Modular Cable Protector End Connector Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional modular cable protectors are labor-intensive to disassemble due to their tight, binding end connectors, which require non-vertical force and effort to disconnect, making it difficult to separate adjacent units.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of complementary male and female end connectors with a plurality of openings at intervals along their edges, featuring undercuts that allow for easier disengagement using a hand tool, reducing friction and facilitating disconnection while maintaining alignment and stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional tight-fitting end connectors are used, then alignment and stability between cable protectors is maintained, but disassembly becomes labor-intensive and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The end connector is segmented into multiple vertical sections (first, second, third, and fourth vertical sections) with varying engagement characteristics. The first and second sections provide tight engagement for stability, while the third and fourth sections with reduced wall thickness provide flexibility for easier disengagement, resolving the contradiction between stability and ease of disassembly.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the end connector wall have different thicknesses and engagement properties. The first and second vertical sections have greater thickness for stable engagement, while the third and fourth sections have reduced thickness to facilitate disengagement. This local variation in quality allows the connector to provide both stability and ease of operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If tight-fitting end connectors are used, then proper alignment of channels is maintained, but end connectors bind against each other during disengagement
Solution Approach 1:
The end connector is divided into distinct vertical sections with different engagement characteristics. The first and second sections maintain tight engagement for precise alignment, while the third and fourth sections provide flexibility to prevent binding during disengagement operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The end connector transitions from a static, uniformly tight structure to a dynamic structure with varying engagement properties along its height. The upper sections (third and fourth vertical sections) are designed to be more flexible, allowing the connector to adapt during disengagement and prevent binding while maintaining alignment.
3Strength
If cable protectors are made large and heavy for structural integrity, then protection effectiveness is improved, but lifting and disengagement become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The end connector is segmented into multiple vertical sections with different wall thicknesses. The lower sections maintain sufficient thickness for structural strength, while the upper sections have reduced thickness to reduce overall weight and facilitate lifting and disengagement operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The end connector structure varies locally in wall thickness, with thicker sections where structural strength is needed and thinner sections where weight reduction is beneficial. This allows the cable protector to maintain structural integrity while being easier to lift and manipulate during installation and disassembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular cable protector can be removably connected in series with like cable protectors by complementary male and female end connectors. A number of openings extend downward along the peripheral walls of the adjacent end connectors to define a pattern of gaps and regions of contact between adjacent end connectors. Preferably, undercuts extend from the lower portions of the openings. A tool can be used to removably engage these openings and undercuts, thereby allowing a user to exert an upward force to disengage the end connectors on adjacent cable protectors.