Captive Cover Accessory for Electrical Raceways
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical trunking accessories face issues with supply chain problems due to separate cover and support components, and they fail to securely immobilize electrical equipment during connections and disconnections, leading to potential separation of longitudinal side flanges.
Innovation Solution
A captive cover accessory with a support that has ratchet teeth, where the cover is permanently linked to the support, and connecting arms deform to lock the ratchet teeth onto the base, ensuring secure attachment and immobilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the cover and support are separate components, then the accessory can be assembled in two parts, but supply chain problems and loss on site occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cover and support into a single integrated accessory component. The cover is permanently linked to the support through connecting arms that form a unified structure, eliminating the need for separate assembly of these two parts and preventing loss or supply chain issues associated with separate components.
2Ease of operation
If the cover is a separate part from the support, then the cover can be snapped onto the support, but the cover may be lost or misplaced before mounting
Solution Approach 1:
The cover and support are combined into a single permanent structure where the cover is integrally formed with the support through connecting arms. This integration ensures the cover cannot be lost or misplaced before mounting, as it is permanently attached to the support structure.
3Reliability
If rigid immobilization is used to block electrical equipment, then translation is blocked, but longitudinal side flanges may separate during connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the mechanical properties of the connecting arms from rigid to flexible. The flexible connecting arms can deform elastically during installation to allow the ratchet teeth to engage with the base, then maintain the connection while accommodating movements that prevent flange separation. This flexibility parameter change resolves the contradiction between rigid immobilization and flange stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connecting arms are designed to be flexible rather than rigid, allowing dynamic deformation during the connection and disconnection processes. This flexibility enables the arms to absorb stresses and movements that would otherwise cause the longitudinal side flanges to separate, while still maintaining effective immobilization of the electrical equipment.
4Adaptability or versatility
If flexible connecting arms are used to link cover and support, then the accessory can adapt, but the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible connecting arms that function as thin, deformable elements linking the cover to the support. These flexible arms provide the necessary adaptability during mounting while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, avoiding the complexity that would arise from more elaborate flexible mechanisms.
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 provides a secure and efficient method for attaching and immobilizing electrical equipment, reducing supply chain issues and enhancing the stability of electrical trunking systems by ensuring the cover is always linked to the support, preventing separation of longitudinal side flanges.
Implementation Method 1
when the cover is mounted on the support in order to cover its front face, each connecting arm deforms elastically and pushes the ratchet tooth carried by the leg of the support to which it is linked to lock it on the base
Data Source
Figure 1~2B
Figure 3~5
Figure 6~8A
AI summary
The accessory (100) has a support (120) with an attachment (122) exteriorly provided with a locking teeth (123) locked on a base of an electrical raceway, where the accessory is in the form of a crosspiece. The attachment is permanently connected to a rear surface of a cover (110) by a bent connecting arm (124) with a flexible zone (124A) such that the cover is mounted on the support to cause an elastic deformation of the arm for laterally displacing the attachment towards the exterior of the accessory. The support has an immobilizing unit formed of rigid elements fixed in respective buffers. An independent claim is also included for an electrical assembly comprising an electrical apparatus and an accessory.