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(11) | EP 0 834 847 B1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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| (54) |
Electrical equipment for anti-theft installations or similar Elektrische Vorrichtung für Anti-Diebstahlanlagen Equipement électrique pour installations antivol |
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). |
[0001] The present invention relates to electrical installations for civil and industrial applications and, more particularly, to electrical equipment for anti-theft installations and installations for indicating break-in or tampering, as defined in the preamble of claim 1.
[0002] There are known applications of electrical equipment of this type, as disclosed in US-A-4 267 549, GB-A-2 213 343 and US-A-4 092 641 in which the removal or the opening of a panel causes the triggering of an alarm or indicator device following the opening or closing of an electrical contact or the actuation of an equivalent device included in the equipment. For this purpose, use is made, for example, of mechanical push-button switches or magnetically operated switches, fitted in a box-shaped structure together with other components of the installation, in a predetermined position with respect to the panel, in such a way that their actuating member interacts with the panel when this is in position.
[0003] Furthermore, FR-A-2 602 078 discloses a box with an aperture, a switch having an operating member and an actuating member in the form of a screw which is fixed removably to the box; the screw closes the aperture and acts on the switch by pushing it US-A-5 486 665 discloses a box with an aperture, a switch having an operating element and an actuating member, which is fixed removably to the box; the piston acts on the switch when it is pressed. EP-A-0 786 751 (a European patent application filed prior to the priority date of the present application and published after that date) discloses a box with an aperture, a switch having an operating lever and an actuating member in the form of a screw which is fixed removably to the box; the screw projects from a wall on which the box is mounted and acts on the lever.
[0004] In some applications, different pieces of equipment of this type may be fitted together, for example in a box embedded in a wall, but not all of them are to be activated by the removal of the covering panel of the box. In these cases, it is necessary to modify the actuating member of the switch device of the equipment which is not to be activated, for example by shortening in the case of a rod, to prevent any interaction with the panel, or to change the circuit in such a way as to make it insensitive to the actuation of the switch. This requires operations which reduce the speed of installation of the equipment, and which may also result in irreversible modifications of the equipment, so that it can no longer be used in such a way that it is activated by the removal of the panel, but, if this becomes necessary, must be replaced.
[0005] These disadvantages are overcome by the electrical equipment according to the invention as specified and characterized in a general way in Claim 1.
[0006] The characteristics and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is chosen by way of example and is therefore not restrictive, with reference to the attached drawing, in which the single figure is a perspective view of an embodiment of the electrical equipment according to the invention with three separate parts which may be used as alternatives to each other.
[0007] The equipment which is illustrated comprises a box-shaped structure 10, made of transparent plastic for example, containing a push-button switch 11 fitted on a printed circuit board 12 together with other components which are not shown because they are irrelevant for the purposes of the description of the invention.
[0008] A flat spring 13, shaped in such a way that it has a projection 14 in the proximity of the operating element 15 of the switch 11 and an end arm 16, is fixed to, and projects from, the board 12.
[0009] The box-shaped structure 10 has a circular aperture 17 in its upper wall 9, next to the arm 16 of the spring 13.
[0010] A closing and actuating element 18, in the form of a cylindrical plug with a flange 8, may be inserted into. the aperture 17 and fixed removably; once fixed, this element presses with its end part 7 on the arm 16 of the spring in such a way that it acts on the operating element 15 and thus actuates the switch 11.
[0011] As an alternative to the plug 18, an actuating unit 19 may be inserted and fixed removably in the aperture 17. This actuating unit comprises a push rod 20 which is axially slidable inside a bush 21 which is of cylindrical shape and has a flange 8' so that it can be inserted and fixed removably in the aperture 17 in the same way as the plug 18. Once in position, the push rod 20 has its inner end in contact with the arm 16 of the spring but does not move it. If a sufficient axial force is applied to the outer end of the push rod 20, the elastic resistance of the spring is overcome and the projection 14 of the spring is moved in such a way that it acts on the operating element 15 and thus actuates the push-button switch 11.
[0012] For the fixing of the plug 18 or of the actuating unit 19, the aperture 17, which has a diameter slightly larger than that of the plug 18 and of the bush 21, has two diametrically opposed notches 22, and the plug and the bush have two corresponding projections, indicated by 23 and 23' respectively. The edge of the aperture 17 also has two inclined planes 24 which enable the plug 18 or the unit 21 to be fastened in the aperture by the interference between the flange 8 or 8', the wall 9 and the projections 23 or 23'.
[0013] It is clear from what has been disclosed above that the equipment described may be used in two separate configurations, namely with the plug 18 inserted and therefore with the switch 11 permanently actuated, or with the actuating unit 19 inserted and therefore with the switch actuated only when the push rod 20 is pressed. It is thus possible to use identical pieces of equipment fitted together in the same box and, by using the plug or actuating unit selectively, making only one piece of equipment or only some of the equipment sensitive to the removal of the covering panel of the box. It is also possible, when necessary, to change the initial disposition simply by replacing a plug with an actuating unit, or vice versa.
[0014] The structure described above is also suitable for being fitted upside down on a surface of a mounting element, for example on the base of a box which in turn is fixed to a wall. In this case the box, indicated by the number 30 in the drawing, is provided with a rod 31 projecting from the base and integral with it, and has a shape and size such that it has a housing in which the box-shaped structure 10 may be fixed removably by suitable fixing means 32, 32'. When the structure 10 is mounted in its housing, the rod 31 is inserted into its aperture 17 and engages with the arm 16 of the spring, so that the push-button switch 11 is actuated. In this case, therefore, the actuating member of the switch consists of the rod 31, and the triggering of an alarm or indicator device associated with the electrical equipment is caused by the detachment of the structure 10 from its housing in the box 30.
[0015] It is clear that, although the equipment according to the invention is suitable for use with particular advantage in association with other identical equipment, it may also be used on its own, combined with any of the actuating members described. In all cases, therefore, there is the advantage of being able to form different configurations of anti-theft installations or similar, using a single basic piece of equipment adaptable from time to time to specific requirements, with an evident saving in terms of costs of manufacture and storage.
* a box-shaped supporting structure (10) having a wall (9) with an aperture (17),
* a switch device (11) mounted inside said structure and having an operating element (15),
* a closing and actuating element (18) having fixing means (23) for fixing removably said closing and actuating element to said aperture, closing means (8) for closing said aperture, and actuating means (7) for permanently actuating said operating element when said closing and actuating element is fixed to said aperture,
* an actuating unit (19) having fixing means (23') for fixing removably said actuating
unit to said aperture, and an axially slidable push rod (20) for actuating said operating
element in response to an externally applied axial force acting on said rod when said
actuating unit is fixed to said aperture.
characterized in that
* said fixing means of said closing and actuating element (18) are substantially identical to those of said actuating unit (19), and
* said closing and actuating element (18) and said actuating unit (19) are interchangeable with respect to said aperture.
eine kastenförmige Trägerstruktur (10), die eine Wand (9) mit einer Öffnung (17) aufweist,
eine Schaltervorrichtung (11), die im Inneren der Struktur angebracht ist und ein Wirkungsbauglied (15) aufweist,
ein Schließ- und Betätigungselement (18), das eine Befestigungseinrichtung (23) zum abnehmbaren Befestigen des Schließ- und Betätigungselementes an der Öffnung, eine Schließeinrichtung (8) zum Schließen der Öffnung und eine Betätigungseinrichtung (7) zum dauerhaften Betätigen des Wirkungselementes, wenn das Schließ- und Betätigungselement an der Öffnung befestigt ist, aufweist,
eine Betätigungseinheit (19), die eine Befestigungseinrichtung (23') zum abnehmbaren Befestigen der Betätigungseinheit an der Öffnung und eine axial gleitfähige Stößelstange (20) zum Betätigen des Wirkungselementes ansprechend auf eine äußerlich angelegte Axialkraft, die auf die Stange wirkt, wenn die Betätigungseinheit an der Öffnung befestigt ist, aufweist,
dadurch gekennzeichnet, daßdie Befestigungseinrichtung des Schließ- und Betätigungselementes (18) im wesentlichen identisch mit der der Betätigungseinheit (19) ist, und
das Schließ- und Betätigungselement (18) und die Betätigungseinheit (19) bezüglich der Öffnung austauschbar sind.
* une structure de support (10) en forme de boîte ayant une paroi (9) présentant une ouverture (17),
* un dispositif de commutation (11) monté à l'intérieur de ladite structure et ayant un élément de manoeuvre (15),
* un élément (18) de fermeture et d'actionnement ayant des moyens de fixation (23) pour la fixation amovible dudit élément de fermeture et d'actionnement à ladite ouverture, un moyen de fermeture (8) pour fermer ladite fermeture, et un moyen d'actionnement (7) pour actionner de façon permanente ledit élément de manoeuvre lorsque ledit élément de fermeture et d'actionnement est fixé à ladite ouverture,
* une unité d'actionnement (19) ayant des moyens de fixation (23') pour la fixation amovible de ladite unité d'actionnement à ladite ouverture, et une tige (20) de poussée pouvant coulisser axialement pour actionner ledit élément de manoeuvre en réponse à une force axiale appliquée extérieurement, agissant sur ladite tige, lorsque ladite unité d'actionnement est fixée à ladite ouverture,
caractérisé en ce que* lesdits moyens de fixation dudit élément de fermeture et d'actionnement (18) sont sensiblement identiques à ceux de ladite unité d'actionnement (19), et
* ledit élément de fermeture et d'actionnement (18) et ladite unité d'actionnement (19) sont interchangeables par rapport à ladite ouverture.