WO2003050666A1

WO2003050666A1 - Pedestal enclosure with improved accessibility to components and improved ingress protection

Info

Publication number: WO2003050666A1
Application number: PCT/US2002/038931
Authority: WO
Inventors: Robert M. Speck; Julius W. Fourie
Original assignee: Envirosense, Llc
Priority date: 2001-12-07
Filing date: 2002-12-06
Publication date: 2003-06-19
Also published as: AU2002366546A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a pedestal enclosure (1) wherein components (14) are mounted on a board (15) that can be positioned at multiple locations including a position where 360-degree access to said components (14) is possible.

Description

PEDESTAL ENCLOSURE WITH IMPROVED ACCESSIBILITY TO COMPONENTS AND IMPROVED INGRESS PROTECTION

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No.

60/340,125 filed December 7, 2001 and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/417,771 filed October 11, 2002, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDINGFEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a pedestal enclosure with improved accessibility to components inside the enclosure and with an increased level of ingress protection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Various enclosures are used in many industries to house components such as cabling and/or devices. Some enclosures are partially buried in the ground with the above ground portion providing the space for housing the components and such enclosures are typically referred to as pedestal enclosures. There are numerous methods of attaching or securing components inside pedestal enclosures with varying degrees of access to these components after installation. The degree of protection from the environment offered by different pedestal enclosures also varies significantly. An enclosure marketed under the name TufBox in the USA is an example of a conventional pedestal enclosure. The enclosure is easily installed by partial burial of the bottom portion and access to the above ground portion is achieved by opening a hinged lid on top of the unit which allows two removable side panels to slide out, providing access to components inside the enclosure from the top and also from the two sides where the panels have been removed. In addition to this increased access over more conventional hinged door type enclosures, no mounting pole or mounting plinth is required to install the pedestal enclosure. Furthermore, the pedestal design eliminates the need for conduit to bring wiring into the enclosure from below grade, as is typically used with pole mounted enclosures.

In conventional designs, components are mounted inside an enclosure by bolting them onto mounting lugs or tabs, which are fixed to the front and back panels for this purpose. Although access to the components is improved by the two slide-out side panels, the two remaining front and back panels are fixed to provide structural stability to the pedestal enclosure and can therefore not be removed. As a result, 360-degree access to components can only be achieved by unbolting the components from the mounting lugs or tabs and removing them completely from the enclosure.

A further drawback of conventional designs is that the slide out side-panel mechanism for opening the enclosure does not facilitate a tight seal between the slide out side-panel and the main body of the enclosure. The level of protection afforded by the enclosure is therefore limited. The level of protection an enclosure offers to ingress of external solids and fluids can be expressed according to a National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) classification. A pedestal enclosure with removable side panels has a "NEMA 3R" rating which is classified as "Rain tight: Enclosures are intended for indoors and outdoors use primarily to provide a degree of protection against limited amounts of falling water and sleet; undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure."

At present, the advantage of easy installation and good access to components inside the enclosure is therefore limited to applications requiring only a NEMA 3R rating or less. Any modification to the design or change in use of the pedestal enclosure, which increases its NEMA rating would greatly enhance the applicability of the product in many industries.

The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of the prior art by mounting components onto a board or frame which slides through the top opening into grooves in the fixed front and back panels without any further need to bolt or fasten the board to the enclosure. Subsequent 360-degree access is therefore obtained by simply opening the top lid and sliding the board with the components on it out of the enclosure. Furthermore, the NEMA rating of the enclosure is increased to almost any required level by further enclosing the components on the mounting board in a secondary enclosure. The properties of the pedestal enclosure combined with the properties of this secondary enclosure therefore provide the required NEMA rating.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a modification in the way components are mounted inside a pedestal enclosure in order to achieve 360-degree access to the components. The invention further relates to a method for increasing the level of protection that the pedestal enclosure offers to components mounted inside the enclosure. 360-degree access is achieved by mounting components onto a panel, which slides into or out of the enclosure in guides attached to fixed sides of the enclosure. The level of protection the enclosure offers to internal components mounted on the panel may be increased by covering the components with a secondary enclosure. The total protection offered by the pedestal enclosure and the secondary enclosure is a synergistic effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE HGURES A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment is considered in conjunction with the following drawings: Figure 1 A is a view of an installed pedestal enclosure with all side panels and lid in place;

Figure IB is a side elevation view of a pedestal enclosure of Figure 1 A with the lid open and the front and back panels removed;

Figure IC is a plan view of a pedestal enclosure of Figure IB; Figure 2A is a view of a fully assembled secondary enclosure; and Figure 2B is a view of section A-A of Figure 2 A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the description which follows, like parts are marked throughout the specification and drawings with the same reference numerals, respectively. The figures are not necessarily to scale; certain features of the invention may be shown exaggerated in scale or in somewhat schematic form and some details of conventional elements may not be shown in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

Referring initially to Figures 1A, IB and IC there are shown schematic drawings of a pedestal unit 1 with a housing 2 having fixed front and back panels 3, removable side panels 4, a top cavity 5, a hinged lid 6, a middle support 7, a base 8, and a top support 9 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Cavity 5 may be divided into a top section 10, a middle section 11, and a bottom section 12.

Pedestal unit 1 is preferably installed by placing fixed front and back panels 3 into the ground, burying them up to the top of middle section 11, and backfilling the open cavity in bottom section 12 with soil. This portion of the box is below ground 13.

Supports 7, 9 and base 8 preferably provide structural stability and keep fixed front and back panels 3 in place. Removable side panels 4 are preferably positioned in place by a sliding fit such as a groove receiving the edge of a panel 4. It should be understood that removable side panels 4 are shorter in length than fixed front and back panels 3 and extend from the top of middle section 11 up. Removable side panels 4 are designed to enclose the cavity 5 formed by top section 10, thereby forming housing 2. Lid 6 is then placed on top of the box formed by fixed front and back panels 3 and removable side panels 4 and secured by a locking mechanism (not shown).

Referring now to Figure IC, there is shown a plan view of housing 2. Lid 6 is open and removable side panels 4 are in place. Normally, components 14 would be fixed to supports 9 or to tabs or brackets (not shown). However, by mounting components 14 onto a board 15 and by providing a groove or a channel 16 on each of the fixed front and back panels 3, it is possible to slide the board 15 with the components 14 on it into the top section 10 and it is not necessary to fasten the components 14 in any other way, provided the bottom of channel 16 is constricted or closed, thereby limiting the downward movement of board 15. Access to the inside cavity 5 of housing 2 is possible through the top or through either of the sides after removing side panels 4. The design of the enclosure is therefore such that access is significantly improved over that of a conventional box type enclosure with a hinged door because access is only available through the open door of such an enclosure. However, because the front and back panels 3 of housing 2 are fixed, 360-degree access to the components 14 can only be obtained by unbolting them from the supports 9 or the mounting brackets (not shown) and removing them completely from housing 2.

By mounting the components 14 onto a board 15 and sliding them into cavity 5 using channels 16, it now is possible to simply slide the board 15 with the components 14 on out of the cavity 5 when 360-degree access is desired. Furthermore, board 15 can be secured at any height within housing 2 by providing a series of holes (not shown) in channel 16 and in board 15. By matching a hole in board 15 with a hole in channel 16 and inserting a rod shaped object such as a cotter pin or a hitch pin (not shown) through the hole, board 15 is secured at the desired height within housing 2. This mechanism of securing board 15 at any height also provides a convenient method of supporting board 15 when it is almost completely removed to gain 360-degree access to components 14. The present invention therefore makes it easier to mount board 15 in pedestal enclosure 1 than what is possible in the prior art. Furthermore, the ability to secure board 15 at any desired height without the use of bolts and nuts as in the prior art, further increases the ease of installation as well as the ease of securing board 15 in a position where 360-degree access to components 14 is possible. The use of the pedestal enclosure described above is intended for applications requiring a maximum NEMA rating of NEMA 3R. However, by placing components 14 inside a secondary enclosure and mounting this secondary enclosure inside pedestal enclosure 1, the NEMA rating can be increased to almost any level desired. Therefore, the pedestal enclosure properties of ease of installation, vandal resistance, structural stability and access to at least two sides of the installed components, are combined with the ingress protection and/or additional physical properties of the secondary enclosure. It is believed that alone, either the pedestal enclosure or the secondary enclosure would therefore not have the required physical or protective properties required, but used together they meet or exceed the required properties.

Referring now to Figure 2A and Figure 2B, another preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 2A shows a cover 18 attached to mounting board 15 with fasteners 20. Cover 18 may optionally have a cut-out portion 22 and a clear window 24 so that components 14 and/or indicating lights (not shown) inside cover 18 may be visible without having to remove cover 18. Cover 18 is preferably attached to board 15 and forms a secondary enclosure 26, which fits inside pedestal enclosure 1. Mounting board 15 and cover 18 are preferably sized so that secondary enclosure 26 will fit inside pedestal enclosure 1, either by bolting to mounting brackets (not shown) or by sliding into channel 16.

Figure 2B is section A-A of Figure 2A and shows components 14 mounted onto board 15. A seal 28 is preferably glued to cover 18 and clamped between cover 18 and clear window 24. Wiring (not shown) from components 14 preferably extend through mounting board 15 with connectors 32. The properties of seal 28 and connectors 32 therefore determine to what extent components 14 are protected from the environment inside pedestal enclosure 1. For instance, the NEMA rating for secondary enclosure 26 mounted inside pedestal enclosure 1 may now be NEMA 4, "Watertight: Enclosures are intended for indoors and outdoors use primarily to provide a degree of protection against windblown dust and rain, splashing water and hose-directed water, undamaged by the formation of ice on the enclosure."

It should be noted that it is not necessarily a requirement that secondary enclosure 26 alone meets a NEMA 4 requirement. In addition, secondary enclosure 26 does not require the same mechanical properties as if it was the only enclosure used. This is because secondary enclosure 26 is housed within the protected (NEMA 3R) environment of pedestal enclosure 1. For instance, if used in isolation, secondary enclosure 26 would typically be constructed from metal or at least from a rigid, strong plastic material resistant to an element of physical abuse and ultra- violet radiation. By combining the secondary enclosure 26 with pedestal enclosure 1, the overall NEMA rating and therefore the usefulness of pedestal enclosure 1 has been increased while still maintaining the inherent benefits provided by pedestal enclosure 1. While the present invention has been disclosed and described in terms of a preferred embodiment, the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiment. In addition, various modifications to the preferred embodiments, among others can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the claims that follow, any recitation of steps is not intended as a requirement that the steps be performed sequentially, or that one step be completed before another step is begun, unless explicitly so stated.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A pedestal enclosure comprising: a housing; a lid for opening and closing said housing, wherein said housing comprises: a mounting board on which electronic components are mounted; and a guide member for receiving said mounting board, wherein said guide member is located in said housing to facilitate at least partial removal of said mounting board from an open end of said housing to provide unhindered access to said electronic components on said mounting board.

2. An enclosure according to claim 1, wherein said mounting board guide member is a plurality of vertical guide rails which are fixed to front and rear walls in said housing and with which said mounting board is slidably engageable.

3. An enclosure according to claim 2, wherein said mounting board includes a releasable means for holding said mounting board at selected positions of extension from the open end of said housing.

4. An enclosure according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said mounting board includes a secondary enclosure which is releasably attached to said board over said electronic components on said board.

5. An enclosure according to claim 4, wherein a compressible seal is compressed between the periphery of said secondary enclosure and said mounting board to exclude moisture and particulate fines from the interior of said secondary enclosure.

6. An enclosure according to claim 4, wherein said secondary enclosure includes a transparent window through which said components on said board are visible.

7. An enclosure according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said enclosure housing is rectangular in horizontal cross-section.

8. An enclosure according to claim 7, wherein said housing includes panels in each of two opposite side walls which extend between said front and rear walls of said housing, which are releasably located on said housing and which when removed from said housing provide access to the two opposite faces of said mounting board.

9. A pedestal enclosure comprising: a housing; a lid for opening and closing said housing, wherein said housing comprises: a mounting board on which electronic components are mounted; and a means for receiving said mounting board, wherein said means is located in said housing to facilitate at least partial removal of said mounting board from an open end of said housing to provide unhindered access to said electronic components on said mounting board.

10. An enclosure according to claim 9, wherein said receiving means is a plurality of vertical guide rails which are fixed to front and rear walls in said housing and with which said mounting board is slidably engageable.