GB2293202A

GB2293202A - Locking means for adjacent doors

Info

Publication number: GB2293202A
Application number: GB9518433A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Remi Desforges
Original assignee: Legrand SA; Legrand SNC
Current assignee: Legrand SA; Legrand SNC
Priority date: 1994-09-09
Filing date: 1995-09-08
Publication date: 1996-03-20
Anticipated expiration: 2015-09-08
Also published as: ITTO950718A0; FR2724407B1; GB2293202B; GB9518433D0; IT1280456B1; ITTO950718A1; FR2724407A1

Abstract

A cupboard assembly has two adjacent doors, at least one of which is fitted on its internal face with a closure device comprising a rod (18) mounted in a manner such that it is moveable over at least a part of its height. Locking means (20) are joined to the doors (11P, 11S) and comprise two pieces (21P, 21S), one (21S) of which is connected to the door (11P) whereas the other (21P) is connected to the rod (18) of the door (11S). When the doors (11P, 11S) are closed, respective portions (33, 36) of the pieces (21P, 21S) cooperate with one another in the manner of a stop to prevent displacement of the rod (18) in a direction required to allow the opening of the door (11S), thereby preventing opening of the door (11S) before the door (11P). The invention has particular application to cupboard assemblies for electrical switchgear. <IMAGE>

Description

LOCKING MEANS FOR ADJACENT DOORS The present invention relates in a general manner to cupboard assemblies using two doors adjacent to one another.

It can also relate to a cupboard assembly formed by a single cupboard which alone comprises the two doors concerned, and the internal framework of which is either unitary or is formed from two frameworks assembled together, as well as to a cupboard assembly formed from two discrete cupboards which are disposed next to one another and each of which is provided with one of said doors.

In both cases, the two doors can be located strictly adjacent one to the other in a closed position, both extending substantially along the same plane, or as a variation, in this closed position a gap of a greater or lesser extent can exist between them.

The present invention is directed more particularly to the case wherein each of said doors is equipped with a closure device on its internal face, comprising, in the manner of an espagnolette, at least one rod, which in order to enable the action of at least one bolt, is mounted in a manner such that it is moveable over at least a part of the height of such a door, that this bolt is carried by such a rod in order to cooperate with a striking plate carried by the corresponding door frame, or that, as a variation, this rod carries or forms a striking plate in order to cooperate with a bolt carried by said doorframe.

A closure device of this type is described, for example, in the French patent filed on 18 September 1991, No. 91 11486, and published as No. 2 681 368.

For certain applications, at least, it has been shown that it is desirable that a preferred order of opening of the two doors is established, while the closure device with which they are both individually equipped normally allows them to be used completely independently of one another.

This is particularly the case with certain cupboard assemblies used for the housing and the protection of electrical switchgear.

Often, in such a case, one of the doors, for the sake of simplicity hereinafter referred to as the main door, controls the earthing of the unit.

In other words, said earthing is possible only when this main door is closed and when said door is opened it is interrupted.

Consequently, for obvious safety reasons, it is of interest that the opening of the other door, for the sake of simplicity hereinafter referred to as the secondary door, cannot occur until after that of the main door, or in other words that in the closed position, this main door itself locks the secondary door in position.

According to the invention there is provided locking means to establish a determined order of opening of two adjacent doors, each being fitted on its internal face with a closure device, comprising at least one rod mounted in a manner such that the rod is moveable over at least a part of its height, the locking means comprising two pieces one of which, hereinafter referred to as the fixed piece, is connected to one of the doors, hereinafter referred to as the main door, whereas the other, hereinafter referred to as the moveable piece, is connected to the rod of the other of the doors, hereinafter referred to as the secondary door, and which, when both of the doors are closed cooperate with one another in the manner of a stop to prevent displacement of the rod of the secondary door in a direction required to allow opening of the secondary door.

Thus, when the main door is closed any command to open the closure device of the secondary door is blocked, and in order to release said closure device, and thereby to open the secondary door, the main door must first be opened.

Being simple to produce and purely mechanical, the locking means according to the invention are advantageously cheap, efficient and reliable.

They may or may not, as required, be fitted to any cupboard assembly using two adjacent doors, indeed they could even be fitted on already existing cupboard assemblies of this type, in both cases remaining practically invisible.

The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cupboard assembly with two doors, to which locking means according to the invention are joined; Figure 2 is a partial view, shown in a larger scale, of a cross-section of said cupboard along the line II-II of Figure 1, showing the closed position of the two doors; Figure 3 is a partial plan view thereof, seen from the interior, according to the arrow III of Figure 2;; Figure 4 is a partial view of a cross-section analogous to that in Figure 2, of a configuration of the unit corresponding to the closed position of the door of this cupboard assembly which constitutes the secondary door, and a position near to the closed position of the door which constitutes the main door, Figure 5 is a partial view of this configuration of the unit, relating more particularly to the locking means joined, according to the invention, to these doors.

These drawings illustrate, by way of example, the application of the invention to a cupboard assembly 10 using only two adjacent doors 11P, 11S, which are disposed on the front and which extend substantially along one plane in the closed position.

Such a cupboard assembly 10 which, in the embodiment shown, is in the form of a single cupboard, is in itself well known, particularly because it includes arrangements described in the French patent application filed on 18 September 1991, no. 9111485 and published as no. 2 681 405, which, as it does not actually form the subject-matter of the invention, will not be described in detail here.

It is sufficient to indicate that its internal framework results from the disposition of two framework modules side by side which have at the front a common intermediate frame piece 12, and to which the two doors 11P, 11S each respectively correspond.

These two doors 11P, 11S are each respectively articulated along two opposite edges of the front of the cupboard assembly 10 by means of hinges not shown in the drawings, and in the closed position each of said doors applies a sealing joint 13 against the intermediate frame piece 12 of its internal framework.

In the embodiment shown, the intermediate frame 12 is formed by a profiled piece having a cross-section which is generally V-shaped with a flat base, the concave side of which faces towards the exterior, and the two doors 11P, 11S each have a folded-over edge 14 of the same length, in practice on all of their periphery, which in the closed position is located inside the concave side of said intermediate frame 12.

In practice, the folded-over edge 14 of each of the two doors 11P, 11S is folded back on itself towards the inside in a U-shapc, and in the closed position said two doors 11P, 11S have a gap 15 between them, see Figure 2.

Each of the two doors 11P, 11S is fitted on its internal face and at a distance from its folded-over edge 14, but in the proximity thereof and on the side opposite its hinges, and therefore on the side of the gap 15, with a closure device 16 comprising at least one rod 18 controlled by a handle 19 provided for the user on the exterior of the unit, which is mounted in a manner such that it is movable over at least a part of its height, and in practice over substantially half of said height if, as in the case in point, and although this is not shown in the drawings, said closure device 16 comprises two rods 18 which are disposed head to tail.

Such a closure device 16 is also well known in itself, particularly from French patent application no. 91 11486 already mentioned above, and as it also does not actually relate to the present invention, it will not be described in more detail here.

It is sufficient to indicate that for both doors 11P, 11S, the rod 18 concerned is in practice a flat rod disposed edgewise.

The opening of both of the doors 11P, 11S requires the displacement of said rod 18 in a first direction under the control of the handle 19, and for closure, its displacement in the opposite direction to the first direction.

For example, when, as shown by an arrow F1 on Figure 1, the handle 19 of the door 11S is tilted from an initial vertical position shown by a solid line in Figure 1 and corresponding to a closed position, to a horizontal position shown by dashed lines in said Figure and corresponding to an opening position, the rod 18 is displaced from above to below in accordance with the arrow F2 in Figure 3 (in view of the projection plane of said Figure 3, the arrow F2 is oriented towards the top thereof).

According to the invention, locking means 20 described in detail hereinafter, are joined to the doors 11P, 11S to establish a preferred order of opening thereof.

Generally, these locking means 20 are composed of two pieces 21P, 21S, one of which, for the sake of simplicity hereinafter referred to as the fixed piece, in the case in point the piece 21P, is connected to one of the doors 11P, 11S, for the sake of simplicity hereinafter referred to as the main door, in the case in point the door 11P, while the other one, for the sake of simplicity hereinafter referred to as the moveable piece, in the case in point the piece 21S, is connected to the rod 18 of the other of the doors 11P, 11S, for the sake of simplicity hereinafter referred to a the secondary door, in the case in point the door 11S, and which, when the doors 11P, 11S are closed cooperate with one another in the manner of a stop at least in the direction of displacement of said rod 18 corresponding to the opening of the secondary door 11S.

In the embodiment shown, the main door 11P is the right-hand door, while the secondary door 11S is the left-hand door.

Clearly, an inverse disposition is also possible.

In the embodiment shown, the fixed piece 21P of the locking means 20 according to the invention has a fixing flange 25 by means of which it is fixed to the internal face of the main door 11P, and a free flange 26 by means of which it cooperates with the associated movable piece 21S, disposed respectively on either side of a median part 24.

In practice, said fixed piece 21P has a Z-shaped cross-section, its two flanges 25, 26 extending in opposite directions with respect to one another.

In the embodiment shown these two flanges 25, 26 extend substantially parallel to one another at right-angles to the median part 24 which they surround.

The fixing flange 25 which extends towards the interior in the direction opposite the folded-over edge 14 of the main door 11P has on its free edge at least one notch 27, by means of which it is engaged with a pin 28 projecting from said main door 11P on the other side of the rod 18 in relation to the folded-over edge 14.

In the embodiment shown, the fixing flange 25 comprises two notches 27 at a distance apart from one another, each respectively engaging with two pins 28 of the main door 11P.

In practice, these pins 28 already exist on the main door 11P as well as on the secondary door 11S for reasons which need not be explained here.

They may, however, be fitted to the main door 11P for this particular case.

Whatever the case, said pins 28 extend substantially perpendicularly with respect to the main door 11P and are threaded pins with each of which a nut 29 cooperates in a screwing manner to fix and to retain the fixed piece 21P.

In the embodiment shown the median part 24 of said fixed piece 21P extends between the rod 18 of the main door 11P and the folded-over edge 14 thereof.

The height or width of this median part 24 is substantially equal to that of the folded edge 14, while being higher than said folded edge such that, as shown, the free flange 26 can extend beyond said free edge 14 perpendicularly with respect to the main door 11P as well as parallel thereto.

In other words, to reach the closed position of the main door 11P, the free flange 26 of the fixed piece 21P of the locking means 20 according to the invention extends slightly into the gap 15 which said main door 11P forms with the secondary door 11S.

In the embodiment shown, the movable piece 21S of the locking means 20 according to the invention has both a fixing flange 32 by means of which it is fixed to the rod 18 of the secondary door.llS, and a free flange 33 by means of which it cooperates with the associated fixed piece 21P, each respectively disposed on either side of a median part 30.

In practice, said moveable piece 21S has a U-shaped cross-section, and its two flanges 32, 33 both extend in the same direction, in the case in point towards the exterior.

The fixing flange 32 extends only over a portion of the length of the median part 30, in the central area thereof.

By contrast, the free flange 33 extends over the whole length of the median part 30.

As with the rod 18 which it backs onto, the fixing flange 32 is disposed edgeways with respect to the secondary door 11S.

It extends substantially perpendicularly thereto.

It is also substantially at right angles to the median part 30.

The free flange 33, on the other hand makes a slightly obtuse angle A with the median part 30, that is to say slightly greater than 90 .

In the embodiment shown, the moveable piece 21S is fixed to the rod 18 of the secondary door 11S by at least one screw 35.

In practice, two screws 35 are provided at a distance apart from one another.

Having passed through bores provided for this purpose in the rod 18, they cooperate in a screwing manner with tapped bores also provided for this purpose in the fixing flange 32 of the moveable piece 21S.

In practice, the two flanges 32, 33 of the moveable piece 21S each extend respectively on either side of the folded-over edge 14 of the secondary door 11S.

In other words taken as a whole the moveable piece 21S leads around said folded-over edge 14 and to reach the closed position of the doors 11P, 11S its free flange 33 extends into the gap 15 present between said doors.

It is thus capable of interference with the fixed piece 21P.

In practice, to cooperate with the moveable piece 21S in the manner of stop, the fixed piece 21P has at least one cutout 36 by means of which it can engage on a lug 37 of said moveable piece 21S.

In order to equally satisfy two possible mounting positions of the moveable piece 21S on the rod 18 of the secondary door 11S, this mounting being carried out in practice as a result of pre-existing bores on said rod 18, the fixed piece 21P comprises two cutouts 36 at different heights, and the moveable piece 21S has two lugs 37 at a distance from one another but in practice spread further apart.

The cutouts 36 of the fixed piece 21P affect its free flange 26 by slightly cutting into its median part 24, and the lugs 37 of the moveable piece 21S are formed by the free flange 33 thereof, each being respectively disposed at the extremities of said free flange 33.

In the embodiment shown, the moveable piece 21S comprises an intermediate lug 38 between its two lugs 37.

This intermediate lug 38 extends to the proximity of the lugs 37 while leaving between itself and them the exact gap necessary for engagement of the fixed piece 21P onto such a lug 37.

In the embodiment shown the contour of the cutouts 36 of the fixed piece 21P is generally rectangular, with transverse edges substantially perpendicular to its median part 24.

In the same way, the lugs 37 of the moveable piece 21S also have a generally rectangular contour, with lateral edges substantially perpendicular to its median part 30.

However, the corners of said lugs 37 are preferably rounded in order to not to cause injuries.

This is also the case with respect to the corners of the intermediate lug 38, and more generally with respect to all the corners of the moveable piece 21S as well as the fixed piece 21P.

Because of their construction, the arrangements are such that once the secondary door 11S is in the closed position, as shown in the drawings, and duly kept closed by its closure device 16, the fixed piece 21P carried by the main door 11P engages by means of one of its cutouts 36 on one of the lugs 37 of the moveable piece 21S carried by the rod 18 of the secondary door 11S, as shown by the arrow F3 in Figure 5, when, as shown by the arrow F4 in Figure 4, the main door 11P is itself brought into the closed position.

From then on, displacement of the rod 18 of the secondary door 11S necessary for opening thereof is prevented, as the moveable piece 21S carried by said rod 18 is stopped by means of the edge of one of its lugs 37 and the transverse edge of the cutout 36 of the fixed piece 21P in which it is engaged, as shown by B1 in Figure 3.

In other words, opening of the secondary door 11S is prevented.

In order to release said secondary door 11S, the main door 11P has first to be opened, the fixed piece 21P carried by said main door 11P then releasing the moveable piece 21S and thus the rod 18 of the secondary door 11S.

In the case where opening of the secondary door 11S is attempted before the main door 11P is opened, resulting in excessive force being exerted on the rod 18 of said secondary door 11S, a second stop is able to act between the moveable piece 21S of the locking means 20 and the fixed piece 21P to which it is joined, the intermediate lug 38 of said moveable piece 21S also being able to bear upon the fixed piece 21P, by means of its edge, as suggested in B2 in Figure 3.

In the case where in order to reverse the functions of the doors 11P, 11S, the fixed piece 21P is fixed to the door 11S, while the moveable piece 215 is foxed to the rod 18 of the door 11P, it is the other cutout 36 of the fixed piece 21P which acts in cooperation with the other lug 37 of the moveable piece 21S.

In all cases, and as is easily understood, the obliquity, with respect to the median part 30, of the moveable piece 21S and the free flange 33 of said moveable piece 21S to which both the lugs 37 and the intermediate lug 38 belong, facilitates engagement and disengagement of said free flange 33 with respect to the folded-over edge 14 of the door 11P, 11S concerned.

When closed, the secondary door 11S clearly has to be closed before the main door 11P.

When this is not done, the moveable piece 21S carrying the rod 18 will impede closure thereof.

Claims

1. Locking means to establish a determined order of opening of two adjacent doors, each being fitted on its internal face with a closure device, comprising at least one rod mounted in a manner such that the rod is moveable over at least a part of its height, the locking means comprising two pieces one of which, hereinafter referred to as the fixed piece, is connected to one of the doors, hereinafter referred to as the main door, whereas the other, hereinafter referred to as the moveable piece, is connected to the rod of the other of the doors, hereinafter referred to as the secondary door, and which, when both of the doors are closed cooperate with one another in the manner of a stop to prevent displacement of the rod of the secondary door in a direction required to allow opening of the secondary door.

2. Locking means according to claim 1, in which the fixed piece has a fixing flange by means of which it is fixed to the main door on the internal face thereof, and a free flange by means of which it cooperates with the moveable piece, the fixing flange and the free flange being disposed on either side of a median part.

3. Locking means according to claim 2, in which the fixed piece has a Z-shaped cross-section, its two flanges extending in opposite directions with respect to one another.

4. Locking means according to claim 2 or claim 3, in which the two flanges of the fixed piece extend substantially parallel to one another.

5. Locking means according to any one of claims 2 to 4, in which the fixing flange of the fixed piece has at least one notch therein by means of which it engages with a pin projecting from the main door.

6. Locking means according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in which the moveable piece has a fixing flange by means of which it is fixed to the rod of the secondary door, and a free flange by means of which it cooperates with the fixed piece, each respectively disposed on either side of a median part.

7. Locking means according to claim 6, in which the moveable piece has a U-shaped cross-section, its two flanges both extending in the same direction.

8. Locking means according to claim 7, in which the secondary door has a folded-over edge and the two flanges of the moveable piece each extend respectively on either side of the folded-over edge.

9. Locking means according to any one of claims 6 to 8, in which the free flange of the moveable piece forms a slightly obtuse angle with the median part.

10. Locking means according to any one of claims 1 to 9, in which in order to cooperate in the manner of a stop, the fixed piece has at least one cutout by means of which it is able to engage with a lug of the moveable piece.

11. Locking means according to claim 10 when appendant to claim 6 when appendant to claim 2, in which the cutout of the fixed piece is provided in the free flange thereof and the lug of the moveable piece is formed by the free flange thereof.

12. Locking means according to claim 10 or claim 11, in which the fixed piece has two cutouts therein at different heights, and the moveable piece has two lugs.

13. Locking means according to claim 12, in which the moveable piece comprises an intermediate lug between the two others.

14. Locking means according to any one of claims 10 to 13, in which the corners of each of the lugs of the moveable piece are rounded.

15. Cupboard assembly of the type using two adjacent doors each of which is fitted on its internal face with a closure device, comprising a rod mounted in a manner such that said rod is moveable over at least a part of its height, in which locking means in accordance with any one of claims 1 to 14 are joined to the doors.

16. Locking means to establish a determined order of opening of two adjacent doors substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings.