GB2086663A

GB2086663A - Casing

Info

Publication number: GB2086663A
Application number: GB8111251A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Odenwalder Kunststoffwerke GmbH
Current assignee: Odenwalder Kunststoffwerke GmbH
Priority date: 1980-09-22
Filing date: 1981-04-09
Publication date: 1982-05-12
Also published as: DE8025774U1; LU82789A1; DE3137131A1; FR2490916B3; FR2490916A1

Abstract

A parallelepipedic casing for electrical devices comprises a cover part 2, base part 3 and intermediate side parts 4, 5. The casing size can be adapted to requirements by inserting more side parts or side parts of different sizes. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Casing The present invention relates to a casing having the general outer contour of a parallelepiped provided with curved portions and which can be assembled from a plurality of parts.

The invention relates in particular, but not exclusively, to a casing suitable to accommodate components such as electrical devices, and to be built in in a further structure.

Built-in casings of this type are required in convenient sizes with an edge length of approximately one or more decimetres for the housing of electrical, electronic and/or precision mechanical devices and the like. Thus, such a built-in casing must be adapted to the dimensions and other characteristics of the particular requirement. Therefore, such casings are mass-produced in different sizes.

It is an object of the present invention, at least in preferred embodiments thereof, to so construct a built-in casing that it can be assembled in different sizes with a minimum number of mass-produced parts, thereby facilitating production and storage.

According to the present invention there is provided a casing having the general outer contour of a parallelepiped provided with curved portions, which can be assembled from a plurality of parts, the casing comprising a cover part, which forms a cover wall of the casing and also forms lateral strips of two side walls of the casing, a base part, which forms a base of the casing and also forms further lateral strips of said side walls, two side parts, which form yet further lateral strips of the side walls, and which, when assembled with the lateral strips of the cover part and the base part form the side walls of the casing, a first plate forming a further wall of the casing, and a second plate forming a yet further wall of the casing, the cover part, base part, and the side parts, having assembly edge portions, which in the assembled state are adjacent one another, and which co-operate to connect the parts together.

In a preferred form the said cover part and/or the said base part has or each has an outer contour having at least one curved portion, and the said assembly edge portions are arranged to co-operate in such a manner that casings of different selected depths between the cover wall and the base can be produced by assembling the cover part and the base part with different selected numbers of side parts, or with no side parts, therebetween, and with different sizes of said first and second plates.

In particularly preferred forms, the said cover part extends around curved edge regions of the casing to form the said lateral strips of the two side walls, and/or the said base extends around curved edge regions of the casing to form the said further lateral strips of the two side walls.

It is also preferred that the assembly edge portions comprise assembly edges which extend in planes parallel to the plane of the base, and which are provided with positively engaging matching shaped portions, and snap connections, which are engagable and disengagable, and which are arranged facing one another in pairs on the inside of the cover part, base part, and side parts along the assembly edges thereof, wherein each pair is formed from an assembly part and a coupling part, and the assembly parts and coupling parts are arranged alternatively in uniform distribution along the assembly edges.

It is further preferred that the said lateral strips are uniformly wide, and the said lateral strips of the cover part are of equal width to the said lateral strips of the base part.

It is yet further preferred that the said first plate comprises a front plate in the form of a flat plate, and the said second plate comprises a back plate in the form of a flat plate.

In a particularly preferred arrangement according to the invention there is provided a built-in casing in the outer contour of a parallelepiped provided with curved portions and which can be assembled from a plurality of parts, characterised by a cover part in the form of a shell, which forms the cover wall and uniformly wide lateral strips of the two side walls; a base part in the form of a shell, which forms the base and uniformly wide lateral strips of the side walls, which are of the same width as those of the cover part; two side parts, which form uniformly wide strips of the side walls and which, when assembled with the lateral strips of the cover part and the base part (and if desired with further such side parts) form the side walls; a front plate in the form of a flat plate; a back plate in the form of a flat plate; assembly edges of the cover part, base part and the side parts, which in the assembled state are adjacent one another, which extend in planes parallel to the plane of the base, and which are provided with positively engaging, matching shaped portions; and snap connections, which are engagable and disengagable, and which are arranged facing one another in pairs on the inside of the cover part, base part, and the side parts along the assembly edges thereof, whereby each pair is formed from an assembly part and a coupling part, and the assembly parts and coupling parts are arranged alternately in uniform distribution along the assembly edges.

In preferred applications of the invention, built-in casings of different heights can be constructed by using the same cover parts and base parts by merely varying the number of intermediate side parts. The smallest casing is obtained by using no side -parts, whilst the largest is obtained by using a very large number of side parts. In order to keep the number of requisite side parts low, it is possible to have side parts of differing widths. Only the front plate and back plate must be adapted to the height of the casing obtained on assembly. However, this is not complicated or expensive, because these merely consist of flat plates which can for example be cut from metal sheets.

The outer contour of the casing is preferably rounded at the corners and edges and/or is spherically outwardly curved on the cover surface and base surface.

In certain cases, e.g. for repairs, it is desirable to be able to open a casing which has been assembled in order to obtain access to the components installed therein. However, on the other hand, opening must not be made so easy that it can be brought about unintentionally, e.g. by playing children. Account is taken of this by further developments set out in the Claims of this Application.

The base part and cover part can be identical, so that only a single casting or moulding is required for these two parts. However, in certain cases, it is desirable to fit different elements to the base part and/or cover part, e.g. vent slots on the cover part and feet on the base part. Account is taken of this by further developments characterized in other subclaims and which make it possible to subsequently modify the cover part and base part, optionally in different ways, on the basis of a common casting or moulding for the cover part and base part.

The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to the drawings, wherein show: Figure 1 an assembled built-in casing according to the invention in a perspective view.

Figure 2 an exploded view of the casing of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 a second embodiment assembled with particularly wide side parts, viewed from the side.

Figure 4 a broken away plan view from the inside of the cover part of Fig. 2.

Figure Sthe side view in accordance with arrow V of Fig. 4.

Figure 6 section Vl of Fig. 4.

Figure 7 half of section VII of Fig. 4.

Figure 8 half of section VIII of Fig. 4.

Figure 9 half of section IX of Fig. 4.

Figure 10 half of section X of Fig. 4.

Figure 11 detail Xl of Fig. 8 bounded by the dot-dash line.

Figure 12 the detail of Fig. 9 bounded by the dot-dash line XII.

Figure 13 in broken away form viewed from below, on of the filling bows of Fig. 2 provided with receptacles for feet, but as in Fig.

2 without feet.

Figure 14 broken away the inside of the filling bow of 14.

Figure 15 broken away section V of Fig.

13.

Figure 16 partial section XVI of Fig.13, with feet.

Figure 1 7 a side part of Fig 2, from the inside.

Figure 18 the view according to arrow XVIII of Fig. 17.

Figure 19 section XIX of Fig. 17.

Figure 20 in cutaway form, the view in accordance with arrow XX of Fig.18.

In Figs. 1 and 2, 1 is the casing comprising cover part 2, base part 3, two side parts 4 and 5, front plate 6 and back plate 7, it being provided with four filling bows 8, 9, 10, 11.

The filling bows are inserted and secured in positively engaged manner in recesses 12, 13, 14, 15. The recesses extend in strip and channel-like manner over cover part 2 and base part 3. When assembled in the manner shown in Fig. 1, the casing has the outer contour of a parallelepiped block with curved corners and edges, whose surface 24 and cover surface 27 are curved spherically outwards.

To both the right and left of cover part 2, there is a lateral strip 60, 61 and to the right and left of base part 3 there is a lateral strip 62, 63. Lateral strip 60 and 62 form, together with side part 4, one sidewall and lateral strip 61, 63 form with the side part 5 the other sidewall.

Assembly edges 16 to 23 extend in planes plane-parallel to the plane of base 24 and are provided with positively engaging, matching shaped portions. For both front plate 6 and back plate 7, cover part 2, base part 3 and both side parts 4 and 5 are in each case internally provided at the front and rear with an all-round slot 25, 26 in which is inserted front plate 6 or back plate 7 in the case of an assembled built-in casing.

Snap connections comprising in each case an assembly part and a coupling part are used for securing purposes. It is possible to see on one side of Fig. 2 the snap connections, namely assembly parts 35 to 38 and coupling parts 30 to 33. It is also possible to see the assembly part 34 of the opposite side. A coupling part and assembly part, e.g. coupling part 30 and assembly part 35 belong to each snap connection. These parts are distributed alternately and in uniform manner along the associated assembly edges 16 to 23 two snap connections level with the filling bows 8, 9 or 10, 11 being provided in each case along one assembly edge. On cover part 2, the two assembly parts 36, 40 diagonal face one another, this applying correspondingly for coupling parts 30, 28 (cf Fig. 4).

To the extent described up to now, base part 3 is identical to cover part 2. As all the asembly parts on the one hand and all the coupling parts on the other are also identically constructed, cover part 2 matches base part 3 and the said two parts can be directly assem bled to form a small casing, i.e. without intermediate side parts 4, 5. As a result of a corresponding alternating formation, to be described hereinafter, the assembly edge profiles positively engage in one another, no matter whether the casing is assembled without side parts, with one on either side or with several side parts. The cover part and the base part have the construction height G according to Fig. 3. If no side parts are used, a casing of height 2G is obtained. Side parts of construction height E, 2 X E, 3 X E up to 10 X E are provided.There is no need to provide all the intermediate sizes, because normally it is only necessary to have side parts of construction heights E, 2E and 4E, obtaining the other heights by using a number of side parts.

As is apparent from Figs. 4 to 12, the assembly edge 16 has a slot 41, whereas assembly edge 20 has a rib 42, which positively engages in a slot corresponding to slot 41. Corresponding slots and ribs are provided on the side parts, e.g. side part 4 in Fig. 19 has rib 43 along assembly edge 17 and slot 44 along assembly edge 18. With the assembled casing according to Fig. 1, there is positive engagement between assembly edge 16 and assembly edge 17, rib 43 being introduced into slot 41. Side part 5 on the opposite side is constructed in the same way as side part 4. However, as it is arranged in mirror symmetrical manner in the case of side part 5 the upper assembly edge 21 is provided with a slot into which fits rib 42 of Fig.

10. With regards to the assembly edges and the snap connections, base part 3 is identical to cover part 2 and, since part 3 is arranged in mirror symmetrical manner to part 2, assembly edge 90 has the rib and assembly edge 23 the slot.

The assembly part 40 has a projecting side flap 50 from which is stamped a tongue 52, whose free end 51 points towards assembly edge 20. As the side flap 50 is made from a resilient plastic, tongue 52 has elastic, springy characteristics and can be pressed back perpendicular to the drawing plane of Fig. 5. As can be gathered from Fig. 9, at its free end 51 tongue 52 has on the side remote from the viewer in Fig. 5 a barb 54, which fits into a corresponding counter-barb of the associated coupling part when the casing is assembled. Such a counter-barb 56 is visible in connection with coupling part 30 in Fig. 9.

Coupling part 30 has a slide-in guide 57 into which fits the side flap of the associated assembly part. An access hole, such as access hole 58 in Fig. 11 is provided in the associated wall for each coupling part. When the casing is assembled, a pin can be inserted in the said hole from the outside in order to press aside the tongue therein which corresponds to tongue 52, so that the hook arrangement of the snap connection can be disengaged, thus permitting disassembly of the casing. All other snap connections are constructed correspondingly, comprising in each case a coupling part and an assembly part, each having an access hole 85, 86 (cf Fig. 1) corresponding to access hole 58 and serving the same function.

With regards to their fitting shape, filling bows 8, 9, 10, 11 are identical and fit into the correspondingly shaped strip and channellike depressions 12, 13, 14, 15. These depressions have locking slots corresponding to locking slots 72, 73, into which fit the corresponding locking projections 74, 75 (cf Fig.

15) of the associated filling bow. Figs. 13 to 1 6 show filling bow 11 provided for base part 3 and with receptacles 76, 77 for feet, such as e.g. foot 78. The feet are not shown in Figs. 2, 13 and 15, whilst Fig. 16 shows such a foot in the operating position. The foot can be swung round from this operating position in the direction of arrow 79 and inserted.

The filling bow 11 has vent slots 80 which are aligned with the vent slots in base part 3.

Corresponding vent slots 81 in cover part 2 are shown in Fig. 4. The filling bow 11 has a recess 82, so that the rear access hole remains accessible from the outside when the filling bow is fitted. The two filling bows 10, 11 are identical, whilst filling bows 8 and 9 are constructed in the same way as bows 10 and 11, but there are no receptacles corresponding to receptacles 776, 77 and at these points bows 8, 9 are smooth.

It is alternatively possible to fit other filling bows having no vent slots. Filling bows 10 and 11 can be replaced by bows without receptacles, like bows 8 and 9 and can be inserted in the base part for a casing without feet.

Slide part 4 has assembly parts 35, 38 and coupling parts 31, 32, which are constructed in the same way as described in connection with the cover part. Side part 4 has height E.

The parts are shown true to scale with respect to one another, side part 4 being the smallest side part provided. Along both front side and rear side, cover part 2, base part 3 and side parts 4 and 5 form in each case an all-round slot, whereof slot portions 90, 91, 92 and 93 are visible in the drawing. Front plate 6 and back plate 7 are inserted in these slots. On the inside of the casing, there are assembly elements such as e.g. projections 102, screw holes and slots 103 for fitting built-in parts.

Claims

1. A casing having the general outer contour of a parallelepiped provided with curved portions, which can be assembled from a plurality of parts, the casing comprising a cover part, which forms a cover wall of the casing and also forms lateral strips of two side walls of the casing, a base part, which forms a base of the casing and also forms further lateral strips of said side walls, two side parts, which form yet further lateral strips of the side walls, and which, when assembled with the lateral strips of the cover part and the base part form the side walls of the casing, a first plate forming a further wall of the casing, and a second plate forming a yet further wall of the casing, the cover part, base part, and the side parts, having assembly edge portions, which in the assembled state are adjacent one another, and which co-operate to connect the parts together.

2. A casing according to Claim 1 in which the said cover part and/or the said base part has or each has an outer contour having at least one curved portion, and in which the said assembly edge portions are arranged to co-operate in such a manner that casings of different selected depths between the cover wall and the base can be produced by assembling the cover part and the base part with different selected numbers of side parts, or with no side parts, therebetween, and with different sizes of said first and second plates.

3. A casing according to Claim 2 in which the said cover part extends around curved edge regions of the casing to form the said lateral strips of the two side walls, and/or the said base extends around curved edge regions of the casing to form the said further lateral strips of the two side walls.

4. A casing according to any preceding claim in which the assembly edge portions comprise assembly edges which extend in planes parallel to the plane of the base, and which are provided with positively engaging matching shaped portions, and snap connections, which are engagable and disengagable, and which are arranged facing one another in pairs on the inside of the cover part, base part, and side parts along the assembly edges thereof, wherein each pair is formed from an assembly part and a coupling part, and the assembly parts and coupling parts are arranged alternately in uniform distribution along the assembly edges.

5. A casing according to any preceding claim in which the said lateral strips are uniformly wide, and the said lateral strips of the cover part are of equal width to the said lateral strips of the base part.

6. A casing according to any preceding claim in which the said first plate comprises a front plate in the form of a flat plate, and the said second plate comprises a back plate in the form of a flat plate.

7. A built in casing in the outer contour of a parallelepiped provided with curved portions and which can be assembled from a plurality of parts, characterised by a cover part (2) in the form of a shell, which forms the cover wall and uniformly wide lateral strips of the two side walls; a base part (3) in the form of a shell, which forms the base and uniformly wide lateral strips of the side walls, which are of the same width as those of the cover part; two side parts (4, 5), which form uniformly wide strips of the side walls, and which, when assembled with the lateral strips of the cover part (2) and the base part (3) (and if desired with further such side parts) form the side walls; a front plate (6) in the form of a flat plate; a back plate (7) in the form of a flat plate;; assembly edges (16-23) of the cover part (2), base part (3) and the side parts (4,5), which in the assembled state are adjacent one another, which extend in planesparallel to the plane of the base, and which are provided with positively engaging, matching shaped portions; and snap connections (30-38), which are engagable and disengagable, and which are arranged facing one another in pairs on the inside of the cover part (2), base part (3), and the side parts (4, 5) along the assembly edges (16-23) thereof, whereby each pair is formed from an assembly part (34-38) and a coupling part (30- 33), and the assembly parts and coupling parts are arranged alternately in uniform distribution along the assembly edges (16-23).

8. A built-in casing in the outer contour of a parallelepiped block provided with curved portions and which can be assembled from a plurality of parts, wherein it comprises a cover part in the form of a shell forming the cover wall and uniformly wide lateral strips of the two sidewalls, a base part in the form of a shell forming the base and uniformly wide lateral strips of the sidewalls, which are of the same width as those of the cover part, two side parts forming uniformly wide strips of the side walls and assembled with the lateral strips of the cover plate and base part and, if desired, further such side parts form the sidewalls, a front plate in the form of a flat plate, a back plate in the form of a flat plate, in the assembled state adjacent assembly edges of the cover part, base part, and side parts extending in planes plane-parallel to the plane of the base and provided with positively engaging, matching shaped portions and snap connections, which are engageable and disengageable and face one another in pairs along the assembly edges of the inside of the cover part, base part and side parts, each pair comprising an assembly part and a coupling part, said assembly parts and said coupling parts being uniformly and alternately distributed along the assembly edges.

9. A built-in casing according to claim 7 or 8 wherein the snap connections can be automatically locked by assembly, but can only be unlocked by pressing from the outside and simultaneous pulling apart and wherein for unlocking purposes an access hole is provided facing the snap connection in the particular casing part.

10. A built-in casing according to claim 9, wherein an assembly part has a resilient tongue with, at its free end, an outwardly pointing barb, which engages behind a counter-barb of the associated coupling part and which is positioned opposite to the associated access hole.

11. A built-in casing according to claim 10, wherein on a side flap projecting over the assembly edge, the free end of said tongue points towards the latter.

12. A built in casing according to any of Claims 7 to 11, wherein there are strip and channel-like depressions extending parallel to the front plate over the cover part and/or base part, including the associated lateral strips and are provided at both ends with locking slots and with filling bows provided with locking projections fitting in positively engaging manner in the said depressions.

13. A built in casing according to claim 12 wherein vent slots are provided in the bottom of the depressions.

14. A built-in casing according to claim 13, wherein vent slots are provided in the filling bow which are wholly or partly aligned with the first-mentioned vent slots.

15. A built-in casing according to one of the claims 12 to 14 wherein feet are provided on one or more filling bows to be fitted to the base part, associated depressions being provided along the front plate and/or the back plate of the base part.

16. A built-in casing according to any of Claims 7 to 15, wherein the snap connections face the depressions.

17. A built-in casing according to any of Claims 7 to 16 wherein there are projections, screw holes, slots and similar assembly elements along the inside of the cover part, base part and/or side parts.

18. A casing substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.