Strain Gauge Transducer Ventilation via Cable Gap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Strain gauge transducers used for underwater pressure measurements take a long time to stabilize due to environmental changes, particularly temperature effects, as the sealed casing slows down internal environment adjustments, and ventilation solutions complicate the structure and increase costs.
Innovation Solution
A strain gauge transducer design with a conductive wire drawn through a casing hole, covered by a covering member with a gap, forming a continuous ventilation passage from the casing interior to the outside air, allowing quick environmental balance and preventing water ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the casing is hermetically sealed to prevent water ingress, then water resistance is improved, but the stabilization time increases due to slow environmental adjustment inside the casing
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation function is segmented from the main casing structure and integrated into the cable assembly. The cable is divided into a conductive core and an outer covering member, with the gap between them forming a dedicated ventilation passage. This segmentation allows the casing to remain hermetically sealed while providing a separate pathway for environmental equilibration.
Solution Approach 2:
The gap between the conductive wire and covering member acts as an intermediary ventilation channel. This intermediate structure allows air exchange between the interior and exterior environments without compromising the hermetic seal of the main casing, thus preventing water ingress while enabling rapid stabilization.
2Loss of time
If a separate ventilation hose is provided to enable air exchange, then stabilization time is reduced, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cable assembly is given multiple functions: it serves both as the electrical connection medium (conductive wire) and as the ventilation structure (gap between wire and covering member). By making the cable multi-functional, a separate ventilation hose becomes unnecessary, reducing device complexity while maintaining rapid stabilization capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The ventilation function is merged with the cable structure. The covering member and conductive wire, which form the electrical connection, also create the ventilation passage through their gap. This merging eliminates the need for separate ventilation components, simplifying the overall device structure and reducing costs.
3Loss of time
If a ventilation passage is provided inside the cable jacket, then stabilization is improved, but the cable becomes thicker and stiffer reducing ease of handling
Solution Approach 1:
The covering member is designed as a flexible thin-walled structure that maintains a gap with the conductive wire. This flexible shell approach allows the cable to remain thin and flexible for easy handling while the gap between the thin covering member and wire provides sufficient ventilation passage area for rapid stabilization.
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
Enables rapid stabilization of measurement baseline and easy handling, reducing the time required for measurement readiness and maintaining structural simplicity and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a continuous ventilation passage is formed through the gap from an interior of the casing to the second end of the covering member
Implementation Method 2
The strain gauge has a characteristic that the electrical resistivity thereof changes when subjected to a force
Data Source
AI summary
A strain gauge transducer comprises: a casing comprising a deforming body to be deformed by an external force; a strain gauge disposed on the deforming body; a conductive wire connected to the strain gauge and drawn to outside of the casing through a through hole provided on the casing; a covering member covering the conductive wire with a gap between the covering member and the conductive wire, one end of the covering member being in close contact with the casing; a circuit board connected with the conductive wire; and a cable relay tube housing the circuit board, in close contact with the other end of the covering member. A continuous ventilation passage through the gap from an interior of the casing to an interior of the cable relay tube is formed and contacts the outside air at a surface of the cable relay tube.