Ultrasonic Container Detection Housing Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for checking the presence of objects, particularly in clean room environments, are susceptible to contamination from cleaning gases and liquids, leading to failures in ultrasonic transmitter and receiver units.
Innovation Solution
The device uses a housing as both a loudspeaker and microphone, eliminating external sensitive elements and utilizing higher power levels, with housings made of stainless steel and designed with specific wall thicknesses to emit and receive ultrasonic signals, and features a carrier with damping units to prevent mechanical vibration transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If external loudspeakers and microphones are used on the housing, then sound signal transmission and reception can be achieved, but the sensitive elements are susceptible to contamination from cleaning gases and liquids in clean room environments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the functions of external loudspeakers and microphones into the housing structure itself. The housing walls are designed to directly emit and receive ultrasonic vibrations, eliminating separate external transducer elements that would be vulnerable to contamination from cleaning agents in clean room environments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the vulnerable external transducer elements (loudspeakers and microphones) from the system and replaces them with the housing structure itself, which is inherently protected from contamination by the clean room environment.
2Device complexity
If the housing acts as both loudspeaker and microphone, then external sensitive elements can be eliminated, but significantly higher power levels are required for signal transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure is designed to serve dual functions as both the transmitter (loudspeaker) and receiver (microphone) of ultrasonic signals. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate external transducer elements, simplifying the overall device structure despite requiring higher power levels for effective signal transmission through the housing walls.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a completely closed housing is used, then internal components are protected from contamination, but mechanical vibrations may be transmitted through the carrier
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is designed with differentiated local properties: it is completely closed to protect internal components from contamination, while specific wall sections are designed with appropriate thickness and material properties to control ultrasonic transmission and minimize mechanical vibration transmission through the carrier structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing walls act as an intermediary between the internal components and the external environment. The wall thickness and material are optimized to block contamination while managing the transmission of mechanical vibrations to the carrier.
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
This design enhances the reliability and resistance to contamination, ensuring accurate detection of container presence without external loudspeakers and microphones, protecting internal components, and maintaining system hygiene.
Implementation Method 1
it is possible for a housing wall itself to act as a loudspeaker... significantly higher powers are preferably used than in the case of the transmission and reception units customary in the prior art
Implementation Method 2
the receiving device transmits a Air-borne sound signal can be received... the housing of the receiving device is suitable for receiving a sound signal
Implementation Method 3
the sound signal is preferably an ultrasonic signal... If there is a container in a certain position, the signal transmission from the ultrasonic transmitter to the ultrasonic receiver is interrupted
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A device (1) for checking the presence of objects, and in particular containers (10), comprising a transmitter (2) which includes a sound signal generation unit for emitting a sound signal, and a receiver (12) which is arranged relative to the transmitter (2) such that the receiver (12) can receive a sound signal emitted by the transmitter (2) and transmitted through air. According to the invention, at least the transmitter (2) or the receiver (12) has a housing (8, 18), wherein at least one area (34, 44) of this housing (8, 18) is suitable for emitting or receiving sound signals.