AU610644B2

AU610644B2 - An improved mounting assembly

Info

Publication number: AU610644B2
Application number: AU22106/88A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Stephen Miranda
Original assignee: MASS ELECTRONICS Pty Ltd
Current assignee: MASS ELECTRONICS Pty Ltd
Priority date: 1987-09-09
Filing date: 1988-09-09
Publication date: 1991-05-23
Anticipated expiration: 2008-09-09
Also published as: AU2210688A

Description

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4 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1952 -*F37Y 7E1I4 FprV iirq .S A COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR THE INVENTION ENTITLED:- IVAN IMPROVED MOUNTING ASSEMBLY" This following statement is a full description of this invention, including -the best method of performing it known to us:- TO: THE COMMISSIONER OF PATENTS COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA.

2 This invention relates to an improved mounting assernbly, This invention has particular but not exclusive application to a mounting assembly for electrical or electronic apparatus, and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application. However, it is to be understood that this invention could be used in other applications, such as the mounting of pneumatic or hydraulic apparatus.

Electrical or electronic apparatus is frequently mounted in housings which are intended for mounting on standard mounting rails. Existing housings must be attached to the mounting rails with screwed fasteners, and the housing assembly section must often be fitted to the supporting base with screwed fasteners, so that specialised tools are required for installation, removal or maintenance. Such housings are often difficult to install especially when insitu wiring is required. It may also be necessary to dismantle such housings for circuit testing purposes.

The present invention aims to alleviate the above disadvantages and to provide mounting means which will be reliable and efficient in use. Other objects and advantages of this invention will hereinaftir become apparent.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in an enclosure assembly including:- a base assembly adapted for mounting on a surface; circuit board mounting means on said base assembly; a housing assembly attachable to said base assembly, and L_ Y i; CHRIST PHER THOMAS GOODHEW IIII l--II<Ii n m 3 releasable retention means for retaining said housing assembly on said base assembly, said base assembly providing an open topped enclosure for a circuit board having connector means and mountable on said circuit board mounting means, wherein said housing assembly closes said open topped enclosure to the extent that said connector means of said circuit board remain accessable through the open top of said open topped enclosure.

Preferably, said surface is in the form of a mounting rail and said retention means is in the form of a plurality of catches on one part of the mounting assembly and a moveable latch disposed in opposition to the other part cf the mounting assembly whereby the supporting base may be released from the mounting rail by movement of the moveable latch. Other types of supporting base retention means such as snap-in clips may be used if desired. If desired, the surface may be in the form of a mounting panel and the Smounting means may take the form of screws passing through holes in the supporting base.

Preferably the housing assembly is formed as an openended housing, although of course a fixed end plate may be formed in the housing assembly if desired. Preferably, the catches are formed on the enclosure assembly and are detachably engageable with the latches which are formed on the supporting base. Of course, if desired, other forms of

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i3A housing assembly retention means such as friction clamps may be used if desired. Mounting tracks may be formed on the inside walls of the housing assembly whereby component mounting plates or printed circuit boards may be located within the housing assembly. TIe housing assembly may be provided with slots which engage with projections on the

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4 supporting base such that the housing assembly is located relative to the supporting base. Of course, if desirel, other forms of location, such as providing projections on the housing assembly which engage with slots in the base may be used.

The supporting base may be provided with clips whereby a panel such as a printed circuit base board may be located within the supporting base parallel with the base of the supporting base. Preferably, the printed circuit base board is provided with portions projecting from beneath the housing assembly such that external wiring may be connected to the circuit base board with the housing assembly in position.

The circuit base board may also have sockets in the portion beneath the housing assembly whereby printed circuit boards supported within the mounting tracks in the housing assembly may engage with the circuit base board.

In order that this invention may be more easily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:- FIG. 1 is an exploded front view of an enclosure; FIG. 2 is a side view of the enclosure, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the enclosure.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the enclosure assembly consists of a base assembly II and a housing assembly 12.

The latter is provided with a front plate 13 detachably engageable within a peripheral recess 14 in the outer end of the housing assembly 12. The base assembly 11 is supported on a top hat sectioned support rail 8 by means of hooks 16 which are moulded on the rear of the base assembly 11 and which hook over the top flange 9 of the support rail 8.

A reciprocable latch member 17 is supported between opposed pairs of brackets 15 moulded on the rear of the base assembly 11. The latch member may be retracted against a biassing spring 18 supported between the latch member 17 and the base 11 to enable it to pass over the lower flange 8, whereupon it may be released to engage behind the lower flange 8 and lock the base assembly to the rail 8. A slot 19 in the bottom end of the latch member 17 may be engaged by a screwdriver blade to retract the latch 17 from the support rail 8 whereby the base assembly 11 may be lifted from the rail 8.

The housing assembly 12 has outwardly extending ramped lugs 20 on the side walls 21 which engage behind inwardly extending clips 22 moulded integrally with and spaced outwardly from the side walls 23 of the base 11.

Abutments 24 at each end of the clips 22 project from the side walls 23 beyond the clips so as to space abutting enclosure assemblies 10 sufficiently to allow a screwdriver blade to be inserted between adjacent enclosure assemblies.

Thus a screwdriver may be engaged behind the clips to release the lugs 20 from the clips 22 and free the housing 12 from the base 11.

r 6 Slots 25 in the housing end walls 27 engage over the side walls 23 to locate the housing assembly 12 transversely.

Projections 26 on the side walls 23 engage with the end walls 27 beyond the slots 25 to locate the housing assembly 12 vertically. A pattern of holes 29 in the back wall 30 of the base assembly 11 allow for alternative screw mounting of the enclosure 10 on a panel.

Circuit board clips 31 are formed in the upper and lower walls 32 of the base assembly 11 may be used to hold a mother board for electronic circuitry. Suitably the mother board extends the full length of the base assembly 11 and isforme4 with the external connecting terminals at opposite ends and thus exposed above and below the end walls 27 of the housing assembly 12 when the latter is clipped to the base assembly 11. Pin connectors for edge connected boards are supported on the mother board within the housing assembly 12 0so that in use the enclosure assembly may be made up with all electronics fitted and subsequently fitted to a rail 8. The external connections may then be performed at the exposed terminals without disturbing the electronics. Furthermore testing can be carried out without dismantling the enclosure assembly and if necessary, the edge connected boards can be readily accessed for replacement.

Guide tracks 33 on the inside surfaces of the end walls 27 of the housing assembly 12 may be used to retain t edge connected or daughter boards for electronic circuitry, with ,0V 7 the daughter boards terminating in sockets on the mother board.

In use, an enclosure 10 is assembled by fitting a latch 17 and a spring 18 into the base assembly 11. A mother board carrying terminations at its upper and lower ends and sockets in its middle section is clipped into the board clips 31 and daughter boards are plugged into the sockets. The housing assembly 12 is fitted over the daughter boards and altached to the base assembly 11 by engaging the lugs 20 on the housing assembly 12 with the clips 22 on the base assembly 11.

The front plate 13, which may be formed in any particular configuration to suit the application, is fitted and the enclosed electronic circuitry is ready for fitting to a support rail 8. The hooks 16 are fitted over the top of the support rail 8 and the latch 17 is engaged with the bottom of the support rail 8 to locate the enclosure 10. If access to the circuitry is desired, the housing assembly 12 is removed by inserting a screwdriver between the lugs 20 and the clips 22 to release the housing assembly 12 from the base assembly 11 and sliding the housing assembly 12 off. If the enclosure 10 is to be removed from the support rail 8, a screwdriver is inserted in the slot 19 in the latch 17, and the latch 17 is pulled down to release it from the rail 8, allowing the enclosure 10 to be freed from the rail 8.

8 It will of course be realised that while the above has been given by way of illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations thereto as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is defined in the appended claims.

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Claims

1. An enclosure assembly including:- a base assembly adapted for mounting on a surface; circuit board mounting means on said base assembly; a housing assembly attachable to said base assembly, and releasable retention means for retaining said housing assembly on said base assembly, said base assembly providing an open topped enclosure for a circuit board having connector means and mountable on said circuit board mounting means, wherein said housing assembly closes said open topped enclosure to the extent that said connector means of said circuit board remain accessable through the open top of said open topped enclosure.

2. An enclosure assembly according to Claim 1, wherein said housing assembly closes said open topped enclosure to the extent that a peripheral connector bearing portion of said circuit board remains accessable,

3. An enclosure assembly according to claim 2, wherein said housing assembly i- actapted co iold daughter boards supported on said circuit board.

4. An enclosure assembly according to claim 3, wherein the inside wall of said housing assembly is provided with support means for said daughter boards.

An enclosure assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said base assembly is adapted for releasable connection to a mounting member fitted to a mounting surface.

6. An enclosure assembly according to claim 5, wherein said mounting member is a rail and said base assembly is provided with retention means adapted to clip to said rail.

7. An enclosure assembly according to claim 6, wherein said retention means includes a catch on the back face of the base assembly and a moveable latch disposed in opposition to said catch.

8. An enclosure assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said housing assembly is retained on said base assembly by externally accessible clips.

9. An enclosure assembly according to claim 8, wherein said clips are disposed on the side walls of said base assembly and are associated with abutments adapted to space apart adjacent said enclosure assemblies to provide access to said clips. An enclosure assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED THIS fourteenth DAY OF February, 1991. MASS ELECTRONICS PTY. LTD. by PIZZEY AND COMPANY PATENT ATTORNEYS xu"v a%'