Lightweight Enclosure for Flat Panel Displays with Rigid Plastic Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing all-weather enclosures for flat panel displays are either too heavy, expensive, or lack structural rigidity, making them unsuitable for mounting on standard ceiling and wall systems, and often compromise weatherproofing and optical clarity due to material limitations.
Innovation Solution
A lightweight plastic housing with a hinged transparent viewing element and a recessed containing element, reinforced with molded indentations and a continuous elastomeric seal, allowing for easy access and secure mounting while maintaining structural rigidity and weather-tightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If metal or wood materials are used to construct the enclosure, then structural rigidity and weatherproofing are improved, but weight and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from traditional metal/wood to plastic, and modifies the structural parameters by adding ribs and recesses to the plastic housing. This allows the enclosure to achieve sufficient structural rigidity while maintaining lightweight properties, resolving the contradiction between strength and weight
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite construction by combining plastic material with structural features (ribs, recesses, and mounting system integration) to create a housing that achieves metal-like rigidity without the weight penalty, effectively creating a composite solution that balances strength and weight requirements
2Strength
If thicker plastic material is used to increase structural rigidity, then enclosure strength is improved, but weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of increasing material thickness, the patent changes the structural parameters by incorporating ribs and recesses into the plastic housing design. This allows the same thickness of plastic to achieve higher rigidity, reducing material costs and simplifying manufacturing while maintaining structural integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The housing is segmented into multiple functional regions including ribs for structural support, recesses for mounting system integration, and specific openings for cable access. This segmentation allows each area to be optimized for its specific function, achieving overall rigidity without requiring uniform thickness increases throughout the entire housing
3Ease of operation
If a flip-up front panel is added to enable access for maintenance, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the mounting system from the housing body and integrates it into a separate, removable component. This allows the mounting system to be detached for maintenance access without requiring a complex flip-up panel mechanism, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is designed with preliminary features such as integrated cable management and pre-positioned access points that allow maintenance to be performed efficiently once the mounting system is removed, reducing the need for additional access mechanisms and simplifying the overall design
Data Source
AI summary
A lightweight, weatherproof, protective enclosure for flat panel displays comprising a containing element in the form of an open, shallow rectangular prism with a regular network of shallow reinforcing depressions formed in its outer surface and a substantially transparent planar viewing element hingedly connected to the containing element such that when the viewing element is closed over, and sealed to, the containing element the protective enclosure forms a lightweight, monocoque structure with enhanced structural rigidity.