Twist-Lock Cable Passage Seal for Tool-Free Airtight Housing Entry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sealing solutions for cable assemblies through walls are labor-intensive, require tools for installation and removal, and fail to maintain airtightness effectively, compromising conditioned air within housings for electrical and electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
A sealing element comprising a first and second member coupled by a flexible sleeve, allowing the members to be divided to accommodate cable assemblies and re-united to enclose them, providing a sealed state through twisting and engagement of the members.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If two sheet metal brackets with foam parts are used to seal cable assemblies, then airtightness can be achieved, but the solution becomes labor-intensive and requires tools for installation and removal
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is divided into a first member and a second member that can be separated. The first member remains fixed in the wall passage while the second member can be removed to allow cable access. This segmentation enables tool-free removal of cables by simply detaching the second member, while the first member maintains the airtight seal when engaged with the wall.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element transitions from a static sealed state to a dynamic open state. The first and second members can be engaged to create a seal, and disengaged to allow cable installation or removal. This dynamic capability eliminates the need for tools during cable management operations while preserving airtightness when sealed.
2Ease of operation
If a brush is used for sealing cable passages, then ease of installation is improved, but airtightness is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element incorporates a flexible sleeve made of elastomeric material that can deform to accommodate cable assemblies of various sizes. This flexible membrane provides effective sealing by conforming to the cable surface, achieving airtightness that rigid brushes cannot provide, while still allowing easy installation through simple engagement of the first and second members.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the sealing element is designed to accommodate variable cable assemblies, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible sleeve can change its dimensional parameters (cross-sectional area, shape) to accommodate cable assemblies with varying diameters, quantities, and configurations. This parameter adaptability is achieved through the elastomeric material's inherent flexibility, allowing the sealing element to conform to different cable arrangements without requiring complex adjustable mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing element is designed as a universal solution that can accommodate various types of cable assemblies (single cables, bundles, different diameters) using the same basic structure. The flexible sleeve and engagement mechanism between first and second members provide multi-functional capability, eliminating the need for different sealing solutions for different cable configurations.
4Reliability
If the first and second members are kept engaged to maintain seal, then airtightness is maintained, but cable installation and removal becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing element is segmented into a first member that provides the primary seal against the wall passage and a second member that can be independently removed. This segmentation allows the second member to be detached for cable access while the first member remains engaged to maintain the airtight seal, resolving the contradiction between maintaining seal integrity and enabling cable installation/removal.
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 element effectively maintains airtightness, allowing for easy installation and removal of cable assemblies without tools, while adapting to various cable diameters and quantities, ensuring conditioned air is preserved within housings.
Implementation Method 1
a sleeve (24) made of flexible material extending between the first and the second member... the sleeve (24) to also twist and seal against a cable assembly (3) provided through the passage (4)
Data Source
AI summary
A sealing element 2 for sealing a passage for a cable assembly 3 through a wall 11c is described. The sealing element 2 has a first member 21 and a second member 22 mutually coupled by a sleeve 24 made of flexible material. The first and the second member, as well as the sleeve, are dividable to accept a longitudinal part of the cable assembly inside the periphery of the first and the second member, as well as the sleeve, and re-unitable to enclose said longitudinal part. The peripheral walls of the first and the second member are adapted to be engaged with each other in a sealed state, and the element may be switched between an open state, wherein the first member and the second member are disengaged and held at an axial distance from each other in an axial direction; and the sealed state which may be provided by twisting the first and/or second member in the open state relative to each other around the axial direction causing the first and the second member to move towards each other and the sleeve to also twist and seal against the cable assembly provided through the passage, and by engaging the first and the second member with each other. A method for sealing a passage for a cable assembly thorough a wall is also described. The sealing element may advantageously be used in housing for accommodating devices such as electrical, electronic and optical devices.