EP0921603B1 - Wall socket at least partially shielded and process of connecting an electrical cable - Google Patents

Abstract

The outer metallic cover and metallic sleeve cover extension ensure continuity of cable screening whilst allowing flexibility in attachment.

Description

The present invention relates to a wall outlet that is at least partially shielded, typically a phone jack or computer for high flows. It also relates to a method of connecting a shielded electrical cable to this socket.

A wall outlet is described in WO 89/0561.

These wall sockets have a female mouth which is intended to receive a conjugate plug, and they receive, on their rear part or on their lateral parts, a shielded cable, whose shield, or "screen", is most often constituted by a ground braid, this shielded cable having one or more pairs contained in a dielectric sheath.

The presence of this dielectric sheath greatly limits the radius of curvature that can be imparted to the cable, so that depending on whether the cable must arrive from above, from below, from either side, or by the rear of the socket, it is necessary to design adapted intake models accordingly, which is very disadvantageous in cost and inventory management cost.

The invention aims to remedy this drawback. It relates for this purpose to an at least partially shielded wall outlet, characterized in that it comprises, behind its mouth of receipt of a combined plug, a removable metallic or metal cover to which is fixed a piece of metal tube flexible, this piece of metal tube extending outwardly of this cover to a free end by which a shielded cable can be introduced, its other end being secured to the cover around an orifice of the latter, the opening of this opening being sufficient to be traversed by the son of the shielded cable which are to be connected in this socket, and the diameter of this flexible metal tube being sufficient to allow it to pass through the cable and then be tightened on this cable and its shielding to ensure screen continuity.

Note that here is meant by the term "metal tube" both a metal tube itself that a tube of another flexible material (flexible plastic material, rubber, elastomer, ...) but metallized on to less a generatrix of its internal surface.

Preferably, this flexible metal tube is a mass braid having a transverse elasticity, the diameter of this braid being preferentially such that, given its transverse elasticity, the latter sees, during the introduction of this armored cable, its diameter increase to allow the passage of the cable and then shrink enough that it comes close tightly this cable.

In this way, it now becomes possible to connect to this socket a shielded cable regardless of the direction in which it arrives at the socket.

• on commence par enfiler l'extrémité libre du câble dans le tube métallique souple du capot jusqu'à venir traverser totalement ce tube;
• le câble doit être dégainé pour mettre à nu une longueur de sa propre tresse de masse ou écran qui est au moins égale à celle du tube du capot;
• cet écran est alors retroussé sur le câble lui-même ;
• on raccorde alors les différentes paires du câble à l'intérieur de la prise ;
• le capot est ensuite ramené sur la prise en faisant glisser le tube souple par dessus l'écran ou tresse retroussé jusqu'à venir fixer ce capot sur la prise;
• on peut alors soit laisser l'ensemble dans cette position correspondant à une arrivée tout droit par l'arrière, ou bien on peut orienter à loisir le câble pour une arrivée à gauche, à droite, par le haut, par le bas, ou autre.

Préférentiellement, en fin de montage, le tube métallique souple est serré sur le câble grâce à un collier.The invention also relates to a method of connecting a shielded cable to this socket, this method being characterized by the following operations:

• we begin by threading the free end of the cable into the flexible metal tube of the cover until it comes completely through this tube;
• the cable must be stripped to expose a length of its own ground strap or screen that is at least equal to that of the hood tube;
• this screen is then rolled up on the cable itself;
• the different pairs of the cable are then connected to the inside of the socket;
• the cover is then brought back to the socket by sliding the flexible tube over the screen or braided rolled up to come fix this cover on the socket;
• we can then either leave the set in this position corresponding to an arrival straight from the rear, or we can guide the cable at leisure for an arrival on the left, right, from above, from below, or other .

Preferably, at the end of assembly, the flexible metal tube is tightened on the cable by means of a collar.

• Figure 1 est une vue en perspective du capot métallique amovible tel qu'il est prêt à être fixé sur l'arrière de la prise.
• Figure 2 est une vue selon la direction F de Figure 1.
• Figure 3 montre, selon une vue simplifiée, comment on utilise ce capot pour brancher un câble blindé et multipaires dans cette prise.
• Figure 4 est une vue plus complète, en perspective avec arrachement partiel, de la prise et du câble monté tel que montré plus grossièrement en Figure 3.
• Figures 5 et 6 sont des vues semblables à Figure 4, mais montrant comment cette prise est utilisée lorsque le câble arrive selon d'autres orientations sur l'arrière de la prise.

The invention will be better understood, and its advantages and various features will become more apparent, in the following description of a non-limiting embodiment, with reference to the appended schematic drawing in which:

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of the removable metal cover as it is ready to be attached to the rear of the socket.
• Figure 2 is a view in the direction F of Figure 1.
• Figure 3 shows, in a simplified view, how to use this cover to connect a shielded and multipair cable in this socket.
• Figure 4 is a more complete view, in perspective partially broken away, of the plug and mounted cable as shown more roughly in Figure 3.
• Figures 5 and 6 are views similar to Figure 4, but showing how this plug is used when the cable arrives in other orientations on the back of the socket.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, it is a wall outlet 1 (Figure 4), the mouth 2 is intended to receive a complementary plug 3.

In the example shown, it is precisely a socket 1 and a plug 3 of type "jack-modular" ("modular-Jack"), both used in telephone or computer facilities. This plug is for example connected to a telephone handset (not shown).

This plug is intended to pass high rates, and it must therefore be shielded to avoid losses and phenomena of crosstalk.

To bring or extract information on this socket, and therefore to achieve the installation and connection of it on the telephone network or computer, it is necessary to connect permanently on a telephone or computer cable 4.

This cable 4 is a shielded cable which comprises a flexible plastic protective sheath 5, which surrounds a tubular mass braid 6, itself containing the telephone or computer pairs 7.

Depending on the installation, the cable 4 is brought to arrive on the rear or on the side of the socket in directions that can be very different.

In Figure 4, it arrives straight on the rear of the socket but, depending on the particular design of the installation, it can very well happen on the right side of this socket (Figure 5), or on the left, or from the top (Figure 6), or from the bottom.

If one wants to avoid having to bend the cable, which is often not possible due to the available space, it is theoretically necessary to provide as many sockets adapted to each case. This is precisely what the present invention avoids.

For this socket is provided a metal and removable rear cover (8) which is fixed to the socket by means of clipping profiles 9.

On this cover is fixed, here by crimping by means of two folded lugs 10, 11, a piece of tubular mass braid 12, directed outwards as shown and whose end 13 fixed to the cover 8 surrounds a circular bore 14 from this hood. This mass braid 12 has elasticity in the transverse plane and its diameter can be enlarged by force and then shrink again.

The diameter of the hole 14 is sufficient to let the set 7 of the pairs to be connected, and that of the braid 12 is sufficiently lower than that of the cable 4 so that, after having introduced the cable 4 as shown schematically in Figure 3, this braid comes, because of its elasticity, tightly tighten this cable.

The length of the piece of braid 12 is for example of the order of a few centimeters.

This socket, and its cover 8, are used as follows (FIGS. 3 to 6):

We begin (Figure 3) by threading the free end of the cable 4 in the elastic braid 12 of the cover 8, until it completely cross this braid.

The cable 4 must be stripped to expose a length of its own ground strap or screen 6 which is at least equal to that of the braid 12 of the cover 8.

The screen 6 is then rolled up on the cable 4 itself (FIG. 4).

The different pairs 7 of the cable 4 are then connected to the inside of the socket by means of their respective insulation displacement contacts (or "IDCs"), thus choosing the upper row or the upper row of IDC contacts 15 according to the direction of arrival of the cable (respective figures 4, 5, or 6).

The cover 8 is then returned to the socket by sliding the braid 12 over the screen or rolled braid 6 until the cover is firmly attached to the socket.

The braid 12 is then even more positively tight on the cable 4 thanks to a collar 13.

The continuity of mass is ensured by the fact that the braid 12 tightly encloses the unobstructed portion of the metallic sheath 6 of the cable 4.

One can then either leave, according to Figure 4, the assembly in this position corresponding to an arrival straight from the rear, or (Figures 5 and 6) can be guided at will cable 4 for an arrival on the left (Figure 5), from the top (Figure 6), or other. The only elements that are bent then are the son released 7 and the tubular braid 12, which is no problem.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiment which has just been described. For example, the cover 8 could be a metallized plastic cover, which the metal braid 12 could be fixed to this cover other than by crimping, and that this metal braid could be replaced by a flexible metal tube not necessarily constituted by a braid.

Claims (8)

1. A wall socket at least partially shielded, characterised in that it comprises, at the rear of opening (2) for accommodating a mating connector (3), a detachable metal or metallised cover (8) to which a piece of flexible metal tube (12) is fixed, this piece of metal tube extending towards the outside of the cover as far as one free end (16) via which a shielded cable (4) can be inserted, its other end (13) being attached to the cover around an orifice (14) in the latter, the opening of this orifice (14) being sufficient to let through the conductors (7) of the shielded cable that are to be connected inside this socket and the diameter of flexible metal tube (12) being sufficient to enable it to let through cable (4) and then be crimped onto this cable and its shielding (6) in order to ensure continuity of the shield.
2. A wall socket as claimed in claim 1, characterised in that flexible metal tube (12) is a transversely elastic earth braid.
3. A wall socket as claimed in claim 2, characterised in that the diameter of this braid (12) is such that, given its transverse elasticity, when shielded cable (4) is inserted, its diameter increases in order to let cable (4) through and then shrinks sufficiently for it to firmly grip the cable.
4. A socket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that flexible metal tube (12) is fixed to cover (8) by crimping.
5. A socket as claimed in claim 4, characterised in that this crimping is obtained by folding two lugs (10, 11) of cover (8) provided for this purpose.
6. A socket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that said tube (12), rather than being a metal tube, is a tube made of a different, but metallised, materiel over at least one generating line of its inner surface.
7. A process of connecting a shielded electrical cable to a socket as claimed in any of claims 1 to 6, characterised by the following operations:

   - one starts by threading the free end of cable (4) through flexible metal tube (12) of cover (8) until it passes completely through tube (12);

   - the sheath of cable (4) is stripped in order to expose a length of its own earth braid or shield (6) that is at least equal to that of tube (12) of cover (8);

   - this shield or braid (6) is then pushed back onto the actual cable (4);

   - the various pairs (7) of cable (4) are connected inside the socket;

   - cover (8) is then reattached to the socket by sliding flexible tube (12) over pushed- back shield or braid (6) far enough to fix the cover to the socket;

   - depending on the desired configuration, one either leaves the assembly in this position which corresponds to straight cable entry from the rear or cable (4) is oriented as required for left-hand, right-hand, top or bottom or a different type of cable entry.
8. A process as claimed in claim 7, characterised in that, after assembly, flexible metal tube (12) is positively gripped on cable (4) by clip (13).

Images