Wall-Mounted Electrical Box with Segmented Voltage Compartments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical outlet configurations on building walls do not efficiently accommodate both high and low voltage devices in a way that allows for flush mounting of appliances while providing adequate wire management and safe access for installation.
Innovation Solution
A wire management box with a deeper high voltage region and a shallower low voltage region, where the high voltage wall is angled relative to the low voltage wall, supports both high voltage outlets and low voltage receptacles recessed into the wall, allowing for flush mounting of devices and efficient wire bundling, with a template feature for guiding the cutting of an opening in the wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single outlet box is used for both high voltage and low voltage devices, then device complexity is reduced, but adequate wire management and safe access for installation cannot be provided
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet box is segmented into distinct high voltage and low voltage compartments with separate access points. The high voltage section has a first access opening for installer access, while the low voltage section has a second access opening positioned at a different location, allowing independent wire management and safe installation access for each voltage type without interference.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the outlet box are designed with different properties: the high voltage region includes grounding features and specific wire management structures, while the low voltage region has separate cable routing and terminal arrangements. Each region is optimized for its specific electrical requirements while being integrated into a single box structure.
2Shape
If appliances are mounted flush against the wall, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but adequate wire management space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The outlet box extends backward from the wall surface into the wall cavity, creating depth in the third dimension. This allows appliances to mount flush against the wall surface while wires and cables are routed through and managed within the box's internal volume behind the wall, providing both aesthetic flush mounting and adequate wire management space.
3Ease of operation
If high voltage and low voltage outlets are mounted in separate boxes, then wire management is simplified, but device complexity and installation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines separate high voltage and low voltage outlet boxes into a single integrated unit. The box contains both voltage types with their respective access openings, wire management features, and mounting structures, simplifying installation by requiring only one box installation while maintaining separate wire management pathways for each voltage type.
Data Source
AI summary
A wire management box is sized to contained a high voltage plug and a low voltage terminal inward of a building wall surface. The box has an access opening that is sized for a user manually to reach through with the plug and the terminal. The box further has a high voltage wall that supports a high voltage outlet in an installed position spaced inward from the access opening, and a low voltage wall that supports a low voltage receptacle in an installed position spaced inward from the access opening adjacent to the outlet.