Modular front panel and enclosure for electronic apparatus

• US 5,229,925 A
• Filed: 07/19/1991
• Issued: 07/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Valcom Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Valcom Incorporated
• Inventors: Spencer, John D., Mason, John W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Picard, Leo P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SPARKS, DONALD ALAN
• Application Number:
  US07/733,122
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 211/41, 361/336, 361/340, 361/344, 361/346, 361/358, 361/359, 361/380, 361/390, 361/391, 361/415, 364/480, 235/1 D, 235/30 R
• US Class Current: 361/814
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/16 on hinges or pivots

Abstract

A housing for electronic apparatus, including an enclosure for housing power supply and amplifier circuits that are common to a number of different functional devices. A replaceable, hinged, modular front panel is provided and carries a control circuit on its inner face and switches, indicators, and control knobs on its outer face. Several front panels can be provided having different control circuits for connection with the power and amplifier circuits in the enclosure to thereby change the function of the device or the types of outputs and control functions that it can provide. The front panel is pivotable relative to the enclosure to permit quick and easy access to the interior of the enclosure for inspection and servicing, as well as ready accessibility to the control circuit that is mounted on the control panel. A metallic channel extends from the back panel to the control panel to provide a shielded wireway for input conductors connected with the control circuit.

Claims

1. A modular housing for electronic apparatus, said housing comprising:

a. an enclosure having at least one open end, the enclosure housing a first electrical circuit including an electrical power supply circuit, and an electrical signal processing circuit for processing an electrical signal, the processing circuit operatively coupled with the power supply circuit and adapted to define a common first circuit to be coupled with and to provide power to any one of a plurality of second, control circuits to permit the apparatus to perform a desired predetermined function on an electrical signal, a first connector for electrically connecting the power supply circuit with a source of electric power;

b. a control panel including a second, control circuit carried on a printed circuit board supported by the control panel in a position substantially parallel with and spaced from an inner face of the control panel, the control circuit adapted to be coupled with the first circuit by a second connector for performing the desired predetermined function and including at least one manually operable control element carried by and facing outwardly from an outer face of the control panel, whereby the apparatus is converted from a first functional configuration to perform a first function to a second functional configuration to perform a second function different from the first function by retaining the common first circuit within the enclosure and replacing a control panel with another control panel to enable the apparatus to perform a different function determined by the control circuit carried by the respective control panel;

c. mounting means for pivotally mounting the control panel on the enclosure to permit the control panel to be movable relative to the enclosure from a first position at which the control panel overlies and closes the open end of the enclosure, to a second position at which the control panel is pivoted away from the open end of the enclosure to permit access to the control circuit on the inner face of the control panel and to permit access to the interior of the enclosure; and

d. wire channel means positioned interiorly of the enclosure and extending from the open end to which the control panel is connected to an opposite end of the enclosure, the wire channel means providing a shielded channel for shielding from the power supply circuit an input signal conductro means connectable with the control circuit.

2. A housing as claimed in claim 1 wherein the enclosure has a rectangular cross section.

3. A housing as claimed in claim 1 wherein the control panel has a rectangular cross section and a size to permit the control panel to fit within and to close the rectangular opening in the enclosure.

4. A housing as claimed in claim 1 including standoff means extending from the inner face of the control panel to space the printed circuit board from the control panel inner face.

5. A housing as claimed in claim 1 wherein the mounting means includes a hinge positioned adjacent an edge of the control panel for pivotally supporting the control panel relative to the enclosure.

6. A housing as claimed in claim 5 wherein the enclosure includes a base and the hinge is connected with and extends along an edge of the enclosure base at the enclosure open end and is connected with and extends along an edge of the control panel.

7. A housing as claimed in claim 6 including releasable connection means carried by the control panel for connection with the enclosure to securely and releasably hold the control panel in a closed position relative to the enclosure.

8. A modular housing for electronic apparatus, said housing comprising:

a. a hollow structure having a pair of opposed side walls, a back wall, and a top and bottom wall each connected along edge of the side walls and of the back wall to define a rectangular enclosure having an open end, an electrical power supply circuit including a power transformer positioned within the enclosure, an amplifier circuit positioned within the enclosure for amplifying an electrical signal, the amplifier circuit operatively coupled with the power supply circuit and adapted to be coupled with and to be a common first circuit to provide power to any one of a plurality of second, control circuits to permit the apparatus to perform a selected one of a plurality of desired predetermined function on an electrical signal, and first connector means for electrically connecting the power supply circuit with a source of electric power;

b. a rectangular control panel having a size to permit it to fit in the opening in the enclosure and including a control circuit carried on a printed circuit board supported by the control panel in a position substantially parallel with and spaced inwardly from an inner face of the control panel, the control circuit including manually adjustable control elements including at least one of switch means, indicator means, and signal level control means manually operable from an outer face of the control panel, the control panel hingedly connected with the enclosure base along a lower edge thereof for pivotal movement of the control panel between a first position at which the control panel overlied the enclosure open end to close the enclosure open end and a second position at which the control panel is pivotally spaced from the enclosure open end to provide access to the interior of the enclosure through the enclosure opening and to provide access to the control circuit;

c. whereby a plurality of individual modular control panels each carrying a different control circuit can be individually selectively and interchangeably pivotally mounted to the enclosure to enable the electronic apparatus to perform different functions dependent upon the control circuit selected and using the same enclosure with the same first circuit.

9. A modular housing as claimed in claim 8 including a wire channel extending within the enclosure from the rear panel thereof to the control panel to provide an enclosed wireway for shielding a conductor positioned within the wireway.