PROTECTIVE DEVICE

Abstract

A protective device made of plastic, which is intended as an instrument housing for a measuring instrument. In order to ensure sufficient shock protection, which assures that the protective device is not damaged by hard shocks, the protective device is assembled from a core which is made of thermoplastic material and at least in sections encloses the housing, and a sheathing, which is made particularly of rubber elastic material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Additional details, advantages and characteristics of the invention are not only found in the claims, the characteristics found therein—individually or in combination—but also within the following explanation of one of the preferred embodiments in relation to the drawings, which show:

FIG. 1: A laser instrument that is enclosed by a protective housing;

FIG. 2: Sections of a core of the protective housing according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3: The assembled sections of the core according to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4: A section of a protective housing, which is attached to an instrument housing;

FIG. 5: The sections according to FIG. 2, which are connected to the instrument housing according to FIG. 4;

FIG. 6: A section of the protective housing according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 7: An exploded view of the elements of the protective housing that enclose the laser instrument;

FIG. 8: An additional embodiment of a protective housing enclosing an instrument;

FIG. 9: A third embodiment of a protective housing enclosing an instrument; and

FIG. 10: An exploded view of the protective housing according to FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The premise on which the invention is based is explained in FIGS. 1 through 7 by means of a protective housing 12, which encloses a laser instrument 10, without being limited therein. Rather, the premise based on the invention applies to any protective housings, which should preferably enclose those instruments that are susceptible to shock. This particularly includes measuring devices.

The invention pertains in general to a protective device for a housing, whereby the protective device must only enclose the housing partially. Thus it is possible, that the protective device may consist of corner elements, which are supported by the corners of the housing and are connected with each other in a manner that is described in the following.

In the variant of FIGS. 1 through 7, the protective housing 12 consists of a two-part base part 15 as well as an attachment 18, which encloses the laser emission optic 20. The attachment 18 is, however, not a required characteristic. It is furthermore not required that the protective housing 12 consists of more than two or three parts. Rather, the protective housing 12 can be made as a single component.

The protective housing 12 is independently characterized in that it consists of a core 22 and a sheathing 24, as illustrated in principle in the section of FIG. 6. The section also illustrates a part of the arm of protective housing 12. The sheathing 24 can be formed as a quasi support that encloses the core 22.

According to the invention, the core 22 consists of a material, which is based on thermo-plastics, with excellent shock-absorbing characteristics as well as recovery characteristics. The preferred material is thereby expanded Polypropylene (EPP).

The sheathing 24 can be a laminated foil or a laminated fabric. It is also possible to form the sheathing 24 by heating the core 22, whereby a skin will form to become the sheathing.

In the preferred version, the sheathing 24 consists of a rubber elastic material, such as natural rubber, whereby the application of EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) is preferred. The sheathing 24 is thereby produced separate from the core 22. In so far as the sheathing 24 and/or the casing manifests a sufficient strength, then it possesses a sufficient self-rigidity. The sheathing 24 encloses the core 22 for the most part form-fitting independently thereof, in particular peripherally. The sheathing and thus the casing of the core 22 are held in place by means of attaching and/or affixing the protective housing to an instrument housing as demonstrated below.

Manufacturing the sheathing 24 from EPDM has the advantage that the sheathing 24 follows the deformation of the core 22, whereby it is also assured that the core 22 is protected against abrasion or damage due to sharp objects.

In this version the protective housing 12 incorporates three components, of which two components 14, 16, which may be formed identically, make up the core 22 (FIG. 2). Each component 14, 16 consists of a frame 26, 28, from which the arms 30, 32, 34, 36 and/or 38, 40, 42, 44 originate. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the components 14, 16, i.e. sections of the core 22 can be assembled, whereas the arms 30, 40, 32, 38, 34, 44, 36, 42, 44 align axially. The assembled components or sections 14, 16 form a framework in the shape of a rectangular prism, which completely encloses the instrument housing 46 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

A radial attachment of the components or sections 14, 16 to the instrument housing 46 is accomplished through the arms 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, namely through its internal cylindrical sections, of which a few are marked as examples with the reference marks 48, 50. The cylindrical sections 48, 50 are assigned to cylindrically hollow receptacles 52, 54 within the instrument housing 46, which have longitudinal slots 56, 58 that are restricted by bars 60, 62, 64, 66. The bars 60, 62, 64, 66 then engage in the undercuts 68, 70, 72, 74, which limit the cylindrical sections 48, 50.

The casing and/or sheathing 24, which enclose the core 22 and/or the components or sections 14, 16, and which do not have to be materially connected to the core 22, can be held in place by the bars 60, 62, 64, 66 of the instrument housing 46, which engage in the undercuts 68, 70, 72, 74. In other words, the sheathing 24 is clamped in place between the core 22 and the instrument housing 46. Other measures are also possible. Another possibility is a material bond connection between the sheathing 24 and the core 22 in at least a few points.

If the radial attachment of sections 14, 16 is accomplished by the cylindrical sections 48, 50 and their engagement into the cylindrically hollow receptacles 56, 58, this will result in an axial connection through bores 76, 78, 80, 82 located within the bars or arms 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44. These will be penetrated, for example, by stud screws 83 that are inserted into threaded sleeves. Additional attachment options are also possible.

The illustrations also show, that one arm of the frame 26, 28 is formed larger than the remaining arms. These are the frame arms 82, 84 in the embodiment. When the protective housing (FIG. 1, FIG. 4) is assembled and encloses the instrument housing 46, a handle 86 is attached between the larger arms 82, 84 making it therefore unnecessary to originate from the laser device 10, thus providing an additional means of shock-protection.

In order to protect the laser emitting optic as well, the invention provides for the attachment 18, which is preferably connected with the upper frame, therefore frame 28 of the upper section 16, by means of snap-on or plug-in connection. The attachment 18 consists of lower rim or ring 88, which is preferably made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic, such as Polyamide, and which is connected to the upper ring element 98 by flat bars 90, 92, 094, 96, and which is enclosed by a protective device, which according to the premise of the invention consists of a core and a sheathing and/or casing.

The lower rim or ring 88 accepts the emission optic 100 of the laser instrument, as can be particularly seen in the exploded view according to FIG. 7. The laser optic 100 can therefore be accepted and/or enclosed by a bracket, which in turn is enclosed in sections and held in place by the lower rim and/or ring 88.

The flat bars 90, 92, 94, 96, which are to be identified as feet, are connected to the upper ring 98, for instance, by plug-in connections. An integral construction is also possible. The upper ring 98 is therefore enclosed by a core 102, which is made of EPDM and has a circular shape, and which is in turn enclosed by a casing 104 that forms the sheathing, as can be seen in the depictions of FIG. 7.

The lower ring and/or rim 88 also accept a control panel 106, which is used to operate the laser instrument.

In order to position and fasten the lower ring 88, the extensions 108, 110, 112, 114 of the bars or feet 90, 92, 94, 96 engage in correspondingly adapted sleeve-like receptacles 116, 118, 120 of the ring or rim 88 and assume the function of internal threaded sleeves, into which the stud bolts can be screwed, which in turn originate from, and/or are inserted into, a floor plate 122, that closes off the laser housing 46 at the bottom. For this purpose, the floor plate 122, for instance, extends with a surrounding bar partially into the housing 46 and furthermore extends, for instance, with a flange-type edge so far, that the stud bolts can be screwed into respective threads. The stud bolts furthermore penetrate the bores 76, 78, 80, 82 in the bars 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, which axially secure the protective housing 12. The protective housing 12 is therefore, in the proper meaning of the word, axially held in place by the ring and/or rim 88, which is located on the side of the housing and incorporates the control panel 106, and the bottom plate 122. The stud bolts between the feet 90, 92, 94, 96 and the bottom plate 122, secure the lower ring 88.

A comparison of the illustrations also shows that the lower frame 26 of the protective housing 12 encloses the bottom plate 122 to make it shockproof. The upper frame 28 encloses the lower ring 88 with the control panel 106 to such degree that it is also shockproof. The bars or feet 90, 92, 94, 96 are offset in relation to the circumferential surface of the upper frame 28 and the protection surrounding the upper ring 98, in such a manner that these bars or feet 90, 92, 94, 96 displace inward in an offset relative to the casing, which is stretched from the upper protective ring 102, 104 and the protective housing 12.

If, according to the version of FIGS. 1 through 7, the protective housing results in a shape of an open rectangular prism it is then possible, that a housing, which is to be protected, is secured in such manner, that core elements made from expanded Polypropylene, which have the shape of corner elements, are placed on the corners of a housing, whereby the corner elements are connected to each other through strip- or band material that is made of rubber-elastic material, so that, in respect to corner elements and strip- and/or band material, this basically results in a construction, which describes the invention-related protective housing. The corner elements exercise a shock-absorbing function, while the sheathing from the rubber-elastic material, especially such as EPDM, provides a protection against abrasion as well as against penetration by sharp objects.

Further variants relating to the principle of the invention can be found in FIGS. 8 through 10. FIG. 8 thus illustrates, that a housing, such as instrument housing 124, is enclosed by a protective housing 126, which consists of a core that is made of thermoplastic material, such as expanded Polypropylene (EPP), and which is assembled from corner elements 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142. This is enclosed and held in place by a sheathing 128, which according to the invention is made of a rubber-elastic material, such as natural rubber. The sheathing 128 is a sleeve, which encloses the corner elements 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142 without covering areas of the housing 124 that must remain functionally accessible.

The execution model found in FIGS. 9 and 10 should again illustrate, that the invention-related protective housing consists of a two-part core and a casing—also referred to as sheathing or sleeve—surrounding same. A protected housing 144, which for instance may be a housing for a laser device, is thus enclosed by sections 146, 148 in a mostly form-fitting design, which form the core of thermoplastic material. When the core 146, 148 is attached to the housing 144, a sleeve or casing 150, which is made of rubber elastic material, such as natural rubber, is put over the core 146, 148, so that for one thing the core 146, 148 is sufficiently held in place on the housing 144, and the core 146, 148 is also protected against abrasion as well as against penetration by sharp objects. The sheathing 150 consists of rubber elastic material and is therefore stretchable. The sheathing 150 will stretch to a degree that is sufficient to allow putting it over the core 146, 148.

Claims

1. Protective device made of plastic for a housing (124, 144), such as an instrument housing, the protective device comprising a core (130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 146, 148), which is made of thermoplastic material, and which encloses the housing (124, 144) at least in sections, and a sheathing (128, 150).

2. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the protective device at the corners and/or edges of the housing (124, 144) manifests elements (130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 146, 148), which are supported and spaced in relation to each other, and which enclose the core as such, and which are connected through and/or, at least in sections, are enclosed by the sheathing (128).

3. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing (150) holds the protective device in place on the housing (124, 144).

4. Protective device in form of a protective housing 12, which at least in sections encloses a instrument housing (46, 124, 144), preferably a measuring instrument such as a laser instrument, and which is made of plastic, the protective housing (12) comprising a core (22, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 146, 148) made of thermo-plastic material and a sheathing (24, 128, 150).

5. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing (24, 128, 150) comprises rubber elastic material.

6. Protective device according to claim 5, wherein the sheathing (24, 128, 150) comprises or containing natural rubber.

7. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing (24, 128, 150) comprises thermoplastic elastomer material.

8. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing (24, 128, 150) and/or the sleeve comprises Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM).

9. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the core (22, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138, 140, 142, 146, 148) comprises expanded Polypropylene (EPP).

10. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the core (22) is heat-treated and thus develops a skin, which in turn forms the sheathing (24) for the core (22).

11. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing (24) is a foil or fabric, which is laminated onto the core (22).

12. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the core (22, 146, 148) of the protective device and/or the protective housing (12) comprises sections (14, 16, 146, 148), which can be assembled.

13. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing (24, 128, 150) is made up of one or several components.

14. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the core (22) of the protective device and/or the protective housing (12) is accepted in a form-fitting manner by the housing (46).

15. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the core (22) has a framework in the shape of a rectangular prism with longitudinal and cross arms (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 82, 84).

16. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the core (22) has arms (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42), which originate from a frame (26, 28) with cylindrical sections (48, 50), which in sections are form-fittingly received by hollow cylindrical sections (56, 58), which have one longitudinal slot (56, 58) each, of the instrument housing (48).

17. Protective device according to claim 16, wherein the frame (26, 28) has a rectangular geometry.

18. Protective device according to claim 15, wherein the sections (14, 16) of the core (22) is connected through connective elements, such as stud bolts, which extend through the longitudinal legs (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44) of the core (22).

19. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing (24) and the core (22) are separately produced components.

20. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the sheathing (24) is held in place, such as being clamped, between the core (22) and the sections (60, 62, 64, 66) of the instrument housing (46).

21. Protective device according to claim 20, wherein the undercuts (68, 70, 72, 74) are held in place by longitudinal arms (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44) of the core (22) of the protective housing (12) and sections, which engage in the undercuts, such as bars (60, 62, 64, 66) of the instrument housing (46).

22. Protective device according to claim 1, wherein the core (22) and/or the protective housing (12) has a frame (26, 28) at top and bottom with one arm (82, 84) each, which generate a plane, between which a handle (86) is integrated.

23. Protective device according to claim 22, wherein the handle (86) is held in place, e.g. being clamped, between the frames (26, 28).

24. Protective device according to claim 22, wherein an attachment (18), which is preferably a laser optic that is offset and enclosing same, emanates from the top frame (28).

25. Protective device according to claim 24, wherein the attachment (18) is connected with the top frame (28) through snap-in or plug-in connections.

26. Protective device according to claim 24, wherein the attachment (18) comprises a first ring element (88), which emanates from the top frame (28), and a second ring element (98), which is connected to the first ring element (88) preferably through flat bars (90, 92, 94, 96), and which preferably consists of a core, which is made of expanded Polypropylene (EPP), and a sheathing, which for instance is made of natural rubber, such as EPDM, and which encloses the core.

27. Protective device according to claim 26, wherein the first ring element (88) and/or the flat bars (90, 92, 94, 96) comprises plastic, such as fiber reinforced plastic, particularly glass-fiber reinforced Polyamide.

28. Protective device according to claim 26, wherein the first ring element (88) serves as a receptacle for a laser and/or being a part of same.

29. Protective device according to claim 26, wherein the first ring element (88) incorporates a control panel (106).

30. Protective device according to claim 26, wherein the first ring element (88) is secured against the instrument housing (46) by means of the bars, such as the flat bars (90, 92, 94, 96).

31. Protective device according to claim 30, wherein the bars (90, 92, 94, 96) at the housing side has sleeve-like extensions (108, 110, 112, 114) with internal threads, into which connection elements, such as stud bolts, are inserted, which originate from and/or screw into a bottom plate (122) of the instrument housing (46).

32. Protective device according to claim 31, wherein the connection elements, such as stud bolts, penetrate the longitudinal arms (30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44).

33. Protective device according to claim 26, wherein the bars (90, 92, 94, 96) are connected to the second ring element (98) particularly through plug-in connections or are built as an integral part of same.

34. Protective device according to claim 26, wherein the second ring element (98) comprises plastic, such as fiber reinforced plastic.

35. Protective device according to claim 26, wherein the second ring element (98) is at least in sections enclosed by an additional ring element (102), which is made of a thermoplastic material, which in itself is enclosed by a casing, such as a sleeve (104).