PROCESS FOR REVERSIBLY CONNECTING A SENSOR TO AN INLET

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a process connection for connecting a sensor to a process inlet via a process seal and a fixing element. The process connection includes a sensor housing and a clamping element. The sensor housing has a housing body configured to receive the sensor and a housing collar that extends around the housing body and has a first sealing section, which encircles the housing body, and a contact area. The housing collar is formed integrally with the housing body. The first sealing section is suitable for receiving the process seal to connect the process inlet to the housing collar in a fluid-tight manner. The clamping element has a contact area which is suitable for coming into contact with the contact area of the housing collar to press the housing collar onto the process seal.

Claims

1. A manufacturing method for a process connection adapted for reversibly connecting a sensor to a prespecified process inlet, which includes a fixing element and a process seal, the manufacturing method comprising: fabricating a sensor housing, which includes a housing body and a housing collar formed integrally in one piece, wherein the housing body is fabricated to receive the sensor and such that the housing collar extends outwardly from a periphery of the housing body, wherein the housing collar has an outer diameter, includes a first sealing section surrounding the housing body and includes a collar contact area; adapting the housing collar such that the housing collar and the first sealing section are adapted and complementary to the process inlet and process seal; and fabricating a clamping element that includes a clamping contact area configured to seat against the collar contact area of the housing collar as to, in assembly, press the housing collar against the process seal of the process inlet such that the sensor housing is connected to the process inlet via the housing collar in a reversible, fluid-tight manner.

2. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the sensor housing is fabricated by injection molding.

3. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the clamping element is fabricated by casting, machining or a combination thereof.

4. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the sensor housing is fabricated of a material comprising a thermoplastic, a thermoset, a metal, a ceramic or a glass.

5. The manufacturing method claim 4, wherein the sensor housing is fabricated of a material comprising polyether ether ketone.

6. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the adapting of the housing collar is performed using a separating method.

7. The manufacturing method claim 6, wherein the adapting of the housing collar is performed using a machining method.

8. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the adapting of the housing collar includes reducing the outer diameter.

9. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the adapting of the housing collar includes adapting the first sealing section to be complementary to the process seal, wherein the process seal is configured to an industry standard, wherein in the industry standard is one of ISO 2852, DIN 11851 and SMS 1147.

10. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the clamping element is fabricated to be generally annular, having an axially circumferential clamp sealing section configured to contact the process seal as to connect the clamping element to the process inlet in a fluid-tight manner.

11. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the sensor housing is fabricated such that the first sealing section of the housing collar is disposed on an end face at a radially outer end of the housing collar, which is generally annular.

12. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the sensor housing is fabricated such that the first sealing section has a flat, conical, groove, semicircular or rectangular cross-sectional shape.

13. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the sensor housing is fabricated such that the sensor housing includes a transition region disposed between the housing collar and the housing body, the transition region having a radius of between 3.2 mm and 6 mm or greater than 6 mm.

14. The manufacturing method claim 1, wherein the sensor housing is fabricated such that the sensor housing includes a transition region disposed between the housing collar and the housing body, the transition region having a radius of greater than 6 mm.

15. The manufacturing method claim 1, further comprising introducing the sensor into the housing body of the sensor housing.

16. The manufacturing method claim 1, further comprising: introducing the sensor into the sensor housing; introducing the housing body of the sensor housing into the process inlet such that the first sealing section seats against the process seal; applying the clamping element to the sensor housing such that the clamping contact area of the clamping element seats against the collar contact area of the housing collar as to press the housing collar against the process seal of the process inlet; and applying the fixing element to the clamping element such that the sensor housing is connected to the process inlet via the housing collar in a reversible, fluid-tight manner.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The present disclosure is explained in more detail on the basis of the following description of the figures in which:

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a process connection according to the present disclosure connected via a sealing ring to a process connection;

[0023] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the process connection shown in FIG. 1;

[0024] FIG. 3 shows a detail view of FIG. 2;

[0025] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a process connection;

[0026] FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the process connection shown in FIG. 2;

[0027] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the process connection shown in FIG. 2; and

[0028] FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the process connection shown in FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] FIG. 1 shows a process connection 1 for a sensor. The process connection 1 includes a sensor housing 10 and a clamping element 20. The process connection 1 is configured for being connected to a process inlet 2 via a process seal 3 and a fixing element 4 (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0030] The sensor housing 10 has a housing body 11 and a housing collar 12. The housing body 11 is designed to receive the sensor. The housing body 11 enables the sensor to analyze a process medium through the process inlet 2. If the sensor is, for example, an inductive conductivity sensor, the measuring coils of the inductive conductivity sensor are enclosed by the housing body 11 and can thus be immersed into the process medium, for example, a liquid. In the case of an optical sensor, the housing body 11 enables the sensor, for example, to have only optical access to the process medium.

[0031] The housing collar 12 extends around the housing body 11 as shown in FIGS. 1-7. The housing collar 12 has a first sealing section 13 at a periphery of the housing body 11. The first sealing section 13 is configured for receiving the process seal 3 to connect the process inlet 2 to the housing collar 12 in a fluid-tight manner (e.g., liquid-tight or air-tight). The housing collar 12 is designed in such a way that the first sealing section 13 seats on the process seal 3 when the process connection is fastened to the process inlet 2.

[0032] The housing collar 12 extends from the housing body 11. In one embodiment, the housing collar 12 has a thickness between 2 mm and 3.1 mm. This makes it possible to save material on the sensor housing 10. The material thickness of the housing collar 11 is selected depending on the preferred manufacturing method to achieve a desired quality and/or a desired cost saving.

[0033] The housing collar 12 has a contact area 14. The contact area 14 is configured for experiencing a contact force so that the sensor housing 10 is pressed onto the process seal 3.

[0034] The housing collar 12 is formed integrally with the housing body 11. Sealing points in addition to the process seal 3 are thus not needed.

[0035] The clamping element 20 of the process connection 1 has a contact area 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The contact area 22 is configured for contacting the contact area 14 of the housing collar 12 in order to press the housing collar 12 onto the process seal 3.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, the clamping element 20 is partially enclosed by two potential leakage paths L1, L2. The first leakage path L1 is harmless for a sensor arranged in the process connection 1 since the leakage path L1 cannot penetrate into the interior of the process connection 1. The second leakage path L2 is potentially harmful for a sensor arranged in the process connection 1 since the second leakage path L2 does penetrate into the interior of the process connection 1.

[0037] The clamping element 20 is annular in that the clamping element 20 forms a closed ring. The radial cross-section of the annular clamping element 20 can take any form.

[0038] The clamping element 20 has an axially circumferential first sealing section 21 and an axially circumferential second sealing section 23 (see FIG. 3).

[0039] The first sealing section 21 is configured for contacting the process seal 3 in order to connect the process inlet 1 to the clamping element 20 in a fluid-tight manner. Due to the circumferential first sealing section 21 of the clamping element 20, the clamping element 20 also comes into contact with the process seal 3 in addition to the sensor housing 10 and thus forms a further sealing point between the interior and exterior of the process seal 3 so that a sealing effect between the housing collar 12 and the clamping element 20 is achieved only with the already required process seal 3.

[0040] In an alternative embodiment (see FIG. 7), the clamping element 20 does not touch the process seal 3.

[0041] The second sealing section 23 is configured for contacting an annular sealing element 15. The annular sealing element 15 is disposed between the sensor housing 10 and the second sealing section 23 of the clamping element 20 (see FIGS. 2-4). The potential second leakage path L2 of the process medium between the clamping element 20 and the sensor housing 10 is thus sealed. The process medium thus cannot penetrate into the interior of the sensor housing 10 when the process seal 3 fails.

[0042] In one embodiment (not shown), the clamping element 20 has a leakage hole. The leakage hole is arranged between the first sealing section 21 and the second sealing section 23 of the clamping element in such a way that a process medium flowing along the second leakage path L2 is at least partially discharged through the leakage hole. The leakage hole is configured for making visible to a user the discharge of the process medium along the potential second leakage path L2.

[0043] The annular sealing element 15 is arranged, for example, between the clamping element 20 and the housing body 11, as shown in FIGS. 2-4. The annular sealing element 15 may have various cross-sectional shapes. For example, the annular sealing element 15 may be an O-ring seal. The clamping element 20 is designed to precisely fit the housing body 11. The sensor housing 10 has a second sealing section 17 disposed on the housing body 11 in order to come into contact with the sealing element 15. The sealing element 15 may be, for example, an elastomer seal.

[0044] Alternatively, the sealing element 15, the second sealing section 23 of the clamping element 20, and the second sealing section 17 of the sensor housing 10 can be arranged such that the sealing point formed by the sealing element 15 is formed between the clamping element 20 and the housing collar 12 of the sensor housing 10 (not shown).

[0045] As shown in FIG. 4, in an alternative embodiment of the process connection 1, the first sealing section 13 of the housing collar 12 is arranged on an end face 18 of the housing collar 12. The end face 18 of the housing collar 12 is located at a radially outer end of the annular housing collar 12.

[0046] The first sealing section 13 of the housing collar 12 may have various cross-sectional shapes. For example, the first sealing section 13 may be flat or may be a groove (e.g., semicircular or rectangular). The process connection 1 is thus suitable, for example, for process inlets 2 that satisfy the requirements of SMS 1147, DIN 11851 or ISO 2852.

[0047] The sensor housing 10 has a transition region 16 which is arranged between the housing collar 12 and the housing body 11 and has a radius between 3.2 mm and 6 mm or greater than 6 mm, which can be seen particularly well in FIG. 3. Alternatively, the transition region 16 has a radius greater than 6 mm. This allows the process connection 1 to be less susceptible to deposits of the process medium. The hygienic properties of the process connection 1 are thereby improved.

[0048] The manufacturing method of the above-described process connection 1 according to the present disclosure is now described below.

[0049] In a first step, the sensor housing 10 is manufactured. During this manufacturing step, the housing body 11 and the housing collar 12 are integrally formed. Manufacturing the housing body 11 and the housing collar 12 as a single piece prevents gap formations at the process connection and avoids additional sealing points.

[0050] The sensor housing 10 can be manufactured in such a way that the housing collar 12 has an outer diameter D (as shown in FIG. 1) such that the sensor housing 10 is larger than the largest process inlet 2 of a category of process inlets. Only a single “standard contour” of the sensor housing 10 thus needs to be manufactured for a plurality of process inlets, which reduces manufacturing costs and non-productive times.

[0051] The sensor housing 10 may be manufactured by a primary forming method (e.g., casting), a forming method (e.g., pressure forming), a cutting method (e.g., machining), or combinations of the aforementioned methods.

[0052] In order to manufacture the sensor housing 10, for example, a material may be selected from one of the following materials: thermoplastics, thermosets, polyether ether ketones, thermoplastic polyether ether ketones, metal, ceramic or glass.

[0053] The sensor housing 10 is manufactured by an injection molding method, for example. This has the advantage that identical parts can be manufactured cost-effectively in large numbers and closed sensor housings can be produced in a hygienic design with a high degree of freedom of shape. Furthermore, a closed, seal-free surface can thus be realized with a high degree of freedom of design.

[0054] In a next step, the housing collar 12 is adapted in such a way that the housing collar 12 has an outer diameter D, which is configured for a prespecified process inlet 2. This makes it possible to adapt the standard type of sensor housing to a particular process inlet 2 in order to achieve the maximum precision for the process connection 1. If the housing collar 12 is to be adapted to the largest process inlet 2 of a category of process inlets, the adaptation step serves to achieve a higher accuracy of fit for the process inlet.

[0055] As shown in FIGS. 5-7, the adaptation step of the housing collar 12 also comprises the adaptation of the first sealing section 13 of the sensor housing 10 so that the sealing section 13 is configured for receiving a particular process seal 3. The sealing section 13 is, for example, flat, conical or groove-shaped, semicircular or rectangular.

[0056] For example, during the adaptation step, the first sealing section 13 may be formed such that a molded seal in accordance with ISO 2852 may be received by the first sealing section 13 (see FIG. 5).

[0057] For example, during the adaptation step, the first sealing section 13 may be formed such that a flat ring seal in accordance with SMS 1147 may be received by the first sealing section 13 (see FIG. 6).

[0058] As a further example, during the adaptation step, the first sealing section 13 may be formed such that a D-ring seal in accordance with DIN 11851 may be received by the first sealing section 13 (see FIG. 7).

[0059] The adaptation step of the housing collar 12 takes place, for example, by machining the housing collar 12. This has the advantage of a high degree of flexibility in material and geometry coupled with a higher precision.

[0060] In a further step, the clamping element 20 is manufactured. The clamping element 20 is manufactured in such a way that it is configured for the sensor housing 10 for the particular process inlet 2.

[0061] The clamping element 20 may be manufactured by a primary forming method (e.g., casting), a forming method (e.g., pressure forming), a cutting method (e.g., machining), or combinations of the aforementioned methods. The manufacturing method for the clamping element 20 can also be selected depending on the manufacturing method selected for the sensor housing 10.

[0062] For manufacturing the clamping element 20, a material is, for example, selected from one of the following materials: thermoplastics, thermosets, polyether ether ketones, thermoplastic polyether ether ketones, metal, ceramic or glass.

[0063] The clamping element 20 is fabricated, for example, by a machining process. This has the advantage that a flexible, requirement-appropriate selection of the material of the clamping element 20 and a high precision in the manufacture of the clamping element 20 are achieved at a favorable cost.