Coating Slurry Level Detection for Uniform Honeycomb Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing methods for coating ceramic or metallic honeycomb bodies used in automotive exhaust mitigation often result in inhomogeneous coating due to turbulent filling of the coating chamber, leading to uneven coating fronts and increased risk of producing off-specification parts, especially at higher coating speeds.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a coating chamber equipped with sensors to measure and compare the height of the coating slurry, allowing for real-time detection of even or uneven surfaces, preventing the coating of monoliths with disturbed slurry and enabling timely replacement of the slurry before coating, ensuring accurate and uniform coating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If coating speed is increased to improve productivity, then more parts can be coated per time, but the filling of the coating chamber becomes more turbulent leading to uneven coating surfaces and bubbles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by measuring the coating slurry level before coating occurs. Sensors detect the height of the coating slurry in the coating chamber prior to the coating process, allowing the system to identify turbulent filling conditions and prevent uneven coating before it happens. This advance detection enables corrective action to be taken before the coating defect is created.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using sensors to continuously monitor the coating slurry level and providing this information back to the control system. The control unit processes the sensor signals to determine whether the slurry surface is even or disturbed, and can adjust the coating process accordingly. This closed-loop feedback ensures that coating uniformity is maintained even at higher coating speeds.
2Productivity
If coating is performed with turbulent slurry filling, then faster coating is achieved, but bubbles appear in the periphery of the coating slurry close to the chamber walls
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of slurry conditions before coating by measuring the height of the coating slurry with sensors positioned in the coating chamber. This advance measurement identifies the presence of bubbles and disturbed slurry surfaces before they affect the coating quality, allowing the process to be adjusted or stopped to prevent defective coating.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses feedback control by continuously monitoring slurry level with sensors and comparing measurements to detect turbulent conditions. When bubbles or uneven slurry surfaces are detected, the control system can respond by adjusting pumping rates or pausing the coating process, ensuring reliable coating quality is maintained.
3Manufacturing precision
If sensors are used to detect coating slurry level, then coating accuracy can be improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the detection function into multiple sensors positioned at different locations within the coating chamber. Rather than using a single complex sensor, the system uses multiple simpler sensors to measure slurry level at different points, allowing detection of both overall level and surface uniformity. This segmented approach improves measurement capability while keeping individual sensor components relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements multi-functionality by designing the sensor system to perform multiple functions: measuring overall slurry level, detecting surface uniformity, and identifying bubble presence. The same sensor infrastructure serves these different detection purposes, reducing the need for separate specialized sensors and thereby limiting the increase in device complexity despite the enhanced measurement capabilities.
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 apparatus ensures even coating of monolith channels, reducing the risk of producing off-specification parts and improving the efficiency of the coating process by allowing only even slurry to be used for coating, thus enhancing the economic viability of the process.
Implementation Method 1
a device (120) to check the height of said coating slurry within said coating chamber (100) by measuring a variable
Data Source
AI summary
The present inventions is concerned with an apparatus and a method of improving the accuracy of coating a ceramic or metallic honeycomb body, which can usually be used as a catalyst in automotive exhaust mitigation. The invention achieves to directly test whether the coating slurry in the coating chamber is ready to be submitted to the monolith or needs to be replaced before coating the monolith.