Meter Box Access Door Pivot Mechanism Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing access doors for meter boxes lack efficient and cost-effective manufacturing methods that allow for easy pivoting and secure coupling to panels without the need for post-casting drilling or machining.
Innovation Solution
The access door is designed with a plate, ridge, and channel configuration that forms a coaxial passage with the pivot axis, allowing a pin element to pivotally couple it to the panel without cores in the mold, enabling cost-effective casting and secure operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional casting methods are used for access doors, then manufacturing is simpler, but post-casting drilling or machining is required which increases cost and time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by incorporating the pivot holes and pin receptacles directly into the molding process. The injection molded access door is formed with pre-defined pivot holes and pin receptacles that align with the panel features, eliminating the need for post-casting drilling or machining operations. This preliminary formation of all necessary features during molding resolves the technical contradiction by making the manufacturing process complete in one step.
2Reliability
If access doors are designed with pivot holes and pin receptacles, then secure coupling is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies merging by combining multiple features into a single integrated molding operation. The access door is injection molded with pivot holes, pin receptacles, and hinge features all formed in one process step. The panel is also molded with corresponding features. This merging of features into the base molding process achieves secure coupling without adding separate manufacturing steps or complex assembly operations, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An access door according to which the access door is hingedly or pivotally coupled to a panel such as, for example, a water meter box cover or another type of meter box cover.