Sealing arrangement and housing with such a sealing arrangement, in particular pulse inverter housing of a motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a sealing arrangement for sealing a gap between a first housing element (14) and a second housing element (16) by means of a sealing element (12) which has a main sealing section (18) which is arranged in contact with both the first housing element (14) and the second housing element (16), wherein the sealing element (12) has, in addition to the main sealing section (18), a connecting section (20) leading out of the gap, wherein a movable protective lip section (22) which extends transversely to the direction of extension of the connecting section (20) adjoins the connecting section (20) on the side opposite the main sealing section (18).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a sealing arrangement for sealing a gap between a first housing element and a second housing element, as well as to a housing of an electrical device having such a sealing arrangement. In particular, the invention relates to a pulse-controlled inverter housing formed from two mutually sealed housing elements, with a corresponding sealing arrangement. Reference is also made to vehicles having such a sealing arrangement, in particular motor vehicles. Such vehicles are encompassed by the claimed protection, and the applicant reserves the right to explicitly direct the protection to such vehicles or motor vehicles at a later date.

[0002] DE 10 2013 201 790 A1 discloses a housing for a drive module with a protective device for a wet seal. The housing comprises several housing parts, an at least partially circumferential wet seal, which is inserted into a connecting region formed after two of the several housing parts have been seated on top of one another, and a separate protective device, in particular in the form of a skirt, which extends along the wet seal at a distance from an outwardly directed end of the wet seal. The skirt is to be mounted via webs that are designed as an extension of a housing part. A disadvantage of this housing is that the manufacture of the webs and the assembly of the skirt involve relatively high manufacturing and assembly costs. Furthermore, a gap remains between the skirt and the wet seal, through which water jets from a high-pressure cleaner can reach the wet seal and damage it.

[0003] DE 10 2020 000 632 A1 discloses a seal for battery housings and the enclosures of power electronics. The seal consists of a support body and a sealing body adjoining the support body. The support body is to be electrically conductive in an area protruding beyond the sealing body. The sealing body is to be made of a material that offers protection against intense water jets, e.g., against the jet of a high-pressure steam cleaner. However, the document does not disclose a solution that counteracts medium- or long-term damage to the sealing body caused by repeated direct exposure to jets from a high-pressure steam cleaner.

[0004] WO 2010 / 098923 A1 discloses a cover assembly for electrochemical cells, comprising a seal that is E- or F-shaped and has radially inwardly extending flange sections. The seal is covered on the outside by a protective element called a "seal member" and is completely concealed by this protective element in the vertical direction, so that the seal is completely encased on the outside. However, the protective element is associated with additional weight, additional manufacturing costs, and additional assembly work.

[0005] The invention is based on the object of providing a sealing arrangement for sealing a gap between a first housing element and a second housing element, as well as a housing of an electrical device with such a sealing arrangement, the seal of which can be manufactured and assembled simply and inexpensively, but at the same time offers good protection against damage by water jets from high-pressure cleaners.

[0006] The object is achieved according to the invention with the features of the independent claims. Further practical embodiments and advantages of the invention are described in conjunction with the dependent claims.

[0007] A sealing arrangement according to the invention serves to seal a gap between a first housing element and a second housing element by means of a sealing element. The sealing element has a main sealing section which is arranged at least partially in contact with both the first housing element and the second housing element. The sealing element additionally has a connecting section leading out of the gap, wherein a movable protective lip section adjoins the connecting section on the side opposite the main sealing section and extends transversely to the direction of extension of the connecting section. The sealing element is preferably made of silicone or an elastomer, in particular a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), of ACM, HNBR, NBR, FKM, EPDM, AEM, TPU, TPS or TPA.All of the materials mentioned have the advantage that the protective lip section can be designed to be elastically movable, so that a sealing element with a movable protective lip section can be constructed and integrated into a sealing arrangement according to the invention. This results in a structurally simple design and, consequently, simple production and assembly.

[0008] However, the term “movable” also includes other structural design variants that enable relative mobility between the protective lip section and the connecting section and / or between the protective lip section and further sections (e.g. the connecting section) relative to the sealing section. This can be achieved, for example, by an articulated connection of the protective lip section to the connecting section and / or by weakening the material by means of one or more notches in a partial section of the protective lip section or in the connecting region between the protective lip section and the connecting region. Mobility is preferably achieved in such a way that the protective lip section is arranged in an initial position at a distance from the first housing element and / or from the second housing element and the protective lip section can be brought into a protective position in which it is closer to the first housing element orthe second housing element is moved in order to counteract the penetration of water jets from a high-pressure cleaner into the sealing gap or - in the case of full contact - to safely prevent this.

[0009] In a practical embodiment of a sealing arrangement according to the invention, the connecting section has a lower height than the gap, and the protective lip section is arranged in an initial position at a distance from the first housing element and / or the second housing element such that, in the initial position, an air gap remains from the external environment to the main sealing section. This can improve the longevity and functional reliability of the sealing element and the entire sealing arrangement. Furthermore, sealing arrangements can also be realized that do not have to be completely sealed.

[0010] In a further practical embodiment of a sealing arrangement according to the invention, the protective lip section is designed such that, in a force-loaded protective position in which the protective lip section is deflected from its initial position, it is supported on the first housing element, the second housing element, and / or the connecting section. This design results in a self-locking and, with regard to the sealing effect, robust sealing of a gap in that the protective lip section is supported on the first housing element, the second housing element, and / or the connecting section when a force is applied, so that the protective lip section provides additional protection for the main sealing section.With this protection, forces, such as those exerted by water jets from a high-pressure cleaner on the protective lip section, cause the protective lip section to be pressed against the first housing element, the second housing element, and / or the connecting section. As a result, the sealing effect is increasingly strengthened with increasing force.

[0011] If the protective lip section is designed such that, in the protective layer, it completely or at least largely closes the air gap from the external environment to the main sealing section, this results in particularly high-quality protection for the main sealing section. In particular, if the protective lip section is designed such that it completely closes the air gap in the protective layer, a reliable pre-seal is achieved in practice when the protective lip section is exposed to water jets from a high-pressure cleaner, which protects the main sealing section from both direct and indirect effects of water jets from a high-pressure cleaner.

[0012] In a further practical embodiment of a sealing arrangement according to the invention, a sealing contour in the form of at least one chamfer, at least one radius and / or at least one surface-enlarging sealing geometry is formed on the protective lip section.

[0013] For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that two chamfers, three chamfers or more chamfers can also be designed as a sealing contour.

[0014] With regard to a surface-enlarging sealing geometry, particular reference is made to the formation of a plurality of ribs or prongs which extend at least over a part of the protective lip section, in particular the part which is in contact with the first housing element, the second housing element or the connecting section in a force-loaded protective layer.

[0015] In a further practical embodiment of a sealing arrangement according to the invention, the thickness of the protective lip section is selected to be equal to or greater than the height of the remaining gap between the connecting section and the first housing element or the second housing element, respectively, so that the gap completely closes the remaining gap when the protective lip section is deflected into the protective position. Reference is hereby made once again to the advantages of completely closing the gap already explained above.

[0016] If, in addition to the protective lip portion, a first fixing portion extending in the opposite direction to the protective lip portion is formed on the sealing element, and / or if a protective shield portion is formed on the first housing element or a second housing element, which shield portion covers at least the joint between the protective lip portion and the first housing element or between the protective lip portion and the second housing element on the outside, delamination due to direct exposure to water jets from a high-pressure cleaner is effectively counteracted. This results in a high durability of a sealing arrangement according to the invention, even under repeated and direct exposure to water jets from the outside.

[0017] If, in a sealing arrangement as described above with a first fixing section, a second fixing section is added which extends from a part of the first fixing section in a different direction, the connection between the sealing element and the first housing element and / or the second housing element can be further improved. This is particularly successful if the second fixing section extends from one end of the first fixing section parallel to the connecting section. The connecting section, the first fixing section and the second fixing section then result in a structure which is C-shaped in cross section and which also creates a geometrically high-strength connection between the sealing element and the first housing element or between the sealing element and the second housing element.

[0018] In a further practical embodiment of a sealing arrangement according to the invention, the sealing element is injection-molded onto the first housing element or onto the second housing element and / or it is fixed in a materially bonded manner and / or at least one mounting structure is formed or arranged on the seal in order to be able to be mounted on the first housing element or on the second housing element in a form-fitting, material-bonded and / or force-fitting manner. A mounting structure as mentioned above is understood to mean, in particular, a clip connection, a piping connection, adhesive strips, adhesive beads and / or structures suitable for producing a press connection in order to be able to produce a purely force-fitting connection between the mounting structure and the first housing element or between the mounting structure and the second housing element. The mounting structure is firmly connected to the sealing element or is formed integrally on the sealing element itself.

[0019] The invention also relates to a housing of an electrical device with a sealing arrangement as described above, in particular reference is made to a pulse inverter housing with such a housing, in particular to motor vehicles with a correspondingly designed housing, for example a pulse inverter housing.

[0020] Further practical embodiments of the invention are described below in conjunction with the drawings. They show: Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a sealing arrangement with a protective lip section in the initial position, Fig. 2 the sealing arrangement Fig. 1 with a protective lip section in a protective position, Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment of a sealing arrangement which, in addition to the sealing arrangement, has a first fixing section and an optional second fixing section, Fig. 4 a sealing arrangement analogous to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, in which a protective shield section is formed on the first housing element, Fig. 5 a sealing order analogous to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, wherein the seal is mounted in the first housing element, Fig. 6 an alternative design of the protective lip section with a chamfer, Fig. 7 an alternative design of the protective lip section with two bevels, Fig. 8 an alternative design of the protective lip section with a radius, Fig. 9 an alternative design of the protective lip section with a surface-enlarging sealing geometry in the form of several ribs, Fig. 10 a sealing arrangement with a protective lip section movable by 90 degrees in the initial position and Fig. 11 the sealing arrangement from Fig. 10 with protective lip section in protective position, which is deflected by 90 degrees compared to the initial position.

[0021] In the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shows a first embodiment of a sealing arrangement 10 according to the invention with a sealing element 12. The sealing element 12 is arranged between a first housing element 14 and a second housing element 16. The sealing element 12 has a main sealing section 18, which is arranged so as to contact both the first housing element 14 and the second housing element 16. In the embodiment shown, three sealing ribs are formed in the main sealing section 18. It should be noted that the main sealing section can also be varied as desired, in particular by providing only one sealing contour. Alternatively, two or more than three, as well as differently designed sealing ribs or differently designed sealing profiles, can be provided. In summary, at least one sealing contour must be provided.It should be noted that the seal can also be realized in combination with a separate sealing fluid which is arranged between the at least one sealing contour and the first housing element 14 and / or the second housing element 16 (e.g. wax, adhesive or a water-displacing medium).

[0022] A connecting section 20 extending out of the gap extends from the main sealing section 18. This connecting section 20 has a lower height than the gap between the first housing element 14 and the second housing element 16. From the connecting section 20, on the opposite side of the main sealing section 18, a movable protective lip section 22 extends transversely to the direction of extension of the connecting section 20. The connecting section 20 is in Fig. 1 in an initial position in which no external forces act on the connecting portion 20. In the embodiment shown, the protective lip portion 22 extends approximately at a right angle (90°) to the connecting portion 20. However, this angle can be selected relatively freely depending on the design of the first housing element 14 and / or the second housing element 16 and also depending on other parameters.

[0023] If an external force is applied, here represented by a water jet 24 in the direction of arrow S, the connecting section 20 is deflected in the direction of arrow P - here elastically - so that the connecting section 20 is supported by a contact point K (or, depending on the design, also a contact surface K) on the second housing element 16. This means that with increasing force acting on the connecting section 20 from the water jet 24, the force in the area of the contact point K is increased and the sealing effect is thus increased. This prevents water from entering the gap in the direction of the main sealing section 18.

[0024] For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that in the Fig. 1-11 the direction of gravity is marked with g. This leads to the fact that after being exposed to a water jet 24, the spring is elastically deflected back to its initial position, which is shown in Fig. 1. Due to gravity, water that has collected in the area of the protective lip section 22 then drains downwards and is guided away from the gap between the first housing element 14 and the second housing element 16.

[0025] Fig. 3 shows a further embodiment of a sealing arrangement 10, in which the sealing element 12 additionally has a first fixing section 26 and a second fixing section 28. The first fixing section 26 extends upwards transversely to the direction of extension of the connecting section 20 and thus in the opposite direction of the protective lip section 22. The second fixing section 28 in turn extends transversely to the first fixing section 26 and thus approximately parallel to the connecting section 20. This results in a structure with a C-shaped cross section, consisting of the connecting section 20, the first fixing section 26 and the second fixing section 28. With this design, delamination in the region of the butt interface between the sealing element 12 and the first housing element 14 can be counteracted.

[0026] Fig. 4 shows a further embodiment of a sealing arrangement analogous to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, in which a protective shield section 30 is formed on the first housing element 14. This protective shield section 30, which is formed integrally on the first housing element 14, completely counteracts the direct impact of a water jet 24 on the gap between the first housing element 14 and the second housing element 16, as well as on the sealing element 12 arranged in the gap, by closing the (at least direct) path thereto with the aid of the protective lip section 22.

[0027] Fig. 5 shows a sealing arrangement analogous to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, wherein the sealing element 12 is mounted in the first housing element 14. For this purpose, a first mounting structure 32 and a second mounting structure 34 are formed on the sealing element 12. In the embodiment shown, the first mounting structure 32 and the second mounting structure 34 are mounting profiles of the type each, for which a corresponding profile recess is provided in the first housing element 14. Not shown in the figure is a sealing means which must be provided in order to seal the first mounting structure 32 and the second mounting structure 34 against the sealing element 12 so that no fluids can flow behind the mounting structures 32, 34. The sealing means can either be a separate sealing fluid (e.g. wax, adhesive or a water-displacing medium) and / or it can be a sealing contour which is formed on the respective mounting structure 32, 34 and / or on the sealing element 12.This allows the sealing element 12 to be inserted into the profile recess and thus mounted in a form-fitting manner.

[0028] For the sake of completeness, it should be noted that, alternatively, only one mounting structure (not shown) may be provided, in particular a mounting structure (not shown) extending over the area of the two mounting structures 32, 34 shown. Also, instead of the two mounting structures 32, 34 shown, three or more mounting structures (not shown) may be provided.

[0029] The Fig. 6-9 each show only a protective lip section 22 as a section of a sealing element, the rest of the sealing element not being shown.

[0030] At the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 6, a chamfer 36 is provided on the protective lip portion 22.

[0031] At the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, a first chamfer 36 and a second chamfer 38 are provided on the protective lip portion 22.

[0032] At the Fig. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 8, a radius 40 is provided on the protective lip section 22.

[0033] And at the Fig. In the embodiment of a protective lip portion 22 shown in Figure 9, a rib structure 42 is provided as a surface-enlarging structure.

[0034] In all cases of the Fig. 6-9, the contact surface between the respective protective lip section 22 and the first housing element (in Fig. 6-9 not shown) are each increased by the corresponding design. This results in an improved sealing effect when the respective protective lip section 22 comes into contact with a housing element, for example, because it is subjected to a force by a water jet from a high-pressure cleaner.

[0035] In the Fig. 10 and Fig. 11 shows a further sealing arrangement 10 with a protective lip section 22 that can be moved by 90 degrees. The width b of the protective lip section 22 is selected such that it is at least equal to the height h of the remaining gap between the connecting section 20 and the second housing element 16. As a result, the gap in the protective layer, which is shown in Fig. 11 and in which the protective lip section 22 is deflected by 90 degrees, completely closed.

[0036] The features of the invention disclosed in the present description, the drawings, and the claims may be essential, both individually and in any combination, for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments. The invention may be varied within the scope of the claims and taking into account the knowledge of the person skilled in the art. List of reference symbols 10 Sealing arrangement 12 Sealing element 14 first housing element 16 second housing element 18 Main sealing section 20 connecting section 22 Protective lip section 24 water jet 26 first fixing section 28 second fixing section 30 protective shield section 32 first assembly structure 34 second assembly structure 36 first phase 38 second phase 40 radius 42 rib structure QUOTES CONTAINED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents submitted by the applicant was generated automatically and is included solely for the convenience of the reader. This list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA assumes no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] DE 10 2013 201 790 A1

[0002] DE 10 2020 000 632 A1

[0003] WO 2010 / 098923 A1

[0004]

Claims

[1] Sealing arrangement for sealing a gap between a first housing element (14) and a second housing element (16) by means of a sealing element (12) which has a main sealing section (18) which is arranged in contact with both the first housing element (14) and the second housing element (16), wherein the sealing element (12) has, in addition to the main sealing section (18), a connecting section (20) leading out of the gap, characterized by that a movable protective lip section (22) is connected to the connecting section (20) on the side opposite the main sealing section (18), which extends transversely to the direction of extension of the connecting section (20). [2] Sealing arrangement according to the preceding claim, characterized bythat the connecting section (20) has a lower height than the gap and the protective lip section (22) is arranged in an initial position at a distance from the first housing element (14) and / or from the second housing element (16) such that in the initial position an air gap remains from the external environment to the main sealing section (18). [3] Sealing arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the protective lip section (22) is designed such that, in a force-loaded protective position in which the protective lip section (22) is deflected from the initial position, it is supported on the first housing element (14), on the second housing element (16) and / or on the connecting section (20). [4] Sealing arrangement according to the preceding claim, characterized bythat the protective lip section (22) is designed such that in the protective position it completely or at least predominantly closes the air gap from the external environment to the main sealing section (18). [5] Sealing arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that a sealing contour in the form of at least one chamfer (36, 38), at least one radius (40) and / or at least one surface-enlarging sealing geometry is formed on the protective lip section (22). [6] Sealing arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the thickness (d) of the protective lip section (22) is selected to be equal to or greater than the height (h) of the remaining gap between the connecting section (20) and the first housing element (14) or the second housing element (16), so that the gap completely closes the remaining gap when the protective lip section (22) is deflected into the protective position. [7] Sealing arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that on the sealing element (12), in addition to the protective lip section (22), a first fixing section (26) extending in the opposite direction of the protective lip section (22) is formed and / or on the first housing element (14) or on the second housing element (16) a protective shield section (30) is formed, which at least covers the joint between the protective lip section (22) and the first housing element (14) or between the protective lip section (22) and the second housing element (16) on the outside. [8] Sealing order according to the preceding claim, characterized by that the first fixing section (26) is followed by a second fixing section (28) which extends from a part of the first fixing section (26) in a different direction. [9] Sealing arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized bythat the sealing element (12) is injection-molded onto the first housing element (14) or onto the second housing element (16) and / or fixed in a materially bonded manner and / or at least one mounting structure (32, 34) is formed or arranged on the seal in order to be able to be mounted in a form-fitting, materially bonded and / or force-fitting manner on the first housing element (14) or on the second housing element (16). [10] Housing of an electrical device with a sealing arrangement (10) according to one of claims 1 to 9.

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