Foldable Cable Clamp for Inside-Box Wire Retrofitting
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical connectors for securing wires in electrical boxes are often rigid and difficult to install without damaging walls, especially when adding new wires or replacing existing connectors, as they require pre-running wires and occupy excessive interior space.
Innovation Solution
A semi-cylindrical clamp with hinge members and frictional surfaces that can be folded to fit through a knockout hole from the inside, allowing for secure gripping of multiple wires and minimal space usage, with deformable tabs for secure insertion and flexible finger mechanisms for wire engagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If rigid and elongated connectors are used to securely hold wires, then wire securement is improved, but the connector requires excessive interior space and protrudes into the electrical box
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into two separate components: a clamp body and a clamp arm. The clamp body remains stationary in the electrical box providing securement, while the clamp arm is flexible and can be manipulated from outside the box to grip wires. This segmentation allows secure wire holding without requiring a large rigid structure that would protrude into the box interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The clamp arm is designed with flexibility to move between different positions (open and closed) to grip wires securely. The dynamic nature of the clamp arm allows it to engage wires without requiring excessive space, as it can be actuated from outside the electrical box while maintaining a compact profile when not in use.
2Ease of operation
If connectors are designed to be inserted from the outside, then installation is simplified, but existing walls must be damaged and repaired
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of inserting the connector from outside the electrical box through the wall, the clamp body is designed to be installed from inside the box. The clamp arm is then fed through the wall opening and manipulated from outside to secure wires. This inversion of the installation sequence allows the connector to be installed without damaging exterior walls, as the main body remains inside the box.
3Reliability
If connectors require wires to be run through before installation, then wire securement is ensured, but flexibility of use is reduced and installation becomes difficult with multiple wires
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp body is pre-installed in the electrical box before wires are routed through the wall. This preliminary installation allows wires to be run through the wall opening and then gripped by the clamp arm without requiring the wires to pass through the entire connector structure beforehand. This preliminary action provides flexibility for working with multiple wires and makes installation easier.
4Reliability
If elongated connectors are used to house wire gripping apparatus, then wire holding capability is improved, but the connector protrudes into the electrical box and crowds interior space
Solution Approach 1:
The wire gripping function is separated into a distinct clamp arm component that can be manipulated independently from the compact clamp body remaining in the electrical box. This segmentation allows the gripping mechanism to be actuated from outside the box without requiring a long protruding structure, thus maintaining wire holding capability while minimizing interior space usage.
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
Enables easy installation and retrofitting of electrical wire connectors within existing electrical boxes without damaging adjacent walls, accommodating multiple wires and minimizing interior space usage, while allowing for flexible wire management and secure holding.
Implementation Method 1
frictional surfaces that grip the wires
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for providing and installing electrical wire connector clamps that may be inserted into knockout holes from the inside of an electrical box or panel, that are capable of holding multiple wires or cables, that may be run through the connector before it is slotted into the hole, and that use only a minimal amount of interior space of the electrical box or panel. Embodiments of the present invention include semi-cylindrical units that may be folded together around one or more wires for secure engagement with the wires and with a knockout hole of an electrical box or panel. Embodiments may be used in new construction, and to replace existing connector clamps in an electrical box or panel from the inside without damaging the walls surrounding the box or panel, in order to securely hold wires in an electrical box or panel, add new wire(s), hold multiple wires, and/or increase available space inside the box or panel.