Rotating DIN Rail Bracket for Wire Access and Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wire management systems face challenges in reducing space requirements, preventing accidental disassembly or damage, and ensuring easy access to components and wires during and after manufacturing, particularly with elevated DIN rails that are prone to hinge failure and require excessive slack or convoluted wiring routes.
Innovation Solution
A wire management system featuring a DIN rail elevated on a pair of mounting brackets with hinges that allow rotation about pivot points, providing secure access to a wire passage and preventing accidental movement, while allowing for modular expansion and reduced rotational swing through adjustable axis and locking mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If DIN rails are mounted directly on wire duct covers to reduce space, then space requirements are reduced, but the covers become prone to accidental detachment and hinge failure
Solution Approach 1:
The system separates the DIN rail mounting function from the wire duct cover by introducing a dedicated mounting bracket. The bracket is divided into a fixed portion attached to the panel and a movable portion that rotates to access wires, while the DIN rail is mounted on the movable portion. This segmentation allows the cover to remain stable while providing access mechanisms for the rail.
Solution Approach 2:
A mounting bracket is introduced as an intermediary component between the wire duct cover and the DIN rail. The bracket includes a fixed portion attached to the panel and a movable portion that rotates, serving as a mediator that provides both stable mounting and access functionality without compromising the cover's stability.
2Ease of operation
If DIN rails are elevated on mounting brackets with hinges to provide wire access, then wire accessibility is improved, but the hinges are prone to failure and require excessive slack
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket's movable portion is designed to rotate between a closed position (for normal operation) and an open position (for wire access). This dynamic mechanism provides controlled movement with limited rotation arc, reducing stress on the hinge while maintaining ease of wire access during manufacturing and installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting bracket structure includes features that prevent excessive rotation and accidental detachment, such as the limited arc rotation design and the engagement between the fixed and movable portions. These preliminary protective measures prevent hinge failure before it occurs by constraining movement within safe limits.
3Ease of manufacture
If panel size is reduced to lower material costs, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but space for wire management and component installation becomes constrained
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket utilizes the vertical dimension and rotational movement to provide wire access, rather than requiring additional horizontal space. By rotating the movable portion upward or outward, the system accesses wires from a different dimensional approach, allowing compact panel designs to maintain adequate wire management capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting bracket is integrated into the wire duct structure, with the fixed portion attached to the panel and the movable portion nesting within or adjacent to the duct assembly. This nested integration allows the mounting mechanism to occupy minimal space while providing full functionality for DIN rail installation and wire access.
Data Source
AI summary
A wiring system includes a first mounting bracket and a second mounting bracket having respective mounting flanges configured to secure the first and second mounting brackets to a mounting surface. The first and second mounting brackets extend away from the mounting surface to a distal end where a hinge is formed. The wiring system also includes a DIN rail supported above the mounting surface by the first and second mounting brackets through the respective hinges such that the DIN rail is rotatable about the hinges along an axis of rotation extending between the first and second mounting brackets to provide access to a wire passage extending parallel to the axis of rotation under the DIN rail and through the first and second mounting brackets.