Reconfigurable Harness Board for Motor Control Centers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wire harness systems for motor control center (MCC) units are inefficient due to high labor costs, imprecision, and the need for custom harness boards for each unique configuration, leading to increased production time and likelihood of errors.
Innovation Solution
A reconfigurable harness board system comprising sub-harness modules with predefined templates for specific electrical components, mounted on a DIN rail frame, allowing for quick assembly of precise wire harnesses tailored to specific MCC unit layouts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single standard harness board is used for all MCC units, then device complexity is reduced and storage costs are lowered, but manufacturing precision deteriorates because one board cannot cover all different wire harness configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The harness board is segmented into multiple interchangeable sub-harness modules, each designed for specific electrical components. This allows the system to maintain a single standardized board structure while achieving configuration precision through modular substitution.
Solution Approach 2:
The standardized harness board frame is designed to universally accommodate different sub-harness modules through consistent mounting interfaces. This multi-functional design allows one board structure to serve multiple configuration purposes by swapping modules.
2Manufacturing precision
If custom harness boards are designed for each unique MCC configuration, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming design and assembly processes
Solution Approach 1:
Sub-harness modules are pre-configured with component-specific wire routing templates and termination patterns during manufacturing. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for operators to design or calculate wire paths during assembly, maintaining precision while accelerating production.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static, custom-designed harness boards to a dynamic modular system where standardized modules can be quickly reconfigured and swapped to match different MCC configurations, enabling rapid adaptation without sacrificing precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If operators manually determine wire routing for each MCC unit, then adaptability is improved for handling unique configurations, but loss of time increases due to the complexity of interpreting schematics and planning harness layouts
Solution Approach 1:
Each sub-harness module contains pre-marked wire routing paths, terminal locations, and component identification indicators that guide operators through the assembly process. The module design itself provides the routing information, eliminating the need for operators to manually interpret schematics and calculate wire paths.
4Manufacturing precision
If sub-harness modules are selectively mounted to create custom harness boards, then manufacturing precision is improved for specific configurations, but device complexity increases due to the modular assembly process
Solution Approach 1:
The harness board is divided into standardized sub-harness modules that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation maintains precision by allowing each module to be optimized for its specific component while simplifying the overall system through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple standardized sub-harness modules are combined on a single harness board frame using uniform mounting mechanisms. This merging approach achieves configuration-specific precision while maintaining structural simplicity through consistent interfaces and assembly procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
A reconfigurable harness board system is provided for assembling a wire harness for an electrical panel and comprises a plurality of sub-harness modules. Each sub-harness module defines a swappable template for a wire harness for a respective electrical component for the electrical panel. Select ones of the sub-harness modules are mounted to a frame according to a first layout of electrical components for the electrical panel to create a reconfigurable harness board system in which each sub-harness module is detachable from the frame to be swapped with a different sub-harness module in order to reconfigure the harness board system according to a second layout of electrical components.