Housing having an assembly disposed therein
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing actuators, especially high-quality ones, are prone to mechanical damage due to structural integration of actuating elements, which can lead to damage during adjustment processes, especially when used in inexpensive and mechanically unstable designs.
Innovation Solution
The actuator is positioned adjacent to the housing's outer wall with an actuating element featuring a receptacle for an actuating tool, where the adjustment path is limited by the cutout's edges, and detents on the outer wall engage with latching projections, allowing for resilient adjustment and preventing mechanical overstressing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If actuators are structurally integrated with actuating elements, then the actuator structure becomes compact and complete, but the actuator becomes vulnerable to mechanical damage during adjustment operations
Solution Approach 1:
The invention separates the actuator from the actuating element, creating two independent components. The actuator remains as a separate adjustable component while the actuating element becomes an independent interface component with the housing, eliminating the integrated structure that causes mechanical vulnerability.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing acts as an intermediary structure between the actuator and the external environment. The actuating element is integrated into the housing rather than directly into the actuator, creating a protective interface that absorbs mechanical loads and prevents direct transmission of damaging forces to the actuator.
2Ease of manufacture
If actuators are designed to be inexpensive and simple, then manufacturing cost decreases, but mechanical stability and damage resistance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The actuating element is designed as a simple, inexpensive component that can be easily manufactured and integrated into the housing. Since it is separate from the actuator, it can be made from basic materials without requiring the mechanical precision and stability of expensive actuators, yet still fulfills its function of providing the adjustment interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The actuating element is extracted from the actuator and integrated into the housing instead. This allows the actuator to be designed purely for its adjustment function with minimal mechanical requirements, while the actuating element handles the mechanical interface requirements, enabling cost-effective actuator design.
3Ease of operation
If the adjustment path is not limited, then the actuating element has full range of motion, but mechanical overstressing and damage to the actuator occur
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure with integrated actuating element provides preliminary protection against mechanical overstressing. The design inherently limits the adjustment path through the housing geometry and actuating element constraints, preventing excessive motion before damage can occur to the actuator.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing and actuating element structure acts as a cushioning mechanism that absorbs and limits mechanical forces. The integration of the actuating element into the housing creates a protective boundary that prevents direct transmission of damaging forces to the actuator during adjustment operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design effectively prevents mechanical damage to the actuator by absorbing forces through the actuating element and housing, allowing for precise adjustment without overstressing the actuator, even during clumsy operations, and enables cost-effective production of actuators without special mechanical stability considerations.
Implementation Method 1
the actuating element is resilient at least in the area of its latching projections
Implementation Method 2
detents are provided, in which the detent projections attached to the actuating element engage
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a housing (1) having an assembly (2), comprising at least one actuator (3), such as a potentiometer, a switch, an adjusting eccentric, an adjusting screw, or the like, disposed therein, and an actuating element (5) for actuating the at least one actuator (3), wherein the actuator (3) is disposed adjacent to an outer wall (6) of the housing (1), and the actuating element (5) is equipped with a receptacle (15) for an actuating tool in the region of the front thereof facing the outer wall (6) thereof, said receptacle being positioned in the region of a cutout (14) of the outer wall (6) that delimits the actuating path of the actuating tool.