GB2232533A

GB2232533A - Consumer unit housing

Info

Publication number: GB2232533A
Application number: GB9010308A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stuart Patton
Original assignee: Ashley and Rock Ltd
Current assignee: Ashley and Rock Ltd
Priority date: 1989-05-05
Filing date: 1990-05-08
Publication date: 1990-12-12
Also published as: GB8910400D0; GB9010308D0

Abstract

A consumer unit has a housing 100 with a pivoting lid 25 which conceals the contents of the unit, but which allows access to switching gear 38 by removal of a part (42) (Fig 3) if desired. Contents other than the switching gear are protected by a divider (45). The lid 25 has a locking device (62) (Fig 4) remote from the hinged end. A hinge assembly is detailed (Figs. 5 to 7). <IMAGE>

Description

Title: Consumer unit DESCRIPTION The present invention relates to what is commonly termed a consumer unit, but may more generally be referred to as housing provisions for electrical switch gear eg. switching, fuseways, circuit breakers or other control circuitry for electric circuits.

In providing such housing provisions it is known to provide a chassis or base carrying such switch gear eg. main isolator switch and fuseways, and a cover through which the main isolator actuating switch projects and also the fuseways. A separate cover is fitted over the fuseways typically as a rectangular or bulbous housing projecting forwardly of the basic housing.

For these or more extensive switching functions it can be useful to inhibit access to all such switch gear or some of it in the given unit and more generally to accommodate a variety of switch gear options which may or may not be visible and/or accessible. To date this has created problems for the consumer manufacturer in catering for all such options as it would require several designs of cover to be made and supplying a unit without a cover is clearly undesirable, so the purchaser would be obliged to-buy an additional cover of the desired configuration.

It is an aim of one aspect of the invention to overcome that difficulty.

A further difficulty resides in adequately resisting access to such switch gear largely on a safety and/or integrity basis than from the point of view of resisting forced access, and another aspect of the invention aims to tackle the problem in a simple and effective manner. In combination these aspects are particularly advantageous.

According to a first aspect of the invention then there is provided a consumer unit or housing provision for electrical switch gear comprising a housing part for enclosing live electric connections associated with said switch gear, and apertured for projection therethrougb of parts of said switch gear which from time to time may require to be operable and/or accessible, and a cover which as supplied occludes access to said parts in the closed position and which is configured to permit removal of part thereof to afford access to selected switch gear parts whilst maintaining occlusion of others when in said closed position.

It is particularly convenient if said removal is provided by a breakaway section of the cover usually defined by a line of weakness around the periphery.

Providing such a breakaway feature is especially useful for opening up access to main isolator switches whilst maintaining occlusion to fuseways or circuit breakers etc. Merely breaking away the cover can produce undesirable sideways access and to avoid that we prefer to provide the cover with at least one divider or shield part which is inwardly directed and positioned along a boundary of the removable part. Preferably the shield part is shaped to mirror more usual switching provisions. One typical positioning is to provide a barrier between exposed isolator switching and occluded fuseways or circuit breaker.

We prefer the cover to be constructed as a hinged lid, especially with hinging through 180 degrees.

More particularly we prefer the lid to provide at least in part a front face of the housing when closed and preferably flush with any front face provided by the housing, which in a preferred embodiment is adjacent three sides of the lid.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention a consumer unit or housing provision for electrical switch gear comprises a housing part for accomodating said switch gear and a cover movable about a pivot axis between open and closed positions for access to and occlusion of said switch gear therewithin, and wherein means is provided to receive locking means acting between the housing and cover at a position remote from the pivot axis and preferably aligned in a direction generally normal to the pivot axis, which means comprises spaced reception means on each of the housing and cover to receive movable limbs of the locking device.

The locking device preferably comprises two limbs with ends formed to be received in a respective one of said reception means and movable blocking means for preventing movement of the limbs in one position and allowing movement in another for entry into and removal from said reception means. In the former position movement of the blocking means can be prevented by locking means such as a padlock. It is preferred for said ends to be outwardly turned in opposite directions. More preferably said reception means are provided as bores in the cover and housing and access of the ends of the limbs thereto is by way of an open channel therebetween. Preferably the channel is in the cover. The bores, preferably each, provide stops to limit movement of said ends.

Providing said locking means at a position remote from the pivot axis serves to maximise resistance to the cover being distorted to allow possibly dangerous finger access to live parts or to otherwise tamper with switching provisions.

Another aspect of the invention relates to assembly of interconnecting components in which one component is retained relative to another either fixedly or movably by interconnecting male and female parts. One particular application is in relation to the assembly of a hinged lid or cover for an electrical accessory such as a consumer unit.

In assembling such components difficulties can be experienced in bringing together the male and female parts in a quick and efficient manner especially when involved in mass production techniques and automatic assembly. For example, there are numerous occasions when one component such as a lid or flap is required to be hingedly connected to a mating part. The one component has opposite lugs to be received in opposite holes of the other or visa versa. In one known arrangement the holes are formed in an otherwise plain surface in a plane normal to the axis of the connection. Assembly of the first lug into the hole manually by axial movement is relatively straight forward, but entry of the lug at the other end is less so even allowing for resilience of one or other of the parts some manoeuvering has to take place as it is difficult to locate the hole.This is difficult enough manually, but translating such a movement to facilitate automated assembly is extremely difficult.

It is an aim of the present invention to alleviate the above difficulty.

According to said another aspect the present invention then, an assembly formed by connection of male and female parts and relying on resilience of at least one of the parts for fitting together in a snap-fitting manner provides the female part with a ramp surface outwardly of its opening and leading thereto and guide surfaces bounding said ramp surface.

Preferably the guide surfaces converge towards the opening relative to one another, and more preferably still are aligned parallel with the axis of the connection. The ramp surface preferably breaks the axially outermost surface of the opening, i.e. it enters the periphery of the opening inset from the end face of the female part. This is advantageous in that the extension beyond the point of entry of the ramp, which would be opposite to the direction in which the male and female parts are brought together, acts as a stop to the male part which prevents over shooting of the opening. The resilience of the parts then causes the male part to enter axially the female part.

In one envisaged embodiment, the assembly comprises a hinged access lid of a consumer unit cover, and the female part is formed to opposite ends of the access lid. The opening is a simple round bore and the respective male parts a cylindrical peg carried by the cover.

The present invention will now be described further, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings; in which: Figure 1 is a front view of a consumer unit/ housing; Figure 2 is a cross-section through the housing; Figure 3 is an underneath view of a lid/cover for the housing; Figure 4 is a detail section on 4-4 showing locking detail; Figure 5 is a fragmentry view of a female part of a hinge assembly; Figure 6 is a perspective view showing incorporation of the female part into a hinged access lid; Figure 7 is a side view showing opposite ends of a typical assembly; and Figure 7a shows the circled part in greater detail.

Referring firstly to Figure 1, a housing 100 of a consumer unit is shown front on with access lid 25 hinged on pivot axis 36 for hinging through 180 between open and closed partitions (shown closed in both Figures 1 and 2). The access lid is shown in its complete as supplied form and in this arrangement conceals any switch gear provisions 38 projecting through opening 40 in the housing.

A removable part 42 of the access lid is defined by thinned edge boundaries along 43,44 which facilitate breaking out of that part. Also shown is a divider/ shield 45 extending perpendicular to the front face of the lid and shown disposed at the boundary 44. The shield is profiled to mirror the shape of switch gear whilst inhibiting sideways access. It will be understood from the foregoing that the removable feature enables the access lid as supplied to be adapted in a simple and neat manner to provide the required occlusion or access to switch gear. It will be appreciated that the breakaway part could be located in a different portion or several suitable breakaway areas provided to adapt in a more flexible manner, each preferably then having an associated shield part.

Referring again to Figure 1, recessing is shown at 50 in the housing and access lid respectively and leading to opposite end bores 54,56 formed to provide end stops 58,60. A locking device is shown at 62 and comprises a loop 64 having limbs which are turned outwardly at the ends 66,68 to be receivable in the bores 54,56 accessed by way of recess 50. Also shown is a lock body 62' and a padlock 70. The body off2' is slidable on the loop and in the position illustrated in Figure 4 is such as to obstruct movement together of the ends 60,68 so that the are retained in their bores. The padlock 70 serves to hold the body in that lock position. With the padlock removed and the body slid to the left as viewed in Figure 4 the limbs can be deflected by an amount sufficient to release the ends from the bores.In the locked position the access lid 25 is restrained from being hinged open and so avoids possibly dangerous tampering with the switch gear. By positioning the locking device remote from the pivot axis and especially orientating in a direction normal to the pivot axis a particularly effective closure is made with only a small locking device.

Referring now Figure 5 there is shown a female part 1 which may be incorporated into any component as an integral part thereof or as an add-on part. It has an opening 3, circular in the illustrated embodiment, such as for a hinge connection, but could equally be non-circular, which is in an end face 5. That end face is recessed by shoulders 7, 9 which bound a ramp surface 11 which is inclined relative to a plane normal to the axis of the opening, i.e. edge 13 is axially inward relative to its edge 15 where it breaks into the opening 3. The shoulders 7, 9 converge on the opening relative to one another and provide a guide track for a male part which is to be received in the opening. The edge 15 is sufficiently large to allow passage of the male part.The axial extension of the opening beyond the edge 15 over the area 17 shown beyond the dotted line 19 effectively as an extension of the shoulders 7,9 acts as an abutment to capture the male part and prevent overshoot. The male part is introduced by relative movement between the male and female parts in the direction of arrow A.

It will be readily understood from the foregoing how the lead-in to the opening defined by edge 13 and shoulders 7,9 picks up the male part - usually dimensioned to fit between the dimension at the edge 13, and then a movement in direction A causes flexing of the parts and is guided by the shoulders 7,9 into the opening 3 whereupon the resilience of the material results in the edges 15 then extending beyond the end of the male part so retaining it.

Referring now to Figures 6, 7 and 7a, here it will be seen how the female part of Figure 1 is incorporated in a hinged access lid 25 of a consumer unit cover 26. The aforedescribed female part 1 is shown to the right as lug 21, whilst the lug 22 to the left is simply provided with an opening 23 in an otherwise plain end. Two male parts of the cover 26 to which the lid is to be hingedly connected are shown at 27, 29. It will be seen that the male parts are each captured in the openings as resilience of the or each lug is relied upon to achieve interconnections.

Introduction of the lid into place calls for moving the lugs sideways towards the male parts. This can be done with the lug 22 aligned to the right of the end of the male part 29 as contact of the other male part 27 with the ramp surface will urge the lid to the left (as viewed in the illustration) so that the male part 29 enters the opening 23, meanwhile at the other end the ramp causes the lug to flex and the shoulders guide the male part into opening 3.

Claims

1. A housing provision for electrical switch gear comprising a housing part for enclosing live electric connections associated with said switch gear, and apertured for projection therethrough of parts of said switch gear which from time to time may require to be operable and/or accessible, and a cover which as supplied occludes access to said parts in the closed position and which is configured to permit removal of part thereof to afford access to selected switch gear parts whilst maintaining occlusion of others when in said closed position.

2. A housing provision as claimed in claim 1, wherein said removal is provided by a breakaway section of the cover.

3. A housing provision as claimed in claim 2, wherein said breakaway section is defined by a line of weakness around the periphery.

4. A housing provision as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, wherein occlusion of other parts is maintained by a shield part which is inwardly directed and positioned along a boundary of the removable part.

5. A housing provision as claimed in claim 4, wherein said shield part is shaped to mirror switching provisions.

6. A housing provision as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein said cover is a hinged lid.

7. A housing provision as claimed in claim 6, wherein said lid provides at least in part a front face of the housing when closed.

8. A housing provision as claimed in claim 6 or 7, wherein the lid is flush with any front face.

9. A housing provision as claimed in any one of claims 6, 7 or 8 wherein the housing is adjacent three sides of the lid.

10. A housing provision comprising a housing part for accommodating switch gear and a cover movable about a pivot axis between open and closed positions for access to and occlusion of said switch gear therewithin and wherein means is provided to receive locking means acting between the housing and the cover at a position remote from the pivot axis.

11. A housing provision as claimed in claim 10, wherein said means to receive locking means is aligned in a direction generally normal to the pivot axis.

12. A housing provision as claimed in claims 10 or 11, wherein said means to receive locking means comprises spaced reception means on each of the housing and cover to receive movable limbs of the locking device.

13. A housing provision as claimed in claim 12 wherein said limbs have ends formed to be received in a respective one of said reception means and movable blocking means for preventing movement of the limbs in one position and allowing movement in an other for entry into and removal from said reception means.

14. A housing provision as claimed in claim 14 wherein movement of said blocking means for the position preventing movement of the limbs is prevented by locking means.

15. A housing provision as claimed in claim 13 wherein said ends are outwardly turned in opposite directions.

16. A housing provision as claimed in any previous claim, wherein said reception means are bores in the cover and housing and access of the ends of the limbs thereto is by way of an open channel therebetween.

17. A housing provision as claimed in claim 16 wherein said channel is in the cover.

18. A housing provision as claimed in claim 16 or 17 wherein said bores provide stops to limit movement of said ends.

19. A consumer unit as claimed in any one of claims 10 to 18 in conformation with a consumer unit as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9

20. An assembly formed by connection of male and female parts and relying on resistance of at least one of the parts for fitting together in a snap-fitting manner provides the female part with a ramp surface outwardly of its opening and leading thereto and guide surfaces bounding said ramp surface.

21. An assembly as claimed in claim 20, wherein said guide surfaces converge towards the opening relative to one another.

22. An assembly as claimed in claim 20 and 21, wherein said guide surfaces are aligned parallel with the axis of the connection.

23. An assembly as claimed in claims 20, 21 or 22 wherein an extension beyond the point of entry of the ramp acts as a stop to the male part.

24. An assembly as claimed in claim 23 wherein said stop is formed by the ramp surface breaking the axially outermost surface of the opening.

25. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 24, comprising a hinged access lid of a consumer unit cover.

26. An assembly as claimed in claim 25 wherein the female-part is a round bore and respective male part a cylindrical peg.

27. An assembly as claimed in claim 25 wherein the female part is formed to opposite ends of the access lid, and cylindrical pegs are carried by the cover.

28. A consumer unit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

29. An assembly as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 24 in combination with the consumer unit of claims 1 to 9 or 10 to 19.