AU666278B2 - Distribution device for telecommunication, signal and control cable and the like - Google Patents

Description

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Our Ref: 512929 P/00/0 Regl 66627ORegulation 3:2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990

ORIGINAL

COMPLETE SPECIFICATI'ON STANDARD PATENT 0P** Applicant(s): Quante AG Uellendahler Str. 353 D-42109 WUPPERTAL

GERMANY

DAVIES COLLISON CAVE Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Level 10, 10 Barrack Street SYDNEY NSW 2000 Address for Service: Invention Title: Distribution device for telecommunication, cable and the like signal and control The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me:- 5020 1ft f t ogo oo o o *r *t ft ooo* o* or 0t.., ft.

ft* ft DISTRIBUTION DEVICE FOR TELECOMMUNICATION, SIGNAL AND CONTROL CABLE AND THE LIKE The present invention relates to a distribution device. The device is useful to install, connect, mutually contact or separate the numerous wires of the cable in the required individual ways.

In the known devices of this kind one used troughs as carriers whose longitudinal trough walls were divided by slits into shaped tongues. With these profiled tongues and slits wire-guidance conduits and connection strips were connected in alternating sequence.

For this purpose the conduits as well as the strips were provided with retainers which acted together with the profiled tongues and slits of the trough. Manufacture of the trough-shaped carrier is expensive, and the handling of the wire-guidance conduits and connection strips when attaching them to this carrier or undoing them is complicated. The closely juxtaposed retainers of the wire-guidance conduits and the connection strips were difficult to operate separately, for which reason a certain spacing in the arrangement of these parts could not be avoided.

If ancillary devices were used, such as overvoltage protection devices, the known trough-shaped carrier possessed an additional upper zone with lateral openings into which 20 strip-shaped ancillary devices could be inserted. Related earth connections were to be found in the base of the carrier-trough. In this way the known distribution device proved to be especially space- consuming.

Behind the invention lies the task of developing a reasonably priced distribution device, which is space-saving and characterised by an easy handling of the wire-guidance 25 conduits and connection strips as far as the carrier is concerned.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a distribution device with connection contacts for telecommunications, signal and control cables and the like, for connecting, switching and/or separating a plurality of incoming and outgoing wires of said cables, having a plurality of wire-guidance conduits which contain curved conduit channels for threading said wires therethrough, said channels having their entrance openings on one side edge and their exit openings on an upper edge of the device, said channels being arranged such that wires which come out of the channel exit openings of adjacent wire-guidance conduits connect with the connection contacts of a connection p:\wpdocs\anmd\5 12929.qua\ajc Cng ,9 -2strip, and the device including a linear carrier, along which the wire-guidance conduits are fastened via formed retaining lugs, so as to extend at right angles to the course of the carrier, characterised in that a pair of wire-guidance conduits are connected with each other via end cross-pieces to form a boxshaped housing, the housing being open on the upper edge so as to form a reception socket for the insertion of a connection strip appropriate to the housing and arranged whereby the incoming and outgoing wires to be terminated at the connection strip are threaded through the conduit channels of the housing, wherein only the housing carries retaining lugs which engage with the carrier, whilst retaining lugs belonging to the connection strip engage only with the housing, and wherein the houoing, together with the connection strip coupled thereto, form a modular unit which is fastened to the carrier via the retaining lugs which belong exclusively to the housing.

Consequently no more provisions for the connection strip need be made on the carrier. On the contrary, the modular init touches the carrier exclusively with the retaining mechanism to be found on the housing, for which reason the carrier can be shaped very simply. It can consist of a uniform continuously shaped bar.

Further measures and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the o'o following description and diagrams. The invention is represented in the diagrams in a S 2 working example only. They depict: *,too 20 Fig. 1 schematic representation in perspective of the distinctive housing of the distribution device in accordance with the invention Figs. 2 and 3, in part cut away, the front view and side view of the components of the distribution device in accordance with the invention, Fig. 4 a top view of the housing shown in Fig. 1, Fig. 5 a sectional view through the upper part of the housing along the intersection line V-V of Fig. 2 and Figs. 6 and 7 the inner surfaces of an internal wall section in Fig. 6 and an external wall section in Fig. 7, which serve for the construction of the housing of Figures 1 and 2.

The invention consists of a housing 10 shaped in a special way, which can be formed advantageously out of identically formed housing halves 11. The housing 10 is shaped in the form of a narrow rectangular box, v/hose broad side consists of so-called I\ "wire guidance conduits" 20, which, as can be seen in Figs. 5 to 7, are designed with pApdoc\1Md\S 29 9.qua\ac 2a double walls. Between the two walls 21, 22 are enclosed curved channels 23, which are used for the threading through of the various wires 12, shown as an example only in Fig.

2. This wire 12 is, together with a number of other wires, a component part of cables which are to be connected, switched, contacted or separated in this device. For this the wires 12 are threaded separately, in the direction of the arrow 13 shown next to the housing 10 in Fig. 2, through the individual channels 23. Corresponding to this threading-through direction 13 there are on the one conduit side edge 24 entrance openings 25 for the channels 23 for which the exit openings 27 are to be found on the conduit edge 26 of the wire-guidance conduit 20. The single wire- guidance conduit 6 S S **ee I *e p A:pdocsamnd\5 12929. qualajc L II in the housing 10 serves for the threading through of the incoming wire 12 of a cable, whilst the associated outgoing wires of another cable, which are to interact with the aforementioned, are placed in the counterpart conduit 20 of the same housing. The channels 23 of these two conduits 20 run in mirror-inverted ways to each other; exit together at the conduit upper edge 26 with its exit openings 27, as can be seen in Fig. 4, but, as can partly be seen in Fig. 1, the associated entrance openings 25 are to be found on the conduit side edges 24 configured opposite to each other.

The box-shaped housing 10 is made in such a way that such a pair of wire-guidance sheaves 20 is provided with mutually completing end cross-pieces 14. Each housing half 11 possesses a subsection 14' of such an end cross-piece. The housing formed in this way is open at its upper side and creates there the upper opening 15, which can be seen in Figs. 1 and 4. The upper opening 15, bordered by the two wire-guidance conduits 20 and the end cross- pieces 14, forms a reception socket 16, which is used for 'the insertion of a connection strip 40 appropriate to this housing 10, as can be seen in 15 Figs. 2 and 3. The connection strip has connection contacts 41 for connection with the wires 12 which emerge from the two-sided conduit channels 23 on the upper edge 26, O* These contacts 41 protrude from the head area 42, whilst in the foot area 43 the contacts are integrated linking or separating line members. The connection strip 40 inserted in the housing 10 is secured there in its coupling position by retaining lugs 47 which only 20 interjoin with the housing 10, For this purpose the housing 10 possesses complemerdiary engagement recesses 17 which are provided by hollows in the two end cross-pieces 14, into which the hook-ends of the retaining lugs 47 engage as can be seen in Fig. 2. The connection strip 40 is therefore not directly connected with ftle carrier 60, which belongs to the distribution device in accordance with Figs. 2 and 3. The connection strip 40 and the housing 10 form, when coupled, a modular unit 50, which together is combinable with the carrier 60 via the retaining lugs 30 which are exclusively on the housing side.

For this, the carrier can be produced as a uniform continuously shaped bar 60. The shaped bar 60 is fixed to the rear wall of a switch cabinet or similar, and possesses flat extended longitudinal edge zones 61 for the engagement of these retaining lugs 30. The shaped bar 60 possesses in the present case a hat profile 62 as can be seen in Fig. 2, below. The longitudinal edge zones 61 in their retaining function form, as it were, the "hat brim" of this bar 62. These retaining lugs 30 emerge from the underside 18 of the housing 10, whose above-mentioned upper opening 15 faces away. The retaining lugs p:\lpdoxs\amd\51292 qua\jc

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-4are in two mirror- inverted groups, as can best be seen in Figs. I and 2, and are provided on the underside of the housing 18, and consist of a hook component 31 on the one side and an aligned support component 32 on the other side. As can be seen from the dottedline position of the retaining lug on the shaped bar 60 in Fig. 2, the hook component 31 ages the longitudinal edge zone 61 of the bar with its hooked head, whilst the support ~Gcoponent 32, which is aligned to the hook opening, rests on the opposing surface of the longitudinal edge zone 61. Therefore, the two parts, 31 and 32, between themselves grip the longitudinal edge zone 61 of the bar 60. By means of appropriately angled abutting surfaces in the hook head, the retaining lugs 30 are able to connect with the shaped bar 60 by means of a snap-action.

This is very easy to perform. The shaped bar 60 has the simplest possible structure and thus can be manufactured cheaply. The retaining lugs 30 located on the housing side and serving to secure the entire modular unit 50 are to be found, in contrast to the previously described retaining lugs 47 which serve for the making fast of the connection 15 strip 40 to the housing 10, at a position of the modular unit 50 pointing in a quite different direction. Whereas the strip-side retaining lugs 47 are directed towards the housing narrow side 19, the housing side retaining lugs 30 are to be found on the housing underside 18. The operation of these retaining lugs 47 and 30 cannot cause them to collide with each other.

20 On the narrow side 19 f the housing are located side openings 29 which serve for the insertion of additional devices into the housing. Such insertions, not shown in detail, can be of overvoltage protection devices, measuring devices and/or test equipment or other electrical components. These inserts therefore merely complete the constructional unit 50 with which they are associated, and are not directly connected to the carrier as is the state of the art. This also leads to the smooth, simple form of the bar Finally, the underside 18 of the housing also possesses base openings 28. These serve for the threading through of earthing contacts, not shown, for the inserted devices mentioned above which are to be found in the interior of the housing. This base opening 28 is slit-shaped, similar to the side opening 29. The two retaining lugs 30 mentioned above close this base opening 28 between them. The two narrow sides 19 of the housing are provided with gathering rings 33 which on the one side bunch and guide the incoming wires 12 which belong to this modular unit 50, and bunch and guide the corresponding outgoing wires on the other side. Owing to the previously described division of the p Awpdoc\irnd\5 l29Z9. quanje L housing 10 into two housing halves II, each of these gathering rings 33 consists of two sectional parts 33' and 33" which, as shown in Fig. 1, when paired up make a complete gathering ring 33. The gathering rings 33 are placed under the previously described side openings 29 in the housing 10 and project beyond the narrow sides 19 there. Furthermore, the gathering rings are placed to one side relative to the longi .udinal mid-plane division of the housing 10, as illustrated in Fig. 4 and thereby project beyond the broad side of the housing 10 which is determined by the outer wall 22 of the wire-guidance conduit As shown in Figs. 5 to 7, each of the two wire-guidance conduits 20 consists of two walls 21 and 22, which are different from each other, namely a shaped inner wall 21 and an essentially even outer wall 22. The shaping of the inner wall originates from the channels 23 moulded there. This can, for reasons of making savings on materials in the area of the channel ribs, also result in a hollowed out structure on the inner surface of this internal wall 21, as is to be seen in Fig. 2 showing the partial section of the front conduit 20 in the housing 10. The two walls, 21 and 22, are tightly joined together by means of 15 the hole elements 35 and pin elements 36 as can be seen in Figs. 6 and 7. Only one of the two walls, as the fundamentally flat outer wall 22, can possess the sectional part as seen in Fig. 7, for the purposes of the retaining lug 30 made out of the two housing halves 11, as also the two gathering ring sectional parts 33' and 33" already described on the opposing narrow sides. The subsection 37' can feature a base wall 37, as is fully 20 evident from Fig. 1. in which the base opening 28 already described is located.

The connection strip 40, as is best seen in Fig. 3, is vertically stepped in that the head area 42 already mentioned possesses a broadened head dimension 44 facing the narrowed foot dimension 45. Accordingly, the reception socket 16 in the inside of the housing 10 is provided with a recess 38 taking into account the broadened head dimension 44. This is to be seen in both Fig. 2 and in Fig. 5. In the present case, the recess 38 originates simply as a result of the fact that in this area, in accordance with Fig.

6, the inner wall 21, apart from on-running conduit ribs 39, is omitted. If the connection strip 40 is inserted in the direction of the insertion arrow 51, then it encounters with its stepped shoulder 46 between the head and foot areas 42 and 43 the set back wall edge 48 of the inner wall 21. When coupled, the head area 42 of the strip 40 fills out the recess 38 with its broadened head dimension 44.

To facilitate the threading-through 13 of the wires 12 through the channels 23, a process already described in part, the channels have a special curved course, which is of pAWp(1oC0A1d 129'29 (Iuabju L _L _s inventive significance in its own right. This can be best illustrated by means of the inner wall 21 which has been shaped by the channels 23 as shown in Fig. 6.

The entrance openings 25 which are to be found in Fig. 6 lying on the side-edges of the conduits still to be more closely described have a straight course at the point of their entry feed-in path 52. This feed-in path 52 proceeds tangentially to the curved path 53 connected to it. This feed-in path 52 has an inclination towards a vertical 49, outlined in Fig. 6, to the housing narrow side 19, whose shape is co-determined by this conduit side edge 24, as can be seen in Fig. 1. The runout paths 54 located at the other ends of the channels 23 can therefore, as Fig. 6 shows, end curved and essentially perpendicular to the wall edge 48 at that point. In this manner, an inserted wire results after being threaded through along the course indicated by the clotted line 12 in Fig. 6. In the feed-in area 52 as a result of the essentially straight passage of the channel section 52 there are no impediments. Then, as a result of the gradual introduction of the curved path 53, with increasing length fed in, an impediment-free curve is reached which can then only result 15 in the run-out path 54. The threading-through task 13 is an especially smooth-running operation.

As an aid to insertion, the side edge 24 of the conduits in the area of the entrance openings 25, seen in Fig. 6, is provided with scrrations 55. In the present case, the 20 serrations 55 are each led across two neighbouring channels 23. Of course the corresponding conduit side edge 24 of the opposing outer wall 22 is similarly provided with the same tooth-shaped serrations 55, as is to be seen in Fig. 7.

Whilst particular preferred embodiments are hereinbefore described, all variations and modifications which become apparent to persons skilled in the art should be considered to fall within the scope of the invention as hereinbefore described and as hereinafter claimed.

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-7- Diagram references list: 10 housing I11 housing half of 12 wire 13 threading-through arrow for 12 14 end cross-piece 14' subsection of 14 15 upper opening 16 reception socket in 10 for 17 engagement recess for 47 in 18 housing underside of e.* 15 19 housing narrow side of wire-guidance conduit (broad side) 21 shaped inner wall of 22 fundamentally flat outer wall of 23 curved channel, conduit channel 20 24 conduit side-edge of entrance opening in 23 26 conduit upper-edge of 27 exit opening of 23 28 base opening in 18 29 housing side-opening in 19 retaining lug for sectional part of 31 hook component of 32 support component of 33 gathering ring 33' first sectional part of 33 33" second sectional part of 33 34 longitudinal mid-plane through p AwpdcnMimd\5 I qualaje hole element in 21 36 pin element in 22 37 base wall of 37' subsection of 37 38 recess in 16 39 conduit rib in 38 connection strip 41 connection contacts in 42 head area of 43 foot area of 44 broadened head dimension of 42 45 narrowed foot dimension of 43 46 stepped shoulder in 47 retaining lug for 15 48 wall edge of 21 49 vertical to 24 50 modular unit made of 10, 51 insertion arrow for 40 in 16 52 feed-in path of 23 20 53 curved path of 23 54 run-out path of 23 55 serrations on 24 carrier, shaped bar 61 longitudinal edge zone of 62 hat profile p -wpd otamd\5 12929- qu ajC

Claims (12)

1. A distribution device with connection contacts for telecommunications, signal and control cables and the like, for connecting, switching and/or separating a plurality of incoming and outgoing wires of said cables, having a plurality of wire-guidance conduits which contain curved conduit channels for threading said wires therethrough, said channels having their entrance openings on one side edge and their exit openings on an upper edge of the device, said channels being arranged such that wires which come out of the channel exit openings of adjacent wire-guidance conduits connect with the connection contacts of a connection strip, and the device including a linear carrier, along which the wire-guidance conduits are fastened via formed retaining lugs, so as to extend at right angles to the course of the carrier, characterised in that a pair of wire-guidance conduits are connected with each other via end cross-pieces to form a boxshaped housing, the housing being open on the upper edge so as to form a reception socket for the insertion of a connection strip appropriate to the housing and arranged whereby the incoming and outgoing wires to be terminated at the connection strip are threaded through the conduit channels of the housing, wherein only the housing carries retaining lugs which engage with the carrier, whilst retaining lugs belonging to the connection strip engage only with the housing, and wherein the housing, together with the connection strip coupled thereto, form a modular unit which is fastened to the carrier via the retaining lugs 20 which belong exclusively to the housing.

2. A device as claimed in Claim 1, characterised in that said retaining lugs engaging on the carrier are offset from the socket of the housing which serves for the coupling of the connection strip and are positioned on the underside of the housing.

3. A device as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the housing includes engagement recesses for the retaining lugs of the connection strip, the recesses being configured on the end cross-pieces, in each case on a narrow side of the housing. p \wpdocsk\nd\51292') ua\at; I II -LI a

4. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that at least one, but preferably two narrow sides of the housing have side openings for the insertion of ancillary devices in the housing, such as overvoltage protection devices, electrical components, measuring devices and/or test devices or similar. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the underside of the housing has a base opening facing the carrier for the leading through of earth contacts for the ancillary devices or similar located in the interior of the housing.

6. A device as claimed in Claim 5, characterised in that said retaining lugs, which engage on to the carrier, are divided into two groups, which between them close the base opening and the base opening is slit- shaped.

7. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterised in that gathering rings are arranged on at least one, but preferably on both, narrow sides of the housing, which bunch the incoming and/or outgoing wires belonging to the modular unit, and that the gathering ring is placed underneath the side openings of the housing and projects beyond the narrow side of the housing and that the gathering ring is displaced to one side 20 relative to a longitudinal mid-plane laid through the reception socket and juts out beyond the broad side of the housing determined by the outer wall of the wire-guidance conduit.

8. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the curved channels in the wire-guidance conduit have, in the area of their entrance "penings, a straight feed-in path which is tangential to the curve of the channels, making for easy *threading of the wires, that the channels of the wire-guidance conduit, in the area of their exit openings, have a curved run-out path and that the feed-in path of the channels, relative to a vertical placed on the narrow side of the housing runs at an inclined angle, whilst the run-out path of the channels ends essentially perpendicular to the upper edge of the wire guidance conduit. el 7 \K 0.pAwpdmocsnitiV5210qu ana I LL 11

9. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that the side edge of the wire-guidance conduit, which features the entrance openings of the channels, has serrations, these serrations corresponding to the single, double, or more, spacing of neighbouring channels and forms a feed-in aid for threading in the wires. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that at least one, but preferably both, wire-guidance sheaves feature recesses in the reception socket in the housing determined by the inner walls, into which the connection strip engages when a coupling is made.

11. A device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterised in that the housing consists of two identically shaped housing halves which are joined to each other in a mirror-inverted position I S12. A device as claimed in Claim 11, characterised in that the housing half has a 9* complete wire-guidance conduit, but that the wire-guidance conduit for its part is assembled out of two walls which are shaped differently from each other, namely out of 9'99 one wall formed by the moulded channels, and out of one fundamentally fiat wall and S 20 that the two walls are joined together by means of specially shaped pin and hole elements.

13. A de-ice as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 12, characterised in that the carrier consists of a shaped bar, whose two longitudinal edge zones will be engaged, when the modular unit is fastened, by the retaining lugs which are moulded to the housing, that the retaining lugs, which are attached to the housing and which engage on to the carrier, consist of a hook component and of a support component standing in front of the hook opening and which, when fastened, grip between themselves a longitudinal edge zone of the shaped bar, and that the shaped bar has a hat profile on to whose hat brim the retaining lugs of the housing engage. p \wpdo(xrand\512929.quaae 12

14. A distribution device, Substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying drawings. DATED this 10th day of August, 1994 QUANTE AKTIENGESELLSCJ-IAFT By Its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE 0 se goes 4O 0 s.o ABSTRACT In a distribution device with connection contacts for a muh.plicity of incoming and outgoing cable wires one uses a large number of wire-guidance conduits, which contain curved channels for the threading through of the wires. The channels have entrance openings at the one side edge and their exit openings at the upper edge of the conduit. Belonging to the device also are a number of connection strips for those wires which come out of the channel exit openings of the neighbouring conduits. Finally a linear carrier belongs to tile device, along which the conduits and the connection strips are stacked next to each other in an alternate sequence and are fastened via moulded retainers. After being fastened the conduits and strips pass at right angles to the carrier course. As a space-saving easily manipulated device it is proposed that a pair of wire-guidance 15 conduits should be connected firmly with each other via end cross-pieces to form a box-shaped housing, which is open on the upper side of the housing. The upper opening of the housing is enclosed in the form of a rectangle by the two wire-guidance conduits and the two end cross-pieces. They form a reception socket For tile insertion oi a connection strip appropriate to the housing, The wires to be connected to this strip are 20 threaded through the two-sided conduit channels of this housing. Only the housing carries the retaining mechanism which directly touches the carrier, whereas the retaining mechanism belonging to the connection strip only touches tile housing. Thus, together with the connection strip coupled into it, the housing forms a modular unit which is fixed to the carrier via the retaining mechanism on the side of the housing.

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