Steering Angle Sensor Dust Management via Open Chamber and Segmented Receiver

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Steering angle sensors in harsh environments, such as construction or agricultural vehicles, face significant dust penetration issues, leading to damage and requiring frequent replacement due to ineffective sealing of moving parts.

Innovation Solution

The sensor chamber is connected to the exterior via a free space, allowing dust and impurities to enter but also escape, reducing accumulation and damage, while the receiver is housed in a hermetically sealed, detachable unit with a snap connection for easy replacement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the sensor chamber is hermetically sealed to prevent dust penetration, then the reliability of the sensor is improved, but the complexity of the encapsulation increases over time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesensor reliabilityVSAvoidencapsulation complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The sensor is divided into two distinct parts: a hermetically sealed receiver unit that remains stationary and protected, and an open sensor chamber that allows dust entry but prevents accumulation. This segmentation allows each part to have different protection levels appropriate to its function.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of trying to keep dust completely out through complex sealing, the invention inverts the approach by allowing dust to enter the sensor chamber while using the rotating pick-up sensor to continuously expel it. The harm is converted into a self-cleaning mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If complex encapsulation measures are used to prevent dust penetration, then the sensor protection is improved, but the ease of repair deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedust protectionVSAvoidreceiver replacement ease

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The receiver is housed in a separate, detachable unit that can be easily removed from the sensor chamber. This modular design allows the receiver to be replaced independently without disassembling the entire sensor, significantly improving ease of repair while maintaining dust protection through the hermetic seal of the receiver unit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Measurement precision

If the sensor chamber is completely sealed, then the measurement precision is improved, but the ability to handle rough environmental conditions deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverotation angle measurement precisionVSAvoidenvironmental adaptability

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The invention inverts the traditional approach by allowing the sensor chamber to be open to the environment rather than sealed. The pick-up sensor's rotation continuously expels dust and impurities through the open space, preventing accumulation that would degrade measurement precision, thus enabling the sensor to operate reliably in rough environmental conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS9403554B2Rotation angle sensor, in particular steering angle sensor for a steering unit

Publication Date: 2016.08.02 DANFOSS POWER SOLUTIONS APS

AI summary

The invention concerns a rotation angle sensor, in particular a steering angle sensor (1) for a steering unit, with a housing (2) comprising an exterior (8), a pick-up sensor (7) arranged in a sensor chamber in the housing (2) to perform rotary movements around a rotation axis, and a stationary receiver interacting with the pick-up sensor (7). It is endeavored to make such steering angle sensors fit for rough environmental conditions. For this purpose, the sensor chamber is connected to the exterior (8) via at least one free space (16).