Hazardous Container Flat Walls Hinged Cover

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing containers for dangerous environments with IIC standards face challenges in manufacturing complexity, seal effectiveness, and ease of use due to curved side walls, small upper openings, and threaded covers that hinder cable passage and single-piece assembly.

Innovation Solution

A container design featuring flat side walls, a single metal piece construction, a rotating and translatory cover with hinges, and a perimetric frame for improved sealing, allowing for side openings and cable passage while maintaining low manufacturing costs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If curved side walls are used in containers for dangerous environments, then the seal effectiveness is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases and lateral holes become difficult to create

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseal effectivenessVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The container is divided into a base and separate side walls that can be manufactured independently and then joined together. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured with simpler geometry (flat surfaces) while achieving the required seal effectiveness through the joining mechanism rather than requiring complex curved surfaces throughout the entire structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of creating curved surfaces to achieve sealing, the invention inverts the approach by using flat surfaces combined with a specific joining method (threaded connection with sealing elements) to achieve the same sealing effect. This reverses the conventional wisdom that curved surfaces are necessary for sealing in dangerous environments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the upper opening extension is made smaller than the base extension, then the container structural integrity is improved, but the ease of manufacture decreases due to difficulty in single-piece construction

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidease of manufacture

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The container is segmented into a base and separate side walls that are joined together through threaded connections. This allows the upper opening to have a smaller extension than the base while maintaining structural integrity through the joining mechanism, and also enables easier manufacturing by allowing each component to be produced separately and assembled rather than requiring complex single-piece construction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Reliability

If a threaded cylindrical cover is used to ensure proper seal in dangerous environments, then the reliability is improved, but the ease of operation decreases due to difficulty in passing electric cables through the cover

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseal effectivenessVSAvoidease of operation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The cover is segmented into a separate component that can be attached to the container body through threaded connections. This segmentation allows the cover to maintain proper sealing for dangerous environments while also providing access points (such as cable glands or openings) that can be integrated into the cover structure, making it easier to pass electric cables and other connections through the cover without compromising the seal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Ease of operation

If a perimetric frame with reduced thickness is used in the cover, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability decreases due to lower seal effectiveness

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of operationVSAvoidseal effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The perimetric frame is designed with non-uniform thickness distribution, where the frame has greater thickness at critical sealing locations to ensure proper seal effectiveness, while maintaining adequate thickness elsewhere to ensure ease of operation. This local variation in quality allows the frame to meet both requirements simultaneously rather than requiring uniform thickness throughout.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS9440776B2Container for dangerous environments

Publication Date: 2016.09.13 F E A M FORNITURE ELETTRICHE APPCCHIATURE MATERIALI SRL

AI summary

Container for dangerous environments, which comprises a base (1) and one or more side walls (2) joined to the base (1), so as to define an upper opening (3) which can be closed by a cover (4) and is surrounded by a first flange (5) provided with a plurality of first holes (6), while the cover (4) is provided with a second flange (7) provided with a plurality of second holes corresponding to the first holes (6) of the first flange (5), wherein the base (1), the side walls (2) and the first flange (5) are made of a single metal piece and the cover (4) is joined to the container by means of one or more hinges (10) which allow a rotating and translatory movement of the cover (4) with respect to the container, the cover (4) being provided with a perimetric frame (13) suitable for penetrating into the upper opening (3) and for being coupled with the upper portion of the inner surfaces of the side walls (2).