Title of Invention

A SWITCHGERAR CABINET

Abstract A switchgear cabinet having a climate control arrangement (30), which is spatially connected to the interior of the switchgear cabinet by means of an air guidance conduit (43), and wherein the interior of the switchgear cabinet is clad by means of lateral walls (13) and at least one cabinet door, characterised in that the climate control arrangement (30) is incorporated in the interior of the switchgear cabinet, an intermediate wall (20) is disposed at a spacing from the lateral wall (13), between a lateral wall and the intermediate wall (20) an air collection conduit (21a) is formed spatially connected to the air guidance conduit (43) of the climate control arrangement (30) via inlet openings (38) and to the interior of the switchgear cabinet via one or a plurality of openings (21), said intermediate wall (20) is provided with a plurality of rows of said openings (21), said rows of openings (21) being disposed spaced from each other in the vertical direction, and said air guidance conduit (43) of said climate control arrangement (30) communicates with the air collection conduit (21a) via at least one of said openings (21).
Full Text FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
[39 OF 1970]
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION
Section 10
'SWITCHGEAR CABINET

RITTAL-WERK RUDOLF LOH GMBH & CO. KG, Auf Dem Stutzelberg, D-35745 Herborn, Germany, a German company,


The following specification particularly describes and ascertains the nature of this invention and the manner in which it is to be performed: -

The present invention relates to a switchgear cabinet.
The switchgear cabinet of the invention is provided with a climate-control arrangement which is installed in the switchgear cabinet interior, and is in spatial connection with the switchgear cabinet interior by means of an air guidance conduit, and wherein the switchgear cabinet interior is enclosed by means of lateral walls an at least one cabinet door.
Such a switchgear cabinet is known from the company prospectus "Rittal Handbuch 29" [Rittal Manual 29], page 520. With such switchgear cabinets the climate-control arrangement is designed as a cooling apparatus, which can be mounted at any arbitrary level in the switchgear cabinet interior. The climate-control arrangement aspirates heated air from the switchgear cabinet interior and conducts it to an evaporator of a cooling circuit. There, the level of the temperature of the air is lowered. Thereafter, the climatized air can again be released into the switchgear cabinet interior by means of a fan.
It is the object of the invention to produce a switchgear cabinet of the type mentioned at the outset, with which an effective climate-control of the air in the switchgear cabinet interior is possible.
This object is attained in that an intermediate wall is arranged spaced apart from the lateral wall, that an air collection conduit is created between the lateral wall and the intermediate wall, which is in spatial connection with the air guidance conduit of the climate-control arrangement via inlet openings, and with the switchgear cabinet interior via one or several openings.

The air from the switchgear cabinet interior which, for example, is considerably heated, can be pre-climatized in the air collection circuit, wherein heat is exchanged with the surroundings via the lateral wall. Thereafter the pre-climatized air can be conducted to the climate-control arrangement and further cooled there. An effective climate-control is possible by means of such an arrangement, wherein the 'lateral wall can be used as a heat exchanger. In particular, only a small cold output is required for the climate-control arrangement.
It is provided in accordance with a preferred embodiment variation of the invention that the intermediate wall is provided with several rows of openings, wherein the rows are arranged above each other in the vertical direction,, and that the air guidance conduit of the climate-control arrangement is connected to the air collection conduit wia at least one of the openings The intermediate wall allows a flexible installation of the climate-control arrangement. The latter can be selectively associated with one of the rows of openings. The connection of the air collection conduit with the switchgear cabinet interior can be provided vita the other rsnainirag opening
For example, the air can be aspirated out of the switchgear cabinet interior from different levels. In this case it is provided in an advantageous manner that the intermediate wall has at least three rows of openings, wherein one row is arranged in the upper ceiling area, one row in the lower floor area and a further row in the center area of the intermediate wall.
To be able to aspirate air from a defined area of the switchgear cabinet, or to release it there, it is provided in accordance with a prefered embodiment variation that one or


several of the openings can be selectively closed by means of covers.
A possible embodiment variation is distinguished in that the climate-control arrangement aspirates heated air from the air collection conduit by means of at least one fan and conducts it to a heat oxohangor, and that the air clinatiaed at the heat exchanger can be released through one or several outlets into the switchgear cabinet interior. If several outlets are employed, they should preferably fee selectively olesaleĀ» ae that the connection with the switchgear cabinet interior can only take place at predefinable locations.
In accordance with the invention, an efficient climate-control arrangement is distinguished in that it has a cooling device with an evaporator and a condenser, wherein the evaporator is arranged in the air guidance conduit, and the condenser is connected with the surroundings via an exterior circuit, and that the exterior air conducted in the exterior circuit can be released to the surroundings, or respectively aspirated from it, via openings in the cabinet door or in a lateral wall. So that even cooling of the switchgear cabinet interior becomes possible, it can be provided that intermediate walls are allocated to at least two lateral walls, and that the climate-control arrangement is in spatial connection with the air collection "conduits formed between the lateral and the intermediate walls.
In accordance with the invention, one or several fans can be fastened.by screws at the openings of the intermediate wall for aiding the conveyance of air.
The invention will be explained in greater detail in what
follows by means of an exemplary embodiment represented in the ... accompgnying drawings. Shown are in

Fig. 1, a switchgear cabinet with a climate-control arrangement installed therein, in a perspective lateral view and partially in section, and
Fig. 2, a schematically represented horizontal section through the installed climate-control arrangement in a view from above.
A switchgear cabinet having a rack is represented in Fig.
1. The rack is put together from horizontal and vertical profiled
frame sections 10 and 11, 12. Here, the horizontal profiled frame
sections 11, 12 form a bottom or top frame, which are connected
with each other via the vertical profiled frame sections 10. The
rack is enclosed by means of lateral walls 12, 15. In this case
the lateral wall 15 simultaneously constitutes the rear wall. A
cabinet door, not represented for reasons of clarity, can be
hinged on the front of the switchgear cabinet. An intermediate
wall 20 has been erected, spaced apart parallel from each of the
lateral walls 13. Here, the intermediate wall 20 covers the
entire field enclosed by the lateral vertical profiled frame
sections 10 and the horizontal profiled frame sections 11 designed
as depth struts. An air collection conduit 21a is formed between
the lateral wall 13 and the intermediate wall 21. This air
collection circuit 21a is in spatial connection with the switehkgeal abinet interier via three rows of openings 21. Three . openings 21 are provided for each row. The rows are arranged on different levels, wherein the upper row is arranged in the ceiling area, the lower row in the floor area and the center row in the center area of the switchgear cabinet. The intermediate wall 20 is symmetrically designed for simplifying the mounting. The individual openings 21 can be selectively closed by means of covers 22.

In the present exemplary embodiment, a climate-control arrangement 30 ia allocated to the respective row of openings 21 in the center are of the switchgear cabinet. The climate-control arrangement 3 0 is accommodated in a housing having a horizontal ceiling and a bottom wall 31 and 35. The ceiling 31 ia connected with the bottom wall 35 via vertical lateral elements 33, 34, and a front wall 32. The lateral elements 33 are provided with inlet openings 38, which provide access to an air guidance conduit 43 (see Fig, 2) in the interior of the climate-control arrangement 30. The inlet openings 38 are connected to an opening 21, so that a spatial connection of the air collection conduit 21a with the air guidance conduit 43 is created.
Outlets 39 have been cut into the cover and bottom walls 31 and 35. These outlets 39 are al9o in spatial connection with the air guidance conduit 43. The guidance of the air inside this air guidance conduit 43 will be explained in detail later by means of Fig. 2. A condenser 3 6 has been installed in the front wall 32, through which ambient air can flow. The ambient air is aspirated through openings in the cabinet door, is conducted through the climate-control arrangement 3 0 and thereafter returned back to the surroundings through an outlet opening 37.
Reference is made to Fig. 2 in what follows for explaining the mode of operation. The drawing figure .shows a horizontal section through the climate-control arrangement 30. Fig. 2 represents the air guidance conduit 43 which follows the inlet openings 38. An evaporator 42 of a refrigeration cycle is accommodated in the air guidance conduit 43. The air guidance conduit 43 terminates in a further air guidance conduit 44 downstream of the evaporator. A fan 41 is housed in this further air guidance circuit 44. Heated air is aspirated by means of the

fan 41 from the interior of the switchgear cabinet through the openings 21 into the air collection conduit 21a. This air reaches the air guidance conduit 43 of the climate-control arrangement 30 through the inlet openings 38. There, is flows past the evaporator 42 and is cooled in the process. The air climatized in this manner is thereafter sent into the interior of the switchgear cabinet by means of the ventilator 41 through the outlets 3 9 in the bottom and/or cover wall 35, 31.
The climate-control arrangement 3 0 furthermore has an exterior circuit 45, in which the condenser 3 6 is housed. Moreover, a fan 40 has been installed in the exterior circuit 45, which aspirates the ambient air through the condenser 36. A heat exchange takes place at the condenser, which is used for cooling the air in the switchgear cabinet interior. Downstream of the condenser, the exterior air is released into the surroundings again through the outlet openings 37.
In accordance with the invention, the climate-control arrangement 30 can also be fastened on the row of openings allocated to the bottom or the ceiling of the switchgear cabinet. if, for example, the climate-control arrangement 30 is installed in the bottom area, the outlet 39, which has been cut in the bottom wall 35, can be closed by means of an appropriate cover plate. The outlet 39 in the ceiling 31 can also be closed correspondingly when the climate-control arrangement is accommodated in the ceiling area of the switchgear cabinet. The climate-control arrangement need not extend over the entire width of the switchgear cabinet. Instead, it can also have appropriately smaller dimensions. Then the inlet opening 38 of a lateral element 33, which is not allocated to an intermediate wall, can aspirate air directly from the interior of the switchgear cabinet. However, this inlet opening 38 can alternatively aloo bo oloood.

WE CLAIM:
1. A switchgear cabinet having a climate control arrangement (30), which is spatially connected to the interior of the switchgear cabinet by means of an air guidance conduit (43), and wherein the interior of the switchgear cabinet is clad by means of lateral walls (13) and at least one cabinet door, characterised in that the climate control arrangement (30) is incorporated in the interior of the switchgear cabinet, an intermediate wall (20) is disposed at a spacing from the lateral wall (13), between a lateral wall and the intermediate wall (20) an air collection conduit (21a) is formed spatially connected to the air guidance conduit (43) of the climate control arrangement (30) via inlet openings (38) and to the interior of the switchgear cabinet via one or a plurality of openings (21), said intermediate wall (20) is provided with a plurality of rows of said openings (21), said rows of openings (21) being disposed spaced from each other in the vertical direction, and said air guidance conduit (43) of said climate control arrangement (30) communicates with the air collection conduit (21a) via at least one of said openings (21).
2. A switchgear cabinet as claimed in claim 1, wherein said intermediate wall (20) has at least three rows of said openings (21), one said row being disposed in an upper cover region, one row in a lower bottom region and further row in a central region of the said intermediate wall (20).


3. A switchgear cabinet as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein said one or a plurality of said openings (21) is selectively closed by means of covers (22).
4. A switchgear cabinet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said climate control arrangement (30) is adapted to draw heated air out of the air collection conduit (21a) into the air guidance conduit (43) by means of at least one fan (41) and supplies it to a heat exchanger (42), and the air conditioned at the heat exchanger (42) is releasable into the interior of the switchgear cabinet via one or a plurality of outlets (39).
5. A switchgear cabinet as claimed in one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the climate control arrangement has an evaporator (heat exchanger 42) and a condenser (36), the evaporator being disposed in the air guidance conduit (43) and the condenser (36) being connected to the surrounding environment via an external conduit (45), and external air conducted in the external conduit is emitted into the surrounding environment via discharge openings in the cabinet door or a said lateral wall (13, 15) or respectively is drawn in from these points.
6. A switchgear cabinet as claimed in one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least two said lateral walls (13) have intermediate walls (21) associated


therewith, and said climate control arrangement (30) is spatially connected to the air collection conduit (21a) formed between the lateral and the intermediate walls (13 and 21).
7. A switchgear cabinet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the air-guidance conduit (43) terminates into a plurality of said outlets (39).
8. A switchgear cabinet as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein one or a plurality of said fans are attached at the openings (21) of the intermediate wall (20), said fans effecting an air conveyance between the interior of the switchgear cabinet and the air collection conduit.
Dated this 10th day of August, 2000
[SANJAY KUMAR]
OF REMFRY& SAGAR
ATTORNEY FOR THE APPLICANTS

Documents:


Patent Number 204451
Indian Patent Application Number IN/PCT/2000/00284/MUM
PG Journal Number 23/2007
Publication Date 08-Jun-2007
Grant Date 22-Feb-2007
Date of Filing 10-Aug-2000
Name of Patentee RITTAL-WERK RUDOLF LOH GMBH & CO. KG.
Applicant Address AUF DEM STUTZELBERG, D-35745 HERBORN, GERMANY.
Inventors:
# Inventor's Name Inventor's Address
1 WALTER NICOLAI BAHNHOFSTR. 31, 35713 ESCHENBURG-WISSENBACH, GERMANY.
2 HARALD PERLITZ GEWANNSTR. 17, 35690 DILLENBURG, GERMANY.
3 ADAM PAWLOWSKI AHORNWEG 26, 35713 ESCHENBURG-WISSENBACH, GERMANY.
PCT International Classification Number H 05 K 7/20
PCT International Application Number PCT/EP98/08449
PCT International Filing date 1998-12-24
PCT Conventions:
# PCT Application Number Date of Convention Priority Country
1 198 04 900.5 1998-02-07 Germany