Vehicle Sensor Assembly with RF Wireless Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Powered systems, such as vehicles, often lack space for sensors in critical locations like the wheel-axle interface, where extreme conditions make sensor installation challenging, leading to inaccurate measurements and potential safety issues due to limited access.
Innovation Solution
A sensor assembly with a housing that can be securely attached to a vehicle's motor assembly using an existing opening, such as a jacking hole, allowing for direct measurement of vibrations and temperatures without altering the existing structure, using a threadless connector for easy installation and an RF transparent cap for protection and communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If sensors are placed in critical locations like the wheel-axle interface, then measurement accuracy is improved, but installation difficulty increases due to limited space and extreme conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary sensor assembly that can be installed in accessible locations away from the wheel-axle interface. This assembly includes sensors that indirectly measure conditions (vibrations, temperatures) and transmit data wirelessly, serving as a mediator between the critical measurement zone and the accessible installation location.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical sensor installation in extreme locations with a wireless communication system. Sensors are installed in accessible locations and transmit data RF signals to external receivers, eliminating the need for physical sensor placement in the difficult-to-access wheel-axle interface while maintaining measurement capability.
2Measurement precision
If sensors are placed closer to the measurement location, then measurement accuracy is improved, but the extreme conditions at these locations limit or prohibit sensor installation
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor assembly acts as an intermediary system that measures conditions in accessible locations and transmits data wirelessly to monitor the wheel-axle interface conditions indirectly, avoiding direct sensor exposure to extreme conditions while maintaining measurement reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy or representation of the conditions at the wheel-axle interface by measuring vibrations and temperatures at accessible locations and transmitting this data, effectively copying the measurement function without requiring physical sensor presence in the extreme environment.
3Ease of operation
If a threadless connector is used for sensor assembly installation, then ease of installation is improved, but connection strength may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is segmented into separate components (connector body, mounting features) that allow for tool-free assembly. The segmentation enables snap-fit or clip-based connections that achieve adequate strength without requiring threading operations, balancing ease of installation with sufficient connection reliability.
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 accurate monitoring of motor assembly conditions, predicting bearing damage and reducing maintenance costs by providing a cost-effective solution for monitoring severe environments like wheel/axle combinations in vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a radio frequency (RF) sensor configured to wirelessly communicate sensor data to outside of the vehicle sensor assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A sensor assembly includes a housing extending from an insertion end to an opposite coupling end, from a sensor end to an opposite back end, and from a top end to an opposite bottom end. The assembly also includes a sensor dish outwardly projecting from the sensor end of the housing and configured to hold one or more sensors. The assembly also includes a radio frequency (RF) transparent sensor cap configured to be secured to the sensor dish to secure the one or more sensors within the sensor dish. The housing also can be secured to a vehicle for the sensors to measure operational conditions of the vehicle. The housing of the sensor assembly may be connected to a drive train of the vehicle by inserting a fastener through a channel in the housing and into a jacking hole of the vehicle.