Electrical Junction Box Housing Alignment Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electrical junction boxes face challenges in assembly workability due to rotational freedom of the sheet metal bracket with respect to the housing, leading to potential misalignment of screw holes, which complicates the attachment process.
Innovation Solution
The electrical junction box incorporates a housing with a first and second engaging mechanism, including protrusions and grooves, and a fixing member that allows for concentric positioning of through hole portions between the housing and the housing support member, enabling easy alignment and secure attachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the sheet metal bracket is temporarily fixed to the housing with a boss and hole before final attachment, then the bracket can be positioned relative to the housing, but the bracket remains rotatable about the fulcrum, causing misalignment of screw holes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by providing engagement portions (protrusions and grooves) that perform positioning and alignment of the sheet metal bracket and housing before the final screw fixation. These engagement portions are designed to guide the relative positioning, ensuring that the through holes for screws are automatically aligned when the engagement portions are engaged, thereby eliminating the need for manual alignment operations during assembly.
2Strength
If the sheet metal bracket is fixed to the housing with screws in one edge region, then the bracket is secured to the housing, but the through holes for screws in the other edge region may be misaligned due to rotational freedom
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces engagement portions (protrusions and grooves) as intermediary elements that mediate between the sheet metal bracket and housing. These engagement portions serve as positioning intermediaries that maintain precise relative positioning between the two components during assembly, ensuring that through holes remain aligned even while the bracket is being secured with screws in other regions.
3Device complexity
If the sheet metal bracket and housing are temporarily fixed with a boss and hole, then the components can be held together, but additional alignment operations are required before final attachment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by designing engagement portions that automatically perform the alignment function. When the sheet metal bracket and housing are brought together, the protrusions and grooves self-align and engage, automatically positioning the through holes in correct alignment without requiring external alignment operations. This self-aligning mechanism simplifies the assembly process and improves productivity.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical junction box includes a housing attachable to an object to be attached, a housing support member holding the housing and attachable to the object to be attached, and male and female screw members. The housing support member includes a first portion to be engaged with a first engaging portion in the housing, thereby achieving positioning therewith, a second portion to be engaged with a second engaging portion in the housing, thereby achieving positioning therewith, an extending portion extending between the first and second portions to be engaged, and a through hole provided to an end of the extending portion on the second portion to be engaged side. The housing has a through hole. The through holes are disposed to be concentric in a state that the first and second portions to be engaged are respectively engaged with the first and second engaging portion.