Wall-Mounted Electrical Box for Ribbon Cable Power Tapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrical wiring systems in buildings, particularly those using plasterboard walls, face limitations in flexibility, insulation, and safety due to the use of ducts for cable installation, which can compromise thermal and acoustic insulation and facilitate the spread of fire and fumes.
Innovation Solution
The use of 'ribbon cables' laid between plasterboard panels or under surface finishing panels, eliminating the need for ducts and allowing for flexible installation of electrical boxes that extract power from these cables without deep drilling, enhancing safety and insulation while supporting 'bus' architecture electrical systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If ducts are used to pass cables through walls, then electrical systems can be installed in plasterboard walls, but thermal and acoustic insulation are compromised and fire spread is facilitated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the duct component entirely from the installation system. Instead of using ducts to pass cables through walls, the system uses surface-mounted cable trays and direct cable routing on the wall surface, eliminating the harmful effect of ducts on insulation while maintaining electrical installation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces cable trays as an intermediary component that mounts on the surface of the wall rather than penetrating through it. These trays provide a dedicated pathway for cables while maintaining the integrity of the wall's insulation layers, thus mediating between electrical installation needs and insulation preservation
2Ease of manufacture
If ducts are used for cable installation, then electrical systems can be installed, but flexibility of positioning boxes is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic installation system where cable trays and boxes can be easily added, removed, or repositioned on the wall surface without permanent structural modifications. This allows the electrical system to adapt to changing needs while maintaining installation simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the electrical installation into modular components (cable trays, boxes, cables) that can be independently positioned and configured. This segmentation allows flexible positioning of boxes at different locations without requiring complete system redesign or complex duct modifications
3Ease of operation
If boxes are installed beyond plasterboard layers, then electrical sockets can be mounted, but fire protection is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the installation from the traditional depth dimension (embedding boxes into wall cavities beyond plasterboard) to a surface dimension (mounting boxes on or near the wall surface). This dimensional change allows easy installation while maintaining fire protection by keeping boxes within or near the protected wall structure
Data Source
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AI summary
In general, the application of the present invention regards the electrical wiring of buildings. In particular, the solution identified concerns the positioning and installation of boxes suitable for housing electrical sockets, or control systems, or various sensors on the walls of the rooms, when these internal walls are made, or covered, with panels made of plasterboard or, alternatively, with other similar materials. From the point of view of the design of new electrical systems, the invention finds application in those of new conception, with "bus" architecture, in which one or more power supply lines that carry voltage are arranged (in principle both direct and alternating voltages) throughout the whole building, and the loads are connected to these live lines at any point without interrupting them at the contact points. The present invention indicates a box for extracting electrical contacts from an electric line made by means of a "ribbon cable" laid under a surface finishing panel of a wall or ceiling. This box is easy to install, and makes an electrical power interface available on this wall, so that said power interface is accessible to a load. This box for extracting electrical contacts is characterized in that, when installed, it is partially embedded in the wall, above a trait of the electrical line where it is intended to extract the contacts to be presented on the outside, and it is embedded only for the thickness corresponding to that of said surface finishing panel; it is also equipped with at least one electrode positioned in such a way that, when said box for extracting electrical contacts is installed, this electrode is pressed on said "ribbon cable", so as to make an electrical contact with a conductor of said electric line.