Ultrasonic Flow Sensor One-Piece Housing Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasonic measuring arrangements for flowable media face challenges such as leaks, capillary formation, weld irregularities, and reflection issues, particularly at small nominal diameters, leading to hygienic and safety concerns in the food and chemical industries, and requiring complex production processes.
Innovation Solution
An ultrasonic measuring arrangement with a one-piece, seam-free measuring tube and housing, featuring sensors arranged in end regions to form a reflection-free sound path, allowing direct transmission with minimal transmission power, and produced through a single-stage injection molding process using identical positive molds, ensuring easy production and reduced exposure to aggressive media.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If measurement sections are produced in several parts with seals or welds, then production is feasible for complex profiles, but seals can leak and welds can have pores or inclusions causing hygienic problems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple separate components (measuring tube, housing, sensor receptacles) into a single integrated one-piece housing produced by injection molding. This eliminates the need for seals and welds, thereby resolving the contradiction by achieving both production feasibility through a single process and hygiene reliability through a seamless structure without capillaries or leakage points.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the complex profile into a one-piece molded structure that integrates multiple functional elements (measuring section, sensor receptacles, housing) into a single manufacturable component. This allows complex geometries to be produced without assembly, eliminating seals and welds while maintaining production feasibility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If reflection or multiple reflection is used for small nominal diameters, then measurement is possible, but strong transmission signals are required causing electromagnetic compatibility problems or reception signals are weak and difficult to distinguish from noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the reflection mechanism from the sound path, creating a direct transmission path instead. This removes the source of signal loss and electromagnetic compatibility problems associated with strong transmission signals, while maintaining measurement capability through direct ultrasonic transmission across the small nominal diameter.
3Productivity
If a nozzle is used to simulate smaller diameter within a large nominal diameter device, then flow concentration is achieved, but flow direction is fixed and backflows cannot be measured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the fixed geometric flow concentration (nozzle) with a dynamic measurement approach using ultrasonic transmission. The system can measure flow in any direction by transmitting sound waves through the medium, allowing adaptation to different flow conditions including backflows, while maintaining the ability to concentrate flow measurement on specific areas through sensor positioning.
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 solution enables problem-free, low-error measurement of flow rates with reduced structure-borne noise and compliance with hygiene and safety standards, facilitating easy integration and maintenance in the food and chemical industries.
Implementation Method 1
an ultrasonic measuring arrangement (1) for measuring the flow rate, sound velocity, density, viscosity and/or temperature of flowable media
Implementation Method 2
transmit sound through the measuring section (3) in and against the direction of flow of a medium
Implementation Method 3
for measuring the flow rate, sound velocity, density, viscosity and/or temperature of flowable media
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to an ultrasonic measuring arrangement (1) for the flow, speed of sound, density, viscosity and/or temperature measurement of flowing media, comprising a measurement tube (2) having a measurement section (3), said tube being disposed in an area of a measurement housing (4), wherein the ultrasonic measuring arrangement (1) comprises at least two ultrasound transmitting receivers disposed at a distance as sensors for sound transmission through the measurement section (3) in the direction of flow of a medium, and opposite thereto, and for signal recording. In order to provide an ultrasonic measuring arrangement (1) that is simple and inexpensive to produce, has a small nominal diameter and permits direct sound transmission through the measurement section (3) at as low a transmission output as possible, it is proposed that the measurement tube (3) be configured together with the measurement housing (4) as a one-piece housing part (5) free of seals and seams, and that the sound path form an acute angle with the flow direction of the medium.