Casing for electronic components

Abstract: Transportable, medical construction unit with a casing for receiving essentially electronic components with at least two casing parts surrounding the components. For the connection of adjacent casing parts rings are shaped onto the inner wall of the casing parts and coincide with the rings of the adjacent casing part. Locking pins are passed through coinciding rings arranged in aligned manner on a casing wall formed from the two partial casing walls. This ensures a reliable, mechanical connection of the casing parts with a minimum space requirement for the connecting elements.

Description: The present invention relates to a casing for receiving electronic components, in particular for medical purposes. In connection with the miniaturization of in particular medical equipment, e.g. installed bedside, i.e. adjacent to the patient and which is able to measure, evaluate and transmit to a monitor the most important medical parameters, such as e.g. ECG, breathing or blood pressure, for hygienic reasons there should be an all-round, tightly sealed casing, so that during cleaning no moisture can pass into the interior. However, not much space is normally available for the connection of the individual casing parts, because the construction unit must be as small and handy as possible. Screw connections are in particular disadvantageous, because they must be displaced towards the inside on the casing edge and are therefore relatively space-consuming. Screw connections are particularly disadvantageous if, e.g. for patient safety reasons, an insulating plane must be incorporated in the interior of the casing, because the screws might penetrate said insulating plane. When using detents for closing the casing once again, openings are necessary in order to permit the opening of the casing. DE-A-3 323 604 discloses a casing for eletronic components, wherein the casing parts are snap fitted together. The problem of the present invention is to propose a solution, which allows a reliable mechanical connection of the casing parts in particular for limited space requirements for the connecting elements and a tight casing. The problem is solved by claim 1. Further advantageous developments can be gathered from the subclaims. According to the invention, a reliable closure of the casing can take place by means of two straight locking pins along e.g. two facing casing walls. The locking pins are preferrably passed from the outside through a casing wall at an angle to the locking casing wall. The locking pins may have as a stop a head on which engagement can take place for the removal of the locking pin. The sealing of the locking pins can be brought about either by sealants introducible between the head and the casing wall, or by an additional cover. According to a preferred embodiment the front end has an additional cover, which covers and secures the locking pins. The cover is held on the casing parts by means of a snap closure. As a result of this special design, the construction unit is closed all round and protected against penetrating moisture. The locking pins are invisible and consequently do not offer themselves as a dismantling possibility with respect to the casing for unauthorized persons. At a glance it is not apparent how the casing is to be opened. Advantageously, the casing parts, locking pins and cover are made from plastic. For the case no insulation is required, metal pins can also be used. Another preferred embodiment is given by claim 5. The central casing part is connected by means of the locking pins on the one hand to the upper cover part and on the other to the base part. Fundamentally this construction form and connection by means of rings and locking pins can be extended to an arbitrary number of further casing parts. Thus, the invention provides a reliable, mechanical connection of the casing parts with a minimum space requirement for the connecting elements. The connecting elements are located internally and are consequently invisible and inaccessible from the outside. The casing parts have no openings, so that the necessary electrical insulation can be maintained. In additional, simple assembly and disassembly without tools is possible. A loosening of the connection under vibration action is not possible. The invention is also of economic interest due to the use of plastic injection mouldings. The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter relative to a particularly preferred embodiment and the attached drawings, wherein: Fig. 1 shows a perspective overall view of a medical, transportable construction unit, Fig. 2 depicts the construction unit of Fig. 1 with the upper casing part removed, Fig. 3 depicts a cross-sectional view along section A-A of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 shows a larger-scale view of detail X in Fig. 3. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a portable, medical construction unit 1 having a casing 2, which is constituted by an upper casing part 3, a lower casing part 4, a central casing part 11 located between the two casing parts 3, 4 and a cover 5 located at the front end and provided with recesses for electrical plug connection 6. The resulting construction unit is approximately 188 mm long, 96.5 mm wide and 50.5 mm high. Figure 2 shows the construction unit 1 without the upper casing part 3 and the cover 5 together with a locking pin 7 removed from the lower casing part 4. In this embodiment the construction unit 1 has locking pins 7 to 10 extending in the longitudinal direction of the casing and which are inserted into said casing 2 from the front end 12. The locking pins 7 and 8 pass through rings 13 (i.e. lugs with an aperture, respectively), which are fixed to the central casing part 11. The locking pins 9 and 10 pass through rings, which are not visible in this drawing, in the interior of the casing 2. All the locking pins have a head 14, which serves as a stop during insertion and also for better removal purposes. The cover 5 is held in position by means of detents 15 and prevents a detachment of the locking pins 7 to 10, e.g. due to vibrations. Figure 3 shows the casing parts 3, 4 and 11, as well as the locking pins 7 to 10 in cross-section. For better illustration purposes detail X of figure 3 is shown again in perspective view and on a larger scale in figure 4A. Figure 4A shows the upper casing part 3, the lower casing part 4 and the central casing part 11 with the associated shaped rings 16 (casing part 2), rings 13, 17 (casing part 11) and rings 18 (casing part 4). Through the corresponding openings of the rings 13, 16 is passed the locking pin 7 and through the openings of rings 17, 18 the locking pin 10. Figure 4B is a plan view of a partial section of detail X of figure 38 and figure 48 is a plan view of the opposite side. Figure 4C shows the mounting of the pin 7 in the ring 16 fixed to the upper casing part 3 and the mounting of the pin 10 in the ring 18 fixed to the lower casing part 4. Figure 4D shows the corresponding mounting of the locking pins 7, 10 in the rings 13, 17. A comparison of the drawing shows that the locking pins reliably brace the casing parts. Figures 4C and 4D also show the mounting of the individual casing parts 3, 4 and 11 for sealing the casing. The central casing part 11 is used for the electrical separation or isolation of the upper casing space 19 and the lower casing space 20.

Claims: A casing (2) for receiving electronic components in particular for medical purposes, comprising: at least two casing parts (3, 4, 11) having a plurality of aligned lugs (13, 16, 17, 18) on the inner wall of each casing part for the connection of the casing parts, whereby the aligned lugs provide aligned apertures which align with the apertures in the lugs of the other casing part(s) when the casing parts are assembled together, and a plurality of straight locking pins (7-10) insertable through respective aligned apertures formed in the lugs of the casing parts for assembling the casing parts together. The casing (2) according to claim 1, further comprising a cover means (5) for covering and securing the locking pins (7-10). The casing (2) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the casing parts (3, 4, 11), the locking pins (7-10), and the cover (5) are made from plastic. The casing (2) according to any one of the claims 1-3, wherein the locking pins (7-10) comprise a head for engaging the locking pins. The casing (2) according to any one of the claims 1-4, wherein a central casing part (11) is inserted as an insulating part between a first one and a second one of the casing parts (3, 4, 11), and the central casing part (11) separates a space (19) surrounded by the first casing part (3) from a space (20) surrounded by the second casing part (4). The casing (2) according to any one of the claims 1-5, wherein the direction of projection of the lugs is such that the locking pins are inserted in a direction substantially transverse to the direction in which the casing parts are assembled.

Inventors: FLACHSLAENDER ERWIN, FLACHSLAENDER, ERWIN, Flachsländer, Erwin
Applicants: HEWLETT PACKARD GMBH, HEWLETT-PACKARD GMBH
Application year: 1995
Main classification: H05K5
IPC codes: A61B5, H05K5