Silicone Rubber Sealing Plug for Electronics Housing Leak Test
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electronics housings with high IP protection ratings face challenges in maintaining a reliable, temperature-independent seal at leak test openings, leading to potential failures due to material defects and assembly inaccuracies, which necessitate costly additional leak tests.
Innovation Solution
An encapsulated electronics housing with a silicone rubber sealing plug featuring multiple sealing lips, designed to coordinate with the leak test opening geometry, ensuring a permanent seal and eliminating the need for additional leak tests, and allowing for manual or automated assembly without tools.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sealing screws or sealing rivets are used to seal the leak test opening, then the sealing function is provided, but additional leak tests are required and the process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug is designed to be self-verifying through its multiple sealing lips that automatically ensure proper sealing during insertion. The geometry of the sealing plug and leak test opening is coordinated such that proper insertion inherently creates the seal, eliminating the need for separate verification tests.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing plug is divided into multiple sealing lips (at least three) arranged in a row, each providing an individual sealing contact point. This segmentation ensures that even if one sealing point fails, the others maintain the seal, and it simplifies the overall sealing mechanism compared to multiple separate sealing components.
2Reliability
If sealing screws with defined torque or sealing rivets with tensile force monitoring are used, then sealing is achieved, but tool requirements and manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug is designed for manual insertion without requiring specialized tools. The geometry of the sealing plug and leak test opening is coordinated such that simple insertion creates the seal, eliminating the need for torque tools or tensile force monitoring equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism transitions from requiring precise controlled parameters (defined torque for screws, tensile force for rivets) to a simple insertion motion. The sealing plug material and geometry are optimized to create effective sealing through the insertion action alone, without requiring controlled mechanical parameters.
3Reliability
If metallic sealing screws or sealing rivets are used, then sealing is provided, but temperature independence is lost due to thermal expansion and creep
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug is made from elastomeric sealing material that combines the benefits of flexibility and temperature resistance. This material provides sealing across a wide temperature range without the thermal expansion and creep issues of metallic sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing mechanism transitions from metallic materials with poor temperature independence to elastomeric materials that maintain sealing properties across temperature variations. The elastomeric material's inherent elasticity allows it to compensate for thermal fluctuations while maintaining the seal.
4Reliability
If multiple sealing lips are used to ensure reliable sealing, then sealing reliability improves, but the sealing plug complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing plug is divided into multiple sealing lips (at least three) arranged in a row, each providing an individual sealing contact point. This segmentation ensures that even if one sealing point fails, the others maintain the seal, and it simplifies the overall sealing mechanism compared to multiple separate sealing components.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple sealing functions are merged into a single integrated sealing plug component. The multiple sealing lips are formed as one piece, combining the sealing action of multiple contacts into a single insertable component, which simplifies assembly compared to using separate sealing elements.
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 solution provides a cost-effective, reliable, and temperature-independent seal that meets high tightness requirements, such as IP6(k)9(k) or IP68, preventing unwanted media entry and enabling air and dustproofness while allowing for communication through light signals without additional windows.
Implementation Method 1
A sealing plug made of silicone rubber is arranged in the leak test opening, which has several sealing lips that abut the leak test opening to provide a multiple seal
Implementation Method 2
The silicone rubber sealing plug ensures a reliable seal for the leak test opening and compensates for thermal fluctuations
Implementation Method 3
sealing lips that abut the leak test opening to provide a multiple seal
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an electronics housing for accommodating electronic components, in particular fan electronics housings, wherein the electronics housing is encapsulated and sealed, in particular designed according to an IP protection class, and includes a leak test opening designed to perform a leak test of the entire electronics housing, wherein a sealing plug made of silicone rubber is arranged in the leak test opening, which has several sealing lips that abut the leak test opening in a sealing manner and effect a multiple seal.