Standardized Electrical Connection Box with Adjustable Positioning Tabs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Recreational vehicles and boats face challenges in connecting to external power sources due to mismatched electrical services, poor quality of campground or marina electrical systems, and the need for devices that accommodate various connector types and service types, making it difficult to fabricate cost-effective surge protectors and voltage spike conditioners.
Innovation Solution
An electrical connection box with a standardized design featuring a front and back section forming a hollow space, a power cord receiver with angled seating surfaces, and a locking nut with a gasket for environmental sealing, along with positioning tabs to accommodate different receptacle lengths, and integrated power monitoring devices to protect against surges and voltage fluctuations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a standardized electrical connection box design is used, then manufacturing cost and device complexity are reduced, but adaptability to different receptacle lengths and electrical service types deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection box incorporates adjustable positioning tabs that can be moved along the interior walls to accommodate different receptacle lengths. This dynamic adjustment mechanism allows a single standardized box design to adapt to various receptacle types without requiring multiple specialized box designs, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while improving adaptability.
2Reliability
If protective devices are added to protect against electrical surges and voltage spikes, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates surge protection devices, voltage spike conditioners, and power monitoring functions into a single electrical connection box assembly. By combining multiple protective functions into one unified device rather than using separate components, the system achieves high reliability while minimizing the increase in device complexity and manufacturing cost.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the electrical connection box is designed to accommodate various electrical service types (120V, 240V, different amperages), then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection box is designed with universal mounting configurations and adjustable positioning tabs that can accommodate multiple electrical service types (120V, 240V, 15-50 amps) and various receptacle types (NEMA 5-15, 5-20, 6-50, etc.). This universal design approach allows a single standardized box to perform multiple functions and support different electrical configurations without requiring separate specialized boxes for each service type, thereby maintaining ease of manufacture while achieving high adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Electrical connection boxes for use in recreational vehicle and marine applications must be adapted for a variety of electrical services and electrical connection styles. In order to standardize electrical connection boxes for these uses, a plurality of positioning tabs may be mounted within the connection box to accommodate electrical connection receptacles of various sizes. Unused positioning tabs may be removed during assembly. Further standardization can be achieved through the use of gaskets adapted for use with power cords of different sizes but having common design features to mate with a common seating surface design.