Variable-Thickness Flexible Circuit Sealing for Gas Meter Gaskets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional gaskets in electronic equipment, such as gas meters, fail to effectively seal the junction between surfaces due to voids created when a flexible circuit with uniform thickness is passed through a gasketed pressure barrier, leading to leakage issues.
Innovation Solution
A flexible circuit with variable thicknesses, featuring a thicker portion between gaskets and a mounting plate on the non-pressurized side of the pressure barrier, which compresses the circuit to reduce leakage, and optionally removes adhesive and solder mask from the thicker portion to enhance sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flexible circuit with uniform thickness is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but leakage occurs due to voids at the gasket junction
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible circuit is designed with variable thickness, featuring a thicker portion specifically at the gasket junction area. This local variation in thickness provides better sealing contact at the critical leakage point while maintaining uniform thickness in other areas, thus improving sealing performance without excessive overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a two-dimensional uniform thickness design to a three-dimensional variable thickness design. The thicker portion extends in the thickness dimension, allowing the flexible circuit to better conform to the gasket junction and eliminate voids that cause leakage
2Reliability
If a thicker portion of the flexible circuit is provided between gaskets, then leakage path is reduced, but the flexible circuit structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The thicker portion is strategically located only where needed - between the gaskets at the pressure barrier junction. This localized thickness variation addresses the specific leakage problem without requiring complex geometry throughout the entire flexible circuit, balancing improved leak tightness with manageable structural complexity
3Reliability
If adhesive and solder mask are removed from the thicker portion, then sealing performance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Adhesive and solder mask are selectively removed only from the thicker portion of the flexible circuit that contacts the gasket. This localized modification improves seal performance by allowing direct material contact, while the rest of the circuit retains its standard manufacturing features, thus balancing improved sealing with reasonable manufacturing complexity
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 significantly reduces leakage, achieving at least six times more leak tightness against internal pressure compared to conventional systems, with no substantial leaks detected up to 120 psi, and allows for improved seal performance by compressing the flexible circuit outside the pressurized area.
Implementation Method 1
a mounting plate on the flexible circuit, the mounting plate compressing the flexible circuit between the first and second gaskets on a non-pressurized side of the pressure barrier of the meter
Data Source
AI summary
Systems for reducing leakage at a pressure barrier in a gas meter, are provided including first and second gaskets; a flexible circuit having variable thicknesses, such that a thicker portion of the flexible circuit is provided between the first and second gaskets; and a mounting plate on the flexible circuit, the mounting plate compressing the flexible circuit between the first and second gaskets on a non-pressurized side of the pressure barrier of the gas meter. Related flexible circuits and gas meters are also provided.