Screwless Electronics Housing with Deep-Drawn Metal Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronics housings face challenges in cost-effective manufacturing and reliable assembly without screws, often resulting in increased assembly effort and potential leaks due to screw connections and complex sealing geometries, which hinder effective protection against environmental influences and heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
The design features a trough-shaped housing part with a circumferential flange and groove for adhesive sealing, using deep-drawn sheet metal for the bottom cover with outward extensions that form a resilient latching connection, eliminating the need for screws and enabling hermetic sealing through a combination of stamping and deep-drawing processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If screw connections are used to assemble the housing, then mechanical strength and reliability are improved, but assembly effort increases and potential leaks can occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the screw connection mechanical system with a snap-in connection system. The cover is equipped with connection elements that engage with corresponding receptacles on the housing body through elastic deformation, eliminating the need for screws and screwing operations while maintaining reliable mechanical attachment and sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection elements incorporate elastic properties that allow them to deform during the assembly process and then maintain a constant holding force. This dynamic behavior enables simple snap-in assembly while ensuring reliable mechanical connection and sealing throughout the product lifecycle.
2Reliability
If complex sealing geometry with glued tongue and groove connection is used, then hermetic sealing is improved, but manufacturing complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sealing function from the complex tongue-and-groove geometry and implements it through a separate seal element (such as an O-ring or gasket) that is placed in a simplified groove. This separates the mechanical attachment function from the sealing function, allowing each to be optimized independently and simplifying the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a separate seal element as an intermediary between the housing body and cover. This seal element provides the hermetic sealing function without requiring complex geometric interlocking, thereby simplifying the sealing geometry and reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining reliable hermetic sealing.
3Temperature
If metallic cover is used for heat dissipation and EMI shielding, then thermal management and electromagnetic protection are improved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the housing cover to simultaneously perform multiple functions: structural enclosure, heat dissipation through integrated heat sinks or thermally conductive materials, and EMI shielding through metallic construction or conductive coatings. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components and simplifies the overall manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material solutions for the cover, such as combining metallic layers for EMI shielding with thermally conductive polymers or aluminum alloys that provide both structural integrity and heat dissipation capabilities. This allows a single component to achieve multiple performance requirements without increasing manufacturing complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If deep-drawing process is used for sheet metal components, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but creating perpendicular sealing geometry becomes unacceptably difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sealing geometry into two parts: a simple groove formed in the deep-drawn housing body and a separate seal element. The deep-drawing process only needs to create the simple groove, while the seal element provides the sealing function, thereby avoiding the need to draw complex perpendicular sealing geometries from flat sheet metal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a separate seal element as an intermediary that bridges the simple deep-drawn groove and the hermetic sealing requirement. This allows the deep-drawing process to remain simple and cost-effective while still achieving reliable hermetic sealing through the combination of the groove and seal element.
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 solution allows for inexpensive, screwless assembly with reliable sealing and enhanced heat dissipation, while maintaining mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, effectively protecting electronic components from environmental influences and facilitating efficient production.
Implementation Method 1
a circumferential groove, open in the direction of the base cover, is formed in the circumferential flange for receiving an adhesive that forms a seal
Implementation Method 2
at least one extension each force-locking connection of the trough-shaped housing part with the bottom cover behind a projection of the tabs is resiliently latched
Implementation Method 3
the base cover consists of deep-drawn sheet metal
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
Electronic housing (10) with a trough-shaped housing part (12) for receiving a printed circuit board (56), in which a housing opening (50) is sealed by a bottom cover (14). To enable easy assembly and cost-effective manufacturing of the electronic housing (10), the trough-shaped housing part (12) has a circumferential flange (16) on its outer edge, the flange (16) has a circumferential groove (70) open towards the bottom cover (14) for receiving an adhesive forming a seal (52), the bottom cover (14) is made of deep-drawn sheet metal, the bottom cover (14) has an outer edge (79) on its outer edge (24) that engages in the groove (70) and in the seal (52) arranged therein, and the flange (16) has at least two outwardly directed tabs (18, 20, 22).that the tabs each have at least one projection (88, 90) pointing towards the housing opening (50), that at least two outwardly directed extensions (84, 86) are formed on the outer edge (24) of the bottom cover (14) which penetrate the groove (70) and the seal (52), and that at least one extension (84, 86) can be springily engaged behind each projection (88, 90) of the tabs (18, 20, 22) for a force-fit connection of the trough-shaped housing part (12) with the bottom cover (14).