Housings for Inductive Proximity Sensors

Abstract

Inductive Proximity Sensors are non-contact sensing devices used in manufacturing processes to sense metal targets. In practice, it is common for objects to contact the sensor causing the sensor to malfunction. An inductive sensor with improved durability is required. An inductive proximity sensor includes an exterior housing, an interior sensing coil and electronic circuit, and a connector. The Exterior housing is produced from one piece of metal bar, bored from one end to the tip of the other end, leaving the cylindrical tube open only on one end. The Exterior Housing is produced with an Inside Dimension that is smaller than previous proximity sensors and places the coil and electronic circuit further away from the Outside Dimension of the Exterior Housing. The interior sensing coil and electronic circuit are protected by the thick casing of the Exterior housing to improve structural rigidity and the longevity of operation in manufacturing processes. The design of the Exterior Housing has the ability to withstand extreme shear forces from contact abuse.

Claims

1. An inductive proximity sensor comprising an elongated cylindrical Exterior Housing with spaced apart ends. On one end is the sensing face, and on the other end is the connector to electrical power and output connections. The Exterior Housing is made of one piece of metal bar, bored out from one end to produce a hollow cylinder with a thick inside dimension that is meant to provide protection from contact to the Exterior Housing from damaging the inside electronic components or sensing coil. Within the hollow cylinder of the Exterior Housing is the inductive proximity sensor circuit, on one end connected to the Connector, and on the other end connected to the sensor coil. The sensor coil is placed at the end of the hollow cylinder opposite the open connector end, with no air gaps or any other annulus or material between the coil and the sensor housing. The Exterior Housing has an inside dimension that is comprised of the sensor portion, and the connector portion, and wherein the Inside Dimension is approximately the diameter of the Exterior Dimension.

2. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of claim 1, wherein the Exterior Housing has an Outside diameter of 18 mm, and the sensor portion has an inside diameter no larger than 9.5 mm.

3. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of claim 1, wherein the Exterior Housing has an Outside Diameter of 12 mm, and the sensor portion has an inside diameter no larger than 6 mm.

4. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of claim 1, wherein the Exterior Housing has an Outside Diameter of 8 mm and the sensor portion has an inside diameter no larger than 3.5 mm.

5. An inductive proximity sensor of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the inside diameter of the connector portion of the Exterior Housing may vary depending on the connector size used.

6. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the material used may be Steel, Stainless Steel, Titanium or Tool Steel or any similar alloy containing these materials.

7. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the Exterior Housing is made of a hollow cylinder that is milled, bored, cast or injection molded or in any way produced to replicate the one-piece hollow cylinder of the invention.

8. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the Exterior Housing is made of two pieces of the same material, which is fused, welded, or otherwise joined to produce a one-piece housing.

9. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the Exterior Housing is threaded so that it is possible to fasten or attach the sensor with locking nuts or other fasteners. In the case of a threaded Exterior Housing, the Outside Diameter in claims 2-4, refer to the low-point of the thread.

10. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the Exterior housing is non-threaded, so that it is possible to fasten or attach the sensor with clamps or tie rods or other fasteners.

11. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the Exterior housing is coated in a paint or non-stick coating, such as PTFE, PTEE, or any other coating meant to repel weld spatter or heat, or in any way improve upon the durability of the Exterior Housing with such additional material.

12. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the connector portion consists of either a connector plug with either male or female connections, or else an integrated cable meant to provide the same means of transmitting electrical power or output functions to and/or from the proximity sensor circuit.

13. An inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing of any one of claims 1-4 wherein the Exterior Housing has the ability to withstand shear forces above 1200 foot pounds according to ASTM A370-14 test standards by applying contact pressure to the side of the housing on the sensing face end.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] FIG. 1Depicts the Exterior Housing of an inductive proximity sensor, indicating the various elements of the Housing including the sensing portion, the connector portion, the active sensing face, and other elements described above.

[0013] FIG. 2Depicts a cross-sectional view of the Exterior Housing of the inductive proximity sensor in FIG. 1 indicating the various inside and outside dimensions described above.

[0014] FIG. 3Depicts a cross-sectional view of the Exterior housing of the inductive proximity sensor in FIG. 1 indicating the various components of the interior parts that make up the inductive proximity sensor.

[0015] FIG. 4Depicts the bar graph obtained by a third party, independent test lab, that shows the relative shear forces used on similar sensors, and the massive advantage created by the design of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 depicts an inductive proximity sensor comprising an Exterior Housing (10) made of one piece of metal that may be threaded for fixing mounting nuts, or unthreaded for use in a clamp or other attachment. On the closed end is a flat sensing face portion (20), where the sensor coil is located on the inside of the housing. On the open end of the Exterior Housing (10) is the connector end (30), where the interior is bored out to produce a hollow cavity by which the sensing coil, sensing circuit and sensor connector may be inserted.

[0017] The Exterior Housing has 5 holes drilled in the side of the Housing. One hole (40) is for final assembly of the inductive proximity sensor where an epoxy substance is injected into the housing, in order to provide protection to the electronic parts inside the housing. The other hole (50) is to view the internal LED which signals output and power functions for the operation of the inductive proximity sensor. There could be multiple such holes in the Exterior Housing, in order to make it easier to view the LED output function, or to make it easier to inject epoxy for final assembly. The connector end (30) is shown with a rigid connector, which may be threaded or unthreaded for a successful connection to a connector cable. The connector end (30) could also be sealed with epoxy, with an integrated cable protruding from the Exterior Housing.

[0018] FIG. 2 depicts a cross-sectional view of an inductive proximity sensor Exterior Housing (60) indicating the Exterior Diameter (70) and the Interior Diameter (80), in order to depict the sidewall thickness of the invention. In conventional proximity sensors, the sidewall thickness is intentionally thin, so as to maximize the size of the Interior Diameter, such that a larger sensing coil may be used that can purposefully extend the potential sensing range in order to keep the target metal object at a longer distance from the active sensing face (90).

[0019] The hollow interior of the Exterior Housing (100), is where the sensing circuit is placed, in order to provide electronic function to the inductive proximity sensor. The sensing coil (110), is placed at the end of the interior of the Exterior Housing, at the closed end of the interior of the Exterior Housing of the proximity sensor.

[0020] The hollow interior of the sensing portion (120) of the Exterior Housing is uniform in diameter. The hollow cavity is produced by boring out the cavity from the other end, so as to maximize the rigidity of the Exterior Housing, as opposed to conventional proximity sensors which use a tubular metal body, and plastic cap or cover over the active sensing face on the one open end, and a connector on the other open end. The one-piece construction of this invention provides improved structural strength, since there are no joints or seams, and provides protection from ingress of liquids that a 2-piece joined construction does not provide. The added thickness of the Exterior Housing provides a unique and novel increase to the structural rigidity of the inductive proximity sensor as evidenced by shear load testing.

[0021] The hollow interior of the connector portion (130) of the Exterior Housing may be wider than the interior of the sensing portion (120) of the Exterior Housing in order to accommodate a connector insert, designed to connect the inductive proximity sensor to a connector or cable for power and output function.

[0022] FIG. 3 depicts a cross-sectional view of the inductive proximity sensor (140), in order to illustrate the position of the interior components that provide function to the proximity sensor. The sensor circuit (150) is placed in the interior of the Exterior Housing (160), by pushing it through the one open end of the cylindrical housing. The sensor circuit holds the various components necessary to provide input power and output function to the sensor, in order to function as an inductive proximity sensor.

[0023] The sensor coil (170) is placed at the very end of the interior of the Exterior Housing. Due to the uniform diameter tubular shape of the interior of the Exterior Housing, there are no air gaps, or any zone having a lower magnetic permeability relative to the sensor housing as in some previous inductive proximity sensor models. The sensing coil (170), comprises a copper winding bobbin, housed within a ferrite core, or plastic carrier, such that the sensing coil is encased within the Exterior Housing, with no barriers between the coil assembly and the interior metal of the sensor body.

[0024] FIG. 4 depicts a bar graph of the results of third party, independent lab testing for shear strength of the Exterior Housings of the most famous manufacturers in the world for similar proximity sensors. Testing included samples from a manufacturer in Switzerland, 4 manufacturers in Germany, and the leading manufacturers in Japan and the United States. All of these samples were made of stainless steel, or chrome plated brass. Each manufacturer was tested with a 2-piece housing made of metal with a plastic face, and also with a 1-piece full stainless steel face and body construction. In every case, the sample with the 1-piece housing tested with a higher shear force load than the 2-piece sample from each manufacturer. In the final bar on the graph, is the shear force results of the present invention. The present invention was tested to withstand between double, and up to 7 times more shear force than any other sensor. The test was performed using a standard mounting of the sensor 30 mm from the sensing end. A shear force was then applied to the end of the sensor until it failed at a speed of 0.5 inches per minute. The peak hold value was captured at the time of failure and repeated across all samples. The testing machine was operated in accordance with ASTM A370-14 Paragraph 8, by a third party, independent test lab. The present invention was able to withstand over 1600 lbf of shear force at the peak hold maximum load, which was more than double any other sample, and seven times more than a typical proximity sensor with a metal body joined to a plastic sensing face.

[0025] The above descriptions and diagrams are meant to represent examples of the invention. While it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components, and every possible slight variation to the above invention, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the unique features and benefits this invention provides, and that slight variations, combinations and permutations are possible, however, this invention is intended to embrace all such changes or additions within the scope of the claims provided.