Electronic item with improved sealing
The electronic article's sealing device with complementary edge shapes ensures durable protection against liquids and dust while allowing easy disassembly for repair, addressing the durability and repairability challenges of existing sealing methods.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- FR · FR
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- BANKS & ACQUIRERS INT HLDG SAS
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-19
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-26
AI Technical Summary
Existing electronic articles are not adequately protected against liquids and dust, and their sealing methods either compromise durability or repairability, with irreversible bonding causing permanent damage and intermediate gaskets failing due to thermal expansion and warping.
An electronic article design featuring a sealing device with complementary shapes on the peripheral edges of electronic components and the external housing, allowing for hermetic sealing while accommodating deformation and enabling easy repair by disassembly.
The design provides robust, long-lasting protection against dust and liquids while maintaining accessibility for repair, combining high protection and repairability indices.
Smart Images
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Abstract
Description
Title of the invention: Electronic article with improved sealing Technical field of the invention
[0001] The invention relates to the field of electronic articles such as payment terminals, and in particular to such an electronic article comprising a sealing device with improved reliability and repairability. Technical background
[0002] It is known that electronic articles are not compatible with liquids such as water because they generate short circuits and oxidation that can severely damage the electronic components of the article. Furthermore, some electronic components must, even more strictly, be dustproof or, more generally, airtight, as air molecules are much smaller than those of liquids such as water.
[0003] In the field of electronic articles, sealing by contact between two surfaces is generally used, but it does not provide sealing against liquids such as water, and even less so against air. Some electronic articles are designed to be sealed either by irreversible bonding (soldering or permanent gluing) or by the use of an intermediate sealing gasket. In the first case, the sealing is very good and long-lasting, but it is impossible to repair the product without breaking a part of it. In the second case, the sealing is very good, and it is generally possible to repair the product without destruction; however, the sealing may not hold up well over time, particularly due to different thermal expansions between the parts and / or warping of the product caused by the pressure of the seal against the intermediate sealing gasket. Summary of the invention
[0004] The invention aims to provide an electronic article with a high repairability index, having an electronic element cooperating with at least one through hole in the external casing of the electronic article while benefiting from a high protection index of the casing capable of lasting throughout its life cycle.
[0005] To this end, the invention relates to an electronic article comprising an external housing enclosing electronic elements, at least one of the electronic elements being arranged to cooperate with at least one through hole in the external housing, characterized in that the electronic article comprises at least one sealing device between said at least one of the electronic elements and the external housing in order to hermetically seal the other electronic elements within the external housing, and in that the sealing device comprises a first form on a first surface of a peripheral edge of said at least one of the electronic elements, a second recessed shape on a second surface of the peripheral edge, the second surface being opposite to the first surface, a third shape on a surface of the external housing, of complementary shape to the first shape of the peripheral edge, arranged to press the latter in a tight manner, said second recessed shape allowing to compensate for the deformation by pressing of the peripheral edge to limit the warping of the external housing.
[0006] Advantageously, according to the invention, the absence of material in the second form directly above the pressing force of the third form against the first form allows the pressed material to partially fill the hollow of the second form without arbitrarily deforming the peripheral edge or exerting a counter-force on the peripheral edge that could warp the outer casing. The seal will therefore be more robust over time. According to another advantage, the complementary first and third forms allow for the correct positioning of at least one of the electronic components relative to the outer casing during each assembly, that is to say, in particular, after a repair.
[0007] In fact, all the electronic components of the electronic article are protected from dust and liquids such as water, even though at least one of the electronic components faces at least one opening. However, the electronic components remain accessible for repair simply by disassembling the outer casing. Disassembly allows the third form to be removed from the first form, thus eliminating the pressing force and allowing unrestricted access to the electronic components. The invention therefore combines seemingly contradictory qualities, namely high repairability and enclosure protection.
[0008] The invention includes, as an alternative, one or more of the following optional features, taken alone or in combination.
[0009] The peripheral edge of said at least one of the electronic elements is more flexible than the outer casing in order to improve the sealing against dust and liquids of the sealing device. Thus, the peripheral edge is essentially the only part to deform elastically from the first shape to the second shape when the outer casing is closed (for (re)commissioning / sale) and, conversely, from the second shape to the first shape when the outer casing is opened (possible after-sales intervention). By way of example, the peripheral edge may be made of a polymer such as silicone (RTV, LSR, EVC) or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), in order to be more elastic than the outer casing, for example, made of a thermoplastic polymer such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polycarbonate (PC).
[0010] The first shape may be convex and form a continuous ridge along the peripheral edge, cooperating with the complementary third concave shape of the outer housing. Alternatively, the first shape may be concave and form a groove along the peripheral edge, cooperating with the complementary third convex shape of the outer housing. Thus, each hole in the outer housing will be surrounded by the seal of the sealing device, and any dust or liquid may pass through the hole in the outer housing but may not pass beyond the peripheral interface between the first and third shapes. The space between each hole and the peripheral seal formed can thus serve as a usable volume for the operation of at least one of the electronic components.
[0011] The first shape may differ from the complementary third shape in order to increase the pressing force on the peripheral edge. It is understood that the first and third shapes can be chosen to exert a predetermined indentation from the first shape to the second shape of the peripheral edge. The predetermined indentation may, for example, be between 0.2 mm and 2 mm.
[0012] The peripheral edge can be mounted between a support for the electronic article (such as a printed circuit board or a mounting plate) and the external housing of the electronic article.
[0013] Said at least one of the electronic elements may include a control element arranged to be received in said at least one through hole or an acoustic element arranged to emit or detect acoustic waves through said at least one through hole so that the user can communicate with the electronic article.
[0014] The electronic article can form a secure payment terminal. Brief description of the figures
[0015] Other features and advantages of the invention will become clear from the description given below, by way of example and not limitation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0016] [Fig-1] is a perspective view of an example of an electronic article according to the invention;
[0017] [Fig.2] is a front view of an example of an electronic element according to a first variant of the invention;
[0018] [Fig.3] is a perspective cross-sectional view along plane III-III of [Fig.1];
[0019] [Fig.4] is a partial cross-sectional view centered on a first example of a device sealing according to the invention;
[0020] [Fig.5] is a front view of part of an example of an external housing according to the invention;
[0021] [Fig.6] is a perspective cross-sectional view along plane VLVI of [Fig.l];
[0022] [Fig.7] is a partial cross-sectional view centered on a second example of the device sealing according to the invention. Detailed description
[0023] In the various figures, identical or similar elements bear the same reference numerals, possibly with an additional subscript. Therefore, the description of their structure and function is not systematically repeated.
[0024] In all that follows, the orientations are the orientations of the figures. In particular, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "above", "below", "forward" and "backward" are generally understood with respect to the direction in which the figures are represented.
[0025] Furthermore, the orientation terms are understood with respect to the orthogonal coordinate system shown in [Fig. 1] and in which we distinguish: - a transverse axis X, horizontal extending from right to left; and - a longitudinal axis Y, horizontal extending from bottom to top; - a vertical axis Z, extending from the back to the front.
[0026] The term "horizontal" is defined with respect to the XY plane, the terms "vertical plane" are defined with respect to a horizontal component projected along the vertical Z axis.
[0027] By "protection against dust and liquids" is meant an enclosure protection rating that conforms to the IP44 rating or higher.
[0028] The invention applies to any type of electronic article 1 such as a mobile phone terminal, a secure payment terminal, an e-reader, a tablet or a computer.
[0029] The invention aims to provide a highly repairable electronic article 1, having an electronic element 4, 6 cooperating with at least one through hole 3A, 3B of the external housing 3 of the electronic article 1, while benefiting from a high protection rating (IP44 or higher) capable of withstanding its entire life cycle. The electronic article 1 thus mainly comprises the external housing 3 enclosing electronic elements 5 and at least one sealing device 7, 8. As can be seen in the example illustrated in [Fig. 1], the external housing 3 forms the majority of the external surface of the electronic article 1, which is a secure payment terminal. The external housing 3 is intended to protect, in particular, the electronic elements 5 and is made, for example, of a rigid polymer such as a thermoplastic polymer like acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polycarbonate (PC).
[0030] According to the application of Article 1 electronics, the electronic elements 5 may, for example, include a display such as a liquid crystal display, a touch sensor, a battery, a processor, a storage memory, a RAM, a printed circuit board, an integrated circuit, a control unit, a power supply device, an electric charging device, a smart card reader, a magnetic card reader, a control element such as a push button, a keypad 4 or a capacitive switch, a wired or wireless secure communication device, an acoustic element 6, etc.
[0031] According to the invention, at least one 4, 6 of the electronic elements 5 is arranged to cooperate with at least one through hole 3A, 3B of the external housing 3. In the example illustrated in Figures 1 to 7, the keyboard 4 has keys (fifteen in [Fig. 1] and 2) arranged to be received in through holes 3A (fifteen in [Fig. 1]), that is to say, in particular, through the external housing 3 via the through holes 3A of the front external face of the external housing 3, so that the user can communicate with the electronic element 1. In addition, the acoustic element 6 is arranged to emit or detect acoustic waves through through holes 3B (eleven in [Fig.5]), i.e. is placed under the external housing 3 and communicates through through holes 3A with the external face verso of the external housing 3, so that the user can transmit with the electronic item 1.
[0032] Advantageously, according to the invention, the electronic article 1 comprises at least one sealing device 7, 8 between said at least one 4, 6 of the electronic elements 5 and the external housing 3 in order to hermetically seal the other electronic elements 5 within the external housing 3. Each sealing device 7, 8 comprises a first shape 7A, 8A on a first surface 7B, 8B of a peripheral edge 4A, 6A of said at least one 4, 6 of the electronic elements 5. In addition, each sealing device 7, 8 comprises a second shape 7C, 8C recessed on a second surface 7D, 8D of the peripheral edge 4A, 6A, the second surface 7D, 8D being opposite the first surface 7B, 8B.Finally, each sealing device 7, 8 includes a third shape 3C, 3D on a surface of the external housing 3, complementary in shape to the first shape 7A, 8A of the peripheral edge 4A, 6A, arranged to press the latter in a watertight manner, said second shape 7C, 8C being recessed to compensate for the deformation by pressing of the peripheral edge 4A, 6A to limit the warping of the external housing 3.
[0033] Advantageously, according to the invention, the absence of material in the second form 7C, 8C directly above the pressing force of the third form 3C, 3D against the first form 7A, 8A allows the pressed material to partially fill the hollow of the second form 7C, 8C without arbitrarily deforming the peripheral edge 4A, 6A (the sections remain substantially rectangular) or exerting a counterforce on the peripheral edge 4A, 6A (elastic return) that could warp the external casing 3. The seal will therefore advantageously, according to the invention, be more robust over time. According to another advantage, the first 7A, 8A and third 3C, 3D forms additional features allow for the correct positioning of at least one 4, 6 of the electronic elements 5 in relation to the external housing 3 at each assembly, that is to say in particular after a repair.
[0034] In fact, all the electronic elements 5 of article 1 are protected from dust and liquids such as water, while at least one 4, 6 of the electronic elements faces at least one through hole 3A, 3B. However, the electronic elements 4, 5, 6 remain accessible for repair simply by disassembling the external housing 3. Disassembly allows the third shape 3C, 3D to be removed from the first shape 7A, 8A, which eliminates the pressing force and allows unrestricted access to the electronic elements 4, 5, 6. The invention therefore combines seemingly contradictory qualities, namely high repairability and enclosure protection.
[0035] The peripheral edge 4A, 6A of said at least one 4, 6 of the electronic elements 5 is more flexible than the outer housing 3 in order to improve the sealing against dust and liquids of each sealing device 7, 8. Thus, the peripheral edge 4A, 6A is essentially the only part to deform elastically between the first shape 7A, 8A to the second shape 7C, 8C when the outer housing 3 is closed (for (re)commissioning / sale) and, conversely, between the second shape 7C, 8C to the first shape 7A, 8A when the outer housing 3 is opened (possible after-sales intervention). As an example, the peripheral edge 4A, 6A can be formed from a polymer such as silicone (RTV, LSR, EVC) or a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), in order to be more elastic than the external housing 3 for example formed from a thermoplastic polymer such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or polycarbonate (PC).
[0036] In the examples illustrated in Figures 2 to 7, the first shape 7A, 8A is convex and forms a continuous bead on the peripheral edge 4A, 6A and cooperates with the third complementary concave shape 3C, 3D of the external housing 3. Furthermore, the peripheral edge 4A, 6A is mounted between a support 9A, 9B of the electronic item 1 (such as a printed circuit board or a mounting plate) and the external housing 3 of the electronic item 1. Thus, each through hole 3A, 3B of the external housing 3 will be surrounded by the seal of the sealing device 7, 8, and any dust or liquid will be able to pass through each through hole 3A, 3B of the external housing but will not be able to pass beyond the peripheral interface between the first 7A, 8A and the third complementary shapes 3C, 3D.The space between each through hole 3A, 3B and the peripheral joint formed can thus serve as a useful volume (space for the travel of the keys of the keyboard 4, resonance volume of the acoustic element 6) for the operation of at least one 4, 6 of the electronic elements 5.
[0037] Of course, alternatively, the first form 7A, 8A can be concave and form a groove running on the peripheral edge 4A, 6A and cooperating with the third form 3C, 3D convex complementary of the external housing 3 with the same effects and advantages of the invention.
[0038] Regardless of the shapes chosen, the first shape 7A, 8A may differ (for example, in curvature) from the complementary third shape 3C, 3D in order to increase the pressing force on the peripheral edge 4A, 6A. It is understood that the first 7A, 8A and the third 3C, 3D complementary shapes can be chosen to exert a predetermined indentation from the first shape 7A, 8A to the second shape 7C, 8C of the peripheral edge 4A, 6A. The predetermined indentation may, for example, be between 0.2 mm and 2 mm.
[0039] In the first variant illustrated in Figures 2 to 4, the sealing device 7 is used to hermetically seal the keyboard 4 of the electronic item 1 between the external housing 3 and the support 9A. In the second variant illustrated in Figures 5 to 7, the sealing device 8 is used to hermetically seal the acoustic element 6 of the electronic item 1 between the external housing 3 and the support 9B.
[0040] The invention is not limited to the embodiments and variants presented, and other embodiments and variants will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Thus, the embodiments and variants can be combined with each other without departing from the scope of the invention. By way of no limitation, it is possible to modify the first form 7A, 8A and / or the second form 7C, 8C and / or the third form 3C, 3D without departing from the scope of the invention. List of references
[0041] 1 - electronic article 3 - external casing 3A - front hole 3B - back hole 3C - third 3D shape - third shape 4 - keyboard 4A - peripheral edge 5 - electronic components 6 - acoustic element 6A - peripheral edge 7 - first sealing device 7A - first shape 7B - first surface 7C - second form 7D - second surface 8 - second sealing device 8A - first form 8B - first surface 8C - second form 8D - second surface 9A - support 9B - support
Claims
Demands
1. An electronic article (1) comprising an external housing (3) enclosing electronic elements (5), at least one (4, 6) of the electronic elements (5) being arranged to cooperate with at least one through hole (3A, 3B) of the external housing (3), characterized in that the electronic article (1) comprises at least one sealing device (7, 8) between said at least one (4, 6) of the electronic elements (5) and the external housing (3) in order to hermetically seal the other electronic elements (5) within the external housing (3), and in that the sealing device (7, 8) comprises a first shape (7A, 8A) on a first surface (7B, 8B) of a peripheral edge (4A, 6A) of said at least one (4, 6) of the electronic elements (5), a second shape (7C, 8C) recessed on a second surface (7D, 8D) of the peripheral edge (4A, 6A), the second surface (7C, 8C) being opposite to the first surface (7A, 8A), a third shape (3C,3D) on a surface of the external housing (3), of complementary shape to the first shape (7A, 8A) of the peripheral edge (4A, 6A), arranged to press the latter in a watertight manner, said second shape (7C, 8C) being concave to compensate for the deformation by pressing of the peripheral edge (4A, 6A) to limit the warping of the external housing (3).
2. Electronic article (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the peripheral edge (4A, 6A) of said at least one (4, 6) of the electronic elements (5) is more flexible than the outer housing (3) in order to improve the dust and liquid sealing of the sealing device (7, 8).
3. Electronic article (1) according to the preceding claim, wherein the peripheral edge (4A, 6A) of said at least one (4, 6) of the (5) electronic elements is formed from a polymer such as silicone.
4. Electronic article (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first form (7A, 8A) is convex and forms a running bead on the peripheral edge (4A, 6A) and cooperating with the third concave form (3C, 3D) complementary to the external housing (3).
5. Electronic article (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first shape (7A, 8A) is concave and shaped a groove running along the peripheral edge (4, 6) and cooperating with the third complementary convex form (3C, 3D) of the external housing (3).
6. Electronic article (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the first (7A, 8A) and third (3C, 3D) complementary shapes are chosen to exert a predetermined indentation of the first shape (7A, 8A) towards the second shape (7C, 8C) of the peripheral edge (4A, 6A).
7. Electronic article (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the peripheral edge (4A, 6A) is mounted between a support (9A, 9B) of the electronic article (1) and the external housing (3) of the electronic article (1).
8. Electronic article (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one (4, 6) of the electronic elements (5) comprises a control element (4) arranged to be received in said at least one through hole (3A) so that a user may communicate with the electronic article (1).
9. Electronic article (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said at least one (4, 6) of the electronic elements (5) comprises an acoustic element (6) arranged to emit or detect acoustic waves through said at least one hole (3B) passing through so that a user may communicate with the electronic article (1).
10. Electronic article (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, forming a secure payment terminal.