Waterproof Junction for Engine Control Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current waterproof structures for motor vehicle internal combustion engine control apparatuses struggle to achieve long life while minimizing increases in surface area and cost, and ensuring reliability and miniaturization.
Innovation Solution
The structure incorporates recessed portions on the case and cover with a labyrinthine gap configuration filled with waterproofing adhesive, allowing for a longer adhesive distance and fluid-tight sealing without significant size or cost increases.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the adhesive part is made uneven to increase adhesive length, then adhesive strength increases, but the control apparatus size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional plane adhesive surface to a three-dimensional labyrinthine adhesive path. By creating recessed portions with stepped structures on the case and cover, the adhesive is guided through a folded path that extends in the depth dimension rather than expanding the surface area. This allows the adhesive to traverse a longer distance (increasing strength) while maintaining a compact footprint (minimizing size increase).
Solution Approach 2:
The recessed portions are formed as stepped structures where one recessed portion is nested within another. The adhesive flows through these nested recessed portions in sequence, creating an extended adhesive path without requiring additional lateral space. This nesting approach effectively packs more adhesive length into a smaller overall volume, resolving the contradiction between adhesive strength and apparatus size.
2Reliability
If material of high corrosion resistance is adopted to extend life, then reliability increases, but cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of changing the material composition to achieve higher corrosion resistance, the invention changes the geometric parameters of the waterproof structure. By designing labyrinthine adhesive paths with extended length and creating stepped recessed portions, the structure achieves enhanced corrosion resistance through increased adhesive coverage and path length, while using standard materials. This parameter-based approach maintains cost-effectiveness while improving reliability.
3Reliability
If the adhesive part is enlarged to prevent adhesive shortage, then waterproof reliability increases, but the control apparatus size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention resolves this contradiction by extending the adhesive path in the depth dimension through stepped recessed portions rather than expanding it in the lateral dimension. The adhesive flows through multiple levels of recessed portions, creating a longer effective adhesive area that enhances waterproof reliability without increasing the overall footprint of the control apparatus.
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 design ensures increased adhesive strength and long-term waterproof performance while minimizing the surface area of the case and cover, meeting demands for miniaturization and cost-effectiveness.
Implementation Method 1
a waterproofing adhesive adhering to a junction part between the cover and the case
Data Source
AI summary
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a motor vehicle internal combustion engine control apparatus which is constructed as a waterproof structure capable of having a long life while minimizing an increase in surface area of a case and a cover, thereby enabling miniaturization, decrease in cost, and increase in reliability to be satisfied. The motor vehicle internal combustion engine control apparatus is equipped with a substrate, a connector, and a case and cover which enclose the substrate, a waterproofing adhesive being disposed at a junction part between the cover and the case. Recessed portions are disposed at the junction part between the case and the cover. The sidewalls of one of the recessed portions are inserted into the other of the recessed portions to form a gap which is folded a plurality of times between the case and the cover and extends between the inside and the outside of the case and cover, said gap being formed so that the size of the gap on the outer side is formed to be larger than the size of the gap on the inner side. The gap is configured to be fluid-tight by the waterproofing adhesive filled in the gap.