Sealing arrangement

Abstract

The invention relates to a sealing arrangement in a housing having two housing parts, a first housing part of which has a sealing channel with an elastomeric sealing element inserted therein, the first housing part being pressed against a contact surface of the second housing part in the assembled state, and the second housing part being pressed against a contact surface of the second housing part in the assembled state. According to the invention, the sealing channel is pressed against the contact surface of the second housing part with an elastomeric sealing element interposed therebetween, the elastomeric sealing element and the contact surface of the second housing part forming a sealing region, by means of which the dry housing interior is sealed from the external environment, in order to prevent falling out of the sealing channel during installation, in particular during upward installation. The sealing element is held in a form-fitting and / or friction-fitting manner in a holding region of the first housing part that forms the slit. The retaining region is formed in the dry housing interior only on the side of the sealing region facing away from the external environment, so that the retaining region forming a gap is protected from the environment, such as water or dirt, in particular by means of the sealing region.

Description

Field of the Invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a sealing arrangement in a housing having two housing parts, wherein a first housing part of the two housing parts has a sealing channel, the sealing channel having an elastomeric sealing element inserted therein, and wherein, in the assembled state, the first housing part presses against a contact surface of the second housing part, i.e., presses against the contact surface of the second housing part with an elastomeric sealing element interposed therebetween, and the elastomeric sealing element forms a sealing zone with the contact surface of the second housing part, and the dry housing interior is sealed relative to the external environment by means of the sealing zone, and wherein, in order to prevent the sealing element from falling out of the sealing channel during installation, in particular during upside-down installation, the sealing element is held in a gap-forming holding region of the first housing part in a form-fitting and / or friction-fitting manner. Background Art

[0002] In the pulse inverter housing of an electric drive unit of a vehicle, power modules are mainly arranged as electrical components. The pulse inverter housing has at least one housing opening, which can be closed by means of a housing cover. The housing cover is clamped to the pulse inverter housing with an elastomeric sealing element interposed therebetween in order to protect the housing interior from the influence of the external environment such as water or dirt.

[0003] During the installation process of the type according to the present invention, the housing cover is installed at the housing opening of the pulse inverter housing during upside-down installation. Therefore, for a safe installation process, it is necessary to prevent the sealing element inserted into the sealing channel of the housing cover from inadvertently falling out. For this purpose, the sealing element is held in a gap-forming holding region of the housing cover in a form-fitting and / or friction-fitting manner.

[0004] The gap-forming holding region is outside the sealing zone in the prior art, and the sealing zone is formed between the housing cover sealing element and the assigned contact surface of the pulse inverter housing. Therefore, the gap formed in the holding region is susceptible to crevice corrosion or similar corrosive penetration.

[0005] A housing sealing arrangement is known from DE 10 2015 114 813 A1. The housing sealing arrangement has a housing having a sealing end side provided for sealing with a mating housing. In the housing, a stepped groove is provided along the housing end side, and at least one first step of the groove is designed as a support surface for a first sealing element and a (lower) second step is designed as a support surface for a second sealing element. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a sealing arrangement in a housing, wherein crevice corrosion or similar corrosive penetration in the sealing zone between two housing parts of the housing is prevented in a simple manner compared to the prior art.

[0007] This technical problem is solved according to the invention by a sealing arrangement in a housing having two housing parts. Preferred refinements of the invention are disclosed in the description.

[0008] The invention relates to a sealing arrangement in a housing having two housing parts, wherein a first housing part of the two housing parts has a sealing channel into which an elastomeric sealing element is inserted. In the assembled state, the first housing part presses against the contact surface of the second housing part, i.e., against the contact surface of the second housing part with an elastomeric sealing element interposed therebetween. The elastomeric sealing element and the contact surface of the second housing part together form a sealing zone by means of which the dry interior of the housing is sealed off from the external environment. In order to prevent the sealing element from falling out of the sealing channel during installation, in particular during upside-down installation, the sealing element is held form-fittingly and / or frictionally in a gap-forming holding region of the first housing part. According to the invention, the gap-forming holding region is no longer arranged outside the sealing zone. Instead, the holding region is formed in the dry interior of the housing on the inner side of the sealing zone facing away from the external environment. Thereby, the gap-forming holding region is protected by the sealing zone against the influence of the external environment, such as water or dirt. On the side of the sealing zone facing the external environment, there is, according to the invention, no non-gap-forming holding region.

[0009] In one technical implementation, the sealing element can be extended towards the interior of the housing in a material-unified and / or one-piece manner with at least one holding section. The holding section of the sealing element can be inserted into a form-fitting connection and / or a friction-fitting connection with the first housing part. In order to provide a sufficiently large local distance between the sealing zone and the holding section, it is preferred that the sealing element is extended towards the interior of the housing by a connecting strip that is reduced in cross-section and terminates at the holding section.

[0010] In order to achieve a process-safe form-fitting connection and / or friction-fitting connection, the first housing part can have a housing part receiving portion on the side of the sealing element facing the interior of the housing, which is, for example, configured in imitation of the female mold of the holding section. The holding section of the sealing element can preferably be pressed into the housing part receiving portion in a clamping connection.

[0011] In a specific implementation variant, the housing component receiving part is designed in a bag shape, that is, it is designed to have a profile bottom, and the profile bottom is retracted relative to the contact surface of the second housing component by a profile height. The inner side surface inside the housing and the outer side surface outside the housing rise from the profile bottom in the direction of the contact surface of the second housing component. In this case, the holding section can be in clamping contact with the inner side surface or the outer side surface of the bag-shaped housing component receiving part. As an alternative to this, the holding section can be in clamping contact with both the inner side surface and the outer side surface of the bag-shaped housing component receiving part. According to the design, the holding section can be placed in clamping contact with the housing component receiving part over a large area, pointwise or linearly.

[0012] The sealing element can preferably be designed in a ring shape, for example, designed as a sealing ring, and the sealing ring surrounds the housing opening of the second housing component in a frame shape.

[0013] In other implementation variants, the ring-shaped sealing element can have at least one holding strut protruding towards the inside of the housing in the holding area, preferably a plurality of holding struts spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction of the sealing element. The holding struts can be integrally formed and / or formed in one piece on the inner circumference of the sealing element. The holding struts can be placed in a form-fitting connection and / or a friction-fit connection with the first housing component. In order to further improve the shape stability of the sealing element, the holding struts can be integrally formed and / or formed in one piece in the form of spoke-like structures converging at the center of the sealing element. In this sealing element geometry, the first housing component can have a wedge-shaped base profile part, and the base profile part fills the space between adjacent holding struts. The base profile part of the first housing component can preferably be in a friction-fit connection and / or a form-fitting connection with the holding struts positioned therebetween of the sealing element.

[0014] Alternatively and / or additionally, a through hole is designed in the center of the sealing element, and the holding pin of the first housing component can be guided through the through hole. The holding pin can have a centering function to simplify the reliable positioning of the sealing element in the first housing component. In the case of a dual function, the holding pin can have a holding pin head protruding from the through hole in the center of the sealing element, and the holding pin head is widened relative to the through hole. Therefore, in this case, the sealing element is held in a form-fitting manner on the holding pin.

[0015] The housing opening of the second housing part can be surrounded by a tubular connection piece of the second housing part. The end side of the tubular connection piece forms a contact surface with the sealing element of the first housing part. Furthermore, the first housing part, such as a housing cover, can have an edge strip. The edge strip can span the tubular connection piece of the first housing part at a distance in the assembled state in the manner of a labyrinth seal. An additional protection, for example against high-pressure cleaner jets, is provided by the labyrinth seal, and thus the sealing element is protected against other mechanical influences. Description of the Drawings

[0016] Embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinafter with reference to the drawings. In the drawings:

[0017] Figures 1 to 3 Different views of a sealing arrangement according to the invention are shown respectively; and

[0018] Figure 4 A sealing arrangement according to a comparative example not included in the present invention is shown. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0019] For a simple understanding of the present invention, first refer to Figure 4 , in Figure 4 a sealing arrangement according to a comparative example not included in the present invention is shown. Thus, a housing 1 is shown, which has a circular housing opening 3, for example, and the housing opening is surrounded by a tubular connection piece or flange 5. The housing opening 3 is closed by a housing cover 7. The housing cover 7 is clamped to the housing 1 (for example, by a threaded connection not shown) with an elastomeric sealing element 9 interposed therebetween. Thus, the interior space of the housing, which is designed as a dry area, is protected against the influence of the external environment such as water or dirt. The sealing element 9, which is designed as an annulus, surrounds the housing opening 3. Furthermore, the sealing element 9 is placed in a sealing channel 10 of the housing cover 7. In the Figure 4 assembled position shown, the contact surface 11 of the sealing element 9 with the end side of the housing flange 5 forms a sealing zone D. The dry interior space of the housing is sealed by means of the sealing zone against external influences.

[0020] The housing cover 7 is mounted on the housing 1 in an upside-down manner during an installation process not shown. In order to fix the sealing element 9 against accidental dropping out during upside-down mounting, the sealing element 9 has radially inwardly and outwardly protruding retaining nodules 13 on its inner and outer circumferences, and the retaining nodules are spaced apart from each other circumferentially by a pitch distance. The retaining nodules 13 are in clamping contact with the inner and outer sealing channel side walls at a retaining area H, and the sealing channel side walls are both outside and inside the sealing zone D. The retaining area H forms a gap in which water or dirt may accumulate, which may lead to crevice corrosion or similar corrosive penetration.

[0021] In addition, the housing cover 7 has a radially outer edge strip. The edge strip spans the housing flange 5 at a predefined distance a in the manner of a labyrinth seal, through which water and / or dirt in the outer region of the housing 1 can flow away.

[0022] Different from the sealing arrangement structure according to Figure 4 , in the sealing arrangement structure according to the present invention, the holding region H forming a gap outside the sealing region D is eliminated. Instead, the holding region H is only formed on the inner side of the sealing region D facing away from the external environment in the dry inner space of the housing, as can be seen from Figure 1 . Conversely, the outer periphery of the sealing element 9 is circumferentially held in continuous non-contact with the side wall of the external sealing channel, which is provided by the edge strip 17 of the housing cover 1.

[0023] In Figure 1 , the basic structure and working mode of the sealing arrangement structure according to the present invention correspond to the structure and working mode of the sealing arrangement structure shown in Figure 4 , so reference can be made to the previous description. Different from Figure 4 , the sealing element 9 providing the sealing region D is extended radially inwards by a connecting strip 18 with a reduced cross-section, and the connecting strip terminates at a holding section 19 with a larger cross-section. The holding section 19 with a larger cross-section is placed in the pocket-shaped receiving portion 21 of the housing cover 7, that is, it is placed in a clamped engagement with the pocket-shaped receiving portion 21 in the case of elastic deformation.

[0024] As can also be seen from Figure 1 , the profile bottom 23 of the pocket-shaped receiving portion 21 is retracted by a profile height h relative to the contact surface 11 of the housing 1. The inner side surface 25 inside the housing and the outer side surface 27 outside the housing respectively rise from the profile bottom 23 towards the contact surface 11 of the housing 1. Exemplarily, the holding section 19 can be in clamped contact with the inner side surface 25 of the housing receiving portion 21 or in clamped contact with the outer side surface 27 of the housing receiving portion 21. As an alternative to this, the holding section 19 can be in clamped contact with both the inner side surface 25 and the outer side surface 27 of the pocket-shaped housing receiving portion 21. In addition, a correspondingly large free space 12 is formed in a circumferentially continuous non-contact manner between the outer periphery of the sealing element 9 and the radially outer side wall of the sealing channel, and water can flow out of the free space without any problem.

[0025] In Figure 2 , in the implementation variant, the clamped contact between the holding section 19 and the pocket-shaped housing receiving portion 21 is no longer large-area, but is realized pointwise by the protrusions 29 designed on the holding section 19 accordingly.

[0026] In Figure 3Another embodiment of the present invention is shown, in which the housing cover 7 is separated from the housing 1. Therefore, the sealing element 9 is designed annularly as a sealing ring, and the sealing ring surrounds the housing opening 3 in a frame shape. A total of eight holding struts 31 are integrally formed on the inner circumference of the annular sealing element 9 in a unified material, and they are spaced from each other at the same indexing distance in the circumferential direction. The holding struts 31 converge concentrically at the sealing element center 33 in the manner of spoke. The spaces between adjacent holding struts 31 are respectively filled with wedge-shaped base profile members 35. A through hole is designed in the sealing element center 33, and the holding pin 37 of the housing cover 7 is guided through this through hole. The holding pin 37 has a holding pin head 39 protruding from the through hole of the sealing element center 33, and the holding pin head 39 is widened compared with the through hole. On the one hand, the sealing element 9 is correctly centered by means of the holding pin 37. On the other hand, the holding pin 37 forms a holding area H, and when installed upside down, the sealing element 9 is held anti-loss on this holding area. As an alternative and / or supplement to the holding pin 37, the wedge-shaped base profile member 35 can be connected to the holding struts 31 of the sealing element 9 in a friction-fit and / or form-fit manner.

[0027] List of reference numerals

[0028] 1 First housing part or housing

[0029] 3 Housing opening

[0030] 5 Housing flange

[0031] 7 Second housing part or housing cover

[0032] 9 Sealing element

[0033] 10 Sealing channel

[0034] 11 Contact surface

[0035] 12 Free space

[0036] 13 Holding granulation

[0037] 17 Edge strip

[0038] 18 Connecting strip

[0039] 19 Holding section

[0040] 21 Housing accommodation

[0041] 23 Profile bottom

[0042] 25 Inner side

[0043] 27 Outer side

[0044] 29 Protrusion

[0045] 31 Holding strut

[0046] 33 Sealing element center

[0047] 35 Base profile part

[0048] 37 Holding pin

[0049] 39 Holding pin head

[0050] D Sealing area

[0051] H Holding area

[0052] a Distance

[0053] h Profile height

Claims

1. A sealing arrangement in a housing having two housing parts (1, 7), wherein a first housing part (7) of the two housing parts has a sealing channel (10) into which an elastomeric sealing element (9) is inserted, wherein, In the assembled state, the first housing part (7) bears against the contact surface (11) of the second housing part (1), i.e., bears against the contact surface (11) of the second housing part (1) with an elastomeric sealing element (9) interposed therebetween, and the elastomeric sealing element forms a sealing zone (D) with the contact surface (11) of the second housing part (7). The dry housing interior is sealed relative to the external environment by means of this sealing zone. Moreover, in order to prevent the sealing element (9) from falling out of the sealing channel (10) during installation, especially during installation in an upside-down position, the sealing element (9) is held in a form-fitting and / or friction-fitting manner in a gap-forming holding region (H) of the first housing part (7). It is characterized in that the holding region (H) is formed only on the side of the sealing zone (D) facing away from the external environment in the dry housing interior, so that, in particular, the gap-forming holding region (H) is protected by means of the sealing zone (D) against the influence of the environment, such as water or dirt. And / or a non-gap-forming holding region (H) is formed on the side of the sealing zone (D) facing the external environment.

2. The sealed layout structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealing element (9) is extended towards the housing interior in a materially unified and one-piece manner with at least one holding section (19), in particular by means of a connecting strip (18) which is reduced in cross section with respect to the sealing element (9) and with respect to the holding section (19). In particular, the holding section (19) of the sealing element (9) can be inserted into a form-fitting connection and / or a friction-fitting connection with the first housing part (7).

3. The sealed arrangement structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first housing part (7) has a housing part receiving portion (21) on the side of the sealing element (9) facing the housing interior. The holding section (19) can be inserted into a form-fitting connection and / or a friction-fitting connection, in particular a clamping connection, with the housing part receiving portion. And / or, in particular, the outer circumference of the sealing element (9) remains continuously non-contact in the circumferential direction with respect to the side wall of the sealing channel on the outside of the housing, i.e., a correspondingly large free space (12) is formed in particular, and water and / or dirt can be discharged from this free space without problems.

4. The sealing arrangement structure according to claim 3, characterized in that, The housing part receiving portion (21) is designed in a bag-like shape, i.e., it is designed with a profile bottom (23) which is retracted with respect to the contact surface (11) of the second housing part (1) by a profile height (h). The inner side (25) on the housing interior side and the outer side (27) on the housing exterior side rise from the profile bottom in the direction of the contact surface (11) of the second housing part (1).

5. The sealing arrangement structure according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The holding section (19) is installed in the housing part receiving portion (21) in such a way that a clamping force is formed. In particular, the holding section (19) can be inserted into a clamping contact with the inner side (25) and / or the outer side (27) of the housing part receiving portion (21). And / or, in particular, the holding section (19) can be inserted into the clamping positions of the housing part receiving portion (21) over a large area, pointwise or linearly.

6. The sealing arrangement structure according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The sealing element (9) is designed to be annular, for example designed as a sealing ring, and / or the sealing element surrounds the housing opening (3) of the second housing part (1) in a frame-like manner.

7. The sealed arrangement structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The sealing element (9) has at least one holding strut (31) protruding towards the housing interior in the holding region (H), in particular a plurality of holding struts (31) spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction of the sealing element. The holding struts are preferably integrally formed and / or integrally molded on the inner circumference of the sealing element (9), and in particular, the holding struts (31) can be inserted into a form-fitting connection and / or a friction-fit connection with the first housing part (7).

8. The sealing arrangement structure according to claim 7, characterized in that, The holding struts (31) converge in a force-transmitting manner, in particular integrally formed and / or integrally molded, at the center (33) of the sealing element in the form of spoke-like elements. In particular, the first housing part (7) has a wedge-shaped base profile element (35) that fills the space between adjacent holding struts (31), and in particular, the base profile element (35) of the first housing part (7) is in a friction-fit connection and / or a form-fitting connection with the holding struts (31) of the sealing element (9).

9. The sealed arrangement structure according to claim 8, characterized in that, A through-hole is designed in the center (33) of the sealing element, and the holding pin (37) of the first housing part (7) is guided through the through-hole. In particular, the holding pin (37) has a holding pin head (39) protruding from the through-hole of the sealing element (9), and the holding pin head (39) is widened relative to the through-hole.

10. The sealing arrangement structure according to any one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that, The housing opening (3) of the second housing part (1) is surrounded by a tubular flange or a nozzle (5) of the second housing part (1), and its end face forms a contact surface (11) with the sealing element (9). The first housing part (7), in particular the housing cover, has an edge strip (17) that spans the tubular nozzle (5) of the first housing part (7) at a distance (a) in the assembled state in the manner of a labyrinth seal.

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