U.S. patent application number 09/839564 was filed with the patent office on 2002-10-24 for electrical enclosure.
Invention is credited to Brouillard, David, Lakoduk, Harold Dean, Traut, Bernie.
Application Number | 20020153373 09/839564 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25280076 |
Filed Date | 2002-10-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020153373 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Traut, Bernie ; et
al. |
October 24, 2002 |
Electrical enclosure
Abstract
An electrical enclosure includes a metal body and a metal cover
connected by a hinge to each other. The hinge includes one or more
integrally formed tubes in the metal body and one or more
integrally formed tubes in the metal cover. The body tubes and the
cover tubes are aligned in a collinear arrangement and a hinge
shaft is located within the body tubes and the cover tubes. The
enclosure can have a dual flange structure wherein one of the side
walls includes a flat flange and three of the side walls include
edge flanges. The enclosure can also have a structure wherein each
of the side walls upper portions is connected to its neighboring
upper portions and each of these upper portion connections is
angled relative to its corresponding side wall corner.
Inventors: |
Traut, Bernie; (Buffalo,
MN) ; Brouillard, David; (Monticello, MN) ;
Lakoduk, Harold Dean; (Anoka, MN) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SCHWEGMAN, LUNDBERG, WOESSNER & KLUTH, P.A.
P.O. BOX 2938
MINNEAPOLIS
MN
55402
US
|
Family ID: |
25280076 |
Appl. No.: |
09/839564 |
Filed: |
April 20, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
220/4.02 ;
220/835; 220/844; 220/849 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H02B 1/38 20130101; E05Y
2900/208 20130101; E05D 7/009 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
220/4.02 ;
220/835; 220/844; 220/849 |
International
Class: |
B65D 043/16 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An enclosure comprising: a metal body; and a metal cover
connected by a hinge to the metal body; wherein the hinge includes
one or more integrally formed tubes in the metal body and one or
more integrally formed tubes in the metal cover, wherein the body
tubes and the cover tubes are aligned in a collinear arrangement
and a hinge shaft is located within the body tubes and the cover
tubes.
2. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the metal body includes a flat
flange on an upper edge of the body and wherein the body tubes are
located on the flat flange.
3. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein the body tubes are located on
the flat flange so that a hole in each of the body tubes is located
above a top surface of the flat flange.
4. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein the flat flange has a
perpendicular orientation relative to a side wall of the body.
5. The enclosure of claim 2, wherein the body includes three edge
flanges.
6. The enclosure of claim 2, further comprising a gasket attached
to an inner surface of the cover, wherein the cover tubes have a
center which is approximately the same distance from a surface of
the cover as a center of the gasket.
7. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the cover includes three
flanges, and wherein a side of the cover having the tubes does not
include a flange.
8. The enclosure of claim 1, wherein the body tubes are centered
above a flat flange of the body and wherein the cover tubes are
centered below an inner surface of the cover.
9. An enclosure comprising: a body having four side walls and an
open top, wherein one of the four side walls includes a flat flange
on an upper edge of the one wall; and a cover connected by a hinge
to the body and located so that the cover covers the open top of
the body when the cover is closed; wherein the hinge includes one
or more integrally formed tubes in the body and one or more
integrally formed tubes in the cover, wherein the body tubes and
the cover tubes are aligned in a collinear arrangement and a hinge
shaft is located within the body tubes and the cover tubes; wherein
the body tubes are located on the flat flange so that a hole in the
one or more body tubes is located above a top surface of the flat
flange and wherein a gasket attached to the cover and located near
the hinge is forced against the flat flange with a minimal gasket
wiping action when the cover is closing.
10. The enclosure of claim 9, wherein the flat flange has a
perpendicular orientation relative to the one wall of the body.
11. The enclosure of claim 9, wherein three of the four side walls
of the body each include an edge flange.
12. The enclosure of claim 11, wherein each of the edge flanges is
defined by a single bend in each of the three side walls.
13. An enclosure comprising: a body having four side walls and an
open top, wherein one of the four side walls includes a flat flange
on an upper edge of the one wall and three of the four side walls
include edge flanges on an upper edge of each of the three side
walls; and a cover for covering the open top of the body, the cover
having a gasket positioned to mate with the upper edges of each of
the four side walls of the body.
14. The enclosure of claim 13, wherein the cover is connected to
the body by a hinge which is located on the one wall of the body
which has the flat flange.
15. The enclosure of claim 14, wherein the cover includes three
flanges and does not include a flange on a side of the cover
proximate the hinge.
16. The enclosure of claim 14, wherein the hinge includes one or
more integrally formed tubes in the body and one or more integrally
formed tubes in the cover, wherein the body tubes and the cover
tubes are aligned in a collinear arrangement and a hinge shaft is
located within the body tubes and the cover tubes.
17. The enclosure of claim 16, wherein the body tubes are located
on the flat flange so that a hole in the body tube is located above
a top surface of the flat flange, wherein the gasket is forced
against the flat flange with a minimal wiping action.
18. The enclosure of claim 13, wherein each of the edge flanges is
defined by a single bend in each of the three side walls.
19. The enclosure of claim 18, wherein each of the four side walls
includes an upper portion and a lower portion having an angle
therebetween, wherein each of the four side walls upper portions
are connected to their neighboring upper portions at an end of each
of the upper portions, wherein each of the upper portion
connections are angled relative to a side wall corner connection
corresponding thereto.
20. An enclosure comprising: a body having four side walls and an
open top, wherein one of the four side walls includes an upper
portion and a lower portion having a single bend therebetween,
wherein the upper portion comprises an edge flange; and a cover for
covering the open top of the body.
21. The enclosure of claim 20, wherein a cross-sectional angle
between the lower portion of the one wall and the upper portion of
the one wall is greater than 90 degrees and less than 180
degrees.
22. The enclosure of claim 20, wherein the upper portion is angled
away from the body.
23. The enclosure of claim 20, wherein the upper portion is angled
inwards towards the body.
24. The enclosure of claim 20, wherein a second wall and a third
wall of the four side walls each include an upper portion and a
lower portion having a single bend therebetween, wherein the upper
portion of each of the second wall and the third wall comprises an
edge flange.
25. The enclosure of claim 24, wherein a fourth wall of the four
side walls includes a flat flange on an upper edge of the fourth
wall.
26. The enclosure of claim 25, wherein the cover is connected to
the body by a hinge which is located on the fourth wall of the
body.
27. The enclosure of claim 26, wherein the hinge includes one or
more integrally formed tubes in the body and one or more integrally
formed tubes in the cover, wherein the body tubes and the cover
tubes are aligned in a collinear arrangement and a hinge shaft is
located within the body tubes and the cover tubes.
28. The enclosure of claim 20, wherein a second wall, a third wall,
and a fourth wall of the four side walls each include an upper
portion and a lower portion having a bend therebetween, wherein the
upper portions of each of the four side walls are connected to
their neighboring upper portions at an end of each of the upper
portions, wherein each of the upper portion connections are angled
relative to a side wall corner connection corresponding
thereto.
29. An enclosure comprising: a body having four side walls and an
open top, wherein each of the four side walls includes an upper
portion and a lower portion having an angle therebetween, wherein
each of the four side walls upper portions are connected to their
neighboring upper portions at an end of each of the upper portions,
wherein each of the upper portion connections are angled relative
to a side wall corner connection corresponding thereto; and a cover
for covering the open top of the body.
30. The enclosure of claim 29, wherein three of the four side walls
include edge flanges.
31. The enclosure of claim 30, wherein a fourth wall of the four
side wall includes a flat flange having an angled portion located
beneath the flat flange and between the fourth wall and the flat
flange.
32. The enclosure of claim 31, wherein the cover is connected to
the body by a hinge which is located on the fourth wall of the
body.
33. The enclosure of claim 32, wherein the hinge includes one or
more integrally formed tubes in the body and one or more integrally
formed tubes in the cover, wherein the body tubes and the cover
tubes are aligned in a collinear arrangement and a hinge shaft is
located within the body tubes and the cover tubes.
34. A method of assembling an enclosure, the method comprising:
positioning one or more integral hinge tubes of a cover of the
enclosure next to one or more integral hinge tubes of a body of the
enclosure so that a bore of the one or more hinge tubes of the
cover is aligned with a bore of the one or more integral hinge
tubes of the body, thus comprising a composite bore; and inserting
a hinge pin within the composite bore.
35. The method of claim 34, further comprising mounting a latch to
a wall of the body and providing a slot in the cover to engage with
the latch.
36. A method of manufacturing an enclosure, the method comprising:
forming a body wherein three sides of the body include a single
bend in an upper portion of each of the three sides and wherein a
fourth side of the body includes a flat flange; forming a cover
having flanges on only three sides of the cover; and hingedly
coupling the cover to the body so that a side of the cover not
having a flange is located proximate the flat flange of the
body.
37. The method of claim 36, wherein hingedly coupling comprises
inserting a hinge pin within one or more integral hinge tubes of
the cover and one or more integral hinge tubes of the body.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention generally relates to the field of enclosures,
and more specifically to a enclosures for electrical equipment.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Electrical enclosures are structures for holding electronic
equipment such as electrical components, wires, monitoring
equipment, and the like. Enclosures include a box-like body, a
cover, and some means for fastening the cover to the body. When
manufacturing enclosures, a manufacturer must have a ready supply
of hinges, bolts, and other hardware to assemble the enclosures.
Moreover, specialized fixtures are typically required during
assembling and welding of the enclosures.
[0003] Enclosures are used in a wide variety of applications.
Accordingly, customers require a variety of sizes of enclosures and
enclosures having varying filtering or sealing levels. For
instance, some enclosures must be sealed to prevent the influx of
water, or dust, or other items. Moreover, some enclosures must
stand up under sometimes harsh conditions and physical stresses.
However, it is time-consuming and expensive to re-tool the assembly
line and to re-order different size hinges and other required
hardware for each type of enclosure manufactured.
[0004] Accordingly, it is desirable to simplify the manufacture of
enclosures and to provide an enclosure design which allows the
enclosure to be easily modified in size without an expensive
retooling. It is also desirable to construct an enclosure that
provides a relatively high level of sealing without being too
expensive to construct.
SUMMARY
[0005] In light of these and other needs, an electrical enclosure
has been devised which provides for less costly manufacture, is
easily modifiable, is sturdy, and provides needed levels of
sealing.
[0006] One aspect of the present invention provides an electrical
enclosure having an integral hinge. In one embodiment, an
electrical enclosure includes a metal body and a metal cover
connected to each other by a hinge. The hinge includes one or more
integrally formed tubes in the metal body and one or more
integrally formed tubes in the metal cover. The body tubes and the
cover tubes are aligned in a collinear arrangement and a hinge
shaft is located within the body tubes and the cover tubes. This
integrally structured hinge allows the enclosure to be manufactured
without having to order and keep in inventory a wide variety of
hinges for different size enclosures.
[0007] One aspect of the present invention provides a dual flange
structure on an enclosure. In one example, an enclosure includes a
body having four side walls and an open top, wherein one of the
four side walls includes a flat flange on an upper edge of the one
wall and three of the four side walls include edge flanges on an
upper edge of each of the three side walls. The enclosure also
includes a cover for covering the open top of the body. The cover
has a gasket positioned to mate with the flanges of each of the
side walls of the body. Among other advantages, this dual flange
structure provides high sealing while being relatively easy to
construct.
[0008] One aspect provides a structurally stronger enclosure. In
one example, an enclosure includes a body having four side walls
and an open top, wherein each of the four side walls includes a
lower portion and an angled upper portion. Each of the four side
wall upper portions are connected to their neighboring upper
portions and each of these upper portion connections are angled
relative to the corresponding side wall corner. Among other
advantages, this angled connection structure allows the whole
angled corner to share the stress applied on the corner instead of
the stress being localized. This provides for a sturdier
enclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of an enclosure according to
one embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] FIG. 2 shows a portion of the cover of the enclosure of FIG.
1.
[0011] FIG. 3 shows the hinge and flange structure of the enclosure
of FIG. 1.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the hinge of the enclosure of FIG.
1.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a left side isometric view of the enclosure of
FIG. 1 with the cover closed.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a right side isometric view the enclosure of FIG.
1 with the cover closed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] In the following detailed description, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are
shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the
invention may be practiced. It is understood that other embodiments
may be utilized and structural changes may be made without
departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0016] The enclosures described herein can be oriented in virtually
any direction. Thus, as used herein, the terms "upper," "lower,"
"top," and "bottom", etc. identify only relative directions with
respect to the figures and the context of the description,
regardless of absolute orientation. Also, as used herein, enclosure
types and ratings (i.e. NEMA type 4, etc.) will refer to the NEMA
(National Electrical Manufacturers Association) standards as set
forth in NEMA Standards Publication 250-1997, "Enclosures for
Electrical Equipment (1000 Volts Maximum)."
[0017] FIG. 1 shows an enclosure 100 according to one embodiment of
the present invention. Enclosure 100 includes a body 110 and a
cover 120 which is connected by a hinge 130 to body 110.
[0018] Body 110 includes four side walls 111a-111d, a bottom wall
112 and an open top 113. The side walls 111a-111d and bottom wall
112 define a space for holding electrical equipment, fiber optic
equipment, flow monitoring equipment such as gas pipeline flow
monitors, and so forth. In one embodiment, body 100 is metal, such
as a sheet metal.
[0019] Body 110 includes a flat flange 116 on an upper edge of wall
111a of body 110. Flat flange 116 has a perpendicular orientation
relative to side wall 111a of the body. When cover 120 is rotated
and closed upon body 110, a gasket on the cover is compressed
against flat flange 116 to seal the enclosure. Side wall 111a also
includes an angled portion 145 which is located beneath the flat
flange 116 and between the major surface of the wall and the flat
flange. Although the perspective of FIG. 1 makes it difficult to
visualize angled portion 145, FIGS. 3 and 4 shows portion 145 in
better detail. Further details of angled portion 145 will be
described below.
[0020] Body 110 also includes three knife edge or edge flanges
119a-119c. Edge flanges 119a-119c do not include a flat surface
relative to the side walls. Instead, the edges of the flanges
extend generally upward from the side walls. This allows a gasket
to form a tight seal under a less amount of sealing pressure
relative to a flat flange such as flange 116.
[0021] In one embodiment, each of the three side walls 111b-111d
includes a single bend 142a-142c, respectively. For example, as
shown for side wall 111d, the side wall 111d includes an upper
portion 144 and a lower portion 143 having single bend 142c
therebetween. The upper portion 144 of the wall comprises the edge
flange, which is angled relative to the main surface of the wall.
The angle of the upper portion 144 can be various angles. In
various embodiments, a cross-sectional angle between the lower
portion 143 of the wall and the upper portion 144 of the wall is in
the range of greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees. In
some side walls, such as side wall 111b, the upper portion 144 is
angled away from the body. In other side walls, such as walls 111a,
111c, and 111d, the upper portion is angled inwards towards the
body. The example shown is not meant to be exhaustive. Other
combinations of angled edge flanges are within the scope of the
present enclosure design. For example, all the edge flanges can be
inward, or all can be outward. Among other advantages, the edge
structure of the present embodiment is relatively easy to
manufacture since it only requires one bend per wall while still
providing the required amount of sealing, since the knife edge
along with the gasket on the cover combine to provide a NEMA
4.times.seal, for example. The single bend edge also helps provide
structural strength as will be discussed below.
[0022] A latch 115 is located on one side of body 110. Latch 115
couples with a catch slot on cover 120 to close the cover against
the body 110, further details of which will be discussed below.
[0023] In one embodiment, cover 120 is manufactured from a metal,
such as a sheet metal. Cover 120 is dimensioned to completely cover
the open top of body 110. In one embodiment, cover 120 includes
three flanges, such as flange 121, which extend generally
perpendicularly from the major planar surface of the cover. Cover
120 does not include a flange on the side of the cover which
includes hinge 130. This provides manufacturing advantage since
only three flanges need to be formed. This also allows the size of
the cover to be extended without excessive manufacturing retooling
and without having to order a different size hinges.
[0024] FIG. 2 shows a portion of an inner surface 124 of cover 120
of enclosure 100. Cover 120 includes a gasket 122 attached to inner
surface 124 of the cover. Gasket 122 can be a form-in-place gasket,
a strip gasket, or other equivalent type of gasket. Gasket 122 is
positioned to mate with the upper edges of each of the side walls
111a-111d of body 110. Cover 120 also includes a slot 126 in the
front flange of the cover. Slot 126 engages with latch 115 to hold
the cover on the body. This closure technique helps provide an
easy-to-manufacture enclosure since different size covers can
include equivalent slots or different slots for use with the same
or different latches. A manufacturer does not need to retool to
substitute a different fastening means on the cover.
[0025] FIGS. 3 and 4 show further details of hinge 130 according to
one embodiment of the present invention. Hinge 130 is an integrally
formed hinge. The hinge includes one or more integrally formed
tubes 132 on body 110 and one or more integrally formed tubes 134
on cover 120. In one embodiment, for example, the cover tubes 134
are formed of the same sheet metal member as the rest of the cover
and the body tubes 132 are formed of the same sheet metal members
as the rest of the body. To assemble the enclosure, body tubes 132
and cover tubes 134 are aligned in a collinear arrangement so that
the central holes or bores 136 of the body tubes and cover tubes
form a continuous bore along the edge of the enclosure. A hinge
shaft or hinge pin 137 is positioned and located within the
continuous bore of the body tubes and the cover tubes.
[0026] Body tubes 132 are located on flat flange 116 so that the
bore 136 of body tubes 132 is located above a top surface of the
flat flange. Cover tubes 134 are located so that the bore of the
cover tubes is located above the inside surface of the cover.
Accordingly, the cover tubes 134 have a bore center which is
approximately the same distance from the surface of the cover as a
center of gasket 122 (the top of which is shown as a dotted line in
FIG. 3). In one embodiment, the hinge bore is approximately
centered on the dead center of the gasket. This provides that when
gasket 122 is forced against flat flange 116 there is no or minimal
gasket wiping action. This improves the sealing performance of the
gasket.
[0027] The integrally formed hinge 130 of the embodiment described
above provides that a separate hinge is eliminated from the
manufacturing process. This reduces inventory needs and eliminates
the welding and fastening step of attaching the hinge to the
enclosure. Moreover, the present integral hinge structure allows
the enclosure to be progressively sized without a need to do a
complete assembly overhaul. For instance, both the cover and body
can merely be extended without any difficulty. The hinge
automatically "grows" along with the members during manufacturing.
Moreover, the present design is easy to automate for high volume
production runs while still being easy to modify. The present
design also lends itself to automated robotic welding. Another
feature of the embodiment described above is that the cover design
provides one less flange to form in the cover than in typical
enclosure covers.
[0028] Another feature of the present embodiment is that it
combines flat flange sealing on the hinge side with edge sealing on
the remaining three sides. Since a flat flange requires a high
leverage clamping force to provide a proper seal, the flat flange
is located on the hinge side. The remaining three knife edge seals
require less force and are located on the low pressure sides
relative to the hinge. This provides a simple to manufacture,
easily modifiable, sturdy enclosure design. In one embodiment, the
present design provides a NEMA 4.times.rated enclosure.
[0029] Another aspect of the present embodiment is that the design
provides a higher structural integrity than past designs. For
instance, referring to FIG. 3, upper portion 144 of side wall 111b
is connected to its neighboring upper portion 145 of side wall 111a
at the ends of each of the upper portions at a connection section
152, which in this embodiment is a welded section. Connection
section 152 is angled relative to a side wall corner 154
corresponding thereto. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 it is seen that
each corner of the body 110 includes an angled connection corner
such as corner 152. This angled connection provides better
structural integrity since the entire length of the upper corner
152 (and the other upper corners of the enclosure) shares the
stress when an force is applied to the enclosure. It is believed
this structure distributes the stress better than in past designs
in which the stress was localized at the very edge of the corner.
In various embodiments, the corner connections can be angled to the
left, right, inward, or outward relative to their corresponding
side wall corners.
[0030] The overall structure of the present embodiment allows for
easier manufacturing relative to past enclosures. In one example of
manufacturing the above enclosure, the body is fabricated from
sheet metal and formed into the body structure shape, the open
corners and edges of the body are welded, and the body is ground or
painted if needed. The latch is installed if necessary. No
fasteners or welding are necessary for installing a separate hinge.
Moreover, the relatively simple structure of the present body
allows for ease of manufacturing and ease of modification since the
hinge is integral and three sides include only a single angle bend.
Likewise, the cover is fabricated from sheet metal and formed.
Again, no separate hinge is needed. Moreover, there is one less
flange to form than in past cover designs. In one embodiment, the
corners of the cover are not welded. They are formed tight. If a
welded corner is needed, there are only two corners to weld since
one flange has been eliminated from the cover. To finish assembly,
the gasket is put on the cover, the cover and body hinge members
are aligned, and the hinge pin is put into place. Overall, the
present design eliminates non-value added manufacturing operations
while still achieving a robust and simple to construct
enclosure.
[0031] FIG. 5 is isometric view of enclosure 100 with the cover
closed. This is typical of one possible orientation of the
enclosure, with the hinge 130 on the left and the opening of the
body towards the front. Referring to FIG. 1, which show enclosure
100 open, it can be seen that angled flanges 119a and 119c are
angled to help prevent water from pooling near the edges of the
enclosure when it is oriented as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. Different
orientations of the enclosure and different angled flanges are
within the scope of the present system.
[0032] FIG. 6 is another isometric view the enclosure of FIG. 1
with the cover closed. This view shows further details of latch 115
engaging slot 126 to close the cover upon body 110. Some
embodiments omit slot 126 and latch 115 and a screw-type fastener
is used to couple the cover to the body.
[0033] An electrical enclosure has been described which provides
for less costly manufacture, is easily modifiable, is sturdy, and
provides needed levels of sealing. Among other advantages, one
aspect of the present invention includes an integrally structured
hinge which allows the enclosure to be manufactured without having
to order and keep in inventory a wide variety of hinges for
different size enclosures. One aspect provides a dual flange which
provides high sealing while being relatively easy to construct. One
aspect provides a structurally stronger enclosure which includes an
angled connection structure which allows the whole angled corner to
share the stress applied on the corner.
[0034] These examples and other embodiments, aspects, advantages,
and features of the present invention will become apparent to those
skilled in the art by reference to the preceding description of the
invention and referenced drawings or by practice of the
invention.
[0035] Accordingly, it is understood that the above description is
intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. Many other
embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon
reviewing the above description. The scope of the invention should,
therefore, be determined with reference to the appended claims,
along with the fall scope of equivalents to which such claims are
entitled.
* * * * *