Backing Piece Sealing Lip Structure for Bond-Free Housing Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing backing pieces for attaching electrical components to household appliance housing walls face challenges in achieving a reliable and durable seal, often requiring complex bonding processes that are costly and difficult to execute.
Innovation Solution
A backing piece with an integrated elastic sealing lip and distributed holding elements that press against the housing wall, allowing for secure attachment without bonding, enabling a foam-tight seal and easy removal, made from cold-resistant plastic with planar, resilient holding elements and a latching mechanism for precise positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bonding is used to attach the backing piece to the housing wall, then a seal can be achieved, but the bonding process is complex and a durable seal is frequently not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical bonding process with a mechanical attachment system consisting of holding elements that engage with the housing wall. The backing piece is secured through mechanical interlocking rather than chemical adhesion, eliminating the complexity of bonding processes while achieving reliable and durable attachment and sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The backing piece is divided into functional segments: a body portion for structural support, a sealing lip for creating the seal, and multiple holding elements for mechanical attachment. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, with holding elements providing secure mechanical attachment without requiring complex bonding processes.
2Reliability
If bonding is used to attach the backing piece, then attachment can be achieved, but mounting outlay and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates bonding materials and processes by using purely mechanical holding elements that engage with the housing wall structure. This substitution reduces manufacturing costs by removing the need for adhesives, primers, and specialized bonding equipment, while maintaining reliable attachment through the mechanical interlocking system.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding elements are designed to automatically engage with the housing wall structure during installation, providing self-aligning and self-securing functionality. The elastic sealing lip also self-adjusts to create an effective seal without requiring additional sealing compounds or complex assembly procedures, thereby reducing mounting outlay.
3Reliability
If bonding is used to achieve a seal, then attachment is achieved, but the backing piece cannot be removed easily
Solution Approach 1:
The holding elements and sealing lip are designed with elastic and resilient properties that allow the backing piece to be installed by engaging the holding elements with the housing wall, and then removed by disengaging these mechanical elements. The elastic sealing lip maintains continuous contact for effective sealing during both installation and removal, enabling easy dismantling without damaging the housing wall or the backing piece.
4Ease of manufacture
If a simple attachment method is used, then mounting is simplified, but a reliable and durable seal may not be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an elastic sealing lip that functions as a flexible element to create an effective seal between the backing piece and the housing wall. This simple yet effective sealing mechanism achieves reliable and durable sealing through the elastic properties of the lip, which conforms to the housing wall surface and maintains continuous contact, eliminating the need for complex bonding or multi-component sealing systems.
5Reliability
If the sealing lip is pressed against the housing wall, then a seal is achieved, but varying wall thicknesses make consistent sealing difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The holding elements are designed with elastic and resilient properties that allow them to adapt to varying housing wall thicknesses. By adjusting the pressing force exerted by the holding elements, the elastic sealing lip maintains consistent contact pressure against the housing wall surface, ensuring reliable and durable sealing across different wall thickness variations without requiring precise manufacturing tolerances.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides a simple, cost-effective, and reliable attachment method that ensures a durable seal, allowing for easy installation and removal, even with varying wall thicknesses, and prevents foam penetration during back-foaming processes.
Implementation Method 1
the peripheral web is configured as an elastic sealing lip, which is pressed in a sealing manner against the rear face of the housing wall
Implementation Method 2
The holding elements are preferably configured and arranged so that a mounting tolerance is permitted in relation to the opening in the housing wall. The absence of bonding means that the inventive backing piece can also be removed more easily. Reliable attachment and a durable seal are also achieved in relation to the housing wall.
Data Source
AI summary
A backing piece for attaching an electrical component to a housing wall of an electrical household appliance and arrangement behind a matching opening in the housing wall includes a body having an essentially rectangular base surface, and a peripheral web configured as an elastic sealing lip for support against a rear face of the housing wall. Holding elements project from the body and form with the sealing lip a gap which receives a section of the housing wall at an edge of the opening. The holding elements are arranged in spaced-apart relationship about a periphery of the body such that at least one of the holding element is arranged on each of four sides of the rectangular base surface and one of the holding elements is provided at each of the corners of the body so as to apply a pressing force sufficient upon each section of the sealing lip.