Receptacle Cap Retaining Strap for Sealed Wall Outlets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communication wall receptacles in industrial settings face issues with seal breaches due to unintentional force applied to integrated gaskets/straps, leading to undesirable penetration of vapors, liquids, and particulate matter, which can degrade electrical connections and compromise the integrity of the receptacle system.
Innovation Solution
A separate, flexible retaining strap is used that can break free before damaging the gasket or loosening the seal, ensuring the integrity of the fluid-tight seal between the receptacle and the wall plate by tearing at a specific point when sufficient force is applied, thus preventing penetration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the strap is formed integral with the gasket to simultaneously provide sealing and cap retention, then the device complexity is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of the seal deteriorates because the strap can unintentionally break the seal when pulled with sufficient force
Solution Approach 1:
The strap is divided into two separate components: a gasket that provides the seal between the receptacle and wall plate, and a separate retainable strap that attaches the cap to the receptacle. This segmentation allows the strap to be pulled without compromising the seal integrity, as the strap can detach from the receptacle before the gasket seal is broken.
2Ease of operation
If the strap is made strong to reliably retain the cap, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability of the seal deteriorates because the strong strap can break the gasket seal when pulled
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining function is extracted from the gasket structure. A separate retainable strap is used to attach the cap to the receptacle, while the gasket maintains its sole function of providing the seal. This extraction allows the strap to be optimized for retention strength without compromising seal integrity.
3Reliability
If the gasket provides a fluid tight seal to prevent contaminant penetration, then the reliability of the electrical connections is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the integrated gasket/strap structure
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing function is separated from the retention function. The gasket is a standalone component that provides the fluid tight seal to protect electrical connections, while the separate strap handles cap retention. This segmentation reduces overall device complexity by allowing each component to be optimized independently.
Data Source
AI summary
To assist in searching, the following abstract includes a receptacle system used to keep a receptacle cap secure through use of an enhanced retaining strap with its associated wall plate when the receptacle cap is unscrewed. The enhanced retaining strap is a separate individual component and is separably coupled to the rest of the receptacle system so that if it is pulled with sufficient force, the strap will break free from the rest of the receptacle system before associated members such as gaskets are damaged or loosened.