Enclosure with lid counterweight assembly
AssigneeS&C Electric Company
InventorJoseph P. Moninski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An enclosure includes a body portion, a top portion having a lid component configured to rotate with respect to the body portion to provide access to an interior compartment of the enclosure, and a counterweight assembly coupled between the lid component and the body portion. The counterweight assembly is configured such that the force required to rotate the lid component from the enclosure's closed position to its full-open position is substantially constant.
Claims17
A counterweight assembly for an enclosure having a lid component, the counterweight assembly comprising:
- a first planar linkage mechanism including:
- a first link having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is rotatably coupled to the lid component at a first pivot;
- a second link having a third end and a fourth end, wherein the third end is rotatably coupled to the second end of the first link at a second pivot, and the second link is rotatably coupled to the body portion between the third end and the fourth end at a third pivot;
- a third link having a fifth end and a sixth end, wherein the fifth end is rotatable coupled to the fourth end of the second link at a fourth pivot;
- and
- a fourth link having a seventh end, an eighth end, and a fifth pivot therebetween, wherein the eighth end is coupled to the body potion at a sixth pivot, and the sixth end of the third link is rotatably coupled to the fourth link at the fifth pivot;
- and
- a first counterweight disposed on the fourth link at the seventh end, wherein the first counterweight is configured to counterbalance the weight of the lid component acting through the second link as the lid component rotates about a rotational axis from a closed position to a full-open position.
A counterweight assembly for an enclosure having a body portion and a user-actuable lid component, the counterweight assembly comprising:
- a first class lever component having a first end, a second end, and a fulcrum rigidly coupled to the body portion;
- a first linkage coupled between the lid component and the first end of the first class lever component, the first linkage including a first link having a first end rotatably coupled to the lid component, a second end rotatably coupled to the first class lever component, and a latching mechanism configured to lock the first link to the first class lever component when the lid portion is moved to a full-open position;
- and
- a counterweight mass disposed on a second linkage and coupled, through the second linkage, to the second end of the first class lever component;
- wherein the counterweight mass, the first linkage, the second linkage, and the first class lever component are configured to counterbalance a force required to rotate the lid component from a closed position to a full-open position.
A counterweight assembly for an enclosure having a body portion and a user-actuable lid component, the counterweight assembly comprising:
- a first link having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is rotatably coupled to the lid component at a first pivot;
- a second link having a third end and a fourth end, wherein the third end is rotatably coupled to the second end of the first link at a second pivot, and the second link is rotatably coupled to the body portion between its first end and the fourth end at a third pivot;
- a third link having a fifth end and a sixth end, wherein the fifth end is rotatably coupled to the fourth end of the second link at a fourth pivot;
- and
- a fourth link having a seventh end, an eighth end, and a fifth pivot therebetween, wherein the seventh end is coupled to a counterweight mass, the eighth end is coupled to the body potion at a sixth pivot, and the sixth end of the third link is rotatably coupled to the fourth link at the fifth pivot;
- wherein the first link, the second link, the third link, the counterweight mass, and the fourth link are configured to counterbalance a force required to rotate the lid component about a rotational axis from a closed position to a normally open position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.