GB2085236A

GB2085236A - Housing for electrical and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: GB2085236A
Application number: GB8130398A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Schroff GmbH
Current assignee: Schroff GmbH
Priority date: 1980-10-08
Filing date: 1981-10-08
Publication date: 1982-04-21
Also published as: DE3037918C3; DE3037918C2; FR2491717A1; DE3037918A1; GB2085236B; FR2491717B1

Abstract

The subject matter is a housing for electrical and electronic equipment. This housing has a plate-like top part (1) of rectangular basic shape and a similar bottom part (2), and it comprises four posts which interconnect the top part (1) and the bottom part (2). Side walls (4) are fitted between the posts. An economical grip arrangement is provided wherein grip channels (10) are provided at two mutually opposite sides of the top part (1) and are open towards the bottom part (2), grip slots (11) being formed by the side walls, which slots are disposed opposite the grip channels (10). The slots (11) comprise angled, shortened, or cutaway regions of the side walls. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Housing for electrical and electronic equipment The invention concerns a housing for electrical and electronic equipment.

The location at which electrical or electronic equipment is used often has to be changed. Particularly in industrial and research laboratories, such equipment has to be moved so often that it is advantageous to equip its housing with carrying handles.

It is known to provide handles on the side walls of the housings of equipment, these handles either being screwed on to the lateral coverings or fitted in openings provided for the purpose. The provision of housings with such handles, often designed to be swung out, is very expensive, particularly when, because of the great weight of the equipment, it becomes necessary to provide additional reinforcement on the coverings and/or to fit double handles.

German Offenlegungsschrift 2837 722 discloses a bench-mounted housing, in the side walls of which are formed recesses of a size suitable for affording a grip, the housing being gripped at the upper edges of these recesses, so that it can be carried. Since, for reasons of safety, it is necessary to provide, to the rear of the recesses, wall parts which can be displaced inwardly relatively to the side walls, this proposed arrangement, even in integrated methods of constructing housings, is very expensive because of the complicated pressing tools that are required, quite apart from the fact that the sharp edges dig into the hand so that the use of this proposed system is precluded in the case of housings for heavy equipment.No less expensive is a swiveiling grip arrangement which consists of two extruded sections, which can be pushed one into the other and swivelled relatively to each other and one of which covers the major part of the side wall of the housing (German Utility Model 7 630 830).

The object of the present invention is to provide a construction of grip for housings that is suited to heavy housings and can also be produced extremely economically.

According to the invention there is provided a housing for electrical and electronic equipment and comprising a plate-like top part of rectangular basic shape and a similar bottom part, and having four posts which interconnect the top part and the bottom part, and two side walls inserted between the posts, characterised by grip channels which are provided at two opposite sides of the top part and are open towards the bottom part, and by grip slots which are formed by the side walls and are disposed opposite the grip channels.

The expense involved in providing this grip construction is minimal, since it requires only a simple form of housing parts which are in any case already present, namely the top part and the side walls, and no additional parts (not even a screw or the like) are needed. Since the housing is gripped directly at one of its carrying parts - the top part - the arrangement is eminently suitable for heavy loads; furthermore, two-handed gripping or, in the case of heavy equipment, lifting by four persons is possible. The housing has no projecting parts, so that the risk of injury is avoided and cleaning is made easier, and it enables the grip to be incorporated into the design of the housing without any difficulty.

In a preferred form of construction the grip slots are formed by a bent portion of the edge zone of the side walls that is cranked in two opposite directions.

With this form of the side walls, the hand or the fingers are introduced into the grip channels where the middle of the bent portion is at an angle of approximately 452 to the plane of the side walls.

The grip slots may also be formed by a rightangled bent portion of the edges of the side walls; this offers advantages when the grip slots are used for discharging air from the housing.

It is also possible to form the grip slots simply by removing a strip from the edge of each of the side walls. This solution involves the least expense.

A bottom part having a shape identical to that of the top part is of considerable advantage to the manufacture of the housing, since the very expensive dies for a separate bottom part can be therefore dispensed with.

A bottom strip, bent at right angles and provided on each of the side walls, serves to close off the grip channel in the bottom part and to increase the stability of the side wall.

A grip orifice can be provided in the base of the grip channel. This grip orifice enables the edge of the top part to be completely surrounded by the hand at the gripping zone.

For design reasons, it may be of advantage if the top part has a recessed edge in the zone of the grip channel.

An example of the form of construction of the subject matter of the invention will now be described by reference to the attached drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a housing in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a vertical section through part of the Figure 1 housing; Figure 3 is a vertical section through a housing which differs from that of Figures 1 and 2 in that while the same top plate and bottom plate is used, the grip slots are closed off by extending the side walls and bending them at right-angles; Figure 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention; Figure 5 is a vertical section through the zone of a grip channel of a top part of a housing corresponding to that shown in Figure 4, except that the channel has no gripping aperture; and Figure 6 is a vertical section through the zone of a grip channel of another embodiment of the invention.

The housing of Figure 1 consists essentially of a top part 1, a bottom part 2, four posts 3, two side walls 4 and a rear wall (not shown in the drawings).

Contained in this housing are the components of electrical or electronic equipment which are assembled in the form of push-in units, which are of standard dimensions and the front plates 5 of which occupy the front face of the housing.

The top part 1 and the bottom part 2 consists of pressure castings or are made of what is called "integral foam material", and they are of identical design. Both of them are profiled frames, which have a square or rectangular basic shape, and into which is sunk a cover sheet 6 and a bottom sheet 7 respectively (see also Figures 2 and 3).

Atop part 1 and a bottom part 2 are firmly connected to each other by the four posts 4 which are made of extruded aluminium and have a suitable cross-section. Solid connection is achieved by, for example, push-in elements, provided on the top part 1 and the bottom part 2 and engaging in the sectional posts 3, as well as by connecting screws.

Located at two mutually opposite sides 8 and 9 of the top part 1 are grip channels 10 (see Figure 2), which are open in the direction of the bottom part 2.

Disposed opposite the grip channels 10 are grip slots 11, which enable the fingers to be inserted into the grip channels 10 from below. These grip slots 11 are formed by a special shape of the side walls 4.

The grip slots 11 of the housing illustrated in Figure 1 are formed by a bent portion 12 of the edge zones (see Figure 2) of the side walls 4 inserted between the posts 3, which bent portions are cranked in two opposite directions. In this arrangement, the centre of this bent portion is at an angle a of 45 degrees to the plane of the side wall 4. The grip slots 11 may alternatively be formed by a rightangled bent portion 13 (Figure 5) of the upper edges of the side walls 4, or simply by removing a strip from the edge of each of the side walls 4.

Figure 4 illustrates a second form of gripping means for a housing in accordance with the invention. Here, the edge 14 of the top part 1 of the housing comprises a recess 15 in the zone of the grip channel 10 (see Figure 5); furthermore, a gripping orifice 17 is provided in the base 16 of the grip channel 10. In Figure 5 the orifice 17 is absent. In Figure 6 the recess is absent and the side wall 4 is bent in the manner of Figure 2.

In all forms of construction, the edge 14 of the top part 1 and the side walls 4 are disposed in one and the same plane.

A grip channel 10', also provided in the foot part 2 (see Figures 2 and 3) so as to effect economies associated with identical design is closed off by a right-angled bottom strip 18 integral with each side wall 4, so that said channel is inaccessible and cannot be seen. If, for some reason, the grip channel 10 of the top part 1 is not required, then it can be closed off by a similarly extended side wall 4 as well as by a right-angled top strip 19 (see Figure 3) associated with each of the side walls 4.

Claims

1. A housing for electrical and electronic equipment and comprising a plate-like top part of rectangular basic shape and a similar bottom part, and having four posts which interconnect the top part and the bottom part, and two side walls inserted between the posts, characterised by grip channels which are provided at two opposite sides of the top part and are open towards the bottom part, and by grip slots which are formed by the side walls and are disposed opposite the grip channels.

2. A housing according to claim 1, characterised in that the grip slots are formed by a bent portion of the edge zones of the side walls that is cranked in two opposite directions.

3. A housing according to claim 1, characterised in that the grip slots are formed by a right-angled bend at the upper edge of each side wall.

4. A housing according to claim 1, characterised in that the grip slots are formed by removing a strip from the edge of each of the side walls.

5. A housing according to claim 1 and any one of claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the bottom part is identical in shape to the top part.

6. A housing according to any of the preceding claims characterised in that the side walls each have a right-angled bottom strip.

7. A housing according to any of the preceding claims characterised in that a gripping orifice is provided in the base of the grip channel.

8. A housing according to any of the preceding claims characterised in that the top part has a recess at its edge in the zone of the grip channel.

9. A housing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 and 2, or Figure 4 or 5 or 6 of the accompanying drawings.