Housing having a recess for locating part of a sealing material

[0002] The invention relates to a housing according to the generic portion of claim 1.

[0003] Such a housing is known from DE 43 19 965 C2.

[0004] Housings of this type have been produced primarily from plastic for reasons of price and weight since the beginning of the extensive spread of mobile telephones or cordless telephones. The prefabricated, especially extruded, housing parts are coated with a conductive material to produce an electromagnetic shielding effect, possibly by spraying with conductive paint, deposition of aluminum, or galvanization. Then, a likewise shielding seal is dispensed thereon, and after insertion of the electronic function groups, the housing parts are connected to each other, usually screwed.

[0005] The shielding seal consists of an electrically conductive, elastic material and must be executed in its geometric dimensions and mechanical properties such that it adapts to surface tolerances and unevenness, such that even with the tolerances present in mass production, a very high quality of shielding of the interior of the housing is guaranteed.

[0006] Especially the beginnings, ends, and bifurcations of the seals cause problems because of the addition of system tolerances. These result from tolerances of the part (production tolerances with milling, descaling, or other tensioning or forming processes) as well as from the effect of subsequent processing (production of galvanic, mechanically applied or sprayed coatings) or other effects, such as from pressure, irradiation, heat, chemical solvents or wetting agents, etc. The production of the sealing profile with a defined height with a relatively lower tolerance is all the more critical the more miniaturized the system is. Even the achieving of adequate adherence (shear stability) is increasingly difficult in light of the addition of the tolerances and disturbing influences in miniaturized systems.

[0007] This becomes clear from the following: The dispensing element (e.g., a hollow needle) should be guided at a defined small distance (e.g., 0.6 mm) above the surface of housing part. The distance changes by 16% per 0.1 mm dimensional deviation of the housing part. Accordingly, more dispensed material would have to be applied on the surface in order to obtain a constant height of the housing part-sealing profile part system. This could be realized using an expensive measurement and control apparatus; however, such a solution is both technically and temporally impracticable in mass production.

[0008] The problems are intensified in so-called multiple-head systems with a plurality of dispensing elements which operate in parallel in a plurality of nests which have tolerance-based reaction times and must operate in coordination with each other.

[0009] Consequently, in the prior art, the system operates with an excess of material, whereby a surplus of material is applied especially at the initial, final, or connecting and bifurcation points. The sealing profiles thus produced must frequently be retouched in labor-intensive and, consequently, more expensive processes.

[0010] The object of the invention is, therefore, to provide a housing of the type mentioned which can be produced more simply and economically while meeting the tolerance specifications customary in mass production.

[0011] The object is accomplished by a housing with the characteristics of claim 1.

[0012] The invention includes the technical teaching of providing, on the housing, as an integrated component of the sealing system, a receiving area for a safety-excess of the sealing material. This enables an increase in the admissible tolerances of the housing parts as well as the control of the dispenser heads and/or the elimination of any retouching of the hardened sealing profile.

[0013] The invention provides special cost advantages when the first and/or second housing part is a cast or extruded part, especially made of plastic with the large tolerances customary therewith—above all when the recess serving as a receiving area is already formed in the first housing part at the time of casting or extrusion.

[0014] This receiving area may—depending on the actual housing specification—be arranged both in alignment with the longitudinal extension of the sealing profile and laterally offset relative thereto. It can be open on the side or closed all the way around (e.g., an open or closed hole). In the receiving area, the sealing “bead” runs in certain applications preferably at angle to the direction of the further extension of the profile.

[0015] In advantageous embodiments, an incline or an edge is provided on the recess in order to achieve improved grip of the strand of sealing material with the recess during application (possibly a type of interlocking) and to counteract a possible “slip off” of the initial point which may occur with certain housing-seal-material pairs or with a contaminated surface.

[0016] Moreover, the recess can be formed in connection with an opening provided for the location of a connection means to connect the first and second housing parts. This configuration can also be used advantageously for an additional seal in this area.

[0017] In an additional advantageous embodiment, the recess is directly adjacent to an incompressible spacer on the surface of the first housing part protruding toward the second housing part. This is expediently formed during primary forming of the housing part from the housing material.

[0018] Currently considered the most important practical embodiment is that with an EMI-shielding and sealing profile which has an electrically conductive sealing material and with housing parts made of plastic with substantially all-over conductive coating of the surface which is in contact with the sealing profile. The invention is, however, not restricted to such shielding housings but may advantageously also be applied in dust- or watertight housings.

[0019] Advantageous improvements of the invention are also characterized in the subordinate claims or are presented in greater detail in the following along with the description of preferred embodiments with reference to the figures. They depict:

[0020] FIG. 1 a principal sketch for the embodiment of the invention,

[0021] FIG. 1aa detail from FIG. 1,

[0022] FIGS. 2athrough 2fschematic depictions of different examples of housing sections with recesses in longitudinal section or in top view,

[0023] FIGS. 3athrough 3ischematic depictions of three improved embodiments, each in a top view and in a cross-sectional depiction of a housing section as well as in the state with the double strand of sealing material applied, and

[0024] FIGS. 4aand 4bschematic depictions of two additional embodiments of the invention.

[0025] FIG. 1 depicts schematically a bottom housing part 1 and a top housing part 2 of a mobile phone housing 3 made of extruded plastic, both of which are provided with an inside metalizing layer 1aand 2a, respectively. Screw holes 1band 2b, respectively, are formed in both housing parts 1, 2, whereby the screw holes 1bin the bottom housing part are designed for partial self-tapping insertion of self-tapping screws 4.

[0026] In the figure, it is sketched how an arm 5 of a coordinate-controlled handling apparatus (not completely shown) guides an application needle 6 with a hose connection 6ato deliver a pressurized conductive seal starting material 7 in the direction of the arrow A over the edge section of the bottom housing part 1. Thus, a sealing and shielding material strand 8 is dispensed onto the edge section and adheres tightly there upon hardening. After the hardening is at least substantially completed, the top part 2 is placed on the bottom part 1—as symbolized by the arrow B—and screwed to it by means of the screws 6, whereby the strand solidified into the sealing and shielding profile 8 is elastically deformed without adhesion on the top part 2 and reliably seals and electromagnetically shields the gap between the housing parts 1, 2.

[0027] A recess 9 in the form of an elongated hole, which is better discernible in the enlarged depiction of the section C in FIG. 1a, is incorporated in the section C of the edge area of the bottom housing 3 part 1. The elongated hole 9 defines the initial and also the final point of the application of the shielding profile 8, where, to ensure a reliable all-around seal, in each case an increased amount of material is discharged from the application needle 6 and partially received in the elongated hole.

[0028] FIGS. 2athrough 2fdepict schematically examples of housing sections of housing parts 11, 21, 31, 41, and 51, respectively, with recesses 19, 29, 39, 49, and 59, respectively, provided as initial areas in longitudinal cross-section (FIGS. 2aand 2cthrough 2e) or in a top view (FIG. 2bas a top view of FIG. 2a). As can be discerned here, the recess can be implemented depending on the actual technological edge conditions as a simple blind hole with a bottom parallel to the surface of the housing part (FIGS. 2aand 2b) or also as an opening with a circular cross-section, but inclined in different directions or even a curved bottom (FIGS. 2cor 2d, respectively). Moreover, one or a plurality of projections can be associated with it on the housing surface, such as the spacer 49aassociated with the initial zone 49 in FIG. 2eand the incline 49bor the retaining hip 59aassociated with a semicircular trough 59 in the housing part 51. Besides the function of a spacer and limiter of the so-called compression set (also see in this regard the following embodiments), such projections have the function of improving adhesion especially at the initial point of a sealing material strand, especially with problematic surface conditions and/or housing-seal material pairings. Even a sharp edged embodiment of the edge of the recess itself can serve this purpose to certain extent.

[0029] FIGS. 3athrough 3idepict schematically three additional exemplary embodiments, each in a top view (FIGS. 3a, 3d, and 3g) and in a cross-sectional view (FIGS. 3b, 3e, and 3h) of a housing section 61, 71, and 81, respectively, as well as in the state with the double strand of sealing material applied 68a/68b, 78a/78b, and 88a/88b, respectively, (FIGS. 3c, 3f, and 3i). The recesses 69, 79, and 89 have a substantially rectangular cross-section here, whereby the recess 89 has one completely open side face and the recess 79 has an open side access, such that with the corresponding housing parts 81 and 71, respectively, a sealing material application can take place pivoting in from the open side into the seal path (or pivoting out from it), whereby the initial or final point is thus offset relative to the longitudinal extension of the sealing profile.

[0030] In the figures, the bottom of the recess 79 in the area of its side opening and the bottom of the recess 89 are depicted completely flat; in modified embodiments, it can, however, be designed sloping upward toward the open side in order to prevent run-out of the not yet hardened sealing material, in the event that sealing material with a relatively low viscosity is used.

[0031] The spacer (reference character 69a, 79a, or 89a) depicted in FIGS. 3athrough 3ihas a height of approximately 80% of the planned height of the sealing profile to limit its compression upon closing of the housing; the selection of this relationship depends, however, on the actual application, in particular on the elasticity and hardness of the sealing profile.

[0032] FIGS. 4aand 4bschematically depict top views of two additional embodiments of the receiving area. FIG. 4adepicts an application surface 99 formed on the side of a housing part 91 in the vicinity of a spacer 99aand somewhat lowered relative to the housing surface, which constitutes a initial point for the application of a sealing profile 98; and FIG. 4ba similar embodiment where the application surface 109 is, however, formed at the same level as the surface of the housing part 101 and also has a reservoir trough 109b.

[0033] A receiving area with the described function of evening out the profile height and thus the sealing and shielding effect over the entire path around housing edge can be embodied in extremely different shapes and can also be provided, in particular, on sealing profile bifurcation points.

[0034] For its actual shaping and dimensioning, besides the cross sectional enlargement of the profile strand to be anticipated or planned in the initial area of the dispensing procedure, the material properties of the sealing and shielding mass both in the initial pasty state (especially its running properties on the housing surface) and in the final state (especially compressibility and elasticity) must be taken into account in order to realize the ultimately critical functional aspect of a uniform sealing and shielding action over the entire course of the housing area to be sealed.