Outdoor Floor Electrical Box With Sealed Access Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor electrical boxes either sacrifice accessibility for moisture protection or provide inadequate protection against the elements, making them unsuitable for applications requiring frequent device connections and posing electrocution hazards.
Innovation Solution
An electrical box with a body and adjustable mounting brackets for secure outdoor installation, featuring a cover door and brush-filled openings to prevent water ingress, allowing for easy access and intermittent connections while maintaining protection from the elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If electrical boxes are installed in the ground for outdoor use, then accessibility is improved, but moisture protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical box is segmented into a removable cover and a body housing. The cover can be easily removed to provide accessibility for frequent connections, while the sealed body maintains moisture protection. This segmentation allows different parts to serve different functions: the cover provides access when needed, while the sealed body protects against moisture.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is designed to be dynamically removable and reattachable, transitioning between open and closed states. This dynamic design allows the box to adapt between providing accessibility (when cover is removed) and moisture protection (when cover is attached), resolving the contradiction between these two opposing requirements.
2Ease of operation
If electrical boxes provide easy accessibility for frequent connections, then ease of operation is improved, but moisture protection deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The box includes a removable cover that can be attached beforehand to protect the electrical connection points from water ingress. When frequent connections are needed, the cover is temporarily removed, and when protection is needed, the cover is reattached. This beforehand cushioning approach ensures protection is available whenever the cover is in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable cover acts as an intermediary element between the electrical connection points and the outdoor environment. It provides a barrier against water and moisture while allowing controlled access when removed, mediating between the need for accessibility and the need for protection.
3Ease of operation
If post-mounted receptacles are used for distant power distribution, then accessibility is improved, but structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical box merges the benefits of ground installation (stability and low profile) with the accessibility of post-mounted receptacles. By installing the box in the ground or on a surface and providing a removable cover, it achieves both structural stability and easy access for connections, eliminating the need for protruding post-mounted structures.
4Reliability
If electrical boxes are sealed for moisture protection, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The box is segmented into a sealed body and a removable cover. The body maintains its sealed, reliable protection against moisture, while the cover can be easily removed to provide access for connections. This segmentation allows the sealed body to maintain reliability while the removable cover restores ease of operation when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover transitions between attached (sealed) and removed (accessible) states, allowing the box to dynamically switch between reliability (when sealed) and ease of operation (when accessed). This dynamic design resolves the contradiction by allowing both states to be achieved at different times as needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical box includes a body, a cover, adjustable mounting brackets and a connection geometry for engagement with a connection geometry of a floor support structure. The adjustable mounting brackets are configured to be adjusted in the vertical direction to accommodate floor materials of different thicknesses so that a top surface of the electrical box is flush with a top surface of adjacent floor material(s). The electrical box houses electrical connection points such as electrical receptacles or data or audio/video connections that remain sheltered from the outdoor elements but are also easily accessible.