Control Cabinet Gap Cover for Contact Protection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Standardized control cabinets often have gaps between built-in parts and the inner walls due to larger internal dimensions, which can compromise the touch protection class, allowing unauthorized access and contact.

Innovation Solution

A plastic profile cover with a tough, hard retaining lip and a resilient, flexible pressure lip is designed to fill and close the gaps between the control cabinet and built-in parts, ensuring complete protection against contact.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the inner dimensions of the control cabinet are made larger than the standard panels to facilitate installation, then the ease of installation is improved, but a gap is created between the built-in parts and the inner wall that compromises touch protection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of installationVSAvoidtouch protection
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

A cover made of plastic profile with retaining lips and pressure lips is introduced as an intermediary element between the built-in part and the control cabinet inner wall. This cover fills the gap created by the larger inner dimensions, restoring touch protection while allowing the cabinet to maintain its easier-to-install dimensions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The cover incorporates pressure lips made of flexible plastic that can deform to accommodate the gap and provide effective contact protection. The flexible element adapts to the space between the rigid built-in part and the cabinet wall, ensuring protection is maintained despite the dimensional mismatch.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Object-affected harmful factors

If a cover is added to fill the gap for touch protection, then touch protection is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetouch protectionVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cover is segmented into distinct functional elements: retaining lips for positioning and pressure lips for contact protection. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall design relatively simple and modular.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The cover is made from composite material combining rigid plastic for the profile structure and flexible plastic for the pressure lips. This composite construction provides both structural integrity for positioning and flexibility for contact protection, achieving effective gap filling without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

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

The solution effectively reduces the gap between the control cabinet and built-in parts, providing comprehensive contact protection and preventing access to electrically conductive components, while maintaining ease of installation by accommodating the dimensions of standard panels.

Implementation Method 1

at least one bead made of soft plastic arranged parallel to the holding lip, which serves as protection against contact... the at least one pressure lip arranged parallel to the holding lip forms a profile provided with a hollow chamber, which serves in particular for connection and support

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2429047B1Electric cabinet
Publication Date: 2016.08.17 ABB AG(DE)
  • EP2429047B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2429047B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The invention relates to an electrical control cabinet (10) for domestic and/or industrial installations with built-in components (12) arranged therein, which are usually referred to as standard panels, the dimensions of which are standardized, wherein, for easier installation, the installation space provided in the control cabinet (10) for the built-in components is chosen to be a few millimeters larger than their dimensions require, so that a gap (11) is created between the control cabinet (10) and the respective built-in component (12), wherein a cover (14) is provided for each gap (11) which fills the respective gap (11) and serves as contact protection.