Universal Locking Device for Electrical Installation Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical installation devices, such as circuit breakers, require multiple variants of locking devices to accommodate different housing designs, leading to increased development, warehousing, and logistics costs, as well as higher installation efforts due to the need for various shut-off devices and complex assembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A locking arrangement featuring a bracket element with two free ends that fit into latching openings on the device, coupled with a closure element having guide contours for different spacings, allowing the same components to be used across various housing widths, reducing the need for multiple designs and simplifying assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If different locking devices are provided for different housing designs, then the actuating element can be blocked for each specific device design, but the number of parts increases leading to higher development, warehousing, and logistics costs
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device is designed with a closure element that can accommodate multiple guide contours for different spacing configurations. This allows a single locking device design to serve multiple housing widths by selecting appropriate guide contours, eliminating the need for separate locking device variants for each housing design while maintaining reliable blocking functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure element is designed to be displaceable relative to the bracket element, allowing dynamic adjustment between different guide contours. This dynamic capability enables the locking device to adapt to different spacing requirements of various housing designs without requiring multiple static device variants.
2Reliability
If different locking devices are provided for different housing designs, then each device can be optimized for its specific housing, but the assembly effort increases due to the need to keep and select from various shut-off devices
Solution Approach 1:
Electricians only need to keep one universal locking device design in stock, which can accommodate multiple housing widths through the selection of different guide contours. This universality significantly reduces installation effort by eliminating the need to select from multiple specialized locking device variants during assembly.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple variants of locking devices are maintained, then each variant can match specific housing widths, but development, warehousing, and logistics costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single locking device design with multiple guide contours replaces multiple specialized locking device variants. This approach maintains precise spacing adaptation for different housing widths while significantly reducing development costs, warehousing requirements, and logistics complexity associated with managing multiple product variants.
4Device complexity
If a single locking device design is used for all housing widths, then the number of parts is reduced, but the device cannot accommodate different spacings between latching openings
Solution Approach 1:
The closure element's displaceable design enables it to engage with different guide contours corresponding to various spacing configurations. This dynamic adaptability allows a single locking device design to accommodate different spacings between latching openings on various housing widths without compromising versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The closure element incorporates multiple distinct guide contours as separate functional segments within a single component. This segmentation allows the closure element to engage with different bracket element configurations corresponding to various housing widths, providing adaptability without requiring multiple complete locking device variants.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3A~3B
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
The device has a clip element (5) whose free ends (7) are insertable into two latch openings which are spaced apart from each other at a defined distance. A closure element is coupled to the clip element for fixing the free ends of the clip element in the openings during shifting of closure element relative to the clip element to block the actuating element. The closure element has different guiding contours for the clip element, where the contours are provided for different distances of the openings.