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EP-4646140-B1 - MECHANICALLY SEALED HOUSINGS FOR PHYSIOLOGICAL MONITORS

EP4646140B1EP 4646140 B1EP4646140 B1EP 4646140B1EP-4646140-B1

Inventors

  • PETERSON, Benjamin August Rothenberg
  • NICOLAE, Aurelian

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240319

Claims (15)

  1. An assembly for a wearable physiological monitor comprising: a first part (610, 710, 1910), wherein: the first part is formed of a first material having a first melt temperature, the first part includes a first surface (712, 1912), and the first part includes an anchor (650, 750, 1950) with an anchor feature (754, 1954) having an anchor surface (756, 1956) extending horizontally as the anchor feature extends vertically from the first surface; a second part (620, 1920), wherein: the second part is formed of a second material having a second melt temperature lower than the first melt temperature, the second part includes an opening (626), and the first part is positioned adjacent to the second part with the anchor feature passing through the opening; and a third part (630, 1930), wherein: the third part is formed of a third material having a third melt temperature lower than the first melt temperature, the third part is secured to the second part by a chemical bond, and the third part secures the first part relative to the second part by filling a volume between the anchor surface of the first part and an adjacent surface of the second part around the opening.
  2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the third part encloses at least a portion of the anchor feature.
  3. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 2, wherein the chemical bond between the second part and the third part creates an environmental seal around the opening.
  4. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the second part includes a rim (1922) structurally configured to laterally retain the first part relative to the second part.
  5. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 4, wherein the assembly forms a waterproof enclosure for one or more electronic components.
  6. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a sheet (640) attached to the assembly, the sheet including an optically clear polymer positioned to cover one or more optical sensors of the assembly.
  7. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 6, wherein the third material is the same as the second material, and wherein the third melt temperature is the same as the second melt temperature.
  8. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first material is an electrically conductive material, and wherein the second and third materials are electrically resistive materials.
  9. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the second melt temperature and the third melt temperature are between 150 °C and 350 °C.
  10. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first melt temperature is between 450 °C and 2000 °C.
  11. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first material is a metal.
  12. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 11, wherein each of the second material and the third material is a polycarbonate.
  13. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 12, wherein each of the second material and the third material includes a thermoplastic.
  14. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the first material has an electrical conductivity of at least 1x10 6 Ω -1 ·m -1 .
  15. The assembly of any of claims 1 to 14, wherein one or more of the second material and the third material have an electrical resistivity of at least 1x10 6 Ω·m.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure generally relates to devices, assemblies, systems, and methods for mechanically securing a housing of a wearable physiological monitor or similar electronic devices, e.g., for forming a waterproof enclosure for one or more electronic components thereof. BACKGROUND Electronic devices such as wearable physiological monitors may be substantially waterproof to ensure the safety, durability, reliability, hygiene, and/or versatility of such devices, making them suitable for use in various conditions and activities. For example, if a wearable physiological monitor is intended to be continuously wearable-where a wearer need not remove the device for charging or otherwise-the device should be sufficiently waterproof such that activities such as bathing, swimming, exercising, cleaning, wearing while in damp or wet environmental conditions, and the like will not damage sensitive electronic components included within an enclosure of the device, and so the device continues to function accurately and reliably during such activities or in different environments. However, creating a waterproof enclosure for a wearable physiological monitor or similar electronic device may be challenging, particularly when different materials are used for the assembly of such devices. For example, in electronic devices that include enclosures formed of different materials such as metal and plastic, insert molding the plastic about the metal may not create a sufficient seal for waterproofing, and gluing or taping these material can lead to gaps therebetween and/or other undesirable effects. Furthermore, when materials have different coefficients of thermal expansion, this can cause separation of these materials over the lifetime of a device. There remains a need for improved waterproof multi-part housing assemblies for wearable physiological monitors or other electronic devices and the like. US 2021/259634 discloses a re-wearable physiological monitoring device includes a reusable component and a disposable component. The reusable component includes an electronics module and a latching system for latching the reusable component to the disposable component. The disposable component includes an adhesive patch to be adhered to a user's skin, two electrodes to receive electrical signals from the user's skin, a cradle for the reusable component to be latched on, and a battery to power the device. The reusable component comprises a circuit board encased in a plastic housing comprising a bottom part and a top part. The circuit board comprises four spring loaded electrical connectors (e.g, pogo pin connectors) that are used to connect the reusable component to the disposable component. A gasket is placed in such a way as to form a waterproof enclosure around each pogo pin connector. SUMMARY The invention is defined by the appended claims. An enclosure for an electronic device, such as a wearable physiological monitor, is formed of at least two different materials, a first part formed of a first material (e.g., a metal) and a second part formed of a second material (e.g., a plastic). The second part includes an opening to receive at least a portion of the first part therein, where the first part includes an anchor projecting from a surface thereof into the opening of the second part. To ensure that the enclosure is waterproof, a third part that is chemically bonded to the second part secures the first part by filling a volume between the anchor of the first part and an adjacent surface of the second part around the opening. In some aspects, the chemical bond between the second part and the third part creates an environmental seal around the opening. In an aspect, a waterproof wearable physiological monitoring device disclosed herein may include: a first part including a plurality of pads, each pad of the plurality of pads formed of a first material having a first melt temperature, and a plurality of plates, each affixed to a first surface of one of the plurality of pads, each of the plurality of plates including at least one anchor formed along a perimeter of one of the plurality of plates and projecting from the perimeter at a first angle such that the at least one anchor is disposed above the first surface of its respective pad; a second part including a first support structure formed substantially of a second material having a second melt temperature that is lower than the first melt temperature, the first support structure including one or more openings for each of the plurality of pads such that a second surface of each pad that opposes the first surface is exposed along an exterior surface of the device and the first surface of each pad is contained within an interior of the device; and a third part, where the third part includes a second support structure formed substantially of a third material having a third melt temperature that is lower than the first melt temperature, the second support structure is