A multi-layer sliding door meter room

Abstract

ABSTRACT A MULTI-LAYER SLIDING DOOR METER ROOM A multi-layer sliding door meter room (100) is provided for compact and modular housing of electrical distribution components. The primary enclosure (102) includes a rear wall (102a) for mounting energy meters (116), MCBs (110), and SFUs . The rail tracks (104) are arranged laterally and parallel to the rear wall (102a), supporting multiple sliding door panels (106). Each sliding door panel (106) moves laterally on rail track (104) for tool-free, non-overlapping access and includes a mounting interface for additional meters, MCBs (110), and connectors (118) interfacing incoming power and output. The wiring slots (108) at the enclosure's base allow harness routing between sliding panels and the rear wall (102a), enabling organized wiring and efficient connectivity.

Description

FIELDThe present disclosure generally relates to the field of electrical infrastructure andutility metering systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to amulti-layer sliding door meter room.DEFINITIONSAs used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended tohave the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in whichthey are used indicates otherwise.Pre-determined distance: The term "predetermined distance" refers to a fixedspatial separation maintained between the guided rail tracks and the rear wall ofthe meter room enclosure, as well as between adjacent sliding door panels. Thisdistance is carefully defined to ensure smooth lateral displacement of each slidingdoor panel without interference.These definitions are in addition to those expressed in the art.BACKGROUNDThe background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but isnot necessarily prior art.In the electrical metering infrastructure, particularly within residential,commercial, and industrial installations, the deployment of utility meter rooms isa critical component for power distribution, measurement, and safety.Conventional meter rooms are typically configured as single-layerrooms. Thesemeter rooms, houses smart meters, miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), switch fuseunits (SFUs), and related wiring components.Conventionally meter rooms serve the fundamental purpose of metering andelectrical protection, but they exhibit several limitations, particularly in denselypopulated urban areas where installation space is highly constrained. Traditionalmeter rooms are horizontally expansive, occupying significant wall areas toaccommodate even a limited number of smart meters and associated accessories.This makes scalability difficult, especially in multi-tenant buildings, high-risecomplexes where wall space is limited or already utilized.Furthermore, the meter room configuration requires substantial front clearance toenable access to meters for installation, maintenance, or inspection. This can poseoperational challenges in narrow service corridors or enclosed spaces. The need toopen bulky doors or dismount panels often disrupts the operation of adjacentcircuits, making routine servicing cumbersome and time-consuming.Another challenge with existing meter rooms is their limited adaptability to futureexpansion. As utility providers increasingly roll out advanced meteringinfrastructure (AMI) and digital smart meters, the need for modularity andupgradable housing structures becomes more pronounced. Conventional meterroom configuration typically does not support easy integration of additionalmeters without complete replacement or redesign of the existing enclosure.Therefore, there is felt a need for a multi-layer sliding door meter room thatalleviates the aforementioned drawbacks.OBJECTSSome of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodimentherein satisfies, are as follows:An object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer sliding door meterroom.Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer sliding doormeter room that incorporates sliding door panels mounted on guided rails.Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer slidingdoor meter room that incorporates integrated ventilation slots to enhance airflowand thermal management of the enclosed electrical components.Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer sliding doormeter room that streamlines the wiring configuration by routing power from a rearwall-mounted switch fuse unit (SFU) within the meter room.Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a robust and modularmulti-layer sliding door meter room that facilitates improved accessibility andsimplifies maintenance procedures for electrical components.Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer slidingdoor meter room that supports long-term sustainability by enabling incrementalcapacity expansion andYet another object of the present disclosure is to enable efficient resourceutilization within the meter room without requiring structural modifications toexisting installations.Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent fromthe following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the presentdisclosure.SUMMARYThe present disclosure envisages a multi-layer sliding door meter room forhousing and operating electrical distribution components. The meter roomcomprises a primary enclosure, a set of guided rail tracks, a plurality of slidingdoor panels and a plurality of lateral wiring slots.The primary enclosure defines a meter room having a rear wall and side walls.The rear wall is structurally adapted to mount the electrical distributioncomponents, including energy meters with their metering accessories consisting ofminiature circuit breakers (MCBs) and switch fuse units (SFUs);The rail tracks are mounted laterally and parallel to the rear wall at a predefineddistance from the rear wall and each other.The plurality of sliding door panels, each sliding door panel being operablymounted on a corresponding guided rail track. The sliding door panel isconfigured for lateral displacement to provide non-overlapping, tool-free access tothe electrical distribution components mounted behind each sliding door panel.Each sliding door panel comprises a mounting interface.The mounting interface faces away from the rear wall and is structured to mountone or more energy meters with their miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), andelectrical connectors, the electrical connectors being configured to interfacebetween an incoming power supply and an output from the mounted energymeters; andThe plurality of lateral wiring slots is formed at the bottom portion of theenclosure to facilitate the routing of the wiring harness from each sliding doorpanel to the rear wall for establishing an electrical connection.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGA multi-layer sliding door meter room of the present disclosure will now bedescribed with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a multi-layer sliding door meter room inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the multi-layer sliding door meter room inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary three-layer sliding door room in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure; andFigure 4 illustrates a primary enclosure of the meter room in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTIONThe present disclosure generally relates to the field of electrical infrastructure andutility metering systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to amulti-layer sliding door meter room will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawing.Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of thepresent disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details, are set forth,relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a completeunderstanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to theperson skilled in the a rt that the details provided in the embodiments should not beconstrued to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, wellknownprocesses, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniquesare not described in detail.The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose ofexplaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be consideredto limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, theforms "a," "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well,unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms "comprises,""comprising," "including," and "having," are open ended transitional phrases andtherefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations,elements, modules, units and / or components, but do not forbid the presence oraddition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and / or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in themethod and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarilyrequiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understoodthat additional or alternative steps may be employed.When an element is referred to as being "mounted on," "engaged to," "connectedto," or "coupled to" another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected orcoupled to the other element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any andall combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope ofthe present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used todistinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from anothercomponent, region, layer, or section. Terms such as first, second, third, etc., whenused herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested bythe present disclosure.Terms such as "inner," "outer," "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper,"and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationshipsbetween different ele ments as depicted from the figures.Traditional electrical metering infrastructure commonly employs single-layer,fixed-panel utility meter rooms to house smart meters, MCBs, SFUs, and wiringcomponents. While effective for basic metering and protection, these conventionalrooms are space-inefficient and unsuitable for dense urban environments due totheir horizontal layout and need for front clearance. Access and maintenance intight spaces are cumbersome, and scalability is limited. Additionally, traditionalmeter rooms lack modularity, making future upgrades or the addition of smartmetering infrastructure difficult without major modifications, posing operationaland logistical challenges in modern power distribution systems.To address the issues of the existing meter room, the present disclosure envisagesa multi-layer sliding door meter room (hereinafter referred to as "meter room100"). The meter room (100) will now be described with reference to Figure 1.Figure 1 illustrates the block diagram of a multi-layer sliding door meter room(100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The multi20layer sliding door meter room (100) for housing and operating electricaldistribution components. The meter room (100) comprises a primary enclosure(102), a set of guided rail tracks (104), a plurality of sliding door panels (106), anda plurality of lateral wiring slots (108).The primary enclosure (102) defines a meter room (100) having a rear wall (102a)and side walls (102b). The rear wall (102a) is structurally adapted to mount theelectrical distribution components, including a plurality of energy meters (116)with their metering accessories consisting of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs)(110) and switch fuse units (SFUs).In an embodiment, the primary enclosure (102) further comprises ventilation slotsdisposed along top and side walls (102b) to promote passive airflow and managethermal load from operational smart meters (116).In an embodiment, the switch fuse units (SFUs) are operably connected to thewiring harness to control and protect electrical connectivity between the rear wall(102a) and each of the sliding door panels (106).In an embodiment, the switch fuse unit (SFU) is operably coupled to a surgeprotection module to suppress voltage transients and ensure the operational safetyof the smart meters (116) and auxiliary components.The rail tracks (104) are mounted laterally and parallel to the rear wall (102a) at apredefined distance from the rear wall (102a) and each other.In an embodiment, the rail track (104) includes a plurality of anti-frictionelements or rollers configured to provide low-resistance and stable slidingmovement of each sliding door panel (106).The sliding door panels (106), each sliding door panel (106) being operablymounted on a corresponding guided rail track (104). The sliding door panel (106)is configured for lateral displacement to provide non-overlapping, tool-free accessto the electrical distribution components mounted behind each sliding door panel(106), Each sliding door panel (106) comprises a mounting interface (106a).In an embodiment, each sliding door panel (106) and the rear wall (102a) arefabricated from a cement fibre sheet material configured to enhance fireresistance, weather protection, and mechanical durability, in indoor or semioutdoorenvironments.The mounting interface (106a) faces away from the rear wall (102a) and isstructured to mount one or more energy meters (116) with their miniature circuitbreakers (MCBs) (110), and electrical connectors (118). The electrical connectors(118) are configured to interface between an incoming power supply and anoutput from the mounted energy meters (116).The lateral wiring slots (108) formed at the bottom portion of the primaryenclosure (102) facilitate the routing of the wiring harness from each sliding doorpanel to the rear wall (102a) for establishing an electrical connection.In an embodiment, the miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110) include at leastone outgoing double pole MCB (114) and at least one incoming single pole MCB(112).The outgoing double pole MCB (114) for phase and neutral disconnection duringfaults; andThe incoming single pole MCB (112) for phase line overcurrent protection bothmounted to either the rear wall (102a) and the sliding door panel (106) based onthe electrical load distribution strategy.In an embodiment, each double pole MCB (114) of each energy meter (116) isoperably mounted on the rear wall (102a) of the meter room (100).In an embodiment, the wiring harness includes pre-terminated, insulatedconnectors to facilitate quick swapping or servicing of sliding panels (106)without requiring rewiring or power isolation of the entire meter room (100).In an embodiment, the meter room (100) is adapted to accommodate at least twosmart meters (116) per sliding door panel for consumers, wherein each smartmeter (116) is independently addressable and protected via corresponding MCBs(110). Although at least two meters (116) are illustrated in Figure 1, the actualnumber of smart meters may vary depending on the size of the sliding door panel.Further, Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the multi-layer sliding door meterroom in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 3 illustrates the three-layer sliding doormeter room (100) as described in the present disclosure. The meter room (100)comprises a primary enclosure (102) housing three vertically stacked sliding doorpanels, each independently operable on guided rail tracks (104) fixed to the baseof the meter room (100). These sliding panels (106) are constructed from cementfibre sheets for enhanced fire resistance and structural stability. Each sliding doorpanel (106) is embedded with electrical components, including a plurality of smartenergy meters (116), a plurality of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), and aplurality of electrical connectors (118), all organized in a vertical configuration tooptimize space.The sliding door panel (106) slides laterally, allowing selective access toindividual layers for maintenance or installation without disturbing adjacentpanels, thereby preserving the original installation footprint. Wiring from a switchfuse unit (SFU), positioned at the rear wall (102a) of the primary enclosure (102),is routed internally to each meter (116) and MCB (110) in a plug-and-plugmanner, enabling safe and efficient power distribution. This layered arrangementensures higher meter density per unit area, supports modular scalability, andsimplifies maintenance in space-constrained environments such as apartmentcomplexes or utility rooms. Figure 3 visually confirms the operational feasibilityand spatial efficiency of the proposed invention.Figure 4 illustrates the primary enclosure of the meter room (100) in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure. The primary enclosure (102)defines the meter room (100) as having the rear wall (102a) and the side walls(102b). The rear wall (102a) is structurally adapted to mount the electricaldistribution components, including a plurality of energy meters (116) with theirmetering accessories consisting of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110) andswitch fuse units (SFUs).In an operative configuration, the multi-layer sliding door meter room (100)enables organized and scalable housing of electrical distribution componentswithin the primary enclosure (102). The rear wall (102a) structurally supports themounting of core components including a plurality of smart energy meters (116),a plurality of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), and switch fuse units(SFUs). A plurality of guided rail tracks (104) mounted laterally and parallel tothe rear wall (102a), accommodates a plurality of sliding door panels (106), eachconfigured for lateral displacement to allow tool-free, non-overlapping access tothe components behind. Each sliding door panel (106) includes a mountinginterface (106a) oriented away from the rear wall (102a), supporting theinstallation of additional energy meters (116), associated MCBs (110), andelectrical connectors (118), which facilitate electrical interfacing between theinput power supply and the output from the meters. Lateral wiring slots (108) atthe base enable efficient harness routing for meter room (100) connectivity.Advantageously, the multi-layer sliding door meter room (100) incorporatessliding door panels (106) mounted on guided rail tracks (104), enabling lateralmovement for tool-free access without expanding the installation footprint. Themeter room (100) integrates lateral wiring slots (108) and utilizes fire-resistantsheet material for the primary enclosure (102), thereby enhancing thermalmanagement, operational safety, and structural durability. Further, streamlines thewiring configuration from the lateral wiring slots (108) by routing electricalconnections from the rear wall (102a) of the primary enclosure mounted switchfuse unit (SFU) within the meter room (100), ensuring organized powerdistribution and simplified installation. The meter room (100) facilitates improvedaccessibility and ease of maintenance for electrical components, a plurality ofsmart meters (116), a plurality of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), andelectrical connectors (118) for downtime and operational disruptions.Additionally, the sliding door panel (106) configuration supports long-termsustainability by enabling incremental capacity expansion and efficient utilizationof space and resources without requiring structural modifications to the existinginstallation.The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes ofillustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited tothat particular embodiment but are interchangeable. Such variations are not to beregarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications areconsidered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTSThe present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantagesincluding, but not limited to, a multi-layer sliding door meter panel assembly that:- incorporates sliding door panels mounted on guided rails;- integrates ventilation slots and uses fire-resistant sheet material for thecabin body and doors;- streamlines the wiring configuration by routing from the wiring slotspower from a rear wall of primary enclosure mounted switch fuse unit(SFU) within the meter room;- facilitates improved accessibility and simplifies maintenance proceduresfor electrical components; and- supports long-term sustainability by enabling incremental capacityexpansion and efficient resource utilization without requiring structuralmodifications.The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereofare explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the followingdescription. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniquesare omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. Theexamples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of waysin which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those ofskill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examplesshould not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the generalnature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge,readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodimentswithout departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations andmodifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaningand range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood thatthe phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of descriptionand not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have beendescribed in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art willrecognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification withinthe spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.The use of the expression "at least" or "at least one" suggests the use of one ormore elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodimentof the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles, or the like that hasbeen included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a contextfor the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of thesematters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in thefield relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date ofthis application.The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions,or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the valueshigher / lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions orquantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in thespecification specific to the contrary.While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components andcomponent parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that manyembodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferredembodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These andother changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of thedisclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein,whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is tobe interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.

Claims

1. A multi-layer sliding door meter room (100) for housing and operating electrical distribution components, wherein said meter room (100) comprising: - a primary enclosure (102 ) defining a meter room having a rear wall (102a) and side walls (102b), wherein said rear wall (102a) is structurally adapted to mount the electrical distribution components including energy meters (116) with their metering accessories consisting of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110) and switch fuse unit (SFUs); - a set of guided rail tracks (104) mounted laterally and parallel to the rear wall (102a) at a predefined distance from the rear wall (102a) and each other; - a plurality of sliding door panels (106), each sliding door panel (106) being operably mounted on a corresponding guided rail track (104), and configured for lateral displacement to provide nonoverlapping, tool-free, access to the electrical distribution components mounted behind each sliding door panel (106), each sliding door panel (106) comprising; o a mouting interface (106a) facing away from the rear wall (102a) and structured to mount one or more energy meters (116) with their miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), and electrical connectors (118), said electrical connectors (118) being configured to interface between an incoming power supply and an output from the mounted energy meters (116); and - a plurality of lateral wiring slots (108) formed at a bottom portion of said enclosure (102) to facilitate routing of wiring harness from each sliding door panel (106) to the rear wall (102a) for establishing electrical connection.

2. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch fuse units (SFUs) are operably connected to the wiring harness to control and protect electrical connectivity between the rear wall (102a) and each of said sliding door panels (106).

3. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guided rail track (104) includes a plurality of anti-friction elements or rollers configured to provide low-resistance and stable sliding movement of each sliding door panel (106).

4. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sliding door panels (106) are vertically stacked with said enclosure (102), and wherein each sliding door panel (106) is independently operable and mounted in a tiered configuration to facilitate scalable meter installations.

5. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sliding door panel (106) and the rear wall (102a) are fabricated from a cement fibre sheet material configured to enhance fire resistance, weather protection, and mechanical durability, in indoor or semi-outdoor enviournments.

6. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said MCBs (110) include: - at least one outgoing double pole MCB (114) for phase and neutral disconnection during faults; and - at least one incoming single pole MCB (112) for phase line overcurrent protection, both mounted to either the rear wall (102a) or said sliding door panel (106) based on electrical load distribution strategy.

7. The meter room as claimed in claim 6, wherein said each double pole MCB (114) of each energy meter (116) is operably mounted on the rear wall (102a) of said meter room (100).

8. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wiring harness includes pre-terminated, insulated connectors to facilitate quick swapping or servicing of sliding panels without requiring rewiring or power isolation of the entire meter room (100).

9. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switch fuse unit (SFU) is operably coupled to a surge protection module to suppress voltage transients and ensure operational safety of the smart meters and auxiliary components.

10. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said enclosure (102) further comprises ventilation slots disposed along top and side walls (102b) to promote passive airflow and manage thermal load from operational smart meters.

11. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the meter room (100) is adapted to accommodate smart meters for at least two consumers per sliding panel (106), wherein each smart meter (116) is independently addressable and protected via corresponding MCB (110).