Piercing Connector for Flexible Bus Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power distribution systems, such as busway and pipe and wire systems, are labor-intensive and prone to errors during installation, requiring complex terminations and precise matching of color-coded wires, which increases installation complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A continuous flexible bus system with piercing connectors that allow for easy tapping into phase and grounding conductors, enabling flexible installation and eliminating the need for pre-engineered bus lengths, and a keyed power cable configuration that ensures correct connections without wire stripping or color coding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional pipe and wire systems are used, then power distribution can be achieved, but installation requires difficult terminations and substantial labor for fabricating conduit bends and preparing fittings
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the power distribution infrastructure into modular components: flexible metal-clad conductors that can be independently routed and connected, eliminating the need for continuous rigid conduit systems. Devices connect to individual conductor segments rather than requiring complex terminations into rigid busways or conduit systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible metal-clad conductors that can be dynamically routed and positioned during installation, replacing rigid busway systems. The flexibility allows the conductors to adapt to various installation paths without requiring pre-fabricated bends or complex mounting structures.
2Ease of operation
If conventional devices are installed with cable cutting and wire stripping, then electrical connections can be made, but the process becomes labor intensive and error prone
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible metal-clad conductors are designed to be self-terminating or self-connecting. The conductors can be directly connected to devices without requiring external wire stripping, bending, or screw termination operations. The metal cladding itself serves as the connection interface, eliminating multiple manual preparation steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the time-consuming wire preparation steps (stripping, bending, color-matching) from the installation process. By using the metal-clad conductor as the direct connection medium, these intermediate steps are removed entirely, leaving only the essential connection action.
3Reliability
If color-coded wire matching is required, then correct electrical connections can be achieved, but precision and attention to detail must be maintained to avoid errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses color-coded metal-clad conductors where the external metal surface is anodized or coated in distinct colors corresponding to electrical phases (e.g., black, red, blue, green). This visual coding system allows installers to identify and connect conductors by color alone, eliminating the need to trace or match internal wire colors through stripping and inspection.
Data Source
AI summary
A continuous flexible bus comprises, for example, a plurality of metal clad flexible conductors. A device, such as a switch for example, is connected to the continuous flexible bus. In order to connect the device to the continuous flexible bus, at least one piercing connector is used, for example. The at least one piercing connector is configured, for example, to pierce one of the plurality of flexible metal clad conductors. Once the one of the plurality of flexible metal clad conductors is pierced, the at least one piercing connector causes, for example, an electrical connection between an electrical conductor in the pierced one of the plurality of flexible metal clad conductors and the switch.