Mounting Rail Fastening for Pre-Assembled Cabinet Installation

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing mounting rail fastening devices require screws to be accessible for attaching the mounting rail to a wall, making it impossible to pre-assemble the rail with components and increasing the assembly effort, especially when connecting cables, which necessitates additional support blocks and further complicates the process.

Innovation Solution

The mounting rail fastening device features a rail arrangement with holding rails and a bus bar, where clamps are attached to the bus bar, allowing the mounting rail to be fastened to the wall using the fastening elements, eliminating the need for additional components and enabling direct contact with the fasteners, thus allowing pre-assembled rails to be mounted with reduced assembly effort.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of manufacture

If mounting rails are fastened to the wall using screws through openings, then the mounting rail can be securely attached, but the screws become inaccessible once components are mounted, preventing pre-assembly and increasing assembly effort

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepre-assembly capabilityVSAvoidassembly process complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The mounting rail is pre-assembled with all components (terminal blocks, cable glands, shielding connections) before installation. The fastening device enables this by providing accessible fastening elements that remain accessible even after component installation, allowing the rail to be securely mounted to the wall without requiring post-assembly screw access.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The fastening device serves multiple functions: it secures the mounting rail to the wall, provides accessible fastening elements for both pre-assembly and installation phases, and integrates with the rail structure to eliminate the need for separate support blocks. This multi-functionality reduces the number of components and simplifies the overall assembly process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If additional support blocks are used to accommodate terminals for cable shielding, then cable connections can be made, but the number of components increases and assembly effort increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecable connection capabilityVSAvoidnumber of components
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal blocks and cable shielding connection elements are integrated directly into the mounting rail structure. The fastening device incorporates fastening elements that can directly secure these terminal blocks to the rail, eliminating the need for separate support blocks. This merging of functions reduces the total component count while maintaining full cable connection capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3996221B1Rail fastening device, arrangement and switch cabinet
Publication Date: 2025.01.01 PHOENIX CONTACT GMBH & CO KG
  • EP3996221B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3996221B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3996221B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

The invention relates to a mounting rail fastening device (100) for fastening a mounting rail (200) equipped with components (300) to a wall (400), comprising a fastening device (110) which has at least two fastening elements (111) for receiving the mounting rail (200), a rail arrangement (150) connected to the two fastening elements (111), and at least one clamp (170) arranged on the rail arrangement (150).