Sensor Housing Thread Curvature for Hygienic Cleaning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sensor housings pose a hygienic risk in demanding production areas due to the accumulation of microorganisms and toxins in narrow threads and gaps, which are difficult to clean and maintain, violating hygiene standards such as ISO 14159 and DIN EN 1672-2.
Innovation Solution
The sensor housing design features a thread profile with a minimum radius of curvature greater than three millimeters, eliminating narrow areas for dirt accumulation, and incorporates antibacterial coatings and sealing elements to ensure easy cleaning and sterility, preventing contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional threads with narrow profiles are used for fixing the sensor housing, then the sensor can be securely mounted, but microorganisms and contaminants accumulate in the narrow gaps and thread roots, creating hygiene hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The thread profile is designed with a minimum radius of curvature of 3mm at the thread root, replacing sharp angles with smooth curved surfaces. This curvature prevents contaminants and microorganisms from accumulating in the thread roots while maintaining the mechanical fastening function, directly resolving the hygiene hazard without compromising mounting security
2Productivity
If conventional sensor housings are used in hygienically demanding areas, then the sensor functionality is maintained, but cleaning agents and disinfectants cannot be completely removed from surfaces and joints, creating contamination risks
Solution Approach 1:
The curved thread profile with minimum 3mm radius eliminates sharp corners and narrow gaps where cleaning agents could be trapped. The smooth continuous surfaces allow complete removal of cleaning and disinfection residues, preventing contamination risks while maintaining sensor operational productivity
3Manufacturing precision
If threads with acute angle profiles are used, then the sensor housing can be precisely positioned axially, but the profile bottoms and thread roots form narrow areas where dirt accumulates and are inaccessible to cleaning agents
Solution Approach 1:
The thread profile maintains precise axial positioning capability through its geometric form while replacing acute angles with curved surfaces of minimum 3mm radius. This curvature makes the thread roots and profile bottoms accessible to cleaning agents, eliminating dirt accumulation zones without sacrificing positioning precision
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a sensor in a sensor housing for hygienically demanding production areas for detecting an object in the immediate vicinity of the sensor. The sensor housing is designed for detachable fixing in the production area, either in a wall of a production machine or in a holder within the production area. The sensor housing has an outer contour that conforms to the inner contour of an opening in the wall of the production machine or an opening in the holder and has at least one thread with at least one concave region and at least one convex region. The sensor is characterized in that the radius of curvature of the surfaces of the concave regions is everywhere greater than three millimeters.