AU745297B2

AU745297B2 - Distribution device for a telecommunications system

Info

Publication number: AU745297B2
Application number: AU69887/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Wolfgang Brenner
Original assignee: Siemens AG; Siemens Corp
Current assignee: Corning Research and Development Corp
Priority date: 1997-06-04
Filing date: 1998-06-03
Publication date: 2002-03-21
Anticipated expiration: 2018-06-03
Also published as: CN1207637A; AU6988798A; ZA984622B; CN1119033C; EP0883305A1; EP0883305B1; ATE253282T1; DE59809999D1

Abstract

The device is in the form of a block (1) incorporating a support (2) for pluggable units (12) having a row of contacts (14) on one edge (13). Spring sheet metal strips (15) with latching contacts are fixed to the inside of a sidewall (6) at the levels of the stacked components (4). Each spring contact has a longer upper arm (17) which co-operates with an earthing contact (18) on the pluggable unit, and a shorter lower arm (16) whose end (20) snaps into a hole (19) in the unit. The arms are decoupled by an intermediate narrow slot.

Description

S F Ref: 422994

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name and Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Wittelsbacherplatz 2 80333 Muenchen

GERMANY

Wolfgang Brenner Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Distribution Device for a Telecommunications System Invention Title: The following statement is a best method of performing it full description known to me/us:of this invention, including the 5845 i*. g- 1 \1.-11 Distribution device for a telecommunications system The invention relates to a distribution device for a telecommunications system with contact components for connecting incoming and outgoing lines, which contact components are arranged consecutively like a stack in a supporting rack.

Such a distribution device has been disclosed by DE 36 25 476 Al, for example, according to which a contact component is provided with a multiplicity of contact parts for the connection of incoming and 15 outgoing lines. The contact parts are connected to rear o.

plug contacts which can make contact with a corresponding multiplicity of plug contact points of the protective assembly. The protective assembly can be connected to the plug contacts from the rear side (remote from the operating side) of the contact component. It has a printed circuit board populated with fuses and overvoltage arresters. An earthing conductor track which is shared by all the overvoltage arresters extends right into the end region of the protective assembly, where it forms contact zones which can make contact with spring contacts of an earthing contact strip fastened to a supporting rack for the contact components.

It is customary for such distribution devices to be largely completed at the manufacturer' s end and equipped with the contact components and, occasionally, with the protective assemblies. As a result of vibrations during operation, and in particular during the transportation of mobile switching equipment completely preassembled in containers, there is the risk of the plugged position of the protective assembly changing, with the result that the plugging security may be impaired.

GR 97 P 1693 2 The invention is based on the object of increasing the plugging security with little outlay on alteration and production.

This object is achieved by means of the invention according to Claim 1.

The latching elements projecting in the plug-In direction can be kept so slender that they do not change the installation dimensions of the contact components and protective assemblies. The latching elements enable the protective assemblies to be kept reliably in their plugged position in contact with the contact components.

Advantageous developments of the invention are characterized in the subclaims: The latching elements according to Claim 2 enable simple and reliable latching with little outlay.

o so The development according to Claim 3 facilitates the exchange of a protective connector that has already been pushed in.

The spring metal plate according to Claim 4 produces V. very slender latching hooks of high stability and good deformability.

The spring metal plate according to Claims 5 and 6 requires significantly fewer fastening points than a large number of individual metal plates for the individual protective assemblies. The undercuts that they require can be formed on the housing without an appreciable additional outlay.

The spring metal plate according to Claim 7 enables not only the latching function but also the earthing of the protective assembly by means of a common component, GR 97 P 1693 -3which correspondingly reduces manufacturing and assembly.

the outlay for The development according to Claim 8 enables the contact springs and the latching springs to be arranged in close proximity and in a space-saving manner.

The development according to Claim 9 enables the spring metal plate also to be used as internal earthing plate of the protective assembly which is connected to the earth *contacts of the protective elements to be earthed.

The development of Claim 10 enables the earth contact 15 of the protective assembly to be largely embedded in the latter, thereby avoiding a protruding spring which might inadvertently be bent.

The invention is explained in more detail below using an exemplary embodiment illustrated in the drawing, in which: Figure 1 Figure 2 shows a perspective view of a distribution device with contact components and protective assemblies, shows a detail from the distribution device according to Figure 1 with a spring metal plate prior to the protective assembly being pushed in, shows the spring metal plate and the protective assembly according to Figure 2 in an enlarged illustration, shows a plan view of a modified distribution device with an altered protective assembly, Figure 3 Figure 4 E GR 97 P 1693 4 Figure 5 shows a perspective detail from the parts according to Figure 4 in an enlarged illustration.

Figure 1 shows a block-like distribution device 1 having a supporting rack 2 in which disc-like wire guides 3 and contact components 4 are stacked one above the other in a sandwich-like manner. The wire guides 3 have arcuately curved wire-guide ducts 5 in which incoming and outgoing lines of a telecommunications system can be guided from side walls 6 to an operating side 7 of the distribution device 1. At this side, the contact components 4 are provided with insulationpiercing terminals 8, into whose terminal slots the 15 incoming and outgoing lines can be pressed in a contact-making manner by means of a connection tool 9.

S..

The insulation-piercing terminals 8 are connected to contact parts which form isolating contacts within the contact components, which isolating contacts can be interrupted by means of isolating connectors 10 which

S.

can be plugged in from the front side.

On their rear side 11 opposite to the operating .side 7, the contact components 4 have plug contacts for a protective assembly 12 which can be pushed laterally into the distribution device i. This protective assembly is provided with plug contact points 14 along its front side 13 facing the contact component 4, which plug contact points can be plugged in between the plug contacts of the contact components 4 in accordance with the arrow direction specified.

The parts according to Figure 1 are illustrated in a simplified manner in Figure 2. Spring metal plates in strip form are fastened in a contact-making manner, e.g. by means of rivets or other holding elements, on the inside of the side walls 6 of the supporting rack 2 such that they extend in the direction of the stack between the installation locations for the contact GR 97 P 1693 components 4 and for the protective assemblies 12. The spring metal plate 15 is provided with cut-out latching springs 16 and contact springs 17 (Figure 3) directed counter to the plugging direction of the protective assemblies 12 to be plugged onto the contact components. The protective assembly can firstly be pushed from the side through an opening in the side wall 6 into the interior of the supporting rack 2.

Afterwards it is plugged onto the contact component 4 in the direction of the operating side 7 (Figure 1) This phase is shown in an enlarged illustration in Figure 3. The protective assembly 12 is provided with earth contacts 18 and recesses 19 on its narrow ends.

15 The latching springs 16 of the spring metal plate S.have latching lugs 20 on their free end. After the S- ["protective assembly 12 has been plugged onto the [".contact component 4, the contact springs 17 bear under spring tension on the earth contacts 18.

5 The latching lug 20 then projects into the recess 19,

D

S whose inner wall facing the spring metal plate 15 forms an undercut for the latching lug 20, with the result that the protective assembly 12 reliably maintains its 25 functional position even under conditions of mechanical disturbance. One of the latching springs 16 and one of S. Cs S S the contact springs 17 in each case form a closely adjacent pair of springs which is decoupled with regard to their deflection capability by an intervening thin separating slot.

Figures 4 and 5 show a modified distribution device in which the pair of springs of the spring metal plate is fitted to the protective assembly 12 instead of to the side wall 6 of the support rack 2, in such a way that after the protective assembly 12 has been plugged on in the arrow direction specified, the latching spring 16 projects with its latching lug 20 into a perforation 21 in the side wall 6 and thus fixes the GR 97 P 1693 6 protective assembly 12 in its installed position with a snap-action. The spring metal plate is in this case guided into the interior of the protective assembly 12, where it forms earth contacts for protective elements (to be earthed) for overvoltage protection of the lines.

The contact spring 17 is designed in such a way that it then bears in a contact-making manner under spring tension on the inside of the side wall. The latching lug 20 in this case has a bevel 21, which enables the protective assembly 12 to be released from its installation position by vigorous pressing counter to the plugging direction.

o o* *°oo° ~;~i5-117 i

Claims

2. Distribution device according to Claim 1, .characterized in that the latching elements are designed as "undercuts, provided reciprocally on the protective 20 assembly (12) and/or the supporting rack or the contact component and latching hooks 16) which project in the plugging direction, are capable of transverse deflection and have latching lugs which engage behind the undercuts which are complementary thereto. Distribution device according to Claim 2, characterized in that the latching hooks 16) are designed such *".that they have a snap-action as a result of rounded portions and/or bevels (21) on the reciprocal bearing surfaces of the latching lugs (20) and undercuts.
4. Distribution device according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that the latching hooks are designed as latching springs (16) on a spring metal plate Distribution device according to Claim 4, characterized in that the spring metal plate (15) is fastened to the supporting rack and extends in the direction of the GR 97 P 1693 stack across a plurality of installation locations for the contact components and in that the undercuts are formed on a housing of the protective assembly (12)
6. Distribution device according to Claim characterized in that the support rack consists of a metal plate which is bent in the shape of a U and receives the contact components and in that the spring metal plate (15) is fitted to a side wall of the support rack (2)
7. Distribution device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the protective assembly (12) has at least one earth contact (18) for earthing protective elements, in that the spring metal plate (15) has, in addition to the latching elements at least one contact spring which projects in the plug-in direction, is capable of lateral deflection and by means of which the earth contact (18) can be connected to an earthing part of the supporting rack and in that the contact springs (17) and the latching e. .springs (16) which are integrally connected to one another in each case are decoupled with regard to the lateral deflection capability.
8. Distribution device according to Claim 7, characterized in that the contact spring (17) and/or the latching spring (16) can be deflected transversely with respect to the direction of the stack and transversely with respect to the plug-in direction.
9. Distribution device according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the spring metal plate (15) is assigned to the protective assembly (12), in that the contact spring (17) can make contact directly with the side wall of the supporting rack and -1 iii- -j i~ i -9- in that the undercut is formed on a perforation (21) of the side wall into which the latching lug (20) of the latching spring (16) engages. Device according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the spring metal plate (15) is fastened to the side wall of the supporting rack and in that the exposed earth contact (17) of the protective assembly (12) is formed on an earth-contact plate which makes contact with the individual protective elements.
11. Distribution device for a telecommunications system substantially as herein described with reference to any one of the embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. DATED this Second Day of June 1998 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON o* [n:\libpp]01058:IAD