CONTROL PANEL FOR A MACHINE TOOL

Abstract

A control panel for a machine tool has a housing (1). The housing comprises a housing base part (2) and a housing front part (3). A display (19) and a control element panel (20, 21) are attached to the front part of the housing. In the region of the housing bottom side, the housing front part is connected to the housing base part by miter hinges so that it can be swiveled to provide access to the interior of the housing. Fold-out supports (13) make it possible to use an alphanumeric keyboard (15) for maintenance work. Indentations (5) on both sides of the housing rear allow the housing to be easily grasped. Control elements (18) are arranged in the indentations.

Claims

1. A control panel for a machine tool, comprising: a housing defining a housing interior and defining a housing front, a housing rear, two lateral housing sides, a housing bottom side, and a housing top side; a display located on the housing front; and a control element panel, also located on the housing front, with control elements for the machine tool, wherein the housing rear has indentations on both sides along the lateral housing sides, the housing having a reduced thickness where the indentations are located in order to facilitate lateral gripping around the housing.

2. The control panel of claim 1, comprising at least one further control element arranged in at least one of the indentations.

3. The control panel of claim 2, wherein the further control element points in a direction opposite to the control element panel.

4. The control panel of claim 1, wherein the control element panel is arranged below the display and is inclined towards the display.

5. The control panel of claim 5, wherein the mounting bracket comprises a swivel bearing which allows pivotal movement of the control panel about the vertical mounting axis.

6. The control panel of claim 5, comprising at least one connector housing for an electrical plug connection arranged on the housing rear laterally offset from the vertical mounting axis.

8. A control panel for a machine tool, comprising: a housing defining a housing interior and defining a housing front, a housing rear, two lateral housing sides, a housing bottom side, and a housing top side; a display located on the housing front; a control element panel, also located on the housing front, with control elements for the machine tool; and at least one support for an alphanumeric keyboard, the support being arranged proximate to the housing bottom side and being horizontally pivotable between an unfolded position and a folded position, the support in the unfolded position protruding beyond the housing front in such a way that the keyboard can be placed on it.

9. The control panel of claim 8, wherein the control panel comprises at least one rotary knob which is arranged in the region of the housing bottom side and with which the support can be fixed in the unfolded position and in the folded position by clamping.

10. The control panel of claim 8, wherein the support has an upper side and an anti-slip coating at least on said upper side.

11. The control panel of claim 8, comprising a horizontal handle, wherein the handle is arranged on the housing front in the region of the housing bottom side in such a way that the support is pivotable below the handle between the unfolded position and the folded position.

12. The control panel of claim 8, wherein the control panel comprises an accessory container arranged on the housing rear and configured to receive an alphanumeric keyboard.

13. The control panel of claim 12, wherein the accessory container has a side access opening.

14. The control panel of claim 12, wherein the housing rear has indentations on both sides along the lateral housing sides, and wherein the accessory container is at the housing rear located between the indentations.

15. The control panel of claim 12, comprising an alphanumeric keyboard which is either receivable in the accessory container or placeable on the unfolded supports.

16. A control panel for a machine tool, comprising: a housing, the housing comprises a housing base part and a housing front part, which together define a housing interior, the housing defining a housing bottom side; a display fixed to the housing front part; a control element panel with control elements for the machine tool, the control element panel being fixed to the housing front part, at least one hinge which pivotably connects the housing front part proximate to the housing bottom side to the housing base part in order to pivot the housing front part about a horizontal axis between a closed position and an open position with respect to the housing base part.

17. The control panel of claim 16, wherein the hinge is a miter hinge.

18. The control panel of claim 16, wherein the control element panel is arranged below the display and is inclined towards the display.

20. The control panel of claim 16, wherein the control panel comprises at least one housing lock for fixing the housing front part in the closed position to the housing base part, and wherein the housing lock has an actuating element which is arranged on an outside of the rear side of the housing base part facing away from the housing front part.

21. The control panel of claim 20, wherein the housing lock is a sash lock.

22. The control panel of claim 16, comprising a seal extending in the housing interior, which seal is effective in the closed position between the housing base part and the housing front part to prevent ingress of operating fluids and foreign substances.

23. The control panel of claim 22, wherein the housing base part has a circumferential casing wall, and wherein the seal is attached to a profile arranged in the housing interior and connected to the housing base part in such a way that the seal extends in the housing interior at a distance from the casing wall.

24. (canceled)

25. The control panel of claim 2, wherein the at least one further control element arranged in at least one of the indentations is an enabling switch and/or a height adjustment key.

26. The control panel of claim 5, wherein the vertical mounting axis does not intersect the housing anywhere.

27. The control panel of claim 11, wherein the horizontal handle has the form of a bridge handle with two ends connected to the housing front.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0040] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below on the basis of the drawings, which are for explanatory purposes only and are not to be interpreted as limiting. In the drawings

[0041] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a control panel with keyboard on unfolded support arms;

[0042] FIG. 2 shows a rear view of the control panel of FIG. 1 with the support arms folded in;

[0043] FIG. 3 shows a perspective rear view of the control panel of FIG. 1 with keyboard on the unfolded support arms;

[0044] FIG. 4 shows a perspective rear view of the control panel of FIG. 1 with the support arms folded in and the front side unfolded;

[0045] FIG. 5 shows a side view of the control panel of FIG. 1 with the support arms folded in and a schematically shown carrying arm on a machine tool;

[0046] FIG. 6 shows a side view of the control panel of FIG. 1 with folded-in support arms, unfolded front side and a schematically shown alternative carrying arm on a machine tool;

[0047] FIG. 7 shows an enlarged view of area A1 of FIG. 5;

[0048] FIG. 8 shows an enlarged view of area A2 of FIG. 6;

[0049] FIG. 9 shows a functional sketch of a miter hinge in the closed state; and

[0050] FIG. 10 shows a functional sketch of the miter hinge in a partially opened state with an opening angle δ.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0051] FIGS. 1 to 6 show various views of a control panel according to an embodiment.

[0052] As can be seen from FIG. 1, the control panel has a housing 1 defining a housing front 32, a housing rear 33, a left lateral housing side 34, a right lateral housing side 35, a housing bottom side 36 and a housing top side 37. A display 19 in the form of a touch display is arranged on the housing front 32. A control element panel 20 and an additional control element panel 21 are arranged below the display 19. The control element panels 20, 21 contain a plurality of control elements, including various individual keys, a keypad, rotary knobs, a key switch and a joystick. By means of a bridge-shaped handle 6, the control panel is pivotable relative to a machine tool not shown and, if necessary, adjustable in height.

[0053] The control element panels 20, 21 are located in a common plane. Both the plane of the display 19 and the plane of the control element panels 20, 21 are inclined relative to the vertical towards the top. The plane of the control element panels 20, 21 is more inclined relative to the vertical than the plane of the display 19. The angle of inclination ϵ between these planes is 20° in the present example (see FIG. 5).

[0054] The entire housing front 32 has no recesses. Hence, foreign matter such as operating fluids or chips can flow off or fall off and cannot accumulate.

[0055] As can be seen in FIG. 2, a mounting bracket 4 is arranged on the housing rear 33 in order to mount the control panel hanging or resting on a carrying arm (see schematically illustrated carrying arms 42, 42′ in FIGS. 5 and 6). The mounting bracket 4 defines a vertical mounting axis V. The control panel can be pivoted horizontally relative to the carrying arm 42, 42′ about the vertical mounting axis V. For this purpose, the mounting bracket 4 has a swivel bearing known per se. Also on the housing rear 33 are a plurality of connector housings 7 for connecting electrical cables. The connector housings 7 are arranged laterally offset with respect to the mounting axis V. In operation, the connector housings and the cables connected thereto are located in an area between the machine tool and the housing 1 of the control panel that cannot be walked on. This greatly reduces the risk of the cables being torn off or stripped, and the overall depth of the housing of the control panel can be kept small.

[0056] As can be seen particularly well in FIG. 3, the housing has indentations 5 on both sides on its rear side. In the region of these indentations 5, the thickness (depth) of the housing is reduced compared to the adjacent areas. The thickness in the region of the indentations is selected in such a way that the housing in this area can be easily grasped by the hand of a user, e.g. to swivel or adjust the height of the control panel. This thickness B (see FIG. 5) is preferably 50 to 70 mm. The width of the indentations in the transverse direction is also preferably at least 50 mm, so that the user can grip the control panel securely. Between the indentations, the housing protrudes in the thickness direction by up to 80 mm in the present example.

[0057] At least one control element 18 is arranged in each of the two indentations 5. This control element can be used, for example, to control an adjustment drive for height adjustment. Instead of or in addition to this, it can e.g. also be an enabling key which must be pressed simultaneously with another key, e.g. in one of the control element panels 20, 21, in order to select a specific operation. In this way, two-hand operation can be enforced. The indentations 5 allow the control elements 18 to be reached in a particularly ergonomic manner. Accidental actuation of the control elements 18 is virtually impossible.

[0058] As can be seen in particular in FIG. 4, the housing comprises two parts, namely a housing base part 2 and a housing front part 3, which together with the display 19 and the control element panels 20, 21 delimit the housing interior. The housing front part 3 forms a frame on which the display 19 and the control element panels 20, 21 are mounted. The housing front part 3 can be pivoted relative to the housing base part 2 about a horizontal axis extending in the region of the housing bottom side from the closed position of FIG. 3 to the open position of FIG. 4 in order to provide access to the housing interior 31. The maximum opening angle is limited by flap stays 9 attached on both sides.

[0059] In the closed position of FIG. 3, the housing front part 3 is fixed to the housing base part 2 by housing locks 10. The housing locks are designed as lever locks (sash locks). For this purpose, each housing lock comprises a rotatable actuating element arranged on the outside on the rear side of the housing base part and a lock lever rigidly connected thereto and arranged on the inside. By rotating the actuating element, the closure lever can be brought into or out of engagement with a holding arm 11 which extends from the housing front part 3 into the housing interior 31 (see FIG. 4). The actuating elements are designed in such a way that they can only be actuated with the aid of special means (e.g. a key or a specially designed bit insert), so that only authorized service personnel can open the housing.

[0060] Two support arms 13 for a keyboard 15 are mounted on the underside of the housing. The support arms can be swiveled horizontally between an unfolded position (see FIG. 3) and a folded position (see FIG. 4). In both the unfolded and folded positions, each support arm 13 can be fixed by clamping with a rotary knob. The rotary knob may, for example, be rigidly connected to a screw which can be screwed into the underside of the housing to produce the clamping effect, or form a nut which can be screwed onto a short threaded rod, the threaded rod being rigidly fixed to the underside of the housing. In the unfolded position of FIG. 3, the support arms 13 protrude horizontally beyond the housing front, thereby permitting the keyboard 15 to be placed thereon. For this purpose, at least on their upper side, the support arms may be provided with an anti-slip coating, e.g. made of synthetic rubber. In the folded position of FIG. 4, however, the support arms 13 do not protrude forward and thus do not occupy any additional space between the housing 1 of the control panel and the user. The user can thus pull the control panel closer to him/her and there is no danger of getting his/her clothing caught on one of the support arms.

[0061] The keyboard can for example be connected to the control panel via a USB interface. To safely store the keyboard 15 when not in use, the control panel has an accessory container 12 on its rear side. This accessory container is large enough to receive the keyboard 15 and, if necessary, other accessories or a service book. The accessory container is open to the side to allow the keyboard 15 to be removed. Optionally, a lid, not shown, can be provided to close the accessory container and thus protect its contents from contamination by operating fluids or chips.

[0062] FIG. 5 schematically illustrates the attachment of the control panel to a machine tool. In the present example, the control panel with its mounting bracket 4 is suspended from a carrying arm 42, which is shown only very schematically and is attached to a machine tool 41, which is also shown only very schematically. The control panel can be pivoted about the vertical mounting axis V by means of the swivel bearing already mentioned. The plane of the display is inclined with respect to the vertical mounting axis V towards the top by a first inclination angle β of preferably 5 to 15°. The plane of the control element panels 20, 21 is inclined with respect to the vertical mounting axis V towards the top by a second inclination angle γ of preferably 25° to 35°. The angle of inclination ϵ between the display 19 and the control element panel 20 is preferably 10° to 30°. These inclination angles ensure particularly ergonomic data input and data perception according to DIN-EN 1005-4:2005+A1:2008.

[0063] FIG. 6 shows the control panel again in the open state. It can be seen particularly well here how the flap stays 9 limit the opening angle α of the housing front part relative to the housing base part. The maximum opening angle α is preferably 50 to 70°. In addition, FIG. 6 schematically illustrates how the control panel can alternatively be mounted resting on a carrying arm 42′. In this case, too, the control panel can be pivoted about the vertical mounting axis V.

[0064] As can be seen particularly well from FIG. 7, the control panel has a partially circumferential seal 24 which cooperates with a circumferential sealing support 25. The seal 24 is fitted onto a profile 23 which is shaped and fastened to the casing wall 22 of the housing base part 2 in such a way that the seal 24 extends inside the housing at a predetermined distance from the casing wall 22. The sealing support 25 is attached to the inside of the housing front part. In this way, the seal is protected from damage. Foreign substances can flow out downwards in the area between the profile 23 and the casing wall 22. In the area of the miter hinges 8 described below, the seal 24 is interrupted. In this area, however, additional sealing elements not shown in the drawing are provided to ensure an overall continuous sealing of the housing interior.

[0065] As can be seen particularly well from FIG. 8, the pivotable connection between the front part of the housing and the base part of the housing is made with so-called miter hinges 8. Miter hinges are frequently used in furniture construction in order to be able to open and close a door which miters with a side panel of a piece of furniture. A miter hinge allows a pivoting movement around a virtual pivot axis that runs outside the piece of furniture, although all parts of the miter hinge are located inside the piece of furniture.

[0066] FIGS. 9 and 10 explain the structure of a miter hinge, which is used here generally to connect a movable part 44 to a fixed part 43. The miter hinge, which is known per se, has seven parallel axes 51 to 57 which are connected to one another by four arms 61 to 64. The first and second axes 51, 52 are offset from each other on the fixed part 43. The first arm 61 is pivotable about the first axis 51, the second arm 62 about the second axis 52. The third and fourth axes 53, 54 are offset from each other on the movable part 44. The third arm 63 is pivotable about the third axis 53, the fourth arm 64 about the fourth axis 54. The first and fourth arms 61, 64 are connected at their free ends by the fifth axis 55. The second and third arms 63, 64 are connected at their free ends about the sixth axis 56. The second and fourth arms 62, 64 cross each other. They are connected in their crossing area via the seventh axis 57. This construction results in a forced guidance of the movable part with respect to the fixed part, which leads to a pivoting movement of the movable part about a virtual pivot axis.

[0067] The combination of miter hinges and flap stays allows the front part of the housing 3 to be swiveled down to a safe end position for service access. This opening allows ergonomic service access and a view on the interfaces of the installed components. Foreign substances can still drip or fall off without entering the interior. The miter hinges allow the front part of the housing to be hinged without visible fasteners, providing greater protection against tampering and a higher level of tightness.

LIST OF REFERENCE DESIGNATIONS

[0068] 1 Housing

[0069] 2 Housing base part

[0070] 3 Housing front part

[0071] 4 Mounting bracket

[0072] 5 Indentation

[0073] 6 Handle

[0074] 7 Connector housing

[0075] 8 Miter hinge

[0076] 9 Flap stay

[0077] 10 Housing lock

[0078] 11 Holding arm

[0079] 12 Accessory container

[0080] 13 Fold-out support arm

[0081] 14 Rotary knob

[0082] 15 Keyboard

[0083] 18 Control elements

[0084] 19 Display

[0085] 20 Control element panel

[0086] 21 Additional control element panel

[0087] 22 Casing wall

[0088] 23 Profile

[0089] 24 Seal

[0090] 25 Sealing support

[0091] 31 Housing

[0092] 32 Housing front

[0093] 33 Housing rear

[0094] 34 Left lateral housing side

[0095] 35 Right lateral housing side

[0096] 36 Housing bottom side

[0097] 37 Housing top side

[0098] 41 Machine tool

[0099] 42 Carrying arm

[0100] 43 Fixed part

[0101] 44 Movable part

[0102] 51-57 Axes

[0103] 61-64 Arms

[0104] ϵ Tilt angle between display and control panels

[0105] β Angle of inclination of the display to the vertical

[0106] γ Angle of inclination of the control panels to the vertical

[0107] α Housing opening angle

[0108] δ Hinge miter opening angle

[0109] A1, A2 Area

[0110] B Thickness

[0111] V Vertical mounting axis