CA2323169A1

CA2323169A1 - Housing for receiving electrical elements

Info

Publication number: CA2323169A1
Application number: CA 2323169
Authority: CA
Inventors: Axel Rust
Original assignee: Jaeger Gummi GmbH and Co KG
Current assignee: Jaeger Gummi GmbH and Co KG
Priority date: 1999-10-14
Filing date: 2000-10-13
Publication date: 2001-04-14
Also published as: DE29918158U1; EP1093331A2; EP1093331A3; EP1093331A8

Abstract

A closeable housing having a cover is provided. An annular sealing member of elastomeric material is disposed on a lower portion of the housing and is adapted to be elastically deformed when the cover is placed thereon in order to close the housing. The sealing member comprises a first sectional portion that is provided with at least one projecting rib or bead, and a second sectional portion that is connected to the first portion and is considerably harder than the first portion. The ribs or beads extend beyond the second portion to allow deformation thereof by the cover when the housing is closed.

Description

HOUSING FOR RECEIVING ELECTRICAL ELEMENTS
Background of the Invention The present invention relates to a closeable housing that is provided with a cover and serves for receiving electrical elements, wherein the' annular sealing member that is made of elastomeric material and is disposed on the lower portion of the housing is elastically deformable when the cover is placed thereon in order to close the housing, and wherein the sealing member is provided with one or more projecting ribs or beads Within the context of the present application, electrical elements include electromechanical and electronic components and switch elements, including boards, which can be combined to form subassemblies. Electrical elements are particularly sensitive, and in particular especially with regard to moisture and very small foreign objects. It is furthermore important that the sealing member of the housing as such not only be effective, but also offer the assurance that a satisfactory functioning is provided even if under any possible operating condition the housing must be opened or closed, for example even by an inexperienced person.
So that these requirements can be fulfilled, a sealing member must be secured against undesired shifts in position. Pursuant to heretofore known arrangements, this requirement is fulfilled by DE 299 18 158.8 - 14 October 1999 - Axel Rust - JAG259929918158 positioning the sealing member in a groove; however, such a groove requires special structural precautions for the lower portion of the housing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to avoid the aforementioned drawbacks and to provide a housing of the aforementioned general type that satisfies the requirements with regard to sealing function, operation, service life and construction.
Brief Description of the Drawings This object, and other objects and advantages of the present invention, will appear more clearly from the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying schematic drawing, in which:
Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a rim portion of a housing of one exemplary embodiment of the present invention for receiving electronic components;
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the sealing member intended for the housing of Fig. 1, and in particular in a non-deformed state, i.e. before the cover is placed thereon; and Fig.3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a modified sealing member.

DE 299 18 158.8 - 14 October 1999 - Axel Rust - JAG259929918158 Summary of the Invention The housing of the present invention is characterized primarily in that that sectional portion of the sealing member that is provided with the ribs or beads is connected, preferably in a fixed manner, with a sectional portion that is considerably harder than the other sectional portion and is expediently disposed on a rim, and in particular preferably that rim that faces the interior of the housing.
With this elastomeric sealing member, which has two different hardnesses, the harder portion serves for stabilization and for holding the softer portion, the ribs or beads of which are deformed when the housing cover is closed and thereby bring about the sealing function.
A sealing member embodied in this fashion also provides a possibility of entirely doing away with grooves for receiving the sealing element. For example, where the harder portion is disposed on the inner periphery of the sealing ring, a support surface for the sealing member can extend linearly and in a planar manner toward the inside, i.e. in the direction toward the interior of the housing, as a result of which the housing can have a more straightforward construction and the sealing member can also be installed more easily and can be more easily exchanged.
Further specific features of the present invention will be described in detail subsequently.

DE 299 18 158.8 - 14 October 1999 - Axel Rust - JAG259929918158 Description of Preferred Embodiments Referring now to the drawing in detail, the housing essentially comprises a pan-shaped lower portion 1 having a base 2, side walls 3, and an angled-off rim 4, prior to which, as viewed from the interior 8 of the housing; there is disposed an annular, planar seat or seating surface 5 that extends parallel to the base 2 and to the rim 4, and is intended for the sealing member 6, which is shown in greater detail in Fig. 2; a cover 20 is also provided. The seating surface 5 passes into the rim 4 via a step or shoulder 7; however, in the direction of the interior 8 of the lower housing portion 1, the planar seating surface 5 passes directly into the side walls 3 without a step.
The annularly endless sealing member 6 comprises a soft sectional portion 9 (of rubber or rubber-like polymeric material) that is disposed on the outer periphery of the sealing member, and a harder portion 10 that is disposed on the inner periphery and has tough yet resilient properties (is made of a thermoplastic or thermosetting material, but can also be made of an appropriately rigid rubber). The two sectional portions 9 and 10 are fixedly interconnected, e.g.
adhesively.
The sealing member 6, which has an overall practically flat and rectangular cross-sectional configuration, is, however, still on the whole deformable or flexible. The difference in hardness should be DE 299 18 158.8 - 14 October 1999 - Axel Rust - JAG259929918158 approximately 15 - 35 Shore grade A with the harder sectional portion having a Shore hardness of about 70 - 90.
In order to enlarge the adhesion surface between the two sectional portions 9 and 10, the sectional portion 9 overlaps the harder 5 sectional portion 10, for which purpose the portion 10 is stepped as indicated by the reference numeral 11.
The upper side. of the soft portion 9 is provided with circumferential beads 12, and the underside of the portion 9 is provided with deflection spaces or recesses 13 formed by circumferential beads.
10 In this connection, the beads 12 extend beyond the plane 14' determined by the upper side of the harder portion 10. If the housing 1 is now to be closed, the cover 20 contacts and stresses the beads 12 accompanied by a reduction in the size of the deflection recesses 13.
This action is indicated by the arrows 14.
During the closing movement, which can be induced, for example, by the screw coupling 15, the sectional portion 9 cannot deflect radially inwardly since the harder sectional portion 10 prevents such a deformation. A flight movement in the direction of the arrow L is therefore for all practical purposes not possible.
In the illustrated embodiment, the harder, tougher sectional portion 10 is disposed on the inner periphery of the sealing member 6.
However, it would also be conceivable to place the harder portion on DE 299 18 158.8 - 14 October 1999 - Axel Rust - JAG259929918158 the outer periphery, or also on both the inner and the outer peripheries.
The important thing is that undesired lateral or deflection movements are prevented or practically prevented due to the ring in the form of the sectional portion 10, while at the same time not requiring special grooves or similar recesses for receiving the sealing member In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3, the sectional portion 9' is provided ~ with a dovetailed circumferential rib 17 that widens downwardly and engages in a correspondingly undercut groove 16 of the sectional portion 10' in order in this. way, in addition to a fixed or adhesive connection between the portions 9' and 10', to achieve a positive, interlocking connection. It would also be possible with such an interlocking connection to dispense with a fixed-adhesive connection.
This specification incorporates by reference the disclosure of German priority document 299 18 158.8 of 14 October 1999.
The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific disclosure of the specification and drawing, but also encompasses any modifications with the scope of the appended claims.

DE 299 18 158.8 - 14 October 1999 - Axel Rust - JAG259929918158

Claims

1. A closeable housing that is provided with a cover 20, said housing comprising:
a lower housing portion 1; and an annular sealing member 6 of elastomeric material that is disposed on the lower housing portion 1 and is adapted to be elastically deformed when the cover 20 is placed thereon in order to close said housing, wherein said sealing member 6 comprises a first sectional portion 9, 9' that is provided with at least one projecting rib or bead 12, and a second sectional portion 10, 10' that is connected to said first portion 9, 9' and is considerably harder than said first portion, and wherein said at least one rib or bead 12 extends beyond said second portion 10, 10' to allow deformation of said at least one rib or bead by said cover 20 when said housing is closed.

2. A closeable housing according to claim 1, wherein said harder second portion 10, 10' is disposed on a rim portion of said sealing member 6.

3. A closeable housing according to claim 2, wherein said harder second portion 10, 10' is disposed on that rim of said sealing member 6 that faces an interior 8 of said housing.

4. A closable housing according to claim 2, wherein said housing is provided with a support or seating surface 5 for said sealing member 6, that where said harder second portion 10, 10' is provided, extends in a planar manner without gaps or steps.

5. A closeable housing according to claim 1, wherein an underside of said harder second portion 10, and deflection recesses 13 disposed on an underside of said sealing member for said softer first portion 9, are embodied in such a way that projections that delimit said deflection recesses, and said underside of said harder second portion 10, are practically disposed in the same plane.

6. A closeable housing according to claim 1, wherein an interface between said first and second portions 9, 10 has a stepped configuration 11.

7. A closeable housing according to claim 1, wherein the difference in hardness between said first and second portions 9, 10 is at least approximately 15 - 35 Shore A degrees.

8. A closeable housing according to claim 1, wherein said second portion 10, 10' has a hardness of approximately 70 - 90 Shore A degrees.

9. A closeable housing according to claim 1, wherein said first and second portions 9, 10 are fixedly interconnected.

10. A closeable housing according to claim 1, wherein said first and second portions 9', 10' are interconnected in an interlocking manner.

11. A closeable housing according to claim 10, wherein said interconnection is not an adhesive connection.

12. A closeable housing according to claim 1, wherein both said first and second portions 9, 10 are comprised of elastomeric material.

13. A sealing member for the housing and cover of claim 1, wherein said sealing member has an annular shape.