Patent Publication Number: US-2022213945-A1

Title: Cap sensor

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section. 
     An energy absorber or energy damper may be a mechanical or hydraulic device to absorb kinetic energy. An energy absorber may absorb kinetic energy from an impact, movement, or a vibration. An energy absorber may include a cap. The cap of the energy absorber may come in contact with a mechanical unit when the mechanical unit moves, vibrates, or impacts into the energy absorber. 
     SUMMARY 
     One embodiment of the invention is a cap sensor unit for an energy absorber. The cap sensor unit may comprise a housing. The housing may be configured to be attachable to, and removable from, an end of a piston of the energy absorber. Walls of the housing may define a pocket for a sensor within the housing. The caps sensor unit may comprise the sensor. The sensor may be within the housing. The sensor may be a wireless position switch. The sensor may include a wireless transmitter. The sensor may be configured to send a signal to a receiver when a force impacts the cap sensor unit. The sensor may be in a load path of the force. 
     Another embodiment of the invention includes a system to monitor an energy absorber. The system may comprise a cap sensor unit. The cap sensor unit may comprise a housing. The housing may be configured to be attachable and removable from an end of a piston of the energy absorber. Walls of the housing may define a pocket for a sensor within the housing. The cap sensor unit may comprise the sensor. The sensor may be within the housing. The sensor may be a wireless position switch. The sensor may include a wireless transmitter. The sensor may be configured to send a signal to a receiver when a force impacts the cap sensor unit. The sensor may be in a load path of the force. The system may comprise the receiver. The system may comprise a processor in communication with the receiver. The processor may monitor the energy absorber based on the signal. 
     Another embodiment of the invention is a method to monitor an energy absorber. The method may comprise receiving a force by a cap sensor unit. The cap sensor unit may comprise a housing. The housing may be configured to be attachable and removable from an end of a piston of the energy absorber. Walls of the housing may define a pocket for a sensor within the housing. The cap sensor unit may comprise the sensor. The sensor may be within the housing. The sensor may be a wireless position switch. The sensor may include a wireless transmitter. The sensor may be in a load path of the force. The method may comprise sending, by the sensor, a signal to a receiver. The signal may indicate the force has impacted the cap sensor unit. The method may comprise receiving, by the receiver, the signal. The method may comprise receiving, by a processor in communication with the receiver, the signal. The method may comprise monitoring, by the processor, the energy absorber based on the signal. 
     The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       The foregoing and other features of this disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only several embodiments in accordance with the disclosure and are, therefore, not to be considered limiting of its scope, the disclosure will be described with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of a cap sensor attached to an energy absorber; 
         FIG. 2  is a side cut-out view of a cap sensor unit; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a flow diagram for an example process to monitor an energy absorber, all arranged according to at least some embodiments described herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein. 
       FIG. 1  is a side view of a cap sensor attached to an energy absorber, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein. System  100  may include an energy absorber  10  and a cap sensor unit  20 . Energy absorber  10  may be a shock and may include a piston  30 , a tube  40 , and a base  50 . Cap sensor unit  20  may be attached to an end of piston  30 . Cap sensor unit  20  may be attachable to, and removable from, an end of piston  30 . Cap sensor unit  20  may include a housing  60 , an end cap  70 , a button  80 , and a sensor  90 . 
     Housing  60  may be cylindrical in shape. A first end of housing  60  may be configured to be attachable to, and removable from, an end of piston  30 . Walls of housing  60  may define a pocket for sensor  90  within housing  60 . Sensor  90  may be located along a central axis of housing  60 . End cap  70  may be attached to a second end of housing  60 . In some examples, end cap  70  may be part of housing  60  and housing  60  and end cap  70  may be a single item. Walls of end cap  70  may define a central opening in end cap  70 . A base of button  80  may be configured to be in mechanical communication with sensor  90 . The base of button  80  may thread through opening in end cap  70  so that a top end of button  80  is outside of end cap  70  and the base of button  80  is within end cap  70 . 
     A force  25  may impact cap sensor unit  20  and energy absorber  10 . Force  25  may be due to a mechanical unit moving, vibrating, or impacting cap sensor unit  20  and energy absorber  10 . Cap sensor unit  20  may receive force  25 . Cap sensor unit  20  may be on a center line  35  of a load path of force  25 . Cap sensor unit  20  may be configured to not deform upon impact of force  25 . Housing  60 , endcap  70 , and button  80  of cap sensor unit  20  may be metal or high density polymer. Force  25  may travel through cap sensor  20  and piston  30  to tube  40  of energy absorber  10 . Energy absorber  10  may absorb kinetic energy from force  25 . As described in more detail below, cap sensor unit  20  may be configured to send a signal when force  25  is applied to, and released from, cap sensor unit  20  and energy absorber  10 . 
       FIG. 2  is a side cut-out view of a cap sensor unit, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein. Those components in  FIG. 2  that are labeled identically to components of  FIG. 1  will not be described again for the purposes of brevity. 
     System  200  may include cap sensor unit  20 , a receiver  230  and a processor  250 . Force  25  may impact cap sensor unit  20  at button  80 . Button  80  may be configured to depress upon impact of force  25  and may propagate into cap sensor unit  20 . Button  80  may propagate into sensor  90  of cap sensor unit  20  about ⅛ inch upon impact of force  25  on button  80 . Button  80  may be configured to release and return to a rest position when force  25  is removed from button  80  such as with the use of a spring or other biasing mechanism. 
     Sensor  90  may be a wireless position switch. Sensor  90  may have a metal or thermoplastic enclosure. Sensor  90  may include an electrodynamic energy generator such as a magnet and coil or a piezoelectric or piezoceramic material. Sensor  90  may generate energy upon button  80  propagating into sensor  90  when force  25  impacts button  80  and cap sensor unit  20 . Sensor  90  may include a wireless transmitter. Sensor  90  may be configured to send an impact signal  210  upon button  80  propagating into sensor  90  when force  25  impacts button  80  and cap sensor unit  20 . Impact signal  210  may be a binary signal and may indicate impact or no impact. Sensor  90  may send impact signal  210  over a network  240 . Receiver  230  may receive impact signal  210 . 
     Button  80  may return to a rest position when button  80  is released by force  25 . Sensor  90  may generate energy upon button  80  returning to a rest position when force  25  is removed from button  80  and cap sensor unit  20 . Sensor  90  may be configured to send a release signal  220  when force  25  is removed from button  80  and cap sensor unit  20 . Release signal  220  may be binary and may indicate release or no release. Sensor  90  may send release signal  220  over network  240 . Receiver  230  may receive release signal  220 . 
     Receiver  230  may be in communication with processor  250 . Processor  250  may receive impact signal  210  and/or release signal  220  from receiver  230 . Processor  250  may monitor energy absorber  10  based on impact signal  210  and/or release signal  220 . Processor  250  may determine analytics of energy absorber  10  based on impact signal  210  and/or release signal  220 . Processor  250  may determine analytics related to force  25  and related to a mechanical unit delivering force  25  based on impact signal  210  and/or release signal  220 . Impact signal  210  may indicate that a mechanical unit has impacted cap sensor unit  20  and energy absorber  10 . Release signal  220  may indicate that a mechanical unit has moved away from cap sensor unit  20  and energy absorber  10 . 
     A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that is easy to install. A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a unique design of a shock sensor that is located within the cap of a shock. A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that is wireless. A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that does not require batteries. 
     A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that can be retrofit on many industrial shocks or energy absorbers. A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that is in line with a load path of an energy absorber. A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that can continuously monitor a status of an energy absorber. 
     A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that provides an immediate signal when an energy absorber is impacted or released. A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that may provide data for determining a lifespan of a shock or energy absorber. A device in accordance with the present disclosure may provide a cap sensor unit that may provide data for determining cycles and a status for maintenance of a shock or energy absorber. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a flow diagram for an example process to monitor an energy absorber, arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments presented herein. An example process may include one or more operations, actions, or functions as illustrated by one or more of blocks S 2 , S 4 , S 6 , S 8 , and/or S 10 . Although illustrated as discrete blocks, various blocks may be divided into additional blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated, depending on the desired implementation. 
     Processing may begin at block S 2 , “Receive a force by a cap sensor unit; wherein the cap sensor unit comprises: a housing, wherein the housing is configured to be attachable and removable from an end of a piston of the energy absorber and walls of the housing define a pocket for a sensor within the housing; and the sensor, wherein the sensor is within the housing, the sensor is a wireless position switch, the sensor includes a wireless transmitter, and the sensor is in a load path of the force”. At block S 2 , a force may be received by a cap sensor unit. The force may be due to a mechanical unit moving, vibrating, or impacting the cap sensor unit. The cap sensor unit may comprise a housing. The housing may be configured to be attachable to, and removable from, an end of a piston of the energy absorber. Walls of the housing may define a pocket for a sensor within the housing. The caps sensor unit may comprise the sensor. The sensor may be within the housing. The sensor may be a wireless position switch. The sensor may include a wireless transmitter. The sensor may be configured to send a signal to a receiver when a force impacts the cap sensor unit. The sensor may be in a load path of the force. 
     Processing may continue from block S 2  to block S 4 , “Send, by the sensor, a signal to a receiver, wherein the signal indicates the force has impacted the cap sensor unit”. At block S 4 , the sensor may send a signal to a receiver. The signal may indicate that the force has impacted the cap sensor unit. 
     Processing may continue from block S 4  to block S 6 , “Receive, by the receiver, the signal”. At block S 6 , the receiver may receive the signal. 
     Processing may continue from block S 6  to block S 8 , “Receive, by a processor in communication with the receiver, the signal”. At block S 8 , the a processor may receive the signal. The processor may be in communication with the receiver. 
     Processing may continue from block S 8  to block S 10 , “Monitor, by the processor, the energy absorber based on the signal”. At block S 10 , the processor may monitor the energy absorber based on the signal. 
     While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.