Parking Lot Power Pedestal Spring Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Parking lot power pedestals are frequently damaged due to close proximity to vehicles, leading to exposed wires and potential electric shock hazards, as they are not adequately protected from animal damage, weather, and UV radiation, while existing solutions fail to provide flexible mounting systems that maintain electrical safety across temperature variations.
Innovation Solution
A parking lot power pedestal design featuring a base and an elongated round tubular body with a central bore and a single tightly wound spring that provides angular offset protection, weather sealing, and animal exclusion, allowing the tubular body to flex while maintaining wire protection and preventing base movement that could shear or tilt wires.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the power pedestal is positioned close to parking stalls to maximize parking capacity, then parking lot utilization is improved, but the risk of vehicle impact damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power pedestal incorporates a spring mechanism that allows the receptacle assembly to move dynamically in response to impact forces. When struck by a vehicle, the spring compresses to absorb the impact energy, then returns the receptacle to its original position, preventing permanent damage while maintaining close proximity to parking stalls for high utilization.
2Reliability
If the power pedestal is positioned far from parking stalls to protect from vehicle impact, then pedestal safety is improved, but parking lot utilization decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring-loaded mechanism enables the pedestal to be positioned close to stalls for maximum utilization while dynamically responding to impacts. The spring absorbs impact forces that would otherwise cause damage, maintaining safety without sacrificing proximity to parking spaces.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the tubular body is fixed rigidly to the base, then structural stability is improved, but impact damage resistance decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring mechanism replaces rigid fixation with a dynamic connection. The spring allows the tubular body to move relative to the base during impact, absorbing shock forces while maintaining structural integrity. This dynamic connection preserves stability during normal operation while providing impact damage resistance.
4Reliability
If the spring is loosely wound to allow movement, then impact absorption is improved, but weather sealing effectiveness decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is tightly wound in specific regions to create weather seals that prevent water and contaminant ingress, while still allowing controlled movement for impact absorption. The local tight winding maintains sealing effectiveness at critical interfaces between moving and stationary components.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring's winding tension is optimized to balance two opposing requirements: tight enough to maintain weather sealing but loose enough to allow impact movement. This parameter optimization enables the spring to simultaneously provide weather protection and impact absorption.
5Object-affected harmful factors
If the spring is tightly wound to provide weather sealing, then weather protection is improved, but movement flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring exhibits different winding characteristics at different locations: tightly wound sections provide weather sealing while more loosely wound sections allow movement for impact absorption. This spatial variation in winding quality enables simultaneous weather protection and flexibility.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively protects wires from damage and environmental exposure, ensuring electrical safety and durability against vehicle impacts and temperature fluctuations, while preventing electric shock hazards by using a spring-based sealing system that maintains vertical positioning and excludes animals and UV radiation.
Implementation Method 1
A single spring is provided which defines a central passage. The spring is disposed between the base and the second end of the tubular body. The spring flexes in response to a blow to enable the tubular body to be angularly offset relative to the base and the spring resiliently returns to its original state
Implementation Method 2
The spring has a first end providing a weather seal with the central bore at the second end of the tubular body. The spring has a second end providing a weather seal surrounding the opening of the base. The spring is tightly wound to provide a weather seal of the central passage of the spring, through which the wires pass.
Data Source
AI summary
A parking lot power pedestal is described which has a single spring attaching a tubular body to a base. The spring flexes in response to a blow to enable the tubular body to be angularly offset relative to the base and the spring resiliently returns to its original state to reposition the tubular body in a position extending vertically relative to the base. The spring has a first end providing a weather seal with a central bore of the tubular body. The spring has a second end providing a weather seal surrounding an opening in the base. The spring is tightly wound to provide a weather seal for a central passage defined by the spring through which wires pass.