ENCLOSURE FOR HOUSING CABLING AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT

Abstract: An enclosure for housing cable and associated equipment comprises a frame structure (22) and a plurality of panels (64, 66, 72, 74), the frame structure includes lower supporting means (24, 25) and an upper frame structure (26), the lower supporting means (24, 25) being arranged as a cantilever supported at its rear end, at least some of the panels being detachably mounted on the frame structure (22). One important advantage of the inventive enclosure is that of reduced deflection of the support members due to the weight of the cabling equipment which the enclosure holds.

Description: ENCLOSURE FOR HOUSING CABLING AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT The present invention relates to an enclosure for housing cabling and associate equipment and is concerned particularly, although not exclusively, with a wall mounted enclosure for housing connections of electronic and electrical cabling and associated equipment in a telecommunications or data communications network. A vast amount of cabling is used in the telecommunication and electronics industry. Existing cabinets used to house the junctions of cabling and associated equipment are normally floor standing. However, in some situations a smaller cabinet is required and this may be wall mounted. Easy access to the cabling is important and existing cabinets include detachable panels. One problem encountered with wall mounted enclosures is the deflection of the support members due to the weight of the cabling equipment. The deflection of the support members can in turn distort the shape of the cabinet and cause misalignment of the detachable panels. Such distortion is aesthetically undesirable and may cause difficulty in removing the side panels . For some applications of the wall mounted cabinets the security of the cabinet is important for reasons of safety and to stop unauthorised access. When the cabinets are heavily loaded the deflection of the members can cause the panels to become detached from the cabinet. According to the present invention there is provided an enclosure comprising a frame structure and a plurality of panels, the frame structure includes lower supporting means and an upper frame structure, the lower supporting means being arranged as a cantilever supported at its rear end, the enclosure being such that at least some of the panels are detachably mounted on the frame structure. In use the assembled cabinet may be mounted on a vertical wall. The lower supporting means preferably provides support for the upper frame structure. Preferably the lower supporting means comprises a substantially vertical planar section. The lower support means preferably comprises a cantilever member which is supported at the rear end and extends towards the front of the cabinet. Alternatively, the lower support means preferably comprises at least two cantilever members each being supported at the rear end and each extends towards the front of the cabinet. It is also preferable that each cantilever member is formed with a substantially vertical planar portion. Preferably, the dimension is greater in an upward direction at the rear of the planar portion than the corresponding dimension at the front of the planar portion. Alternatively, the dimension is substantially the same in an upward direction at the rear of the planar portion as the corresponding dimension at the front of the planar portion. Preferably the upper frame structure comprises a pair of structures. Each structure preferably comprises a substantially horizontal beam supported by two substantially vertical struts. Preferably the horizontal beam of at least one of the upper frame structures is attached to the respective substantially vertical strut by hinge means. The frame structure may also comprise an additional pivotal swing frame. The swing frame is preferably pivotal about a substantially horizontal axis, the arrangement being such that the uppermost portion of the swing frame rotates away from the rear of the cabinet. Alternatively, the swing frame is pivotal about a substantially vertical axis. Preferably the swing frame is disposed towards the front of the cabinet. The invention may be put into action in various ways, however, some embodiments will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a rear panel of an enclosure, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the rear panel of Figure 1 with a lower supporting frame structure and part of an upper frame structure added, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the assembly of Figure 2 with two panel mounting members added, Figure 4 is a perspective view of the assembly of Figure 3 with top and bottom panels added, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the assembly of Figure 4 with two side panels added, Figure 6 is a detailed view of the bottom of one of the mounting members, Figure 7 is a detailed view of the top of the mounting member of Figure 6 with the side panel removed, Figure 8 is a perspective view of a partly assembled enclosure incorporating a swing frame, and Figure 9 is a perspective view of a partly assembled enclosure incorporating a swing frame but excluding the mounting members. The Figures 1 to 7 show the typical stages involved when assembling a wall mountable enclosure for telecommunication cabling. Figure 1 shows a rectangular rear panel 10 of a wall mountable enclosure. The rear panel 10 comprises a planar back sheet 11 surrounded by a flange 12. The flange 12 extends away from the perimeter of the back sheet 11 in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the back sheet 11. The fixing holes are used to attach the cabinet to a wall. The back sheet 11 is formed with four fixing holes 14 that extend there through and are spaced inwardly of the perimeter of the back sheet 11. The back sheet 11 also comprises four locating studs 16 that extend perpendicularly from the surface of the back sheet 11 and are located inwardly of the perimeter of the panel 10. The uppermost horizontal section 18 of the flange 22 and the lowermost horizontal section 20 of the flange 12 each include respective central plates 22, 23. The respective plates 22, 23 extend in a direction towards one another away from the respective sections 18, 20 and substantially parallel to the plane of the back sheet 11. The plates 22, 23 are formed with a plurality of holes 21 which are used for attaching cable ties which secure cables entering the enclosure. Referring now to Figure 2, a frame structure 22 has been placed within the flange 12 and abuts the back sheet 11. The frame structure 22 is positioned by use of the locating studs 16. The frame structure 22 comprises a lower supporting frame structure and an upper frame structure 26. The lower frame structure comprises two cantilever beams 24, 25. The upper frame structure 26 comprises two vertical struts 28, 30 and two horizontal beams 32, 34. The cantilever beams 24, 25 are U-shaped channel sections each including a horizontal web 40 and two vertical flanges 42, 43 extending upwardly therefrom. The innermost vertical flanges 43 are of a uniformed height along their respective lengths. The outermost vertical flanges 42 are each formed with an integral triangular planar section 44. The vertical strut 28 extends upwardly away from the proximal end of the cantilever beam 24 and engages the proximal end of the horizontal beam 32. The vertical strut 28 is fixed to the cantilever beam 24 in two places by a rivet passing through appropriate holes in the respective elements. The first fixing point 46 is located at the lowermost part of the strut 28 and the second fixing point 47 is located at the uppermost part of the triangular shaped section 44. The uppermost end of the vertical strut 28 is fixed to and horizontal beam 32 by a rivet joint 29. The rivet joint 29 acts as a pivotable hinge about which the beam 32 can rotate. The beam 32 can rotate upwardly from the horizontal plane in a direction W until the beam 32 is substantially vertical. The beam 32 can also rotate downwardly from the horizontal plane in a direction opposite to direction W. It will be appreciated that the fixing means can be any suitable arrangement such as, but not limited to, nuts and bolts, screws, clips and security plugs. The second vertical strut 30 is disposed between and is fixed to the cantilever beam 25 and horizontal beam 34 in the same arrangement as the strut 28, the horizontal beam 32 and the cantilever beam 24. When a top panel is attached to the horizontal beams 32, 34 the two beams 32, 34 and the panel can be rotated about the rivets in the direction W so providing easy access to the inside of the cabinet. The upper horizontal beams 32, 34 are each an inverted U-shaped channel having a horizontal web portion 50 and two vertical flanges 52, 53 extending therefrom. Formed along the lengths of each flange 52, 53 there is a row of slots 54. The slots 54 extend vertically upwardly away from the edge of each of the flanges 52, 53. The slots 54 are used to locate and secure further frame members of the frame structure 22. The beams and struts of the frame structure 22 are formed with a plurality of holes and locating slots. These holes are used to are used for attaching cable ties that secure cables contained within the enclosure and for fixing the members and beams to each other. The slots are used to locate other members or enclosure panels. The forming of holes and slots in the frame structures of telecommunication enclosures is well known to the technical skilled person and therefore it is not necessary to provide any further detailed description of these features. Referring now to Figure 3, the upper frame structure 26 further comprises two U-shaped mounting channels 56, 57 disposed towards the distal ends of the respective cantilevers 24, 25 and horizontal beams 32, 34. The mounting channels 56, 57 are formed with a row of square shaped holes 58 along the lengths of respective flanges 60. The two uppermost ends of the channels 56, 57 are each formed with two slots appropriately shaped to interlock with the slots 54 of the respective beams 32, 34. Each channel 56, 57 is held interlocked with the respective beams 32, 34 by securing plugs (not shown) . The two respective lowermost ends of the channels 56, 57 are each formed with holes 62 that are used to attach the lowermost ends of the channels 56, 57 to the respective cantilever beams 24, 25 by a nut and bolt arrangement. The two cantilever beams 24, 25 provide support for the upper framework structure 26. The two horizontal beams 32, 34 of the upper framework structure 26 are each 'simply-supported' at their ends by the respective vertical struts 28, 30 and mounting channels 56, 57. The ends of the two beams 32, 34 are not fixed rigidly, hence the beams 32, 34 do not act as cantilevers. When a load is applied to the frame structure 22 the two triangular sections 44 significantly reduce the amount of vertical deflection of the beams 24, 25. Hence, the whole frame structure 22 remains substantially rigid when a load is applied to the frame structure 22. The thickness and dimensions of the elements of the upper framework 26 can be reduced because the beams 32, 34 do not act as load bearing cantilevers and the lower supporting framework undertakes the load carrying function of the cabinet. The reduced dimensions of the struts 28, 30 and beams 32, 34 of the upper framework 26 means there is more room inside the cabinet to house cabling. Referring to Figure 4, an upper panel 64 has been attached to the upper framework 26 and a lower panel 66 has been attached to the cantilever beams 24, 26. The upper panel 64 and lower panel 66 are each formed with respective cable access slots 68, 69. The slots 68, 69 are formed at the rear of the respective panels 64, 66. The upper panel 64 is formed with an array of square ventilation holes 70. The lower panel 66 is also formed with an array of square ventilation holes 71. Referring to Figure 5, two side panels 72, 74 have been attached to the sides of the cabinet. The uppermost surface of a front rim 76 of the lower panel 66 is formed with three location slots 77, 78, 79. The slots 77, 78, 79 are used for securing a pivotable front door or removable front panel (not shown) . Figure 6 shows, in more detail, the fixing holes 62 of the lower end of the mounting channel 57. Figure 7 shows in more detail the interlocking arrangement of the channel 57 and the horizontal beam 34. The channel 57 is formed with two holes 80 (only one shown in Figure 7) which align with two holes of the row of holes 81 formed in the vertical flange 53 of the beam 34. A securing plug (not shown) is placed through each of the holes 80 and corresponding hole 81. The securing plugs prevent the channel 57 from becoming detached from the beam 34. Referring to Figure 8, an additional rectangular swing frame 90 has been attached to the mounting channels 56, 57. The swing frame 90 can pivot in a forward direction X and back about an axis AA. In Figure 8 the respective lowermost ends of the mounting channels 56, 57 are received within the respective U-shaped channel sections of the cantilever beams 24, 25. The swing frame 90 provides additional mounting points for cabling. When the frame 90 is rotated in direction about AA the frame and cabling mounted thereon is removed from the cabinet. Hence, the access to the mounted cabling is improved. When the cabinet comprises the additional swing frame 90 the mounting channels 56, 57 may be removed as shown in Figure 9. The lowermost portions of the vertical struts of the swing frame 90 are each attached to the respective cantilever beams 24, 25 by a bracket 92 (only one shown in Figure 9) . The distal ends of the beams 32, 34 are supported by the swing frame 90 when the swing frame 90 is in the upright closed position. The brackets 92 are attached to the cantilever beams 24, 25 by a pivot pin. The swing frame 90 rotates about the axis YY which is co-axial with the pivot pins. Alternatively, the swing frame 90 may be suitably mounted on to the frame structure to allow a rotation about a vertical axis. The uppermost part of one vertical member of the swing frame would be pivotally mounted via a bracket arrangement to one of the horizontal beams 32, 34 and the lowermost part of the same vertical member would be pivotally mounted via a bracket arrangement to one of the respective cantilever beams 24, 25.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. An enclosure for housing cabling and associated equipment, characterised in that it comprises a frame structure (22) and a plurality of panels (64, 66, 72, 74) , the frame structure includes lower supporting means (24, 25) and an upper frame structure (26) . the lower supporting means (24, 25) being arranged as a cantilever supported at its rear end, at least some of the panels being detachably mounted on the frame structure (22) . 2. An enclosure as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lower supporting means (24, 25) provide support for the upper frame structure (26) . 3. An enclosure as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the lower supporting means (24, 25) comprise a cantilever member supported at its rear end so as to extend towards the front of the enclosure. 4. An enclosure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lower support means comprise at least two cantilever members (24, 25) each supported at the rear end and extending towards the front of the enclosure. 5. An enclosure as claimed in any one of claims 3 or 4, wherein a cantilever member (24, 25) is formed with a substantially vertical planar portion. 6. An enclosure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the dimension of each cantilever member (24 or 25) is greater in an upward direction at the rear of the planar portion than the corresponding dimension at the front of the planar portion. 7. An enclosure as claimed in claim 5, wherein the dimension of each cantilever member (24 or 25) , is substantially the same in an upward direction at the rear of the planar portion as the corresponding dimension at the front of the planar portion. 8. An enclosure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the upper frame structure (26) comprises a pair of structures (28, 30) . 9. An enclosure as claimed in claim 8, wherein each upper frame structure comprises a substantially horizontal beam (32 or 34) supported by a substantially vertical strut (28 or 30) . 10. An enclosure as claimed in claim 9, wherein the horizontal beam (32 or 34) of at least one of the upper frame structures (26) is attached to the respective substantially vertical strut (28 or 30) by hinge means (not shown) . 11. An enclosure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the upper frame structure comprises an additional pivotal swing frame (90) pivotal about a substantially horizontal axis, the arrangement being such that the uppermost portion of the swing frame rotates away from the rear of the enclosure. 12. An enclosure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the upper frame structure comprises an additional pivotable swing frame (not shown) pivotal about a substantially vertical axis. 13. An enclosure as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the additional swing frame is disposed towards the front of the enclosure.

Inventors: HORNE DAVID, HORNE, DAVID
Applicants: APW ELECTRONICS LTD, HORNE DAVID, APW ELECTRONICS LIMITED, HORNE, DAVID
Application year: 2000
Main classification: H04Q1
IPC codes: H02B1, H04Q1