Utility Meter Wire Ingress Assembly With Liquid-Tight Lead-Through
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing utility meters face challenges with load control devices and auxiliary equipment integration, leading to increased costs, cumbersome design, and installation complexities due to the need for bespoke meters and additional space for remote devices, as well as issues with wire lead-throughs creating ingress paths for environmental hazards.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a cost-effective ingress protection assembly for wire lead-throughs that uses interlocking wall sections to form a liquid-tight aperture without additional sealing means, and a compact load control module design that integrates alongside the utility meter, reducing installation time and space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If wire lead-through openings are provided in enclosure walls for passing signal lines and supply lines, then electrical connections can be established, but ingress paths for dust, liquids, and other environmental hazards are created
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs elastic sealing elements (grommets) made of flexible material that can be deformed during wire insertion and then recover to create a tight seal around the wire, preventing environmental ingress while maintaining electrical connectivity
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing grommet acts as an intermediary component between the rigid enclosure wall and the flexible wire, mediating the conflict between needing wire passage and preventing environmental ingress by providing a compliant sealing interface
2Volume of moving object
If load control devices are built into the utility meter, then integration and compactness are improved, but the meter requires bespoke design with increased complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the utility meter system into modular components: the base meter unit and the load control device as a separate but integrated module, allowing standardization of the base unit while enabling optional load control functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal base meter design that can function with or without load control capabilities, allowing the same enclosure and basic metering components to serve multiple functions depending on configuration
3Device complexity
If remote load control devices are used instead of integrated devices, then meter design complexity is reduced, but additional installation space and mounting requirements are needed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested arrangement where the load control device is positioned within or adjacent to the meter enclosure, utilizing the existing structural space rather than requiring completely separate mounting locations
Data Source
AI summary
An ingress protection assembly for leading a wire, such as a signal and/or a supply line, through a partition wall of an electrical device is provided. The ingress protection assembly includes a first wall section provided with a receiving slot extending through the first wall section in a lead-through direction and opening at an inlet facing in an assembly direction of the ingress protection assembly; and a second wall section provided with a counter slot extending through the second wall section in the lead-through direction and opening at a counter inlet facing against the assembly direction, wherein at least in a fully assembled state of the ingress protection assembly, the first wall section and the second wall section are at least partially superimposed in a projection along the lead-through direction such that the receiving slot and the counter slot together form an aperture configured for tightly encompassing the wire.