Connector Groove Sealing Structure for Water-Resistant Electronics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronic devices face challenges in achieving high sealability against water due to the fluidity of sealants used, which can lead to insufficient sealing in certain areas, particularly when exposed to harsh conditions such as bad weather or rough roads.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a box-shaped housing with a lower and upper case, where a connector is positioned between them, featuring grooves and projections that inhibit sealant flow. The sealant is hardened between these components, and obstructions like groove projections and stepped portions prevent sealant insufficiency, ensuring high sealability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sealant is filled in the groove to achieve sealing, then sealability is improved, but the sealant may flow in the groove due to its fluidity, causing insufficient sealing in some portions
Solution Approach 1:
The groove is divided into multiple segments by projections that extend from the bottom surface toward the opening. These projections segment the continuous groove into multiple smaller compartments, preventing the sealant from flowing freely throughout the entire groove length while still allowing sufficient sealant to be retained in each segment for effective sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The projections act as intermediary structures between the sealant and the groove walls. They provide physical barriers that mediate the sealant's flow behavior, controlling where the sealant accumulates and preventing it from flowing to areas where it would be insufficient, thereby ensuring uniform sealant distribution.
2Reliability
If the groove is completely filled with sealant to ensure sealing, then sealability is improved, but the housing becomes larger to accommodate the sealant volume
Solution Approach 1:
The projections create local variations in the groove structure, concentrating sealant in specific local areas where sealing is most critical. This allows the groove to be effectively filled with sealant in the right locations without requiring a complete fill throughout the entire groove volume, thereby reducing the overall housing volume needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring complete filling of the entire groove, the projections enable partial filling strategy where sealant is concentrated in critical sealing zones. This partial action approach achieves sufficient sealability without the excessive sealant volume that would be needed to fill the entire groove completely.
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
This configuration effectively prevents sealant flow and ensures high sealability, even in areas prone to water exposure, such as automotive electronic devices, by using obstructions in the grooves and projections to maintain consistent sealing.
Implementation Method 1
a seal obtained by a sealant having fluidity being hardened
Data Source
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AI summary
An electronic device 2 includes a housing 4, a circuit substrate 6, a connector 8, and a seal 38 obtained by a sealant having fluidity being hardened. The housing 4 includes a lower case 10 and an upper case 12 that covers the lower case 10. The connector 8 is disposed between the upper case 12 and the lower case 10. The lower case 10 has a case groove 18. A connector projection 30 disposed on the connector 8 and a case projection 24 disposed on the upper case 12 are fitted into the case groove 18. The connector 8 includes a connector groove 32, and the case projection 24 is fitted into the connector groove 32. An obstructor for inhibiting flow of the sealant is disposed in the case groove 18 or the connector groove 32.