Installation housing

Abstract

Installation housing (1) made of a plastic with a break-out opening (8) arranged in a housing section for inserting a long item such as an electrical or optical conductor, a conduit or the like into the interior of the installation housing (1), wherein the break-out opening (8) is at least substantially closed in the delivery state by a closure body (9) connected to the edge of the break-out opening (8), which closure body (9) is detachably connected to the housing section, so that the break-out opening (8) is opened by breaking out the closure body (9), characterized in that the closure body (9) has a first region (11) of increased puncture resistance and a second region (12) of reduced puncture resistance, which is surrounded by the first region (11) at least in sections and adjoins the first region (11) without a gap, wherein the installation housing (1) is designed tothat an insertion opening can be introduced into the second region (12) by piercing or cutting out the material providing the second region (12), and wherein the two regions are separated by a structural and / or material change that stops a crack propagating into the second region (12).

Description

The invention relates to an installation housing made of a plastic with a break-out opening arranged in a housing section for inserting an elongated product such as an electrical or optical conductor, an empty tube or the like into the interior of the installation housing, wherein the break-out opening is at least substantially closed in the delivery state by a closure body connected to the edge of the break-out opening, which closure body is connected to the housing section in a separable manner, such that the break-out opening is opened by breaking out the closure body.Housings serving for electrical installations are, for example, installation boxes such as flush-mounted boxes, hollow wall boxes, etc., but also branch boxes, switch boxes or the like. Such housings are typically made of a dimensionally stable hard plastic. These housings have in common that long goods, i.e.: cables or empty tubes, are to be introduced through a wall of the housing for connection to electrical and / or electronic devices or units contained in the housing. For this purpose, housings of this type have prepared cable inlets in predetermined housing sections, through which the corresponding elongated goods can be guided through the housing wall.The cable inlets are usually designed as break-out openings. These usually have a circular contour geometry, which simulates the design of the cables or empty tubes. A break-out opening therefore represents a break-through in a wall of the housing. The break-out openings are initially closed in the delivery state. Only those break-out openings which are required during installation are opened.A closure body serves to close the break-out opening. It can be provided that the edge of the break-out opening is separated from the closure body by a gap, which gap is bridged in sections by predetermined breaking webs. The gap represents the predetermined breaking line along which the closure body is separated from the housing section of the installation housing: for opening such a break-out opening, the webs are cut, for example by applying a break-out pressure to the closure body, and the closure body is removed from the break-out opening. Embodiments are also known in which the gap is closed off in sections by a film; this does not prevent the closure body from breaking out manually.The closure body is usually formed on the edge of the break-out opening and is already formed in the same shape as the installation housing as a whole during the production of the installation housing, usually in an injection molding process.In order to be able to pass cables or empty tubes of different diameters through such a design of a break-out opening without an excessively wide annular gap remaining in the case of cables or tubes of smaller diameter, break-out openings have been developed in a first embodiment in which the closure body described above itself carries at least one closure body part arranged approximately concentrically. This is connected in the same way to the outer closure body part by material bridges. Both closure body parts form the closure body closing the break-out opening. If only one opening of smaller diameter is required during cable introduction, only the inner closure body part is broken out. Such a configuration is shown, for example, in DE 20 20 2018 006 675.According to another embodiment, a cable inlet can be designed as an inlet opening. This insertion opening is spanned by an elastic soft plastic membrane in the delivery state. In such a configuration, the soft plastic membrane represents the closure body. Such closure bodies are used when a cable or empty tube lead-in is to have a certain wind tightness. Concentrically arranged, raised beads identify the provided insertion region for inserting or inserting a cable or empty tube. For the introduction of an empty material, this soft plastic membrane is pierced, so that an introduction opening is provided. Cutting out a part of the membrane is also conceivable.In some cases, it is required that the cables introduced into such a housing are held in such a break-out opening with a certain retaining force so that the cable or empty tube passed through the break-out opening cannot be unintentionally pulled out again. In addition, it is usually required that the housing also has the required degree of protection in the region of cable introduction, and thus an ingress of foreign bodies is prevented. This is stated as a housing with the so-called protection type IP (ingress protection) according to DIN EN 60529.Starting from the first embodiment, it is problematic in the case of closure bodies which once again have their own break-out opening that the size of this smaller break-out opening is fixedly predefined. However, straight long goods with a smaller diameter, which are guided through the smaller break-out opening, should experience improved retention by the installation box due to their lower rigidity.Against this background, it is the object of the invention to provide an improved installation housing, in which retention by the installation housing can also take place for long goods of smaller diameter.This object is achieved by an installation housing of the generic type mentioned at the beginning, in which the closure body has a first region of increased puncture resistance and a second region of reduced puncture resistance surrounding the first region at least in sections and adjoining the first region without gaps, wherein the installation housing is configured such that an insertion opening can be introduced into the second region by puncturing or cutting out the material providing the second region, and wherein the two regions are separated by a change in structure and / or material occurring as a result of a crack propagating into the second region.Further advantageous embodiments are evident from the dependent claims and the description.The core of the invention lies in the provision of a closure body which is separated, on the one hand, from the housing section by a gap forming a predetermined separating line and is broken out to open a break-out opening, and on the other hand itself provides a region which can be pierced variably to introduce a long material, so that a thus formed insertion opening can be configured depending on the situation and individually by the installer in its cross-sectional geometry. A break-out opening is thus combined in a convenient manner with an insertion opening.For this purpose, according to the invention, it is provided that the closure body has two regions which are designed differently with respect to their puncture resistance: a first region of increased puncture resistance and a second region of reduced puncture resistance. It is provided that an insertion opening can be introduced into the second region of reduced puncture resistance by puncturing or cutting out the material providing the second region. For this purpose, the relevant sections and parts of the installation housing are designed accordingly, for example the connection between the closure body and housing section, the second region opposite the first region and not least the optical configuration which directs the installer to lead a piercing of the second region to an intended insertion opening.The puncture resistance referred to is a measure of the resistance of the material to force application by a substantially pointed object such as a cross screwdriver or a knife tip. By providing a reduced resistance to puncture, it is achieved that only the second region-and not the first region-can be opened at least in sections in order to provide an insertion opening in the wall section, and the closure body, in particular the first region of the closure body, remains connected to the housing section. The closure body is thus not broken out.The difference in the puncture resistance can be provided, for example, by a reduced wall thickness of the second region, a harder plastic of the first region or other geometric structures reinforcing the first regions or weakening the second region. However, the first region and the second region each have their own uniform wall thickness; this simplifies production.In order to provide the different puncture strengths, a reduction in the wall thickness of the second region compared to the first region is considered particularly advantageous. This creates a simple possibility of reducing the puncture resistance, which can be easily implemented in production.A transition region can be provided between the first and the second region. In this region, the wall thickness of the first region is somewhat reduced.However, it is important that the first and the second region are formed integrally. This means that they are not separated from one another by a perforation or an embossed notch, forming a gap that may be filled in sections. Instead, the two regions are separated by a structural and / or material change that holds up a crack propagating into the second region, for example by an abrupt change in the wall thickness, a bead or the like. This ensures that a crack propagating in the second region propagates only as far as the boundary between the first and second regions during the introduction of the introduction opening, and the introduction opening is thus prevented from having too large a size. It is also ensured in this way that the insertion opening can only be introduced into the second region. The structural and / or material change provides a defined crack boundary which is independent of tool and force, in particular when used as intended.The puncture resistance in the second region is substantially uniform. In this way, it is clear to the installer using the installation housing at which position the insertion opening is introduced into the second region and also in what size.It can be provided by an installer that the second region is not completely pierced or cut out, but only a partial region thereof. This can be supported at the factory by the second region having at least one web projecting from its surface, which web divides the second region into a plurality of sub-regions. Usually, such a web protrudes from the outwardly facing surface of the second region. This at least one protruding web can be used not only for visualizing the partial regions, but also reinforces edges of the provided partial regions in order to reduce the risk of tearing beyond the corresponding partial region during puncturing or cutting. Thus, a plurality of webs of this type can also be provided on the second region. Furthermore, it can be provided that the web is divided into several partial webs, so that web-reinforced sections alternate with unbridged sections. This does not unduly limit the necessary flexibility of the second region, although stabilization of the edge of a possible insertion opening is assured. It is understood that these webs represent a significantly smaller change in structure and / or material than the boundary to the first region. The force required to introduce an insertion opening into the second region also over a partial region is to be introduced into the first region by a multiple smaller than a crack.In particular, the insertion opening can be adapted such that the edge of the insertion opening is pushed into the installation housing in the direction of the installation housing when the long goods are introduced from the outside. For this purpose, the material forming the second region or its structure has sufficient flexibility. By the inversion, a tensile force is automatically absorbed against a force pulling the long goods out of the installation housing. For this purpose, the edge of the insertion opening preferably abuts circumferentially on the elongated product.Furthermore, it is provided that the outwardly facing surface of the second region is set back with respect to the outwardly facing surface of the first region. The surface of the second region facing the interior of the installation housing, on the other hand, can preferably be aligned with the corresponding surface of the first region. Towards the inside, the closure body is then substantially smooth. By displacing the outwardly facing surface of the second region back with respect to the first region, not only can a thinner wall thickness be realized in the second region with respect to the first region, but the second region can be identified better by an installer. Due to the recessed surface of the second region opposite the first region, a depression is made in the closure body. A piercing tool is radially guided in this depression, so that slipping off during piercing into the first region is avoided. The piercing tool can be intuitively positioned on the second region.It can furthermore be provided that the closure body is substantially in a plane with the material surrounding the break-out opening. The closure body then does not protrude with respect to the edge of the break-out opening and the material surrounding the break-out opening. An installation housing having a substantially uniform wall thickness is provided, so that it can be easily inserted in particular into holes of a wall. This also simplifies the provision of the production tool for producing the installation housing in terms of its geometry and its forming behavior.In a first preferred embodiment, it is provided that the closure body is produced from a uniform hard plastic. Such a hard plastic is dimensionally stable and is widely used for installation housings in electrical engineering. It is usually the same plastic from which the installation housing is provided overall; the installation housing thereby acquires the necessary dimensional stability. The closure body and the installation housing can thus be provided in a particularly simple manner, namely by using the identical plastic in one mold and in one piece.In this configuration, it can be provided that the second region is provided as a hard plastic film. A wall thickness in the range of less than 1 mm is considered as the plastic film. Such a plastic film is very thin and thus relatively easy to puncture. However, if it is intact, it seals the second region. Moreover, even if made of a hard plastic, such a plastic film is flexible to a certain extent, which is sufficient for the present purposes, due to its small wall thickness, in order to ensure retention of an introduced long material. For this purpose, it usually has the necessary flexibility for it to be inserted into the housing interior, but at the same time is so strong that an effective strain relief is made possible.In another preferred embodiment, it is provided that the closure body is produced by a 2K plastic casting method, in particular an injection molding method, wherein the first region is made of a hard plastic and the second region is made of a soft plastic. The second region is then designed as a soft plastic membrane. Such a 2K manufacturing method usually relates to the entire installation housing. The soft plastic used inherently has a lower puncture resistance than the hard plastic, so that the advantages according to the invention are usually achieved independently of different wall thicknesses of the two regions. In particular, the second region has the necessary flexibility due to the use of a soft plastic, so that an insertion opening introduced into this second region flexibly adapts to the cross-sectional geometry of an inserted elongated product. At the same time, a stable counter bearing is provided by the use of hard plastic in the region of the first region, so that the location of the insertion opening and thus the location of entry of the long goods into the installation housing remains exactly predefined during the installation. This also assists piercing or cutting out limited to the second region.In this embodiment, it can also be provided that a gap between the closure body and the edge of the break-out opening is filled or covered with a soft plastic. Thus, the soft plastic component can also cover the transition between the closure body and the material surrounding the break-out opening, and thus wind tightness of the break-out opening can be achieved. The soft plastic usually does not prevent the closure body from easily breaking out of the break-out opening.It can basically be provided that the second region is surrounded over its entire circumference by the first region. As a result of the peripheral embedding or embedding of the second region by the first region, the second region is stabilized peripherally on the first region in its edge region.In a particular configuration, the installation housing is configured as an installation box, to be used in hollow walls or in the flush-mounted region during electrical installation. The housing section is then part of a can wall and / or a can base of an installation can, preferably in the rounded or flattened chamfer region between can base and can wall. In particular in the case of such installation boxes, there is the need for an opening which can be adapted by situation for the introduction of long goods, in particular cables, into the interior of the box. At the same time, the installation space is restricted. By the variable provision of an introduction in the second region by puncturing or cutting out the material providing the second region, adapted to the elongated material to be introduced, an improved retention of the elongated material can be achieved and at the same time it can be avoided that excessively large break-out openings lead to an undesired contamination of the interior of the installation box.The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the enclosed figures. The following are shown: FIG. 1 : a three-dimensional view of an installation housing according to the invention, FIG. 2 : a sectional detail section of the installation housing from FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 : a sectioned detailed view of the installation housing from FIG. 1, rotated through 90° in relation to FIG. 2.FIG. 1 shows an installation housing 1 produced by an injection molding method, designed as an installation box, having a box wall 2 and a box base 3. In the chamfer region 4, partially protruding into the can bottom 3, cable inlets 5.1, 5.2, 6, which are closed in the delivery state and through which long goods can be introduced into the interior of the installation housing, are provided at provided positions. The interior of the installation housing is accessible via an unlocked side, which cannot be seen here; access to the interior of the installation housing 1 takes place from the direction of the three-dimensional arrow 7 drawn in.Two cable inlets 5.1, 5.2 are designed as combined break-out and inlet openings, one of which (5.1) is explained in more detail below. In FIG. 1, the outer edge of a break-out opening 8 is marked with a dashed line. This break-out opening 8 is closed by a closure body 9 in the delivery state. The closure body 9 is separated from the edge of the break-out opening 8 by a gap, which gap is bridged in sections by predetermined breaking webs 10, so that a sufficiently stable connection is provided between the closure body 9 and the material 19 surrounding the break-out opening 8 (see also FIGS. 2 and 3, in which these are provided with reference numerals by way of example).The closure body 9 can be broken out to open the break-out opening 8. For this purpose, the predetermined breaking webs 10 are separated and the closure body 9 is removed.However, it is also possible to introduce an insertion opening into the closure body 9. For this purpose, the closure body 9 comprises a first region 11 and a second region 12.The two regions 11, 12 are explained in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The two figures show sectioned three-dimensional views; the section is in each case taken through a half axis of the closure body 9.As can be seen in FIG. 2, the closure body 9 comprises a first region 11, from which the second region 12 differs in that the latter has a reduced wall thickness, and therefore a reduced thickness. The reduced wall thickness of the second region 12 reduces its puncture resistance compared to the first region 11: the second region 12 can be easily punctured by means of a pointed object, for example a cross screwdriver or the tip of a knife. The resistance to puncture of the second region 12 is so low that, when a pointed object acts on this second region 12 under pressure, the latter is punctured before the closure body 9 is broken out of the break-out opening 8 as a whole, and therefore before the predetermined breaking webs 10 break.Both regions 11, 12 each have a substantially constant wall thickness.The first region 11 merges into the second region 12 by means of a transition region 13. However, in the transition from the transition region 13 to the second region 12, a unique edge 14 is provided, representing a structure change. This edge 14 serves for separating the second region 12 from the first region 11 having the transition region 13 so that a crack propagating in the second region 12 does not propagate into the first region 11 as a result of the opening of an insertion opening.The transition region 13 leads from the outwardly facing surface 15 of the first region 11 back in the direction of the interior of the installation housing up to the height of the outwardly facing surface 16 of the second region 12, but the surfaces 17, 18 of the first region 11 or second region 12 facing the housing merge into one another; the closure body 9 is smooth from the interior of the installation housing.It should be noted that no gap or the like is provided between the first region 11 and the second region 12; the second region 12 protrudes as far as the first region 11.The closure body 9 itself is substantially in one plane with respect to the material 19 surrounding the break-out opening 8 and protrudes substantially neither outwards nor inwards from the material 19 surrounding the break-out opening 8.Facing outwards, the second region 12 has webs 20, 21 projecting from its surface 16, which are applied to the surface 16 of the second region 12 in two circle segments (see also FIG. 1 ). The webs 20, 21 are formed by individual web segments, so that in this exemplary embodiment a dashed line is created by the web segments, together forming the respective web 20, 21. The webs 20, 21 not only have an indication function for the installer but limit a possible piercing process by the installer to corresponding sub-sizes of the insertion opening to be formed, so that, if desired, only one or more partial regions 22, 23, 24 of the second region 12, connected well, serve as the insertion opening. The webs 20, 21 then stabilize the edge of the created insertion opening.In the exemplary embodiment present here, the entire installation housing 1 including the closure body 9, or its first region 11 and second region 12, is produced from a single type of plastic, namely a hard plastic, which gives the installation housing 1 the required dimensional stability.In order to impart the necessary reduced puncture resistance to the second region 12 and at the same time provide a certain flexibility of this second region 12 so that a long item guided through the insertion opening provided in the second region 12 bears as circumferentially as possible against it, the second region 12 is provided as a plastic film.In another configuration, which is not illustrated in the figures, it can be provided that the second region is provided from a soft plastic, while the first region is provided from a hard plastic. Such a closure body or such an installation housing is usually produced in a 2K injection molding process.The invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment. Without departing from the scope of protection described by the applicable claims, numerous further embodiments for realizing the inventive idea will be apparent to the person skilled in the art without these having to be explained in more detail within the scope of these explanations.List of reference characters1 Installation housing 2 Can wall 3 Can base 4 Chamfer region 5.1, 5.2, 6 Cable lead-in 7 Directional arrow 8 Break-out opening 9 Closure body 10 Predetermined breaking web 11 First region 12 Second region 13 Transition region 14 Edge 15 Outer-side surface of the first region 16 Outer-side surface of the second region 17 Inner-side surface of the first region 18 Inner-side surface of the second region 19 Material 20, 21 Web 22, 23, 24 Partial region of the second region surrounding the break-out openingReferences included in the specificationThis list of documents cited by the applicant has been produced in an automated manner and is only included for the better information of the reader. The list is not part of the German patent application or utility model application. The DPMA does not take any adhesion for any faults or omissions.Patent Literature citedDE 20 2018 006 675

[0006]

Claims

Installation housing (1) made of a plastic with a break-out opening (8) arranged in a housing section for inserting a long goods such as an electrical or optical conductor, an empty tube or the like into the interior of the installation housing (1), wherein the break-out opening (8) is at least substantially closed in the delivery state by a closure body (9) connected to the edge of the break-out opening (8), which closure body (9) is detachably connected to the housing section, such that the break-out opening (8) is opened by breaking out the closure body (9), characterized in that the closure body (9) has a first region (11) of increased puncture resistance and a second region (12) of reduced puncture resistance surrounding at least in sections the first region (11) and adjoining the first region (11) without gaps, wherein the installation housing (1) is configured to open the break-out opening (8), an insertion opening can be introduced into the second region (12) by piercing or cutting out the material providing the second region (12), and wherein the two regions are separated by a structural and / or material change occurring during a crack propagating into the second region (12).Installation housing (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that, in order to achieve a lower puncture resistance of the second region (12), the wall thickness is reduced compared with the first region (11).Installation housing (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 2, characterized in that the outwardly facing surface (16) of the second region (12) is set back with respect to the outwardly facing surface (15) of the first region (11).Installation housing (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second region (12) has at least one protruding web (20, 21) which points outwards from its surface (16), in particular the outward-pointing, and divides the second region (12) into a plurality of subareas (22, 23, 24).Installation housing (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the closure body (9) is substantially in a plane with the material (19) surrounding the break-out opening (8).Installation housing (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the closure body (9) is produced uniformly from a hard plastic.Installation housing (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that the second region (12) is provided as a hard plastic film.Installation housing (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the closure body (9) is produced by way of a 2K plastic casting method, in particular an injection moulding method, wherein the first region (11) is provided from a hard plastic and the second region (12) is provided from a soft plastic.Installation housing (1) according to Claim 8, characterized in that a gap between the closure body (9) and the edge of the break-out opening (8) is filled or covered with a soft plastic.Installation housing (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the second region (12) is surrounded over the full circumference by the first region (11).Installation housing (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that the installation housing (1) is an installation box, in particular a hollow-wall box or a flush-mounted box, having a box base (3) and a box wall (2), and in that the housing section is part of the box wall (2) and / or of the box base (3), preferably in the rounded or flattened chamfer region (4) between box base (3) and box wall (2).

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