Rail-Mounting Bracket for Tool-Less Electrical Device Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mounting solutions for electrical devices lack flexibility in securely attaching to supports with upper and lower rails, often requiring tools and not accommodating various orientations or distances from structures like wall studs.
Innovation Solution
A mounting bracket with first and second attachment devices, each featuring arms that can engage upper and lower rails, allowing for secure attachment by bending tabs to engage multiple sides of the rails, enabling tool-less connection and adjustable positioning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional mounting solutions are used, then electrical devices can be supported, but they lack flexibility in accommodating various orientations and distances from structures
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket is divided into a mounting body and multiple independent attachment devices (first and second attachment devices). Each attachment device can independently engage with different support structures, allowing the bracket to adapt to various orientations and distances without requiring a completely different mounting solution for each scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
Each attachment device is designed with arms that can engage with different types of support structures (upper rails, lower rails, wall studs) and can be positioned at various distances. The arms can engage with supports at different orientations, making the same attachment device universally applicable across multiple mounting scenarios, thereby improving adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If secure attachment to upper and lower rails is required, then stability is improved, but installation requires tools and is less efficient
Solution Approach 1:
The attachment devices incorporate arms with engagement features that can be manually positioned and secured without requiring additional tools. The arms are designed to engage with the rails through their geometric configuration, allowing installers to achieve secure attachment through manual manipulation alone, thereby maintaining high reliability while dramatically improving ease of operation and installation efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple attachment devices with arms are used to engage rails, then attachment versatility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The first and second attachment devices are designed with arms that can universally engage with different support structures (upper rails, lower rails, wall studs) at various orientations and distances. This multi-functional design allows the same attachment device configuration to handle multiple attachment scenarios, improving versatility without requiring additional specialized components for each case.
Solution Approach 2:
The arms of the attachment devices are positioned asymmetrically relative to the mounting body, with the first arm extending in one direction and the second arm extending in another direction. This asymmetric arrangement allows the arms to naturally engage with different types of supports (upper vs. lower rails) without requiring symmetric duplication of components, thereby achieving high attachment versatility with minimal increase in overall device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A mounting bracket is provided for an electrical device that can be configured for use with a support that has a first and a second rail. The mounting bracket can include a mounting body with a mounting face configured to secure the electrical device to the mounting bracket between the first and second rails when the mounting bracket is secured to the support. The mounting bracket can include a first attachment device connected to the mounting body and a second attachment device connected to the mounting body opposite the first attachment device. Each of the first and second attachment devices can include a first arm configured to engage with a first side of the corresponding first or second rail, and a second arm configured to engage with a second side of the corresponding rail, opposite the first arm.