Welding Apparatus Foreign Object Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing welding apparatuses for plastic tubes, particularly those used for sealing blood bags, lack a safety feature to prevent operator injury from inadvertently inserting a finger into the welding area, which can result in severe burns due to high energy usage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a welding apparatus with a safety feature that includes a clamping force detector, distance sensor, and conductance sensor, processed by a processor to differentiate between a plastic tube and foreign objects like fingers, aborting the welding operation if a foreign object is detected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If high energy is used for welding plastic tubes, then welding effectiveness is improved, but operator safety deteriorates due to risk of severe burns from inadvertent contact
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of the object between electrodes before initiating welding. Sensors detect material properties (conductivity, elasticity, dimensions) to identify whether the object is a plastic tube or foreign material like a finger. This preliminary identification prevents welding from occurring on inappropriate materials, thereby eliminating the burn injury risk while maintaining high welding power when appropriate.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sensors act as intermediary detection layers between the high-energy welding electrodes and the operator's body. These sensors (conductivity sensor, elasticity sensor, dimensional sensors) detect material properties and transmit information to the control system, which mediates whether to permit welding operation, thus preventing direct harmful energy transfer to human tissue.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If multiple sensors are added to detect foreign objects, then operator safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is designed with multi-functionality where a single integrated sensing mechanism performs multiple detection tasks. The sensors detect multiple material properties (electrical conductivity, elasticity, dimensional characteristics) simultaneously to identify both plastic tubes and foreign materials. This universal approach achieves comprehensive safety monitoring without requiring separate dedicated sensors for each type of detection, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple detection functions are merged into a single integrated sensing system. The conductivity sensor, elasticity sensor, and dimensional sensors work together as a unified detection subsystem that provides comprehensive foreign object identification. This merging approach consolidates what would otherwise be separate complex systems into one coordinated safety mechanism.
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
Prevents operator injury by ensuring the apparatus only initiates welding when a proper plastic tube is inserted, thereby avoiding the risk of burns from foreign objects.
Implementation Method 1
c) a conductance sensor (24) configured to measure the conductance between the electrodes when the object is squeezed
Implementation Method 2
The power source (20) is configured to provide energy to the electrodes to perform a welding procedure
Data Source
AI summary
Welding apparatus (10; 30) having a safety feature comprising: two electrodes (11, 12; 21, 22), whereof at least one of said two electrodes is movably arranged in relation to the other electrode. The electrodes are in non-contact with each other and define a gap (13) in which an object (14) provided with an electrically non-conductive surface to be sealed may be inserted. The welding apparatus comprises an actuator (15; 25) configured to move at least one electrode when activated to squeeze the object, a detector (16; 26) configured to determine a clamping force when the inserted object (14) is squeezed between the electrodes, a distance sensor (17; 23) configured to measure the distance between the electrodes. There is also a conductance sensor (24) configured to measure the conductivity of an object located between the electrodes (11, 12; 21,22) when the object (14) is squeezed, and optionally a position sensor (19b) configured to detect the position of the object (14) inserted between the electrodes. The welding apparatus further comprises a processor configured to process the input from at least one of the detector (16; 26), the distance sensor (17; 23) and the conductance sensor (24) to provide an output that indicates if there is a blood bag tube inserted between electrodes, or if it is a foreign object.