Electrical Conduit Connector with Trapped Lock Nut
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrical conduit connectors face challenges such as complex installation processes, safety concerns due to the need for tools in confined spaces, misplacement or loss of lock nuts, interference with existing circuitry, and inefficiencies in space usage within electrical enclosures, leading to increased labor and material costs.
Innovation Solution
The development of an electrical conduit connector with a connector body and a lock nut that includes radially opposed retention tabs and external body threads, allowing for secure attachment to an electrical enclosure without requiring access to the enclosure's interior and preventing lock nut misplacement, featuring a design where the lock nut is trapped on the connector body to ensure secure engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a traditional conduit connector with separate lock nut is used, then the connector can be assembled from separate parts, but the lock nut may be misplaced or lost during installation
Solution Approach 1:
The lock nut is integrated into the connector body as a single piece, eliminating the separate lock nut component that could be misplaced or lost. The connector body includes an integrated lock nut portion with engagement features that directly secure the conduit to the electrical enclosure without requiring a separate fastening component.
2Reliability
If tools are used to tighten the connector inside the electrical enclosure, then secure engagement is achieved, but safety risks increase due to working in confined spaces
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is designed with pre-configured engagement features and an extended engagement portion that allows the connector to be properly positioned and engaged from outside the electrical enclosure. The integrated lock nut and engagement features are prepared in advance during manufacturing, allowing installation without requiring tool use inside the confined enclosure space.
3Reliability
If the connector design allows access to the interior for tightening, then proper engagement can be achieved, but installation time and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into distinct functional portions: an extended engagement portion that protrudes from the electrical enclosure for external access, and an integrated lock nut portion that is pre-configured for engagement. This segmentation allows the engagement actions to be performed from outside the enclosure, eliminating the need to reach inside and reducing installation time while maintaining engagement quality.
4Device complexity
If a conventional connector design is used, then the structure is simple, but space within the electrical enclosure is wasted
Solution Approach 1:
The connector utilizes the dimensional space outside the electrical enclosure by extending the engagement portion outward. This allows the functional engagement features to be positioned in a different spatial dimension (outside the enclosure), thereby conserving valuable interior enclosure space while maintaining the structural simplicity of the connector design.
Data Source
AI summary
A connector for coupling a conduit to an electrical enclosure includes a body and a lock nut. The body extends longitudinally between a proximal enclosure end and a distal conduit end. The body has an enclosure port at the enclosure end, a conduit port at the conduit end, and an internal passage extending between the enclosure port and the conduit port. The enclosure end has radially opposed first and second retention tabs. The body has external body threads located distally of the retention tabs. Each of the retention tabs extend radially outward of a longitudinal projection of the external threads. The lock nut is mated with the external body threads. The lock nut has an enclosure engagement end opposed to distal facing enclosure engagement sides of the retention tabs. The lock nut is rotatable on the external body threads to advance the enclosure engagement end toward the retention tabs.