Wall-mounted box for electrical system and installation method thereof

Abstract

In general, the application of the invention relates to the electrical wiring of buildings. In particular, when the walls are made of gypsum boards or alternatively panels made of other similar materials or are covered with such panels, the identified solution involves positioning and installing on the walls of the rooms a box suitable for accommodating power sockets or control systems or various sensors. From the point of view of the design of new electrical systems, the invention finds application in the new concept of a "bus" architecture, in which one or more power lines carrying voltages (in principle direct and alternating voltages) are arranged throughout the building, and the loads are connected to these live lines at any point without interrupting them at the contact points. The invention proposes a box for extracting electrical contacts from wires made by "ribbon cables" laid under the surface decorative panels of the wall or ceiling. This box is easy to install and makes the power interface available on this wall so that the load can access it. This box for withdrawing electrical contacts is characterized in that, when installed, it is partially embedded in the wall, above the characteristic piece of the electrical wire, where it is intended to withdraw the contact to present it to the outside, and that it is embedded only with a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the surface decorative panel; it is also equipped with at least one electrode positioned in such a way that, when the box for withdrawing electrical contacts is installed, this electrode is pressed against the "ribbon cable" and thus makes electrical contact with the conductor of the electrical wire.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Generally speaking, the application of the invention relates to the electrical wiring of buildings.

[0002] In particular, when the walls are internally made of or covered with panels made of gypsum boards or alternatively of other similar materials, the identified solution involves positioning and mounting on the walls of the rooms boxes suitable for housing electrical sockets or control systems or various sensors.

[0003] In the most advanced technologies, the use of plasterboard panels is convenient in many situations: in fact, plasterboard is an easy-to-use material that allows the creation of walls with very regular internal finishes, making it possible at the same time to realize a technique for making walls with a lot of detailed shapes and a very fast and flexible construction. In addition, by making plasterboard walls it is very simple to obtain hollow spaces inside the wall, voids that can be used to create thermal or acoustic insulation. The use of plasterboard for finishing the internal walls of buildings therefore constitutes a solution that is already widely used in the construction sector. In the future, it cannot be excluded that, in addition to plasterboard, which now represents the material with the best price-performance ratio, panels made of other materials with equally suitable characteristics (or even better) will be used to create the walls of buildings and, in general, for application scenarios in the construction sector and furniture supply. Background Art

[0004] Typically, when walls in a building are made of gypsum board, systems in general, and electrical systems in particular, utilize the hollow space formed inside the walls.

[0005] In the case of electrical systems, the cables pass through suitable ducts consisting of flexible tubes of plastic material (so-called corrugated pipes), usually laid inside the walls; or, often in commercial buildings and less often in residential buildings, the system is distributed in other types of ducts installed outside, generally in the wall.

[0006] Cables are passed through these ducts inside them (as mentioned, in the case of plasterboard walls, usually placed in the gap between two plasterboard panels), usually connecting boxes of various types and sizes. Some of these boxes house switches or power sockets, others contain electrical control units or other electronic equipment, others contain various sensors, others are junction boxes and switch boxes for electrical circuits. These boxes are mounted on the wall by making holes in the plasterboard panels at the desired points and are connected to one or more ducts, so preparations must be made in advance in order to connect all the points where one of these boxes is expected to be installed. Usually, the boxes according to the known technology are installed at a depth beyond the plasterboard layer, so it is required to protect them with a special silicate shell placed in order to create protection of the box for fire protection purposes.

[0007] This method of installing the building's electrical system has the advantage (perhaps the only advantage) of installing the electrical system as a typical system, just like the one installed in a building with masonry walls. In fact, when the pipes are laid to connect the various boxes (whatever type they are), nothing changes, whether they are built into the walls or floors of brick walls (as happens in a brick-walled building after the laying traces have been laid), or they follow paths inside the plasterboard walls: the system is conceived and built in the same way.

[0008] On the other hand, this installation method, which is currently widely used and briefly described above, has many contraindications.

[0009] The first category of taboos common to masonry and plasterboard walls is the lack of flexibility in the positioning of the boxes. In fact, the pipes must be prepared in advance and the boxes must be positioned in the locations designed from the beginning. Any change (for the addition of a new box or for its displacement) involves work of such magnitude that in common practice, major compromises are often accepted in the construction of the system in order to avoid such modifications.

[0010] Another type of taboo concerns thermal and acoustic insulation. Ducts are, in fact, a favoured path for the transmission of vibrations (sound) and heat: in fact, they define a transmission path through the walls, albeit a long and tortuous one.

[0011] Finally, a very important and often underestimated taboo concerns safety. In fact, the paths determined by the pipes are also favorable paths for the spread of smoke and flames that may be generated in the event of a fire or explosion, making the damage caused by these possible situations spread faster. In this regard, it has been observed that in the event of a fire, more people die from smoke poisoning than from fire: and smoke spreads through the tubes in various rooms. Therefore, it is not a small problem to design systems that reduce or even eliminate the use of pipes.

[0012] There is a known technique, although not yet widely available, that does a good job of eliminating most of these taboos.

[0013] This is a new technology based on the use of specific conductor cables used in the electrical systems of buildings: so-called "ribbon cables". These cables look like flat, thin ribbons that can be laid between two sheets of gypsum board, or underneath a panel that can in turn be adhered to any type of underlying wall (or can even be laid on the surface of a masonry wall), and then covered with a thin layer of gypsum or a special smoothing compound or other material to finish the wall.

[0014] It should be noted that, for convenience, the description of the invention will be explained with reference to plasterboard walls or walls covered with plasterboard; however, the concept of the invention is valid for any material used to make any type of wall whose outer surface consists of covering panels, even panels of low thickness, about 6-15 mm (typically 12.5 mm). Obviously, the invention is also applicable to the case of panels of greater thickness.

[0015] Before describing the present invention, it is useful to briefly describe how these so-called new design "ribbon cables" are manufactured.

[0016] The "ribbon cable" comprises internally a number of strips (or ribbons) of a conductive material (usually copper). These conductive strips may be arranged side by side without electrical contact with each other and covered on both sides with an insulating sheath which, in addition to insulating the conductors, keeps them spaced apart and parallel.

[0017] These "ribbon cables" can be made to include a variable number of conductive ribbons, depending on the need or use; thus there are "ribbon cables" (or even fiber optic cables for data, video, etc.) including two, three or any number of conductors. Usually, the insulating sheath is coated with an adhesive on its outer surface in order to facilitate their laying along the desired line path. These "ribbon cables" do not require conduits, they are attached to the wall or panel (thanks to the adhesive surface) and then covered, usually by an additional facing panel placed on the wall itself.

[0018] It has been observed that such “ribbon cables” can be obtained with thicknesses less than one millimeter (typically 0.25 mm to 0.35 mm); in any case, these thicknesses are almost negligible compared to the measures that define the precision of typical building constructions.

[0019] In the case of plasterboard walls, the typical installation method envisages positioning these "ribbon cables" between two coupled sheets of plasterboard; in fact, in order to make the walls consistent, double layers of boards are often used and the so-called "ribbon cables" are preferably adapted to be inserted between the two coupled panels.

[0020] In general, it is obvious that whenever the interior walls of an environment are externally decorated with panels (or boards) of any material, which are made to adhere to the underlying wall surface, it is very convenient to lay "ribbon cables" under such surface decorative panels, thus creating efficient electrical wiring.

[0021] It should be noted that these wiring does not require any kind of pipes or tubes;

[0022] They are very safe, especially from the point of view of the spread of fire and the smoke it generates. In other words, the use of this type of wiring has many advantages in terms of fire safety and allows the creation of fire and / or smoke barriers without weak parts such as the tubes prepared for the wiring of traditional systems. In this regard, it is noted that the "ribbon cable" technology has been tested for heat resistance (ie fire resistance) and has excellent performance: resistance for more than two hours at 850°C, and for 73 minutes in destructive tests reaching a temperature of 983°C.

[0023] Additionally, not having tubes inside the wall generally improves the insulating properties of the wall, both from a sound and thermal perspective.

[0024] In theory, cables made with these "ribbon cables" can be coupled to traditional boxes used in systems with traditional cables (on cable ducts). However, using traditional boxes would require drilling deep into the wall (partially limiting the insulation and fire protection advantages mentioned above), and most importantly, it is not suitable for scenarios where installation flexibility is increasingly important.

[0025] Note that in the case of future scenarios, flexibility in installing power sockets is a particularly important (and increasingly important) requirement, which seems to have at least two characteristics:

[0026] a. the gradual installation of so-called “smart objects”, which will require electricity at many more points than are normally installed indoors, and

[0027] b. The extensive use of diffuse LED lighting, which will increasingly replace classic lighting, which is usually based on a few light points per room.

[0028] Therefore, it is desirable to wire with different architectures than those currently used for electrical systems so that these architectures can support the flexibility requirements that will arise in the near future.

[0029] Therefore, from a design perspective, it is foreseeable that the new concept electrical system will shift from a "star" architecture (the most common today) to a "bus" architecture.

[0030] Simplifying the concept, it can be simply said that in the "star" architecture, it is envisaged that starting from a limited number of concentrators and switch boxes, one or more wires are connected to each light point, each socket and each switch, which must be appropriately positioned in the building in advance; in the "bus" architecture, one or more power lines carrying voltage (in principle, DC and AC) can be set up throughout the building, running almost anywhere along all the perimeters of the rooms (possibly at different heights) and passing through the ceiling or floor.

[0031] In a "bus" architecture, the loads can be connected to these live lines at any point, without interrupting them at the contact point. In these architectures, the switches act directly on the loads, without interrupting the supply lines at a remote point relative to the loads themselves, which means that if they must be remotely located relative to the loads, then for reasons of ease of use, the on / off commands (or any other regulation) must be implemented by transmitting command signals, and not by operating switches to achieve physical disconnection of the circuit, as in a "star" system.

[0032] It should be noted that the present invention is not particularly concerned with the problem of commands which, as mentioned, based on their actual transmission, require the provision of a "data bus". Nor does the present invention concern the innovations that can be introduced in the electrical system thanks to the use of a "bus" architecture. On the other hand, the present invention is concerned with proposing a solution for efficiently and conveniently locating the power extraction point at any point of the live line as indicated above, i.e., with a "bus" built on the basis of the use of a "ribbon cable" installed under a panel (usually a gypsum board), as explained above; these voltage pick-up points are sockets, lamp points or, in general, load installation points. Summary of the invention

[0033] The main purpose of the invention is therefore to propose a new type of box, as well as a new installation method, suitable for extracting the power interface from the live lines of a wired electrical system made of "ribbon cable" with a "bus" architecture; this is to be able to power the load, connecting it via a normal power socket or providing other forms of contact (for example, directly connecting the load without providing a socket / plug coupling).

[0034] Another object of the present invention is to make such a box easily applicable to any point of a live line and with minimal impact on the wall where it is installed. In particular, it is avoided to drill very deep into the wall, i.e., only drill the surface panel under which the line runs.

[0035] This reduced intrusiveness of the installation (in terms of intervention on the wall) must also allow achieving the further objective of facilitating the removal of these boxes and the repair of the wall, so that the electrical system created in this way offers a particular flexibility of modification and adaptation.

[0036] Generally speaking, however, neither the installation of a new box nor its removal will have the effect of requiring some modification of the underlying wiring.

[0037] Other very important objects of the invention, which are also achieved because the invention is based on the use of a "ribbon cable", relate to safety and insulation aspects.

[0038] It is therefore required that the box according to the invention does not constitute a significant weakness in terms of forming a path with poor insulation. Meaning any type of insulation: preventing the transmission of sound, heat, smoke, flames, etc...

[0039] The indicated object can be achieved with the aid of a box for extracting electrical contacts from electrical wires made by a "ribbon cable" placed under a surface finishing panel of a wall or ceiling, so as to make said extracted contacts available and accessible to an external load; and said box for extracting electrical contacts is characterized in that:

[0040] √ When installed, it is partially inserted in the wall, above the characteristic piece of the wire, where it is intended to extract the contact to provide to the outside, and is inserted only to a thickness corresponding to the thickness of the surface decorative panel, and

[0041] √ It comprises at least one contact electrode capable of achieving electrical contact with the conductive strips of said electrical wires made by means of a "ribbon cable", and said at least one contact electrode is positioned in such a way that, when said box for extracting electrical contacts is mounted, it is pressed against said conductive strips and is in electrical contact therewith.

[0042] It is observed and reiterated that, according to the teachings of the invention, the characteristic part of the box for extracting electrical contacts relates to some functional features related to the simple extraction of contacts from the wall, wherein the specific wiring (i.e. the wiring made by "ribbon cable") is positioned below the surface decorative panel of the wall itself.

[0043] The feature of the present invention is not particularly the structure of the box facing the outside of the wall. In fact, once the power contacts in the installed box are accessible, it is designed to provide a variety of universal power interfaces suitable for connecting loads in different shapes. Therefore, various possible power socket standards can be obtained, and universal loads (such as light points, or various sensors) can be directly connected. In this regard, it is noted that the box according to the present invention (as will also be better shown below, explaining some implementations) enables the creation of low-thickness electrical sockets.

[0044] It should also be immediately noted that the electrodes suitable for making electrical contact with the wires can also be manufactured in different ways. In particular, the contact between the electrodes and the conductive strip can be tailored to support a very fast and simple installation method. In fact, one of the basic purposes of the present invention is precisely the purpose of a technology that allows flexible positioning of all types of devices requiring power in a universal environment.

[0045] It is noted that the installation of such a box can be very simple, requiring only the fixing of the box itself to the desired position on the wall after having made a hole in the surface decorative panel for inserting the box. The contact is formed automatically, taking care to adequately prepare the perforation of the surface decorative panel and to adjust the box so that the depth of the groove is substantially equal to the thickness of the decorative panel. Obviously, either boxes can be designed with an adjustable (or in any case variable) groove depth so that they can adapt to panels of different thicknesses, or boxes with a fixed groove depth; in the latter case, a specific box must be used for the thickness of the panel on which the installation is to be carried out.

[0046] In particular, the panel drilling operation and the preparation for mounting the box can be performed in a very fast and repeatable process using appropriate tools designed specifically for this operation. Therefore, the box according to the teachings of the present invention can define an installation method, which is also protected within the scope of the present invention.

[0047] The main advantage of the invention lies in the fact that a box for extracting electrical contacts from electrical wires made by laying a "ribbon cable" under a surface finishing panel, made according to the teaching of the invention, meets all the main requirements envisaged together with the relative mounting method.

[0048] The following description emphasizes the relative simplicity of the box and the installation method for extracting the electrical contacts. This simplicity is an advantage of the invention. In fact, the application of the inventive activity played an important role in setting new general goals for the construction of electrical systems in buildings and in defining the underlying technical problems. The invention described, although simple, constitutes a solution and answer to problems that were not solved (or even recognized) by the known technology, introducing a very important innovation that will benefit the design of future electrical systems. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] The invention has further advantages which will become more apparent from the following description, from some examples of practical embodiments which illustrate further details, from the appended claims forming an integral part of the present description, and from the drawings, in which:

[0050] Figure 1 There are schematically shown two orthogonal views of a "ribbon cable" according to known art and of a type suitable for application of the present invention.

[0051] Figure 2 The basic principle of the electrical coupling between a box for extracting electrical contacts according to the invention and an electrical wire made of a "ribbon cable" according to the prior art and of a suitable type to be employed in the invention is shown in a schematic and simplified manner.

[0052] Figure 3aShown is a section from a practical implementation of a box according to the invention for extracting electrical contacts, wherein the contacts are available via a socket / plug coupling of low thickness.

[0053] Figure 3b The details are shown according to Figure 3a Contact electrodes of a box for extracting electrical contacts according to the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0054] Figure 3c Shown according to Figure 3a Two isometric views of a box for extracting electrical contacts of the embodiment represented in .

[0055] Figure 4 by Figure 3a The form of embodiment represented in FIG. 1 shows a template used during the installation of a box for extracting electrical contacts according to the invention.

[0056] Figure 5 Another embodiment of a box for withdrawing electrical contacts according to the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] Figure 1 Two orthogonal views of a length of "ribbon cable" suitable for application of the present invention are shown.

[0058] The entire "ribbon cable" is indicated by numeral 200. In the top view (left view), it can be seen that there are two conductive strips (indicated by numeral 210). Figure 1 The "ribbon cable" 200 shown in the figure is very simple, since it contains only two conductive strips 210, which is sufficient for a first description of this type of cable. A "ribbon cable" 200 with two conductors (such as the one in the figure) is suitable for carrying voltages in both AC and DC states; a ribbon cable with three conductors also allows carrying a neutral line; a "ribbon cable" can then be made with four conductors to carry three-phase power; and in general "ribbon cables" with a greater number of conductors can be proposed in order to adapt to any power architecture envisaged in the project (for example, by distributing AC and DC power, perhaps for different tensions).

[0059] The conductive strips 210 are held parallel, spaced apart, and insulated by a protective sheath (indicated by numeral 220).

[0060] In the cross-sectional view ( Figure 1), one can appreciate how flat and thin the two conductive strips 210 are, and how they are contained within a protective sheath 220. The number 201 indicates the thickness of the "ribbon cable" 200. Said thickness 201 represents the most interesting dimensional data of these types of cables. In fact, it is possible to make the "ribbon cable" 200 have excellent conductive properties and excellent insulation, while maintaining a thickness of the order of a millimeter, or even less. It is this dimension so delicate that allows the creation of non-invasive electrical systems that are well suited to support future scenarios characterized by the need to provide power to a very large number of points within a building.

[0061] Figure 2 The box for extracting electrical contacts according to the present invention (indicated as a whole by the number 100) and the wires made of "ribbon cable" 200 (such as Figure 1 The basic principle of electrical coupling between the wires shown in FIG.

[0062] Figure 2 The view proposed in shows a section perpendicular to the plane of the wall and perpendicular to the direction of the “ribbon cable” 200 ; the section passes precisely through the wall, corresponding to the zone in which said box 100 for extracting electrical contacts according to the invention must be installed.

[0063] The "ribbon cable" 200 is laid on a "base wall" indicated by the number 310. The surface of the "base wall" 310 can be made of plasterboard or any other material; the "base wall" 310 does not need to have a particular aesthetic value because it will be covered by an additional decorative panel. The additional decorative panel is indicated by the number 300 and is Figure 2 In the section, it appears to be divided into two parts, because the decorative panel 300 is perforated to make the "ribbon cable" 200 accessible. The box 100 for extracting the electrical contacts is in Figure 2 300 is shown detached from the wall and, for installation, it must be inserted into an opening obtained in the decorative panel 300 , moving it as indicated by the arrow 400 .

[0064] Some basic dimensional features of said box 100 for extracting electrical contacts relate to a portion of the electrical contacts which, after installation, is recessed in the opening obtained in the decorative panel 300. The depth of the recessed portion is measured with the number 101 and must correspond substantially to the thickness of the decorative panel 300 indicated with the number 301, while the height of the recessed portion must correspond to the height of the opening obtained in the decorative panel 300 and is measured with the number 101. Figure 2 302. Obviously, the measurement of the width of this recess (not apparent in the portion shown because it extends in a direction perpendicular to the sheet) must similarly correspond to the width of the opening obtained in the decorative panel 300.

[0065] The correspondence of the measurements is intended to mean that these must be substantially identical, foreseeing that the measurements for the box 100 for extracting the electrical contacts must ultimately be slightly smaller than those for the decorative panel 300, in order to provide a tolerance that facilitates the insertion of said box 100 for extracting the electrical contacts into the opening obtained in the decorative panel 300. The purpose of this dimensioning, in particular in relation to the depth 101, is to ensure that the installation does not cut into the “underlying wall” 310 and at the same time allows the necessary electrical contact with the electrical wires constituted by the “ribbon cable” 200.

[0066] In fact, another essential feature of said box 100 for extracting electrical contacts relates to the presence of at least one contact electrode designed to make electrical contact with the wires constituted by the "ribbon cable" 200. Typically, the box 100 for extracting electrical contacts is mounted with a number of contact electrodes equal to the number of conductive strips 210 present in the "ribbon cable" 200 on which the conductive strips are mounted: thus Figure 2 In FIG. 1 , a situation is shown in which the box 100 for extracting electrical contacts comprises two electrodes (indicated by numeral 120 ).

[0067] The contact electrode 120 is Figure 2 The only essential feature that must be recognized in the figure concerns their positioning: so that when the box 100 for extracting electrical contacts according to the invention is installed, the contact electrodes 120 are each pressed down on top of the conductive strips 210, thereby ensuring adequate electrical contact with the power supply lines.

[0068] Observing that the “ribbon cable” 200 also comprises an insulating protective sheath 220 , it is necessary to take this into account in order to ensure effective electrical contact between the contact electrodes 120 and the corresponding conductive strips 210 : this means that pressing the contact electrodes 120 onto the “ribbon cable” 200 is not sufficient.

[0069] As will be described further below in this specification (where some examples of prototype embodiments will be shown), this contact can easily be ensured in different ways, which result in different variants of the same invention. In summary, two ways can be followed to obtain this contact: removing the protective sheath 220 in the area where the contact must occur, or the electrodes piercing (thus passing through) the sheath when they are pressed on the "ribbon cable" 200.

[0070] For example, following the first method, it is possible to envisage performing an operation simultaneously with (or later than) the creation of the opening in the decorative panel 300, which operation consists in using a template and a suitable tool to scrape off the protective sheath and quickly find the conductive strip 210 located precisely in the desired area (where the contact electrode 120 will then be positioned). Observe that the reverse operation of removing the box and restoring the wall will require precautions (also simple to perform) to still restore the protective film where the conductive strip 210 on the "ribbon cable" 200 is exposed.

[0071] After providing the second method of sheath perforation, it is possible to conceive of specific contact electrodes 120, for example, by arranging one or more tips of suitable length on their contact surface; an effective solution is to distribute a plurality of tips well over the entire contact surface. These tips only need to have a length of a few tenths of a millimeter, sufficient to pierce the protective sheath 220 and contact the conductive tape 210.

[0072] Another essential feature of the box 100 for extracting electrical contacts according to the invention consists in the presence of an externally provided power supply interface (in Figure 2 In fact, the electrical interface 110 that can be used to connect an electrical load extracts the voltage present on the power line realized by the "ribbon cable" 200. In this way, it can be prepared and designed at different times:

[0073] a) power distribution within buildings, and

[0074] b) Subsequent allocation of grid access points within the same building.

[0075] Once the basic features required of a box 100 manufactured in accordance with the teachings of the present invention have been outlined, the box 100 being adapted to extract a power interface from live lines of an electrical system, wired with a "bus" architecture and made of "ribbon cables" so as to be able to supply power to a load, some basic operations can now be identified to define the method of installation.

[0076] Note that efficient, reliable and fast installation methods are fully consistent with the application scenarios of the present invention. In fact, all the proposed teachings show their greatest usefulness in situations where it is necessary to draw power from the wall in a very extensive manner (thus requiring many power supply points) and in situations where it cannot be fully planned during the construction of the building (thus it is necessary to be able to draw out power access points with flexible operation).

[0077] The first necessary operation consists in identifying the point in which the box 100 for extracting the electrical contacts is mounted, which point must obviously be the point on the wall through which the wires made of “ribbon cable” 200 pass.

[0078] From this first operation alone, it is clear that, before deciding on the location of the access point to this power plant, the distribution of the power supply must pre-exist: this aspect significantly distinguishes the method proposed in the context of the present invention from the known methods for constructing electrical systems. In fact, the known techniques for constructing electrical systems provide for the distribution (and carrying) of the power supply at predetermined points, which must therefore be decided before laying the cables; that is, the power cables must be connected to known predetermined points where the power supply must be available for connecting the loads.

[0079] It is observed that if the power supply lines are already widely distributed in all environments, the exact positioning of the mounting points of the box 100 for extracting the electrical contacts is quite free, but the power supply lines must be accurately identified so that the subsequent positioning of the box for extracting the electrical contacts 100 can take place exactly on the conductive strip. The required accuracy must be a fraction of the width of the conductive strip contained in the "ribbon cable", usually in the order of millimeters.

[0080] In fact, it is observed that if the location of the "ribbon cable" 200 (hidden under the surface decorative panel 300) that must be known with the necessary accuracy is not known from the project data, this identification can also be easily performed using a metal detector device. In other words, it can be a suitable instrument, based on known technology, ultimately designed specifically to detect the presence of metal using known technology and optimized specifically for this application. Moreover, this is a very specific application, in which many parameters are known, such as the electromagnetic properties of the metal being sought (in fact, it is a search for a specific known metal, the dimensions of which are also known), and the distance to which it can be found under the decorative panel 300.

[0081] After identifying the point where the box 100 for withdrawing electrical contacts is to be installed, the next operation consists in forming an opening in the decorative panel 300 .

[0082] In order to perform this operation quickly and with the necessary precision, a special tool can be used, equipped with a blade suitable for cutting the material from which said decorative panel 300 is made: in a typical case a plasterboard blade. The opening to be made consists in removing the rectangle of the decorative panel without damaging the "underlying wall" 310 and the "ribbon cable" 200; therefore, two pairs of parallel cuts are required, characterized by good precision, especially in terms of the depth of the cuts.

[0083] Therefore, the tool used to remove this rectangle from the decorative panel 300 must have an adjustable blade to make cuts at two depths. The two cuts are parallel to the direction of the "ribbon cable" 200: one on one side of said "ribbon cable" 200 and the other on the opposite side, so that said ribbon cable is located between the two cuts. Moreover, the two cuts parallel to the direction of the "ribbon cable" 200 must be deep enough to completely cut the entire thickness of the decorative panel 300 without significantly affecting the "underlying wall" 310, even if they will eventually contact it. Two other cuts form a rectangle together with the first two cuts, and these other two cuts are transverse relative to the "ribbon cable" 200: unlike the first two, the depth of these last two transverse cuts must be slightly less than the thickness of the decorative panel 300 so as not to risk damaging the "ribbon cable" 200.

[0084] Thus, the rectangle so cut only remains attached to the trim panel 300 relative to the "ribbon cable" 200 along two lateral edges, wherein the two cuts do not pass completely through the trim panel 300. Thus, the rectangle to be removed remains attached to the rest of the trim panel 300 only by the effect of a pair of very thin connectors (the precision of the cuts ensures that these two connectors are very thin and elongated). However, the rectangular piece of trim panel 300 is easily torn off at this point, as it is easily separated due to the thin connectors highlighted above.

[0085] Once the "ribbon cable" 200 adhered to the "underlying wall" 310 is visible, this operation must also be performed if the contact technology dictates that the conductive strips 210 must be exposed. Also in this case, in order to perform the operation of peeling off the conductive strips 210 quickly and with the necessary precision in the correct position, a specially designed instrument can be used. A template with the opening dimensions can be placed on the "ribbon cable" 200, and this template associated with a specific electrical contact extraction box 100 will have holes exactly in the areas where the conductive strips 210 must be exposed. For this operation of peeling off the conductor, a special scraper can be used, which is suitable for removing the remaining sheath layer from the holes of the template used.

[0086] At this point, the box 100 for extracting the electrical contacts is inserted into the opening made in the decorative panel 300 and fixed to the opening, for example, with screws. The size of the box and the positioning of the contact electrodes 120 will ensure electrical contact with the conductive strips 210, and the interface for the power supply will be ready to provide power to the general loads.

[0087] If the contact electrodes 120 are provided on their contact surface with micro-points suitable for piercing the protective sheath 220, the operation of exposing the conductive strips 210 of the "ribbon cable" 200 is not necessary. Therefore, once the rectangle of the decorative panel 300 has been removed and the opening making the "ribbon cable" 200 accessible has been opened, the insertion of the box 100 for extracting the electrical contacts can be carried out directly.

[0088] Note how the process of installing the box for extracting the electrical contacts 100 according to the invention is an easily reversible process. In fact, each box can be simply removed, the "ribbon cable" 200 can be easily covered by applying an insulating protective film on it, and the opening in the decorative panel 300 can be closed by inserting a rectangle of the same material and appropriate size. The operation is then concluded with a simple final grouting.

[0089] After explaining the general principle of the present invention, both from the perspective of the system and from the perspective of the method, with the help of FIG. Figure 4 and Figure 5 Some features relating to prototype embodiments are presented which can be effectively applied in this field, which will help to further describe the invention, highlight more details of its embodiments, and make its effectiveness and usefulness more obvious.

[0090] Figure 3a (Figure as a working prototype, it respects realistic proportions) shows in cross-section a box 100 for extracting electrical contacts according to the invention, in the form of an embodiment in which the contacts are accessible through low-thickness sockets. Figure 2 , the surface of the "underlying wall" is indicated by numeral 310 and the decorative panel is indicated by numeral 300. The decorative panel 300 is interrupted to accommodate the box 100. The contact electrode intersecting the cross section is indicated by numeral 120 and extends until it contacts the underlying wall, where the "ribbon cable" constituting the electrical wires for the power supply (in the dimensions shown in the figure, not visible due to its thinness) is attached.

[0091] exist Figure 3a In FIG. 1 , it can be seen how the contact electrode 120 is electrically continuous with the conductive element (eg Figure 3b ), and the contact electrodes 120 are designed to receive contacts of a plug indicated by numeral 510 .

[0092] It should be noted that the thickness of the decorative panel 300 (typically 1.25 cm) plus the protrusion of the box 100 for extracting the electrical contacts allows to accommodate plugs according to the most common standards. This makes it possible to achieve a low-thickness box that does not require penetration deep into the wall where it is installed.

[0093] exist Figure 3bThe two isometric views of FIG. 1 more clearly show the components including the contact electrode 120 (with Figure 3a This element is made of a single piece of metal and comprises a protrusion indicated by the number 120, characterized by a certain elastic flexibility and shaped to press on the wire: this protrusion realizes the contact electrode 120. On the opposite side, two clips are formed relative to the contact electrode 120, which are suitable for fastening the electrodes of the electric plug. These clips are indicated by the number 110, because they realize the power supply interface provided to the outside by the box for extracting the electric contact 100.

[0094] In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, each element containing contact electrodes 120 comprises two clips 110, since an electrical contact extraction box 100 designed to provide two electrical sockets is shown. Each box 100 for extracting electrical contacts will therefore contain a number of elements containing contact electrodes 120, a number equal to the number of conductors present in the circuit from which the electrical interface is to be extracted.

[0095] exist Figure 3c In the two isometric views, an overall view of the form of the embodiment under consideration is provided. Thus, a box for extracting an electrical contact 100 is shown, which contains three elements with contact electrodes 120, each element having two clips 110; and the elements are arranged as follows:

[0096] √ three contact electrodes 120 are present corresponding to the three different conductive strips of a "ribbon cable" adapted to carry voltage plus a neutral reference (hence a three-conductor cable), as seen from the right side view showing the side of the box 100 facing the "ground floor wall"; and

[0097] √ Two sockets with three holes are realized, suitable for coupling to plugs taking voltage and neutral reference from the network, as seen from the left view showing the side of the box 100 facing out of the wall.

[0098] Figure 4 A template is shown that can be associated with a box 100 for extracting electrical contacts in the form of an embodiment according to the one proposed in FIG. 3 . The template is indicated as a whole by the number 130 and is characterized by having dimensions corresponding to the openings made on the decorative panel 300 in order to insert the box 100 for extracting electrical contacts for installation. Due to the correspondence of the dimensions, it is easy to place the template 130 above the conductive strips 210 of the “ribbon cable” 200 so that the holes on the template (in Figure 4 230) leaves an exposed area in which contact must be made and from which the insulating protective sheath 220 must therefore be removed.

[0099] However, such removal operation of the protective sheath 220 is not always necessary. In fact, it is conceivable that the contact electrode 120 can make electrical contact with the conductive strip 210 even if it is covered by a thin protective insulating sheath.

[0100] Figure 5 Another embodiment of a box for extracting electrical contacts according to the invention is schematically represented, in which the contact electrodes (as generally indicated by the numeral 120) have a specific face designed to press on the "ribbon cable" of the power line. Figure 5 The details that make them special can also be clearly seen in the enlarged view given in FIG. 1 , where it is noted that the face has a substantially flat shape from which a plurality of micro-tips, apparently made of a conductive material, protrude. These micro-tips are Figure 5 Indicated by the number 127, and their length is sufficient to pierce the insulating sheath of the "ribbon cable"; so that when the electrode is pressed onto the "ribbon cable", the micro-tips 127 pierce the insulating sheath and make electrical contact with the conductive strip 210 located inside the "ribbon cable".

[0101] Figure 5 The type of contact presented in greatly simplifies the installation process at the expense of a smaller contact surface, since it removes the stage of exposing the conductive strip 210 (a stage that is particularly laborious), wherein the smaller contact surface introduces a greater impedance compared to the contact points on the bare strip.

[0102] on the other hand, Figure 5 The form of embodiment proposed in does not cause significant changes to the process of removing the box and restoring the wall; in fact, it is always recommended to cover the area where the "ribbon cable" makes contact with a protective film, since in this area the protective sheath can be damaged by the drilling performed by the micro-tip 127.

[0103] Finally, the box for extracting electrical contacts from electrical wires made with “ribbon cables” and laid under surface finishing panels on walls or ceilings, manufactured and installed according to the teachings of the invention, appears better suited to supporting wiring needs according to the requirements that arise in the most plausible evolution scenarios, compared to the traditional solutions proposed by the known technology.

[0104] Thus, in general, the invention has many variants while maintaining the interests claimed. In fact, it can be developed in different sizes, including different numbers of conductors to carry the electricity, with different powers and ranges. Moreover, the invention itself can be partially implemented, since some of the described details can be replaced by technically equivalent elements.

[0105] In particular, the use of specific techniques and materials does not constitute an essential part of the present invention. Therefore, if in the future the materials department can provide new techniques that are more advantageous than those mentioned in the preferred embodiment to more efficiently implement the present invention, further improvements can be made without changing the nature and principles of the invention that inspired the invention itself.

[0106] Other possible variants of the invention will depend not only on the evolution of the technology constituting the invention, but also on how the division of components associated with "smart objects" will evolve, so that the box indicated in the invention could, for example, integrate components of different complexity and perform other functions in addition to the sole function of extracting the power interface.

[0107] Therefore, especially in the context of such an evolving scenario, the invention helps to combine and support further developments and improvement work, making it possible to improve the performance of the described system. Therefore, many further developments may be made by a person skilled in the art without thereby departing from the scope of the invention, as it is derived from the present description and the appended claims forming an integral part thereof; or, if said developments are not included in the present description, they may be the subject of further patent applications associated with or dependent on the present invention.

Claims

1. An electrical system comprising a box (100) for extracting electrical contacts, a "ribbon cable" (200) and a decorative panel (300) suitable for covering a ground floor wall (310); and the electrical system is characterized in that: a. The box (100) for extracting electrical contacts is configured to operate with live wires made of the "ribbon cable" (200), and b. The "ribbon cable" (200) is laid on the bottom wall (310) of the wall, ceiling or floor covered with the decorative panel (300), and c. said "ribbon cable" (200) comprises at least one conductive strip (210) made of a flat, wide and thin conductor and having one face adhered to said underlying wall (310); and d. when installed, the box (100) is partially inserted into the wall at a position above the feature of the electrical wires, the box (100) being intended to extract the contacts at this position to make them available to the outside, and the box (100) is inserted only to a first thickness (101) corresponding to the thickness (301) of the decorative panel in such a way that the underlying wall (310) remains intact even when the box (100) for extracting the electrical contacts is installed; and e. The box (100) comprises at least one contact electrode (120) having a face designed to be pressed against the "ribbon cable" of the electrical wires and having a substantially flat shape, and the box (100) is suitable for achieving electrical contact with the face of the at least one conductive strip (210) opposite to the face adhered to the underlying wall (310).

2. An electrical system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one contact electrode (120) included in the box (100) has a plurality of protruding micro tips (127) of conductive material on a surface having a substantially flat shape designed to be pressed onto the "ribbon cable" of the electric wire, the length of which is sufficient to pierce the thickness of the insulating sheath (220) of the "ribbon cable" (200), so that when the at least one contact electrode (120) is pressed onto the "ribbon cable" (200), the micro tips (127) pierce the insulating sheath (127) and make electrical contact with the conductive strip (210) inside the "ribbon cable" (200).

3. Electrical system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one contact electrode (120) included in the box (100) is substantially made of a piece of conductive metal and the piece of conductive metal is shaped so that when the box (100) for extracting electrical contacts is installed, a clip suitable for fastening an electrode of an electrical plug is obtained on the side facing the "ribbon cable" (200).

4. A method for installing a box (100) for withdrawing electrical contacts, using an electrical system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The method includes at least the following operations: a. Identify the location on the wall where the box (100) for extracting the electrical contacts is to be installed, and the location corresponds to the area on the wall under which the wires made of a "ribbon cable" (200) are passed; b. forming two cuts in the decorative panel (300) parallel to the direction of the wires made of the "ribbon cable" (200), the depth of which is sufficient to completely pass through the decorative panel (300) without significantly affecting the underlying wall (310), and the two cuts parallel to the direction of the wires are positioned on both sides of the wires; c. forming two cuts in the decorative panel (300) transverse to the direction of the wires made of the "ribbon cable" (200), the depth of which is sufficient to almost completely but not completely pass through the decorative panel (300), and the two cuts transverse to the direction of the wires are positioned to form a rectangle together with the first two cuts performed in the previous step "b"; d. creating an opening in the decorative panel (300) by removing the rectangular portion of the decorative panel (300) defined by the cutouts formed in the previous steps "b" and "c"; g. inserting the box (100) for extracting the electrical contacts into the opening left by removing the rectangular decorative panel (300); h. Fixing the box (100) for extracting the electrical contacts to the decorative panel (300).

5. The method for installing a box (100) for extracting electrical contacts according to claim 4, wherein between operation "d" and operation "g" there is included an additional intermediate operation of exposing the conductive strip (210) contained in the "ribbon cable" (200), and the additional intermediate operation further includes at least the following steps: e. Positioning a template (130) on the bottom wall (310), wherein the size of the template (130) is the same as the size of the removed rectangle of the decorative panel, and the template (130) has a plurality of holes (230) equal to the number of conductive strips (210) contained in the feature of the "ribbon cable" (200), wherein the holes are exposed due to the removal of the rectangle of the decorative panel, and the template (130) is positioned to cover the "ribbon cable" (200), but only the area of ​​the "ribbon cable" (200) corresponding to the holes (230) is left exposed; f. Scrape and remove the protective sheath (220) of the "ribbon cable" (200) in the areas corresponding to the holes (230) of the template (130) positioned as described in the previous step "e".

6. The method for installing a box (100) for withdrawing electric contacts according to claim 4, wherein the operation performed at operation "a" is performed using a metal detector device.

7. A method for removing a box (100) for withdrawing electrical contacts, the box (100) for withdrawing electrical contacts being installed by the method for installing a box (100) for withdrawing electrical contacts according to claim 4, characterized in that The method includes at least the following operations: a. removing the box (100) for extracting the electrical contacts, separating it from the decorative panel (300) to which it was previously fixed; b. Restoring the insulation of the "ribbon cable" (200) by applying an insulating film at least on the area where electrical contact is made with the contact electrodes (120) of the box (100) for extracting the electrical contacts; c. Closing the opening in which the box (100) for extracting the electrical contacts is inserted by inserting a decorative panel (300) identical to the one used for the rest of the wall and having the same shape and size as the opening.

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