U.S. patent application number 13/180674 was filed with the patent office on 2012-01-26 for watertight enclosure with an open profile covered by a plate.
Invention is credited to Roland BOCHUD, Peter HEIMLICHER, Charles RHEME.
Application Number | 20120018443 13/180674 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 43416370 |
Filed Date | 2012-01-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120018443 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
BOCHUD; Roland ; et
al. |
January 26, 2012 |
WATERTIGHT ENCLOSURE WITH AN OPEN PROFILE COVERED BY A PLATE
Abstract
An enclosure (1) comprising a hollow profile (2) with an open
side portion on which a covering plate (3) is watertightly
attached, the profile (2) being provided with at least one end
closure (4) comprising a watertight sealing (41) disposed at the
end of the profile (2). In order to improve the waterproof
properties, in particular for an electronic enclosure, by keeping
constructional modifications on the enclosure as low as possible, a
jamming member (40) is provided inside the sealing (41), the
jamming member (40) being adapted to exert a pressing force on at
least two opposed side portions (71-76) of the sealing (41) acting
in a transverse direction (92, 93) with respect to a
plate-adjoining side (48) of the sealing (41) which is disposed
adjacent to the covering plate (3).
Inventors: |
BOCHUD; Roland; (Noreaz,
CH) ; RHEME; Charles; (Posieux, CH) ;
HEIMLICHER; Peter; (Fribourg, CH) |
Family ID: |
43416370 |
Appl. No.: |
13/180674 |
Filed: |
July 12, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/796 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H05K 5/061 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/796 |
International
Class: |
B65D 43/08 20060101
B65D043/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 26, 2010 |
EP |
10 170 800.6 |
Claims
1. An enclosure comprising a hollow profile with an open side
portion on which a covering plate is watertightly attached, the
profile being provided with at least one end closure comprising a
watertight sealing disposed at the end of the profile, wherein a
jamming member is provided inside said sealing, said jamming member
being adapted to exert a pressing force on at least two opposed
side portions of said sealing acting in a transverse direction with
respect to a plate-adjoining side of said sealing which is disposed
adjacent to said covering plate.
2. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said jamming member
is provided with at least one tapering portion at each of said
opposed side portions of said sealing each facing said
plate-adjoining side for directing said pressing force in said
transverse direction.
3. The enclosure according to claim 2, wherein said jamming member
is provided with at least two of said tapering portions at each of
said opposed side portions of said sealing.
4. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said jamming member
comprises an application surface configured to be applied with a
force directed towards the plate-adjoining side of said sealing,
said application surface facing away from said plate-adjoining
side.
5. The enclosure according to claim 4, wherein said tapering
portions are interconnected via a bridging portion which is adapted
to exert said force on the plate-adjoining side of said
sealing.
6. The enclosure according to claim 5, wherein said bridging
portion extends into the cavity of the profile.
7. The enclosure according to claim 4, wherein said jamming member
is arranged at the end of the profile in such a way that it
displaces towards the plate-adjoining side of said sealing when an
activation force is applied on said application surface.
8. The enclosure according to claim 4, wherein said end closure
further comprises a capping member with an activation surface for
transmitting a force to said application surface on said jamming
member, said activation surface facing said plate-adjoining side of
said sealing.
9. The enclosure according to claim 8, wherein an inclination
towards the cavity of the profile is provided in between said
activation surface and said application surface.
10. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein a capping member is
provided with exterior walls surrounding said sealing such that
said pressing force exerted on said sealing is counteracted by said
capping member.
11. The enclosure according to claim 2, wherein said jamming member
is provided with an upper protrusion comprising at least one of
said tapering portions.
12. The enclosure according to claim 2, wherein said jamming member
is provided with at least one lateral projection comprising at
least one of said tapering portions.
13. The enclosure according to claim 1, wherein at least one
plugging protrusion extending into the cavity of the profile is
provided on said jamming member.
14. The enclosure according to claim 12, wherein at least one
plugging protrusion extending into the cavity of the profile is
provided on said jamming member and said plugging protrusion is
provided at said lateral projection.
15. A device comprising electronic and/or optical components, in
particular for a light barrier, the device comprising an enclosure
according to claim 1.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to an enclosure comprising a hollow
profile with an open side portion on which a covering plate is
watertightly attached, the profile being provided with at least one
end closure comprising a watertight sealing disposed at the end of
the profile. In particular, but not exclusively, the invention
relates to a device comprising such an enclosure as a housing for
electronic and/or optical equipment such as a light barrier.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Common profiles of that type are typically formed by an
extrusion process, in particular from aluminium or a similar
material, and often exhibit an essentially U-shaped cross section.
Before or after arranging electronic components or other material
in the cavity of the profile, the open side portion of the profile
is covered by a plexiglass-plate or the like. The covering plate
can be attached to the profile by adhesive means generally known in
the art in a highly waterproof manner. In this way, an ingress
protection rating (IP) for electronic enclosures, as defined by the
international standard IEC 60529, with a value of 65 or better can
be achieved with respect to the lateral attachment of the covering
plate to the profile.
[0003] More critical is to ensure a desired value of water
tightness of the enclosure at the end sections of the profile. For
this purpose, a sealing loop of caoutchouc or similar
unaccommodating and watertight material is usually disposed around
the end section of the profile. The sealing loop is firmly pressed
against the end section by a capping member tightly attached to the
profile's end. In this way, a watertight end closure of the profile
is provided by the capping member and the sealing loop embedded
therein. This end closure, however, represents the highest
potential danger of water intrusion problems and consequently, in
the case of an electronic enclosure, reduces the desired level of
watertightness dramatically.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide the initially mentioned enclosure with improved waterproof
properties by keeping constructional modifications on the enclosure
as low as possible and/or allowing an easy fabrication or assembly
of such an enclosure by avoiding at least one of the above
mentioned disadvantages.
[0005] According to the invention, a jamming member is provided
inside the sealing, the jamming member being adapted to exert a
pressing force on at least two opposed side portions of the sealing
acting in a transverse direction with respect to a side portion of
the sealing which is disposed adjacent to the covering plate and
subsequently referred to as plate-adjoining side of the
sealing.
[0006] The present invention originates from the observation that a
weak point with respect to the watertightness of the enclosure are
the portions of the sealing at which the attachment of the covering
plate on the profile is adjoined. It has been found that an
arrangement of a jamming member in the above described manner leads
to an unexpected strong improvement of the watertightness and
constitutes a surprisingly effective remedy with respect to the
intrinsic deficiencies of this particular problematic region. In
this way, the overall waterproof characteristics of the whole
enclosure may be substantially improved. By way of example, an IP
value of 65 or better may be obtainable for the profile used as an
electronic enclosure.
[0007] Preferred embodiments of the present invention comprise for
instance the following aspects:
[0008] Preferably, the transverse direction of the pressing force
comprises a vector component directed towards the plate-adjoining
side of the sealing and a vector component in an orthogonal
direction. Advantageously, the jamming member may be provided with
a tapering portion at each of the opposed side portions of the
sealing. Each of these tapering portions may face the
plate-adjoining side of the sealing. Hence, an inclined or curved
surface on a force transmitting portion of the jamming member may
be provided for directing the pressing force in the transverse
direction with respect to the plate-adjoining side of the sealing.
Preferably, this tapering portion has a substantially circular
curved form. Alternatively or complementary, also other shapes for
a transverse force transmission such as a substantially linear
inclination or other curved shapes are conceivable.
[0009] Preferably, the tapering portions are disposed in direct
proximity to the attachment of the covering plate on the profile.
In this way, the impact zone of the jamming member may be situated
close to the weak point of the sealing. Preferably, the distance of
at least two of the tapering portions to the attachment is less
than one fifth, more preferred less than one tenth of the cross
section dimension of the profile. Preferably, the distance of at
least two of the tapering portions is smaller as compared to the
respective wall thickness of the portion of the profile's end
section which is located adjacent to the covering plate.
[0010] The opposed side portions of the sealing within the scope of
this application are defined as any two side portions of the
sealing facing the jamming member in an opposed direction
component. In general, they are not to be construed with respect to
their relative distance to the plate-adjoining side of the sealing.
For instance, also a side portion at the upper region that is
opposed to a side portion at the lower region of the sealing is
conceivable. According to a preferred embodiment, the relative
distance of the opposed side portions to the plate-adjoining side
of the sealing is essentially equivalent.
[0011] Preferably, said jamming member is provided with at least
two of said tapering portions at each of said opposed side portions
of said sealing for further improving the watertightness at the
critical region. More preferred, a step-like arrangement of the at
least two tapering portions at each side of the sealing is
provided. More preferred, three tapering portions are provided on
each side portion of the sealing. Preferably, the jamming member is
provided with at least one upper protrusion comprising at least one
of said tapering portions. More preferred, the upper protrusion
projects from an upper center portion of the jamming member.
Moreover, said jamming member may provided with at least one
lateral projection comprising at least one of said tapering
portions.
[0012] Preferably, the sealing is provided with corresponding
recess structures fitted to the shape of the tapering portions on
the jamming member for further improving the pressing force
transmission. It is also conceivable, according to another
embodiment, that the pressing force is transmitted by means of
recess structures formed in the jamming member, in which in this
case corresponding projections at the inner circumference of the
sealing are engaged.
[0013] Preferably, the tapering portions are interconnected via a
bridging portion comprising an application surface for applying a
force on the jamming member which may then be transferred to the
sealing as the pressing force. Advantageously, the application
surface may be facing away from the plate-adjoining side of the
sealing. In this way, a linear force application on the jamming
member directed towards the plate-adjoining side of the sealing can
be exploited for exerting the pressing force on the at least two
opposed side portions of the sealing and in the transverse
direction with respect to the plate-adjoining side of the
sealing.
[0014] In order to achieve a further improvement of the
watertightness along the plate-adjoining side of the sealing, said
bridging portion may be adapted to exert a pressing force directly
on the plate-adjoining side of the sealing. Accordingly, said
bridging portion may comprise an impact surface on the opposed side
with respect to said application surface for a transmission of this
pressing force. Preferably, this impact surface may be adapted to
transmit the force substantially over the total length of the
plate-adjoining side of the sealing. Preferably, substantially the
total force is transmitted in the direction of the plate-adjoining
side of the sealing.
[0015] For allowing an advantageous transmission of the pressing
force to the sealing, in particular in the transverse direction
with respect to the plate-adjoining side of the sealing, the
jamming member is preferably disposed in such a way that it
displaces at least slightly towards the plate-adjoining side of the
sealing when the force is applied on the application surface.
[0016] Preferably, the end closure further comprises a capping
member. The capping member is preferably provided with an
activation surface for transmitting the force to said application
surface on said jamming member. More preferred, the activation
surface is provided in such a way that it faces the plate-adjoining
side of said sealing. Advantageously, the activation surface may be
provided on a protrusion on said capping member. Said protrusion
may be arranged inside an inner space of said capping member.
[0017] Preferably, an inclination towards the cavity of the profile
is provided in between said activation surface and said application
surface. This inclination can be used to facilitate a force
application on the application surface. Preferably, the inclination
may be provided on the application surface and/or on the activation
surface. For instance, the application surface of the capping
member may be provided with an inclination towards the cavity of
the profile. Correspondingly, the application surface of the
jamming member may be e.g. substantially planar with respect to the
length direction of the profile or may also comprise an
inclination. Most preferred, the inclination is provided on both
surfaces for allowing a smooth and continuous guiding of the
surfaces on one another. In this way, an activation force may be
advantageously applied on the jamming member by advancing the
activation surface of the capping member with respect to the
application surface of the jamming member along the inclination
resulting in a force application towards the plate-adjoining side
of the sealing-loop. Preferably, the inclination has a
substantially constant slope.
[0018] Preferably, the capping member is provided with exterior
walls surrounding the sealing such that the pressing force exerted
on the sealing is counteracted by the capping member. For this
purpose, the sealing is preferably fitted inside the capping member
according to the shape of its exterior circumference. More
preferred, at least the portions of the sealing on which the
pressing force is exerted are in close contact with the exterior
walls of the capping member.
[0019] Preferably, the watertight sealing is constituted by a
sealing loop. More preferred, the sealing is disposed continuously
around the end section of the profile for achieving homogenous
sealing properties.
[0020] A further improvement with respect to the watertightness at
the plate-adjoining side of the sealing may be achieved in that the
sealing extends into the cavity of the profile, at least on a
portion of its plate-adjoining side. Preferably, the jamming member
may also extend into the cavity at this particular region for
allowing an advantageous transmission of the pressing force also at
the portion of the sealing that is extending into the cavity.
Additionally or alternatively, a profile may be used with a
watertightly attached covering plate extending beyond the
end-section of the profile. In this case, a superior
water-tightness may be achieved with the sealing and/or jamming
member applied at the profile's end section without ranging into
the cavity, in particular at the bordering zone with respect to the
covering plate.
[0021] According to another preferred embodiment, the sealing and
the jamming member may be fully or at least partially disposed
inside the cavity at the end portion of the profile. In this case,
the inner side walls of the profile may be used to counteract the
pressing force transmitted from the jamming member.
[0022] Preferably, at least one plugging protrusion extending into
the cavity of the profile is provided on the jamming member. This
may allow a correct positioning of the jamming member with respect
to the sealing during installation of the end closure. Preferably,
lateral projections of the jamming member are provided with the
plugging protrusion. The profile may comprise separate compartment
spaces for insertion of the plugging protrusions. The size of the
compartment spaces preferably exceeds the size of the plugging
protrusions, such that a displacement of the jamming member towards
the plate-adjoining side of the sealing is rendered possible during
the installation of the end closure. Advantageously, also the
bridging portion of the jamming member may extend into the cavity
of the profile for further facilitating an inner fixation of the
jamming member.
[0023] Preferably, the jamming member has a substantially
frame-shaped structure. The form of the inner circumference of the
sealing is preferably fitted to the outer circumference of the
jamming member. More preferred, the jamming member may extend
around the total inner circumference of the sealing for allowing an
optimal positioning of the jamming member. According to another
embodiment, the jamming member may only extend over part of the
inner circumference of the sealing for still ensuring a good
transmission of the pressing force at the two opposed side portions
of the sealing.
[0024] According to a preferred utilization of the described
profile, the profile contains electronic and/or optical equipment.
In particular, the profile may be designed for the waterproof
custody of a light barrier or a similar optoelectronic device.
Preferably, an electronic enclosure constituted by the profile
exhibits an IP value of at least 65.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] The invention will be described in more detail in the
following description of a preferred exemplary embodiment with
reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:
[0026] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic enclosure
according to the invention;
[0027] FIG. 2 is a front view of the profile's end section of the
electronic enclosure shown in FIG. 1;
[0028] FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the electronic enclosure shown
in FIG. 1;
[0029] FIG. 4 is another exploded view of the end closure of the
electronic enclosure shown in FIG. 3 from a different
viewpoint;
[0030] FIG. 5 is the front view of the profile's end section shown
in FIG. 2, wherein parts of the end closure are mounted on the end
section;
[0031] FIG. 6 is a detail of a longitudinal sectional view
according to VI-VI of the profile shown in FIG. 5;
[0032] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the profile's end
section with the parts of the end closure as shown in FIG. 5,
wherein a capping member has been mounted on the profile; and
[0033] FIG. 8 is a detail of a longitudinal sectional view
according to VIII-VIII of the profile shown in FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0034] FIG. 1 shows an electronic enclosure 1 comprising a hollow
profile 2 with an open side portion on which a covering plate 3 is
watertightly attached. The profile 2 is extruded from metallic
material and the covering plate 3 consists of synthetic material.
The watertight sealing mechanism described below is particularly
suited for an enclosure 1 comprising these materials. It is
understood, however, that also other materials are conceivable. At
both ends of the profile 2 an end closure 4, 5 is mounted in a
watertight manner. The end closure 4 comprises a central opening 6
that is designed for a protruding component or cable of an
optoelectronic device that is to be protected inside the cavity of
the profile. In this particular case, the central opening 6 is
provided for housing of a light emitting end portion or a cable of
a light barrier, wherein the more sensitive opto-electronic
components of the device are arranged inside the cavity of the
profile 2. End closure 5 is similar to end closure 4 except that
the central opening 6 is absent.
[0035] As best seen in FIG. 2, depicting a front view of the end
section 10 of the profile 2 without the end closure 4, the profile
2 has a substantially U-shaped structure comprising a floor side 7
and two opposed lateral sides 8, 9. The lateral sides 8, 9 are each
provided with a substantially rectangular indentation 11, 12 at
their center portion. The length of the indentations corresponds to
approximately one third of the total length of the lateral sides 8,
9.
[0036] The mid portion of the upper third of each lateral side 8, 9
is provided with a carrier protrusion 13, 14. The upper surface of
the carrier protrusions 13, 14 is used as a support for the
covering plate 3. In this way, the covering plate 3 is arranged in
between the upper inner edges of the lateral sides 8, 9 of profile
2. The covering plate 3 along its two exterior longitudinal sides
15, 16 is attached to the carrier protrusions 13, 14 by a
double-sided adhesive tape 17, 18. Other kinds of attachments are
also conceivable, e.g. silicone, glue, etc.
[0037] Thus, on both sides of the cavity 20 of the profile 2, more
precisely in between each of the respective indentations 11, 12 and
the carrier protrusions 13, 14, an upper side compartment 21, 22 is
formed in the cavity 20. Moreover, two lower side compartments 23,
24 are formed in the cavity 20 below the respective indentations
11, 12.
[0038] Each of the lower portions of the indentations 11, 12 and of
the carrier protrusions 13, 14 are provided with a circular shaped
groove 25-28 each bordering into one of the side compartments 21-24
and extending in the longitudinal direction of the profile 2. The
end portions of these circular grooves are used as boreholes 25-28
for the fixation of the end closures 4, 5. Furthermore, three
longitudinally extending and rectangular shaped inner grooves 29-34
are provided on each of the lateral sides 8, 9, which may serve
e.g. as fixation rails for electronic equipment inside the cavity
20.
[0039] By means of the attachments 17, 18 generally known in the
art, a high-grade waterproof protection is provided in the length
direction of the profile 2. On the profile's end section in common
enclosures, however, the attachments 17, 18 may constitute a
leak-prone region at least in the case the enclosure is exposed to
splashing water, water jets or similar demands. In the electronic
enclosure 1 these shortcomings have been remedied according to the
subsequent description.
[0040] FIG. 3 depicts the enclosure 1 in an exploded view. The end
closure 4 of enclosure 1 is composed of three separate pieces,
namely a jamming member 40, a sealing loop 41 and a capping member
42. A corresponding exploded view of the end closure 4 from a
different angle is shown in FIG. 4.
[0041] The sealing loop 41 consists of an elastic material which is
substantially incompressible, e.g. a water-impermeable rubber
material such as e.g. NBR 50 Share A, and has an outer
circumference resembling the end section 10 of profile 2. In
particular, a sealing lip 43 projecting on the face side of sealing
loop 41 is matched to the shape of end section 10 (see FIG. 4). A
corresponding sealing lip 44 projecting on the back side of sealing
loop 41 substantially exhibits the same form.
[0042] Accordingly, with respect to the arrangement of the sealing
loop 41 at the end section 10, the sealing loop 41 is composed of a
bottom side 45 adjoining the floor side 7 of the end section 10,
two opposed lateral sides 46, 47 adjoining the lateral sides 8, 9
of the end section 10, and an upper plate-adjoining side 48 that is
adjacent to the covering plate 3.
[0043] The sealing loop 41 further comprises four circular openings
49-52 that are disposed at the corresponding positions with respect
to the boreholes 25-28 at the end section 10 of profile 2. On both
sides of the sealing loop 41, the circular openings 49-52 are
surrounded by a circular projection which is seamlessly integrated
into the course of the respective sealing lip 43, 44.
[0044] On the front of sealing loop 41, the plate-adjoining side 48
is provided with a front protrusion 54 exceeding the height of the
sealing lips 43, 44 (see FIG. 4). The size of the front protrusion
48 matches the distance between the carrier protrusions 13, 14 of
the end section 10 of profile 2 and thus is adapted to be inserted
into the cavity 20 of profile 2 for adjoining the covering plate 3
from the bottom side.
[0045] The inner circumference of sealing loop 41 is adapted to the
shape of the outer circumference of jamming member 40. The jamming
member 40 is substantially rigid and is preferably composed of
synthetic material. It has a frame-like structure roughly matching
the shape of sealing loop 41, wherein the upper side 55, the two
lateral sides 56, 57 and the bottom side 58 have a smaller length
dimension, respectively. The thickness of the jamming member 40
essentially corresponds to the thickness of the sealing loop
41.
[0046] On the upper side 55 of the jamming member 40 an upper
protrusion 60 is provided. On both sides of the upper protrusion
60, upper tapering portions 61, 62 are formed. The upper tapering
portions 61, 62 substantially have a circular shaped cross-section.
On both lateral end portions of the upper side 55, two additional
lower tapering portions 63, 64 are formed exhibiting a curved
shaped cross-section (see FIG. 5).
[0047] The upper side portions of the opposed lateral sides 56, 57
of the jamming member 40 are provided with outer lateral
projections 65, 66. The lower edge of the lateral projections 65,
66 protrudes orthogonally from the lateral sides 56, 57. The upper
edge exhibits a linear slope with respect to the plate-adjoining
side 48 of the sealing ring 41. Thus, each of the lateral
projections constitutes a lateral tapering portion 65, 66.
[0048] Overall, the upper taperings 61, 62, the lower taperings 63,
64 and the lateral taperings 65, 66 are configured in a step like
arrangement on both sides of the jamming member 40, wherein the
lateral distance between respective tapering portions 61-66
decreases towards the top of the jamming member 40. Thus, the upper
side of jamming member 40 constitutes a bridging portion 55 in
between the taperings 61-66 arranged on the opposed sides of the
jamming member 40.
[0049] The sealing loop 41 is provided with corresponding recesses
71-76 adapted to the shapes of the tapering portions 61-66 on the
jamming member 40. Thus, the recesses 71-76 have a form, which
substantially corresponds to the respective tapering portions 61-66
on jamming member 40. Recess 71, 72 has a linear inclination
corresponding to the respective tapering portion 61, 62.
[0050] The jamming member 40 further comprises a plugging
protrusion 67, 68 on each front side of the lateral projections 65,
66. The plugging protrusions 67, 68 are formed to be inserted into
the upper side compartments 21, 22 of the cavity 20 of profile 2.
This allows a correct positioning of jamming member 40 at the end
section 10 of profile 2 and a first loose fixation. The plugging
protrusions 67, 68 are smaller as compared to the height of the
side compartments 21, 22 for ensuring a certain mobility of the
jamming member 40 in the vertical direction of end section 10 when
it is inserted and the capping member 42 is fixed by the
screws.
[0051] The upper protrusion 60 of the jamming member 40 has a
substantially flat upper surface 59 projecting in the front
direction of jamming member 40. The side length of the upper
protrusion 55 corresponds to the distance between the carrier
protrusions 13, 14 of profile 2, allowing an insertion into the
cavity 20. In this way, a support for the front protrusion 54 on
the sealing loop is formed. The front edge of the upper protrusion
55 is further provided with an elevation as compared to the height
of the rest of upper surface 59. The elevation serves as a frontal
abuting structure for the sealing ring 41 when the jamming member
40 is positioned inside the sealing ring 41.
[0052] The lower surface 70 of the bridging portion 55 also
protrudes and exhibits a substantially linear inclination with
respect to the length axis of profile 2 (see FIG. 6). The lower
surface permits to apply a vertical force on jamming member 40 and
therefore is subsequently referred to as application surface
70.
[0053] A corresponding linear inclination is formed on a protruding
upper surface 80 inside the capping member 42 (see FIG. 4). Also
the length and with of the protruding surface 80 substantially
corresponds to the application surface 70 of the bridging portion
55 of jamming member 40. The protruding surface 80 serves to
transfer a force on the application surface 70 for activating the
sealing mechanism and therefore is subsequently referred to as
activation surface 80.
[0054] The inner side walls of the capping member 42 on its bottom
side 82, lateral sides 83, 84 and top side 85 correspond to the
shape of the lateral circumference of sealing loop 41. In this way,
the sealing loop 41 with the jamming member 40 disposed inside can
be fitted into the capping member 42 and a pressing force acting on
the inner circumference of the sealing loop 41 is counteracted by
the inner side walls of capping member 42. The mid portion of the
top side 85 of capping member 42 is provided with an upper front
protrusion 95 substantially corresponding to the width of covering
plate 3. The upper front protrusion 95 may allow a simplified
manual positioning of the capping member 42 during its installation
on the end section 10 of profile 2 and may also contribute to the
sealing effect. Furthermore, four boreholes 86-89 are provided in
the capping member 42 at the corresponding positions as the
circular openings 49-52 in the sealing loop 41.
[0055] Subsequently the installation and start of operation of the
end closure 4 on profile 2 is discussed. At first, the sealing loop
41 is preferably positioned around the end section 10 of profile 2
such that the attachments 15, 16 are fully covered by the
plate-adjoining side 48 and the front protrusion 54 ranges into the
cavity 20 abuting against the covering plate 3 from below.
[0056] As a second step, the jamming member 40 is positioned along
the inner circumference of sealing loop 41, such that the plugging
protrusions 67, 68 range inside the side compartments 21, 22 of the
cavity 20 and the flat protruding upper surface 59 supports the
front protrusion 54 of the sealing loop 41.
[0057] This configuration is depicted in FIG. 5. As can be seen in
this figure, the tapering portions 61-66 of jamming member 40 face
the plate-adjoining side 48 of the sealing loop 41 and border on
the corresponding recesses 71-76 in the sealing loop 41. The
bridging portion 55 directly abuts against the plate-adjoining side
48 of the sealing loop 41. The jamming member 40 is inserted into
the cavity 20 in such a way, as best seen in FIG. 6, that its upper
elevation on the frontal end of protruding upper surface 59 abuts
against the frontal edge of the plate-adjoining side 48 of sealing
loop 41.
[0058] As a next step, as shown in FIG. 6, the capping member 42 is
plugged around the end section 10 with its inner side walls 82-85
bordering the outer circumference of the sealing loop 41. Thus, the
inclined activation surface 80 in the capping member 42 is
positioned below the inclined application surface 70 of the
bridging portion 55 of jamming member 40. At the same time, the
upper front protrusion 95 of capping member 42 is positioned on top
of the covering plate 3 in between the upper inner edges of the
lateral sides 8, 9 of profile 2. In this way, a guiding passage for
an advancement of the upper front protrusion 95 in the length
direction of profile 2 is provided in between the upper inner edges
of the lateral sides 8, 9, facilitating a correct positioning of
capping member 42 and the further installation procedure.
[0059] Finally, the capping member 42 is tightly fixed on the
profile 2 by establishing a screw connection within the boreholes
25-28 and 86-89, respectively. The effect of this screwing
operation is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
[0060] As depicted in FIG. 8, the capping member 42 is further
advanced towards the profile 2, as indicated by arrow 90. Thus,
also the upper front protrusion 95 is further advanced in between
the upper inner edges of the lateral sides 8, 9 of profile 2. The
advancement of capping member 42 has the effect, that the sealing
lips 43 are tightly pressed against the end section 10 of profile 2
and the sealing lips 44 are tightly pressed against the inside of
capping member 42.
[0061] Additionally, the activation surface 80 of capping member 42
is further progressed along the application surface 70 of the
jamming member 40. As a result, an activation force 90 is
transmitted to the inclined application surface 70 and a vertical
force component is executed on the bridging section 55 of jamming
member 40, as indicated by arrow 91. This leads to a slight
displacement of the jamming member 40 with respect to the position
of sealing loop 41 in the vertical direction. Thus, a pressing
force 91 is transmitted from the upper flat surface 59 of the
bridging portion 55 to the plate-adjoining side 48 of the sealing
loop 41 which in turn is now tightly pressed along its front
protrusion 54 against the lower surface of covering plate 3.
Furthermore, the upper elevation on the frontal end of protruding
upper surface 59 of jamming member 40 is now abuting against the
covering plate 3 from below such that the frontal edge of the
plate-adjoining side 48 of sealing ring 41 is entirely encompassed
by jamming member 40 and covering plate 3.
[0062] As shown in FIG. 7, the activation force in the vertical
direction 91 and the corresponding displacement of the jamming
member 40 has the further effect, that the tapering portions 61-66
of jamming member 40 are tightly pressed against the inclinations
in the corresponding recesses 71-76 of the sealing loop 41. In this
way, the vertical force 91 acting on jamming member 40 is
transmitted at the taperings 61-66 towards the sealing loop 41 as a
force acting in a transverse direction with respect to the position
of the plate-adjoining side 48 of the sealing loop 41, as indicated
by arrows 92, 93.
[0063] These transverse forces 92, 93 acting towards the two
opposed sides 46, 47 of the sealing loop 41 lead to a substantial
improvement with respect to the water-tightness of the electronic
enclosure 1. A particularly pronounced sealing improvement is
achieved by the force application through the upper tapering
portions 61, 62, which are situated in close proximity to the
attachments 15, 16 of the covering plate 3. The additional
taperings 63-66 with a larger distance from the attachments 15, 16
may also substantially contribute to the sealing effect.
[0064] Numerous alterations of the enclosure described above will
suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to
be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred
embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration
only and is not to be construed as a limitation of the invention.
It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited
not by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended
claims.
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