Electrical Cabinet System Comprising an Expanding Dowel

Abstract

Systems and methods for mounting a panel to a wiring cabinet are provided. The wiring cabinet can include a frame profile with a frame profile opening and the panel can have a panel opening. A fastening element used to mount the panel to the wiring cabinet can include an expanding rivet with an opening and at least two rivet legs. The expanding rivet can be received through the panel opening and the frame profile opening when aligned. The fastener can also include an expanding body that can be inserted into the opening of the expanding rivet so that the rivet legs are forced apart to cause the rivet legs to engage the frame profile.

Claims

1. A fastening element for mounting a panel to a wiring cabinet, the wiring cabinet including at least one frame profile having a frame profile opening and the panel having a panel opening, the fastening element comprising: an expanding rivet configured to be received through the panel opening and the frame profile opening, the expanding rivet including: an opening disposed through a longitudinal axis of the expanding rivet; at least two rivet legs extending from a first end of the expanding rivet; a first protrusion extending radially outward from a second end of the expanding rivet opposite the first end, the first protrusion being configured to be received in a recess included in the panel opening, with the expanding rivet in a first rotational orientation, to retain the expanding rivet in a non-rotatable manner relative to the panel; and an expanding body configured to be inserted into the opening of the expanding rivet to force apart the rivet legs so that the rivet legs engage the frame profile.

2. The fastening element of claim 1, wherein the expanding rivet further includes a second protrusion extending radially outward from the expanding rivet, the second protrusion being axially and circumferentially offset from the first protrusion.

3. The fastening element of claim 2, wherein the second protrusion is configured to be received through the recess in the panel opening with the expanding rivet in a second rotational orientation different from the first rotational orientation, and to axially retain the expanding rivet within the panel opening, after being received through the recess, with the expanding rivet in the first rotational orientation.

4. The fastening element of claim 3, wherein the expanding rivet further comprises a collar radially protruding from the second end of the expanding rivet and having an outer circumference greater than an outer circumference of the rivet legs, the collar being configured to contact an outer surface of the panel when the expanding rivet is inserted through the panel opening.

5. The fastening element of claim 4, wherein the first protrusion extends radially outward from the collar.

6. (canceled)

7. (canceled)

8. The fastening element of claim 5, wherein the collar is configured to be seated on an indentation of the panel at the panel opening; wherein the expanding rivet has at least two first protrusions that are configured to interact with a respective recess at least two recesses on the panel opening, to retain the expanding rivet in the non-rotatable manner relative to the panel; and wherein the expanding rivet has at least two second protrusions that are configured to be received through a respective recess of the at least two recesses in the panel opening and, upon rotation of the expanding rivet to the second rotational orientation, engage an inner side of the panel to axially retain the expanding rivet within the panel opening.

9. A wiring cabinet system comprising: a frame with one or more frame profiles having a frame profile opening; a panel with an inner surface, an outer surface, and a panel opening; and a fastening element including an expanding rivet and an expanding body, the expanding rivet including: an opening disposed through a longitudinal axis of the expanding rivet; at least two rivet legs extending from a first end of the expanding rivet; and a collar radially protruding from a second end of the expanding rivet opposite the first end, the collar being configured to contact an outer surface of the panel when the expanding rivet is inserted into the panel opening; wherein the panel is mounted to the frame by the fastening element with the inner surface of the panel in contact with the frame profile, and with the expanding rivet inserted from the outer surface of the panel through the panel opening and the frame profile opening and the expanding body inserted into the opening of the expanding rivet to force the rivet legs into engagement with the frame profile; and wherein a plurality of protrusions on the expanding rivet are further configured to engage the panel at the panel opening to non-rotatably and axially retain the expanding rivet relative to the panel when the expanding rivet is inserted into the panel opening.

10. (canceled)

11. The wiring cabinet system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of protrusions includes a first protrusion extending radially outward from the collar, the first protrusion being configured to interact with a recess of the panel opening to non-rotatably retain the expanding rivet relative to the panel.

12. The wiring cabinet system of claim 11, wherein the expanding rivet further includes a second protrusion configured to be inserted through the recess of the panel opening to engage an opposite side of the panel from the collar and thereby axially retain the expanding rivet within the panel opening.

13. The wiring cabinet system of claim 12, wherein the second protrusion is axially and circumferentially offset from the first protrusion.

14. The wiring cabinet system of claim 13, wherein the second protrusion is circumferentially offset from the first protrusion by 90° degrees.

15. The wiring cabinet system of claim 9, wherein the frame profile opening is elongated in a first direction, and upon insertion of the expanding body the rivet legs are forced apart in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

16. The wiring cabinet system of claim 9, wherein the outer surface of the panel further includes an indentation concentric to the panel opening, the indentation being configured to receive the fastening element so that the second end of the expanding rivet is flush with the outer surface of the panel after insertion.

17. The wiring cabinet system of claim 9, wherein the panel further includes a first fold at an upper end of the panel, wherein the frame further includes a horizontal frame element having a second fold, and wherein the first fold of the panel and the second fold of the horizontal frame element are configured to interact to form a tilting mechanism when the upper end of the panel is placed on the horizontal frame element, so that in a pre-mounted state the panel is supported by the frame and pivotable relative to the tilting mechanism.

18. A method for mounting a panel to a wiring cabinet, the method comprising: aligning a panel with a wiring cabinet, with a rear surface of the panel adjacent a frame profile of the wiring cabinet; and fastening the panel to the wiring cabinet by: inserting an expanding rivet in an insertion direction through an opening in the panel and an opening in the frame profile, so that a first protrusion of the expanding rivet is received through a recess of the panel opening to be disposed on an interior side of the panel; rotating the expanding rivet to move the first protrusion out of alignment with the recess and move a second protrusion to be received in the recess, so that the first protrusion axially secures the expanding rivet within the panel opening and the second protrusion secures the expanding rivet against rotation within the opening; and inserting an expanding body into the expanding rivet to force apart rivet legs of the expanding rivet, to secure the expanding rivet to the frame profile at the frame profile opening.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: before inserting the expanding body into the expanding rivet to secure the expanding rivet to the frame profile, hanging the panel from the wiring cabinet in a pre-mounted state.

20. (canceled)

21. The fastening element of claim 8, wherein the expanding rivet further includes two or more recesses disposed within the collar and adjacent to the opening, the two or more recesses being configured to receive a tool to generate torque around a rotational axis of the expanding rivet.

22. The fastening element of claim 21, wherein at least two of the recesses of the expanding rivet are disposed circumferentially opposite each other on the collar.

23. The fastening element of claim 22, wherein the at least two recesses of the expanding rivet are circumferentially aligned with the at least two second protrusions.

24. The wiring cabinet system of claim 13, wherein the second protrusion is axially offset from the first protrusion by less than a thickness of the panel at the panel opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] An example of the execution of this invention is explained in detail in the following drawings.

[0035] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of a wiring cabinet with a panel;

[0036] FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of an embodiment of a fastener arrangement for fastening the panel to a frame of the wiring cabinet of FIG. 1;

[0037] FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of an embodiment of an opening in the panel of FIG. 1 for receiving a fastening element;

[0038] FIG. 4a shows a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a fastening element for fastening the panel of FIG. 1 taken along section line A-A of FIG. 2.

[0039] FIG. 4b shows a cross-sectional view of the fastening element of FIG. 4a from a view turned 90° around a rotational axis;

[0040] FIG. 5 shows a detailed view of an embodiment of an opening in the frame of FIG. 1 for receiving the fastening element;

[0041] FIG. 6 shows a detailed view of an embodiment of a connection between the panel and a frame of the wiring cabinet of FIG. 1; and

[0042] FIG. 7 shows an isometric view of an embodiment of an expanding rivet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless specified or limited otherwise, the terms “mounted,” “connected,” “supported,” and “coupled” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings, connections, supports, and couplings. Further, “connected” and “coupled” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings.

[0044] As used herein, unless otherwise defined or limited, directional terms are used for convenience of reference for discussion of particular figures or examples. For example, references to downward (or other) directions may be used to discuss aspects of a particular example or figure, but do not necessarily require similar orientation or geometry in all installations or configurations.

[0045] In the following description, the same parts are designated by the same reference signs. If a Figure contains reference signs that are not described in more detail in the corresponding description of the Figure, reference is made to preceding or subsequent descriptions of the Figure.

[0046] As used herein in the context of geometric descriptions, unless otherwise limited or defined, “substantially” indicates correspondence to a particular shape or dimension within conventional manufacturing tolerances for components of a similar type or that are formed using similar processes. In this regard, for example, “substantially round” can indicate a profile that deviates from a circle to within acceptable manufacturing tolerances.

[0047] Also as used herein, unless otherwise limited or defined, “wiring cabinet” generally refers to an enclosure that can house various electrical or electronic components.

[0048] In typical installations, a panel is mounted to a wiring cabinet by means of a screw, wherein the screw is retained by a clip nut or a cage nut. The nut is thereby substantially on the rear side of the frame profile, and therefore has to be mounted to the frame profile in advance of attaching the panel. Systems of this type involve a series of laborious assembly steps, as all nuts required for mounting a panel are required to be in the precise location on the frame profile. The commonly used rows of holes in the frame profiles thereby impede the proper alignment of the nuts with the corresponding openings in the panel in advance of attaching the panel.

[0049] FIG. 1 shows a panel 1 in the process of being attached to a wiring cabinet 25, which comprises several frame profiles 2. The panel 1 is thereby suspended at an upper end 30 from a horizontal frame element 26 of the wiring cabinet 25 and subsequently pivoted into a vertical orientation, which corresponds to a mounted position of the panel 1. The panel 1 further has several openings 15 for attaching the panel 1 to the frame profiles 2. Although embodiments of the invention can be suitably used, in particular, with a cabinet similar to the cabinet 25 and with panels and frame profiles similar to the panel 1 and the frame profiles 2, some embodiments can also be used with other types of cabinets and other types of panels and frame profiles.

[0050] FIG. 2 shows a fastening element 3 utilized for attaching the panel 1 to one of the frame profiles 2, with a rear surface 10 of the panel 1 facing the frame profile 2. The fastening element 3 comprises an expanding rivet 4 and an expanding body (e.g., a screw 5). In the illustrated embodiment, the expanding rivet 4 is substantially round, although other geometries are possible. For fastening the panel 1 to the frame profile 2, the substantially round expanding rivet 4 is inserted through an opening 15 in the panel 1, which is aligned with an opening 16 in the frame profile 2, so that the expanding rivet 4 is also inserted through the frame opening 16.

[0051] The panel opening 15 is within a concentric conical indentation 14, which is shaped suitably to receive a conical collar 12 of the expanding rivet 4. The collar 12 thereby acts as a countersink for receiving a conical headpiece 13 of the screw 5, so that in a completely mounted state the headpiece 13 of the screw 5 is flush with a front surface 11 of the panel 1. In some embodiments, however, a headpiece may not necessarily be flush with a front surface of a panel. For example, in some cases, a headpiece of a screw may be recessed below a front surface of a panel.

[0052] By inserting the screw 5 into the expanding rivet 4, the rivet legs 6 are being forced apart in such a way that the rivet legs 6 engage the frame profile 2, thereby retaining the panel 1 to the frame profile 2.

[0053] In some embodiments, a gasket or other sealing element can be included. For example, the panel 1 further has a gasket 17 installed along the edges of the panel 1, wherein the gasket 17 can be compressed against the frame profile 2 by fastening the panel 1 to the frame profile 2. The gasket 17 provides a seal between the frame profile 2 and the panel 1.

[0054] In some embodiments, further features can help an expanding rivet to secure a panel. For example, the expanding rivet 4 has two radial first protrusions 8, which extend along the collar 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the protrusions 8 extend from close to a main body of the expanding rivet 4 to close to the outer edge of the collar 12 and have a face parallel to the collar 12 and the conical indentation 14, although other configurations are possible.

[0055] In particular, the two first protrusions 8 have an angle between their circumferential positions in regard to a rotational axis (illustrated by section line A in FIG. 2) of the expanding rivet 4 of 180°. In other words, a first set of protrusions on a collar of a rivet can be spaced apart along a circumference of the collar. Further, the expanding rivet 4 has two second protrusions 9, which also have an angle between their circumferential positions in regard to the rotational axis of the expanding rivet 4 of 180° and their positions are turned 90° around the rotational axis of the expanding rivet 4 in regard to the positions of the two first protrusions 8. In other words, a second set of protrusions on a collar of a rivet can be spaced apart from each other, and from a first set of protrusions on the collar, along a circumference of the collar (e.g., can be spaced evenly between protrusions of the first set).

[0056] The panel opening 15, as shown in FIG. 3, comprises a circular hole 19, which is concentric to the indentation 14. Further, the opening 15 has two radial recesses 20 for passing the second protrusions 9 through the panel 1 and receiving the first protrusions 8 of the expanding rivet 4. The radial recesses 20 thereby extend in a first direction 21 to the outer edge of the indentation 14. Accordingly, the second protrusions 9 can be passed through the radial recesses 20 and the expanding rivet 4 can then be rotated (e.g., by a flat-blade screwdriver or other manual tool), which can engage a slot drive or other feature incorporated in the conical collar 12 of the expanding rivet 4. With sufficient rotation, the second protrusions 9 can engage the rear surface (i.e., interior side) of the indentation 14, and the collar 12 can engage the front surface (i.e., the exterior side) of the indentation 14 and thereby retain the expanding rivet 4 on the panel 1.

[0057] In some cases, the rotation of the expanding rivet 4 can be performed until the first protrusions 8 snap into the radial recesses 20 to then hold the expanding rivet 4 in a non-rotatable manner relative to the panel 1. Hence, a fixation of the expanding rivet 4 relative to panel 1 is attained, with the protrusions 9 securing the rivet 4 against being withdrawn and the protrusions 8 securing the rivet 4 against rotation. In some cases, this fixation can be particularly effective if the distance between the position of the first protrusion 8 to the second protrusion 9 alongside the insertion direction is smaller than the thickness of the panel 1. Correspondingly, with the material of the expanding rivet 4, the first protrusions 8, and the second protrusions 9 being slightly flexible, resilient deformation of the rivet 4 generally can allow the rotation and then fixation of the expanding rivet 4 while the first protrusions 8 are pressing against the front surface of the indentation 14 and the second protrusions 9 are pressing against the rear surface 10 of the panel 1, until the first protrusions 8 snap into the recesses 20.

[0058] In some cases, with the orientation of the panel 1 relative to the frame profile 2 being fixed, the expanding rivet 4 can also be fixed relative to the frame profile 2.

[0059] FIG. 4a shows in detail the expanding rivet 4 with its two second protrusions 9 after it has been inserted through opening 15 and turned to its final position relative to panel 1. FIG. 4a is a cross-sectional view of the expanding rivet 4 with the panel 1 along the section line A-A shown in FIG. 2. The second protrusions 9 thereby engage the panel 1, so that the expanding rivet 4 is retained to the panel 1. In particular, as also discussed above, the second protrusions 9 interlock with the inner edge 18 of the panel opening 15, which is tilted somewhat inwards (i.e., downwards from the illustrated perspective) by the indentation 14. In some cases, this inwardly angled profile, as provided by an indentation, can provide improved grip by protrusions of a rivet.

[0060] FIG. 4b shows in detail the expanding rivet 4 with its two first protrusions 8, after it has been inserted through opening 15 and turned to its final position relative to panel 1 and the first protrusions 8 have snapped into the radial recesses 20 of the opening 15. In particular, the illustrated perspective is rotated 90° in regard to the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 4a. The first protrusions 8 sit inside the radial recesses 20 and are locked between the indentations 14 in the rotational direction of the expanding rivet 4. Thereby, the expanding rivet 4 is retained non-rotatably in regard to the panel 1.

[0061] In some cases, an expanding rivet can be inserted into a panel opening before attaching the panel to a wiring cabinet. For example, with a configuration as shown in FIGS. 4a and 4b, the expanding rivet 4 can be securely retained to the panel 1 by the second protrusion 9 and the collar 12, including as the panel 1 is moved into alignment with a particular frame member. Correspondingly, the rivet 4 can be subsequently inserted through the relevant frame opening 16 upon attaching the panel 1 to the wiring cabinet 25.

[0062] In different embodiments, different frame openings can be used and rivets can be differently aligned relative to the frame openings to secure a panel to a corresponding frame member. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the frame opening 16 is non-circular, being is elongated in a first direction 23. Correspondingly, in some cases, the panel 1 can be arranged so that the direction 21 of the recesses 20 (see FIG. 3) corresponds to the first direction 23. Due to the interaction of the first protrusions 8 and the recesses 20, the expanding rivet 4 (not shown in FIG. 5) can thereby be aligned with respect to the frame opening 16 in such a way that the rivet legs 6, upon insertion of the screw 5 through the rivet 4, can be forced apart in a second direction 24, which is orthogonal to the first direction 23, so that the rivet legs 6 expand beyond the width of the frame opening. Thus, the rivet 4 can be easily retained within the panel 1 to be inserted into the frame opening 16, and then easily expanded to secure the panel 1 to the frame profile 2 at the frame opening 16.

[0063] In different embodiments, as also noted above, different types of frame profiles can be used. As shown in FIG. 6, for example, an upper end 30 of the panel 1 (from the illustrated perspective) has a first fold 28 for attaching the panel 1 to the wiring cabinet 25, which is formed in the shape of a hook. Further, the first fold 28 is hooked into a second fold 27 of the horizontal frame element 26, which is also formed in the shape of a hook, so that the first fold 28 and the second fold 27 interact in the manner of a tilting mechanism 29. Upon suspending the panel 1 from the frame element 26, the panel 1 is therefore pivotable about the axis of the tilting mechanism 29, which is parallel to the frame element 26.

[0064] In some embodiments, a folded configuration of a panel and a frame profile can help to further streamline installation of the panel using an expanding rivet according to embodiments of the invention. For example, with a set of expanding rivets secured to a panel with a folded upper end (e.g., as with the upper end 30), the panel can be readily suspended from a fold on a horizontal frame element (e.g., as with the frame element 26) to be pivotably supported on the larger enclosure frame. The panel can then be urged pivotably towards the enclosure frame to collectively urge the expanding rivets into corresponding openings in relevant (e.g., vertical) frame members.

[0065] A detailed 3D-view of an example configuration of the expanding rivet 4 is shown in FIG. 7. In particular, the rivet legs 6 are oriented in the same direction as the second protrusions 9. Correspondingly, when the rivet 4 secures the panel 1 to the frame profile 16, the frame profile 16 can also be clamped between the lower (inner) face of the second protrusions 9 and the rivet legs 6, which can enhance the grip of the expanding rivet onto the frame profile 16. Further, the top face of the second protrusions 9 is slightly angled down (i.e., away from the collar 12) to facilitate the rotation of the expanding rivet 4, when the second protrusion 9 starts to press against the indentation 14 (e.g., as also described above).

[0066] Continuing with the illustrated example, two recesses 31 for engaging a tool to generate torque around the rotational axis of the expanding rivet 4 are provided inside the collar 12 of the expanding rivet 4 and are located in the same radial direction from the rotational axis of the expanding rivet 4 as the two second protrusions 9, which can provide more room to facilitate formation of the recesses 31 inside the collar 12 due to the added material of the second protrusions 9. Further, the first protrusions 8 are positioned at a 90° offset relative to the second protrusions 9 and the recesses 31, in regard to the rotational axis of the expanding rivet 4. This configuration can facilitate the rotation of the expanding rivet 4, when the second protrusion 9 is pressing against the rear surface of the panel 1 and the first protrusion 8 is pressing against the front surface of the panel 1. Additionally, the first protrusions 8 are formed with their lower (i.e., inner) faces parallel to the collar 12. This can further facilitate the rotation of the expanding rivet 4 and lower the necessary flexibility of either the first protrusions 8, the second protrusion 9, or the collar 12, which can thereby improve the fixation of the expanding rivet 4 to the panel 1 when the expanding rivet 4 is inserted and rotated to its final position in regard to the panel 1.

[0067] The skilled person will appreciate that the invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, instead of the expanding rivet being inserted from the front surface of the panel, the expanding rivet could also be clipped to the panel from its rear surface before subsequently attaching the panel to the wiring cabinet and subsequently inserting the expanding body into the rivet.

[0068] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.