Electrical Switch Cable Holder for Compact Footprint
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing trend towards compact product designs poses a challenge for accommodating electrical switches and their associated cables, as reducing switch size is limited by the need to maintain electrical current capacity, while cables must remain thick to carry the same current, leading to space inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
An electrical switch design featuring a casing with apertures for cable insertion and a holder system that directs cables to extend transversely, reducing footprint by bending and bundling them underneath the switch, without increasing the switch's lateral size, using a shell structure with latching parts to securely hold the cables.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the switch size is reduced to meet compact design requirements, then the product footprint is reduced, but the electrical current capacity and power rating are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the spatial arrangement from a planar layout to a three-dimensional configuration by directing cables vertically through apertures in the casing and using a holder to bundle them in a transverse direction. This dimensional transition allows the switch to maintain its power rating with thick cables while reducing the lateral footprint, as cables extend in the vertical dimension rather than occupying lateral space.
2Power
If thick electrical cables are used to maintain current capacity, then the power rating is maintained, but the space required for cable accommodation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension by providing apertures through which cables pass from the top to bottom of the casing. The holder then directs these cables in a transverse direction, bundling them vertically rather than allowing them to spread out laterally. This dimensional reorganization accommodates thick cables necessary for high current capacity while minimizing the horizontal volume occupied.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder structure nests multiple thick cables together in a bundled configuration, with cables passing through apertures and being contained within the holder's cable-receiving structure. This nesting arrangement allows multiple cables to occupy a compact vertical space rather than requiring separate lateral pathways for each cable.
3Area of stationary object
If cables are bent and bundled underneath the switch, then the footprint is reduced, but the cable management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cable management function into distinct components: apertures in the casing for cable insertion, a separate holder structure for bundling and directing cables, and latching parts for securing the holder to the casing. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall design and assembly process despite the three-dimensional cable routing.
Data Source
AI summary
An electrical switch has a casing, four fixed contacts, a moving contact located in the casing, and an operator supported by the casing for movement moving the moving contact into and out of contact with the fixed contacts. The casing has an aperture adjacent each fixed contact, through which an end of an electrical cable may be inserted for connection to the fixed contact. The aperture faces in a first direction, laterally outwards from the casing. The electrical switch includes a holder located on the casing immediately outside the aperture for holding an electrical cable connected through the aperture, bent, and extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction.