Tight Package Sensor Seal Radial Offset Accommodation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing seal arrangements struggle to accommodate radial offset between an inner member and an outer member in tight packaging scenarios, where narrow gaps and tight tolerances make it difficult to ensure a secure and flexible sealing engagement.
Innovation Solution
A tight package sensor seal design featuring a first seal portion with a reinforcing insert and a flexible membrane connecting it to a second seal portion, both with reinforcing inserts, allowing for radial offset while maintaining a sealed engagement between a sensor body and a cover member bore, with adjustable thicknesses for optimal fit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a narrow gap is used to reduce radial space, then the radial package size is reduced, but the ability to accommodate radial offset is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member incorporates a flexible membrane that can deform to accommodate radial offset between the inner member and outer member. This flexible element allows the seal to adapt to misalignment while maintaining sealing effectiveness within a narrow radial gap, resolving the contradiction between compact packaging and offset accommodation.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member is designed with dynamic characteristics, allowing it to flex and deform in response to radial offset conditions. The flexible membrane portion can dynamically adjust its shape to maintain sealing contact even when the gap between inner and outer members varies due to assembly tolerances or operational deflections.
2Reliability
If tight tolerances are used to ensure sealing engagement, then sealing reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The seal member utilizes material property changes, specifically the elastic properties of the flexible membrane, to compensate for dimensional variations. By selecting materials with appropriate elastic moduli and durometers, the seal can maintain reliable sealing engagement across a broader range of gap dimensions, reducing the need for extremely tight manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal member is constructed as a composite structure combining the flexible membrane with reinforcing elements or specific material layers. This composite construction provides both the flexibility needed to accommodate offset and the structural integrity required for reliable sealing, while allowing for more relaxed manufacturing tolerances compared to a monolithic rigid seal.
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 design effectively accommodates radial and lateral offsets of the sensor body within a small radial space, ensuring a secure and flexible sealing engagement, even in tight packaging conditions.
Implementation Method 1
A flexible membrane extends axially between and connects the first and second seal portions
Data Source
AI summary
A tight package sensor seal includes a first seal portion engaging an outer surface of a sensor body and including a stop surface floatingly engaging a peripheral face surrounding a bore in a cover member. The first seal portion includes a reinforcing insert disposed therein. A second seal portion is axially spaced from the first seal portion and a flexible membrane extends axially between the first and second seal portions. The second seal portion engages an inner diameter of a bore in a cover member and includes a reinforcing insert therein. The sensor seal takes up a small radial space yet allows for radial offset of the sensor body relative to the bore of the cover member.