Level Sensor Housing Ring for Stable Ground Connection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vibrating fork level switches often experience poor ground connections, leading to unstable electronic circuitry and resulting in false alarms or incorrect readings, which can cause safety hazards and process inefficiencies in industrial applications.
Innovation Solution
A housing assembly for level sensor field devices featuring an electrically conductive ring with protrusions that deform upon insertion into the housing body, providing a stable mechanical and electrical connection, eliminating the need for soldering or welding and simplifying the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If soldering or welding is used to create electrical connections to the housing body, then reliable electrical connection is achieved, but manufacturing complexity and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal joining processes (soldering/welding) with a mechanical deformation process. The ring's protrusions are deformed mechanically to create interference engagement with the housing body, providing both mechanical fixation and electrical connection without heat or complex manufacturing steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and dimensions of the ring's protrusions through deformation. The protrusions transition from a larger diameter (before insertion) to a deformed state (after insertion), creating interference fit that ensures both mechanical stability and electrical conductivity without requiring soldering.
2Ease of operation
If the ring is made loose-fitting for easy insertion, then ease of assembly is improved, but mechanical stability and electrical connection reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The housing body's interior hollow portion is segmented into two sections with different diameters. The first section has a larger diameter to facilitate easy insertion of the ring, while the second section has a smaller diameter to provide interference engagement for stable positioning and reliable electrical connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dimensional variation along the axial direction of the housing body by creating two sections with different diameters. This dimensional change allows the ring to be easily inserted in the first section while being securely retained in the second section, solving both ease of assembly and connection reliability.
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
Ensures a reliable electrical connection, enhancing measurement accuracy and preventing safety hazards and inefficiencies by maintaining a stable ground connection, while simplifying the manufacturing process by avoiding complex soldering or welding.
Implementation Method 1
a ring (214) comprising protrusions (216) configured to be at least partially deformed when the ring (214) is inserted in the interior hollow portion (204) of the housing body
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3B
Figure 3C~4
AI summary
A housing assembly (200) for a level sensor field device system (100), the housing assembly comprising: an electrically conductive housing body (202) having an interior hollow portion (204) and an opening (206) in a first end portion (208); an electrically conductive ring (214) comprising protrusions (216) configured to be at least partially deformed when the ring is inserted in the interior hollow portion of the housing body; and a lead (218) electrically connected to the ring, the lead being configured to be connected to circuitry for providing a predetermined electrical potential to the housing body via the ring.