Supports: racks – Special article – Electrically powered
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-19
2001-01-09
Stodola, Daniel P. (Department: 3634)
Supports: racks
Special article
Electrically powered
C312S264000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170673
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a switch cabinet with a rack having vertical frame pieces coupled to a lower unit or an upper unit.
2. Description of Prior Art
In switch cabinets, electronic components or assemblies are secured. For the attachment of these parts, a mounting plate is used. The mounting plate is placed parallel to a rear wall of the switch cabinet and is fixed at the lower unit or the upper unit.
Such a switch cabinet is known, for example, from German Patent Reference DE 41 40 072 A1. For this purpose, flanges are molded onto the lower unit. The flanges extend in a direction of the depth of the switch cabinet and accommodate glide elements made of a synthetic material. The glide elements carry the mounting plate. The mounting plate may have components and be wired outside the switch cabinet. Subsequently, the mounting plate with its glide elements is passed through an open front of the switch cabinet and placed onto the flanges. On the flanges, the mounting plate is pushed into the interior of the rack frame until it reaches its mounting position. In order to use the interior of the switch cabinet for additional built-in elements as well, the mounting plate is positioned in the majority of applications directly in front of the rear wall of the switch cabinet. For making ready the mounting plate and the flanges on which the glide elements are guided, considerable output of parts and labor is required.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is one objective of this invention to create a switch cabinet of the initially mentioned type with which the installation of electronic components can be easily accomplished with little input.
This objective of this invention is achieved with two adjacent vertical frame pieces connected by joining pieces to form a separate mounting unit to which built-in elements can be fixed.
The vertical frame pieces, as part of the rack frame, are used for assembly of the mounting unit. With the joining pieces, the mounting unit is premounted as an assembly and may have components and be wired outside the rack. Subsequently, the rack can be completed with the mounting unit. Here, it is conceivable for a partial rack to be prefabricated as an individually adjustable unit onto which the mounting unit is built. However, it is also possible to use the mounting unit as a foundation to which the remaining parts of the rack are then connected. This invention acknowledges that in most applications, the electronic components are installed close to the side wall or the rear wall. This requirement is met with the lateral and/or the rearward portion of the rack serving directly as a mounting unit. The outlay necessary for this purpose is very small since already existing elements of the rack are used for the mounting unit. Due to the fact that the mounting unit is arranged directly at a rear wall or a side portion, the need for space is not great. The interior of the switch cabinet remains available for use.
In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, the vertical frame pieces have attachment mountings by which they are connected via corner connectors to the lower unit or the upper unit. Because the vertical frame pieces directly form the attachment mountings, the amount of parts used is kept low. No additional connection elements need to be used for attachment of the mounting unit.
The joining pieces are formed as mounting rails that have a mounting surface facing an interior space of the rack, wherein one or several side panels are connected at an angle to the mounting surface and wherein the mounting surface and the side panels have rows of attachment mountings so that the joining pieces can be used directly for mounting built-in elements. The built-in elements may be fixed to the rows of attachment mountings.
A simple attachment of the mounting unit to the lower unit and to the upper unit is possible when the lower unit and the upper unit have open receiving elements toward the outside of the rack into which the unit formed by vertical frame pieces and joining pieces can be placed.
Here, it is advantageous when the receiving elements are arranged in the corner area of the lower unit and/or the upper unit and accommodate the ends of the vertical frame pieces, wherein the receiving elements have stops which limit an insertion movement of the vertical frame pieces and wherein the insertion movement is controlled along the guide elements of the lower unit and the upper unit and/or the vertical frame pieces. By way of the guide elements, it is also possible to easily introduce a mounting unit, having components and therefore heavy, into the receiving elements. The stops secure the mounting unit in the designated position. The mounting unit can then be permanently connected with the lower unit and the upper unit by fastening elements.
If a projection is formed by the lower unit and/or the upper unit which covers the front face of the vertical frame piece at least partially, then the vertical frame piece is also guided at its two ends and secured in the receiving element.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the vertical frame pieces have a groove facing the interior of the rack and extending in the longitudinal direction. The corner connectors are accommodated inside the groove and the vertical frame pieces are connected in a releasable or non-releasable manner with the corner connectors. For the releasable connection, it is conceivable that the vertical frame pieces be screwed together with the corner connectors. For the unreleasable connection, a welding process may be used. The corner connector serves, for one purpose, tying the vertical frame pieces to the lower unit and the upper unit. Also, the corner connector can, depending on how far it extends into the groove, serve as a reinforcement element.
In another preferred embodiment of this invention, the mounting unit carries one or several cladding elements for covering a rearward side of the mounting unit or of the interior of the rack frame. The cladding element may rest as a flat plate against a rear surface of the vertical frame pieces. However, it is also conceivable that the cladding element bulges out, so that an installation or cable chamber is created.
A multitude of attachment possibilities at the mounting unit is created in a simple manner when the vertical frame pieces show profiled sides in pairs with which two or several mounting planes are formed which are parallel to each other.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 374810 (1996-10-01), Keijser et al.
patent: 3905483 (1975-09-01), Patrick
patent: 5749476 (1998-05-01), Besserer et al.
patent: 5983590 (1999-11-01), Serban
patent: 285 914 (1953-01-01), None
patent: 19 38 879 (1971-02-01), None
patent: 27 46 545 (1979-04-01), None
patent: 84 29 688 (1985-01-01), None
patent: 41 40 072 (1993-06-01), None
patent: 44 12 462 (1994-10-01), None
patent: 43 40 934 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 195 03 289 (1996-08-01), None
patent: 195 37 016 (1996-10-01), None
patent: 2 551 303 (1985-03-01), None
patent: 2 231 117 (1990-11-01), None
patent: 94/14307 (1994-06-01), None
Harris Erica B.
Pauley Petersen Kinne & Fejer
Rittal--Werk Rudolf Loh GmbH & Co. KG
Stodola Daniel P.
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