Sealed Electronics Enclosure Coating for Stress Location Integrity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Sealed electronics enclosures, particularly in surgical instruments, face challenges in maintaining integrity against fluid and debris ingress, especially at stress locations such as seams, joints, and molding defects, which can be compromised by chemical interactions during cleaning and disinfection.
Innovation Solution
The use of a coating at stress locations within the sealed electronics enclosures, such as seams, joints, and molding defects, to inhibit chemical interactions and maintain or improve the integrity of the seal, is proposed. This coating can be a glue, adhesive, elastomeric coating, hydrophobic coating, or plastic, applied to specific stress locations to prevent damage from chemical exposure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If enclosure components are sealed together to protect electronics, then protection against fluid and debris ingress is improved, but stress locations such as seams become vulnerable to chemical degradation during cleaning and disinfection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a protective coating specifically at stress locations (seams, joints, molding defects) rather than uniformly across the entire enclosure. This localized application protects vulnerable areas from chemical degradation during cleaning and disinfection while maintaining the overall seal integrity against fluid and debris ingress.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating acts as an intermediary layer between the stress locations of the enclosure and the chemical cleaning/disinfection agents. This intermediate layer prevents direct chemical interaction with the seam materials, thereby protecting the seal integrity while allowing the enclosure to be properly cleaned and disinfected.
2Ease of operation
If cleaning and disinfection procedures are performed to maintain hygiene, then sanitation is improved, but chemical agents compromise the integrity of stress locations
Solution Approach 1:
The protective coating is applied in advance to stress locations before the enclosure undergoes cleaning and disinfection procedures. This preliminary protective measure prevents the harmful chemical interactions that would otherwise occur during routine sanitation, allowing cleaning procedures to be performed without compromising seal integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coating serves as a protective intermediary that enables the enclosure to withstand chemical cleaning and disinfection agents. This intermediate layer allows sanitation procedures to be effectively performed while preventing the chemicals from degrading the stress locations and compromising the seal.
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 application of a coating at stress locations effectively inhibits chemical interactions, thereby maintaining the integrity of the sealed electronics enclosures and preventing fluid and debris ingress, which can damage internal electronics and compromise the performance and safety of surgical instruments.
Implementation Method 1
A coating is disposed at the stress location to inhibit chemical interactions with the stress location (such as, for example, chemical interactions as a result of cleaning and/or disinfecting agents coming into contact with the stress location), thereby maintaining or improving the integrity of the seam.
Implementation Method 2
the first and second enclosure component are ultrasonically welded to one another along the seam.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronics enclosure includes first and second enclosure components sealingly joined to one another along a seam thereby defining a stress location. A coating is disposed at the stress location to inhibit chemical interactions with the stress location, thereby maintaining the integrity of the seam. Another electronics enclosure includes at least one sealed enclosure component including a feature that defines a stress location on the at least one sealed enclosure component. A coating is disposed at the stress location to inhibit chemical interactions with the stress location, thereby maintaining the integrity of the at least one sealed enclosure component.