US2562260A - Instrument mounting mechanism - Google Patents

Description

July 31, 1951 J. A? CALDWELL 2,562,260

INSTRUMENT MOUNTING MECHANISM Original Filed Dec. 1, 1941 S l V 2/25 I mnuhuunur""" l 28 adf 27 l INVENTOR. 53 54 i JOHN A. CALDWELL Patented July 31, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,562,260- INST RUMEfi'r MOUNTING MECfiANisM I John A. Caldwell, Philadelphia; Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Delaware 1, 1945, SeriaiNo;580,465

Claims. (01. sis-2i) This invention relates to measuring and/or control instruments andmore particularly to the construction of the instrument casings and the manner of mounting the instrument casings on an instrument panel. g I

This application is a division of my copending application Serial No. 421,175, filed December 1, 1941, forMeasuring, Recording, and Controlling Apparatus, now Patent 2,423,479.

Objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent'to those skilled in the art upon reference to the accompanying specification, claims and drawing, in which;

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of a measuring and/or control instrument.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the instrument of Fig. 1 with the instrument panel shown in dash lines; I k r Fig. 3 is an enlarged view,partly in section. of the upper portion of Fig. 2; and g t Fig. 4 is a plan view of the mounting bracket of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, the measuring and control apparatus of the instrumentis included in an instrument casing generally designated at' I 0. The instrument casing is preferably formed of sheet metal such as sheet steel. The casing is constructed of abent piece of sheet metal forming a top portion II, a back portion 12 and a bottomportion [3. The top portion H and the bottom-portion [3 are bent outwardly and welded to a steel frame [4. Side plates I5 are provided with bent over flanges which are Welded to the steel frame 14 and are also welded to the top, back and bottom sections, H, I2 and 13, respectively, of the casing. The casing has a flanged edge formed by the steel frame M. A door [8 for the case In is hinged to the case by means of hinge pins l9 extending between the door i8 and the upper and lower flanges of the steel frame I4 of the case. The door is provided with a latch and lock 20 for holding the door closed. In order to seal the case when the door is closed, the door is provided with a gasket 2i which abuts against the turned down flanges of the case where they are welded to the steel frame M.

The mounting means, generally designated at 25, for flush mounting the instrument case Ill on an instrument panel 26 is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4. The mounting means 25 comprises a bracket having a base portion 21 which lies along the instrument casing and an upstanding portion 28. Reinforcing flanges are provided at 29. Formed on the base portion 2'! 2 v are lugs 30.which are circular in cross section. The lugs 30ers provided with a cut-awaycam portion 31. The lugs 30 fit through holes 32 in the instrument casinglil, the holes 32 being slightly larger in diameter than the lugs 30,. The upstanding portion 28 is tapped to receive a screw 33 which isheld in place by a lock nut 34.

Normallythe holes 32. in theinstrument case are filled with a plug to prevent dirt from getting into the instrumentv case whengthe mount-r ing means 25ers not ,used. When the mounting means25 are used, the plug is taken, fromthe holesl32 and the lugs 30 are inserted in the holes 32. "Ihe screw 33 abuts the back of .the instrue merit panel 26 and as the screw .33 is tightened up the cam'surfaces 3| drawthe fastening means 25 into engagement with. the case l0, to form a rigid structure. The screw 33 isthen locked in place by the lock nut 34 and the; instrument is securely fastened to the instrument panel 26 in a flush manner. A gasket35 .islocatedbetween the mounting means 25 and the instrument case Hlto prevent dirt and/or. corrosive gases from getting into the instrument case through the holes 32. r s

When the screw 33 istightened ,thegflange M isv pulled tightly against the instrument panel 26, and therefore, the instrument casing is securely fastened to the instrument panel 26. ,The force which pulls the flange I4 against. themstrument panel 26is transmitted from themounting means 25 through the casing I0 and the out turned flanges thereof which are welded to the flange member [4. By reason of this arrangement, stresses in the weld between the sheet metal casing and the flange member M are reduced to a minimum.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form of the apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims, and that certain features of my invention may sometimes be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, an instrument casing having an abutment and an aperture extending through a side Wall of the casing, said casing being adapted to be inserted through an opening in a panel board so that the abutment abuts clamping the abutment against the panel board.

2. In combination, an instrument casing having an abutment and a side wall with an aperture therethrough and adapted to be inserted through an opening in a panel board so that the abutment abuts one side of the panel board and the aperture is located on the other side of the panel board, a member including a lug having a cam surface located in the aperture, means extending between the member and the panel board for clamping the member through the cam surface of the lug to the instrument casing'end and for clamping the abutment against the panel board, "and a gasket between the member and the instrument casing for sealing the aperture in the instrument casing.

, 3. In combination, an instrument casing having an abutment and an aperture in open communication with the interior and the exterior of said casing, said casing being adapted to be inserted through an opening in a panel board so that the abutment abuts one side of the panel board and the aperture is located on the other side of 'the panel board, a mounting lug having a surface to engage the exterior of said casing, a hook shaped projection extending from said surface into the interior of said casing and received by said aperture when said surface engages the exterior of said casing, and means extending between said member and the panel board to force said hook shaped projection into said aperture and thereby pull said abutment tightly against the panel board.

' 4. In combination, an instrument casing having'side walls and an open front and having an upstanding flange around the open front and apertures through the side walls whereby when the casing is placed in an opening in a panel board the flange will abut one surface of the panel board and the apertures will be on the other side'of the panel board, a mounting memher having a surface with a hook shaped portion extending therefrom, said hook shaped portion being adapted to extend through one of said aper- 4 tures when said surface is placed against one of the side walls of said instrument casing, and means to force said mounting member away from the panel board to thereby cause said hookshaped portion to engage an edge of said aperture and 'pull said flange against the panel board.

5. In combination, an instrument casing having an upstanding flange and apertures therein through the side walls, whereby, when the casing is placed in an opening in a panel board, the flange will abut one surface of the panel board and the apertures will be adjacent the other surface of the panel board, a mounting bracket having a screw-threaded hole therein and a base portion and a hook-shaped lug extending from said base portion with the stem of the lug at right angles to the axis of the hole and the inner surface of the bent-over end of the lug extending at an angle to the axis of the hole and to the axis of the stem to provide a wedging cam surface, said hook-shaped lug being adapted to extend into one of said apertures with the cam surface in' contact with the inner surface of the instrument casing when said base portion is placed against one of the side walls of the instrument casing, and a screw-threaded member extending through the hole in said mounting bracket, whereby rotation of said screwthreaded member forces'said mounting member away from the panel board "to thereby cause the cam surface of said hook-shaped lug to engage the edge of said aperture and to adjust said instrument casing horizontally and vertically in the opening in the panel board.

- JOHN A. CALDWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

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