Adjustable Wall Box Support Frame for Level Keypad Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electrical wall boxes often result in crooked installations of electrical devices and wall plates when mounted at an angle, leading to undesirable aesthetic and functional issues.
Innovation Solution
A wall box with an adjustable support frame that allows for level alignment of electrical devices, featuring a rotating support frame that can be locked in place and flexible members for precise adjustment, enabling the device to be mounted level even if the wall box is installed at an angle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the wall box is installed at an angle in the wall opening, then the installation process is simplified and faster, but the electrical device and wall plate appear crooked which is undesirable
Solution Approach 1:
The support frame is made rotatable relative to the wall box body, allowing the frame to be dynamically adjusted to a level position even when the wall box is installed at an angle. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction by enabling both quick installation and precise alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting system is divided into separate components: the wall box body and the support frame. This segmentation allows the frame to be independently rotated and adjusted relative to the body, enabling alignment correction without redoing the wall installation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the support frame is made rotatable to adjust alignment, then level installation is achieved, but the device complexity increases with locking screws and slots
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism uses a simple screw and slot system where the installer themselves performs the alignment and locking functions. The slot guides the screw during rotation, and the installer tightens the screw to lock the position, making the system self-sufficient without requiring complex automated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows change in the angular parameter of the support frame relative to the wall box body. By adjusting this parameter through rotation and locking at different angles, the desired alignment is achieved while keeping the structural complexity manageable.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the planar portions are captured between parts of the wall box to allow sliding and rotation, then adjustability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The captured planar portions act as intermediaries between the support frame and the wall box body. They facilitate the rotational movement and provide a sliding interface, enabling adjustment while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through this intermediary mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
A wall box may provide adjustable support for a control device, such as a keypad, to allow for level alignment of the control device when mounted to the wall box. The wall box may have an adjustable support frame to which the control device may be mounted. When the control device is mounted to the support frame of the wall box, the support frame may be rotated to adjust the alignment of the control device. In addition, the wall box may comprise one or more projections configured to be received in respective detents in notched surfaces of the control device to allow for adjustment of the alignment of the control device. Further, the wall box may have a modular assembly and may be constructed from a central portion and two side portions at the time of installation of the wall box.