Gasketless Enclosure Ganging With Water-Deflecting Channel Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Adjoined electrical enclosures with deformable gaskets fail to prevent water and foreign objects from contacting live electrical components, requiring additional manufacturing steps and materials, and degrading over time.
Innovation Solution
A gasketless ganging system using an enclosure with a first and second ganging member, featuring channels and protrusions that align and overlap to direct water away from openings, preventing ingress and ensuring proper alignment of enclosures without the need for gaskets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If deformable gaskets are installed between adjacent enclosures to prevent water contact, then water protection is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase due to additional brackets and gasket installation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the gasket component entirely from the sealing system. Instead of using deformable gaskets installed in brackets, the invention uses the channel structures formed by the enclosure walls themselves to provide sealing and water protection, thereby eliminating the need for separate gasket and bracket assemblies
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the sealing function with the structural enclosure design. The channels formed by the first and second enclosures are integrated into the enclosure walls themselves, merging the protective barrier function with the structural framework rather than using separate sealing components
2Object-affected harmful factors
If deformable gaskets are used to seal enclosure gaps, then initial sealing is improved, but reliability deteriorates over time as gaskets degrade and permit water invasion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the degradable gasket material with a permanent structural solution. The channel-based sealing system is formed as an integral part of the rigid enclosure structure, eliminating the need for replaceable sealing components that degrade over time
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a separate flexible sealing layer between rigid enclosures, the invention inverts the approach by making the enclosures themselves form the sealing channels through their structural geometry, with the rigid walls creating the water-deflecting pathways
3Object-affected harmful factors
If deformable gaskets are installed to prevent foreign object contact, then initial protection is improved, but ease of manufacture worsens due to additional installation steps and materials
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the gasket installation step entirely from the manufacturing process. The channels are formed as integral parts of the enclosure structures, eliminating the need for separate gasket installation operations and reducing assembly complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the sealing function with the structural enclosure design. The channels formed by the first and second enclosures are integrated into the enclosure walls themselves, merging the protective barrier function with the structural framework rather than using separate sealing components
4Object-affected harmful factors
If traditional gasketed joints are used, then sealing is provided, but productivity decreases due to additional manufacturing steps and material handling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the gasket component entirely from the sealing system. Instead of using deformable gaskets installed in brackets, the invention uses the channel structures formed by the enclosure walls themselves to provide sealing and water protection, thereby eliminating the need for separate gasket and bracket assemblies
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the sealing function with the structural enclosure design. The channels formed by the first and second enclosures are integrated into the enclosure walls themselves, merging the protective barrier function with the structural framework rather than using separate sealing components
Data Source
AI summary
A gasketless ganging system includes an enclosure, including a first side, a second side; a first opening, and a second opening; a first ganging member disposed on the first side, including a third opening, a first channel, and a pair of first protrusions; and a second ganging member disposed on the second side, including a fourth opening, a second channel, and a pair of second protrusions. In some embodiments, the enclosure is a first enclosure and a second enclosure, wherein the first side of the first or second enclosure abuts the second side of the other of the first or second enclosure, to adjoin enclosures, wherein the pair of first protrusions abuts the pair of second protrusions to position the second channel within the first channel without contacting the first channel.