EP0766910A1

EP0766910A1 - Mounting device for electrical components, in particular air-ventilation units disposed in rows

Info

Publication number: EP0766910A1
Application number: EP95920782A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Rainer Ebert; Dietmar Heeg; Klaus Lange; Kurt-Michael Schaffer
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 1994-06-24
Filing date: 1995-06-14
Publication date: 1997-04-09
Also published as: WO1996000495A1; JPH10502216A; DE4422244A1

Abstract

The device proposed comprises a chassis (B) designed to hold electrical components (LA1, LA2) and a rigidly mounted U-shaped mounting bracket (T) into which the chassis (B) can be inserted. The mounting bracket is preferably designed as a self-supporting unit having an essentially L-shaped or C-shaped cross-section with the concave side facing inwards. In addition, the chassis and mounting bracket are preferably designed so that the chassis (B) can be pushed into and pulled out of the U-shaped mounting bracket (T) from the open front (E) of the mounting bracket on its side-arms (S1, S3). The chassis (B) is conveniently made up of two halves (BU, BO) with lateral guide-bars (F). The device is particularly suitable for use in mounting air-ventilation units (LA1, LA2) disposed next to each other in rows in the same plane.

Description

Device for holding electrical components, in particular ventilation units arranged in rows

In the so-called construction technology, it is sometimes necessary to vary certain electrical components or groups of components inside, e.g. a control cabinet, a subrack and the like. Due to the special nature of the components concerned, it is not possible in these exceptional cases to use them e.g. to place the arrangement schemes known from so-called assembly systems in the same way as other components or printed circuit boards in subracks. Components of this type are e.g. Fans, power supplies, in particular with a larger output, transmitters and the like. Such components cannot be easily e.g. standing high in the slot of a subrack e.g. can be inserted next to other printed circuit boards without impairing their functionality and / or the functionality of the adjacent components.

From US 3,228,532, in particular according to FIG. 6 there, a device for receiving and holding electronic devices is known. These are accommodated in a housing which can be slid in and out again in a U-shaped holding frame with the aid of telescopically extendable support arms attached to the sides of the housing.

From the Schroff catalog with the title "We give electronics shape", page 15.04, fan trays are known in which ventilation units are arranged in a row next to one another.

From DE 89 14 551 Ul a cabinet with at least one fan for cooling electrical components housed in the cabinet is known. The fan unit can be inserted into a base compartment located below the cabinet, which is composed of three U-shaped strips arranged in a U-shape. At the rear, in the direction of insertion A socket for the energy supply of the fans is attached to the area of the fan unit which, when pushed in, comes into contact with a plug part arranged in the cabinet. Finally, a fan unit is known from DE 90 14 160 U1, which can be plugged into a slide-in carrier. This has mounting brackets on the front.

The invention has for its object to provide a variable e.g. Specify holding device for electrical components that can be installed inside switch cabinets. The desired variability of the holding device is to be further promoted by favorable external dimensions of the same, in particular a low overall height, and by enabling good access to the electrical components.

The object is achieved with the device specified in claim 1. Advantageous further embodiments of the same are specified in the following subclaims.

The invention and advantageous embodiments of the same are explained in more detail with reference to the figures briefly illustrated below. It shows

1 shows a top view of an exemplary possibility of mounting the device according to the invention on two lateral mounting supports,

2 shows a top view of an exemplary possibility of mounting the device according to the invention on a rear wall,

3 shows a top view of an exemplary possibility of mounting the device according to the invention on two side walls, 4 shows a top view of an exemplary possibility of mounting the device according to the invention with variable side mounting points, and

5 shows a front view of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention with a guide frame with a C-shaped cross-sectional profile and a cassette consisting of half-shells with lateral guide rails.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, four mounting options for the device according to the invention are exemplarily shown in plan view. According to the invention, the latter has a U-shaped guide frame E for a cassette B which serves to hold electrical components and which can be fixed in place in different ways. The device according to the invention has the particular advantage that a particularly variable placement of the holding device according to the invention at almost any point, e.g. in the interior of a control cabinet frame or a subrack

U-shaped guide frame is possible. The component cassette can then be inserted in this in a simple manner. It is therefore not necessary to make this mechanical particularly stable.

If, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, the U-shaped guide frame E is also designed to be so stable that it has self-supporting properties, the ability to install and thus the use properties of the device according to the invention are hereby particularly promoted, since only then for fastening the guide frame Few assembly points and assembly aids such as Mounting brackets are required.

According to a further embodiment, it is particularly advantageous if the U-shaped guide frame T for the cassette B has an essentially L-shaped or C-shaped inside has open cross-sectional profile. In this case, the cassette B can be placed or pushed in or pulled out without further aids in the manner of a drawer directly in the guide frame. The cassette is held at least by the lower peripheral edge of the L- or C-shaped guide frame T.

In the embodiment shown in the plan views of FIGS. 1 to 4, the U-shaped guide frame T already advantageously has a C-shaped cross-sectional profile that is open to the inside. The lateral edges SEI, SE2, SE3 of the cassette B, which are covered in these representations and are therefore shown in broken lines, are thus covered by the inwardly directed webs of e.g. three-part, C-shaped cross-sectional profile of the guide frame T includes and guided. The U-shaped guide frame T and the cassette B are preferably matched to one another in such a way that the cassette B can be inserted or extracted via the open front side E of the U-shaped guide frame T. In Figures 1 to 4, this insertion or extraction direction is marked by a double arrow.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the assembly of the device according to the invention on two lateral assembly supports ST1, ST2. These can be part of a frame, for example, in a so-called 19-inch technology, for example in a control cabinet. Additional mounting brackets M1, M2 are preferably provided as mounting aids. If the U-shaped guide frame T preferably has self-supporting properties, it is preferably made in one piece. It is then sufficient for a safe assembly of the device according to the invention if the connection with the lateral assembly supports ST1, ST2 in the front region of the lateral legs S1, S3 of the guide frame T or even at their front end directly on the open front side E of the the U-shaped guide frame takes place. The rear area of the holding device according to the invention, in particular represented through the rear leg S2 of the guide frame T, is in this case freely floating together with the inserted component cassette B.

FIG. 2 shows another exemplary possibility of mounting the device according to the invention on a rear wall R, which in turn can be part of a frame or a subrack or a building. If the U-shaped guide frame T is again preferably self-supporting, two holding points are also sufficient in this example for mounting the device according to the invention. In this case, these are located on the outer edges of the rear leg S2 of the U-shaped guide frame T. It is advantageous if additional mounting brackets M1, M2 are also provided here to facilitate assembly. On the other hand, in the so-called rear wall assembly shown in FIG. 2, a connection between the guide frame P and the rear wall R can also be achieved by means of bolts or dowels which are passed directly through the rear leg S2 of the guide frame and into the rear wall R rich.

Such a case is already shown in FIG. 3. Here, the guide frame T is an example of four lateral mounting points P between two opposite side walls

Wl, W2 mounted. Screw bolts are preferably used for the assembly, which are connected directly to the assembly side walls W1, W2 through the side legs S1, S3 of the guide frame. These mounting side walls can be part of e.g. so-called rack.

Finally, FIG. 4 shows a top view of another exemplary mounting option for the device according to the invention, a large number of side mounting points being provided. These enable the device according to the invention to be installed in a variable depth position. For example, the U-shaped guide frame T can have four the corners of which are attached mounting brackets Ml, M2, M3, M4 to the surrounding parts so that they are fixed in place. On the other hand, the mounting points of the mounting brackets can also be offset along the lateral legs S1, S3 of the guide frame. Accordingly, four further mounting brackets are shown in FIG

Ml '... M4' shown at alternative, inwardly offset assembly points.

The holding device according to the invention has, due to the separation into a receiving the electrical components

Cassettes B and in a U-shaped guide frame which receives the cassette have a number of advantages. For example, the assembly is facilitated by the fact that the device is connected in a fixed manner exclusively via the U-shaped guide frame, the cassette used to hold the electrical components being removed for the duration of the assembly. Furthermore, the component cassette B can be of a lightweight construction, in particular if the U-shaped guide frame T surrounding it is self-supporting. In this case, since there are no high demands on the torsional strength of the cassette, the upper and lower sides of the cassette can have a completely continuous perforation.

Such a perforation LO is already shown in the example in FIG. 1. The weakening of the torsional rigidity of the cassette B caused by a perforation of the cassette cover is compensated according to the invention by the surrounding U-shaped guide frame T. The holding device according to the invention is therefore extremely variable for a wide variety of different types

Mounting types can be used, such as for frame mounting, rear wall mounting, side wall mounting and the like, but nevertheless enable the electrical components stored in the interior of the separate cassette B to be easily accessible. On the basis of these properties, the device according to the invention is particularly suitable for holding special electrical components which, for example, are not inside a housing so-called subrack can be accommodated on PCBs arranged vertically next to each other. These special components can be those whose operation produces a particularly large amount of electrical waste heat. On the other hand, it can also be components which are intended to dissipate the electrical waste heat generated by adjacent components, such as, for example, cooling bodies or ventilation units driven by a motor through which a liquid flows.

In a further advantageous embodiment of the invention, the cassette B is formed from two half-shells, which can be made of plastic or sheet metal. FIG. 5 shows the front view of such an embodiment with a view of its push-in or pull-out side, the U-shaped guide frame T again advantageously having an inwardly directed, C-shaped cross-sectional profile. For the particularly fixed mounting of the guide frame T, two additional mounting brackets M1, M2 are provided in the example in FIG. 5, which are mounted on the front end faces of the side legs S1, S3 of the guide frame. The mounting type shown in the front view of FIG. 5 thus corresponds in principle to the top view shown in FIG.

To improve the insertability or extractability of the cassette B into the guide frame T on the one hand and to improve the mounting of the cassette B in the inserted state inside the guide frame C on the other hand, it is advantageous if the cassette B is preferred on the lateral edges SE1, SE3 has integrally formed guide rails F. Such an embodiment is already shown in the example of FIG. 5 on the right side SE3 of the cassette B in the top view there. The guide rails F, which are integrally formed in particular in the area of the upper or lower cover of the cassette B, are encompassed by the C webs of the lateral leg S3 of the U-shaped guide frame T. On the one hand, this results in a particularly secure position tion of the cassette B in the inserted state. On the other hand, the cassette can be easily pulled out of the guide frame T or inserted again, for example for service purposes. If the cassette B is made of plastic, for example, guide rails F of this type can easily be integrally molded or injection molded onto the side.

In the front view of FIG 5 another advantageous embodiment is shown on the left side in the area of the side leg S1 of the guide frame. In this case, on the corresponding side SEI of the cassette B, a preferably C-shaped mounting rail FS is attached, which engages around the cassette B on the one hand and the guide rails F on the other side for engagement with the associated side leg S1 of the U-shaped guide frame T has. Such a mounting rail FS with a C-shaped cross-sectional profile is particularly advantageous if the cassette B is designed in two parts. As a result, the upper and lower tubs BO, BU, which are approximately identical in shape in the example of FIG. 5, are held together in a stable manner. Another, not shown

Embodiment, it is also possible that the mounting rail FS has an L-shaped profile.

As has already been explained above, the invention is particularly suitable for holding special electrical components. In the example shown in FIG. 5, two ventilation units LA1, LA2 are arranged next to each other in a dashed line inside the cassette B. The air flow LS generated by these ventilation units is shown in FIG. 5 by arrows. Because of the special constructive properties of the device according to the invention, it is easily possible, particularly when the U-shaped guide frame T is designed to be self-supporting, to arrange a larger number of such ventilation units, for example three to five, lying side by side in the interior of the cassette B . This creates a module that can be designated as a "fan line". With the help of this, for example one of the mounting types shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 can be attached to any location, for example a subrack or a control cabinet frame, as required.

As already shown in the example in FIG. 5, mounting brackets ML1, ML2 can advantageously be attached to the end faces of the lateral legs S1, S3 of the U-shaped guide frame T in the region of its open front side. These can e.g. a covering front plate can be screwed or snapped on using a threaded hole.

In a last embodiment of the invention, which is already shown in FIG. 3, preferably in the rear leg S2 of the U-shaped guide frame T and opposite in the rear side SE of the cassette B e.g. two-part electrical coupling means SK inserted. This allows • in particular electrical energy and signal connections between the electrical components inside the cassette B and e.g. outer connecting cables L are produced. When the cassette B is removed from the guide frame T, the parts of the coupling means are disconnected by themselves, while when the cassette is pushed in, these parts are easily caused by the lateral guidance of the legs S1, S3 of the guide frame T and any additional lateral guide rails F present on the cassette come back into engagement.

Claims

claims

1. Device for holding electrical components, with

a) a cassette (B) formed from two half-shells (BU, BO) for receiving the electrical components (LA1, LA2),

b) a U-shaped, stationary mountable guide frame (T) for the cassette (B), and with

c) L- or C-shaped support rails (FS) which grip under or around the cassette (B) on the sides (SE1, SE3) and guide rails (F) for engaging the side legs (S1, S3) of the U- have shaped guide frame (T).

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the U-shaped guide frame (T) is designed to be self-supporting.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the U-shaped guide frame (T) has a substantially L- or C-shaped, inwardly directed cross-sectional profile.

4. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the cassette (B) on the open front (E) of the U-shaped guide frame (T) on the side legs (S1, S3) can be inserted or extracted.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein on the end faces of the side legs (S1, S3) of the U-shaped guide frame (T) in the region of its open front side (E) mounting tabs (ML1, ML2) are attached, in particular for a front panel.

6. Device according to one of the preceding claims, where electrical coupling means (SK) in the rear leg

(S2) of the U-shaped guide frame (T) and in the rear side (SE2) of the cassette (B), with which in particular electrical energy and signal connections between the inside of the cassette (B) and the outer connecting cables (L) are producible.

7. Device according to one of the preceding claims, wherein ventilation units (LA1, LA2) are arranged next to one another in rows in the form of electrical components.