AU2006201873B2 - Improved Waterproof Enclosure for Electrical Devices - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT (Original) APPLICATION NO: LODGED: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION LODGED: ACCEPTED: PUBLISHED: RELATED ART: NAME OF APPLICANT: Schneider Electric (NZ) Limited ACTUAL INVENTOR: KELLY, David George ADDRESS FOR SERVICE: LORD AND COMPANY, Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys, of 4 Douro Place, West Perth, Western Australia, 6005, AUSTRALIA. INVENTION TITLE: Improved Waterproof Enclosure for Electrical Devices DETAILS OF ASSOCIATED APPLICATION NO: New Zealand Patent Application Number 540261 Filed On 24 May 2005 The following Statement is a full description of this invention including the best method of performing it known to me/us: Title: IMPROVED WATERPROOF ENCLOSURE FOR ELECTRICAL DEVICES Field of the Invention 5 The present invention relates to a waterproof enclosure for electrical devices which is suitable for use outdoors or indoors under wet or damp conditions. As used herein, the term 'waterproof' includes 'dustproof'. The degree of waterproofing provided by the enclosure of the present invention obviously can vary 10 according to intended end-use of the enclosure, but the enclosure of the present invention is capable of providing protection at an International Protection Rating IP66 (complete protection against dust and protection against jets of water of similar force to heavy seas). 15 Background of the Invention The waterproof enclosures for electrical devices which are currently available commonly consist of a rigid waterproof mounting box which surrounds and supports one or more electrical devices. 20 The devices themselves must be accessible to a user and therefore are protected by a hinged lid which forms a waterproof seal against the housing in the closed position, but which can be manually raised for access to the devices. However, this design has the drawback that the devices cease to be waterproof as soon as the lid is raised, so that 25 operating the devices in wet or damp conditions can be hazardous and/or risk damage to the devices. One proposal to overcome this difficulty has been to glue a flexible membrane over the devices. However, this membrane cannot be replaced, so that if it is damaged the 30 whole enclosure must be replaced. Disclosure of Invention An object of the present invention is provision of a waterproof enclosure for electrical 35 devices which overcomes the above described drawbacks. 1A The present invention provides a waterproof enclosure for an electrical device, said enclosure including: a rigid waterproof mounting box within which at least one electrical device may be mounted; a lid associated with the mounting box and moveable between a first, closed, position in which the lid cooperates with the 5 mounting box to provide a waterproof seal around any device mounted in said box, and a second, open, position in which said device is accessible; and a flexible seal removably secured over the device beneath the lid, the seal being adapted to provide a waterproof cover over said device even when the lid is open; wherein said seal is sufficiently flexible to permit operation of said device with said seal in place. 10 Preferably, the seal is formed with at least one gusset, so as to allow movement of the seal towards said device. Preferably the seal is formed with a peripheral flange, and the enclosure also includes 15 a mounting frame which is releasably securable to the mounting box to sandwich said flange between the frame and the box so as to create a waterproof seal. Brief Description of the Drawinqs 20 By way of example only, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an isometric view of the switch of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the switch of Figure 1; and 25 Figure 3 is a section through a seal. Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawings, a waterproof enclosure 2 includes a rigid waterproof 30 mounting box 3 which is formed with mounting apertures 4 at each corner and a central recess 5 in which an electrical device in the form of a switch 6 (shown in Figure 2 only) is mounted through a central aperture. The central recess 5 has a lid 7 hinged to the mounting box along one side of the 35 recess; the lid 7 is of known design and can be hinged between the open position shown in the drawings and a closed position in which the lid 7 covers the recess 5. 2 The lid 7 is retained in the closed position by a manually operated catch 9. The recess 5 is formed with an inner wall 12 which surrounds the switch 6 and which extends parallel to, but spaced inwards from, the walls 5a of the recess. 5 The base of the recess 5 inside the wall 12 is made of a series of knockout pole fillers 8 which can be removed individually to provide the desired space for any of a range of electrical devices to be mounted in the box 3. A waterproof seal 10 is mounted in the recess 5 by means of a mounting frame 11. The waterproof seal 10 is rectangular in 10 plan view and is dimensioned to fit over the inner wall 12. The seal 10 is formed with a mounting flange 13 around its periphery, walls 14 substantially perpendicular to the flange 13, a grooved portion 15 along the top of each wall 14 and a front surface 16. In addition, two parallel gussets 17 are formed on opposite edges of the seal, between the front surface 16 and the adjacent portion 15. 15 The waterproof seal 10 is dimensioned such that the mounting flange 13 lies in the space between the inner wall 12 and the walls 5a of the recess 5, with the plane of the flange flat against the inner surface of the recess 5. The mounting frame 11 has substantially the same dimensions as the flange 13 and lies over the flange, 20 sandwiching the flange between the frame and the inner surface of the recess 5 to form a waterproof seal. The mounting frame 11 is secured in position by screws 20a and self-tapping screws 20 which pass through eyes 21 on the frame and are received in apertures formed in the base of the recess 5. The underside of the frame 11, in contact with the flange 13, is formed with a protruding rib which compresses the flange 25 13 when the frame 11 is tightened into the seal, forming a watertight barrier and prevents movement of the seal relative to the frame. The upper edge of the inner wall 12 fits into the grooved portions 15 of the seal 10, so that the front surface 16 of the seal 10 is supported clear of the switch 6. However, 30 the gussets 17 allow the surface 16 to be depressed towards the switch 6 easily, without damaging or permanently distorting the material of the seal. The seal 10 preferably is made of a transparent, tough, resilient and waterproof material such as a silicone resin. 35 In use, the enclosure 2 is installed in known manner, and normally the switch 6 is kept 3 waterproof by the seal 10 and kept safe from accidental contact by the closed lid 7. If it is necessary to operate the switch 6, the lid 7 is raised by releasing the catch 9 and hinging the lid 7 to the open position, so that the user can operate the switch 6 by depressing the seal 10. The switch 6 remains completely waterproof even though the 5 lid 7 has been raised. If the seal 10 is damaged in any way, it can be removed and a fresh seal fitted simply by removing the screws 20,20a and the frame 11, positioning a new seal 10 and re securing the frame 11. 10 It will be appreciated that the shape of the switch and/or the shape of the recess 5, the wall 12 and the seal 10/frame 11 can be varied as necessary. 4

Claims (9)

1. A waterproof enclosure for an electrical device, said enclosure including: a rigid waterproof mounting box within which at least one electrical device may be 5 mounted; a lid associated with the mounting box and moveable between a first, closed, position in which the lid cooperates with the mounting box to provide a waterproof seal around any device mounted in said box, and a second, open, position in which said device is accessible; and a flexible seal removably secured over the device beneath the lid, the seal being adapted to provide a 10 waterproof cover over said device even when the lid is open; wherein said seal is sufficiently flexible to permit operation of said device with said seal in place.

2. The enclosure as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least part of said seal is made of a transparent material. 15

3. The enclosure as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the lid is hinged to the enclosure.

4. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lid is 20 releasably securable in the closed position by a catch.

5. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims wherein the seal is formed with at least one gusset, so as to allow movement of the seal towards said device. 25

6. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the seal is formed with a peripheral flange, and the enclosure also includes a mounting frame which is releasable securable to the mounting box to sandwich said flange between the frame and the box so as to create a waterproof seal. 30

7. The enclosure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the mounting box provides a recess in which said device may be mounted, said recess being surrounded by a perimeter wall; and the recess is provided with an inner wall spaced from said perimeter wall; and wherein said seal is formed with a peripheral groove 35 spaced inwards from said flange, said groove being located and dimensioned such that when the mounting frame is used to secure the seal with the 5 peripheral flange of the seal lying in the space between the perimeter and the inner walls, the top of the inner wall lies within said groove.

8. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the seal 5 is made of a silicone resin.

9. A waterproof enclosure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawings. Dated this 3rd day of May 2006 Schneider Electric (NZ) Limited by their Patent Attorneys LORD AND COMPANY PERTH WESTERN AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA 6