Title of Invention | "A HOUSING DEVICE" |
---|---|
Abstract | In a cabinet-like housing (10) to accommodate heat-generating constructional units, in particular electrical and/or electronic units, in which housing the walls (11, 12, 13, 14) are at least in part double walls, with the interior wall (111, 121) absorbing from the interior space (15) at least a part of the heat generated by the constructional units, good heat dissipation is achieved in that first means (23, 24, 25, 26) are provided which generate an airflow through the intermediate space (112, 122) for cooling the interior space (15); in that the housing (10) has a roof (23, 24) which comprises an intermediate roof (23) and an upper roof (24) arranged above the intermediate roof (23) ; and that below the intermediate roof (23) and at a distance from it second means (20) are arranged. (Fig. 1) |
Full Text | DESCRIPTION CABINET - LIKE HOUSING TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to the field of housing technology. It concerns a cabinetlike housing, in particular for outdoor use, to accommodate heat-generating units, in particular electrical and/or electronic constructional units, in which housing an interior space is enclosed by walls which walls are at least in part double walls comprising an exterior wall and an interior wall and a space between the exterior wall and the interior wall, with the interior wall absorbing from the interior space at least a part of the heat generated by the constructional units. STATE OF THE ART With the state of the art, various cabinet-like housings are used to accommodate and provide protection from climatic influences and the emission of electromagnetic radiation interference for electrical and/or electronic apparatus and constructional groups in telecommunications, traffic control technology, high and medium voltage technology, in particular also in field applications. In such predominantly rectangular housings, metal walls on all sides enclose an interior space which accommodates the apparatus. Frequently, lockable doors are provided at the front of the housing, to facilitate access during installation, maintenance and repair. In the case of housings for use in the field, in addition, usually a roof is provided at the top which roof protects the housing from rain and solar radiation. The protective function, in particular also the electromagnetic shielding function of the housing results in the interior space being relatively tightly sealed against the surrounding exterior space by means of suitable seals. At the same time this provides the advantage of protecting the apparatus and constructional units situated in the housing to a large extent from dust and moisture as well as termites or the like. Insofar as the apparatus and constructional units generate heat during their operation, such heat is transferred to the walls of the housing by the heated air in the interior space or by heat radiation, and is emitted from the exterior of the said walls to the surroundings by convection and heat radiation. This type of heat elimination or cooling does however become problematic if a lot of heat is generated in the interior of the housing or if the housing is additionally heated up from the exterior by strong solar radiation. While special (reflective) coatings on the exterior surfaces of the housing can reduce the influence of solar radiation, they cannot effectively prevent the negative effect of strong heat development in the interior. By contrast, if for reasons of stability double walls are used instead of single walls, heat dissipation from the interior space is worsened because in this case heat transport from the interior to the exterior is impeded by additional interfaces. While good heat elimination from the interior space is still possible, for example by a fan arranged on top of the housing drawing a cooling airflow from below upwards through the interior space (provided with ventilation apertures) of the housing, this type of forced cooling means that the advantageous sealing-off of the interior space from the exterior space can no longer be maintained. On the other hand it has also been known to arrange special cooling devices or air conditioning units in the interior of such a housing, to provide heat dissipation. However, the power consumption of such cooling devices or air conditioning units is relatively high. In those cases where the apparatus and constructional units arranged in the housing must be operated by an emergency power supply provided by a local battery, such high power consumption cannot be tolerated. PRESENTATION OF THE INVENTION It is thus the object of the invention to provide a housing which with comparatively simple means and little power consumption, without significant loss of space and without necessary connection between interior space and exterior space, ensures effective dissipation t of the heat generated in the interior space and in particular is also suitable for outdoor use. In a housing of the type mentioned in the introduction, this task is solved in that first means are provided which generate an airflow through the intermediate space; that the housing comprises a roof, which roof comprises an intermediate roof and an upper roof arranged above the intermediate roof, which upper roof is spaced apart from the intermediate roof and laterally reaches over the intermediate roof, leaving a gap-shaped aperture; that the intermediate roof reaches over the intermediate space, which is open at the top, of the double-walled wall and is closed off by the respective exterior wall; that below the intermediate roof and at a distance from it, second means are arranged which close off the interior space towards the top and laterally connect it to the interior wall of the double-walled wall. It is the essence of the invention, by means of the double-walled walls to provide an exterior cooling circuit which in spite of complete separation from the interior space allows effective dissipation of the heat transported through the interior wall to the exterior. As a result of the double wall, the cooling airflow can be conducted very close to the interior wall to be cooled. Since the airflow directly cools the interior wall, any negative influence on cooling by the other interfaces (exterior wall) of the double wall is avoided. Since the double wall at the same time contributes to the mechanical strength of the housing, the construction according to the invention provides additional advantages. The conduct of the air-flow through the intermediate spaces between the interior and the exterior walls and the usage of an upper roof, an intermediate roof and the second means results in a heat-exchanger which at the same time serves as a protective housing. A first preferred development of this embodiment is characterised in that the gap-shaped aperture between the upper roof and the intermediate roof is directed downward. This arrangement ensures optimum protection of the housing from rain, dirt and dust. Basically, the cooling airflow through the intermediate spaces in the double-walled walls can be generated in various ways for example by thermal convection, by harnessing the wind or similar. However, a preferred first embodiment of the invention is characterised in that the first means comprise at least a fan. The use of a fan allows the generation of an airflow through the intermediate spaces, in a proven way and in a way optimally suited to the respective requirements. A preferred development of this embodiment is characterised in that the fan, of which there is at least one, is installed in the intermediate roof; that the intermediate space between the exterior and the interior wall is open at the top where it is in communication with the ventilator; that the intermediate space is open at the bottom where it is in communication with the surrounding of the housing. In a furthermore preferred way the ventilator draws in air from the surroundings of the housing through the intermediate space at the lower end of the intermediate space. The airflow of the cooling air, directed from the bottom to the top, supports the natural convection flow in which heated air rises. At the same time, this type of arrangement makes it possible in the case of short airflow paths to have the entire length of the walls contacted by the cooling airflow. A further preferred embodiment of the invention is characterised in that all double-walled walls comprise vertically-arranged hollow-chamber profiles; and that hollow profiles made of aluminium are used as hollow-chamber profiles. By using individual hollow-chamber profiles made of aluminium, the double-walled walls can be constructed very easily and economically in a modular way in various sizes and with high mechanical stability. Apart from being economical to purchase, aluminium hollow profiles also provide the advantage of very good thermal properties. Heat transmission from the interior space to the cooling airflow can further be improved if according to another preferred embodiment of the invention the interior walls of the double-walled walls comprise third means for enlarging the heat transmission surface, and the third means comprise cooling ribs. Further embodiments are provided by the dependent claims. Accordingly the present invention relates to a cabinet like -housing (10), in particular for outdoor use, to accommodate heat-generating constructional units, in particular electrical and/or electronic units, wherein a housing (10), an interior space (15) is enclosed by walls (11, 12, 13, 14), said walls (11, 12, 13, 14) are at least in part double walls comprising an exterior wall (110, 120) and an interior wall (111, 121) and a space (112, 122) between the exterior wall (110, 120) and the interior wall (111, 121), with the interior wall (111, 121) absorbing from the interior space (15) at least a part of the heat generated by the constructional units, characterised in that first means (23, 24, 25, 26) are provided which generate an airflow through the intermediate space (112, 122) , for cooling the interior space (15) ; in that the housing (10) has a roof (23, 24) which comprises an intermediate roof (23) and an upper roof (24) arranged above the intermediate roof (23), which upper roof (24) is spaced apart from the intermediate roof (23) and laterally reaches over the intermediate roof (23) leaving a gap-shaped aperture (24a) ; in that the intermediate roof (23) reaches over the intermediate space (112, 122) , which is open at the top, of the double-walled wall (11, 12) and is closed off by the respective exterior wall (110, 120) ; and that below the intermediate roof (23) and at a distance from it second means (20) are arranged which close off the interior space (15) towards the top and laterally connect it to the interior wall (111, 121) of the double-walled wall (11, 12). BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE FIGURES Below, the invention is illustrated in more detail by means of the drawing, as follows: Fig. 1 shows in simplified longitudinal section a preferred embodiment of a housing according to the invention; Fig. 2 shows a simplified cross-section through a housing according to Fig. I, the walls of which are constructed from individual ho How-chamber profiles; Fig. 3 shows a cross-section of an example of a hollow-chamber profile for constructing a housing according to Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 shows the housing according to Fig. 1 with additional means in the interior space for generating two separate cooling circuits. WAYS OF REALISING THE INVENTION Fig. 1 shows a simplified longitudinal section of a preferred embodiment of a housing according to the invention. By means of walls including a left side wall 11 and a right side wall 12, the housing 10 encloses in a protected way an interior wall 15 in which the heat-generating constructional units or apparatus (not shown) are accommodated. The interior space 15 is closed off at the top by a sealing panel 20 and at the bottom by a floor panel and is electromagnetically shielded. The housing 10 is arranged in a raised position on a base 22 to provide free access of air from below to the lower regions of the side walls 11, 12 (and the other walls). To provide heat dissipation from the interior space, the side walls 11, 12 (and the other walls) are of double-wall construction, each comprising an interior wall 111 or 121 and an exterior wall 110 or 120, between which a free intermediate space 112 or 122 remains. The average distance between interior wall and exterior wall is for example 30 mm, but depending on the requirements it can be different. The intermediate spaces 112, 122 in the walls 11, 12 are open towards the bottom and towards the top. To this effect, apertures in the hoop casing profiles 16-19 enclosing the walls 11, 12 are provided. To provide cooling, an airflow is sent through the intermediate spaces 112, 122 of the walls 11, 12, preferably from bottom to top, as is indicated in Fig. 1 by air-flow lines with arrows. The air is drawn-in in the lower region of the walls 11, 12 from the surrounding of the housing 10 and leaves the walls 11, 12 at the top. As the air flows through the intermediate spaces 112, 122, it absorbs heat from the interior walls 111, 121 and transports this heat into the surroundings. Fans 25, 26, arranged so as to lie flat in an intermediate roof 23, are provided to generate the cooling airflow. The intermediate roof 23, which for example is made from sheet metal, is arranged at a distance (e.g. 20 mm) above the sealing panel 20. It reaches over the intermediate spaces 112, 122 which are open at the top, of the double-walled walls 11, 12 and is closed off by the respective exterior wall 110 or 120, or the exterior edges of the hoop-casing profiles 18, 19 closing off the walls 11, 12. In this way a flat intermediate space is created between the sealing panel 20 and the intermediate roof 23, into which the airflow from the intermediate spaces 112, 122 of the walls 11, 12 can stream in and from where it is drawn upward by the fans 25, 26. The fans 25, 26 (and the entire housing 10) are protected towards the top by an upper roof 24 which is arranged at a distance (e.g. 65 mm) above the intermediate roof 23 and laterally reaches over the intermediate roof 23 leaving a gap-shaped aperture 24a, preferably pointing downward (e.g. 20 mm in width). As a result of the intermediate space created between intermediate roof 23 and upper roof 24, the air drawn off by the fans 25, 26 is pushed laterally and downwards, out of apertures 24a into the surroundings. The projection of the upper roof 24 prevents rain from entering into the apertures 24a. As a result of the described path of cooling air in the intermediate spaces 112, 122 of the double-walled walls 11, 12 and the intermediate spaces above the sealing panel 20, an external cooling circuit is established between the surroundings and the interior walls 111, 121, which is completely separated from the interior space 15. Heat dissipation is by forced cooling without the cooling air having to be led through the interior space 15. Encapsulation of the interior space 15, which for reasons of shielding and moisture and waterproofing etc. is particularly advantageous, can thus be maintained with this type of cooling. The system's cooling performance depends on various parameters such as e.g. the conveying capacity of the fans 25, 26, the cross section and flow resistance of the air ducts, the flow speed, the heat transmission between the interior walls 111, 121 and the airflow. In practical application a system configuration has been proven successful in which the air entry speed at the bottom of the walls 11, 12 is a constant 2 m/s. Heat transmission at the interior walls 111, 121 is optimised by cooling ribs on the interior walls 111, 121 which are discussed in more detail below. In respect of the fans 25, 26, it is advantageous in view of the desired low energy consumption, to use slow-rotating fan types of a large diameter. Construction of the double-walled walls 11, 12 can basically take place in that individual panels which later form the interior and exterior walls are arranged parallel to each other and closely connected by spacers (screwed or welded). However, such a construction is relatively inflexible, elaborate and expensive. Thus when realising the housing according to the invention, preferably another technique is used when constructing the double-walled walls 11, 12, in which individual (elongated) hollow-chamber profiles are joined to each other in parallel. Such hoHow-chamber profiles can easily and economically be produced as aluminium extrusion profiles of various profile shapes. They provide stable wall elements with good heat conduction properties, from which the hollow walls of the housing according to the invention is constructed in the desired dimensions in a modular way. In addition, with such extrusion profiles it is very easy to fix cooling ribs to the interior walls which ribs serve to improve heat transmission at these walls. Such hollow-chamber profiles result in a construction of the housing 10 as shown in Fig. 2 in simplified cross-section. Here the side walls 11, 12, the front wall 13 and the rear wall 14 which enclose the interior space 15 are made from individual hollow-chamber profiles 32, 33. The adjacent chambers of the hollow-chamber profiles 32, 33 form the intermediate space 112 or 122 which is separated by stays. At the interior walls 111 or 121, cooling ribs 39 are arranged which result in a simple way in that the interior walls 111, 121 are corrugated in a rectangular (or trapezoid) shape. The walls 11-14 together with the adjacent hollow-chamber profiles 32, 33 are edged at the margin by hoop-casing profiles 50-57. Stable corner structures 27-30 to which the walls 11-14 are attached, are provided at the corners of the housing 10. No doors are provided in the example shown. Of course various types of doors (single doors, double doors, left or right hinged doors etc.) can be integrated into the walls 11-14. A connection 31 can also be provided. Fig. 3 shows a cross-section of a preferred and exemplary hollow-chamber profile 34 for the construction of the double walled walls. The aluminium extrusion profile comprises a trapezoidally corrugated interior wall 35 with cooling ribs 39 and a smooth exterior wall 36. By way of intermediate space through which (perpendicular to the axis of the drawing) the cooling air can be led, two chambers 37, 38 are arranged between the walls 35, 36. The two chambers are delimited and separated by continuous stays which provide high mechanical stability to the profile and thus the wall to be. Since the corrugations in the interior wall 35, or the cooling ribs 39, provide additional rigidity to the wall, the stays delimiting the chambers 37, 38 can be arranged at extended spacing or in lesser numbers. Since the stays constitute the main heat-bridges in the walls and in case of solar radiation conduct undesirable heat from the exterior to the interior, a reduction in the number of stays reduces the unfavourable influence of solar radiation on the cooling process. The hollow-chamber profiles can simply be aligned along their longitudinal edges and can be plugged into each other. To this effect, complementary plug-in fitting strips 40, 42 and 41, 43 are provided on both sides of the profile. The hollow-chamber profiles plugged together are then framed and held together by the hoop-casing profiles. Fig. 1 only shows the external cooling circuit which dissipates the heat from the interior walls and releases it to the surroundings. In order to realise optimal heat dissipation from the apparatus and constructional units arranged in the interior space to the interior walls, preferably according to Fig. 4 in the interior space 15 of the housing 10 a second internal cooling circuit is installed which from the point of view of airflow is completely separated from the external cooling circuit. Heat exchange between the cooling circuits is principally by way of the (ribbed) interior walls of the double-walled walls which serve as quasi heat exchangers, as well as additionally by way of the sealing panel 20 situated at the top, which is configured with cooling ribs 44 (e.g. in the shape of added lengths of angle profiles) to increase the heat transmission surface. In order to construct the internal cooling circuit, parallel to the double-walled walls 11, 12, deflectors 45, 46 are arranged spaced apart, which at the same time serve as side walls to receive rack-type housings. On a flat intermediate plane 49 which requires little space, fans 47, 48 are arranged between the deflectors 45, 46. The said fans circulate the air in the interior space 15 in such a way that it flows along the dashed lines with arrows, between the deflectors 45, 46 and the respective interior walls from top to bottom, and in the interior space between the deflectors 45, 46 from the bottom to the top. Circulation preferably takes place at a flow speed of 0.7 m/s. During turning of the airflow in the upper region, heat is increasingly also conveyed to the sealing panel 20. Opposite orientation of the airflow of the two cooling circuits on the exterior and interior sides of the interior walls results in optimal heat exchange between the cooling circuits being achieved. By using a special coating powder for coating the exterior walls 110, 120 and the upper roof 24 which coating powder comprises reflective pigments, the exterior heating of the housing 10 by solar radiation can be significantly reduced and thus the cooling concept according to the invention can be additionally supported. Overall, the invention results in a housing which in spite of practically complete sealing off of the interior space ensures good dissipation to the outside of the heat generated in the interior space, is mechanically very stable, simple to construct and in particular also suitable for outdoor use. REFERENCE LIST 10 Housing (cabinet-like) 11, 12 Side wall 13 Front wall 14 Rear wall 15 Interior space 16,..,19 Hoop-casing profile 20 Sealing panel 21 Floor panel 22 Base 23 Intermediate roof 24 Upper roof 24a Aperture (gap-shaped) 25, 26 Fan 27,..,30 Corner post 31 Connection 32, 33, 34 Hollow-chamber profile 35 Interior wall (hollow-chamber profile! 36 Exterior wall (hoHow-chamber profile] 37, 38 Chamber 39, 44 Cooling rib 40,..,43 Plug-in fitting strip 45, 46 Deflector 47, 48 Fan 49 Intermediate plane 50-57 Hoop-casing profile 110 Exterior wall (side wall 11) 111 Interior wall (side wall 11) 112 Intermediate space (side wall 11) 120 Exterior wall (side wall 12) 121 Interior wall (side wall 12) 122 Intermediate space (side wall 12) WE CLAIM: 1. A cabinet like housing (10), in particular for outdoor use, to accommodate heat-generating constructional units, in particular electrical and/or electronic units, wherein a housing (10), an interior space (15) is enclosed by walls (11, 12, 13, 14), said walls (11, 12, 13, 14) are at least in part double walls comprising an exterior wall (110, 120) and an interior wall (111, 121) and a space (112, 122) between the exterior wall (110, 120) and the interior wall (111, 121), with the interior wall (111, 121) absorbing from the interior space (15) at least a part of the heat generated by the constructional units, characterised in that first means (23, 24, 25, 26) are provided which generate an airflow through the intermediate space (112, 122) , for cooling the interior space (15) ; in that the housing (10) has a roof (23, 24) which comprises an intermediate roof (23) and an upper roof (24) arranged above the intermediate roof (23), which upper roof (24) is spaced apart from the intermediate roof (23) and laterally reaches over the intermediate roof (23) leaving a gap-shaped aperture (24a) ; in that the intermediate roof (23) reaches over the intermediate space (112, 122) , which is open at the top, of the double-walled wall (11, 12) and is closed off by the respective exterior wall (110, 120) ; and that below the intermediate roof (23) and at a distance from it second means (20) are arranged which close off the interior space (15) towards the top and laterally connect it to the interior wall (111, 121) of the double-walled wall (11, 12). 2. A housing as claimed in claim 1, wherein the gap-shaped aperture (24a) is directed downward. 3. A housing as claimed in claims 1 or 2, wherein the first means comprises at least one fan (25, 26) 4. A housing as claimed in claim 3, wherein at least one fan (25, 26) is arranged in the intermediate roof (23); that the intermediate space (112, 122) is open towards the top where it is in communication with said fan (25, 26) and that the intermediate space (112, 122) is open towards the bottom where it is in communication with the surrounding of the housing (10). 5. A housing as claimed in claim 4, wherein said fan (25, 26) is installed in such a way that it draws air through the intermediate space (112, 122) from the surrounding of the housing (10) and expels this air into the intermediate space between the upper roof (24) and the intermediate roof (23). 6. A housing as claimed in claims Ito 5, wherein said housing (10) comprises two side walls (11, 12), a front wall (13) and a rear wall (14), and that all walls (11,.., 14) are double walled and that a cooling airflow flows through them. 7. A housing as claimed in claims 1 to 6, wherein said double-walled walls (11, ..,14) are constructed from vertically arranged hollow- chamber profiles (32, 33, 34). 8. A housing as claimed in claim 7, wherein aluminium hollow chamber profiles (32, 33, 34) are used as hollow-chamber profiles. 9. A housing as claimed in one of claims 7 or 8, wherein said hollow- chamber profiles (32, 33, 34) comprise several chambers (37, 38) side-by-side. 10. A housing as claimed in one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said interior walls (111,121) of the double-walled walls (11, . ., 14) comprise third means (39) for enlarging the heat transition surface. 11. A housing as claimed in claim 10, wherein said third means comprise cooling ribs (39). 12. A housing as claimed in claim 11, wherein said cooling ribs (39) are formed by a corrugation shaped cross-sectional profile of the interior walls (111, 121). 13. A housing as claimed in one of claims 1 to 12, wherein said second means (20) comprise a sealing panel equipped with fourth means, preferably cooling ribs (44) for increasing the heat transmission surface. 14. A housing as claimed in one of claims 1 to 13, wherein said interior space (15) is closed off towards the exterior and that in the interior space (15) fifth means (45,. .,48) are provided which cause circulation of the air located in the interior space (15) along the interior walls (111, 121) of the double-walled walls (11,. ., 14). 15. A housing as claimed in claim 14, wherein air circulation along the interior walls (111, 121) takes place in vertical direction and in opposite direction to the airflow in the intermediate spaces (112, 122). 16. A housing as claimed in one of claims 14 or 15, wherein said fifth means comprise deflectors (45, 46) arranged parallel to the interior walls (111, 121) and spaced apart from them, and comprise at least one fan (47,48) arranged on an intermediate plane (49) between the deflectors (45, 46). 17. A housing as claimed in one of claims 1 to 16, wherein said housing (10) has an exterior which comprises a coating reflecting solar radiation, preferably of a paint containing reflective pigments. 18. A cabinet-like housing substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. |
---|
2208-del-1998-correspondence-others.pdf
2208-del-1998-correspondence-po.pdf
2208-del-1998-description (complete).pdf
2208-del-1998-petition-138.pdf
Patent Number | 220305 | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indian Patent Application Number | 2208/DEL/1998 | ||||||||
PG Journal Number | 30/2008 | ||||||||
Publication Date | 25-Jul-2008 | ||||||||
Grant Date | 22-May-2008 | ||||||||
Date of Filing | 28-Jul-1998 | ||||||||
Name of Patentee | ALMATEC AG FUR ELEKTROSCHRANK-TECHNIK | ||||||||
Applicant Address | |||||||||
Inventors:
|
|||||||||
PCT International Classification Number | H02B 1/50 | ||||||||
PCT International Application Number | N/A | ||||||||
PCT International Filing date | |||||||||
PCT Conventions:
|