Flush-Mounted Junction Box With Offset Grooves
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Solution Overview
Problem
State-of-the-art flush-mounted junction boxes do not allow for provisional or trial insertion of the slide-out element without permanent interlocking, limiting flexibility and installation accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A flush-mounted junction box design featuring a cylindrical body with offset grooves and teeth on both the body and slide-out element, preventing initial interlocking, allowing for provisional insertion and adjustment, along with features like removable plugs, thickenings, and dovetail connections for secure anchoring and cable management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the slide-out element is inserted into the body with interlocking teeth, then the junction box achieves secure anchoring and stable position, but the installation becomes irreversible and prevents trial insertion or adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The grooves are designed to be offset from the tooth fastenings, creating a dynamic installation process where the slide-out element can initially be inserted without interlocking (trial insertion phase), then subsequently locked into position by engaging the teeth with the grooves (securing phase). This dynamic sequence resolves the contradiction between reversible trial insertion and irreversible secure anchoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The offset groove design enables preliminary trial insertion before final locking. The slide-out element can be partially inserted and positioned without the teeth engaging, allowing installers to verify fit and alignment before committing to the interlocked position. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by separating the trial insertion phase from the final securing phase.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the teeth of the slide-out element interlock with the body, then the position is fixed and stable, but adjustment and repositioning become impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The design creates a dynamic installation sequence where the slide-out element transitions from a movable, adjustable state during trial insertion to a fixed, stable state after tooth engagement. The offset grooves enable this dynamic transition, allowing adjustability during installation then providing position stability after locking.
Solution Approach 2:
The fastening mechanism is segmented into two distinct functional components: the offset grooves that enable trial insertion and positioning, and the tooth fastenings that provide final locking. This segmentation allows the system to exhibit both adjustability (during groove-based insertion) and position stability (after tooth engagement) at different stages.
3Ease of manufacture
If the grooves are aligned with the fastenings, then the slide-out element locks immediately upon insertion, but trial insertion and adjustment become impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The grooves are deliberately positioned asymmetrically relative to the tooth fastenings, with an offset that prevents immediate interlocking during initial insertion. This asymmetric positioning is simple to manufacture (requiring only offset groove placement) but effectively enables trial insertion by decoupling the insertion action from the locking action.
Data Source
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AI summary
A flush-mounted junction box (1) that has a body (2) in the form of a cylinder with an inlet opening (21) connected to a supporting flange (22) at its first end, having on its internal surface: longitudinal first grooves (24a) and sets of fastenings in the form of teeth (25); a slide-out element (3) in the form of a cylinder with a pass-through opening (31), having on its external surface: longitudinal ribs (34) that make up fitted connections with the first grooves (24a), as well as sets of fastenings in the form of teeth (35) that - together with the sets of fastenings in the form of teeth (25) - make up toothed connections, wherein the sets of fastenings in the form of teeth (35) are located on elements (36) whose contours are outlined by openings (37); in which junction box the first grooves (24a) run along the fastenings in the form of teeth (25) and which has the second grooves (24b) that are offset in relation to the first grooves (24a) by an angle that prevents the sets of fastenings (25) of the body (2) and the sets of fastenings (35) of the slide-out element (3) from interlocking, wherein the second grooves (24b) make up fitted connections with the ribs (34).