Sealant groove structure for actuator and actuator
By designing bosses and flow channels on the actuator's cover and housing, the problems of sealant overflow and internal overflow are solved, ensuring that the sealant flows inward and is stored in the reservoir, thus improving the actuator's appearance and quality.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520134343.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-01-20
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-10
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-01-20
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, the sealant of the actuator is prone to overflowing both externally and internally after assembly, leading to appearance and quality problems.
Design a sealant tank structure, including a boss structure and flow guiding features on the cover plate, a baffle and a flow guiding groove on the boss, and a groove in the housing. The design of the flow guiding groove and the groove ensures that the sealant can only flow inward after assembly, avoiding overflow. An adhesive storage tank is set in the housing to store excess adhesive.
It effectively avoids both external and internal overflow of sealant, improves the assembly appearance of the actuator, protects internal electronic components, prevents sealant from contacting the printed circuit board inside the housing cavity, and improves quality.
Smart Images
Figure CN223899050U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of sealing technology, and in particular to a sealing groove structure for actuators such as motors. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, the sealing method for actuators such as motors, where the cover plate and housing are assembled with sealant, involves forming a sealant groove on the housing and a boss on the cover plate, achieving a seal through the combination of the sealant groove, sealant, and boss.
[0003] However, the above sealing method can lead to both excess and internal sealant overflow after assembly. Excess sealant can affect the appearance and cause quality defects; while internal sealant overflow poses a risk of sealant contact with the printed circuit board (PCBA) inside the housing cavity, resulting in slow heat dissipation of the PCBA and causing quality defects. Utility Model Content
[0004] In order to overcome at least one of the above problems, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a sealant groove structure for an actuator that can avoid appearance and quality problems caused by sealant overflow and / or internal overflow.
[0005] Therefore, this utility model provides a sealing groove structure for an actuator, the actuator including a housing and a cover plate sealed to the housing, the sealing groove structure including: a boss structure formed on the cover plate and extending circumferentially along the cover plate, the boss structure including a baffle extending from the outer periphery of the cover plate and a boss spaced apart from the baffle, the boss being located inside the baffle, the boss having an outer side facing the baffle and an inner side opposite to the outer side, and a flow guiding feature structure for guiding the sealant to flow inward at the inner side of the boss; and a first groove formed in the housing, wherein the first groove is used to receive the sealant, the boss and the flow guiding feature structure.
[0006] By providing the aforementioned sealant reservoir structure, the sealant can be retained in the reservoir between the cover plate and the housing, preventing sealant overflow or internal spillage that could cause appearance or quality issues. In particular, by incorporating a baffle, which covers the mounting surfaces of the cover plate and housing after completion, even sealant overflow due to dimensional variations in the manufacturing process may be prevented from becoming visible, thus improving the assembly appearance of the actuator.
[0007] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the flow-guiding feature structure includes a plurality of stepped portions spaced apart along the length direction of the boss and a recess (also referred to as a groove) located between two adjacent stepped portions, wherein each stepped portion forms a transverse flow-guiding groove, and each recess forms a longitudinal flow-guiding groove. That is, the flow-guiding feature structure is a combination of multiple transverse flow-guiding grooves and multiple longitudinal flow-guiding grooves, wherein the transverse flow-guiding grooves are parallel to the length direction of the boss, and the longitudinal flow-guiding grooves are transverse to the length direction of the boss. By providing such a flow-guiding feature structure, it is possible to prevent the sealant from flowing only outwards after the boss and the first groove come into internal contact; the flow-guiding feature structure guides the sealant to flow inwards, i.e., in a direction away from the outer periphery of the cover plate.
[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dimensions of the transverse guide channel and the longitudinal guide channel can be defined as: 1 / 2b < a < b, 1 / 2c < d < c, e ≤ f; where a is the height of the transverse guide channel, b is the height of the longitudinal guide channel, c is the width of the longitudinal guide channel, d is the width of the transverse guide channel, e is the length of the longitudinal guide channel, and f is the length of the transverse guide channel.
[0009] In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the first groove has an inner sidewall and an outer sidewall, wherein the outer sidewall is higher than the inner sidewall. In this embodiment, because the two sides of the first groove of the housing are at different heights (i.e., the outer side is higher than the inner side), excess sealant can be prevented from flowing outwards, i.e., towards the baffle.
[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a second groove, spaced apart from and located inside the first groove, is further provided in the housing. This second groove is used to store excess sealant. Providing the second groove prevents sealant from flowing into the interior, such as on a PCBA.
[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first groove has a first groove width and a first groove depth, and the second groove has a second groove width and a second groove depth, wherein the first groove width is greater than the second groove width and the first groove depth is greater than the second groove depth; and the first groove has a first groove top surface and a first groove bottom surface, and the second groove has a second groove top surface and a second groove bottom surface, wherein the second groove top surface is lower than the first groove top surface and the first groove bottom surface is lower than the second groove bottom surface.
[0012] In one embodiment of this invention, the dimensions of the first groove are defined as 1.5h < g < 2h, k < l < 1.5k; where g is the depth of the first groove, h is the distance between the inner side of the flow-guiding feature structure and the outer side of the baffle, and k is the total height of the boss. This design ensures that after the cover plate is assembled into the housing, there are spaces in the x, y, and z directions on the boss for the flow of sealant, with the flow direction always inward.
[0013] According to one aspect of this utility model, the baffle can be integrally injection molded with the cover plate.
[0014] This utility model also provides an actuator, which includes the above-mentioned sealing groove structure.
[0015] Due to the adoption of the above technical solutions, the sealant groove structure for the actuator of this utility model can produce at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: it solves the problem of sealant overflow after the cover plate and housing are assembled, improves quality defects, and avoids appearance problems; the height of the two sides of the sealant groove (first groove) is inconsistent, with the outer side being higher than the inner side, so that excess sealant can only flow inward; a storage groove is also provided on the inner side of the sealant groove, and excess sealant is stored in the storage groove after flowing inward; a baffle is provided on the outer periphery of the cover plate, and after installation, the baffle can cover the joint line between the housing and the cover plate to ensure that there are no appearance problems; the inner side of the boss is provided with a guide feature structure for the sealant to flow inward, which facilitates the flow of sealant and allows excess sealant to flow into the storage groove. Attached Figure Description
[0016] Referring to the accompanying drawings and reading the following detailed description, further features and advantages of this utility model will become clearer:
[0017] Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of an actuator according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;
[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged view of part A in the image;
[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a structure of the boss structure of the sealing groove structure according to the present invention.
[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A plan view of the flow guiding feature structure shown;
[0021] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the sealing adhesive groove structure according to the present invention;
[0022] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the flow-guiding feature structure along the length of the boss is shown; and
[0023] Figure 7 for Figure 6 The enlarged view of the flow guiding feature structure shown. Detailed Implementation
[0024] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The descriptions of orientations used in the following description, such as "upper," "lower," "inner," and "outer," are for convenience only unless explicitly stated otherwise and are not intended to limit the technical solution of the present invention. Furthermore, terms such as "first" and "second" are used below to describe elements of this application; these terms are only used to distinguish individual elements and are not intended to limit the nature, sequence, order, or number of these elements. Additionally, it should be noted that in this specification, the same technical features are represented by the same or similar reference numerals.
[0025] In this article, "actuator" is primarily used for parking, clutching, or shifting gears in automobiles, but it applies to all applications involving parking (locking), clutching, and shifting, such as gasoline-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, pure electric vehicles, and other automated devices. "Actuator" can also be replaced with "drive".
[0026] In this Chinese text, "top surface of groove" refers to the opening or uppermost edge of the groove, while "bottom surface of groove" refers to the lowest part of the groove.
[0027] Figure 1 The structure of the sealing groove used between the cover plate 1 and the housing 2 of the actuator is shown. Figure 2 This is an enlarged view of the sealant groove structure. As can be seen from the figure, the sealant groove structure includes a boss structure 10 formed on the cover plate 1 and a first groove 21 formed in the housing 2. The boss structure 10 extends along the entire circumference of the cover plate 1 and includes a baffle 11 extending perpendicularly to the outer periphery of the cover plate 1 and a boss 12 spaced apart from the baffle. The boss is located inside the baffle, and the boss 12 has an outer surface 12a facing the baffle and an inner surface 12b opposite to the outer surface. Advantageously, the inner surface of the boss 12 is provided with a flow-guiding feature structure 13 for guiding the sealant to flow inward. See in particular... Figure 2 When the cover plate 1 is assembled onto the housing 2, the sealant 3, the boss 12, and the flow guiding feature structure 13 are located within the first groove 21, while the baffle 11 covers the mounting surfaces of the cover plate 1 and the housing 2. This prevents sealant overflow from being visible from the outside, even if it occurs due to process or dimensional fluctuations, thus improving the assembly appearance of the actuator. Preferably, the baffle 11 can be integrally injection molded with the cover plate 1.
[0028] Here, cover 1 is a device used to protect the internal PCB and electronic components from mechanical shock and collision, and to block external environmental factors such as water, dust, and oil stains; housing 2 is a device used to mount the brushless motor and protect the internal electronic components and PCBA mounting board. Both the cover and housing protect and maintain the normal operation and safety of the actuator.
[0029] See Figure 4 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 The figure illustrates a preferred embodiment of the flow-guiding feature structure 13. As can be seen from the figure, the flow-guiding feature structure 13 includes a plurality of stepped portions 131 spaced apart along the length of the boss 12, and a plurality of recesses 132 located between adjacent stepped portions. In this embodiment, each stepped portion 131 may be defined to form a transverse flow-guiding groove (e.g., Figure 6 (as shown by the straight arrow in the image), and each recess 132 can be defined to form a longitudinal guide groove (as shown by the arrow in the image). Figure 6 (As indicated by the curved arrow in the image). See also Figure 7 The stepped portion 131 is configured to include an upper platform 1311, a lower platform 1312, and a stepped transition surface 1313 between the upper and lower platforms, which is, for example, perpendicular to the upper and lower platforms. By providing the above-described flow-guiding feature structure, it is possible to prevent the sealant from flowing only outwards after the boss and the first groove come into contact internally.
[0030] In this embodiment, see Figure 3 The dimensions of the transverse and longitudinal guide channels are preferably limited to 1 / 2b < a < b, 1 / 2c < d < c, e ≤ f; where a is the height of the transverse guide channel, b is the height of the longitudinal guide channel, c is the width of the longitudinal guide channel, d is the width of the transverse guide channel, e is the length of the longitudinal guide channel, and f is the length of the transverse guide channel. This design ensures that after the cover plate is assembled into the housing, there are spaces in the x, y, and z directions on the boss for the flow of sealant, and the flow direction is inward.
[0031] Here, the height of the transverse guide channel is defined as the vertical distance between the upper platform 1311 and the lower platform 1312; the height of the longitudinal guide channel is the vertical distance between the plane containing the upper platform and the bottom surface of the recess 132; the width of the longitudinal guide channel is the vertical distance between the plane containing the inner side of the step and the inner side of the boss 12; the width of the transverse guide channel is the vertical distance between the step transition surface and the inner side of the boss; the length of the transverse guide channel is the length of the step along the length direction of the boss, and the length of the longitudinal guide channel is the length of the recess along the length direction of the boss. In this text, "inner side" refers to the side facing away from the baffle, and "outer side" refers to the side facing the baffle.
[0032] See Figure 5 In a preferred embodiment of this utility model, the first groove 21 has an inner sidewall 21a and an outer sidewall 21b, wherein the outer sidewall is higher than the inner sidewall. Since the two sides of the first groove 21 of the housing 2 are not at the same height, that is, the outer side is higher and the inner side is lower, excess sealant can be prevented from flowing outward, that is, flowing towards the baffle 11.
[0033] Furthermore, advantageously, the housing 2 also includes a second groove 22 spaced apart from and located inside the first groove 21, which is used to store excess sealant. Providing such a sealant reservoir prevents sealant from flowing into the interior and onto the PCBA inside the housing.
[0034] In this embodiment, the first groove 21 has a first groove width g and a first groove depth l, and the second groove has a second groove width and a second groove depth, wherein the first groove width is greater than the second groove width, and the first groove depth is greater than the second groove depth; the first groove 21 has a first groove top surface and a first groove bottom surface, and the second groove has a second groove top surface and a second groove bottom surface, wherein the second groove top surface is lower than the first groove top surface, and the first groove bottom surface is lower than the second groove bottom surface. Here, the groove depth is the vertical distance between the groove top surface and the groove bottom surface, and the groove width is the vertical distance between the inner sidewall and the outer sidewall of the groove.
[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, after the cover plate is assembled into the housing, there are spaces in the x, y, and z directions on the boss for the flow of sealant, and the flow direction is inward. The size of the first groove can be limited to 1.5h < g < 2h, k < l < 1.5k; where g is the depth of the first groove, h is the distance between the inner side of the flow guiding feature structure and the outer side of the baffle, and k is the total height of the boss.
[0036] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not limited thereto. Any combinations, changes, and modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the claims.
Claims
1. A sealing groove structure for an actuator (100), the actuator comprising a housing and a cover plate (1) sealingly connected to the housing, characterized in that, The sealing groove structure includes: A boss structure (10) is formed on the cover plate (1) and extends circumferentially along the cover plate. The boss structure includes a baffle (11) extending from the outer periphery of the cover plate and a boss (12) spaced apart from the baffle. The boss is located inside the baffle and has an outer side (12a) facing the baffle and an inner side (12b) opposite to the outer side. A flow guiding feature structure (13) for guiding sealant to flow inward is provided on the inner side (12b) of the boss. A first groove (21) is formed in the housing (2), wherein the first groove is used to receive the sealant (3), the boss (12) and the flow guiding feature structure (13).
2. The sealant groove structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The flow guiding feature structure (13) includes a plurality of stepped portions (131) spaced apart along the length direction of the boss and a plurality of recesses (132) located between two adjacent stepped portions, wherein each stepped portion (131) forms a transverse flow guiding groove and each recess (132) forms a longitudinal flow guiding groove.
3. The sealant groove structure according to claim 2, characterized in that, The dimensions of the transverse guide channel and the longitudinal guide channel are defined as follows: 1 / 2b<a<b, 1 / 2c<d<c,e≤f; Where a is the height of the transverse guide channel, b is the height of the longitudinal guide channel, c is the width of the longitudinal guide channel, d is the width of the transverse guide channel, e is the length of the longitudinal guide channel, and f is the length of the transverse guide channel.
4. The sealant groove structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first groove (21) has an inner wall (21a) and an outer wall (21b), wherein the outer wall is higher than the inner wall.
5. The sealing groove structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The housing (2) is provided with a second groove that is spaced apart from and located inside the first groove, the second groove being used to store excess sealant.
6. The sealant groove structure according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first groove (21) has a first groove width and a first groove depth, and the second groove has a second groove width and a second groove depth, wherein the first groove width is greater than the second groove width, and the first groove depth is greater than the second groove depth; and The first groove (21) has a first groove top surface and a first groove bottom surface, and the second groove has a second groove top surface and a second groove bottom surface, wherein the second groove top surface is lower than the first groove top surface and the first groove bottom surface is lower than the second groove bottom surface.
7. The sealing groove structure according to claim 6, characterized in that, The dimensions of the first groove are defined as follows: 1.5h < g < 2h, k < l < 1.5k; where g is the depth of the first groove, h is the distance between the inner side of the flow guiding feature structure and the outer side of the baffle, and k is the total height of the boss.
8. The sealing groove structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The baffle (11) and the cover plate (1) are integrally injection molded.
9. An actuator, characterized in that, The actuator includes a sealant groove structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8.