Retractable Cable Reel for Lighting Installation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The installation of additional lights in buildings often becomes challenging due to the aesthetically unpleasing and cumbersome nature of elongated cables, particularly when multiple lights need to be interconnected, such as under cabinets or furniture.
Innovation Solution
A light source with an integrated cable management system that includes a retractable multi-line cable reel, allowing users to extend or retract the necessary length of cable for operation, featuring a housing, guide channels, and a winding mechanism to manage cables compactly and prevent kinking, while maintaining a secure electrical connection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If elongated cables are used to interconnect multiple light sources, then electrical connectivity is achieved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates and installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable is nested within a retractable reel mechanism integrated into the housing. The cable can be extended from the reel when needed for connection and retracted into the reel when not in use, eliminating the need for external cable management and simplifying installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable management system is merged with the housing structure. The reel, cable, and housing form an integrated unit, combining the functions of electrical connectivity and cable management into a single device, thereby reducing installation complexity.
2Reliability
If elongated cables are used to interconnect multiple light sources, then electrical connectivity is achieved, but aesthetic appearance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cable is nested within a retractable reel mechanism integrated into the housing. The cable can be extended from the reel when needed for connection and retracted into the reel when not in use, eliminating the need for external cable management and simplifying installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable length is dynamic rather than fixed. The retractable reel allows the cable to be extended or retracted based on operational needs, enabling the device to adapt its cable visibility to maintain aesthetic appearance while ensuring electrical connectivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a retractable cable reel is integrated into the housing, then cable management flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable management system is merged with the housing structure. The reel, cable, and housing form an integrated unit, combining the functions of electrical connectivity and cable management into a single device, thereby reducing installation complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing serves multiple functions: it protects internal components, provides structural support, and integrates the cable reel mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate cable management components, offsetting the added complexity with functional consolidation.
Data Source
AI summary
A light source with integrated cable management system that retracts and extends the cables. The lighting system has a housing, a multi-line cable reel, and a light source. The multi-line cable reel is a rotatable mechanism that allows the cables to be retracted and extended into the housing. The multi-line cable reel has a winding mechanism, and at least one cable. The winding mechanism is concentrically mounted into the housing, and the plurality of cables are rotatably mounted around the winding mechanism. Thus, allowing for the length of the plurality of cables to be adjusted according to the needs of installation.