Card Reader Radial Seal Crushing for Liquid Ingress Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional card readers face challenges in reliably preventing liquid ingress to the control board due to poor flatness of the flange portion and wall portion, which compromises the sealing effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A card reader design featuring an annular sealing member between the anterior and main body frames, with a tapered seal crushing portion that crushes the sealing member radially, ensuring the entire circumference is sealed and preventing liquid from reaching the control board.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a sealing member is sandwiched between the flange portion and the wall portion in the card insertion direction, then the sealing member can prevent liquid ingress, but the sealing effectiveness is reduced when the flatness of the flange portion or wall portion is poor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the crushing direction of the sealing member from the thickness direction (card insertion direction) to the radial direction. By introducing a seal crushing portion that acts radially on the sealing member, the system achieves reliable sealing without depending on the flatness precision of the flange and wall portions in the insertion direction. This dimensional change allows the sealing member to be crushed effectively regardless of poor flatness in the original crushing direction.
2Device complexity
If the sealing member is crushed in the thickness direction, then the sealing member can be compacted, but the dimensional precision of the card reader is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the sealing member crushing action from the thickness direction to the radial direction through the seal crushing portion. This allows the sealing member to be compressed effectively while maintaining the dimensional precision of the card reader in the insertion direction, as the crushing force is applied perpendicular to the insertion direction rather than along it.
3Reliability
If the sealing member is crushed radially by a tapered seal crushing portion, then the entire circumference is sealed reliably, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The seal crushing portion is integrated into the existing frame structure, merging the sealing function with the structural framework. This integration achieves reliable radial crushing of the sealing member along the entire circumference while avoiding the need for separate, complex sealing mechanisms, thus balancing sealing reliability with structural simplicity.
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 design effectively prevents liquid ingress to the control board by ensuring the sealing member is reliably crushed, maintaining the dimensional precision of the card reader and simplifying the configuration, while allowing for reliable operation and display status indication.
Implementation Method 1
the inner circumferential surface of the seal crushing portion is formed into a tapered shape which fans out in the radial direction of the seal crushing portion as toward the first direction side
Data Source
AI summary
A card reader with magnetic heads, an anterior frame, a main body frame, a control board and a sealing member formed to be annular. The main body frame has a head arrangement in which the magnetic heads are positioned, a sac-like card cage in which the rear end of the inserted card is housed, and a seal arrangement which is formed between the head arrangement and the card cage and in which the sealing member is arranged. The anterior frame has a substantially cylindrical cylinder portion formed to connect to a front face portion. A rear end side portion of the cylinder portion (crushing portion) crushes the sealing member in the radial direction from the outer circumferential side of the sealing member. The control board is arranged outside the card cage, and the inner circumferential face of the seal crushing portion is formed in a tapered shape.