PCB Feedthrough Sealing Structure for Pressure-Resistant Hermetic Isolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing process control devices for hazardous environments, such as valve controllers, face challenges with hermetic seals that are not ideal for withstanding significant forces and maintaining hermetically sealed electrical connections.

Innovation Solution

A feedthrough apparatus comprising a sleeve, a printed circuit board (PCB), and a seal within the sleeve, configured to provide hermetically sealed electrical communication through a barrier between compartments, using epoxy or potting material for sealing, with frustoconical sections and grooves to enhance sealing efficacy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If traditional coupling devices with potting materials are used for hermetic seals, then electrical connections can be provided through barriers, but the seals cannot withstand significant forces and are not ideal for hazardous environments

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehermetic seal reliabilityVSAvoidforce resistance of seal

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStrength

Solution Approach 1:

The seal is divided into multiple sealing sections (first sealing section and second sealing section) with different geometric configurations. Each section engages with corresponding grooves in the barrier to provide distributed sealing under different force conditions, improving overall reliability without compromising strength

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The first and second sealing sections have asymmetric cross-sectional areas and geometric shapes tailored to different functional requirements. The first sealing section has a larger cross-sectional area for primary sealing, while the second sealing section has a smaller area for secondary sealing, creating an asymmetric structure that optimizes both reliability and force resistance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

2Reliability

If hermetic seals are implemented between compartments containing explosive materials and electrical systems, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesafety in hazardous environmentsVSAvoidseal structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The seal is disposed within a sleeve that is coupled to the barrier, creating a nested structure where the seal is contained within the sleeve assembly. This nesting approach provides hermetic sealing functionality while maintaining a compact and relatively simple overall device structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of making the barrier complex to achieve sealing, the invention inverts the approach by using a simple barrier with grooves and placing the complex sealing functionality in a separate seal component that can be easily replaced or maintained, simplifying the overall system architecture

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentUS12563685B2Hermetically sealed electrical connection

Publication Date: 2026.02.24 FISHER CONTROLS INT LLC

AI summary

A feedthrough apparatus, such as for a passage through a barrier between a first compartment and a second compartment of a housing, can include a sleeve configured to sealingly couple with the passage, a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed through the sleeve and configured to provide electrical communication among the first compartment and the second compartment of the housing, and a seal disposed within the sleeve. The seal can be sealingly coupled to the PCB, and the sleeve, the PCB and the seal can be configured to hermetically seal the passage. The seal can include potting material and a V-groove connection.