Waterproof Case With Sealing Plugs And Insulating Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing waterproof cases for electrical apparatuses, particularly power supply units, face challenges in maintaining moisture protection while minimizing manufacturing costs and complexity, as well as avoiding issues like leakage currents and electromagnetic interference associated with complete encapsulation in casting resin.
Innovation Solution
A waterproof case design featuring a case body with external openings and plugs that form terminal conduits, allowing only the external spaces to be filled with insulating material, thereby avoiding encapsulation of internal components and reducing material usage and complexity, while ensuring robustness and ease of maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the casing is completely filled with electrically insulating casting resin to achieve IPx7 protection, then waterproof protection is improved, but weight and material expenditure increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sealing task into two segments: critical sealing zones (opening sections and cable entry points) and non-critical zones (internal component areas). Only the opening sections are filled with casting resin to form sealed walls, while cable entry points use separate sealing mechanisms. This segmentation achieves IPx7 protection without requiring complete filling of the entire casing interior, thereby reducing weight and material consumption.
2Reliability
If the casing is completely filled with casting resin to achieve IPx7 protection, then waterproof protection is improved, but detection of failure causes becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the electronic components from the sealed casting resin zone and places them in a separate, accessible area. The casting resin is applied only to the opening sections and cable entry points to create sealed walls, leaving the internal component mounting area accessible. This extraction allows easy visual inspection and testing of components without requiring destruction of the sealing, thereby simplifying failure detection while maintaining waterproof protection.
3Reliability
If complete encapsulation with casting resin is used to achieve IPx7 protection, then waterproof protection is improved, but electromagnetic interference and leakage currents increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different sealing qualities to different spatial zones: the opening sections receive complete casting resin sealing to ensure waterproof protection, while the cable entry points use specialized sealing mechanisms (such as sealing glands or grommets). The internal component area remains largely inaccessible to casting resin, creating local variations in sealing intensity that prevent electromagnetic interference and leakage currents while maintaining overall IPx7 protection.
4Loss of substance
If ultrasonic welding is used to seal the casing instead of complete filling, then material expenditure is reduced, but process reliability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial filling with casting resin, concentrating the sealing action on the critical opening sections and cable entry points rather than attempting to seal the entire casing interior. This partial application of the casting resin process achieves sufficient sealing for IPx7 protection while using less material and avoiding the reliability issues of ultrasonic welding, representing a middle ground between complete filling and welding approaches.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a waterproof case for an electrical apparatus, to a power supply unit, and to a corresponding method of assembling an electrical apparatus. The waterproof case comprises a case body (110) which defines an inner space (132) for accommodating an electrically functional component (104) and which comprises at least one first opening (112), at least one first plug (116) which is mounted in said first opening (112) to form a first part of a wall of the inner space (132), wherein the first plug (116) comprises at least one first terminal conduit (120) forming a feedthrough for a first terminal (106). The first plug (116) is arranged in said first opening (112) to form with said case body (110) a first external space (134), and said first external space (134) is filled with an electrically insulating material (138) for sealing said waterproof case (140).