Cube-Shaped Mounting Strip for Electrical Distribution Units
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing distribution units for electrical installations require significant material and space due to their design, which limits their functional strength and efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A distribution unit with a cube-shaped mounting strip featuring a meander-shaped ligament that connects two broad long-edged plates, reducing material usage while enhancing mechanical strength and bending resistance, and incorporating a latch system with blocking elements for secure module attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If a traditional mounting strip design is used, then mechanical strength and stability are achieved, but material usage and space consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting strip transitions from a traditional flat profile to a three-dimensional cube-shaped rod structure. This dimensional change allows the strip to achieve superior mechanical strength and stability while reducing material usage, as the cubic geometry provides structural efficiency in all spatial dimensions rather than relying on extended planar profiles.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting strip employs a composite structure combining a cube-shaped rod framework with integrated profiled limbs. This composite design allows different portions of the structure to serve specialized functions - the cube-shaped core provides overall structural integrity while the profiled limbs extend specific mechanical properties, achieving high strength-to-material-ratio.
2Volume of moving object
If the mounting strip is made thinner to save space, then material and space are reduced, but bending resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
By transitioning to a cube-shaped rod structure, the mounting strip achieves three-dimensional structural efficiency. This allows the strip to maintain high bending resistance with reduced thickness compared to traditional flat designs, as the cubic geometry distributes mechanical loads more effectively across all spatial axes.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of the cube-shaped rod with integrated profiled limbs enables thin-walled construction while maintaining bending resistance. The profiled limbs extend the structural capabilities of the thin cube-shaped core, providing the necessary mechanical strength without increasing overall thickness or material consumption.
3Strength
If additional profiled limbs are added to increase bending resistance, then mechanical strength improves, but device complexity and material usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The profiled limbs are merged with the cube-shaped rod structure rather than being separate附加 components. This integration reduces device complexity by combining multiple structural functions into a unified design, where the profiled limbs are formed as part of the mounting strip itself rather than as separate elements requiring additional assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure integrates the cube-shaped rod and profiled limbs into a unified mounting strip design. This composite approach achieves high bending resistance through the synergistic combination of the cubic core and profiled extensions, rather than requiring multiple separate structural elements, thereby reducing overall device complexity.
4Reliability
If a secure module attachment system is implemented, then reliability of connection improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment system merges the mounting strip with integrated attachment means formed directly on the strip body. This integration reduces device complexity by eliminating separate attachment components, while the profiled limbs and coupling parts provide secure module attachment through their geometric interlocking features.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting strip's own structure serves as the attachment system through its profiled limbs and coupling parts. The cube-shaped rod and its extensions automatically provide mechanical interlocking and securing functions without requiring additional specialized attachment components, allowing the mounting strip to serve multiple functions simultaneously.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention is about a distribution unit (1) for an electrical installation, comprising a terminal block arrangement, in particular for connecting protective earth conductors and neutral conductors (PE/N terminal), said terminal block arrangement having a mounting strip (2) and modules (3) that can be fitted to the mounting strip (2) next to one another in a row, said modules (3) having an insulating housing (4), whereby each of the housings (4) and the mounting strip (2) have devices for the purpose of plugging the modules (3) to the mounting strip (2), transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the mounting strip (2), said distribution unit (1) having a first and a second support ((5, 6) for the mounting strip (2) being disposed at a spacing from one another on a substructure (7), the mounting strip (2) being secured to the supports (5, 6), said mounting strip (2) having coupling parts (8, 9) being formed at its opposing narrow ends, each of said coupling parts (8, 9) having a latch (10) that can be released by pressing it in direction towards the free end of the mounting strip (2) by a tool or by a finger, and which biases into a retaining position, wherin the mounting strip (2) is formed as an elongated cube-shaped rod, which has two rectangularbroad long-edged plates (11, 12) which are connected by two rectangular narrow short-edged plates (13, 14), wherein the long edges (15) of the broad long-edged plates (11, 12) and the narrow edges (16) of the narrow short-edged plates (13, 14) define two narrow long-edged side sections (17, 18), said two broad long-edged plates (11, 12) being bonded together by means of an elongated ligament (19) running from a first of the narrow short-edged plates (13) to the other narrow short-edged plate (14) in a meander-shaped course.