The invention also relates to a method for effecting a sealed inlet of an element, for example a media-conveying conduit or an electricity cable, in a first opening in the unit bounding a room or space (ceiling, floor, wall, etc.).

PRIOR ART The proposal of inlets in wall, ceiling and floor constructions for conduits, electricity cables, etc. is already known. The proposal of similar inlets in association with spaces and rooms which requires that each inlet has to fulfil a requirement to be sealed and/or sterile is also already known and as an example of this inlets can be mentioned which are connected with conduits and process installations within the pharmaceutical, food and/or chemical industry.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEM There are a number of requirements made of inlets of this type. Each inlet must be, inter alia, simple to

insert and in spite of this must form a sealed inlet that prevents leakage from the surrounding space. This requirement is particularly important in association with sterile rooms/clean rooms/process rooms. In addition, the inlet, viewed from the inside of the room or the like, must have a flat design that does not collect dust, to make cleaning around the inlet easier.

Further requirements can be that the inlet must be able to withstand high temperatures and constitute a uniformly standardized installation. The invention is intended to solve all or some of these problems.

It is also important to be able to prevent mechanical forces from spreading to and affecting the sealing function or disturbing the inlet itself, which is often the case in so-called rigid inlets. The invention solves this problem and also prevents heating, cooling and/or vibrations in the element (conduit) passing through the inlet from affecting the seal (the sealing function) to a significant extent.

In the case of inlets of this type it is often usual to propose designs to be characterized by a number of components that must be assembled and inserted in connection with the installation work. This complicates the installation work. There is a requirement that it should be possible to install an inlet using only an easily inserted prefabricated component. The invention also solves this problem.

SOLUTION The main characteristics of the novel inlet device are that it comprises or consists of a plate- shaped element that is provided with fixing means, for example adhesive tape. By means of this means the plate-shaped element can be fixed on an existing surface of the unit so that the second opening is aligned with the first opening in the unit. The plate- shaped element in this case includes a seal extending into the second opening which seal upon the insertion

of the element (12) into the first and second openings forms a seal against the outside of the element (the conduit, cable, etc.). The plate-shaped element is also designed to be sealed against the abovementioned surface on the unit using sealing means such as glue, adhesive or the like.

In a preferred embodiment the plate-shaped element has a height within the range 1.5-10 mm. In an exemplary embodiment the height is approx. 3 mm. The plate-shaped element includes a backing surface that can be placed against the abovementioned surface of the unit. The inlet device can be constructed so that it includes first and second plate-shaped elements between which is mounted the seal for the element. The first and second plate-shaped elements, and also the seal, have a through-opening. The first element can be provided in this case with the abovementioned backing surface. The second element extends preferably beyond the first element and the sealing means is applied around the peripheries of the first and second plate- shaped elements. The fixing means, which can consist of double-sided adhesive tape, is applied to the protruding parts of the second plate-shaped element.

The second seal can be in the form of a glued joint that extends around the periphery of the plate-shaped elements. In a preferred embodiment the plate-shaped element is made of stainless steel, enamelled sheet metal or polymer material. The seal of the plate-shaped element consists of or includes rubber or elastomer material, which can for example be EPDM or silicone.

Viewed from the inside of the room or space the plate- shaped element has a flat shape that only protrudes slightly above the surface covering the unit, that is the ceiling, floor, wall, etc. The flat design that only protrudes slightly above the abovementioned surface means that cleaning is easy to carry out and prevents the accumulation of dust. The plate-shaped element is used for inlet installations in sterile

rooms, clean rooms or process rooms. The choice of material is therefore made so that the inlet device can withstand high temperatures, by which can be meant temperatures of up to 1450C for two hours.

The method according to the invention is characterized in that a plate-shaped element with the second through-opening can be fixed, for example by gluing, onto an existing surface on the abovementioned unit, that is ceiling, floor, wall, etc., with the second opening aligned with the first opening. The plate-shaped element is sealed against the unit around the periphery of the element by means of a joint made of glue, adhesive or similar sealing material. When the element, that is the conduit, cable, etc., is inserted in the first and second openings a seal is effected against the outside of the element by means of a sealing device in the plate-shaped element that extends into the second opening.

In a preferred embodiment the sealing device is designed to effect a seal also when the element (the conduit or similar) arranged in the inlet device moves, for example axially, due to heating, cooling, etc., or when it vibrates.

ADVANTAGES By means of the design proposed in the above an easily prefabricated component is obtained that consists of uncritical construction elements that in themselves represent well-proven techniques from the viewpoint of sealing and heat-tolerance. The prefabricated components are easy to store and handle.

The components can be inserted into the actual opening in the ceiling, floor or wall construction exceptionally easily. The element, for example the conduit, can expand or contract, vibrate or be displaced (in a longitudinal direction) while a high sealing efficiency is maintained.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES A presently proposed embodiment of a device and a method according to the invention will be described below with reference to the attached figures in which Figure 1 shows a horizontal view of a first embodiment of a plate-shaped element with a through- opening into which a seal extends, Figure 2 shows a vertical section of the plate-shaped element according to Figure 1 arranged at an opening in a wall or the like, Figure 3 shows a horizontal view of a second embodiment of the plate-shaped element, and Figure 4 shows a horizontal view of a third embodiment of the plate-shaped element.

DETAILED EMBODIMENT Figure 1 shows at 1 a plate-shaped element with a circular horizontal section. The external diameter is indicated by yd. The element has a through-opening 2, into which a seal 3 extends. The seal has an opening with an internal diameter id. According to Figure 2 the present exemplary embodiment is constructed of two plate-shaped first and second elements 4 and 5 with the seal 3 mounted between them. The inner or first plate- shaped element 4 has a ring-shaped inner surface 4a that forms a backing surface by means of which the plate-shaped element 1 is in contact with a partially shown unit 7 that bounds the room or space 6. The backing surface 4a is thereby in contact with an inner surface 7a of the unit.

The second (outer) plate-shaped element 5 has parts 5a that extend beyond the first (inner) element 4. On the abovementioned protruding parts that are in the shape of a ring, there are fixing means 8 that in the exemplary embodiment consist of double-sided adhesive tape. The seal 3 is provided with a fixing layer 9 on its parts that abut the first and second plate-shaped elements. The abovementioned fixing layer

can consist of glue, adhesive or the like. The double- sided adhesive tape is attached to the inside of the abovementioned protruding parts 5a and forms the anchoring means for the plate-shaped element 1 against the surface 7a by means of the other side of the tape being stuck to the wall 7a. Around the periphery of the second plate-shaped element the plate-shaped element 1 is fastened and sealed with a flexible joint of, for example, silicone 10, which in the example shown also forms a seal with the tape 8.

The unit 7 has an opening 11 and the plate-shaped element 1 is fixed on the wall 7a so that the openings 2 and 11 are aligned (centred in relation to each other). An element, for example a conduit 12, is inserted into the openings. The diameter or external measurement D of the element in this case exceeds the diameter id of the seal, which means that the seal can fold and form a seal with the outside or outer surface (casing surface) 12a of the element 12. In the example shown the diameter exceeds the diameter id by approx. 4 mm or by a value that is adjusted in each individual case by the choice of id in relation to D. The plate- shaped element has a low height a above the inner surface 7a.

In a preferred embodiment yd can be chosen to be between 20 mm and 500 mm and id can be chosen to be between 3 mm and 470 mm. The floor, ceiling, wall, etc.

can be constructed of conventional materials, tiles, plaster, concrete, sheet metal, etc. The inner plate- shaped element or base plate can have a thickness of between 0.5 mm and 2.0 mm. The second plate-shaped element or front plate can have a corresponding thickness. The sealing member can have a thickness of between 0.5 mm and 3.0 mm. The double-sided adhesive tape that can be made in a known way can have a thickness of 0.2 mm to 5.0 mm. The front and base plates can be made of stainless steel (SIS 2333 or 2334) or an equivalent. Alternatively the plates can be

made of enamelled sheet metal or polymer material (for example polyamide or PVDF = polyvinyldifluoride) etc.

The sealing membrane or the seal consists of rubber or elastomer material, for example silicone or EPDM.

By means of the above, leakage is prevented from the surrounding space 13 into the space 6. Unwanted particles, gas and pollutants are thus prevented from entering the space 6 which can in addition be pressurized in relation to the surroundings 13. Only the inside 12b of the element 12 is in connection with the space 6 and a (not shown) source of media, other space, etc. Media can thus be brought into and/or taken out of the space 6 via the inside 12a of the element 12 without the danger of the entry of unwanted pollutants.

According to Figures 3 and 4 the plate-shaped element a second designed with horizontal section 1', 1'' on the outer dimensions and the openings 2', 2''.

Thus the plate-shaped element is designed with square or rectangular outer dimensions. In Figure 3 the measurements for the width and the height are indicated by b and h respectively. The opening 2' can be square or rectangular. Various combinations can also be possible in addition to those shown.

In Figure 4 the measurements for the width and the height are indicated by b' and h' respectively. In an embodiment the width b can be 30 mm - 1200 mm and the height 30 mm - 1200 mm. The internal dimension im can be 3 mm - 470 mm.

The plate-shaped element is fixed onto the inner surface 7a of the unit 7 so that the openings in the unit and in the plate-shaped element are centred. The flexible joint or sealing joint 10 or the like is applied around the periphery of the plate-shaped element. Thereafter the element 12 is inserted in the opening. The element 12 is centred in the opening so that a proper seal is made with the sealing device 3.

The seal is designed to withstand a temperature of 1450C for two hours, also in the event of direct

contact. The device provides little temperature transmission as a result of the use of rubber and stainless steel in the outer plates that thereby act as cooling flanges. The unit forms an entity that can be installed simply without interfering with the demands of the clean room and also without the use of tools or other external equipment. There is thus no need for additional fixing processes such as drilling, fixing with screws, etc. which have an inherent risk of pollution. The seal permits lengthways movements in an axial and radial direction and also at an angle in relation to the element (the conduit or the like) without the sealing effect being lost. The seal is folded like a collar around the conduit or the like.

The invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiment according to the above but can be modified within the scope of the following patent claims and the concept of the invention.