Sensor With Spring Element For Constant Application Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Temperature sensors in moving components or mobile devices face challenges with maintaining constant application pressure and reliable contact due to vibrations, aging of elastomer materials, and labor-intensive installation processes.
Innovation Solution
A sensor design featuring a movable sensor element and a spring element that absorbs application force, maintaining constant pressure and compensating for relative movements, eliminating the need for elastomeric pressure pads and simplifying installation by using a mechanical spring system with a housing that protects and guides the sensor components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an elastomer part is used to press the sensor onto the surface, then the sensor can be easily installed and initial contact is established, but the application force varies and weakens due to aging of the elastomer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the elastomer material from the pressing mechanism and replaces it with a metal spring element. This removes the aging-related deterioration problem while maintaining the mechanical pressing function. The spring element provides stable, predictable force characteristics throughout the sensor's lifetime.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the material parameter from elastomer to spring element, fundamentally altering the force-generation mechanism. The spring element's force characteristics remain stable over time and temperature, eliminating the degradation issue inherent in elastomeric materials.
2Reliability
If the sensor is firmly fastened to the surface, then stable contact is maintained, but vibrations and relative movements cannot be absorbed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a dynamic pressing mechanism where the sensor element can move relative to the housing along the pressing direction. The spring element provides a resilient connection that allows the sensor to dynamically adapt to vibrations and relative movements while maintaining stable contact through continuous spring force.
3Device complexity
If the sensor element is fixed in position, then structural simplicity is achieved, but relative movements cause loss of intimate contact
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor element is made movable relative to the housing along the pressing direction, allowing it to dynamically maintain intimate contact with the measurement surface despite relative movements. The spring element enables this motion while continuously applying pressing force.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable sensor element automatically adjusts its position relative to the housing in response to vibrations and surface movements, self-regulating to maintain optimal contact without requiring external control mechanisms.
4Adaptability or versatility
If manual organization of connections is used, then flexible integration is possible, but installation becomes labor-intensive and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensor element, spring element, housing, and connection terminals into a single pre-assembled unit. This integrated design eliminates the need for manual connection organization during installation, allowing the entire sensor to be mounted as one component while maintaining electrical connectivity.
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
The solution ensures a stable, long-term constant application pressure, reduces temperature measurement discrepancies, and facilitates easier integration into systems by maintaining intimate contact and absorbing vibrations without losing precision, thus improving reliability and installation efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a spring element which can resiliently absorb an application force with which the sensor element is pressed against the measurement point
Implementation Method 2
The spring element is a mechanical element, which may be configured to be stable in the long term while not losing its spring action even in the event of different deflections
Implementation Method 3
The sensor element is arranged movably in the sensor... a varying distance between the measurement point and the sensor is compensated for by the movable sensor element itself
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor for measuring a parameter at a measurement point of a surface by means of direct contact. The sensor includes a sensor element arranged movably in the sensor and a spring element that can resiliently absorb an application force with which sensor element is pressed against the measurement point.