Elastic Plastic Pipe Receiving Element for Cable Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing cable management solutions, such as rigid aluminum ducts, require complex planning, processing, and additional components for cable protection, leading to high costs and inefficiencies in cable routing, especially when equipping frames and tables, as they necessitate sawing and drilling, which are time-consuming and costly.

Innovation Solution

A line receiving element with elastic, one-piece construction from different materials, featuring undercut grooves and movable lips that allow easy cutting with scissors, enabling cables to be routed invisibly and attached without machining the profile, reducing the need for additional protection and allowing for flexible placement and removal.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If rigid aluminum ducts are used for cable routing, then cable protection is provided, but complex processing (sawing, drilling) and additional components are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecable protectionVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the material parameter from rigid aluminum to elastic plastic material, which fundamentally alters the processing requirements. The elastic material can be cut with simple scissors instead of requiring industrial saws, and its flexibility eliminates the need for drilling holes for cable passage

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The invention uses composite construction with a plastic base material and integrated elastic lips made from the same or different elastic material. This composite approach combines the structural integrity needed for cable protection with the flexibility required for simple processing and installation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Reliability

If rigid aluminum ducts are used, then cable routing is achieved, but construction time and costs increase due to sawing and drilling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecable routing capabilityVSAvoidconstruction time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent adopts a disposable-style installation approach where the elastic line receiving element is simply cut to length with scissors and pressed into place, eliminating the need for permanent fixation through drilling or complex fastening. This dramatically reduces installation time and labor costs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

By changing the material from rigid to elastic, the patent enables simple scissor cutting instead of sawing, and allows direct pressing installation without drilling or fastening, thereby drastically reducing construction time and eliminating the need for specialized tools

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If rigid aluminum ducts with sharp edges are used, then cable protection is needed, but additional components like edge tape or cable grommets are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecable damage riskVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the cable protection function directly into the line receiving element by integrating elastic lips that form protective channels. The cable guidance function and protection function are combined in a single component, eliminating the need for separate edge tape or cable grommets

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The use of elastic material throughout the structure, including the lips that form cable channels, ensures that all surfaces are soft and non-abrasive. This composite elastic construction provides inherent cable protection without requiring additional protective components

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

4Reliability

If post-configuration of cable channels is done after basic structure construction, then cable routing is achieved, but construction time increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecable routing functionalityVSAvoidconstruction time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The elastic line receiving elements are designed to be pre-cut to the required lengths using simple scissors before installation. This preliminary cutting action, combined with the simple pressing-in installation method, enables rapid post-configuration without requiring time-consuming on-site processing

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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

Significantly reduces construction time and costs by allowing easy adaptation and installation of cable management systems on-site, with clean processing and flexible cable routing, eliminating the need for sawing and additional protection components.

Implementation Method 1

the ends of the profile - like the lips - can be elastic and therefore avoid the need for additional cable protection

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2828943B1Pipe receiving element
Publication Date: 2016.08.24 RIXEN WOLFGANG
  • EP2828943B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2828943B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP2828943B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

Pipe receiving element (10) with a base (12), at least two side pieces (14) extending in the same direction from the base (12) and with a cover (20) closing at least the free ends of the side pieces (14) for forming at least one chamber (18) for receiving a pipe (16), characterised in that the base (12) is provided with a fixing device (22) on the side facing away from the cover (20), all components consist of at least one plastic material, and the at least one cover (20) is provided with at least one longitudinal slit (24) running in the longitudinal direction of the chamber (18), as a result of which the cover (20) consists of two moveable lips (26) per chamber (18).