Self-leveling sensor assembly
AssigneeMueller International, LLC
InventorsMohammad Hassan Sobhani, Andrew Wallace, Daryl Lee Gibson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A self-leveling sensor assembly comprising an outer bushing defining a bushing passage, a bushing axis extending centrally through the bushing passage; an inner housing received in the bushing passage and rotatable about the bushing axis, the inner housing comprising a housing weight disposed at a first housing side of the inner housing; and a vibration sensor mounted to the inner housing and defining a sensor axis; wherein the housing weight is configured to pull the first housing side of the inner housing downward to rotate the inner housing and the vibration sensor about the bushing axis and to align the sensor axis is a desired orientation.
Claims31
A self-leveling sensor assembly comprising:
- an outer bushing defining a bushing passage, a bushing axis extending centrally through the bushing passage;
- an inner housing received in the bushing passage and rotatable about the bushing axis, the inner housing comprising a housing weight disposed at a first housing side of the inner housing;
- and
- a vibration sensor mounted to the inner housing and defining a sensor axis;
- wherein the housing weight is configured to pull the first housing side of the inner housing downward to rotate the inner housing and the vibration sensor about the bushing axis and to align the sensor axis in a desired orientation.
A leak detection assembly comprising:
- a housing defining a cavity;
- and
- a self-leveling sensor assembly disposed within the cavity, the self-leveling sensor assembly comprising:
- an outer bushing defining a bushing passage;
- an inner housing received within the bushing passage;
- and
- a vibration sensor mounted to the inner housing and defining a sensor axis, wherein the inner housing is configured to rotate within the bushing passage to automatically align the sensor axis in a desired orientation.
A method of aligning a self-leveling sensor assembly of a nozzle cap comprising:
- mounting the nozzle cap to a nozzle of a fire hydrant, wherein the nozzle cap comprises the self-leveling sensor assembly, the self-leveling sensor assembly comprising an outer bushing defining a bushing passage, an inner housing positioned in the bushing passage, and a sensor, the sensor defining a sensor axis;
- and
- automatically rotating the inner housing relative to the outer bushing to align the sensor axis in a desired orientation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.