Patent Application
20220104377
The invention relates to electronic assemblies and more particularly to enclosures for electronic circuits, systems and assemblies that are, or may be subjected to, inclement weather conditions.
Through the years, instruments, such as thermometers and barometers, for sensing weather conditions, such as temperature and barometric pressure, have evolved from the mechanical to the electronic. Although modern electronic circuitry and techniques offer tremendous advantages over purely mechanical approaches, a basic problem is that electronic circuits, components and devices themselves are not inherently weatherproof and, to ensure reliability, must themselves be shielded from rain, snow, ice, etc. Accordingly, a variety of enclosures have been developed over the years to permit the installation of electronic weather devices where they are exposed to sometimes extreme weather conditions.
One approach to protecting electronic circuits and devices from direct exposure to rain, humidity and other adverse weather conditions is to encase the circuitry in an enclosure that is, itself, weatherproof and sealed to prevent water and humidity from reaching delicate and/or sensitive electronic components. Although effective in shielding sensitive circuitry from the elements, providing too effective isolation of the circuitry from the weather can interfere with the ability of the circuitry to quickly ascertain, and accurately sense, current weather parameters.
Accordingly, there is a heretofore unmet need in the art for practical, economical ways of protecting weather sensing instrument electronics from harsh weather conditions while not interfering with the ability of the instrument to sense actual weather conditions quickly and accurately.
The invention is directed to apparatus, methods and techniques for protecting sensitive electronic circuitry, devices and systems from inclement weather conditions while not significantly interfering with the ability of such circuitry, devices and systems to sense, accurately and quickly, true weather conditions. The invention is also directed to housings and enclosures for weather sensing electronic circuitry, devices and systems to protect them from inclement weather conditions while not significantly interfering with their ability to sense, accurately and quickly, true weather conditions. The invention is also directed to housings and enclosures for weather sensing electronic circuitry, devices and systems to protect them from inclement weather conditions, that can be easily and inexpensively manufactured for use in mass-marketed, inexpensive consumer weather-measurement devices.
In one embodiment, the housing includes two chambers, one of which is an isolated chamber that is exposed to the ambient atmosphere and the other of which is separated from the isolated chamber by a chamber wall and sealed from the ambient atmosphere. By placing the weather sensing elements in the isolated chamber, they can respond quickly to changes in weather conditions. The remaining circuitry can be contained in the other, sealed chamber where it is protected from moisture and other harsh weather conditions. A wire passing through the chamber wall and sealed to the chamber wall interconnects the weather sensing elements with the remaining circuitry while maintaining physical and atmospheric separation of the two chambers.
These and other features and advantages will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are explanatory only and are not restrictive. Among other things, the various embodiments described herein may be embodied as methods, devices, or a combination thereof. The disclosure herein is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
The features of the present invention that are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with the further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals identify like elements and wherein:
Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Many details of certain embodiments of the disclosure are set forth in the following description and accompanying figures so as to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the appended claims.
With reference to
As illustrated, the front surface 106 of the enclosure includes a plurality of venting holes 116, which in the illustrated embodiment, consist of a number of rectangularly shaped vertical slots extending through the front surface 106.
The construction and interior configuration of the enclosure 100 is best seen in
As further illustrated, a seal or gasket 122, which in the illustrated embodiment consists of a silicone polymer O-ring, is provided between the lower unit 118 and the upper unit 119 to provide a weather-resistant seal between the two when they are assembled to each other.
As further illustrated in
A display 130, preferably in the form of a liquid crystal display, is provided to display the sensed temperature and/or relative humidity and is disposed above the main circuit board 124 under the upper unit 119. Preferably, a transparent window 132 is provided in the upper unit 119 over an aperture 134 formed therein to permit the display to be seen from outside of the enclosure 100. Power for energizing the detectors 126, 128, the main circuit board 124 and the display 130 is provided by means of a battery 136, that is also contained in the housing 100, between the lower unit 118 and the upper unit 119. Preferably, the battery 136 is a rechargeable lithium battery. Alternatively, replaceable or non-rechargeable lithium or non-lithium batteries can be used.
Preferably, the lower unit 118 and upper unit 119 are each formed of a durable, rigid, injection-molded plastic such as [here list all possibilities]. As previously noted, the seal or gasket 122 is preferably formed of a silicone polymer, while the window 132 is formed of a durable, weather-resistant transparent plastic.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the housing is configured to have basically two isolated interior chambers that, in the illustrated embodiment are defined by an internal chamber wall or baffle 138 formed inside the lower unit 118 and extending between the side walls 110, 112 parallel and spaced from the front and back walls 106, 108. In the illustrated embodiment, the chamber wall or baffle 138 is positioned near and spaced from the front wall 106 by a sufficient distance to provide room for the detectors 126, 128, which, in turn, are positioned in the space between the baffle 138 and the front wall 106. By so positioning the detectors 126, 128, the detectors are able quickly to sense the temperature and relative humidity of the ambient air, which is able to reach the detectors through the venting holes 116 formed in the front wall 106. In addition, by so positioning the detectors 126, 128, the detectors remain largely protected from rain, snow, hail and other weather conditions while remaining in intimate contact with the ambient atmosphere. It will be appreciated that, in actual use, the weather device will likely be mounted so that the front wall 106 faces downwardly toward the surface of the Earth, with the front surface 102 and side walls 110, 112 oriented vertically.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the main circuit board 124 is located on the other side of the baffle or chamber wall 138 opposite the detectors 126,128. Electrical communication between the main circuit board 124 and the detectors 126, 128 is provided by means of wires or conductors extending between the two and that pass through the chamber wall 138 in sealed engagement therewith. In one embodiment, the conductors pass through small slots or holes in the chamber wall 138 and are then sealed by means of a silicone polymer to ensure a water-tight and weatherproof between the conductors and wall 138. By so positioning the detectors 126, 128 and the main circuit board 124 relative to the chamber wall 138 and interior chambers of the housing, the main circuit board 124, along with the display 130 and the battery 136, can be fully protected from moisture and other adverse conditions, while the detectors 126, 128 can remain in intimate contact with the ambient air to provide rapid sensing and responses to changing atmospheric conditions. This allows the apparatus to sense, rapidly and accurately, actual weather conditions, while keeping sensitive and fragile electronic circuitry safely protected from moisture and other potentially damaging conditions.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that, in its broader aspects, the invention is not limited to the particular form illustrated. For example, the shape of the housing 100 can be modified to accommodate the particular form of instrument to be provided, and the weather parameters to be monitored are not limited only to temperature and/or relative humidity. The particular materials used are not critical provided they are sufficiently rigid, weatherproof and durable to protect the circuitry contained therein. Furthermore, the size, shape and configuration of the interior compartments of the housing are not critical, provided the weather-sensing devices are exposed to the actual ambient atmosphere while the sensitive components are safely contained in a separate compartment isolated from moisture and/or other potentially damaging conditions.
While a particular embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
