Sensing assembly components and methods of assembling, mounting and orientating same

• US 9,157,772 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Santos, Roberto S., Sufariu, Diana A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): KERAMET-AMIRCOLAI, MOHAMMED E
• Application Number:
  US13/315,992
• Publication Number:
  US 20120167700A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,404 Days
• Field of Search: 738/665, 294/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 11/245 Housings for sensors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

A variety of sensing assembly components, and methods of assembling, mounting, and orientating such assemblies and/or components, are disclosed. In one example embodiment, a sensing assembly includes a main body including at least a housing portion, and a mounting portion protruding outward from the main body. The mounting portion includes an outer connector section including at least one electrical connector, and an intermediate section that includes an outer surface that either has substantially a shape of a polygon or is at least partly threaded, where the intermediate section is positioned in between the main body and the outer connector section. Additionally, the intermediate section has an outer diameter, the outer connector section has an outer diameter, and the intermediate section outer diameter is greater than the outer connection section outer diameter. In other example embodiments, retaining structures on portions of a sensing assembly, or bracket assembly components, are provided.

Claims

1. A sensing assembly comprising:

a housing portion including a primary mating face;

a base portion including a secondary mating face;

at least one first retaining structure provided in relation to a first of the primary and secondary mating faces; and

at least one second retaining structure provided in relation to a second of the primary and secondary mating faces;

wherein the at least one first retaining structure and at least one second retaining structure are configured to engage one another so as to at least partly retain the housing and base portions together, upon the primary and secondary mating faces being positioned adjacent to one another along a junction and shifted relative to one another along the junction,

wherein the base portion when assembled in relation to the housing portion can have either of a first orientation and a second orientation that is rotated 180 degrees relative to the first orientation about an axis extending perpendicular to the junction, and

wherein a mounting portion of the sensing assembly is configured to protrude outward from the sensing assembly in a manner that is substantially diametrically opposed to a directional orientation of a sensing face of the sensing assembly when the base portion takes on the first orientation and configured to protrude outward from the sensing assembly in a manner that is substantially perpendicular to the directional orientation of the sensing face when the base portion takes on the second orientation.

2. The sensing assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one first retaining structure protrudes from the first of the primary and secondary mating faces.

3. The sensing assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one first retaining structure includes two protruding structures that each have a first dovetail-type form, and wherein the at least one second retaining structure includes two additional structures that each have a second dovetail-type form, the first and second dovetail-type forms being substantially complementary.

4. The sensing assembly of claim 3, wherein the two protruding structures are positioned at intermediate locations along the first mating face, wherein the two additional structures are positioned proximate a first side of the second mating face, and wherein two further recesses are provided between the respective two additional structures and a second side of the second mating face, whereby when the primary and secondary mating faces are first positioned adjacent to one another along the junction the two protruding structures are first positioned within the two further recesses and subsequently engage the two additional structures as the mating faces are shifted relative to one another along the junction.

5. The sensing assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one protrusion is formed on one of the mating faces and at least one complementary recess is formed on the other of the mating faces, and wherein upon the primary and secondary mating faces being shifted relative to one another along the junction so as to align the base and housing portions, each of the at least one protrusion fits into or otherwise engages a respective one of the at least one complementary recess so as to restrict the base and housing portions from experiencing further shifting.

6. A sensing assembly comprising:

a main body including at least a housing portion;

a mounting portion protruding outward from an outer surface of the main body,

wherein the mounting portion includes an outer connector section that is threaded and including at least one electrical connector, and further includes an intermediate section that includes an outer surface that either has substantially a shape of a polygon or is at least partly threaded, wherein the intermediate section is positioned in between the main body and the outer connector section,

wherein the intermediate section has an intermediate section outer diameter, the outer connector section has an outer connector section outer diameter, and wherein the intermediate section outer diameter is greater than the outer connection section outer diameter, and

wherein the outer surface of the main body has a dimension that is greater than the intermediate section outer diameter.

7. The sensing assembly of claim 6, wherein the intermediate section is a multi-faceted mounting structure section and the outer surface of the intermediate section has either an octagonal or hexagonal shape.

8. The sensing assembly of claim 7, further comprising an additional section in between the intermediate section and the outer connector section, wherein the additional section is threaded and has a further diameter that is less than the intermediate section outer diameter but greater than the outer connector section outer diameter.

9. The sensing assembly of claim 6, wherein the intermediate section includes a multi-faceted mounting structure section including the outer surface, wherein the outer surface of the intermediate section has one or more flat surfaces and one or more rounded surfaces, wherein the flat and round surfaces are positioned relative to one another in an alternating manner, and wherein each of the one or more rounded surfaces is threaded.

10. The sensing assembly of claim 9, wherein the one or more flat surfaces includes four of the flat surfaces, wherein the one or more rounded surfaces includes four of the rounded surfaces, and wherein the flat and rounded surfaces are arranged such that the outer surface has a quasi-octagonal shape, and wherein the outer connector section forms an end tip section of the mounting portion.

11. A combination of the sensing assembly of claim 6 and a mounting bracket, wherein the mounting bracket includes an orifice having an internal surface, the mounting portion being inserted into so as to extend at least partly through the orifice.

12. The combination of claim 11, wherein the orifice is substantially complementary in shape to at least one portion of the mounting portion.

13. The combination of claim 11, wherein a set screw is provided that extends through the mounting bracket and into a recess in the outer surface of the intermediate section, whereby the sensing assembly is locked in place relative to the mounting bracket.

14. The combination of claim 11, wherein snaps extend from the outer surface and protrude out through the orifice when the mounting portion is inserted into the orifice, and wherein the snaps allow for locking of the sensing assembly relative to the mounting bracket.

15. The combination of claim 11, further comprising a fastener, wherein the outer surface is at least partly threaded, and wherein the fastener is tightened onto the intermediate section when the intermediate section of the mounting portion is positioned to protrude through the orifice so as to lock the sensing assembly in place relative to the mounting bracket.

16. The combination of claim 15, wherein the intermediate section includes one or more flat surfaces and one or more rounded surfaces, the rounded surfaces being threaded, and wherein the fastener is tightened onto the intermediate section due to interaction between the one or more rounded surfaces and complementary threads of the fastener.

17. The combination of claim 11, wherein the mounting portion further includes an additional section positioned between the main body and the intermediate section, the additional section having a multi-faceted outer surface, and wherein the multi-faceted outer surface fits within a complementary multi-faceted inner surface defining the orifice of the mounting bracket when the mounting portion is positioned so as to extend at least partly through the orifice.

18. The sensing assembly of claim 6, wherein the outer connector section can be snapped into place axially relative to a remainder of the mounting portion, wherein the outer connector section is rotatable relative to the remainder of the mounting portion, and wherein a maximum rotation of the outer connector is limited to no more than 360 degrees of rotation.

19. The sensing assembly of claim 6, wherein the main body includes a base portion in addition to the housing portion, wherein the mounting portion is formed as part of the base portion, and wherein the base portion and housing portion are able to be assembled to one another along respective mating surfaces of the respective portions.

20. The sensing assembly of claim 19, wherein a pair of fins extend from the mating surface of the housing portion, and wherein one or more protrusions or recesses formed on the fins are able to engage one or more complementary recesses or protrusions formed on side surfaces of the base portion so as to lock the base portion in relation to the housing portion.

21. The sensing assembly of claim 19, wherein each of the base portion and the housing portion has a respective retaining structure provided in relation to the respective mating face of the respective portion, and wherein the respective retaining structures of the respective portions are configured to engage one another so as to at least partly retain the housing and base portions together, upon the primary and secondary mating faces being positioned adjacent to one another along a junction and shifted relative to one another along the junction.

22. The sensing assembly of claim 6, further comprising means for sensing one or more light, radiation, or heat.

31. The sensing assembly of claim 19, wherein the mating surfaces are in contact with one another along a junction that extends along a plane that passes through a central axis of the sensing assembly along a 45 degree angle.

23. A method of assembly comprising:

providing a housing portion of a sensing assembly, the housing portion including a primary mating face;

providing a base portion of the sensing assembly, the base portion including a secondary mating face and also a mounting portion protruding outward from a main body of the base portion;

wherein a first of the primary and secondary mating faces includes a first retaining structure protruding therefrom, and a second of the primary and secondary mating faces includes a second retaining structure protruding therefrom; and

assembling the housing portion to the base portion by arranging the housing portion in relation to the base portion so that the primary and secondary mating faces are adjacent to one another along a junction and so that the first and second retaining structures are engaged with one another,

wherein the mating surfaces are in contact with one another along the junction, and the junction extends along a plane that passes through a central axis of the sensing assembly along a 45 degree angle;

wherein the assembling further comprises;

positioning the housing portion in relation to the base portion or the base portion in relation to the housing portion so that a first portion of the primary mating face and a second portion of the secondary mating face are adjacent to one another along the junction; and

shifting the housing portion in relation to the base portion or the base portion in relation to the housing portion, in a direction substantially parallel to the junction, so that the first and second retaining structures are engaged with one another.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein as a result of the shifting, a protrusion associated with one of the base portion and the housing portion engages a recess associated with the other of the base portion and the housing portion.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the assembling includes moving one or both of the base portion and housing portion in relation to one another so that the a fin or wall extension protruding from the primary mating face passes alongside a corresponding wall of the base portion until a protrusion associated with one of the base portion and housing portion engages a recess associated with the other of the base portion and the housing and, correspondingly, an edge of the wall of the base portion forming the secondary mating face is adjacent to the primary mating face of the housing portion.

26. The method of assembly of claim 23, wherein the mounting portion includes an outer connector section including at least one electrical connector, and further includes an intermediate section that includes an outer surface that either has a shape that is substantially that of a polygon or is at least partly threaded, the method further comprising:

further assembling the mounting portion of the sensing assembly in relation to a support bracket having an orifice by positioning the intermediate section into the orifice.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein a directional orientation of a face of the housing portion can be adjusted either (a) by repositioning the intermediate section to have a different rotational orientation relative to the orifice, or (b) by disassembling and reassembling the base portion and the housing portion in relation to one another such that the base portion takes on a new position relative to the housing portion that is rotated 180 degrees relative to an initial position attained subsequent due to the assembling.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

providing a means for fastening; and

rotating or snapping the means for fastening in relation to one or both of the mounting portion and the support bracket, whereby the mounting portion becomes secured in relation to the support bracket.

29. The method of claim 26, further comprising additionally assembling the outer connector section to the intermediate section by inserting the outer connector section through an opening in the intermediate section until one or both of a rim or a channel extending around the outer connector section becomes engaged in relation to a formation of the intermediate section.

30. The method of claim 23, further comprising operating the sensing assembly to detect light or radiation subsequent to the assembling.