GB2093637A - A frame for receiving electrical or mechanical equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

A frame for electrical and mechanical equipment has two similar and spaced side panels (1, 2), similar top and bottom panels (3, 4), and corner brackets (5) to which the side, top and bottom panels (1, 2, 3, 4) are secured to form the frame which is rectangular. The top and bottom panels (3, 4) are formed with integral guides (16) with the guides (16) in the top panel (3) in line with the guides (16) in the bottom panel (4). The guides (16) are formed as the sides of punched out slots (7 to 15) in the top and bottom panels (3, 4). The top and bottom panels (3, 4) are each formed with integral lugs (17 to 21) which extend towards the other of the top and bottom panels (3, 4) and serve for securing equipment mounted within the frame. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A frame for receiving electrical or mechanical equipment This invention relates to a frame for receiving electrical or mechanical equipment.

It is common in electrical engineering to provide standard sized frames for receiving electrical equipment which may, for example, be printed circuit boards. The same frame is used for many different types of electrical equipment but all the electrical equipment where possible is inserted into frames of the same size giving the advantages of standardisation.

According to this invention, there is provided a frame for electrical or mechanical equipment which comprises two similar and spaced side panels, similar top and bottom panels, and corner brackets to which the side and top and bottom panels are secured to form a rectangular frame, the top and bottom panels being formed with integral guides projecting inwardly and extending at right angles to the front edges of the top and bottom panels respectively, the guides in the top panels being in line with the guides in the bottom panels, the guides in the top and bottom panels being formed as the sides of punched out slots in the top and bottom panels respectively, the top and bottom panels each being formed with integral lugs which extend towards the other of the top and bottom panels and serve for securing equipment mounted within the frame.

It is desirable that a plurality of groups of guides are formed in the top and bottom panels to accommodate various widths of equipment which may be mounted within the frame and so that a plurality of items of electrical or mechanical equipment may be mounted within the same frame.

According to a feature of this invention, there is provided an item of electrical or mechanical equipment for mounting within a frame in accordance with this invention, the electrical or mechanical equipment having at least one guide at each end designed to engage a guide in the top and bottom panels respectively and carrying at each end at least one device for securing to a lug in the corresponding panel of the top and bottom panels.

It has previously been proposed to provide separate guide members secured to the top and bottom panels and formed with guides.

This has a disadvantage of reducing the maximum height of the equipment.

Embodiments of this invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a frame in accordance with this invention; Figures 2A to 2E are perspective views of, respectively, a side panel, a corner bracket, a top panel, a socket mounting plate, and a support frame of a frame in accordance with this invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view of a module constituting an item of electrical equipment intended to be inserted together with similar items of electrical equipment into a single frame as shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of one guide plate of the module of Figure 3; Figure 5 shows a modification of the guide plate shown in Fig. 4; and Figure 6 is a perspective view of a further module constituting an item of electrical equipment intended to be inserted into the frame shown in Fig. 1 and so designed as to effectively fill the frame.

Referring to Fig. 1 first, the frame is built from four panels of indentical width (6" or 150 mm say), top and bottom panels 1 and 2 being identical and the side panels 3 and 4 being identical. The side and top and bottom panels 1, 2, 3 and 4 are held together by corner brackets 5 to which the side and top and bottom panels 1, 2, 3 and 4 are secured by fastening devices, for example, rivets 6.

Each of the top and bottom panels 3 and 4 is formed with three groups of slots being designated by numerals 7 to 15, slot 11 being formed along the centre line of the panel with the other slots being formed symmetrically on either side of the slot 11, so that, for example slot 7 of the top panel 3 is in register with slot 15 of the bottom panel 4.

Slots 7, 8 and 9 make up the first group, slots 10, 11 and 12 make up the second group and slots 13, 14 and 15 make up the third group. The slots are formed by punching the appropriate panel and each group is formed with four guides during the punching operation. In the case of the group made up from slots 7, 8 and 9, a guide is formed along the inner edge of the slot 7 (by inner and outer are meant respectively the edges nearer to and farther from central slot 11), a guide is formed along each edge of the slot 8 and a guide is formed along the outer edge of the slot 9. In the case of the inner group of slots 10, 11 and 12, a guide is formed along both edges of the slot 11 and along inner edges of the slots 10 and 12.Finally, in the case of the third group of slots 13, 14 and 15, a guide is formed along the outer edge of the slot 13, along each edge of the slot 14 and along the inner edge of the slot 15. The guides are only visible in Figure 1 along the bottom panel 4 and are all denoted by reference numeral 16 and can be seen in Figure 2C. The guides 16 in each panel are entirely symmetrical about the slots 11 and the guides on the top panel 3 project towards the bottom panel 4 and are in register with those of the bottom panel 4 which do of course project towards those of the top panel 3. The four guides 16 of each group really define be tween them two parallel paths for guide rails which will be discussed later.

Each of the top and bottom panels 3 and 4 has formed along its front edge with five tags 17,18, and 21. The tags on the top and bottom panels 3 and 4 extend towards the bottom and top panels 4 and 3 respec tively, the tags 19 being central. The tags 17 and 18 on the one hand and the tags 20 and 21 on the other hand are symmetrically dis posed on opposite sides of the central tage 19 relatively close to the outer edges top and bottom panels, so that tag 17 of the top panel is in line with tag 21 of the bottom panel and so on.

The holes through which the rivets 6 pass are denoted by reference numeral 22 and are formed along the side edges of the panels 1, 2,3 and 4 (Figs. 2A and 2C). The panel 3 is formed near to each of its corners with a depression 23 each of which has an aperture 24 in its centre. The function of the depres sion 23 is to enable two frames to be mounted one on top of the other and to be secured together.

The side panel 1 (Fig. 2A) is formed with a central cut-out 25 for cooling and is also formed with apertures 24 so that horizontally adjacent frames can be secured together.

Each corner bracket 5 (Fig. 2B) is formed with apertures 26 for the rivets 6 which pass through the apertures 22.

A support frame 40 (Figs. 1 and 2E) is secured to the rear of the frame by fastening devices which pass through apertures 41 in the corner of the platform 40 and apertures 26 in the ends of the corner brackets 5. The support frame 40 has rearwardly projecting legs 42 for securing to other equipment and has four apertured ledges 43 against which a socket mounting plate 45 (not shown in Fig.

1) rests. The socket mounting plate has apertures 46 which align with the apertures 44 in the ledges 43 for fastening devices to pass through and has five rectangular cut-outs 47 for sockets.

The frame shown in Fig. 1 is intended to receive items of electrical equipment and the electrical equipment may be of any nature.

The items of electrical equipment must be in the form of specified modules; the frame may receive either one 6" (150 mm) module, one 4" (100 mm) module together with one 2" (50 mm) module, two 3" (75 mm) modules or three 2" (50 mm) modules.

Fig. 3 shows the smallest module which is a 2" (50 mm) module and is essentially built from four components. These components are a a front panel 30, top and bottom extruded guide plates 31 and 32 which are identical and a plug mounting plate 33. The extruded guide plates 31 and 32 are secured by screws to the front panel 30 and to the rear plug mounting plate 33.

The top extruded guide plate 31 and the bottom extruded guide plate 32 each have a pair of parallel guide rails 34 projecting upwardly and downwardly respectively.

Fig. 4 shows a section through the extruded guide plates being orientated so as to show the guide rails 34 projecting downwardly as for the bottom extruded guide plate 32. The guide plates are each formed at each edge with holes 35 tapped at their ends to receive the screws for securing the extruded guide plates to the front panel 30 and to the plug mounting plate 33. Between the guide rails 34 there projects in the opposite direction an integral rib 36, the function of which will be described later.

When assembled together in the manner shown in Figure 3, the 2" (50 mm) module may be slid into the frame shown in Fig. 1 and it will be appreciated that a total of three modules as shown in Fig. 3 may be inserted into the same frame.

The two guide rails 34 at the top and bottom of each 2" (50 mm) module are guided by the four guides 16, each guide rail 34 passing between two guides 16 so that when three 2" (50 mm) modules are inserted, all twelve guides 16 on each of the top and bottom plates 3 and 4 are utilised. The 2" t50 mm) module shown in Fig. 3 has two finger operated retaining bolts 38 and 39 carried by its front panel 30 at its top and bottom and when the module is fully inserted, the finger operated bolts 38 and 39 may be operated to screw into lugs of the frame. In the case of 2" (50 mm) modules, the lugs 17, 19 and 21 are utilised and they are of course tapped. The ribs 36 of the module shown in Fig. 3 are in register with each other and a printed circuit board may be rested on the ribs 36 and secured to those ribs 36 by fastening devices passing through apertures 37.The printed circuit board may carry a plug (not shown) designed to fit in a cut-out 40 in the rear mounting plate 33. The plug engages a socket (carried by the socket mounting plate 45 when the module is fully inserted into the frame.

The 3" (75 mm) module is very similar to the 2" (50 mm) module and is only a crosssection of the extruded guide plates of the 3" (75 mm) module is shown in Fig. 5. Apart from being wider than the cross-section shown in Fig. 4, the cross-section of the guide plate shown in Fig. 5 has two ribs 36 between which the rails 34 are formed and of course projecting in opposite directions to the rails 34. Thus, the 3" (75 mm) module can carry two printed circuit boards. If 3" (75 mm) modules are utilised obviously only two can be inserted into the frame shown in Fig. 1 and in the this case only the tags 18 and 20 are utilised for securing the bolts 38 and 39.

Moreover, each 3" (75 mm) module has its guide rails 34 passing on either side of the inner guide 16 of the corresponding group of outer guides 16.

A 4" (100 mm) modules really consists of two 2" (50 mm) modules bolted together having a common front panel 30 a common plug mounting plate 33 and has two pairs of bolts 38 and 39 and is shown in Fig. 6 A 6" (150 mm) module either consists of three 2" (50 mm) modules with a common front panel or two 3" (75 mm) modules with a common front panel.

The tags 17 to 21 of each of the top and bottom panels 3 and 4 project towards the other panel as opposed to being directed outwardly so as to ensure that the frame itself only occupies an aperture of 6" by 6" (150 mm x 150 mm) and no more.

Providing identical top and bottom plates does of course lead to production simplicity.

Similarly, identical side plates lead to production simplicity.

A plurality of frames may be assembled together using the apertures 24 and securing devices in a structure of various shapes and the structure may be self-supporting. For example, a square structure may be built up from nine frames.

Claims (10)

1. A frame for electrical or mechanical equipment which comprises two similar and spaced side panels, similar top and bottom panels, and corner brackets to which the side and top and bottom panels are secured to from a rectangular frame, the top and bottom panels being formed with integral guides projecting inwardly and extending at right angles to the front edges of the top and bottom panels respectively, the guides in the top panels being in line with the guides in the bottom panels, the guides in the top and bottom panels being formed as the sides of punched out slots in the top and bottom panels respectively, the top and bottom panels each being formed with integral lugs which extend towards the other of the top and bottom panels and serve for securing equipment mounted within the frame.

2. A frame according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of groups of guides are formed in the top and bottom panels to accommodate various widths of equipment which may be mounted within the frame and so that a plurality of items of electrical or mechanical equipment may be mounted with the same frame.

3. A frame according to claim 2, wherein each group of guides comprises four guides, two guides being formed on opposite sides of a central slot and the other two guides being each formed along the side of a slot adjacent to the central slot.

4. A frame according to any of claims 1 to 3 comprising a support which is secured to the rear of the rear of the side and top and bottom panels and which carries at least one socket or plug.

5. A frame according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein each panel has an aperture formed in it for use in securing the frame to an adjacent similar frame.

6. An item of electrical or mechanical equipment for mounting within a frame according to any of claims 1 to 5, the item of electrical or mechanical equipment having at least one guide at each end designed to engage a guide in the top and bottom panels respectively of the frame and carrying at each end at least one device for securing to a lug in the corresponding panel of the top and bottom panels.

7. An item of electrical or mechanical equipment according to claim 6, wherein the guide at each end of the item of the electrical or mechanical equipment is formed on a member having a rib projecting towards a member at the other end of the equipment, the two ribs being designed to receive a printed circuit board.

8. An item of electrical or mechanical equipment according to claim 6 or claim 7 which is designed to carry at its rear a plug or socket member for engagement with a socket or plug member within the frame.

9. A frame for mechanical and electrcial equipment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.

10. An item of electrical or mechanical equipment substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 3 to 6 of the accompanying drawings.