Earthing Metal Tube via Sliding Ring Clamp
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for earthing metal components in wet spaces, such as bathrooms, are prone to errors and damage, requiring collaboration between electricians and plumbers, and can compromise watertightness due to protruding pins or inadequate clamping of earth wires, leading to safety risks and increased installation complexity.
Innovation Solution
A metal ring with a slide connection that allows for adjustable clamping force, enabling easy insertion of a metal tube for earthing, ensuring a reliable electrical connection without the need for protruding pins or breaking through sealing membranes, and allowing for separate sale and use with various drains, enabling electricians to handle earthing independently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a pin with screw thread is arranged on the underside of the drain for earthing, then the earth wire can be secured using a nut, but the pin can be damaged during placing of the drain, whereby the nut can no longer be screwed onto the screw thread, and the pin may sometimes even detach from the drain
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the vulnerable screw thread from the drain structure and replaces it with a robust pin that protrudes through the drain. The earthing connection is achieved by clamping a clamp around the pin, eliminating the screw thread that was prone to damage and detachment during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of screwing a nut onto a thread on the drain, the invention inverts the approach by having the pin protrude through the drain and using a clamp that slides over the pin and secures it from the outside, reversing the traditional earthing attachment method.
2Ease of manufacture
If a hole is arranged in the drain for inserting a bolt to secure an earth wire, then the earth wire can be attached, but the attachment by means of a bolt and nut entails the risk that the earth wire is not clamped fixedly enough, whereby the earth wire still comes loose and/or does not conduct sufficient current
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the bolt and nut attachment system and replaces it with a pin that protrudes through the drain. The clamp secures the earth wire by clamping onto the pin, eliminating the inadequate clamping force issue associated with bolt and nut attachments.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention inverts the attachment approach by having the pin extend through the drain structure and allowing the clamp to secure the earth wire externally on the pin, rather than using internal bolt and nut fastening that fails to provide sufficient clamping force.
3Reliability
If an earthing pin protrudes on the underside of the drain, then the drain can be earthed, but it is necessary to break through a sealing membrane which is arranged around the outflow, whereby the sealing function is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The invention segments the drain structure by providing a dedicated pin that protrudes through the drain body at a location separate from the sealing membrane around the outflow. This allows the earthing function to be achieved without compromising the sealing integrity of the outflow area.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by positioning the earthing pin at a specific location on the drain that does not interfere with the sealing membrane. The pin is strategically placed to provide earthing functionality while leaving the critical sealing area around the outflow intact and undamaged.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If a horizontal flange around the drain is used to attach the sealing membrane, then the sealing can be achieved, but the horizontal flange has a relatively great circumferential length, whereby the attachment of the sealing membrane may not be perfect somewhere along this length
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the horizontal flange from the drain structure and replaces it with a more compact design where the sealing membrane is attached directly to the drain body or a reduced flange structure, eliminating the excessive circumferential length that caused imperfect sealing attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention inverts the traditional drain design by eliminating the prominent horizontal flange and instead providing a compact drain body with integrated sealing and earthing features, reversing the conventional approach of using a large flange for both structural and sealing purposes.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a combination of a metal tube having a cross-section characterized by at least one main dimension and a device for earthing the tube, which device comprises a connecting surface for forming a slide connection, extending in longitudinal direction of the tube, to the peripheral surface of the tube and at least one contact point arranged resiliently on the device for making electrical contact with the tube in the situation where the tube is connected to the device.