Wireless Cylinder Sensor Assembly for Piston Position and Pressure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing piston and cylinder assemblies lack efficient and reliable methods for sensing the position and pressure of the piston within the cylinder, particularly in hydraulic systems, which can lead to inaccurate control and potential mechanical failures.
Innovation Solution
A sensor assembly is introduced that includes a housing with a position sensor to detect the piston's position, a pressure sensor to measure fluid pressure, and a wireless transmitter to communicate these readings. This assembly is designed to be self-contained and battery-powered, providing real-time data for improved control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional wired sensor systems are used to monitor piston position and pressure, then measurement reliability is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to extensive wiring requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional wired mechanical connection systems with a wireless communication system. Sensors (position sensor 30 and pressure sensor 78) transmit data wirelessly via wireless transceiver 42 to the controller 38, eliminating the need for extensive physical wiring while maintaining measurement reliability. This substitution resolves the contradiction by removing wiring complexity while preserving sensor functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a wireless transceiver 42 as an intermediary component between the sensors and the controller 38. This intermediary enables wireless data transmission, serving as a mediator that replaces direct wired connections and eliminates the wiring complexity issue while maintaining reliable data transmission for piston position and pressure monitoring.
2Ease of operation
If multiple sensors are integrated into a single assembly, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to integration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the position sensor 30, pressure sensor 78, wireless transceiver 42, and controller 38 into a single integrated sensor assembly 10. This consolidation improves ease of operation by simplifying installation to a single unit while the internal integration is managed through standardized electrical connections and a unified housing structure, thereby resolving the contradiction between integration benefits and complexity concerns.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor assembly 10 is designed as a universal multi-functional unit that simultaneously performs position sensing, pressure sensing, wireless communication, and data processing. This multi-functionality approach consolidates multiple separate components into one assembly, improving installation ease while managing integration complexity through a standardized universal design that can be applied across different hydraulic cylinder applications.
3Productivity
If real-time wireless communication is implemented, then productivity is improved through better monitoring, but use of energy increases due to continuous transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless transceiver 42 is configured to transmit piston position and pressure data at periodic intervals rather than continuously. This periodic transmission approach maintains real-time monitoring capability for productivity improvement while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous transmission, thereby resolving the contradiction between monitoring efficiency and power usage in the battery-powered system.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller 38 processes sensor data and implements feedback control based on the monitored piston position and pressure information. This feedback mechanism enables efficient monitoring and control operations that improve productivity while allowing the system to transmit data only when changes occur or at optimized intervals, reducing unnecessary energy consumption from continuous transmissions.
Data Source
AI summary
A cylinder sensor assembly, a system, and a method of operating a piston-cylinder assembly. The sensor assembly may generally include a housing; a sensor supported by the housing and configured to sense a position of a piston relative to a cylinder; and a wireless transmitter supported by the housing and configured to output a communication signal representative of a sensed position of the piston.