Temperature Sensor Guide Element Prevents Supply Line Kinking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Temperature sensors with holding plates face issues of electrical supply line kinking and displacement, leading to damage, and require inefficient adaptations for varying component geometries and materials, compromising compact design and production efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A temperature sensor design featuring a guide element with a bore that routes the electrical supply line perpendicularly to the holding plate, providing a minimum distance to prevent kinking and allowing for a compact, adaptable, and cost-effective production, with optional insulation and anti-buckling features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the electrical supply line is routed through the holding plate with a guide element that encloses both the supply line and a section of the retaining plate, then the supply line is protected against kinking, but the guide element becomes relatively large and difficult to reconcile with compact design
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element is divided into two functional parts: a through-bore for routing the electrical supply line and a separate recess for receiving the anti-kink spring. This segmentation allows the guide element to protect the supply line effectively while maintaining a compact size, as the spring provides the kinking protection function without requiring the guide element itself to be large.
Solution Approach 2:
An anti-kink spring is introduced as an intermediary element that works in conjunction with the guide element. The spring is received in the recess of the guide element and provides the actual kinking protection, while the guide element's through-bore simply routes the supply line. This mediator approach allows compact design while maintaining reliability.
2Reliability
If the guide element encloses a section of the retaining plate along with the electrical supply line, then the supply line is secured, but adaptation to varying component geometries and materials becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element is designed as a universal component with a standardized through-bore and recess configuration that can accommodate electrical supply lines across different component geometries. The anti-kink spring is received in the recess and adapts to varying conditions, allowing the same guide element design to be used efficiently across different production variants without requiring custom adaptations for each component geometry or material.
3Ease of operation
If the end of the guided section of the electrical supply line rests against the retaining plate, then the supply line is positioned, but it becomes exposed to kinking and displacement leading to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-kink spring is positioned in the recess of the guide element to provide beforehand cushioning for the electrical supply line. The spring creates a protective buffer zone that prevents the supply line from resting directly against the retaining plate, thereby preventing kinking and displacement damage before they can occur during operation or installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The anti-kink spring acts as an intermediary between the electrical supply line and the retaining plate. Instead of allowing direct contact that causes damage, the spring mediates the positioning, providing a protective interface that maintains proper positioning while preventing harmful kinking and displacement.
Data Source
AI summary
The sensor (1) has a guide element (8) arranged on a side of a retaining plate (4) or at a front end of the retaining plate, where the side is provided opposite to an abutment surface of the retaining plate. An electrical lead (3) is passed through the guide element so that an end of a led portion of the electrical lead is spaced from a portion of the retaining plate and secured against a displacement in a direction other than extending directions of the electrical lead. The guide element is designed as a metal block with a hole.