axis.