Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to electrical cabinets. 
     Electrical cabinets are used for receiving electronic and electrical components particularly but not exclusively for the operation of local data networks. The components such as sub-racks with electronic and electrical components, fans and other accessories are mounted within the cabinet on internal frames and the cabinets generally have side panels, a door and end panels and are mounted on a frame which preferably comprises upper and lower end members and vertically extending side members preferably provided one towards the front and the other towards the rear at each lateral side of the cabinet. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     According to one aspect of the invention, panel mounts, comprising members to extend vertically within the cabinet and having attachment means whereby panels can be mounted thereupon, are mounted to the side members of the cabinet by integral members which extend substantially parallel to the outer face of the panel mount at a spacing from the outer face and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extent of the panel mount, such integral members each being engaged in a respective aperture in the side members or braces extending between the side members at one lateral side of the cabinet, followed by movement forwardly or rearwardly to secure the panel mount to the side members, retaining means such as a pin or stud then being inserted in aligned bores in the panel mounts and side members or braces to prevent return movement in said forward or rearward directions. 
     Such method of securement can have the advantage over previously proposed methods which involved vertical movement of the panel mounts to secure them, that panel mounts of the full height of the side members can be secured to the side members where previously, due to the vertical movement experienced during the engagement, it was necessary for the panel mount to be significantly shorter than the side member. The panel mounts, which generally define a 483 mm (19 inch) wide mounting, can thus be secured at various locations in the depth of the cabinet and can extend for the full height of the side members. 
     Preferably the apertures in the side members or braces are spaced at 25 mm horizontal spacing to set the locations at which the panel mounts can be secured at 25 mm spacings. 
     Advantageously the braces have horizontally elongate slots therein in addition to the apertures whereby the braces can be secured by fastenings means, such as bolts, extending through the slots whereby the braces are horizontally movable with respect to the side members to permit the panel mounts to be secured at any desired location in the depth of the cabinet. 
     According to another aspect of the invention in an electrical cabinet chassis supports, for example for supporting shelves, are provided in the form of cantilevers by providing the chassis supports with vertically spaced securing hooks which together are capable of preventing pivoting movement of a mounted article such as a shelf. 
     The vertically spaced hooks may project longitudinally of a wall of the chassis support and parallel thereto to be engaged in respective apertures in a member from which they are to be supported. 
     According to a further aspect of the invention, means to secure in abutment two rectangular section tubular metal members with their longitudinally axes mutually at right angles comprises punching or drilling at least two first holes in one wall of each of the metal members, acting through the first holes so formed to burst a respective second hole to each first hole in the opposite wall of the metal members to form an outwardly extending collar, screw threading the second holes in one of the members, engaging the collars of the other of the members in the first holes of said one of the members and engaging a bolt through the aligned first and second holes of said one and said other members to engage the screw thread in the collar of said one of the members to clamp the members together. 
     According to a still further aspect of the invention, in an electrical cabinet a method of hanging a vertical side panel comprising engaging a top flange of the side panel, which top flange has a horizontal portion and a vertical return, over an upper suspension member of a frame of the cabinet and engaging a horizontal lower flange of the side panel with an upturned hook portion at the lower end of the frame of the cabinet so that the upturned hook projects upwardly through an aperture in the horizontal lower flange. 
     Preferably the aperture in the horizontal lower flange is aligned with a cutout in a free edge of the flange and engagement is effected by engaging the hook in the cutout and then slightly raising the side panel while pushing it inwardly towards the cabinet before lowering the side panel downwardly onto the hook. 
     The upper suspension member of the frame may be provided at the upper end of vertical side members of the frame or may be provided on extension pieces which are supported by the vertical side members and project laterally outwardly to extend the width of the cabinet beyond the side members. By using such extension pieces extra wiring accommodating spaces can be provided at one or both of the sides of a cabinet. 
     The extension pieces can have hooks to engage over the upper edge of the side members, preferably in a recess so that such upper edges are below the upper extremity of the side members, and be bolted to the side members to retain them in position. Preferably each extension piece can be used as either an upper or a lower extension piece. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention is diagrammatically illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:— 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a panel mount with attachment means and a side member on which it can be mounted according to the invention; 
         FIG. 1   a  is a sectional end view of the panel mount of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 2  is an elevation of a brace to which the panel mount of  FIG. 1  can be secured; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of an inner face of a chassis support with cantilever engagement hooks; 
         FIG. 4  is a view of the chassis support of  FIG. 3  from the other side; 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded view showing components of an electrical cabinet; 
         FIG. 6  is a view of the portion of  FIG. 5  indicated by the arrow VI but with a panel hung thereon; 
         FIG. 7  is a sectional view through two of the components shown in  FIG. 6 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a schematic view indicating hanging of a vertical side panel of an electrical cabinet by a method according to the invention; 
         FIG. 9  is a sectional view taken on line IX—IX of  FIG. 8 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view from above and an inner face of an extension member of an electrical cabinet according to the invention in a position to form an upper extension member; 
         FIG. 11  is a view from the other side of the extension member of  FIG. 10  also orientated so as to form an upper member; and 
         FIG. 12  is a view of the extension member shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11  but in an orientation to form a lower extension member. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Referring to the drawings and firstly to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a panel mount  1  is a generally angular section strip of metal and in one face has a three sided cutout  2  with the portion of the wall cut out, bent outwardly and bent back to form a tongue  3  which extends parallel to the wall in which the cutout  2  is formed. The tongue  3  can be inserted in any one of horizontally spaced apertures in a vertical side member  5  forming part of the frame of an electrical cabinet or can be inserted in any one of horizontally spaced apertures  6  in a brace  7  which can be secured to the side members of the frame of an electrical cabinet on one side of the cabinet to extend between a front side member and a rear side member. The apertures  4  or  6  are spaced at a pitch of 25 mm and thus the panel mount  1  can be supported on the side member  5  or the brace  7  by inserting the tongue  3  in an aperture  4  or  6  and then moving the panel mount  1  to cause the tongue  3  to move behind the web of the side member  5  or the brace  7  in which the aperture  4  or  6  is formed. The panel mount  1  does thus not need to be moved vertically to secure it and can be of the same length as the side members so as to extend completely between upper and lower frame members of the cabinet. A through aperture  8  may be provided in the panel mount  1  through which a pin or clip (not shown) can be inserted to engage in an aperture  9  provided alongside the aperture  4  or  6  in which the tongue  3  is engaged thereby to prevent return movement which would free the tongue from the aperture  4  or  6 . Elongate slots  10  in the brace  7  can be used to secure the brace  7  by bolts to the side members, the length of the slots  10  allowing longitudinal shifting of the brace  7  with respect to the side members to allow stepless positioning of the panel mounts with respect to the side members  5 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 3 and 4 , a chassis support  11  is shown which comprises upper and lower flanges  12  and  13  above and below a vertical web  14 . In the web  14  two cutouts  15  are formed by cutting around three sides and the member formed by each cutout is pressed out of the plane of the web  14  by a bend  16  and a further bend  17  and the tongue so formed which extends parallel to the web  14  but spaced therefrom is cut away to form upper and lower hooks  18 ,  19 . By providing the two spaced hooks the chassis support  11  can be engaged in two vertically spaced apertures and then moved downwardly so that the chassis support  11  is cantilevered from a pair of the hooks  18 ,  19  and can resist tilting forces applied thereto. Although the chassis support  11  is shown as having two cutouts  15  and two pairs of hooks  18 ,  19  it is only envisaged that one or other of the pairs of hooks would be used at any one time but by providing two cutouts the chassis support  11  can act as a lefthanded chassis support or a righthanded chassis support. The chassis supports  11  are particularly suitable for supporting shelves in electrical cabinets. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , an electrical cabinet  20 , shown in exploded form, comprises an upper frame  21  and a lower frame  22  each formed by back-to-back U-shaped members  23  of tubular metal, four side members  24  extending between the upper frame  21  and the lower frame  22 , an upper member  25  with cutouts  25   a  in three of the walls thereof, removable side panels  26  only one of which is shown and a removable door  27  which closes the front of the cabinet. 
     As can be seen in  FIG. 6 , the side panel  26  has an upper horizontal flange  28  with a return vertical flange  29 , the panel  26  enveloping the two side members  24  on that side of the frame of the cupboard. 
       FIG. 7  shows the means whereby each of the U-shaped members  23  which extend horizontally can be mounted to the respective side members  24  which extend vertically. Two first holes  30  are punched or drilled in one wall  31  of the side member  24  and two first holes  32  are punched or drilled in one wall  33  of the U-shaped member  23 . Operating through the first holes  30 ,  32 , second holes  34  are then burst through the second wall  35  of the side members  24  and second holes  36  are burst through the second wall  37  of the U-shaped member  23 . Bursting the holes in this way forms collars  38  at the outsides of the holes  34  and collars  39  at the outside of the holes  36 . The holes  36  are then screw threaded. When the members  23 ,  24  are pressed together the collars  38  on the side members  24  are a push fit into the first holes  32  in the U-shaped member  23  so that when bolts (not shown) are inserted along the aligned axis  40  of each of the holes  30 ,  34 ,  32 ,  36  to pull the members  23 ,  24  tightly into engagement with one another, the members  23 ,  24  are locked accurately at right angles one to the other without any play such that even a tall framework of U-shaped members  23  and side members  24 , for example two meters tall, can stand rigidly without a tendency for the upper frame to move sideways or from to rear due to the connections being less than entirely rigid. The collars  38  can however have a tapering formation such that great precision is not required in the formation of the holes and collars. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 8 to 12 , the upper end of each side member  24  is provided with a formation similar to that shown in  FIG. 10  at the righthand side thereof, that is to say it has a groove  41  in the upper face  42  stepped back from a front upper corner  43 . Actually the formation shown in  FIG. 10  is an extension piece to be hung on the upper or lower end of one of the side members  24  but the formation of the top end and bottom end of the side members  24  is the same as shown in  FIG. 10 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , the side panel  26  shown has its horizontal upper flange  28  overlapping the upper surface  42  of the side member  24  and its vertical flange  29  engaged in the groove  41  of the upper end of the side member  24 . At the lower end the side panel  26  has a horizontal flange  44  which, as shown in  FIG. 9 , has, in alignment with each of the side members  24 , apertures  45  and cutouts  46 . At each side of the side member  24  both at the upper end and at the lower end a hook  47  is provided. The hook  47  at the upper end has no function but that at the lower end engages in a respective one of the apertures  45 . With reference again to  FIG. 8  the method of engagement is that the panel  26  is first hooked onto the upper end of the side member so that the vertical flange  29  engages in the groove  41 . The bottom end of the panel  26  is then pushed inwardly to engage the hooks  47  in the cutouts  46 , a flared mouth of the cutouts  46  assisting this alignment. The side panel  26  is then raised slightly and pushed inwardly so that the hook  47  at the lower end of the side member  24  can engage in the respective aperture  45  in the bottom flange  44  of the side panel  26 . The side panels  26  can thus quickly and easily be engaged with or disengaged from the framework of the cabinet. It will be seen that the hooks  47  taper down towards their free ends such that the weight of the panel engages the edges of the apertures  45  both with the outer and with the inner faces of the hook  47  so that vibration will not cause rattling of the panel. 
     Referring now also to  FIGS. 11 and 12 , the extension pieces  48  have, in addition to the groove  41 , the top face  42 , the front edge  43  and the hooks  47  previously described, a bent out tongue  49  and aligned apertures  50 ,  51  by means of which they can be hooked onto and bolted to the outer face of the upper and lower ends of the side members  24 . The extension pieces  48  are preferably 100 mm between the front edge  43  and the upper edge of the face in which the tongue  49  is provided whereby they can space the side panels  26  outwardly from the side members  24  by 100 mm to give an additional space for extra wiring or other purposes. A blanking plate can extend between the door of the cabinet and the extended position of the side panels  26  to fill 100 mm space at the front. If two adjacent cabinets are each provided with extension pieces  48  on their adjacent sides then the two cabinets can be accurately spaced apart by 200 mm to form a wiring space therebetween, a suitable blanking plate being provided to cover the space to the front.

Technology Category: 4