Abstract:
An electrical switchgear cabinet for an electrical service distribution panel includes a rear wall having four corners and four side edges and a peripheral L-shaped first bent edge disposed on each of the four side edges; a first side wall with at least two bent edges; a base wall with at least two bent edges; and a first attachment part disposed at a first corner of the rear wall and insertable behind the first bent edges of two of the four side edges, wherein the first attachment part has two longitudinally running slots, a first slot receiving one of the at least two first side wall bent edges and a second slot receiving one of the at least two base wall bent edges.

Description:
[0001]    This is a U.S. National Phase Application under 35 U.S.C. §171 of International Application No. PCT/EP2008/005963 filed on Jul. 21, 2008, which claims priority to German Application No. DE 10 2007 034 513.7, filed on Jul. 24, 2007. The International Application was published in German on Jan. 29, 2009 as WO 2009/0129 62  under PCT Article 21(2). 
     
    
       [0002]    The invention relates to an electrical switchgear cabinet for an electrical service distribution panel. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0003]    Switchgear cabinets for electrical service distribution panels of this type have a rear wall, two side walls, a base wall and a ceiling wall, and these walls are welded to one another at their edges. A door is fitted in an articulated manner to one of the vertical free edges of the switchgear cabinet which faces forward and the interior of the switchgear cabinet is accessible or can be closed by said door. 
         [0004]    The disadvantage of this structural solution is that the switchgear cabinet itself cannot be dismantled but has to be produced in the factory, this being unfavorable in terms of transportation. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0005]    An aspect of the present invention is to provide an electrical switchgear cabinet of the type mentioned in the introduction which can be dismantled for transportation purposes and furthermore can be easily assembled. 
         [0006]    According to the invention, the rear wall therefore has a peripheral L-shaped bent edge and also an attachment part for the side walls, the base wall and the ceiling wall, it being possible for the attachment part to be inserted behind the bent edges in the region of the corners by way of projections; the side walls, the base wall and the ceiling wall are then inserted into longitudinally running slots on the attachment part by way of bent wall edges. 
         [0007]    In a preferred embodiment, the bent wall edges on the base wall and ceiling wall and also on the side walls are provided in an approximately L-shaped manner with a bent edge bar which runs at right angles to the wall face, and a bent edge limb which adjoins said bent edge bar, it being possible for the latter to be inserted into in each case one longitudinal slot on the attachment part. 
         [0008]    According to one advantageous refinement of the invention, in order to improve mounting the bent edge limb of the bent wall edge is bent in the direction of the inner face, starting from the bent edge bar, at a specific angle. This angle is preferably 45°. The bent edge bar forms an angle of 45° with the inner face of the associated side walls, the base and ceiling wall. 
         [0009]    The orientation of the slots in the attachment part is matched to this angle, and therefore the slots in the attachment part run parallel to one another and are likewise oriented at this angle in relation to the side edge of the rear wall. When the specific angle is 45°, the slots likewise run at an angle of 45° in relation to said side edge. 
         [0010]    The angle of approximately 45° or perhaps also exactly 45° has the advantage of optimum production options. 
         [0011]    In a particularly advantageous refinement, a retaining plate, also called a retaining foot, is integrally formed on the rear wall-side end of the attachment part in order to improve mounting, it being possible for said retaining plate to be inserted parallel to the rear wall face, so as to slide on it, into the respective corner behind the free limbs of the L-shaped first bent edges. 
         [0012]    In this case, a receiving gap is advantageously provided in the retaining foot, the limbs of the first bent edges engaging in said receiving gap in the assembled state. 
         [0013]    In this case, sawtooth-like pins can be arranged within the receiving gap, said sawtooth-like pins engaging in cutouts in the limbs of the first bent edges in the assembled state. 
         [0014]    In this case, the pins run parallel to the insertion direction of the retaining foot onto the associated corner. 
         [0015]    Further receiving slots can be integrally formed on the retaining or attachment foot, it being possible for further bent edges on the side walls, on the ceiling wall and on the base wall to be inserted into or engage in said receiving slots. 
         [0016]    The attachment part advantageously has an attachment section which is integrally formed on the retaining foot. 
         [0017]    This attachment part can preferably have an L shape; outer faces of the limbs of the attachment section which are oriented outward in relation to the switchgear cabinet form a receiving space together with a bar which runs obliquely to said limb faces, with the slots being arranged at the transition point between the outer faces and the bar. 
         [0018]    In this case, the receiving gap is located in the region of the receiving space between the limb faces (also called outer faces) and the bar face. 
         [0019]    Elongate holes, of which the function is discussed in detail further below, are provided at a suitable distance from one another in these outer faces. 
         [0020]    An outer corner part can be placed in the receiving space between the limb face or outer faces and the bar or the bar face, said outer corner part being screwed from the interior of the switchgear cabinet to the attachment part for the purpose of improved mounting. 
         [0021]    In this case, the outer corner part can preferably have an approximately rectangular cross section, with a fitting face being provided between two corner part planes which run at right angles to one another, said fitting face corresponding to the bar face of the bar, and therefore the planes and the fitting face in each case running parallel to the limb faces and to the bar face on the attachment part when the outer corner part is mounted. 
         [0022]    Projections are integrally formed on the attachment planes of the outer corner part, said projections fitting into the corresponding slots in the outer faces or limb faces of the attachment part in the assembled state. 
         [0023]    Furthermore, slots which correspond to the slots are provided on the bent edge bars of the side walls, the base and ceiling wall, and the projections pass through the slots in the second bent edges and the slots in the attachment part for fixing the walls when the outer corner part is mounted in order to brace the side walls, the ceiling and the base wall to the attachment part. 
         [0024]    In order for the switchgear cabinet to meet the requirements of standard IP54, the outer corner part in each case has sealing lips comprising soft-elastic material, which sealing lips are placed against the side walls. 
         [0025]    Further advantageous refinements of the invention and further advantageous improvements can be found in the further dependent claims. 
         [0026]    The invention will be explained and described in greater detail with reference to the drawings which illustrate a switchgear cabinet in different mounting steps. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0027]    In the drawings: 
           [0028]      FIG. 1  shows an internal view of a completely assembled switchgear cabinet according to the invention, 
           [0029]      FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  4  show different mounting steps for mounting an attachment part on the rear wall, 
           [0030]      FIG. 5  shows a sectional view according to section line V-V of  FIG. 3 , with the attachment part mounted, 
           [0031]      FIG. 6  shows a plan view of the corner region of a switchgear cabinet in a further mounting step, as seen from the rear of the rear wall, 
           [0032]      FIG. 7  shows a view which is similar to that of  FIG. 6  of an attachment part before insertion of a side wall, 
           [0033]      FIG. 8  shows a further mounting step, 
           [0034]      FIG. 9  shows a view into a switchgear cabinet in the region of the bottom-right corner after mounting of the base and side wall and before the outer corner part is positioned, and 
           [0035]      FIG. 10  shows the completely assembled switchgear cabinet. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0036]    Reference will now be made to  FIG. 1 . 
         [0037]      FIG. 1  shows an internal view of a switchgear cabinet  10  which has a rear wall  11 , two side walls  12  and  13 , a base wall  14  and a ceiling wall  15 . Internal components and the front door are not shown. 
         [0038]    Reference will now be made to  FIG. 2   
         [0039]      FIG. 2  shows a perspective view of the right-hand region of the inner side of the rear wall  11  which has peripheral, inwardly projecting bent edges  16  which have a bar  17  which runs at right angles to the rear wall and a limb  18  which runs at right angles to said bar, with the limb  18  running parallel to the inner face of the rear wall  11 . 
         [0040]    In the region of the corners, of which only the top right-hand corner  19  and the bottom right-hand corner  20  are illustrated, obliquely running cutouts  21 ,  22  or  23  and  24 , also called slots, are located in the limbs  18 , said cutouts forming an angle of 45° in relation to the adjacent vertical or horizontal side edge of the rear wall  11 , with the open side of the angle of 45° being open to the adjacent corner  19  or  20 . 
         [0041]    Reference will now be made to  FIG. 3 . 
         [0042]    In contrast to the view of  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3  illustrates a perspective view of the top left-hand corner  25  of the switchgear cabinet, with the individual elements being provided with the same reference numerals for the purpose of illustrating identity. 
         [0043]    In accordance with the number of corners  19 ,  20 ,  25 , four attachment parts  30  are provided on the rear wall  11 , said attachment parts having an attachment foot or an attachment or retaining plate  31  by way of which the attachment part  30  can be inserted into the respective corner  19  or  20  or  25  in accordance with arrow direction P (also see  FIG. 2 ). 
         [0044]    The attachment part  30  has a first attachment section  32  which has an approximately L-shaped cross section with two limbs  33  and  34 , with the two limbs  33  and  34  being connected by means of an intermediate bar  35  and these together forming the attachment section  32 . On the inside, the limbs  33  and  34  each have a limb face  36  and  37  which run at right angles to one another; slots  38  and  39  which run in the longitudinal direction and are arranged parallel to one another and at right angles to the bar  35  are provided between the bar  35 , which forms an angle of 45° in relation to the limb faces  36  and  37 , and the respective limb faces  36 ,  37 , with the function of said slots being explained in greater detail further below. A cutout  40  is located on the outer side between the two limbs  33  and  34 , with the side walls  41  and  42  of the cutout  40  running at right angles to the limb face  36  or  37 . 
         [0045]    The attachment section  32  is integrally connected to the retaining plate  31 , also called retaining foot, with the retaining foot  31  running at right angles to the longitudinal extent of the limbs  33  and  34  or at right angles to the longitudinal extent of the attachment section  32 . 
         [0046]    In this case, the attachment section  32  is integrally formed in an asymmetrical manner on the retaining foot  31 , and therefore the outer faces  43  and  44  which run at right angles to the limb faces  36  and  37  lie level with the outer face of the bars  17  in the assembled state and are located approximately in the plane of the narrow side faces  47  and  48 . The retaining foot  31  is approximately square and the attachment section  32  is mounted in the region of one of the corners of the retaining foot  31 . The space  49  located between the limb faces  36 ,  37  and the bar face  35  is open to the corners, which together form the two narrow side walls  47 ,  48 , and adjoins these corners. 
         [0047]    The retaining foot  31  has a receiving gap  46  at a distance from the outer face (not visible in  FIG. 3 ) which protrudes from the inner face of the rear wall in the assembled state, said receiving gap being provided in the region of the narrow side faces  47  and  48  of the retaining foot  31  within the space  49  which is located through the limb faces  36 ,  37  and the bar  35 . The receiving gap  46  is therefore located outside the attachment section  32  in relation to the interior of the switchgear cabinet, and the limbs  18  lie on the retaining foot within the attachment section, in relation to the switchgear cabinet. 
         [0048]      FIG. 5  shows a section through the receiving gap  46  according to section line VI-VI and sawtooth-like pins  50  and  51  can be seen within the receiving gap  46 , said sawtooth-like pins being dimensioned such that they can engage in the cutouts  21 ,  22  and  23 ,  24  respectively. 
         [0049]    Accordingly, the attachment part  30  is placed on the inner face of the rear wall  11  by way of the outer face  45  of the attachment foot  31  and then pushed into the respective corner in arrow direction P, and therefore the sections  52 ,  52   a  of the limbs  18  which are located between the cutouts  21  and  22  and the associated corner  25  engage in the receiving gap  46 , and the sawtooth-like projections or pins which are present within the receiving gap  46  engage in the cutouts  21  and  22 . In  FIG. 3 , the inner contour of the receiving gap  46  with the sawtooth-like projections  50  and  51  is illustrated in dashed lines. The thickness of the attachment foot  31 , in relation to the switchgear cabinet, within the attachment section  32  corresponds to the thickness D, that is to say to the distance between the inner face of the rear wall  11  and the inner face of the limb  18 . 
         [0050]      FIG. 4  shows the attachment part  30  in the finally installed state when, therefore, the retaining foot or attachment foot  31  is tucked behind the limbs  18  of the peripheral bent edge  16 . Within the free edge of the limbs  18  and within the attachment section  31 , the retaining foot  31  in each case has a receiving slot  110 ,  111  which is parallel to the adjacent edge of the limbs  18 , see further below.  FIG. 4  shows the attachment part  30  in the region of the bottom right-hand corner of the switchgear cabinet. All the attachment parts  30  are identical and are only rotated in each case through 90° in relation to the adjacent attachment part  30  in accordance with the mounting position, as can be seen in  FIG. 2 ,  FIG. 3 ,  FIG. 4  and also  FIG. 8 . 
         [0051]    Reference will now be made to  FIG. 6 . 
         [0052]    In said  FIG. 6 , the rear wall  11  is perspectively illustrated from the rear, with the attachment part  30  being fixed to the rear wall  11 . 
         [0053]    The side wall  13  should now be mounted, this being performed as follows: 
         [0000]    at its upper and lower horizontally running edge, the side wall  13  has an L-shaped bent edge  60  which has a bent edge bar  61  which runs at right angles to the side wall  13  and a bent edge limb  62  which is bent through an angle of  45 ° in relation to said bent edge bar, with the angle between the bent edge bar  61  and the bent edge limb  62  on the inner side of the bent edge  60  being 135°. 
         [0054]    Further bent edges  63  and  64  are provided on the vertically running side edges of the side wall  13 . The bent edges  63  have a limb  63   a  which engages in the respective receiving slot  110 ,  111 . 
         [0055]    In order to mount the side wall  13 , the side wall is inserted into the slot  39  in accordance with arrow direction P 1  from the free end side of the attachment part  30  by way of the limb  62 , specifically in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the attachment part  30 . 
         [0056]      FIG. 7  shows the same mounting step for the side wall  13  at its lower edge, this also being applicable for the other side wall  12 . 
         [0057]    The base and ceiling walls  14 ,  15  are also inserted into the other longitudinally running slots in the attachment part  30  in a corresponding manner, and therefore the cabinet is substantially completely assembled after the mounting step shown in  FIG. 8 . 
         [0058]    Reference is now made to  FIG. 9 . 
         [0059]      FIG. 9  shows the attachment part  30  which is completely mounted in the corner  20  of the switchgear cabinet  10 .  FIG. 9  shows an internal view of the interior of the switchgear cabinet  10  with the rear wall  11 , the side wall  13  and the base wall  14 . An outer corner part  65  which has a substantially square shape can be placed on the outer side, that is to say in the space  49 , of the attachment part  30 , with one corner of this square cross-sectional shape being slanted, and therefore forming a fitting face  66  which, together with the bar planes  67  and  68  which adjoin said fitting face on both sides, forming the shape which can be inserted into the space  49  between the faces  36 ,  37  and the bar face  35 . The fitting face  66  runs parallel to the bar face  35  in the assembled state. 
         [0060]    The bar face  35  or the bar  35  has two bores  69  and  70 , with the threaded bores  71  and  72  in the outer corner part corresponding to said bores. Attachment screws  73  and  74  are passed through the bores  69  and  70  from the inside, and therefore the outer corner part  65  is screwed to the attachment part  30 . In the region of the planes  67  and  68 , the outer corner part has strip-like projections  75  and  76  or  77  and  78  which can be inserted into corresponding elongate holes  79  and  80  or  81  and  82  in the attachment part in the region of the faces  36 ,  37 . Elongate holes  83  and  84  in the bars  61  correspond to the elongate holes  79 ,  80 ,  81  and  82 , and the projections  75  to  78  can then pass or engage through said elongate holes  83  and  84  in order to secure the side wall or the other walls. Displacement of the side walls or the base and ceiling wall in the direction of the longitudinal extent of the attachment parts  30  is also prevented as a result. 
         [0061]      FIG. 10  shows the switchgear cabinet  10  before the final completion, specifically in such a way that the outer corner parts  65  are not yet mounted but hover in front of their final attachment position in the manner of an exploded illustration. The final fixing is performed by the outer corner parts being placed on the inner corner parts or attachment parts at right angles in arrow directions P 2 , P 3 , P 4  and P 5 , and then being firmly screwed in this position. This produces the switchgear cabinet according to  FIG. 1 . 
         [0062]    A type of covering cap  90  is integrally formed on the rear wall-side end of the outer corner parts  65 , said covering cap engaging over a rear region of the side walls, the base and the ceiling wall, as can be seen in  FIG. 1 ; to this end, in each case a cutout  100  is provided in the rear corners of the side walls, the base and ceiling wall, with the covering cap  90  engaging in said cutout and therefore producing a visually appealing covering. 
         [0063]    Peripheral sealing lips  120  are provided on the outer corner part, said sealing lips of being placed against the outer faces on the switchgear cabinet in the region of the outer corner part  65  and thus providing protection with an IP54 rating. 
       LIST OF REFERENCE SYMBOLS 
       [0000]    
       
           10  Protective cabinet 
           11  Rear wall 
           12  Side wall 
           13  Side wall 
           14  Base wall 
           15  Ceiling wall 
           16  First bent edge 
           17  Bar 
           18  Limb 
           19  Corner 
           20  Corner 
           21  Cutout 
           22  Cutout 
           23  Cutout 
           24  Cutout 
           25  Corner 
           30  Attachment part 
           31  Retaining plate, attachment plate 
           32  Attachment section 
           33  Limb 
           34  Limb 
           35  Intermediate bar 
           36  Limb face 
           37  Limb face 
           38  Slot 
           39  Slot 
           40  Cutout 
           41  Side walls of cutout  40   
           42  Side wall of cutout  40   
           43  Outer face 
           44  Outer face 
           45  Outer face 
           46  Receiving gap 
           47  Narrow side face 
           48  Narrow side face 
           49  Space 
           50  Pin 
           51  Pin 
           52  Section 
           52   a  Section 
           60  Bent edge 
           61  Bent edge bar 
           62  Bent edge limb 
           63  Bent edges 
           64  Bent edges 
           65  Outer corner part 
           66  Fitting face 
           67  Bar plane 
           68  Bar plane 
           69  Bore 
           70  Bore 
           71  Threaded bores 
           72  Threaded bores 
           73  Attachment screw 
           74  Attachment screw 
           75  Projection 
           76  Projection 
           77  Projection 
           78  Projection 
           79  Slot 
           80  Slot 
           81  Slot 
           82  Slot 
           83  Slot 
           84  Slot 
           90  Covering cap 
           100  Cutout 
           110  Receiving slot 
           111  Receiving slot