Flexible Insulating Cover Venting for Hot Conductor Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional insulating protective cover bodies for switchboards face challenges in heat dissipation due to lack of ventilation paths, which worsens with device size reduction and increased current-carrying capacity, leading to elevated temperatures and potential detachment issues under vibrations.
Innovation Solution
The insulating protective cover body is designed with flexible materials and features such as ventilation holes and projections to create air pathways for heat dissipation, ensuring primary fixation through conductor connection bolt cap portions and fastening holes, allowing for one-handed attachment in a compact space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the device size is reduced to handle higher current with smaller devices, then the current-carrying capacity is improved, but the heat dissipation performance deteriorates due to reduced area for heat dissipation
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating protective cover body incorporates ventilation holes that create a porous structure, allowing air to flow through and carry heat away from the conductors. This porous design enables effective heat dissipation despite the reduced overall device size, resolving the contradiction between compact dimensions and thermal management capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes natural convection currents (a pneumatic principle) where heated air rises through the ventilation holes and is replaced by cooler air, creating a continuous airflow that enhances heat dissipation. This pneumatic mechanism allows the compact device to maintain effective thermal management through air movement rather than relying solely on surface area
2Device complexity
If conventional ring-shaped clips are used to fasten the insulating protective cover body, then the structure is simple, but the clips and cover body detach under vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The fastening system is segmented into multiple independent elements: protrusions on the cover body that engage with recesses in the switchboard, and additional fastening holes for supplementary securing. This segmentation creates multiple attachment points that distribute mechanical stress and prevent detachment under vibration, while maintaining structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating protective cover body is made from flexible insulating resin that can deform elastically during installation and operation. This flexibility allows the cover to conform to the switchboard surface and maintain secure engagement with the fastening mechanism, preventing detachment while accommodating thermal expansion and vibration
3Object-affected harmful factors
If dip-molded insulating resin with matching surface is used, then insulation protection is provided, but ventilation paths are blocked leading to poor heat dissipation
Solution Approach 1:
The cover body incorporates ventilation holes that create a porous structure, allowing air to flow through and carry heat away from the conductors. This porous design enables effective heat dissipation despite the reduced overall device size, resolving the contradiction between compact dimensions and thermal management capability
Solution Approach 2:
The cover body has different properties in different locations: it provides solid continuous coverage over the conductors for insulation protection, while incorporating localized ventilation holes in specific regions to enable heat dissipation. This local differentiation allows simultaneous achievement of protection and thermal management
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
This design effectively enhances heat dissipation performance by creating ventilation paths and ensuring secure attachment, preventing detachment and maintaining efficient cooling even in reduced device sizes.
Implementation Method 1
the insulating protective cover body is made of a flexible insulating resin
Implementation Method 2
ventilation paths are formed between the inner surface and the first conductor and the second conductor
Data Source
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AI summary
An insulating protective cover body (1) that surrounds and covers a connection portion (8) at which a first conductor (2) and a second conductor (3) extending in a direction are connected to each other, and has conductor insertion holes provided so as to oppose to each other, the first conductor (2) being inserted in one of the conductor insertion holes, the second conductor (3) being inserted in another one of the conductor insertion holes, wherein the insulating protective cover body (1) is made of a flexible material openable and closable at a cut portion thereof disposed along the direction in which the first conductor (2) and the second conductor (3) extend, and a space serving as a ventilation path (10) in communication with outside is formed between an inner surface (1g) of the insulating protective cover body (1) and each of the first conductor (2) and the second conductor (3).