HOUSING

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a housing according to the preamble of patent claim 1 (cf. EP 1 722 453 A2), through whose housing walls, objects are introduced into the interior of the housing through initially closed openings by removing breakout elements. Such housings are frequently used in the installation of electrical, optical, hydraulic, and / or pneumatic lines. Wall components with breakout inserts are also known from DE 10 2008 012 941 A1, US 4,825,339 A, US 6,103,973 A, DE 17 03 386 U, US 5,191,171 A, US 4,758,180 A, or US 1,646,622 A.

[0002] For example, such housings are used for connecting electrical devices to electrical cables and / or for wiring electrical cables together (see EP 1 722 453 A2). Electrical devices, such as switches, sockets, actuators, and / or sensors, are installed in housings, particularly as part of home installation systems, and are connected or electrically interconnected via appropriate electrical cables. The housings are arranged either in or on a substructure, e.g., a solid wall or a cavity wall construction.

[0003] To allow the electrical cables or the corresponding conduits enclosing them to be inserted into the interior of the enclosures, openings are provided in the walls of the enclosures. These are closed with breakout elements during assembly, which the installer can remove by applying pressure or by cutting with tools.

[0004] The breakout elements are partially cut free from the housing wall and secured to the housing wall by webs or defined predetermined breaking points that can be severed by the installer. The disadvantage of this design is that after cutting through the webs or defined predetermined breaking points, sharp-edged residues remain in the resulting outlet opening in the housing wall. This can damage the cables or corresponding installation pipes when inserted into the housing, and can also cause injuries to the installer's fingers.

[0005] The object of the present invention is therefore to eliminate the above-mentioned disadvantages and to provide a housing which enables installation-friendly introduction and fastening of cables or corresponding installation pipes into the interior of the housing and which reduces the risk of injury to the installer during installation.

[0006] This problem is solved by the features specified in patent claim 1.

[0007] In the housing according to the invention, the edge of the opening in the region of the web has a bulge in which the web is fastened. In other words, the edge of the opening is not formed essentially parallel to the outer contour of the breakout element, but rather the edge of the opening has a discontinuity in the form of a bulge or a recess in the region of the web fastening. This has the advantage that after the web has been separated in order to remove the breakout element, the residue of the web which usually always remains on the housing, which has sharp edges and can cause injuries, is located within the bulge. This allows cables orappropriate installation pipes can be inserted into the interior of the housing without damaging the cable sheath or the installation pipe or causing injuries to the installer, since the sharp-edged remnants of the severed web do not come into contact with cables or with the installer's fingers.

[0008] A particularly good and easy-to-handle separation of the web is achieved by extending it diagonally to the plane of the wall surrounding the bulge.

[0009] Advantageous embodiments emerge from the description, the drawing and the subclaims.

[0010] According to an advantageous embodiment, the bulge can extend away from the outer contour of the breakout element toward the wall. In this case, the bulge is not formed, or not only formed, in a direction perpendicular to the wall. Rather, the bulge is provided within the plane formed by the (possibly curved) wall sections surrounding the breakout element. In other words, in this embodiment, the bulge must be formed in the plane of the wall, although it is not excluded that the bulge also extends transversely to the plane of the wall.

[0011] According to a further advantageous embodiment, the breakout element can be offset toward the interior of the housing or toward the exterior of the housing, which makes it easier to separate the breakout element. In such an embodiment, both ends of the web can lie in mutually parallel planes, with one of the planes being formed by the breakout element and the other by the edge of the opening.

[0012] The web has a thinner wall thickness or a reduced cross-section in the recess, simplifying separation and simultaneously creating a defined fracture point within the recess. This is facilitated by the web's reduced cross-section only in the recess. This determines the separation behavior, preventing disadvantageous fracture points in terms of position and geometry. The housings are made of plastics, which preferably have particularly advantageous electrical insulation properties.

[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment, several webs can be distributed evenly around the circumference of the cutout element. The number and positioning of the webs along the cutout can then be selected such that, during installation, it is sufficiently ensured that no accidental removal is possible. For this purpose, the webs are advantageously distributed at even intervals, e.g., in the center and at the ends of a semicircle.

[0014] The cutout elements can be designed, particularly outside the recess, to complement the edge of the opening or the inner contour of the housing wall, so that the cutout remains sufficiently stable to prevent objects from penetrating and thus prevent damage caused by snagging. The cutout elements can have a variety of shapes and dimensions. They are often round or semicircular, corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of cables and pipes, or rectangular shapes for cable ducts.

[0015] Depending on the design, the breakout elements can be irreversibly separated from the housing wall or, for example, can remain connected to the housing wall via a film hinge via a movement axis, for example in order to be closed again later.

[0016] The enclosures can be modular or non-modular and assembled from individual components to form a single enclosure or enclosure complex. Enclosure walls are often installed as supplementary components in which the breakout elements according to the invention can be implemented.

[0017] Fundamentally, the present invention relates to housings in general, preferably to housings for installing and wiring electrical devices. Electrical devices, such as switches, sockets, actuators, and / or sensors, are installed in housings, particularly as part of home installation systems, and are connected or electrically interconnected by means of appropriate electrical cables. One or more devices can be arranged in the housings.

[0018] According to a further advantageous embodiment, two breakout elements integrated into one another can be provided to allow openings for lines of different diameters. According to the invention, a second breakout element integrated into the first breakout element is designed in the same way as the first breakout element, and the opening initially closed by the second breakout element is also designed in the same way as the first opening, namely, it has a bulge in which a second web of the second breakout element is fastened. This also results in the above-described advantages for the second opening.

[0019] Further details, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment with reference to the drawings.

[0020] They show: Fig. 1a perspective front view of a housing, Fig. 2a perspective rear view of the housing of Fig. 1 , Fig. 3 a view from the outside of a breakout element of the housing of Fig. 1 and 2 , Fig. 4 a view from the inside of the breakout element of Fig. 3 , Fig. 5 an enlarged partial view of Fig. 3 with the breakout element removed, and Fig. 6 a partial section along the line VI-VI of Fig. 4 .

[0021] The structure of the housing according to the invention is described in more detail with reference to the figures, wherein identical or equivalent components are provided with the same reference numerals in the following description.

[0022] The Fig. 1 and 2The illustrated embodiment of a housing 10 serves to accommodate electrical installation devices and comprises a receiving space formed by a peripheral wall 12 and a rear wall 14. The housing 10 has a racetrack-shaped peripheral contour, is made in one piece from plastic, and has a mounting flange 16 formed on the side wall 12 on its front side, which is open towards the front.

[0023] The housing 10 further comprises a plurality of predefined openings that allow the insertion of electrical conductors or pipes to connect an electrical installation device to be arranged in the housing. In the delivery state shown, each opening is closed with a removable breakout element, the more detailed description of which is given below by way of example with reference to the Fig. 1 and 2 shown breakout element 18, which is in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 is shown enlarged.

[0024] As in particular Fig. 3 As illustrated, the breakout element 18 is cut free from the surrounding wall 12 with the exception of three webs 20, 21 and 22 and is only connected to the wall 12 via the webs. The webs 20, 21 and 22 are located between the outer contour 24 of the breakout element 18 and the edge 26 (see also Fig. 6 ) of the opening 28 ( Fig. 5 ) which is closed by the breakout element 18 in the delivery state. As in particular Fig. 5 As is clear, the edge 26 of the opening 28 has a bulge 30 in the area of each web, in which the web (in the delivery state - see Fig. 3 ) is attached. After separating or breaking out the breakout element 18, the opening 28 ( Fig. 5 ) are freely accessible and in the recesses 30 there are only sharp-edged residues 20a and 21a of the webs 20 and 21.

[0025] As in particular Fig.5 As illustrated, each bulge 30 extends from the Fig. 5 dashed outer contour 24 of the breakout element 18 away in the direction of the wall 12 and each bulge 30 is formed in the (material) plane of the wall 12. Furthermore, Fig. 3 that the edge 26 of the opening 28 outside the bulges 30 is formed substantially complementary to the outer contour 24 of the breakout element 18. The three webs 20, 21, and 22 are distributed approximately evenly over the circumference of the breakout element 18, and each bulge 30 is concavely curved according to the invention, resulting in four turning points in the edge 26 of the opening in the region of each bulge.

[0026] A comparison of the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 further illustrates that each breakout element 18 is offset towards the interior of the housing 10. This can be achieved, for example, by the two ends of each web (cf. web 21 in Fig. 6) lie in mutually parallel planes or are spaced apart in a direction perpendicular to the wall 12.

[0027] Based on Fig. 6 It can also be seen that each web extends obliquely to the plane of the wall 12 surrounding the bulge 30 and that the web has a reduced cross-section Q exclusively in the bulge 30.

[0028] Fig. 2 also shows a second variant of a (in Fig. 1not visible) breakout element 18'. This is basically constructed in the same way and integrated into the housing wall as the previously described breakout element 18. However, a second breakout element 18" is integrated into the breakout element 18', which has a smaller circumference and a smaller area and thus closes a smaller opening. The further breakout element 18" is connected to the first breakout element 18' in the same way as the previously described breakout element 18 is connected to the wall 12. For this purpose, the further breakout element 18" is cut free from the first breakout element 18' with the exception of three webs 22", and the ends of the webs are in turn arranged in bulges 30" in the first breakout element 18'. As a result, a smaller opening can be created in the housing 10 by removing the further breakout element 18" than by removing the first breakout element 18'.

[0029] It is understood that the described breakout elements can be angled (as shown) or curved or planar.

[0030] For inserting wires, cables or pipes into the interior of the housing 10, each breakout element 18, 18' or 18" can be detached from the surrounding material at the webs by pressing out, levering out or cutting, so that in the area of the bulges 30 or 30" only remnants 20a, 21a ( Fig. 5 ) of the bridge attachments remain. Although these remnants are sharp-edged, they are located in the 30" or 30" recesses, so that neither the cable nor the installer's fingers can be injured.

Claims

1. A housing (10) for installing sockets, which is produced in one piece from plastic, comprising a receiving space formed at least partly by walls (12, 14), wherein a break-out element (18; 18') closing an opening is provided in at least one of the walls (12, 14), which break-out element (18; 18') is at least partly cut free with respect to the wall (12) and is connected to the wall (12) by means of at least one web (20 - 22; 22') which is provided between the outer contour (24) of the break-out element (18; 18') and the margin (26) of the opening (28), characterized in that the margin (26) of the opening (28) has a concavely curved bulge (30; 30") in the region of the web (20 - 22; 22'), in which bulge the web is fastened, in that the web (20 - 22; 22') has a reduced cross-section (Q) exclusively in the bulge (30; 30"), and in that the web (20 - 22; 22') in the bulge (30; 30") extends obliquely to the plane of the wall surrounding the bulge (30; 30").

2. A housing according to claim 1, characterized in that the bulge (30; 30") extends away from the outer contour (24) of the break-out element (18; 18') towards the wall (12).

3. A housing according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the bulge (30; 30") is formed in the plane of the wall (12).

4. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the margin (26) of the opening (28) outside the bulge (30; 30") is formed in a complementary manner to the outer contour (24) of the break-out element (18; 18').

5. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the break-out element (18; 18') is connected in an articulated manner to the wall (12).

6. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a plurality of webs (20 - 22; 22') are in particular uniformly distributed over the periphery of the break-out element (18; 18'; 18").

7. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the break-out element (18; 18'; 18") is offset towards the housing interior.

8. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that both ends of the web (20 - 22; 22') lie in mutually parallel planes.

9. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the break-out element is a first break-out element (18') and in that a second break-out element (18") closing a second opening is provided in said first break-out element (18'), which second break-out element (18") is at least partly cut free and is connected to the first break-out element (18') by means of at least one second web (22") which is provided between the outer contour of the second break-out element (18") and the margin of the second opening, with the margin of the second opening having a second bulge (30") in the region of the second web (22"), in which second bulge the second web (22") is fastened.

10. A housing according to claim 9, characterized in that the second bulge (30") extends away from the outer contour of the second break-out element (18") towards the first break-out element (18').

11. A housing according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that the second bulge (30") is formed in the plane of the first break-out element (18').

12. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the second web (22") preferably has a reduced cross-section exclusively in the second bulge (30").

13. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims 9 to 12, characterized in that the margin of the second opening outside the second bulge (30") is formed in a complementary manner to the outer contour of the second break-out element (18").

14. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims 9 to 13, characterized in that the second break-out element (18") is connected in an articulated manner to the first break-out element (18').

15. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims 9 to 14, characterized in that a plurality of second webs (30") are in particular uniformly distributed over the periphery of the second break-out element (18").

16. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims 9 to 15, characterized in that the second break-out element (18") is offset towards the housing interior.

17. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims 9 to 16, characterized in that both ends of the second web (30") lie in mutually parallel planes.

18. A housing according to at least one of the preceding claims 9 to 17, characterized in that the second web (22") extends obliquely to the plane of the surface of the first break-out element (18') that surrounds the second bulge (30").