GB2134591A

GB2134591A - Pinless hinges

Info

Publication number: GB2134591A
Application number: GB08333459A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Ronald Sharman Cross
Original assignee: MK Electric Ltd
Current assignee: Novar ED&S Ltd
Priority date: 1982-12-21
Filing date: 1983-12-15
Publication date: 1984-08-15
Also published as: GB8333459D0; GB2134591B

Abstract

A hinged assembly comprises two hinged members 1,4 pivotal about an axis 5 which are single plastics mouldings hinged by a journal on one member and a pair of flanges on the for other engaging the journal. The members may be separated when at one relative angular position which is blocked when one of the members is mounted on a wall 1. The assembly maybe used to provide a lid 4 for an electrical accessory box. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Hinged assembly This invention relates to a hinged assembly, especially but not exclusively for use with a bezel unit and lid, which may form part of an enclosure intended to contain electric circuit components such as circuit-breakers.

Enclosures for this purpose generally have an aperture, usually rectangular, in one wall of the enclosure to allow access to the circuit components in the enclosure and a lid is generally provided to close this aperture. Such enclosures are commonly mounted on a wall of a building with the wall of the enclosure containing the aperture in an outward-facing vertical position and the lid may be hinged to the enclosure wall above the aperture. The lid may be mounted on a bezel positioned around or in the aperture.

According to the present invention there is provided a hinged assembly comprising a rst member adapted to be mounted on or adjacent a wall and a second member hinged to said first member, the members each comprising a single moulding of plastics material, one of the first and second members comprising a journal for the hinge having a centre portion connected to the remainder of said one member and opposed coaxial portions extending outwardly therefrom, an edge of the other of the first and second members being provided with pairs of flanges having a gap therebetween into which said extending portions of the journal are inserted to hinge the members together, the flanges surrounding the extending portions by more than 1 800, the cross-sections of said extending portions and the gap being such that the extending portions may be withdrawn from the gap in a direction transverse to the journal axis only whenthe first and second members are in one relative angular position about the axis of the journal, abutment of the second member against the wall preventing the first and second members assuming said one angular position when the first member is mounted on the wall, and abutment of said flanges against surfaces of the first member transverse to the axis of the journal preventing relative displacement of the first and second members in the axial direction of the journal.

By use of this arrangement the first and second members are easily and quickly assembled together before mounting on the wall but when the first member has been mounted it is not possible to separate the members by relative movement in any direction; on the other hand the second member can rotate freely about the hinge.

The first and second members may be easily moulded as single members of plastics material and no other components are required to form the hinged assembly.

In one arrangement, in order to prevent removal of the second member from the first by displacement along the axis of the journal each outwardly extending portion of the journal has an end part of greater cross-section and an intermediate part of lesser cross-section connecting the end part to the centre portion and the flanges around the intermediate portion prevent such removal by abutment the transverse surfaces formed by the end parts. The crosssection of the end parts may be defined by a circle cut away along one chord and the cross-section of the intermediate parts by a circle cut away along two parallel chords.The gaps between the flanges surrounding the respective parts are shaped so that the journal parts may slide between the flanges to enter and leave the gaps when the journal approaches the gap from one angle only and this angle is such that the approach of the second member is obstructed by the wall on which the first member is mounted, so that the second member cannot be mounted on or removed from the first member when the latter is mounted on the wall.

Relative movement of the members in the axial direction of the journal may also be prevented by bosses at the end of the journal to abut the flanges and/or by a radial groove in the journal which receives a flange on the second member.

The second member may constitute a lid rotatable about the hinge to close an aperture in the first member. The assembly may be used to provide a hinged lid for an enclosure, for example an enclosure for electrical accessories such as circuit-breakers, and the first member may be a bezel which surrounds an aperture in the cover of the enclosure. The enclosure cover may constitute the wall which prevents the first and second members being separated. Alternatively the enclosure may be flush-mounted in a wall of the building, with the aperture of the enclosure substantially flush with the wall of the building, and the first member may comprise a cover of the enclosure attached either directly to the wall of the building or to the edge of the enclosure. In this case it is the wall of the building which prevents removal of the second member.

Assemblies according to embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is an elevation of a bezel for use with an enclosure for electric circuit components, Figure 2 is a cross-section along 11-Il of the bezel of Figure 1 showing part of a lid attached to the bezel, Figures 3 and 4 are cross-sections along Ill-Ill and IV--IV respectively of Figure 1, Figure 5 is an elevation of the lid of Figure 2, Figures 6 and 7 are cross-sections along VI--VI and VIl-VIl of Figure 5, Figure 8 shows a catch forming part of the lid of Figure 5, Figure 9 is an elevation similar to Figure 1 of another bezel for use with an enclosure, Figure 10 is a part cross-section of a lid for use with the bezel of Figure 9.

The bezel unit shown in Figures 1 and 2 is moulded as a single piece of electrically insulating, waterproof plastics material and comprises a wall 1 of rectangular shape to fit into a rectangular aperture in a vertical wall 2 of an enclosure intended to accommodate electrical circuit components such as circuit-breakers. Walls 1 surround an aperture 3 allowing access to the interior of the enclosure which is closed by a lid 4 which pivots about axis 5.

Axis 5 is defined by a journal parallel to the upper edge of aperture 3 and forms part of the bezel, being attached to the remainder of the bezel by portion 6. As seen in Figures 2 and 3 the centre part of the journal continuous with portion 6 and also the end parts 10 of the journal have a partcircular cross-section with the upper part of the circle sliced off by a chord at an angle of about 200 to the horizontal. The intermediate parts 7 of the journal have a part-circular cross-section in which both the upper and lower parts are sliced off by chords at an angle of about 200, as shown in Figure 4.

The upper edge of the lid (Figs. 5 to 7) has a pair of flanges 8 and 9 on its end parts engaging the intermediate parts 7 and the end parts 10 of journal 5. The parts of flanges 8 and 9 engaging end parts 10 have the cross-section shown in Figure 6 and the parts of the flanges engaging parts 7 of the journal have the cross-section shown in Figure 7. These cross-sections are such that the journal parts may enter the part-circular gap 11 between flanges 8 and 9 so that the journal may be inserted in the gap 11 when the lid approaches the journal from only one angle at which the minimum width of journal is presented to the gap between the flanges and the lid is then mounted for free rotation about the journal between a lower position in which it covers aperture 3 and an upper position in which it extends substantially vertically above the bezel.In this upper position the surface 1 2 of the lid rests on the upper wall 2 of the enclosure and is thus supported in its upper position.

The centre part of the lid has no flanges 8, 9 so that its rotation is not obstructed by the part 6 of the bezel which supports the journal.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2 the aperture in the bezel is surrounded by a groove 13 to contain a gasket of rubber or other resilient material. The surface of the lid facing the bezel when the lid is closed has an upstanding flange 14 when it enters the groove 1 3 when the lid is fully closed. Groove 13 and flange 14 surround the aperture completely and engagement of the flange 1 4 with the gasket ensures a substantially splash-proof seal around the aperture preventing entry of water into the enclosure from the outside.

The surface of the bezel facing wall 2 has a flange 1 5 surrounding wall 1 which abuts the surface of wall 2 when the bezel is installed and flange 1 5 resists entry of water between walls 1 and 2. The bezel may be secured to wall 2 by screws passing through holes in its periphery.

The lid is provided with a catch to retain the lid in its fully closed position. The catch comprises a pair of parallel projections 1 6 having inwardly directed lips 1 7 to form a snap fit around a member 18 projecting outwardly from the bezel.

The catch holds the closed lid firmly in place and a distinct manual force has to be exerted to open the lid from its closed position.

Using the arrangement described above both the bezel and the lid are easily made in a single piece by moulding of an appropriate plastics material and no other members are required for mounting the lid on the bezel. The lid is easily mounted in place by sliding the journal into the gap between flanges 8, 9 at the required angle of approach and after mounting the lid is prevented from moving in the horizontal direction by sideways abutment of these flanges with part 6 of the bezel and the part-circular cross-section of end parts 10 of the journal. When the lid is closed the whole assembly is substantially splash proof and drips of water cannot enter the enclosure.

The lid may be mounted on the bezel by the method described above and removed by the reverse procedure.

However, sliding of the journal into the gap between flanges 8, 9 requires the surface 12 of the lid to be positioned at an angle of more than 1 800 from its closed position (in which it hangs vertically from the journal) so that the lid cannot be mounted on or removed from the journal when the bezel is mounted on the enclosure as shown in Figure 2, surface 12 being obstructed by wall 2 of the enclosure extending above the bezel. Thus the lid may readily be mounted on the bezel before the latter is mounted on the enclosure but cannot be removed once the bezel is installed on the enclosure.

The bezel of Figure 9 is similar to that shown in Figure 1 in all respects except that in this case the ends of the journal are provided with circular bosses 21 of greater radius than the ends 10 and the middle part of the journal is of slightly greater radius than parts 10 and has a central groove 22.

The lid for the bezel is similar to that shown in Figure 5 but, as shown in Figure 10, it is provided with an internal flange 23 extending around part of its radius mid-way between its ends to enter groove 22 when the lid is fitted to the bezel.

In this embodiment the lid is fitted to the bezel in the same way as in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 8 but when the lid is fitted end bosses 21 and flange 23 entering groove 22 prevent horizontal movement of the lid relative to the journal, thus ensuring that the lid does not become misaligned horizontally relative to the bezel as the lid is opened and closed. In this embodiment the lid and bezel cannot be separated by movement of the lid in the longitudinal direction of the journal in any angular position of the lid relative to the bezel.

In the embodiments described above the lid engages the wall 2 of the enclosure when it is opened and the wall 2 prevents removal of the lid from the bezel. The invention is also applicable to enclosures which are flush-mounted within a wall of a building, so that when opened the lid engages the wall of the building rather than the surface of the enclosure to which the lid is fitted.

The above description relates to embodiments in which the bezel is provided with the journal and the lid with the flanges. This arrangement may be reversed so that it is the bezel which incorporates the flanges and the lid which has a journal cooperating with the flanges to form the hinge.

Claims

1. A hinged assembly comprising a first member adapted to be mounted on or adjacent a wall and a second member hinged to said first member, the members each comprising a single moulding of plastics material, one of the first and second members comprising a journal for the hinge having a centre portion connected to the remainder of said one member and opposed coaxial portions extending outwardly therefrom, an edge of the other of the first and second members being provided with pairs of flanges having a gap therebetween into which said extending portions of the journal are inserted to hinge the members together, the flanges surrounding the extending portions by more than 1800, the cross-sections of said extending portions and the gap being such that the extending portions may be withdrawn from the gap in a direction transverse to the journal axis only when the first and second members are in one relative angular position about the axis of the journal, abutment of the second member against the wall preventing the first and second members assuming said one angular position when the first member is mounted on the wall, and abutment of said flanges against surfaces of the first member transverse to the axis of the journal preventing relative displacement of the first and second members in the axial direction of the journal.

2. An assembly according to claim 1, in which said extending portions of the journal each comprise an end part and an intermediate part connecting the end part to the centre portion, the cross-sections of the end part are greater than that of the intermediate part and abutment of the flanges around the intermediate parts against the end parts prevents said displacement in the axial direction.

3. An assembly according to claim 2, in which the cross-section of the intermediate parts of the journal is defined by a circle cut away along two parallel chords and the cross-section of the end parts is defined by a circle cut away along one chord.

4. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the ends of the extending portions of the journal are provided with bosses extending radially outwardly from the journal to prevent relative movement of the members in the axial direction of the journal by abutment with the flanges.

5. An assembly according to any preceding claim in which the journal is provided with a radial groove and the edge of said other member is provided with a flange entering the groove to prevent relative movement of the members in the axial direction of the journal.

6. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the first member comprises the journal and the second member is provided with the flanges.

7. An assembly according to any preceding claim, in which the first member has an aperture therein and the second member is a lid to cover the aperture.

8. An assembly according to claim 7, in which the first member comprises a bezel to surround an aperture in a cover of an enclosure.

9. An enclosure for electrical accessories comprising an assembly according to claim 8, in which said wall is a wall of the enclosure.

10. An enclosure for electrical accessories comprising an assembly according to claim 8, in which the enclosure is adapted for flush mounting within a support surface and said wall comprises the support surface.

11. A hinged assembly, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figures 1 to 8 or Figures 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.