Description:FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to the field of electrical infrastructure and utility metering systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a multi-layer sliding door meter room.
DEFINITIONS
As used in the present disclosure, the following terms are generally intended to have the meaning as set forth below, except to the extent that the context in which they are used indicates otherwise.
Pre-determined distance: The term "predetermined distance" refers to a fixed spatial separation maintained between the guided rail tracks and the rear wall of the meter room enclosure, as well as between adjacent sliding door panels. This distance is carefully defined to ensure smooth lateral displacement of each sliding door panel without interference.
These definitions are in addition to those expressed in the art.
BACKGROUND
The background information herein below relates to the present disclosure but is not necessarily prior art.
In the electrical metering infrastructure, particularly within residential, commercial, and industrial installations, the deployment of utility meter rooms is a critical component for power distribution, measurement, and safety. Conventional meter rooms are typically configured as single-layerrooms. These meter rooms, houses smart meters, miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), switch fuse units (SFUs), and related wiring components.
Conventionally meter rooms serve the fundamental purpose of metering and electrical protection, but they exhibit several limitations, particularly in densely populated urban areas where installation space is highly constrained. Traditional meter rooms are horizontally expansive, occupying significant wall areas to accommodate even a limited number of smart meters and associated accessories. This makes scalability difficult, especially in multi-tenant buildings, high-rise complexes where wall space is limited or already utilized.
Furthermore, the meter room configuration requires substantial front clearance to enable access to meters for installation, maintenance, or inspection. This can pose operational challenges in narrow service corridors or enclosed spaces. The need to open bulky doors or dismount panels often disrupts the operation of adjacent circuits, making routine servicing cumbersome and time-consuming.
Another challenge with existing meter rooms is their limited adaptability to future expansion. As utility providers increasingly roll out advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and digital smart meters, the need for modularity and upgradable housing structures becomes more pronounced. Conventional meter room configuration typically does not support easy integration of additional meters without complete replacement or redesign of the existing enclosure.
Therefore, there is felt a need for a multi-layer sliding door meter room that alleviates the aforementioned drawbacks.
OBJECTS
Some of the objects of the present disclosure, which at least one embodiment herein satisfies, are as follows:
An object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer sliding door meter room.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer sliding door meter room that incorporates sliding door panels mounted on guided rails.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer sliding door meter room that incorporates integrated ventilation slots to enhance airflow and thermal management of the enclosed electrical components.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer sliding door meter room that streamlines the wiring configuration by routing power from a rear wall-mounted switch fuse unit (SFU) within the meter room.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a robust and modular multi-layer sliding door meter room that facilitates improved accessibility and simplifies maintenance procedures for electrical components.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a multi-layer sliding door meter room that supports long-term sustainability by enabling incremental capacity expansion and
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to enable efficient resource utilization within the meter room without requiring structural modifications to existing installations.
Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description, which is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
SUMMARY
The present disclosure envisages a multi-layer sliding door meter room for housing and operating electrical distribution components. The meter room comprises a primary enclosure, a set of guided rail tracks, a plurality of sliding door panels and a plurality of lateral wiring slots.
The primary enclosure defines a meter room having a rear wall and side walls. The rear wall is structurally adapted to mount the electrical distribution components, including energy meters with their metering accessories consisting of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) and switch fuse units (SFUs);
The rail tracks are mounted laterally and parallel to the rear wall at a predefined distance from the rear wall and each other.
The plurality of sliding door panels, each sliding door panel being operably mounted on a corresponding guided rail track. The sliding door panel is configured for lateral displacement to provide non-overlapping, tool-free access to the electrical distribution components mounted behind each sliding door panel. Each sliding door panel comprises a mounting interface.
The mounting interface faces away from the rear wall and is structured to mount one or more energy meters with their miniature circuit breakers (MCBs), and electrical connectors, the electrical connectors being configured to interface between an incoming power supply and an output from the mounted energy meters; and
The plurality of lateral wiring slots is formed at the bottom portion of the enclosure to facilitate the routing of the wiring harness from each sliding door panel to the rear wall for establishing an electrical connection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWING
A multi-layer sliding door meter room of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:
Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram of a multi-layer sliding door meter room in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the multi-layer sliding door meter room in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates an exemplary three-layer sliding door room in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 4 illustrates a primary enclosure of the meter room in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
100 – Meter room
102 – Primary enclosure
102a – Rear wall
102b – Side wall
104 – Rail track
106 – Sliding door panel
106a – Mounting interface
108 – Lateral wiring slot
110 – Miniature circuit breaker (MCB)
112 – Single-pole miniature circuit breaker
114 – Double-pole miniature circuit breaker
116 – Energy meter
118 – Electrical connector
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present disclosure generally relates to the field of electrical infrastructure and utility metering systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a multi-layer sliding door meter room will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
Embodiments are provided so as to thoroughly and fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to the person skilled in the art. Numerous details, are set forth, relating to specific components, and methods, to provide a complete understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to the person skilled in the art that the details provided in the embodiments should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, well-known processes, well-known apparatus structures, and well-known techniques are not described in detail.
The terminology used, in the present disclosure, is only for the purpose of explaining a particular embodiment and such terminology shall not be considered to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As used in the present disclosure, the forms "a,” "an," and "the" may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly suggests otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," “including,” and “having,” are open ended transitional phrases and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, modules, units and/or components, but do not forbid the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The particular order of steps disclosed in the method and process of the present disclosure is not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance as described or illustrated. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.
When an element is referred to as being "mounted on," “engaged to,” "connected to," or "coupled to" another element, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to the other element. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed elements.
The terms first, second, third, etc., should not be construed to limit the scope of the present disclosure as the aforementioned terms may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another component, region, layer, or section. Terms such as first, second, third, etc., when used herein do not imply a specific sequence or order unless clearly suggested by the present disclosure.
Terms such as “inner,” “outer,” "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, may be used in the present disclosure to describe relationships between different elements as depicted from the figures.
Traditional electrical metering infrastructure commonly employs single-layer, fixed-panel utility meter rooms to house smart meters, MCBs, SFUs, and wiring components. While effective for basic metering and protection, these conventional rooms are space-inefficient and unsuitable for dense urban environments due to their horizontal layout and need for front clearance. Access and maintenance in tight spaces are cumbersome, and scalability is limited. Additionally, traditional meter rooms lack modularity, making future upgrades or the addition of smart metering infrastructure difficult without major modifications, posing operational and logistical challenges in modern power distribution systems.
To address the issues of the existing meter room, the present disclosure envisages a multi-layer sliding door meter room (hereinafter referred to as “meter room 100”). The meter room (100) will now be described with reference to Figure 1.
Figure 1 illustrates the block diagram of a multi-layer sliding door meter room (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The multi-layer sliding door meter room (100) for housing and operating electrical distribution components. The meter room (100) comprises a primary enclosure (102), a set of guided rail tracks (104), a plurality of sliding door panels (106), and a plurality of lateral wiring slots (108).
The primary enclosure (102) defines a meter room (100) having a rear wall (102a) and side walls (102b). The rear wall (102a) is structurally adapted to mount the electrical distribution components, including a plurality of energy meters (116) with their metering accessories consisting of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110) and switch fuse units (SFUs).
In an embodiment, the primary enclosure (102) further comprises ventilation slots disposed along top and side walls (102b) to promote passive airflow and manage thermal load from operational smart meters (116).
In an embodiment, the switch fuse units (SFUs) are operably connected to the wiring harness to control and protect electrical connectivity between the rear wall (102a) and each of the sliding door panels (106).
In an embodiment, the switch fuse unit (SFU) is operably coupled to a surge protection module to suppress voltage transients and ensure the operational safety of the smart meters (116) and auxiliary components.
The rail tracks (104) are mounted laterally and parallel to the rear wall (102a) at a predefined distance from the rear wall (102a) and each other.
In an embodiment, the rail track (104) includes a plurality of anti-friction elements or rollers configured to provide low-resistance and stable sliding movement of each sliding door panel (106).
The sliding door panels (106), each sliding door panel (106) being operably mounted on a corresponding guided rail track (104). The sliding door panel (106) is configured for lateral displacement to provide non-overlapping, tool-free access to the electrical distribution components mounted behind each sliding door panel (106), Each sliding door panel (106) comprises a mounting interface (106a).
In an embodiment, each sliding door panel (106) and the rear wall (102a) are fabricated from a cement fibre sheet material configured to enhance fire resistance, weather protection, and mechanical durability, in indoor or semi-outdoor environments.
The mounting interface (106a) faces away from the rear wall (102a) and is structured to mount one or more energy meters (116) with their miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), and electrical connectors (118). The electrical connectors (118) are configured to interface between an incoming power supply and an output from the mounted energy meters (116).
The lateral wiring slots (108) formed at the bottom portion of the primary enclosure (102) facilitate the routing of the wiring harness from each sliding door panel to the rear wall (102a) for establishing an electrical connection.
In an embodiment, the miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110) include at least one outgoing double pole MCB (114) and at least one incoming single pole MCB (112).
The outgoing double pole MCB (114) for phase and neutral disconnection during faults; and
The incoming single pole MCB (112) for phase line overcurrent protection both mounted to either the rear wall (102a) and the sliding door panel (106) based on the electrical load distribution strategy.
In an embodiment, each double pole MCB (114) of each energy meter (116) is operably mounted on the rear wall (102a) of the meter room (100).
In an embodiment, the wiring harness includes pre-terminated, insulated connectors to facilitate quick swapping or servicing of sliding panels (106) without requiring rewiring or power isolation of the entire meter room (100).
In an embodiment, the meter room (100) is adapted to accommodate at least two smart meters (116) per sliding door panel for consumers, wherein each smart meter (116) is independently addressable and protected via corresponding MCBs (110). Although at least two meters (116) are illustrated in Figure 1, the actual number of smart meters may vary depending on the size of the sliding door panel.
Further, Figure 2 illustrates a side view of the multi-layer sliding door meter room in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 3 illustrates the three-layer sliding door meter room (100) as described in the present disclosure. The meter room (100) comprises a primary enclosure (102) housing three vertically stacked sliding door panels, each independently operable on guided rail tracks (104) fixed to the base of the meter room (100). These sliding panels (106) are constructed from cement fibre sheets for enhanced fire resistance and structural stability. Each sliding door panel (106) is embedded with electrical components, including a plurality of smart energy meters (116), a plurality of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), and a plurality of electrical connectors (118), all organized in a vertical configuration to optimize space.
The sliding door panel (106) slides laterally, allowing selective access to individual layers for maintenance or installation without disturbing adjacent panels, thereby preserving the original installation footprint. Wiring from a switch fuse unit (SFU), positioned at the rear wall (102a) of the primary enclosure (102), is routed internally to each meter (116) and MCB (110) in a plug-and-plug manner, enabling safe and efficient power distribution. This layered arrangement ensures higher meter density per unit area, supports modular scalability, and simplifies maintenance in space-constrained environments such as apartment complexes or utility rooms. Figure 3 visually confirms the operational feasibility and spatial efficiency of the proposed invention.
Figure 4 illustrates the primary enclosure of the meter room (100) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The primary enclosure (102) defines the meter room (100) as having the rear wall (102a) and the side walls (102b). The rear wall (102a) is structurally adapted to mount the electrical distribution components, including a plurality of energy meters (116) with their metering accessories consisting of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110) and switch fuse units (SFUs).
In an operative configuration, the multi-layer sliding door meter room (100) enables organized and scalable housing of electrical distribution components within the primary enclosure (102). The rear wall (102a) structurally supports the mounting of core components including a plurality of smart energy meters (116), a plurality of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), and switch fuse units (SFUs). A plurality of guided rail tracks (104) mounted laterally and parallel to the rear wall (102a), accommodates a plurality of sliding door panels (106), each configured for lateral displacement to allow tool-free, non-overlapping access to the components behind. Each sliding door panel (106) includes a mounting interface (106a) oriented away from the rear wall (102a), supporting the installation of additional energy meters (116), associated MCBs (110), and electrical connectors (118), which facilitate electrical interfacing between the input power supply and the output from the meters. Lateral wiring slots (108) at the base enable efficient harness routing for meter room (100) connectivity.
Advantageously, the multi-layer sliding door meter room (100) incorporates sliding door panels (106) mounted on guided rail tracks (104), enabling lateral movement for tool-free access without expanding the installation footprint. The meter room (100) integrates lateral wiring slots (108) and utilizes fire-resistant sheet material for the primary enclosure (102), thereby enhancing thermal management, operational safety, and structural durability. Further, streamlines the wiring configuration from the lateral wiring slots (108) by routing electrical connections from the rear wall (102a) of the primary enclosure mounted switch fuse unit (SFU) within the meter room (100), ensuring organized power distribution and simplified installation. The meter room (100) facilitates improved accessibility and ease of maintenance for electrical components, a plurality of smart meters (116), a plurality of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), and electrical connectors (118) for downtime and operational disruptions. Additionally, the sliding door panel (106) configuration supports long-term sustainability by enabling incremental capacity expansion and efficient utilization of space and resources without requiring structural modifications to the existing installation.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Individual components of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment but are interchangeable. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the present disclosure, and all such modifications are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.
TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
The present disclosure described herein above has several technical advantages including, but not limited to, a multi-layer sliding door meter panel assembly that:
• incorporates sliding door panels mounted on guided rails;
• integrates ventilation slots and uses fire-resistant sheet material for the cabin body and doors;
• streamlines the wiring configuration by routing from the wiring slots power from a rear wall of primary enclosure mounted switch fuse unit (SFU) within the meter room;
• facilitates improved accessibility and simplifies maintenance procedures for electrical components; and
• supports long-term sustainability by enabling incremental capacity expansion and efficient resource utilization without requiring structural modifications.
The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
The foregoing description of the specific embodiments so fully reveals the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
The use of the expression “at least” or “at least one” suggests the use of one or more elements or ingredients or quantities, as the use may be in the embodiment of the disclosure to achieve one or more of the desired objects or results.
Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles, or the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.
The numerical values mentioned for the various physical parameters, dimensions, or quantities are only approximations and it is envisaged that the values higher/lower than the numerical values assigned to the parameters, dimensions or quantities fall within the scope of the disclosure, unless there is a statement in the specification specific to the contrary.
While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the components and component parts of the preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that many embodiments can be made and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other changes in the preferred embodiment as well as other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
, Claims:WE CLAIM:
1. A multi-layer sliding door meter room (100) for housing and operating electrical distribution components, wherein said meter room (100) comprising:
• a primary enclosure (102) defining a meter room having a rear wall (102a) and side walls (102b), wherein said rear wall (102a) is structurally adapted to mount the electrical distribution components including energy meters (116) with their metering accessories consisting of miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110) and switch fuse unit (SFUs);
• a set of guided rail tracks (104) mounted laterally and parallel to the rear wall (102a) at a predefined distance from the rear wall (102a) and each other;
• a plurality of sliding door panels (106), each sliding door panel (106) being operably mounted on a corresponding guided rail track (104), and configured for lateral displacement to provide non-overlapping, tool-free, access to the electrical distribution components mounted behind each sliding door panel (106), each sliding door panel (106) comprising;
o a mouting interface (106a) facing away from the rear wall (102a) and structured to mount one or more energy meters (116) with their miniature circuit breakers (MCBs) (110), and electrical connectors (118), said electrical connectors (118) being configured to interface between an incoming power supply and an output from the mounted energy meters (116); and
• a plurality of lateral wiring slots (108) formed at a bottom portion of said enclosure (102) to facilitate routing of wiring harness from each sliding door panel (106) to the rear wall (102a) for establishing electrical connection.
2. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the switch fuse units (SFUs) are operably connected to the wiring harness to control and protect electrical connectivity between the rear wall (102a) and each of said sliding door panels (106).
3. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said guided rail track (104) includes a plurality of anti-friction elements or rollers configured to provide low-resistance and stable sliding movement of each sliding door panel (106).
4. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sliding door panels (106) are vertically stacked with said enclosure (102), and wherein each sliding door panel (106) is independently operable and mounted in a tiered configuration to facilitate scalable meter installations.
5. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sliding door panel (106) and the rear wall (102a) are fabricated from a cement fibre sheet material configured to enhance fire resistance, weather protection, and mechanical durability, in indoor or semi-outdoor enviournments.
6. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said MCBs (110) include:
• at least one outgoing double pole MCB (114) for phase and neutral disconnection during faults; and
• at least one incoming single pole MCB (112) for phase line overcurrent protection, both mounted to either the rear wall (102a) or said sliding door panel (106) based on electrical load distribution strategy.
7. The meter room as claimed in claim 6, wherein said each double pole MCB (114) of each energy meter (116) is operably mounted on the rear wall (102a) of said meter room (100).
8. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the wiring harness includes pre-terminated, insulated connectors to facilitate quick swapping or servicing of sliding panels without requiring rewiring or power isolation of the entire meter room (100).
9. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said switch fuse unit (SFU) is operably coupled to a surge protection module to suppress voltage transients and ensure operational safety of the smart meters and auxiliary components.
10. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein said enclosure (102) further comprises ventilation slots disposed along top and side walls (102b) to promote passive airflow and manage thermal load from operational smart meters.
11. The meter room (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the meter room (100) is adapted to accommodate smart meters for at least two consumers per sliding panel (106), wherein each smart meter (116) is independently addressable and protected via corresponding MCB (110).
Dated this 07th day of July, 2025

_______________________________
MOHAN RAJKUMAR DEWAN, IN/PA – 25
OF R. K. DEWAN & CO.
AUTHORIZED AGENT OF APPLICANT

TO,
THE CONTROLLER OF PATENTS
THE PATENT OFFICE, AT MUMBAI