Identical Half-Shell Terminal Box for Electric Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing processes for electrical machines with terminal boxes are complex and require multiple mold cavities, making them costly and time-consuming, and pose safety risks during maintenance due to the need to handle cables.
Innovation Solution
The use of identical half-shells for terminal boxes, which can be assembled to form cable passages by removing removable parts, allowing for a single mold cavity and safer maintenance access without touching cables, with male and female parts for hermetic closure and precise positioning, and screw/nut systems for secure assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional terminal box manufacturing processes are used, then cable passages can be formed, but multiple mold cavities are required making the process complex and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal box is divided into two identical half-shells that can be manufactured separately using a single mold cavity, then assembled together. This segmentation allows the use of simpler, single-cavity molds while still producing the complete terminal box structure with cable passages.
Solution Approach 2:
The male and female parts are integrated into the half-shell structures themselves, with joining protrusions and recesses built into the half-shells. This nesting of joining features within the main structural components eliminates the need for separate joining elements and simplifies the molding process.
2Ease of operation
If maintenance personnel need to access terminal box contents, then they can service the machine, but they must touch the cables which poses safety risks
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal box is segmented into two accessible half-shells. Maintenance personnel can remove one half-shell to access the terminal contents without needing to open the entire box or handle external cables, thereby isolating them from electrical hazards while providing safe access to internal components.
Solution Approach 2:
The removable half-shell acts as an intermediary access point between the external environment and the electrical terminals. It provides a controlled interface that allows maintenance personnel to access internal components without direct exposure to live cables or electrical hazards.
3Ease of manufacture
If the terminal box is made of thermoplastic material, then it provides good manufacturing properties, but it may be less resistant to mechanical stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal box utilizes thermoplastic material with integrated reinforcement features including ribs and stiffening elements molded into the half-shells. This composite approach combines the manufacturing advantages of thermoplastics with structural reinforcement to withstand mechanical stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The half-shells incorporate curved surfaces and rounded features rather than sharp angles, which helps distribute mechanical stresses more evenly throughout the thermoplastic structure, preventing stress concentration points and improving overall mechanical resistance.
4Reliability
If the half-shells are assembled with male and female parts, then hermetic closure is achieved, but the assembly process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The joining features (male and female parts) are merged directly into the half-shell structures themselves during molding. This integration eliminates the need for separate sealing elements or complex assembly mechanisms, achieving hermetic closure through the structural design of the half-shells alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The half-shells feature localized joining protrusions and recesses at specific interfaces, concentrating the sealing and joining functions at precise locations. This local quality approach ensures hermetic closure at the critical interface while keeping the rest of the结构简单.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4~9
AI summary
The present invention relates to an electric machine (1) comprising a casing (2) and a terminal box (6) attached to the casing. The terminal box comprises two half-shells (7) that are assembled one against the other, said half-shells (7) being identical before they are made to form one or more cable ducts by the removal of one or more detachable portions provided for this purpose.