Abstract:
A hinge for a switch cupboard, having a first hinge part and a second hinge part. The first hinge part is arranged on a cupboard door and the second hinge part is arranged on the body of the switch cupboard. The hinge can be used on both left-mounted and right-mounted cupboard doors and has two fixing positions. Thus, the cupboard doors can be fixed to the body in two different positions at a distance from each other in the axial direction of the hinge.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to a hinge for a switchgear cabinet having a first binge element, which is attached to the cabinet door, and a second hinge element arranged on the body of the switchgear cabinet. 
     2. Description of Prior Art 
     Similar hinges are known from European Patent Reference EP 01 57 344 B1 and are applied to one side of the switchgear cabinet. Depending on the spatial requirements, the cabinet door must be selectively attachable to the right or the left of the switchgear cabinet. The hinges are attached symmetrically relative to the center plane of the switchgear cabinet, which extends transversely in relation to the hinge axis. The cabinet door covers almost all of the front of the switchgear cabinet. A gap remains only in a bottom area, so that the cabinet door does not rest on the bottom. Because of this gap, the center axis of the cabinet door, which extends transversely relative to the hinge axis, is arranged offset with respect to the center plane of the switchgear cabinet. Because of these symmetry conditions it is not possible to change the cabinet door easily between being fastened on the left and fastened on the right. Instead, the hinges have to be exchanged. However, this requires a large outlay of parts. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is one object of this invention to provide a hinge of the type mentioned at the outset, which can be used with a cabinet door fastened on the right, as well as on the left. 
     This object is attained with a hinge that has two holding positions, which allows the fixing in place of the cabinet door on the body in two positions, which are distanced from each other in the axial direction of the hinge. 
     Depending on the selected fastening type, the cabinet door can be fastened either in the first holding position or the second holding position. Thus, the hinge itself compensates for the symmetry conditions possible. Therefore the use of additional hinges or extensive modification measures are no longer required. 
     In a preferred embodiment of this invention the holding positions are offset with respect to each other in the axial direction of the body by twice the amount corresponding to the distance of the center plane of the body from the center axis of the cabinet door. This measure assures that the cabinet door can be mounted at the same height with either the left fastening or the right fastening. 
     In a possible variation of this invention the first hinge element is fastened firmly on the cabinet door or the body of the switchgear cabinet, and the second hinge element has two fastening receptacles determining the holding positions, by which the second hinge element can be fastened on the body, or respectively on the cabinet door. 
     In this case the fastenings are designed as bores cut into a holder, and the body, or respectively the cabinet door, has screw receptacles which can be aligned with the bores. A height compensation in the direction of the hinge axes can therefore be accomplished by the offset fastening possibilities alone. In another compensation possibility the hinge elements can be displaced with respect to each other in the axial direction of the hinge. It is thus possible to assure symmetry compensation by a displacement of both hinge elements with respect to each other within the hinge. 
     In this case, for example, one of the hinge elements can have two seating receptacles for receiving one hinge bolt or two hinge bolts. The seating receptacles are distanced from each other in the axial direction of the hinge. The other hinge element has a seating opening, which is maintained between the seating receptacles by means of the hinge bolt or bolts, and the seating opening can be displaced in the axial direction of the hinge between the two seating receptacles. 
     A spacer element, which is held between the two seating receptacles, can be used in order to fix the seating opening in place in the respective holding position. 
     The side of a switchgear cabinet which adjoins the hinge side is customarily covered by a wall element. If a holder for the side wall is attached to the second hinge element fastened on the body, no additional fastening elements are required. It is possible to reduce the parts expenditure by this embodiment. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     This invention will be described in greater detail in what follows by means of exemplary embodiments represented in the drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective exploded view of a rack for a switchgear cabinet and a cabinet door; 
     FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a switchgear cabinet and two cabinet doors; 
     FIGS. 3 a  and  b  is each a perspective view of a hinge for attachment of the cabinet door to the switchgear cabinet; 
     FIG. 4 is a schematic view of one embodiment of a hinge which is different from the ges shown in FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b ; and 
     FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a further embodiment of the hinge shown in FIG.  4 . 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     The body  10  of a switchgear cabinet, which is embodied as a rack, is shown in FIG.  1 . This rack is formed by a vertical profiled frame section  11  and a horizontal profiled frame section  12 . A cabinet door  13  can be hinged to the left vertical profiled frame section  11 . A circumferential seal  15  is applied to an inside of the cabinet door  13  and provides sealing on the profiled frame sections  11 ,  12 . 
     Four hinges are shown in FIG. 1 for hinging the cabinet door  13  on the body  10 . Different hinges in accordance with this invention are shown for demonstration purposes. However, customarily the same hinges are employed. The design of the individual hinges are addressed in detail later in the explanation of FIGS. 3 to  5 . 
     The cabinet door  13  can be hinged on the left as well as on the right on the body  10 . 
     The two hinging possibilities are schematically shown in FIG.  2 . As can be seen from this representation, first hinge elements  21  of the hinges are arranged symmetrically in relation to a center plane M of the switchgear cabinet, which extends transversely relative to the hinge axis. In contrast thereto, second hinge elements  17  of the hinge are fixed on the cabinet door  13  symmetrically relative to the plane of symmetry of the cabinet door  13 , which extends transversely to the hinge axis. The points of fixation on the cabinet door  13 , as well as on the switchgear cabinet, are marked by crosses. So that the cabinet door  13  can be pivoted open and closed without hindrance, a free space is positioned between the horizontal bottom edge of the cabinet door  13  and the floor. Because of this free space the cabinet door  13  has a lesser height than the switchgear cabinet itself. Because of these symmetry conditions, the center plane M of the switchgear cabinet is arranged offset relative to the axis of symmetry of the cabinet door  13 . 
     Each second hinge element  17  has two holding positions, which are identified in FIG. 2 by the numbers  1  and  2 . For hinging the cabinet door  13 , represented on the left, on the left side of the switchgear cabinet, the second hinge  17  is attached in the holding position  2 . 
     If now a change of the type of fastening is to be performed, the cabinet door  13  is brought, pivoted by 180°, to the right side of the switchgear cabinet. This manner of proceeding is represented by the two-headed arrow in FIG.  2 . In order to be able to maintain the symmetry conditions, the other holding position  1  of the second hinge element  17  is used. The cabinet door  13  is fastened on the first hinge element  21 . 
     The two holding positions  1  and  2  can be realized in different ways. Some possible variations are represented in FIGS. 3 to  5 . 
     FIG. 3 a  shows a hinge element  21 . 3 , which can be attached either to the switchgear cabinet or on the cabinet door  13 . For fastening, for example on the rack of a switchgear cabinet, a holder  27  is used, which has a fastening  29 . In the present case a plate-like holder  27  has a through-bore as the fastening  29  is cut. A strip  28  is connected at an angle with respect to the holder  27 . The holder  27  can be aligned on the body  10  of the switchgear cabinet by means of the strip  28 . On the side facing away from the strip  28 , the holder makes a transition into an angled portion  27 . 1 . The angled portion  27 . 1  has two seating receptacles  22 , which are arranged at a distance from each other. Each of the seating receptacles  22  receives a hinge bolt  25 . The two hinge bolts  25  are kept aligned with each other in the seating receptacles  22 . The center longitudinal axis of the hinge bolts  25  forms the hinge axis. Each of the hinge bolts  25  has two circumferential grooves  26 . In the representation in accordance with FIG. 3 a , only one of the circumferential grooves  26  is visible and the other is concealed by the seating receptacle  22 . A spring is maintained in a spring receptacle  24  of the seating receptacle  22  and the spring snaps into the groove  26 , which is not visible. 
     A spacer element  31  is arranged between the two bearing receptacles  22 . The remaining free space between the two seating receptacles  22  can be filled by a seating opening  19  of the first hinge element  17 , such as shown in FIG.  1 . For fixing the seating opening  19 , as well as the spacer element  31 , between the two seating receptacles  22 , the seating bolt  25  is pushed through a bore  34  of the spacer element  31  into the seating opening  19 . In the inserted state the spring element of the seating receptacle  22  snaps together with the second circumferential groove  26  of the seating bolt  25 . 
     As shown in FIG. 3 b , the spacer element  31  can be displaced between the two seating receptacles  22  and can be brought from its first position, shown in FIG. 3 a , into a second position, in which it rests against the upper seating receptacle  22 . It is possible to realize the two holding positions  1  and  2 , shown in FIG. 2, with the spacer element  31 . 
     Customarily the hinge elements  21 . 3  are made of one piece. In this case the spacer element  31  can also be rigidly connected with the hinge element  21 . 3 . The connection is made via a rated breaking point. The spacer element  31  can then be broken off and brought into the respective intended position. 
     A variation of a hinge element  21 . 3  is shown in FIG. 4, by means of which the two different holding positions  1  and  2  can be realized. In its function, the hinge element  21 . 2  is essentially similar to the hinge elements  21 . 3  as described in connection with FIGS. 3 a  and  3   b . One difference is that the seating receptacles  22  are distanced from each other only sufficiently far so that the seating opening  19  has room. Two fastenings  29 , such as through-bores, are cut into the holder  21 . The two fastenings  29  are distanced from each other in the direction of the hinge axis, so that two holding positions  1  and  2  are formed. It is thus possible to fasten the cabinet door  13  on the body  10  in two spaced-apart positions. 
     FIG. 5 shows a hinge element  21 . 1 , which is a further development of the hinge element  21 . 2  in accordance with FIG. 4. A strip  28  is accordingly formed on the holder  27 , by means of which the holder  27  can be aligned in turn on the switchboard cabinet. The strip  28  has a lateral wall holder  32 . The lateral wall holder  32  has a threaded receptacle, to which a lateral wall can be screwed. 
     While forming a free space  30 , the hinge elements  21 . 1 ,  21 . 2 ,  21 . 3  hold the seating receptacles  22  offset with respect to the angled portion  27 . 1 . With the cabinet door pivoted open, a circumferential bevel  14  of the cabinet door  13  can be received in the free space  30 . The bevel  14  is shown in FIG.  1 . In this way the free space  30  assures that the cabinet door  13  is sufficiently pivoted open. 
     Fixing in place the hinge elements  21 . 1 ,  21 . 2 ,  21 . 3  represented in FIGS. 3 a  to  5  can be accomplished by means of fastening screws  23 , which are conducted through fastenings  29  and can be screwed into fastening receptacles  20  of the body as shown in FIG.  1 .