Electric device with water resistant housing

• US 20030119359A1
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Fung, Yiu Keung
• Granted Patent: US 6,935,894 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/606
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 5/064 sealed by potting, e.g. waterproof resin poured in a rigid casing

Abstract

An electric device comprises a housing (1) with at least two housing parts (2, 3) and a seam (4) between the first two housing parts (2, 3) and an electric circuit (5, 6, 8) inside the housing (1). The housing (1) also comprises at least one molded, third housing part (10) sealing the seam (4). The third housing part (10) covers at least a surface portion (11, 12) of at least one of the first two housing parts (2, 3), adjacent the seam (4), thus compensating manufacturing tolerances between surfaces on opposite sides of the seam (4). A method of manufacturing a particular embodiment of the proposed device is also described.

Claims

1. An electric device comprising:

a housing comprising at least two housing parts and a seam between said first two housing parts;

an electric circuit inside said housing;

said housing also comprising at least one molded, third housing part sealing said seam, wherein said third housing part covers at least a surface portion of at least one of said first two housing parts adjacent said seam.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said third housing part adheres to said at least one of said first two housing parts.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said third housing part is molded of a material which adheres to the material of which said at least one of said first two housing parts is formed.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein said material of which said third housing part is molded is a thermoplastic elastomer.

5. The device according to claim 3, wherein said material of which said third housing part is molded is a thermoplastic elastomer having a melting point lower than the melting points of the material or materials of which said at least one of said first two housing parts is molded.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the material of which said third housing part is molded is softer than the material of which said at least one of said first two housing parts is molded.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein said third housing part covers a convex surface portion of said at least one of said first two housing parts.

8. The device according to claim 6, wherein said third housing part covers a convex surface portion of said at least one of said first two housing parts which has a smaller radius of curvature than neighboring surface portions.

9. The device according to claim 1 wherein the material of which said third housing part is molded has a higher coefficient of friction than the material of which said at least one of said first two housing parts is formed.

10. The device according to claim 9 wherein said third housing part forms at least a surface portion of said housing on which said housing can be placed in a stable position on a flat surface and has a higher coefficient of friction relative to hard smooth surfaces than the material of which said at least one of said first two housing parts is formed.

11. The device according to claim 1 wherein said third housing part extends from said seam to a portion of said at least one of said first two housing parts which projects past said third housing part.

12. The device according to claim 11 wherein said projecting portions of said at least one of said first two housing parts projects through openings in said third housing part in opposite directions.

13. The device according to claim 1 wherein said electric circuit is connected to contact pins, said contact pins projecting from said housing and proximal portions of said contact pins being molded in at least one of said first two housing parts.

14. The device according to claim 1 wherein said third housing part consists of at least two moldings, said moldings adhering to each other along a seam.

15. The device according to claim 1 including an electric cable extending from inside said housing to outside said housing, said third housing part forming a seal around a portion of said cable.

16. A method of manufacturing an electric device according comprising:

providing at least two housing parts;

mounting an electric circuit to one of said at least two housing parts;

positioning said at least two housing parts relative to each other so that a seam between said at least two housing parts is formed; and

molding a third housing part sealing said seam and covering at least a surface portion of at least one of said at least two housing parts adjacent to said seam, wherein a first molding of said third part is molded to one of said at least first two parts prior to positioning said electric circuit between said at least two housing parts, and wherein a second molding of said third housing part covering said seam is molded to said at least two housing parts, after the positioning of said electric circuit between said at least two housing parts, such that said seam is sealed.