Electricity: conductors and insulators – Anti-inductive structures – Conductor transposition
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-12
2002-02-19
Reichard, Dean A. (Department: 2831)
Electricity: conductors and insulators
Anti-inductive structures
Conductor transposition
C277S920000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06348654
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates broadly to gaskets for providing environmental sealing and/or electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding, and particularly to a low closure force EMI shielding gasket which is especially adapted for use within small electronics enclosures such as cellular phone handsets and other handheld electronic devices.
The operation of electronic devices such as televisions, radios, computers, medical instruments, business machines, communications equipment, and the like is attended by the generation of electromagnetic radiation within the electronic circuitry of the equipment. As is detailed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,202,536; 5,142,101; 5,105,056; 5,028,739; 4,952,448; and 4,857,668, such radiation often develops as a field or as transients within the radio frequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum, i.e., between about 10 KHz and 10 GHz, and is termed “electromagnetic interference” or “EMI” as being known to interfere with the operation of other proximate electronic devices.
To attenuate EMI effects, shielding having the capability of absorbing and/or reflecting EMI energy may be employed both to confine the EMI energy within a source device, and to insulate that device or other “target” devices from other source devices. Such shielding is provided as a barrier which is inserted between the source and the other devices, and typically is configured as an electrically conductive and grounded housing which encloses the device. As the circuitry of the device generally must remain accessible for servicing or the like, most housings are provided with openable or removable accesses such as doors, hatches, panels, or covers. Between even the flattest of these accesses and its corresponding mating or faying surface, however, there may be present gaps which reduce the efficiency of the shielding by presenting openings through which radiant energy may leak or otherwise pass into or out of the device. Moreover, such gaps represent discontinuities in the surface and ground conductivity of the housing or other shielding, and may even generate a secondary source of EMI radiation by functioning as a form of slot antenna. In this regard, bulk or surface currents induced within the housing develop voltage gradients across any interface gaps in the shielding, which gaps thereby function as antennas which radiate EMI noise. In general, the amplitude of the noise is proportional to the gap length, with the width of the gap having less appreciable effect.
For filling gaps within mating surfaces of housings and other EMI shielding structures, gaskets and other seals have been proposed both for maintaining electrical continuity across the structure, and for excluding from the interior of the device such contaminates as moisture and dust. Such seals are bonded or mechanically attached to, or press-fit into, one of the mating surfaces, and function to close any interface gaps to establish a continuous conductive path thereacross by conforming under an applied pressure to irregularities between the surfaces. Accordingly, seals intended for EMI shielding applications are specified to be of a construction which not only provides electrical surface conductivity even while under compression, but which also has a resiliency allowing the seals to conform to the size of the gap. The seals additionally must be wear resistant, economical to manufacture, and capability of withstanding repeated compression and relaxation cycles. For further information on specifications for EMI shielding gaskets, reference may be had to Severinsen, J., “Gaskets That Block EMI,” Machine Design, Vol. 47, No. 19, pp. 74-77 (Aug. 7, 1975).
EMI shielding gaskets typically are constructed as a resilient core element having gap-filling capabilities which is either filled, sheathed, or coated with an electrically conductive element. The resilient core element, which may be foamed or unfoamed, solid or tubular, typically is formed of an elastomeric thermoplastic material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, or a polypropylene-EPDM blend, or a thermoplastic or thermosetting rubber such as a butadiene, styrene-butadiene, nitrile, chlorosulfonate, neoprene, urethane, or silicone rubber.
Conductive materials for the filler, sheathing, or coating include metal or metal-plated particles, fabrics, meshes, and fibers. Preferred metals include copper, nickel, silver, aluminum, tin or an alloy such as Monel, with preferred fibers and fabrics including natural or synthetic fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, cellulose, polyester, polyamide, nylon, polyimide. Alternatively, other conductive particles and fibers such as carbon, graphite, or a conductive polymer material may be substituted.
Conventional manufacturing processes for EMI shielding gaskets include extrusion, molding, or die-cutting, with molding or die-cutting heretofore being preferred for particularly small or complex shielding configurations. In this regard, die-cutting involves the forming of the gasket from a cured sheet of an electrically-conductive elastomer which is cut or stamped using a die or the like into the desired configuration. Molding, in turn, involves the compression or injection molding of an uncured or thermoplastic elastomer into the desired configuration.
More recently, a form-in-place (FIP) process has been proposed for the manufacture of EMI shielding gaskets. As is described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,096,413; 5,910,524; and 5,641,438, and PCT Application WO 96/22672; and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,882,729 and 5,731,541; and Japanese Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 7177/1993, such process involves the application of a bead of a viscous, curable, electrically-conductive composition which is dispensed in a fluent state from a nozzle directly onto to a surface of a substrate such as a housing or other enclosure. The composition, typically a silver-filled or otherwise electrically-conductive silicone elastomer, then is cured-in-place via the application of heat or with atmospheric moisture or ultraviolet (UV) radiation to form an electrically-conductive, elastomeric EMI shielding gasket in situ on the substrate surface.
Another recent EMI shielding solution for electronics enclosures, which solution is further described in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,566,055 and in DE 19728839 involves the over-molding of the housing or cover with an conductive elastomer. The elastomer is integrally molded in a relatively thin layer across the inside surface of the housing or cover, and in a relatively thicker layer along the interface locations thereof providing both a gasket-like response for environmentally sealing the cover to the housing and electrical continuity for the EMI shielding of the enclosure. The elastomer additionally may be molded onto interior partitions of the cover or housing, or itself molded to integrally-form such partitions, providing electromagneticly-isolated compartments between potentially interfering circuitry components. Covers of such type are marketed commercially under the name Cho-Shield® Cover by the Chomerics EMC Division of Parker-Hannifin Corporation (Woburn, Mass.).
Yet another solution for shielding electronics enclosures, and particularly the smaller enclosures typical of cellular phone handsets and other handheld electronic devices, concerns the incorporation of a thin plastic retainer or frame as a supporting member of the gasket. As is described in commonly-assigned, co-pending application U.S. Ser. No. 08/377,412 filed Jan. 24, 1995, the electrically conductive elastomer may be molded or, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,541, formed-in-place or otherwise attached to the inner or inner peripheral edge surfaces and/or to the upper or lower face surfaces of the frame. So constructed, the gasket and frame assembly may be integrated within the electronic device to provide a low impedance pathway between, for example, peripheral ground traces on a printed circuit board (PCB) of the device, and other components thereof such as the conductive coating of a plastic hou
Harris Michael D.
Ventura Daniel S.
Zhang Kai
Molnar, Jr. John A.
Ngo Hung V
Parker-Hannifin Corporation
Reichard Dean A.
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