IE53835B1 - Interlocking device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to an interlocking device for joining together two elements in abutting relationship, comprising a housing fastenable to one such element and a counterpart fastenable to the other, and a cam member in said housing which is turnable by means of a key or the like to operate a hook-shaped catch rotatably mounted in the housing, said catch being rotatable by the cam member to project out of one side of the housing and thereby to engage behind a holding member of said counterpart.

Such interlocking devices are used, for example, when panels are to be joined together in a close-abutting manner, for example sandwich panels provided with an inside insulating layer of foam, when erecting insulated stacking spaces. The said housing of the rotary catch is then let into the side edge of one panel, and the said counterpart into the side edge of another panel which has to be joined to the first panel in abutting relationship.

In known interlocking devices of this kind use is made of a rotary hook-shaped catch which is provided with an internal toothed surface into which an eccentrically placed pinion can engage. The pinion is accessible from the outside of the housing and through a hole in the panel, and is provided with an internal hexagonal recess, into which fits a hexagonal crank or key for turning the pinion. The disadvantage of these known interlocking devices is that, as soon as the hook comes in contact with the holding member in the counterpart of the interlocking device on the other panel, lateral friction forces are produced by the movement of the hook-shaped catch along the holding member, whereby the panels can easily shift relative to one another.

This drawback could be counteracted by providing set pins, for example on the catch side of the bousing, which set pins fit into corresponding recesses of the counterpart· However, this has the disadvantage that projecting pacts are present on the edges of •the panels, which can easily be damaged, and furthermore the counterpart must then be very accurately aligned relative to the housing when the panels are brought together. As a result, if for example the panels ace deformed slightly during transport, it may happen that such set pins no longer fit into the corresponding recesses of an adjacent panel.

The aim of the present invention is therefore to provide an interlocking device which is less critical with regard to the alignment of the housing and the counterpart, and with which furthermore no lateral forces are produced as soon as the hook-shaped catch engages behind the holding menber of the counterpart.

- According to the invention there is provided an interlocking device for joining together two elements in abutting relationship, the device comprisinc a housing fastenable to one such element, and a counterpart fastenable to the other, the housing mounting therewithin a cam member which is rotatable by means of a kev or the like to operate a hook-shaped catch rotatably mounted in the housing, said catch being rotatable by the cam member to project out of one side of the housing and thereby to engage behind a holding member of said counterpart, therebeing guide means for the catch, which during rotation of the catch prevent* any non-rotary movement thereof until it reaches a fully projected . · I condition, and which from said fully projected condition permit linear movement of the catch in a direction transverse to the said one side of the housing, rotation 53833 of the catch beirq prevented during such linear movement, wherein said cam member engages in a generally L-shaped hole in said catch and includes a rectangular camming part which fits into one leg of the L, said canning part being eccentrically mounted with respect to the axis of rotation of the cam member and oo-cperating with an abutting surface formed by the side edge of said one leg of the Lshaped hole whereby the catch is so mounted as to be partially pulled back into the housing under the influence of further turning of the cam manber after the catch has been rotated to its fully projected condition, such pulling back taking place in said transverse direction until a final condition is reached in which an end face of the canning part is’ in face-to-face contact with said abutting surface.

The advantage of this arrangement is that during its rotary movement the hook-shaped catch can remain 15 completely free of the holding member in the counterpart as a result of which no lateral forces are produced.

Upon rotating the cam member further, the* catch is then pulled back into the housing to exert a force on the holding member perpendicular to the said one side of the housing to pull together two elements which are to be joined together, whereby lateral shifting of the elements relative to one another is avoided.

Another advantage of the arrangement is that no complicated pawls and springs', or complicated rack25 end-pinion systems, need to be used in the interlocking device, so that the same can easily be made of plastics.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings in whicht Pig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an interlocking device according to the invention; Pig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the interlocking device with its rotary catch in various positions of operation.

S3G3B The interlocking device according to the invention comprises a dish-shaped housing 1 closable by means o£ a cover plate 2 whose edges fit into a rabbet 3 of the side walls of the housing 1 and can be fastened into same by means of glue for example. Zn the wall 4 of the housing 1 an opening. 5 is provided, and a similar opening 5 is provided in the cover plate 2. Cylindrical trunnion parts 6 of a cam member 7 fit into the openings 5. The cam member 7 is provided 538 3 8 which hole extends through the cylindrical parts 6.

The cam member 7 is formed with a cam part 9 for a purpose to be described. A rotary catch 10 fits in the housing 1 and around the cam member 7 and has a hook-shaped free end 11 engageable behind a holding member 12, in the form of a pin, which extends through the walls of a counterpart 13 of similar shape to the housing 1. The housing 1 and the counterpart 13 have wings 14 for the secure attachment thereof when, during the manufacture of a sandwich panel, they lie along the side edges of the cavity to be formed between two plates. No further details need to be given of the sandwich panel, since this does not form part of the invention. The counterpart 13 is furthermore provided with ribs 15 which contribute to its solid fastening to the foam material of the sandwich panel. Similar ribs can be provided on the housing 1 and on the cover plate 2. The hook-shaped catch 10 is provided with cams 16 on both lateral surfaces, which cams form part of means for rotatably mounting the catch, and are arranged to effect the partial pulling back of the catch 10 into the housing 1, as a result of further turning of the cam member 7 after the catch has been rotated to project out of the housing as shown in Fig. 2, which pulling back takes place in a direction transverse to the catch side 4a of the housing. The manner in which this takes place is still to be described. Thus means for rotatably mounting the hook-shaped catch 10 are guide means which, in the outwardly projecting position of the catch, cause movement thereof in a direction transverse to the catch side 4a, but which during this movement prevent rotation of the catch.

It has to be possible to rotate the hook-shaped catch 10 into and out of the housing 1, and to this end guide means are required, which are formed by interacting cam surfaces on the housing and on the catch respectively. In the illustrated embodiment 53335 the aforementioned cams 16 provided parts of these interacting cams surfaces, another of which is formed by a slot 17 which extends in the shape of an arc at a constant radial distance around the rotary axis of the catch 10, which axis is colinear with that of the openings 5 and the cylindrical parts 6 of the cam member 7. The arcuate slot 17 continues at one end as a slot 18 which extends perpendicularly to the face of the catch side 4a of the housing. The cam provided by the arcuate slot 17 is thus formed in the wall 4 of the housing 1 and is formed by the side wall of the slot extending concentrically around the rotary axis of the catch 10, and which is provided with an end part 18 extending radially of said axis.

As can be seen from the drawing there are two slots 17 on opposite sides of the rotary axis of the catch, the radial end part 18 of the one slot being directed towards the said axis and the radial end part 18 of . the other slot away from the axis. A pair of such slots 17 are provided in at least one of the side walls 2 and 4 of the housing, and the cams 16 run in these slots. If only the wall 4 of the housing is slotted, it is not necessary for the cover plate 2 to be provided with a thickened part 19, which serves among other purposes for defining the slots into which fit the cams 16 visible in Fig. 1.

The catch 10 has a hole 20 to receive the cam member 7, the cam part 9 of which interacts with the sides of the hole 20. This hole 20 is substantially L-shaped the cam part 9 fitting into one leg 21 thereof while the other leg 22 serves to permit the movement of the catch 10 transversely to the axis of the cam member 7. The side 23 of the leg 21 serves as an abutment surface for the cam part 9 when the catch is pulled back into the housing, as will now be explained further.

The dot-dash line in Fig. 2 shows the catch 10 rotated completely into the housing 1, the cam 53335 part 9 of the cam member 7 being directed downwards in this condition, as seen in the drawing. When now, by means of a key inserted in the hole 8, the cam member 7 is turned in a clockwise direction, the catch 10 is rotated out of the housing due to cam part 9 pressing laterally against the side face 23 of the hole 20 in the catch. The cam part 9 cannot yet come into facing engagement with this face because the cams 16 are still located in the arcuate slots 17. Accordingly, only a rotary movement of the catch is possible until, upon further turning of the cam part 9, the cams 16 arrive at the extrances to the slots 18, at which point the catch 10 is in the • projecting position indicated by a dot-dash line in Fig. 2 and the face 23 lies laterally against the cam part 7 and against the flank of cam 9. During this movement the hook 11 of the catch 10 locates behind the holding member 12 of the counterpart 13, but the hook 11 remains completely free of the holding member 12. However, as the cam member 7 is turned still further, the cam part 9 runs along the face 23, as a result of which the catch 10 is pulled inwardly of the housing under the effect of the pressure of the cam. This movement is possible as cams 16 now enter the slots 18 which extend radially with respect of the rotary axis. During this movement the hook 11 exerts a force in the direction indicated by the arrow 25. In the final position of catch 10, indicated by a solid line in Fig. 2, the face 24 of cam 9 lies face-to-face against the surface 23. Because the cam 9 is positioned eccentrically in respect of the rotary axis of the cam member 7 and of the catch 10, the cam 9 is located in this end position and can only be moved back by exerting a certain force to turn back of cam member 7. Because of the slightly resilient nature of the hook 11, the counterpart 13 is pressed with tension against the housing 1, which tension is indicated by means of the arrows 26. Lateral force components which could cause a shifting of the counterpart 13 along the housing 1 do not occur during locking, nor do they occur during the release of the interlocking device, since during the return movement of the cam member 7 the cams 16 first have to pass through the slots 18 before the cam member can be turned back.

Claims (9)

1. CLAIMS!

1. An interlocking device for joining together two elenents in abutting relationship, the device comprisino a housing fastenable to one such element, and a counterpart 5 fastenable to the other, the housing mounting therewithin a cam member which is rotatable by means of a kev or the like to operate a hook-shaped catch rotatably mounted in the housing, said catch being rotatable by the cam member to project out of one side of the housing and 10 thereby to engage behind a holding member of said counteroart, therebeing guide means for the catch which during rotation of the catch prevent any non-rotary movement thereof until it reaches a fully orojected condition, and which from said fully projected condition 15 permit linear movement of the catch in a direction transverse to the said one side of the housing, rotation of the catch being prevented during such linear movement, wherein said cam member engages In a generally L-shaped hole in said catch and includes a rectangular canning part which fits into one leg of 20 the L^ said camming part being eccentrically mounted with respect to the axis of rotation of the can member aid co-operating with an abutting surface farmed by the side edge of said one leg of the Lshaped bole «hereby the catch is so mounted as to be partially pilled back into the housing under the Influence of further turning 25 of the cam member after the catch has been rotated to its fully projected condition, such pulling back taking place in said transverse direction until a final condition is readied in which an end face of the canning part is in face-to-face contact with said abutting surface

2. An interlocking device according to claim l, wherein the said guide means comprise two interacting cams on the housing and on the catch respectively, one of which cams has a part which extends arcuately at a constant radial distance around the rotary axis of the catch, and which at one end changes into a part extending perpendicularly to the said one side of the housing.

3. An interlocking device according to claim 2, wherein the cam with the arcuate part is formed by a side of a slot extending concentrically around the rotary axis of the catch, which slot is provided with an end part which extends radially of said axis, the other cam fitting into this slot.

4. An interlocking device according to claim 3, wherein two said slots are provided on opposite sides of the rotary axis of the catch, the said radial end part of the one slot being directed towards the said axis and the radial end part of the other slot away from the axis.

5. An interlocking device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the said slot or slots are formed in at least one of the side walls of the housing and the cams running in these slots form part of the said catch.

6. An interlocking device according to any of the preceding claims, which is made completely of plasties.

7. · An interlocking device according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the operating mechanism fastenable to one of the elements comprises only three parts, i.e. the housing, the catch and the cam member.

8. · An interlocking device according to claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accanpanying drawings.

9. . . Sandwich panels provided with one or more interlocking devices according to any one of the 5 preceding claims.