Abstract:
A switchgear cabinet closing device for locking a cabinet door on a switchgear cabinet. The closing device has a handle on which a closing mechanism is connected via an adjusting mechanism, whereby the handle is held on a housing mounted on an outer side of the cabinet door, and whereby the handle is secured in the lock position by a closing device. In order to adapt such a switchgear cabinet closing device to various closing systems in a simple manner, the housing has a primary housing for mounting the handle such that it can pivot, and a collar housing which can be connected to the primary housing. This invention also provides a collar housing that accommodates a lock of the closing mechanism.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a switchgear cabinet locking device for locking a cabinet door of a switchgear cabinet, having a handle, to which a locking mechanism is connected via an actuating mechanism, wherein the handle is held on a housing attached to an exterior of the cabinet door, and wherein the handle is secured in a blocked position by a locking device. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     Such a lock is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,889. In this case the housing held on the cabinet door is shaped so that it simultaneously forms the handle. It has a receptacle, in which a cylinder lock is exchangeably housed. The housing can be fastened on an actuating mechanism embodied as a pinion shaft. The pinion shaft is passed through the cabinet door and connected to a locking mechanism on the back of the cabinet door. 
     Users which employ several switchgear cabinets are demanding, in larger numbers, that all switchgear cabinets should be opened with a single key. Large companies in particular use special keys for this purpose. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is one object of this invention to provide a switchgear cabinet locking device of the type mentioned above but which permits refitting to different locking systems, in a simple manner. 
     This object is attained with a base housing, together with the attachment housing, forming a handle recess, in which the handle is housed in a locked position. 
     It is preferred that the lock is received exchangeably in the attachment housing, so that the lock can be used for a group of locks. 
     In one preferred embodiment of this invention the lock is held in an adapter element, which can be connected with the attachment housing. The adapter element has a standardized mechanical interface, into which different configurations of locks can be inserted. Thus the attachment housing can be adapted to geometrically differently designed locks by the adapter element. In one embodiment of this invention the lock has a transfer device, which transfers actuating movement of the lock to a linearly displaceable transmission element, which actuates a bolt for blocking the handle. In the closed position the bolt fixes the handle on the base, or respectively the attachment housing. 
     Any arbitrary locks, for example a cylinder lock or a pushbutton lock, can be held in the attachment housing. 
     In accordance with one embodiment of this invention, the handle is pivotal in a direction vertical with respect to the plane formed by the cabinet door, and in the pivoted-in position is blocked in the pivot direction by the lock in order to prevent an unauthorized opening. Furthermore, the handle can also be kept interlockingly transverse to the pivot direction on the base housing, so that it cannot be moved laterally out of the handle recess by force. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be explained in greater detail in what follows by means of preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective side view of a sliding rod locking device with the handle in a pivoted in position; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective side view of the sliding rod locking device in accordance with FIG. 1 but with the handle in a partially pivoted out position; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective side view of the sliding rod locking device in accordance with FIGS. 1 and 2 but with the handle in a completely pivoted out position; 
     FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing the sliding rod locking device in accordance with FIGS. 1 to  3  with the handle in the pivoted out position; and 
     FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the elements of a kit for altering the sliding rod locking device in accordance with FIGS. 1 to  4 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     A switchboard cabinet locking device designed as a sliding rod locking device, which has a housing  10  with a handle recess  10 . 4 , is shown in FIG.  1 . The housing  10  comprises two parts, including a base housing  10 . 1  and an attachment housing  10 . 2 . With the attachment housing  10 . 2  installed, the base housing  10 . 1  and the attachment housing  10 . 2  together form the handle recess  10 . 4 . A handle  20  is housed in the handle recess  10 . 4 . 
     FIG. 1 shows that in its pivoted-in position the handle  20  is received with its surface flush with the housing  10 . The attachment housing  10 . 2  receives a lock  10 . 3 . 
     A sliding rod locking device in accordance with FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2, wherein the handle  10  is partially pivoted out of the handle recess  10 . 4 . It can be seen that the handle  20  is connected with the housing  10  via an actuating mechanism  10 . 10 . The functioning of the actuating mechanism  10 . 10  is explained later, making reference to FIG.  4 . 
     A bolt  10 . 7 , housed in a bolt receptacle  10 . 6 , is used for fixing the handle  20  in place in the pivoted-in position. On its outer contour, the bolt receptacle  10 . 6  has centering devices  10 . 5 , on which a handle  20  is laterally stabilized in the pivoted in position. It is thus assured that the handle  20  cannot be laterally bent off by force. 
     The sliding rod locking device is shown in the completely pivoted-out position in FIG.  3 . 
     To explain the functioning of the sliding rod locking device, particular reference is made to FIG.  4 . FIG. 4 shows the sliding rod locking device in a side sectional view. On one end, the handle  20  is connected to an actuating member  10 . 15  by means of a hinge  10 . 14 . The hinge  10 . 14  forms a horizontal pivot axis, around which the handle  20  can be pivoted. A restoring spring  10 . 13  is also arranged in the area of the hinge  10 . 14 . The restoring spring  10 . 13  maintains the handle  20  under spring-loaded tension, so that it is maintained in its pivoted-out position. Thus, the restoring spring  10 . 13  acts opposite the inward pivoting direction of the handle  20 . A lever  10 . 9  is provided as a further component of the actuating mechanism  10 . 10 . The lever  10 . 9  is fastened on a pivot bearing  10 . 8 , which projects out of the handle recess  10 . 4 . The lever  10 . 9  is connected with the handle  20  on an end remote from the pivot bearing  10 . 8 . The lever  20  has an elongated hole  10 . 12  for this purpose, in which a bolt of the handle  20  is received. 
     To move the handle  20  into its pivoted-in position, it is necessary to exert a force on the handle  20 . While pivoting the handle  20 , the applied force is transferred via the actuating mechanism  10 . 10  to the actuating member  10 . 15 , so that the actuating member  10 . 15  can be linearly displaced in the base housing  10 . 1 . In this case the lever  10 . 9  transfers the applied force, so that large locking forces can be transferred via the actuating member  10 . 15 . The actuating member  10 . 15  has two retainers  10 . 16 . In the present case, the retainers  10 . 16  are designed as threaded receivers. By the retainers  10 . 16 , the actuating member  10 . 15  can be connected to a sliding rod  40  through openings  32  in a cabinet door  30 . The sliding rod  40  has two screw receivers  41 , into which fastening screws can be inserted and screwed into the retainers  10 . 16 . The openings  32  are designed as elongated holes. Because of a linear displacement of the actuating member  10 . 15 , the sliding rod  40  is also linearly displaced on the back of the cabinet door  30 . The sliding rod  40  is designed as a profiled angle section with two profiled legs arranged at right angles with respect to each other. Here, the one profiled leg rests on the back of the cabinet door  30 . The second profiled leg rests against an edge of the cabinet door  30 . For locking the cabinet door  30  on a switchgear cabinet, the sliding rod  40  has locking elements  42 , which cooperate with corresponding counter elements of the switchgear cabinet. 
     The bolt  10 . 7  is used for fixing the handle  20  in the pivoted-in position. The bolt  10 . 7  is held, linearly displaceable, in the bolt receiver  10 . 6  and has a snap-in receiver  10 . 24 , into which a correspondingly designed snap-in shoulder  20 . 1  of the handle  20  can snap. The bolt  10 . 7  is connected to a transfer element  10 . 20 , which is received, linearly displaceable, in the attachment housing  10 . 2 . The transfer element  10 . 20  is maintained, pre-stressed against a spring  10 . 21 . The spring  10 . 21  urges the bolt  10 . 7  in its snapped-in position, as shown in FIG.  4 . While pivoting the handle  20  in, the snap-in shoulder  20 . 1  acts on an inclined deflection face of the bolt  10 . 7  and thus is displaced opposite the action of the spring. After passing the inclined deflection face, the snap-in shoulder  10 . 7  snaps into the snap-in receiver  10 . 24  of the bolt  10 . 7  and the bolt  10 . 7  snaps back into its initial position. To release this locking, the transfer element  10 . 20  is connected to a lock  10 . 3 . The lock  10 . 3  is received in the attachment housing  10 . 2 . The lock  10 . 3  can be operated by means of a locking element  50 , so that the transfer element  10 . 20  and the bolt  10 . 7  are displaced. Thus, the bolt  10 . 7  releases the handle  20 , so that the handle  20  can be moved into its pivoted-out position. 
     Screw connections  10 . 19  can be used to fix the attachment housing  10 . 2  on the base housing  10 . 1 . 
     A kit is shown in FIG. 5, by means of which the switchgear cabinet locking device can be adapted to various requirements of the user. Two different attachment housings  10 . 2  are used for this purpose. In this case, one of the attachment housings  10 . 2  is used for receiving a special locking cylinder, for example a profiled semi-cylinder. The other attachment housing  10 . 2  can be individualized by means of different configurations of locks  10 . 3 . 
     By way of example, the center column in FIG. 5 shows three different types of locks  10 . 3 , which can be housed in specially produced adapter elements  10 . 25 . 
     Accordingly, a rotating cylinder lock, a pushbutton lock or a combined rotating cylinder and pushbutton lock, for example, can be used as the lock  10 . 3 . The adapter elements  10 . 25  can be screwed with uniform interfaces to the attachment housing  10 . 2 . 
     The right column of FIG. 5 shows several different standard locks  10 . 3 , each of which can be operated by means of its own key. These standard locks  10 . 3  have uniform attachment means, with which they can be fastened to a special adapter element  10 . 25 . Thus, the adapter element  25  can be screwed to the attachment housing  10 . 2 . The adapter element  10 . 25  can be embodied in two parts. It has a base element, which receives the lock  10 . 3 , and an attachment element, which has the fastening receiver  10 . 19 .