FR2752140A1 - MODULAR SUPPORT DESK, ESPECIALLY FOR ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER EQUIPMENT - Google Patents

Abstract

Modular support desk intended to receive electrical and computer equipment, comprising a metal frame 12, composed of uprights 14, 16, 18, 20 and crossbars 22, 24, 26, 28 constituting a hollow frame of parallelepiped shape. The rigid frame having a base 29, two large rectangular frames 30, 32 located respectively at the front and rear of the frame, and two small frames 34, 36 on the opposite side faces. Positioning means comprise a first horizontal support shelf 58 fixed to the upper part of the large front frame 30, and at least a second shelf 60 attached to the large rear frame 32. A horizontal intermediate partition 40 subdivides the internal space of the frame 12 into two superimposed compartments 42, 44, the upper compartment 44 being arranged as a cable duct 46 extending transversely between the small frames 34, 36. A pivoting cover 50 is movable between an open position for access to the interior of the chute 46, and a closed position for closing off the chute, said cover being located substantially at the level of the first shelf 58.

Description

MA 2752140

  MODULAR SUPPORT DESK, ESPECIALLY FOR THE

  ELECTRICAL AND COMPUTER EQUIPMENT

  The invention relates to a modular support desk for receiving electrical and computer equipment, and comprising: 1 0 - a metal frame, composed of uprights and crosspieces constituting a hollow frame of parallelepiped shape, said rigid frame having a base , two large rectangular frames located respectively at the front and rear of the frame, and two small frames on the opposite side faces, 1 5 - and positioning and support means fixed to the frame by

mechanical assembly elements.

  It is known to fix the positioning and support means at the four respective angles of the chassis. We generally make use of a single piece, having a rear part used for the installation of the material

  electric or computer, and a front part arranged in work plan.

  This part is placed and fixed to the chassis, and it is difficult to adjust the rear part in height relative to the front part. Each specific installation requires an appropriate chassis, which is detrimental for the manufacturer and for the customer. The manufacturer must indeed have a large stock of chassis of different types to be able to meet all orders for specific configurations. For the customer, the chassis is well suited at a given time for a specific installation, but may no longer be so in the event of an evolution of the installation following a change of equipment. The

  3 0 customer is then forced to change the arrangement of the control console.

  The object of the invention is to avoid these drawbacks, and to produce a modular support desk which can easily adapt to different

  types of equipment and electrical connection.

  The desk according to the invention is characterized in that: the positioning means comprise a first horizontal support shelf fixed to the upper part of the large front frame, and at least a second shelf or an auxiliary module subject to the large rear frame, - a horizontal intermediate partition subdivides the internal space of the chassis into two superimposed compartments, the upper compartment being arranged in a cable duct extending transversely between the small frames, - and a pivoting cover movable between an open position for access to the inside of the chute, and a closed position for closing the chute,

  said cover being located substantially at the level of the first shelf.

  1 0 According to a preferred embodiment, the parallel uprights of the frame are inclined forward by making a predetermined acute angle with the horizontal plane of the base, so that each small frame is shaped

according to a parallelogram.

  1 5 The tilting of the chassis forwards makes it possible to reinforce the load on the rear part, in particular on the second shelf or on the auxiliary module, and jointly allows a better working comfort for the user.

located at the front of the desk.

  According to a characteristic of the invention, the chute has a U-shaped section having a bottom formed by the partition, and two longitudinal parallel faces formed by a first support plate connecting the two uprights of the large rear frame, and a second plate d 'support

  arranged between the two other uprights of the large front frame.

  The longitudinal section of the chassis can be any, in particular

rectangular or trapezoidal.

  Each post of the large rear frame has a series of holes staggered at regular intervals to allow height adjustment of the positioning of the second shelf. This results in independent mounting

  of the anterior shelf, and of the posterior shelf.

  Each small frame of the chassis comprises assembly members 3 5 cooperating either with a cover acting as a side trim, or with a

chassis of an adjacent console.

  The invention also relates to a modular assembly of several support consoles, in which two consoles can be connected to each other by a connection module having an appropriate polygonal section allowing an angular offset, while preserving continuity

of the work plan at the front.

  Other advantages and characteristics will emerge more clearly from the

  description which will follow of an embodiment of the invention, and

  various applications, given by way of nonlimiting examples, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: 1 0 - Figure 1 is a schematic perspective view of a support console according to the invention, the console being seen in profile from the front; - Figure 2 is an identical view to Figure 1, but without computer equipment, the desk being seen in profile from the rear; - Figure 3 is an identical view to Figure 2, the console being shown 1 5 from the rear; - Figure 4 shows a vertical sectional view along line 4-4 of the console of Figure 2; - Figures 5, 6 and 7 are detail views on an enlarged scale of Figure 4, respectively representing the mounting of the front shelf, that of the rear shelf, and the arrangement of the upper compartment of the chute; - Figure 8 is an identical view to Figure 4, further showing the passage of the connecting cables of the computer equipment; - Figure 9 shows a perspective view of a first application of the console used alone without the addition of adjacent modules; - Figure 10 shows an identical view to Figure 9 of a second application using an auxiliary module in place of the second

Tablet;

  - Figure 11 shows an exploded view of an auxiliary module with several boxes, capable of being fixed to the large rear frame of the chassis; Figure 12 is an identical view to Figure 11 after assembly of the boxes of the auxiliary module; - Figure 13 is a view identical to Figure 9 of another application; - Figure 14 is a perspective view of the assembly of two panels of different longitudinal sections, allowing a predetermined angular offset; - Figures 15 and 16 are plan views showing different modular assemblies of consoles via connection modules

specific sections.

  With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4, a metal support desk 10 comprises a central chassis 12 of parallelepiped shape, composed of four uprights 14,16,18,20, and four lower crossbars 22,24,26,28 delimiting the base 29 rectangular. The uprights 14,16, 18,20 and the lower crosspieces 22,24,26,28 use L-shaped brackets joined together by welding, so as to con-titufirne rigid frame having a front face and a rear face shaped in two large rectangular frames 30,32 extending parallel to each other. The opposite lateral faces of the chassis 1 0 12 define two small frames 34, 36 in the shape of a parallelogram situated in two parallel planes extending in the direction of the depth of the

desk 10.

  The four parallel uprights 14, 16, 18, 20 of the chassis 12 are slightly inclined forwards by making an acute angle of the order of 75 with the horizontal plane of the base 29. A lateral spacer 38 connects the uprights located of the same side in the upper part of each small frame 34,36, said

  spacer 38 extending parallel to the small crosspieces 28,24.

  A horizontal intermediate partition 40 subdivides the internal space of the chassis 12 into two superimposed compartments 42, 44, the volume of the lower compartment 42 being greater than that of the compartment

  upper 44. The upper compartment 44 is arranged in a chute 46

  cables extending transversely between the small frames 34,36 over the entire

  2 5 length of the large crosspieces 22, 26 of the chassis 12.

  The chute 46 has a U-shaped section, having a bottom formed by the partition 40, and an inlet orifice 48 open over the entire length. A cover 50 is pivotally mounted on a longitudinal axis 52 secured to a first support plate 54 connecting the upper ends of the two uprights 20,18

of the large posterior frame 32.

  A second support plate 56 is arranged between the upper ends of the other two uprights 14, 16 of the large front frame 30. The two support plates 54, 56 delimit the longitudinal parallel faces of the chute 46, and the cover 50 is movable between an open position (FIG.

  2) and a closed position (Figure 1).

57 2752140

  A first shelf 58 for horizontal support is fixed to the chassis 12 at the level of the support plate 56 of the large front frame 30. This first shelf 58 is positioned at a predetermined height, which remains identical for modules juxtaposed so as to constitute a same horizontal plane when joining several consoles or auxiliary modules side by side. At the rear of the chassis 12, a second horizontal support shelf 60 is secured to the two uprights 18, 20 of the large rear frame 32 by means of fixing brackets 62. Each rear upright 18.20 has a series of holes 64 circulars staggered at regular intervals in the height direction to allow adjustment of the height positioning of the second shelf 60. It is also possible to bring a third shelf (not shown) under the

second shelf 60.

  1 5 The forward tilt of the chassis 12 allows a significant increase in the load supported by the second support shelf 60, as well as better working comfort for the people at the front of the desk 10. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the heavy loads, for example the display screen 64, are placed on the second rear shelf 60, while the lighter loads, in particular the keyboard 66, are positioned on the first shelf 58, which in this case plays the role of a work table or desk. Snap rails 67 are provided inside the lower compartment 42 for mounting modular electrical devices. In FIG. 5, the assembly of the first support shelf 58 on the chassis 12 is carried out by means of bolts (not shown) passing through orifices 68 formed in the support plate 56. A pair of reinforcement gussets 70 is screwed to the bottom surface of the shelf 58 and to the plate

  support 56 to absorb the forces resulting from the cantilever mounting.

  Each gusset 70 has a triangular shape with an obtuse angle, the adjacent sides of which correspond to the inclined face of the support plate 56. It is possible to cover the metal shelf 58 by means of a wooden panel 72, which is fixed by screws (not shown) passing through assembly holes 74. A strip 76 with a rounded edge is attached to the front edge of the shelf 58. Holes 77 are provided in the lateral flanks of

  the shelf 58 for the assembly of adjacent modules.

  In FIG. 6, the fixing of the second rear metal shelf 60 takes place by means of assembly screws 78 passing through two orifices of each console 62, disposed opposite two holes 64 of the corresponding upright 18, 20, and of the plate d 'support 54. A bushing 80 is provided at the rear end of the second shelf 60 for the passage of electric cables. Other crossings 82 are provided in the support plate 54 to allow the passage of the cables to the lower compartment 42 of the chassis 12. The height positioning of the second shelf 60 is easily adjustable by choosing the appropriate holes 64 along the frame 1 0 rear 32. The flat fixing surface of each console 62 is pressed against the frame 32 at an acute angle with the horizontal plane of the second shelf 60, said angle being complementary to that of the console

62 of the first shelf 58.

  1 5 Referring to Figure 7, the upper compartment 44 of the chute 46 is divided longitudinally into three channels 46 A, 46B, 46C by means of a metal section profile 84, U-shaped fixed to the partition 40. It is thus possible to accommodate the power supply cables and the control and transmission conductors in the different respective channels, the two profile walls 84 serving as separating elements and electromagnetic shielding. A latching rail 86 is secured to the first support plate 54, and can receive electrical equipment, in particular electrical outlets or modular circuit breakers. A bushing 88 is provided in the partition 40 for the passage of the cables between the two compartments 42, 44 of the chassis 12. Another bushing 90

is present in the cover 50.

  Figure 8 illustrates the console 10 equipped with the computer equipment of Figure 1 and the layout of the path of electrical cables. The base 29 is fixed by means of screws fixed in the ground 92. The second shelf 60 is adjustable in height by translation in the direction of the arrow F, and

  Access to cables and equipment is facilitated by opening the cover 50.

  The front frame 30 can be closed by a tilting door, or a shutter plate. Other applications and variants of the basic desk 10 are possible. According to FIG. 9, a control device comprises the desk 10 according to FIG. 1, in which the cover 50 of the chute is not convex, but has a planar shape situated in the same plane as the wooden panel 72 so

X4 2752140

  to enlarge the surface of the worktop. The base 29 does not need to be fixed to the ground, since the chassis 12 is provided with a front base 94 inserted between the uprights 14, 16 of the front frame 30, and bearing on the ground. The base 94 is extended by a curved plate 96 fixed to the chassis 12. A rear base 98 can optionally be secured to the base of the rear frame 32 to reinforce the stability of the assembly. Each of the two small frames 34, 36 of the chassis 12 can be closed by a cover

  slightly curved playing the role of hubcap.

  1 0 The control and monitoring desk according to FIG. 10 is similar to that of FIG. 9, but the shelf 60 is deleted, and replaced by an auxiliary module 102. This module 102 is formed by a metal box 104 bearing on the ground, and fixed to the rear frame 32 of the chassis 12. The upper part of the box 104 comprises a panel 106 equipped with

  1 5 control and monitoring means.

  According to FIGS. 11 and 12, the auxiliary module 108 instead of being a single piece like that 102 of FIG. 10, can be composed of a stack of several elementary boxes 110, 112, 114. The lower box 110 is provided with a fixing frame 116 of complementary shape, which can be assembled to that of the rear frame 32 of the chassis 12. It then suffices to superimpose the other boxes 112, 114 as a function of the desired height, and to fix them

  to each other by assembly means.

  According to the arrangement of the desk in FIG. 13, the second rear shelf 60 is at the same level as the wooden panel 72 of the first shelf 58. This second shelf 60 can serve as a support for an auxiliary module

  118, equipped with slots for keyboards and control screens.

  Referring to Figure 14, the console 10 conforms to that of Figures 1-4, and is attached to another console 10A to form an angularly offset assembly. The longitudinal section of the chassis 12 associated with the console 10 is rectangular, while that of the chassis 12A of the other console 10A is trapezoidal. It is the same for the shelves 60A and 58A which are trapezoidal instead of being rectangular as in the desk 10. All the parts of the desk 10A which are similar to those of the desk 10, have the same reference numbers assigned with the letter A. FIG. 15 shows a top view of a modular assembly of two desks 10 with rectangular sections and interconnected by means of a first connection module 10B, having a trapezoidal section, the small base of which is located at the level of the strips 76 of the front shelves 58. This first module 10B is an internal connection module making it possible to obtain an internal angular offset of 30. The module 10B does not have a rear shelf 60, and its section is decreasing in

  direction of the front end of the front shelf 58B.

  It is clear that the first connection module 10B in FIG. 15 can be replaced by various other connection modules having different trapezoidal shapes. Any other polygonal shape is of course possible. 1 5 With reference to FIG. 16, the use of these various connection modules allows a modular assembly of rectangular desks 10, 10C of different dimensions, and arranged according to a predetermined angular configuration. The panels 10C with rectangular sections have a width greater than that of the panels 10. Starting from the left, it is noted that the panel 10 is connected to a panel 10C via a first connection module 10B. The next desk 10 is connected to the previous desk 10C by a second module 10B, but with an angle of 60. The last console 10C on the right is fixed to console 10 by a third module

  10E trapezoidal connection, the large base of which is arranged at the front.

  The use of this third connection module 10E makes it possible to obtain a

external offset of 30.

  Any other modular configuration of consoles 10, 10A, 10OC can of course be envisaged, using the various connection modules 10B, 10D, 10E of the range. The implementation of this configuration can be easily carried out by the customer or the installer, and the assembly remains scalable according to future modifications of the installation. The various modules and consoles are assembled at the level of the chassis 12, 12A, 12B ... and of the front shelves 58, 58A, 58B .... so as to obtain a

  3 5 continuity of the chutes 46 and the work plan at the front.

Claims (10)

  1. Modular support desk intended to receive electrical and computer equipment, comprising: - a metal chassis (12,12A), composed of uprights (14,16,18,20) and 1 0 crosspieces (22,24,26 , 28) constituting a hollow frame of parallelepiped shape, said rigid frame having a base (29), two large rectangular frames (30,32) located respectively at the front and at the rear of the frame (12,12A), and two small frames (34,36) on the opposite lateral faces, 1 5 - and positioning and support means fixed to the chassis (12,12A) by mechanical assembly elements, characterized in that: - the means of positioning comprise a first shelf (58.58A) for horizontal support fixed to the upper part of the large front frame (30), and at least a second shelf (60.60A) or an auxiliary module (102.108) secured to the large frame (32 ) posterior, - a horizontal intermediate partition (40) subdivides the space e internal of the chassis (12,12A) in two compartments (42,44) superposed, the upper compartment (44) being arranged in a trough (46) cable passage extending transversely between the small frames 34,36, - and a pivoting cover (50.50A) movable between an open position for access to the interior of the chute (46), and a closed position for closing the chute, said cover being located substantially at the level of the first shelf (58.58A).   2. Modular support desk according to claim 1, characterized in that the uprights (14,16,18,20) parallel to the frame (12,12A) are inclined towards the front by making a predetermined acute angle with the horizontal plane of the base (29), so that each small frame (34, 36) is shaped according to a parallelogram.   3. modular support desk according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the chute (46) has a U-shaped section having a bottom formed by the partition (40), and two longitudinal parallel faces formed by a first plate support (54) connecting the two uprights (18,20) of the large rear frame (32), and a second support plate (56) arranged between the   two other uprights (14,16) of the large front frame (30).   4. Modular support desk according to claim 1, characterized in   that the longitudinal section of the frame (12) is rectangular.   5. Modular support desk according to claim 1, characterized in   that the longitudinal section of the frame (12A) is trapezoidal.   6. Modular support desk according to claim 1, characterized in that each upright (18,20) of the large rear frame (32) comprises a series of holes (64) staggered at regular intervals to allow. a   height adjustment of the positioning of the second shelf (60.60A).   1 5 7. modular support desk according to claim 3, characterized in that the upper compartment (44) of the chute (46) is divided longitudinally by a profile (84) into several channels (46A, 46B, 46C) for housing the different cables, and further contains a rail (86) for fixing electrical equipment, said rail being secured to the first support plate (54) along which extends the pivot axis (52) of the cover (50). 8. modular support desk according to claim 1, characterized in that the large front frame (30) can be closed by a closing plate or a door, or receive a base (94) inserted between the uprights   (14,16) by resting on the ground.   9. modular support desk according to claim 1, characterized in that each small frame (34,36) of the chassis (12) comprises assembly members cooperating either with a cover (100) playing the role of hubcap   lateral, either with a frame (12A) of an adjacent console (1 OA).   10. Modular support desk according to any one of claims   1 to 9, characterized in that two consoles (10,10C) can be connected to each other by a connection module (10B, 10D, 10E) having an appropriate polygonal section allowing an angular offset while   preserving the continuity of the work plan at the front.