A modular housing structure with both flexibility in sheet metal housing size and full-mold housing appearance quality

Abstract

The application discloses a modular shell structure with flexibility of sheet metal shell size and appearance quality of full-mold shell, and relates to the technical field of electromechanical equipment and electronic device shell. The shell comprises an upper metal shell, a lower metal shell and four upper and lower symmetrical round corner structure pieces; the upper and lower metal shells are frame-shaped structures formed by bending along the bending mark line after sheet metal blanking, and are combined to form a mounting cavity; the four round corner structure pieces are respectively arranged at four corners of the shell and are fixedly connected with the side wall end portions of the upper and lower metal shells; the round corner structure piece is concentric with the sheet metal bending arc of the upper and lower metal shells, the outer surface is tangent to the outer surface of the shell side wall, and a continuous and smooth arc transition is formed; the arc surface and the plane of the round corner structure piece are respectively attached to the corresponding arc surface and plane of the upper and lower metal shells, so that the appearance effect without steps and gaps after assembly is realized. The application can adapt to sheet metal shells with different length and width sizes by only developing a small round corner structure piece mold, inherits the advantages of traditional sheet metal shells without integral mold opening and flexible size adjustment, realizes the smooth appearance of full-mold shell, greatly reduces mold investment and product modification cost, and can be widely applied to various industrial machines, electromechanical control equipment, electronic power equipment and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of housing technology for electromechanical equipment and electronic devices, and is particularly applicable to housing structures for various industrial machines, electromechanical control equipment, electronic power supply equipment, automation devices and other products of multiple specifications and small to medium batches. Specifically, it relates to a modular housing structure that combines the advantages of flexible sheet metal housing dimensions with the appearance quality of full mold housings. Background Technology

[0002] Existing equipment casings mainly fall into two categories, both of which have significant shortcomings: 1. Traditional sheet metal casing Advantages: It adopts cutting and bending processes, and the size can be changed at will according to actual needs. No mold opening is required, the modification cost is extremely low, the delivery is fast, and it can adapt to multiple specifications of products for rapid iteration. Disadvantages: The corners are bent at right angles or have simple transitions, which are rather abrupt. The appearance is stiff, the edges are sharp, the overall integrity is poor, and the seams are obvious, making it difficult to meet the requirements of high-end appearance. 2. Full mold shell (injection molding / die casting) Advantages: The corners of the outer shell can achieve a continuous and smooth large arc transition, resulting in a smooth and rounded appearance, continuous edges and corners, strong integrity, and high surface quality; Disadvantages: It is formed by injection molding or die casting in one large mold. One mold corresponds to only one size. Changing the size requires opening a whole new mold, which is extremely costly (tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan), has a long cycle, and has very poor flexibility in modification.

[0003] There is currently no solution in the industry that can simultaneously achieve: sheet metal-level dimensional freedom + full mold-level appearance quality, while using only one set of small corner molds to adapt to multiple sizes of shells. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Purpose of the invention: The purpose of this invention is to solve the technical problems of poor appearance of traditional sheet metal shells, high modification costs of full mold shells, and poor dimensional flexibility. It provides a modular shell structure for electromechanical equipment and electronic devices that combines the characteristics of sheet metal shells and full mold shells. It fully inherits the flexibility advantages of traditional sheet metal shells, which do not require overall mold opening and can be arbitrarily changed in size. At the same time, it perfectly replicates the high-quality appearance characteristics of full mold shells, such as rounded appearance, continuous and smooth edges, and strong overall appearance. Moreover, only one set of small four-corner rounded structural parts molds needs to be developed, which can be universally adapted to sheet metal shells of all length and width dimensions, greatly reducing mold investment costs and product modification cycle, and realizing the advantages of both types of shells.

[0005] Technical solution: A modular shell structure that combines the features of sheet metal shell and full mold shell includes an upper metal shell (1), a lower metal shell (2) and four rounded corner structural parts (3). The rounded corner structural component (3) is symmetrical in all directions. The upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are made of sheet metal. Figure 8 The shape shown is formed by bending upwards around the four bending marks (22). Figure 4 The frame-shaped structure shown has an upper metal shell (1) and a lower metal shell (2) mating together to form an installation cavity; Four rounded corner structural components (3) are respectively located at the four corners of the outer shell and are fixedly connected to the ends of the side walls (14) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2); The rounded corner structural component (3) has an edge arc (6), and the sheet metal bending arc (25) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are concentric and have the same diameter as the edge arc (6), forming a continuous and smooth arc transition; The outer surface (17) of the rounded corner structural component (3) is tangent to the outer surface of the shell sidewall (14), and the connection is smooth and without steps after assembly; The upper end face (18) of the rounded corner structural component (3) is smoothly connected to the top outer surface of the upper metal shell (1), and the lower end face (18) is smoothly connected to the bottom outer surface of the lower metal shell (2). The upper end face and the lower end face are both marked as (18) because the rounded corner structural component (3) is completely symmetrical. The rounded corner structural component (3) is provided with a mating surface (8), and the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are provided with a mating surface (11). After assembly, the mating surface (8) and the mating surface (11) fit together perfectly, and the dimensions of the mating surface (8) and the mating surface (11) are consistent within the tolerance range. The rounded corner structural component (3) is provided with a mating surface (9), and the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are provided with a mating surface (12). After assembly, the two mating surfaces (9) and the mating surface (12) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) fit together perfectly and the dimensions are consistent within the tolerance range. Optionally, when the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are cut, a half hole is reserved on the side wall edge. It can be a polygonal opening or a round opening. After the upper and lower metal shells (1, 2) are joined together, a hole (24) is formed. This hole can be a variety of different numbers and shapes of holes, which can be used as input / output or signal switch interface holes of the product. Optionally, the rounded corner structural member (3) is provided with a plane (10) and a plane (20). The plane (10) and plane (20) of the two adjacent rounded corner structural members (3) at the four corners of the entire shell, together with the inner surface of the side wall (14) of the metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2), form a four-sided groove for holding the screen printing plate (26), the interface plate (28) and the shielding reinforcement plate (15). When the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are cut, notches (23) are reserved on any two side walls of the shell for the interface plate (28) to expose the interface and the silk screen plate (26) to expose the product nameplate information. The function of the screen printing plate (26) is to print the product nameplate parameter information on it. The function of the interface plate (28) is to open holes on it, which can be used as the product's input / output or signal switch interface holes. The function of the screen printing plate (26) and the interface plate (28) can also be that when the product is iterated or the product's nameplate parameter information or the number of interface types needs to be changed, only the corresponding functional plate needs to be changed. This avoids the need to redesign and manufacture the entire shell when the conventional interface and nameplate parameter information are set on the entire shell, which greatly reduces the cost of modification. The screen printing plate (26), interface plate (28) and shielding reinforcement plate (15) are provided with holes (27) at their ends or in the middle. The function is to cooperate with the holes (5) and holes (13) to lock and reinforce the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2). Especially in the case of a shell structure with a long overall shell length, the hole (27) in the middle of the shielding reinforcement plate (15) plays a crucial role in reinforcing the middle of the upper and lower metal shells.

[0006] Beneficial effects: 1. Flexible dimensions (inheriting the advantages of sheet metal): The shell size can be modified arbitrarily by adjusting the sheet metal blanking, without the need for overall mold opening, zero cost of modification, and extremely short cycle; 2. High-end appearance (comparable to full mold): The high-end appearance of the full mold shell is replicated. Through the design of the rounded corner structural parts and the shell bending arc concentric with the same diameter and tangential connection of the outer surface, the corners of the shell are continuously smooth and rounded without sharp edges. There are no obvious gaps at the splicing points. The appearance and texture are completely consistent with the one-piece mold shell, solving the defects of rough appearance of sheet metal shells. 3. Extremely low mold cost: Only one small rounded corner structural component mold is needed (the cost is far lower than that of the overall mold), which can be universally adapted to shells of all length and width, completely solving the pain point of traditional full molds that require "reopening the entire mold for every size change"; 4. Excellent in both structural strength and assembly precision: Sheet metal ensures structural strength, while precise positioning of corner pieces improves assembly accuracy and consistency. Detailed Implementation

[0007] Example 1: Overall reinforcement of short-sized shells This embodiment is suitable for structures where the length and width of the outer casing are not large. For example... Figure 5 As shown, in conjunction with Figure 3 and Figure 4 The attached figures and Figure 8The details of the shell are explained. The upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) adopt a frame structure formed by bending sheet metal. Four rounded corner structural parts (3) are installed at the four corners of the shell. The rounded corner structural parts (3) are provided with mounting holes (5), and the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are provided with mating holes (13) at corresponding positions. Since the overall size of the shell is small and the structural rigidity is sufficient, the entire shell can be reliably fixed and structurally locked by simply mating the holes (5) of the rounded corner structural parts (3) with the holes (13) of the upper and lower metal shells and tightening them with self-tapping screws. The assembly is simple and the process is few, which meets the strength and appearance requirements of the shell of small electromechanical and electronic devices. After assembly, the rounded corner structural component (3) has a concentric arc (6) with the sheet metal bending arc of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2), forming a continuous and smooth transition; the outer surface (17) of the rounded corner structural component (3) which is symmetrical in the upper, lower and left and right is tangent to the outer surface of the shell side wall (14), and the upper end face and the lower end face (18) are smoothly connected to the upper and lower surfaces of the shell respectively. The mating surface (8) of the rounded corner structural component (3) is completely fitted with the mating surface (11) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) after assembly. The mating surface (9) of the rounded corner structural component (3) is completely fitted with the mating surface (12) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) after assembly. The overall appearance is round and continuous, achieving the appearance effect of the full mold shell, while retaining the characteristics of the sheet metal shell size being flexibly adjustable and not requiring overall mold opening. Interface opening design: When the upper and lower metal shells are cut, a half hole is reserved on the side wall edge. After the upper and lower metal shells (1, 2) are closed, the hole (24) is formed. The processing procedure is simple, time-saving and labor-saving, and no additional supporting components are required to assist in opening the hole.

[0008] Example 2: Based on Example 1, in the case of an outer shell structure with a relatively long overall shell length, such as Figure 2The overall structural strength and stability need to be strengthened. All functional boards, including the screen printing board (26), interface board (28) and shielding reinforcement board (15), are made of metal sheet through cutting process. The holes 27 on the functional boards are tapped. The holes 14 of the matching upper and lower metal shells are designed as countersunk holes. Countersunk screws (4) are used to lock and reinforce the upper and lower metal shells to ensure the connection is firm. For the reinforcement of the long shell structure: at the middle position of the long side of the shell, the middle hole of the reinforcement board and the hole 13 of the upper and lower metal shells are added to further reinforce the long side structure and avoid shell deformation. The holes 27 at the ends of all functional boards, together with the holes 13 of the upper and lower metal shells and the holes 5 of the rounded corner structural parts, realize multi-point synchronous reinforcement and fixation to improve the overall shell's resistance to deformation. Interface and nameplate production: the interface holes are opened simultaneously when the interface board (28) is cut and processed. The interface marking is made by screen printing or laser engraving process. The screen printing board is also made by screen printing or laser engraving process to produce product nameplate information. Meanwhile, when the upper and lower metal shells (1, 2) are cut, notches (23) are reserved on any two side walls of the shells for the interface board (28) to expose the interface and the silk screen board (26) to expose the product nameplate information.

[0009] Example 3: This embodiment is applicable to long shell structures that pursue convenient processing and controllable cost. Based on Embodiments 1 and 2, all functional boards, including the silkscreen board (26), interface board (28), and shielding reinforcement board (15), are made of PCB printed circuit boards. During the design stage, only Altium Designer (AD) professional PCB design software is needed to complete the PCB design file drawing, which can then be submitted to the PCB manufacturer (such as JLCPCB) for prototyping or mass production. This production mode is technically mature and has low prototyping and production costs. PCB material characteristics: The hardness of PCB material is between that of metal and plastic. It is easier to process than metal material and has better structural strength than plastic material, which meets the support and reinforcement requirements of the shell functional board. Fixing structure design: The holes (27) on the functional board are directly designed as through-hole pads, without the need for additional tapping. The holes (13) of the upper and lower metal shells are designed as countersunk holes, and countersunk self-tapping screws (4) are used to lock and fix the upper and lower metal shells. The advantage of countersunk self-tapping screws is that after installation, the screw head is flush with the surface of the shell without protrusion, ensuring a flat and beautiful overall appearance of the shell. The self-tapping screw can mechanically tap the inner surface of the through hole pad when screwing, saving tapping costs. Long shell reinforcement requirements: consistent with Example 2, for shells with a long length, a fixing screw is installed in the middle of the long side through the middle hole of the reinforcement plate (27) and the hole (13) of the upper and lower metal shells. The end hole (27) of the functional board cooperates with the hole (13) and the hole (5) to achieve all-round reinforcement and ensure the structural stability of the long shell. Interface and nameplate design: During the PCB design stage, the through hole pad is designed as the interface of the interface board (28). The interface marking and the product nameplate information of the silkscreen board (26) are completed through the PCB surface silkscreen process. Similarly, when the upper and lower metal shells (1, 2) are cut, a notch (23) is reserved on the side wall to facilitate the exposure of the interface of the interface board (28) and the nameplate information of the silkscreen board (26).

[0010] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 This is a multi-angle view of the assembled housing.

[0012] Figure 2 Overall schematic diagram of the completed outer casing assembly.

[0013] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of rounded corner structural component.

[0014] Figure 4Schematic diagram of the upper metal shell / lower metal shell structure.

[0015] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a small housing with reserved interfaces but no functional board.

[0016] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the overall explosion of the outer shell.

[0017] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the sheet metal blanking shape before bending the metal shell.

[0018] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing the assembly details.

[0019] Figure 9 The diagram shows the functional board, which includes a silkscreen board (26), an interface board (28), and a shielding reinforcement board (15).

Claims

1. A modular shell structure that combines the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, characterized in that, include: The upper metal shell (1), the lower metal shell (2), and four rounded corner structural components (3) are provided. The upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are frame structures formed by bending sheet metal along the bending mark line (22) after blanking. The two are joined together to form an internal mounting cavity. The four rounded corner structural components (3) are respectively set at the four corners of the shell and are fixedly connected to the ends of the side walls (14) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2). The rounded corner structural components (3) have angular arcs (6). The sheet metal bending arcs (25) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are concentric and have the same diameter as the angular arcs (6), forming a continuous and smooth arc transition. The outer surface (17) of the rounded corner structural components (3) is connected to the shell. The outer surfaces of the sidewalls (14) are tangent, and the connection is smooth and without steps after assembly; the upper end face (18) of the rounded corner structural component (3) is smoothly connected to the top outer surface of the upper metal shell (1), and its lower end face (18) is smoothly connected to the bottom outer surface of the lower metal shell (2); the rounded corner structural component (3) is provided with a mating surface (8), and the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are provided with a mating surface (11), and the mating surface (8) and the mating surface (11) fit together after assembly; the rounded corner structural component (3) is provided with a mating surface (9), and the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are provided with a mating surface (12), and the mating surface (9) and the mating surface (12) fit together after assembly.

2. The modular shell structure according to claim 1, which combines the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, is characterized in that, The rounded corner structural component (3) is a symmetrical structure in all directions.

3. A modular shell structure according to claim 1, which combines the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, is characterized in that, The upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) have half holes reserved on their side wall edges. After the upper and lower shells are joined together, an interface hole (24) is formed. The interface hole (24) is circular or polygonal.

4. A modular shell structure according to claim 1, combining the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, characterized in that, The rounded corner structural member (3) is provided with a plane (10) and a plane (20). The plane (10) and plane (20) of the adjacent rounded corner structural members (3) together with the inner surface of the side wall (14) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) form a groove. At least one of the following is installed in the groove: a screen printing plate (26), an interface plate (28), or a shielding reinforcement plate (15).

5. A modular shell structure according to claim 4, combining the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, characterized in that, The upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) have a notch (23) reserved on their side walls. The notch (23) is used to expose the interface of the interface board (28) and the nameplate information of the silkscreen board (26).

6. A modular shell structure according to claim 4, combining the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, characterized in that, The ends or middle of the screen printing plate (26), interface plate (28) and shielding reinforcement plate (15) are provided with holes (27), which cooperate with the holes (5) of the rounded corner structural member (3) and the holes (13) of the upper metal shell (1) / lower metal shell (2) to lock and reinforce the upper and lower shells.

7. A modular shell structure according to claim 4, combining the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, characterized in that, The silkscreen board (26), interface board (28) and shielding reinforcement board (15) are made of metal sheet cut into shape, or are PCB printed circuit boards.

8. A modular shell structure according to claim 1, combining the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, characterized in that, The sheet metal bending arc (25) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) are consistent with the edge arc (6) of the rounded corner structural component (3), and the error is within the allowable tolerance range.

9. A modular shell structure according to claim 1, combining the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, characterized in that, The mating surface (8) of the rounded corner structural component (3) has the same dimensions as the mating surface (11) of the upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2), and the error is within the allowable tolerance range.

10. A modular shell structure according to claim 1, combining the dimensional flexibility of sheet metal shells with the appearance quality of full-mold shells, characterized in that, The upper metal shell (1) and the lower metal shell (2) have four bending mark lines (22), which form a frame structure after bending. The size can be modified by adjusting the sheet metal blanking specifications.

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