AU636625B2

AU636625B2 - Distribution device for a telecommunications system

Info

Publication number: AU636625B2
Application number: AU58758/90A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Frank-Helge Latte; Hans Scholtholt
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 1989-07-07
Filing date: 1990-07-06
Publication date: 1993-05-06
Anticipated expiration: 2010-07-06
Also published as: HUT54436A; DE3922431A1; HU206797B; HU904124D0; TR27960A; DE3922431C2; AU5875890A; IE902475A1

Description

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63"6625 S F Ref: 134752 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int Class Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: Name and Address of Applicant: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Wittelsbacherplatz 2 D-8000 Munich 2 FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY Address for Service: Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: Distribution Device for a Telecommunications System The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us 5845/6 Abstract Distribution device for a telecommunications system Open-wire lines (10) leading to subscribers and of very different wire thicknesses are connected, by means of screw terminals (19) for example, to contact parts 18) which project with a contact lug (11) into clamping slits (12) of terminals in the manner of insulation-piercing connecting devices. Said terminals are connected to insulation-piercing connecting devices to which inner lines leading to a switching device are connected.

In this way it is possible to connect the contact parts 18) to the terminals in a simple way.

89 P 8054 Distribution device for a telecommunications system The invention relates to a distribution device for a telecommunications system, preferably telephone system, it being possible to connect to the distribution device hook-up wires, for example open-wire lines, of very different nature and thickness.

A device of this type has been disclosed, for example by EP-0 209 741 A2 AU Appl. No. 60571/86, IE Appl. No. 1980/86). According to the latter, the distribution device comprises a strip-like oblong housing which is provided with insulation-piercing connecting devices contiguous in its longitudinal direction for connecting hook-up wires. The insulation-piercir connecting devices are parts of contact parts, to which in addition screw terminals projecting outwards are also welded. Lines leading to telephone subscribers, for example, can be connected to these screw terminals. In countries with a low density of telephone subscribers, it is customary to provide open-wire lines in the form of flat webbed cable which, by contrast with the multi-wire switching cables leading to the switching devices, can have several times the core diameter. A relatively hard material of high strength and stiffness is used.

A distributor strip is furthermore known from EP- 0 323 574 Al AU Appl. No. 27527/88), in which the Ushaped contact parts are transversely contiguous in the longitudinal direction of the distributor strip. The contact parts have at the two leg ends insulationpiercing connecting devices, to which hook-up wires of small diameter and small diameter differences can be connected. Insulation-piercing connecting devices of this type are however not suitable for connecting the openwire lines.

-2- The object of the invention is to make it possible for even open-wire lines to be connected to a distributor strip with slight modifications of the individual parts.

In accordance with the present invention there is disclosed a distribution device for a telecommunications system, adapted for connection of a plurality of hook-up wires of very different composition and thickness to the distribution device, said distribution device comprising a strip-like oblong housing having a plurality of terminal connectors uniformally distributed in longitudinal direction of said housing, each said connector having a pair of insulation-piercing connecting devices each of fork-shaped design and having a clamping slit, wherein each hook-up wire can be connected to a suitable contact part accommodated in the housing and having a contact lug which can be inserted into the associated fork-shaped terminal.

Instead of a thinner hook-up wire, the contact parts leading to the open-wire lines are now pressed into the terminal to make contact. This connection operation is similar to the operation when pressing a hook-up wire into the terminal. The effort of welding of the contact parts leading to the subscriber lines is no longer necessary. As a consequence, it is possible to use different materials with respect to thickness and composition for the terminals and for the contact parts leading to the open-wire lines. These individual materials can now be optimally matched to the different functions. The contact parts which bear the terminals do not need to be altered at all or only very slightly. The receiving housing for these contact pieces can likewise remain largely unchanged. The contact parts leading to the open-wire lines may terminate in, for example, screw terminals.

It is known per se from DE 3,418,355 to connect three-wire power supply lines to connectors which can be plugged into socket strips. The connectors have screw terminals which are connected to plug-in tongues.

The latter project out of the connector and can be plugged into fork-shaped contact parts of conductor rails.

The common housing for the contact parts and the terminals can be produced considerably less expensively than individual connectors for the individual lines, which could be fixed to a distributor strip. The IAD/,~ 00 -2A individual connectors would then need to be additionally fastened, for example by means of screws, to the distributor strip, in order to be able to absorb the high forces occurring when the lines are connected. By virtue of the common housing for the contact parts and the distributor strip with the terminals, an inexpensive, compact and stable distribution device is created, to

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3- I- 3- which the open-wire lines can be directly connected.

Advantageous further developments of the invention are characterized in Claims 2 and 3: The claw-like spring clip according to Claim 2 can be designed in the manner of commercially available contact terminals, as can be found in light switches, for example. It is possible to connect wires with a large diameter difference simply and reliably to such spring terminals.

The release levers according to Claim 3 are required to press the spring claws of the spring clips together and hence release the wire clamped therein. As a result of the fastening to a separate bar, it is possible to remove the release levers, which cover the spring clips. This facilitates the insertion and exchanging of the contact parts for the open-wire lines. Since the terminals are thereby also accessible, it is possible to connect even normal lines directly to the terminals instead of individual open-wire lines. No spring clips are required for these lines. The release levers can be subsequently placed on again. They simultaneously perform a cover function for the contact parts.

The invention will be explained in greater detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawing, in which: Fig. 1 shows a plan view of a distributor strip with connection elements for incoming lines and connection elements for outgoing lines, Fig. 2 shows a section through the distributor strip along the line II-II in Figure i, Fig. 3 shows a partial section through the distributor strip along the line III-III in Figure 2, Fig. 4 shows a partial section through the distributor strip along the line IV-IV in Figure 2, Fig. 5 shows a section through a modified distributor strip similar to Figure 2 with other connection elements.

According to Figures 1 to 4, a distributor strip 1 has an oblong housing 2, in which transverse contact 4 pieces 3 are arranged contiguously in the longitudinal direction. The contact pieces are essentially bent in a U-shape and are designed at one leg end as insulationpiercing connecting devices 4, to which inner lines leading to a switching device are connected. From the base section of the contact pieces 3 contact springs 6 which serve to connect safety connectors are bent laterally upwards. At their other end, the contact pieces 3 are designed as fork-shaped cut-out terminals 7 which are similar to or the same as the insulation-piercing connecting devices for connecting hook-up wires.

The housing 2 is laterally widened beyond the contact pieces 3. In this part, the terminals 7 are assigned contact parts 8, which are essentially designed as claw-like spring clips 9. These spring clips, known from installation engineering for light switches, for example, are designed in such a way that open-wire lines which lead to subscribers and which are stripped of insulation at their ends, can make reliable contact by simple plugging-in.

The contact parts 8 project with contact lugs 11 into clamping slits 12 of the terminal 7, and are clamped therein so as to make contact. The insertion takes place from the open side of the clamping slit 12 in a similar manner as a hook-up wire is pressed into an insulationpiercing connecting device.

The open-wire lines 10 are designed as flat webbed cables having two wires, which are in each case plugged jointly into two adjacent spring clips 9. A release lever 13 is provided for each pair of spring clips 9, which release lever is fastened in a resiliently deflectable manner to the others on a common bar 14 running through.

This bar has projecting pins 15 which are detachably plugged into corresponding depressions 16 of the housing 2. It is possible not to occupy all terminals 7 with the contact parts 8. By removing the bar 14 with the release levers 13, these terminals 7 become accessible, so that it is also possible for normal hook-up wires to 5 be connected directly thereto.

The part of the housing 2 which accommodates the spring clips 9 can also be designed as a separate part which is fastened to the base housing for the contact pieces 3 by bonding, for example. It is however also possible to fasten the two housing parts separately to a common carrier part.

According to Figure 5, in another distributor strip 17 instead of the spring clips 9 (Figure 2) other contact parts 18 with screw terminals 19 are provided, to which it is likewise possible to connect open-wire lines (Figure The inner ends of the contact parts 18 are likewise designed as contact lugs 11, which are inserted into the terminals 7 of the contact pieces 3. The latter are received in a housing 20 which is similar to the housing 2 of the other distributor strip 1 (Figure 2) in the region of the contact pieces 3.

Claims

1. A distribution device for a telecommunications system, adapted for connection of a plurality of hook-up wires of very different composition and thickness to the distribution device, said distribution device comprising a strip-like oblong housing having a plurality of terminal connectors uniformally distributed in longitudinal direction of said housing, each said connector having a pair of insulation-piercing connecting devices each of fork-shaped design and having a clamping slit, wherein each hook-up wire can be connected to a suitable contact part accommodated in the housing and having a contact lug which can be inserted into the associated fork-shaped terminal.

2. A distribution device according to claim 1, wherein each said contact part comprises a claw-like spring clip.

3. A distribtuion device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a release lever for each said spring clip, said levers being fastened in a resiliently deflectable manner to a common bar which can be inserted into depressions of the housing by means of projecting pins.

4. A distributing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said telecommunication system is a telephone system.

A distributing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said hook-up wires are open-wire lines.

6. A distributing device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said suitable contact part is a screw terminal.

7. A distributing device substantially as described herein with reference to Figs. 1 to 4, or, Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5 of the drawings. DATED this TWENTY-FIFTH day of JANUARY 1993 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON IAD/1600o