Sealing Valve Housing Structure for Water-Tight Inspection Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing housings for electronic elements, such as light fixtures and loudspeakers, face challenges in maintaining water ingress protection, especially when used outdoors, and require methods to allow for inspection and cleaning without disassembly.
Innovation Solution
A housing with an elastically deformable sealing valve that forms a path from an inlet to an outlet opening, featuring a support part with a reduced height and convex surface to facilitate water runoff and prevent unintentional removal, made from hydrophobic materials like thermoplastic polyurethane or silicone, allowing for inspection and cleaning without opening the housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the housing is made water-tight with a sealed wall, then water ingress protection is improved, but the ability to inspect and clean the inner space deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing valve is divided into distinct functional segments: a sealing element that interfaces with the wall opening, a valve body forming the fluid path, and an actuating mechanism. This segmentation allows the sealing function to remain intact while enabling controlled opening for inspection and cleaning operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing valve transitions from a static sealed state to a dynamic open state when actuated. The valve can be opened remotely through the fluid path without requiring physical access to the housing interior, resolving the contradiction between maintaining water-tightness and enabling inspection/cleaning access.
2Reliability
If a sealing valve with a large support part is used to prevent unintentional removal, then reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support part features localized engagement elements positioned at specific locations around the circumference rather than a uniformly large structure. This allows the valve to be secured against unintentional removal while maintaining a compact overall design and minimizing interference with the housing opening.
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 sealing valve effectively reduces water ingress risk, enables inspection and cleaning without disassembly, and maintains the housing's water-tightness, particularly relevant for products with lower IP ratings.
Implementation Method 1
an elastically deformable sealing valve configured to be removably inserted in the opening to close the opening
Implementation Method 2
The sealing valve may be formed by a material being hydrophobic
Data Source
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AI summary
The present disclosure provides a housing for an electronic element. The housing comprises a wall separating an exterior space outside the housing and an inner space inside the housing and comprises an opening between the exterior space and the inner space, and an elastically deformable sealing valve configured to be removably inserted in the opening to close the opening. The sealing valve comprises an insert part for insertion into the opening and a support part for arrangement against the outer surface of the wall. The sealing valve forms a path from an inlet opening to an outlet opening, where the path extends in a longitudinal direction, and where the inlet opening is formed in the support part and the outlet opening is formed in the insert part. The support part comprises a first surface part for arrangement against the outer surface of the wall, and the insert part comprises a second surface part for arrangement against the inner surface of the wall. The first and second surfaces parts form a groove extending circumferentially along an outer surface of the sealing valve transverse to the longitudinal direction. An edge portion of the wall being is in the groove, when the sealing valve is inserting in the opening.