Remote Device Mount for Flush Sensor Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in accurately mounting low-voltage sensors in walls without damaging cables and ensuring a flush aesthetic, as existing methods often result in imperfect holes and damaged cables, requiring costly rework to achieve precise installation and airflow for sensor accuracy.
Innovation Solution
A remote device mount (RDM) kit comprising a mounting plate, mud cap, paint shield, and optional plate fasteners/sensor, which allows for secure cable management and precise sensor installation by creating a recessed mounting hole and recess in the wall, ensuring accurate placement and accessibility of cables while maintaining a flush finish.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a hole is drilled in the wall for sensor installation, then the sensor can be mounted, but the cable may be damaged or lost in the wall cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate is pre-installed on the framing structure with cable access holes positioned before the wall is closed up. This preliminary action allows cables to be routed through predetermined safe paths, preventing cable damage during subsequent wall finishing operations and ensuring cables remain accessible for sensor installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting plate serves as an intermediary device between the wall structure and the sensor. It provides a stable mounting surface with pre-positioned cable access holes, mediating the connection between cables and sensors while preventing direct contact between drilling operations and cables, thus protecting cable integrity.
2Ease of manufacture
If the sensor is surface mounted to stand proud of the wall, then installation is simple, but aesthetics are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
A recess is pre-formed in the wall surface during the mounting plate installation phase, before the sensor is mounted. This preliminary recess creation allows the sensor to be installed flush with the wall surface rather than protruding, achieving aesthetic requirements while maintaining installation simplicity through the pre-prepared mounting structure.
3Shape
If the wall is mudded or plastered over the sensor recess, then a flush finish is achieved, but sensor accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate is segmented into distinct functional zones: a recess area for the sensor that remains accessible, and surrounding areas that are mudded or plastered to achieve flush finish. This segmentation allows the wall finishing material to cover the mounting plate surface while leaving the sensor recess exposed, maintaining both aesthetic flush appearance and sensor measurement accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
Different treatments are applied to different parts of the mounting plate: the sensor recess area is left accessible with proper air flow characteristics for accurate sensing, while the surrounding areas are mudded or plastered to achieve the desired flush finish. This local differentiation of properties ensures both aesthetic and functional requirements are met simultaneously.
4Productivity
If the hole is not made perfectly (oversized, chipped plaster, off center), then installation is faster, but rework is required
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting plate is pre-installed on the framing structure with all mounting holes and recesses precisely formed during manufacturing, before installation. This preliminary precision work eliminates the need for on-site hole drilling and fitting, allowing installers to simply mount the sensor without worrying about hole accuracy, thus maintaining both installation speed and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting plate is designed to be self-aligning and self-adjusting during installation, with features that automatically compensate for minor positioning variations. This self-service capability allows installers to achieve precise sensor mounting without requiring perfect hole preparation, maintaining installation speed while ensuring manufacturing precision through the plate's inherent design features.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of a remote device mount (RDM) for installing a sensor in drywall and kit for the same are disclosed. The kit includes a mud cap, a paint shield, and a mounting plate. The mounting plate is secured to a framing structure. The plate has a sensor mounting hole extending completely through the plate and an annular sensor recess surrounding the hole. The mud cap is temporarily installed in a sensor recess in the plate to substantially cover the sensor recess and the hole. Drywall mud is applied over the plate and mud cap. The mud cap is removed. The paint shield is temporarily installed in the hole to substantially cover the sensor mounting hole. Paint is applied over the plate and the paint shield. The paint shield is removed in order to uncover the sensor mounting hole. Finally, the sensor permanently installed in the sensor recess and the sensor mounting hole.