FR2788547A3 - Lock and bolt assembly for electrical junction box assemblies, comprises an automatically latching system affected when the door is shut - Google Patents

Abstract

The lock assembly comprises of two locking bars (35,36) that have toothed sections (35a,36a). The tooted sections engage a pinion gear (30) that has a triangular shaft that (31) engages a key unit. A Latch unit (12) includes a tooted section (38) that also engages the pinion. The latch is spring loaded such that shutting the door causes an inward motion caused by the latch abutting the frame and hence retraction of the locking bars. After the door is shut completely, the latch returns to the neutral position thus locking the door.

Description

The invention relates to a lock for an above-ground cabinet and

  to an above-ground protective box for a connection device

  particularly, of an energy distribution network or

  communication, equipped with such a lock.

  In the field of energy distribution, in particular for the distribution of electricity or gas, it is often planned to use boxes in which the connections of an individual installation are arranged, the meters and / or the remote reading of energy consumption. These boxes generally comprise a body, of generally parallelepiped shape, one face of which is open

  to allow access to the equipment they contain.

  A door is conventionally hinged on the body of each

  cabinet to close this opening.

  An above-ground box can also include one or more fuses, for example for a lighting system

  public, an emerging exit from a video network, computer-

  or telephone, or other ends of the energy network

than communication.

  For locking the door in the closed position of a

  above ground cabinet, it is known to use a compression lock

  nant a housing inside which slides a bolt controlled by an operating member with triangular, square or other section. Given the large number of boxes and locks used, operators want to standardize the locks and boxes used to allow standard exchanges during subsequent maintenance operations and / or

  supplies from different suppliers.

  Thus, for example, locks have been approved with a specific shape, in particular triangular, and dimensions allowing them to cooperate with anchoring points provided on the internal face of the box door acquired from

different suppliers.

  Furthermore, it turns out that a lock comprising a single blocking bolt may not close the door of an above-ground box effectively enough because such a door

  can be veiled, especially due to acts of vandalism.

  The invention therefore proposes to achieve, from a lock in accordance with existing standards and compatible with known cabinets, a locking system more effective than

  that known of approved locks.

  In this spirit, the invention relates to a lock for an above-ground protective box for a connection device,

  in particular an energy distribution or communication network

  cation, this lock comprising a globally shaped housing-

  triangular element intended to be fixed on an internal surface of a cabinet door and formed by two flat surfaces

  connected by three partitions extending in overall planes-

  ment perpendicular to these planar surfaces and defining therewith a volume for receiving and sliding a bolt secured to a rack capable of cooperating with a toothed drive wheel, a first partition being provided with a passage opening of this bolt, characterized in that the second and third partitions of the housing are each provided with at least one opening for passage of a door locking rod in the closed position, each rod being equipped with a

  rack capable of cooperating with the toothed wheel.

  Thanks to the invention, it is possible to create a three-point lock from an approved lock by forming openings or notches in the lateral partitions of the housing and using two rods provided with a rack, the

  change from one point lock configuration to one configuration

  three-point lock ration being particularly simple and can be achieved without influencing the geometry of the door or the body of the cabinet. In particular, the locking rods are driven by the toothed wheel which is already

used to operate the bolt.

  According to advantageous aspects of the invention: - the second and third partitions are each provided with two openings for passage of the rods

  - the openings are formed by pre-

  cut out on the second and third partitions and able to be knocked down when the locking rods are used. This aspect of the invention makes it possible to transform a lock with one anchor point into a lock with three anchor points in

retaining its case.

  - the rods each include two end parts

  parallel rectilinear mite, connected by an intermediate part

  diary inclined with respect to these two end parts, one of these end parts being provided with a rack and extending parallel to the internal surface of the door at the level of the housing while the other end part extends near an edge of the door the base and / or the cover carries means for receiving the mounting screws of the lock on the door, these reception means being arranged near the tops of the base and / or the cover - a flat elastic return spring of the bolt in the position of engagement with the body of the box is provided, this flat spring being in abutment against the first partition of the housing - the return spring exerts on the bolt an effort

  tending to drive the toothed wheel towards a spreading position

the ends of the rods.

  According to a first advantageous alternative embodiment of the invention, the toothed wheel is integral with an operating member passing through the cover and the door. According to another advantageous alternative embodiment, the cover carries a socket for receiving a key control barrel in

gear wheel rotation.

  The invention also relates to an above-ground box of the aforementioned type which comprises a lock as previously described. The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the light of the

  description which follows, with reference to the drawings

  annexed in which: - Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the principle of an above-ground box equipped with a lock according to the invention; - Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the lock fitted to the cabinet of Figure 1 and - Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 for

  a lock according to a second embodiment.

  The box 1 shown in Figure 1 includes essential-

  Lement a body 2 of generally parallelepipedal shape, one face, said front face, is open to allow access to the equipment A it contains, for example an electricity consumption meter. Note 3 the opening formed in the front face of the body 2. This opening extends to the bottom of the body 2; it is delimited by two lateral edges 4 and 5 and an upper edge 6 corresponding approximately to the

  edges of the parallelepiped formed by the body 2.

  A cover plate 7 is intended to be mounted on the body 2 when the latter is in place in the ground, so as to close the lower part of the opening 3. A door 8 is provided to be articulated on the body 2 and on the plate 7 so as to selectively close off the part of the opening 3

left free by the plate 7.

  On the inner face 8a of the door 8 is mounted a lock 10 comprising a housing 11 of generally triangular shape from which protrudes a bolt 12 provided for engaging behind the lateral edge 4 of the opening 3, of

  so as to immobilize the door 8 relative to the body 2.

  The internal face 8a of the door 8 is equipped with three bosses 8b for receiving screws 13 for mounting the lock 10 on the door 8. These bosses are positioned and dimensioned

  according to a standard imposed by the operator.

  The housing 11 is formed by a concave or hollow element 21 and a cover 22 intended to define between them a closed volume V. The concave element 21 comprises a substantially triangular base 23 and three partitions generally perpendicular to this base, respectively referenced 24a, 24b and 24c, the partitions 24 being connected by rounded transition zones 24d. A notch 25 is provided in the partition 24a for the passage of the bolt 12. The concave element 21 carries, near the three vertices of the base 23, three hollow spacers 26 arranged opposite the orifices 27 of the cover 22 and intended for allow the passage of the screws 13 for their screwing in

bosses 8b.

  When the elements 21 and 22 are assembled, the bolt 12 is capable of translational movements, along an axis XX 'visible in FIG. 2 and generally perpendicular to the partition 24a, through the opening 25. The bolt 12 can be

  retracted inside volume V or protrude outside

  of the housing 11 to engage behind the edge 4 of the

body 2.

  On its rear face, that is to say its face facing the inside of the housing 11, the bolt 12 is equipped with two

  branches 28 and 29 of which one, branch 28, carries a cremail-

1st 28a.

  The rack 28a is intended to cooperate with a toothed wheel 30 integral with a maneuvering triangle 31. The toothed wheel 30 is intended to be received in the volume V while the maneuvering triangle 31 passes through an orifice 32 formed in the cover 22 and forming a bearing for a cylindrical part a of the toothed wheel 30. The operating triangle 31 also passes through an orifice 8c provided in the door 8 and making it possible to rotate the triangle 31 and the wheel 30 around an axis ZZ ' perpendicular to the XX 'axis and this, from

outside of door 8.

  It is thus possible to control the translational movement of the bolt 12 relative to the partition 24a and to the edge

  vertical 8d of door 8 thanks to the operating triangle 31.

  According to the invention, the second and third partitions 24b and 24c are provided with notches 34a, 34b, 34c and 34d making it possible to arrange in two directions Y1-Y'1 and Y2-Y'2 parallel to each other and perpendicular to the axes XX 'and ZZ', bars or rods 35 and 36 extending to the upper 8th and lower edge 8f of the door 8. These bars 35 and 36 are each provided with a rack 35a and 36a capable of cooperating with the toothed wheel 30 being arranged adjacent to it and

  perpendicular to branches 28 and 29.

  The length of the teeth of the toothed wheel 30 parallel to the axis ZZ 'is provided sufficient so that it can cooperate at the same time with the rack 28a, on the one hand, and the racks 35a and 36a, on the other hand. Thus, the operation of the triangle 31 around its axis of rotation ZZ 'makes it possible both to displace the bolt 12 along the axis XX' and to separate or not the ends 35b and 36b of the rods 35 and 36, so whether or not they protrude from the upper and lower edges of the door 8 and engage or not behind the upper edge 6 of

  the opening 3 and the upper edge of the plate 7.

  In other words, the use of the notches 34 and of the bars 35 and 36 makes it possible to transform a lock equipped only with a bolt into a lock with three anchoring points without substantially modifying the box 1 and, in particular, the door 8, which allows the lock thus formed to be used as

  a lock standardized by the operator.

  The rod 35 comprises a first straight portion 35c in which the rack 35a is shaped and a second straight portion 35d extending to its end b, the portions 35c and 35d being parallel to each other and to the surface 8a. An inclined portion 35e is provided for connecting the portions 35c and 35d, so that the portion 35d extends in the immediate vicinity of the surface 8a independently of the height of the cylindrical part 30a of the toothed wheel 30. The rod 36a an identical configuration, so that its portion 36d close to its end 36b also extends to the

  immediate vicinity of the internal face 8a of the door 8.

  A return spring 38, formed by two blades 38a and 38b intended to come into abutment against the partition 24a, is used to exert a force tending to push the bolt 12 towards the outside of the housing 11. The spring 38 is a flat spring

  particularly suited to the size of elements 11 to 35.

  The force exerted on the bolt 12 tends to rotate the toothed wheel 30 in a direction such that the rods 35 and 36 are driven in translational movement tending to separate their respective ends 35b and 36b. In other words, the return force in the closed position exerted on the bolt 12 is transmitted

  to the ends 35b and 36b of the rods 35 and 36.

  The bolt 12, the branches 28 and 29 and the spring 38 are made in one piece, metallic or made of material

plastic.

  A pin 23a is provided on the base 23 to serve as an end bearing for the toothed wheel 30. This pin also participates in guiding the translation of the bolt by sliding contact with one

branches 28 or 29.

  In the second embodiment of the invention represented

  felt in Figure 3, elements similar to those of the

  embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2 bear identi fi ed references

  ques increased by 50. In this embodiment, the lock is formed of a triangular housing 61 intended to be fixed on the internal face 58a of a door 58. The cover 72 of the housing 61 carries a socket 72a for receiving a barrel 90 which can be operated by means of a key, not shown. The outlet of the barrel 90 is formed by a square 91 provided to cooperate with

  a square section housing 80b provided on the toothed wheel 80.

  As previously, the housing 61 also includes a concave element 71 formed by a base 73 bordered by three partitions 74a, 74b and 74c. An opening 75 is provided in the first partition 74a for the passage of the bolt 62. Notches 84a, 84b, 84c and 84d are precut in the partitions 74b and 74c. These notches can be knocked out as required, so that a single concave element 71 can be used for locks comprising only a bolt 62 or for locks equipped with both a bolt 62 and locking rods 85 and 86. It is even possible to modify a lock 60 of this type already installed on a door by tearing off the breakable parts 74f from the partitions 74b and 74c corresponding to the notches 84, as represented by the arrow F in FIG. 3, and by putting in place the rods 85 and 86 of

  so that they interact with the toothed wheel 80.

  Of course, this aspect of the invention is also

  applicable with the lock of the first embodiment.

  The invention has the particular advantage that it makes it possible to improve the operation of existing boxes insofar as the lock according to the invention is fully compatible with existing boxes since it respects the dimensions and the positioning of the points of anchoring in the

door of a box.

  According to a variant not shown of the invention, force recovery rings or collars or sliding guide holes can be provided near the edges 8e and 8f of the door 8 for the parts 35d and 36d of the

rods 35 and 36.

Claims (10)

  1. Lock (10; 60) for enclosure (1) above ground for protection   tion of a connection device (A), in particular of an energy distribution or communication network, said lock   comprising a housing (11; 61) of generally triangular shape   the space intended to be fixed on an internal surface (8a; 58a) of a door (8; 58) of the cabinet and formed by two parallel flat surfaces (22, 23; 72, 73) connected by three partitions (24a, 24b, 24c; 74a, 74b, 74c) extending in planes generally perpendicular to said flat surfaces and defining therewith a volume (V) for receiving and sliding a bolt (12; 62) secured to a rack   (28a) capable of cooperating with a toothed wheel (30; 80) of   dragging, a first partition (24a, 74a) being provided with an opening (25; 75) for passage of said bolt, characterized in that the second and third partitions (24b, 24c; 74b, 74c) of said housing are each provided with '' at least one opening (34a, 34b, 34c, 34d; 84a, 84b, 84c, 84d) for the passage of a rod (35, 36; 85, 86) for locking said door in the closed position, each rod being equipped a rack (35a, 36a)   able to cooperate with said toothed wheel.   2. Lock according to claim 1, characterized in that said second and third partitions (24b, 24c; 74b, 74c) are each provided with two openings (34a, 34b, 34c, 34d; 84a, 84b, 84c, 84d) of passage of said rods (35, 36; , 86).   3. Lock for cabinet according to one of claims   previous, characterized in that said openings are formed by notches (84a, 84b, 84c, 84d) precut on said second and third partitions (74b, 74c) and capable of being knocked out (F) when said rods are used locking (85, 86).   4. Lock for cabinet according to one of the claims   previous, characterized in that said rods (35, 36;, 86) each comprise two end parts (35c, 35d) rectilinear and parallel connected by an intermediate part (35e) inclined relative to said two end parts, l 'one (35c) of the end parts being provided with a rack (35a) and extending parallel to the internal surface (8a) of said door (8) at the level of said housing (11), the other part d end (35d) extending near a edge (8e, 8f) of said door.   5. Lock for cabinet according to one of claims   above, characterized in that said base (23; 73) and / or said cover (22; 72) carry means (26, 27) for receiving screws (13) for mounting said lock (10) on said door ( 8), said receiving means being arranged at   proximity of the tops of said base and / or said cover.   6. Lock for cabinet according to one of the claims   previous, characterized in that it comprises a flat spring (38) for elastic return of the bolt in the position of engagement with the body (2) of said box (1), said flat spring being in abutment against said first partition (24a) of said housing (11).   7. Lock for cabinet according to claim 6, character-   laughing in that said return spring (38) exerts on the bolt (12) a force tending to drive said toothed wheel (30) towards a position of separation of the ends (35b, 36b) of said rods (35, 36).   8. Lock for cabinet according to one of claims   previous, characterized in that said toothed wheel (30) is integral with an operating member (31) passing through said cover (22) and said door (8).   9. Lock for cabinet according to one of claims 1   7, characterized in that said cover (72) carries a socket (72a) for receiving a barrel (90) for controlling   rotation of said toothed wheel (80).   10. Above-ground enclosure (1) for protection of a connection device (A), in particular of an energy distribution or communication network, characterized in that it comprises   a lock (10; 60) according to one of the preceding claims - your.