EP1624529A1 - Connector holders assembly including a joining member for connecting two adjacent connector holders - Google Patents

Abstract

The assembly has two connector supports, each having a front side, a rear side and four lateral sides. Each support has a receiving unit for a low current connector. The front side forms an opening through which the connector is accessible for the plugging-in of another connector. A junction unit (1) is disposed and fixed directly between the two adjacent supports.

Description

The present invention relates to a joint member for joining two adjacent connector supports and more particularly to a connector support assembly comprising at least two connector supports and a connecting element for assembling these two connector holders together before mounting them in a receiving housing provided with snap edges. Such connector supports are frequently used to receive electrical or optical connectors intended to carry low currents or more generally VDI (Voice Images Images) signals. A common electrical connector is known as RJ45. The present invention therefore belongs to the field of the connection of weak currents.

Conventionally, the low current connector supports comprise a receiving housing for mounting an electrical or optical connector accessible from the front of the connector support. In general, the connectors mounted in such holders are female connectors for plugging a male connector of an outer cord. On the other hand, the connector supports comprise hooking means for mounting and fixing the connector support in a receiving housing, which may for example be in the form of a horizontal or vertical chute. The receiver housing generally includes two opposing longitudinal edges that define an opening giving inside a receiving space for the connector holder and its associated connector. The attachment means of the connector support cooperates generally by snapping with the longitudinal edges of the receiving housing. In practice, it is sufficient to push the connector support in the housing between its ratchet edges to achieve snap fastening of the support in the housing. The receiving box is also generally used as a wiring path for the cables connecting the connectors mounted in the connector supports. Thus, the connector support closes the housing and comprises for this purpose a front face or plastron visible to the user and defining an access opening to the receiving housing in which is disposed the connector mounted in the support.

Conventionally, the connector supports, at their front faces or front plastron, have standard dimensions of 45 mm x 45 mm or 22.5 mm x 45 mm. A 45x45 connector holder can accommodate one or two connector (s), and this carrier can additionally be equipped with a multiplier. As for the 22.5 x 45 connector support, it only supports one connector. Two 22.5 x 25 connector holders arranged side by side return to making a 45 x 45 connector holder with two connectors.

These connector holders are therefore fixed in the receiving box side by side. Although the connector supports are engaged with the ratchet edges of the housing on two opposite side faces, this does not yet guarantee perfect stability of the connector support inside the housing. This problem is further heightened when it comes to 22.5x45 connector support, since the connector holder is engaged with the case edges on those faces that are only 22.5mm. This connector thus tends to switch in the housing. There is therefore a real problem of maintaining and stability of the connector supports in their support boxes. This is also due to the fact that the housing is not perfectly dimensionally stable. Indeed, it often tends to deform, especially when made of plastic. This deformability is however necessary or advantageous to facilitate and improve the snapping of the connector supports between the edges of the housing. When several connector supports are mounted side by side in such a plastic housing, the longitudinal ratcheting edges of the housing tend to move apart, which reduces the quality of the attachment of the connector supports in the housing.

In the prior art, it is already known to use spacers that connect the two edges of the housing, in order to dimensionally stabilize the gap between the two edges. Such spacers extend between each connector or between each group of connectors, but are not integral with these connectors. However, the mounting of the connector supports using such spacers is not easy. Indeed, when a spacer has been placed in the housing, it is not easy to snap the next connector support, being since the ratcheting edges of the housing can no longer be elastically deformed. Thus, the advantage provided by this dimensional stabilizing spacer causes a disadvantage in the snapping of the following connector supports. In practice, the operator must snap the connector support away from the spacer, then slide the connector support into contact with the spacer. This is only possible when the housing is not yet filled. However, the last connector support is difficult to mount, and can only be mounted in force, the risk of damaging the housing.

The present invention aims to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of the prior art by defining a connecting element which stabilizes the connector supports inside the receiving housing.

To achieve these objects, the present invention provides a connector support assembly having the features of claim 1. Instead of being attached to the housing, as is the case of the prior art spacer, the Joining element of the invention is attached directly and only to the connector supports, which allows to secure two adjacent connector supports. It is thus possible to form a very stable connector support block which can then be mounted one block in the housing. Since each connector support is integral with the adjacent connector support, any play that could destabilize the connector holder within the housing is avoided. The junction element is thus interposed between two connector supports, without creating an offset or widening the gap between the two connector supports, which improves the visual appearance of the connector block. The joining element is not even visible from the front of the connector supports.

According to another advantageous characteristic, the joining element may comprise at least one support shoulder intended to bear on one edge of the housing. The joining element thus rests on the edge of the housing, which locks it between the two adjacent connector supports. Indeed, the connector supports are generally snapped under the edge of the housing, and as the connecting element bears on the edge of the housing, the connecting element is thus blocked between these two adjacent connector supports.

According to an interesting characteristic, the housings are open towards the rear face, so that the connecting element is mounted on a connector support by the rear face of the support along one of these lateral faces. In this way, the connecting elements are not even visible between two connector supports. They thus constitute transparent joining means for the user of the housing.

According to another advantageous feature of the invention, the connector support assembly further comprises two snap-on skirts attached to the joining element and extending along two opposite side faces of a connected connector support. by a lateral face provided with the connecting element, said skirts comprising snap-fastening profiles intended to cooperate with the snap-fastening edges of the casing and fastening means for fixing them on the joining element. The snap-in profiles of the detent skirts will cooperate with the snap-fastening edges of the receiving case in the same manner as the hooking teeth of the connector support. However, the ratchet skirts allow the connector support block to be mounted with a different orientation rotated 90 °, so that this connector support block is recumbent in the housing. This can be particularly interesting when the housing is intended to be arranged vertically, and not horizontally.

Connector brackets are carriers for electrical or optical connectors. These electrical and / or optical connectors are more particularly intended to carry low currents, but strong current connectors may also be used in the context of the invention.

The invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings giving by way of non-limiting example an embodiment of the invention.

• les figures 1a et 1b sont des vues en perspective d'une forme de réalisation d'élément de jonction selon l'invention,
• les figures 2a et 2b sont des vues en perspective d'une forme de réalisation de jupes d'encliquetage selon l'invention, et
• les figures 3a à 3f sont des vues en perspective visant à expliquer les différentes étapes de montage d'un élément de jonction et de jupes d'encliquetage sur des supports de connecteur adjacents équipés de connecteurs électriques ou optiques.

In the figures:

• FIGS. 1a and 1b are perspective views of a junction element embodiment according to the invention,
• FIGS. 2a and 2b are perspective views of an embodiment of ratchet skirts according to the invention, and
• Figures 3a to 3f are perspective views for explaining the different steps of mounting a junction member and detent skirts on adjacent connector holders equipped with electrical or optical connectors.

Reference will firstly be made to FIGS. 1a and 1b to describe in detail the structure of a connecting element according to a non-limiting embodiment of the invention.

The junction element designated as a whole by the reference numeral 1 can advantageously be produced integrally by injection of plastic material. However, it is possible to make the joining element into several separate parts assembled. The joining element 1 here comprises two end posts 12 and 13 connected by a spacer 11. The end bars 12 and 13 extend substantially parallel to one another. The bars extend longitudinally along vertical axes in Figures 1a and 1b. As for the spacer 11 it extends rather along a horizontal longitudinal axis and in a vertical plane to connect the two uprights 12 and 13. The height of the spacer 11 is not critical and it can be equal to the height amounts. According to the invention, the connecting element comprises fastening means which are intended to cooperate with two adjacent connector supports which will be described below. These fastening means here comprise hooking lugs 121 and 131 which are formed respectively at the uprights 12 and 13. All the hooking lugs are not identical: on the contrary, the lugs 121 are different from the lugs 131 to achieve a keying for imposing the orientation of the connecting element relative to the connector support. The fixing means also comprise insertion tongues 111 which are formed here at the spacer 11. These tabs are intended to cooperate with insertion housings formed by the connector supports. Still remaining within the scope of the invention, one can imagine other forms for the fastening means of the connecting element for fixing on the connector supports. The pins 121, 131 and the insertion tongues 111 are only a particular non-limiting embodiment. A person skilled in the art will easily be able to imagine other forms making it possible to achieve an adequate fastening of the connecting element between two connector supports.

The joining element 1 also forms four small support tabs 123 and 133, which are located at one end of the uprights 12 and 13. The tabs 123 and 133 are located at the opposite end of the uprights with respect to the pins 121 and 131. The tabs 123 and 133 project outwards: the orientation of the tabs 123 is opposite to the orientation of the tabs 133 so that the tabs form external bearing shoulders directed downward when viewed in Figure 1a and facing upward when looking at Figure 1b.

The joining element also forms holding means 134, 135 for fixing two snap-on skirts designed to snap onto the edges of a receiving box, as will be seen below. These holding means are here in the form of a longitudinal slot which extends over the height of the uprights 12 and 13 on the outer sides which are opposite to each other. The upright 12 thus forms a vertical longitudinal slot 124 and the upright 13 forms another vertical longitudinal slot 134. These longitudinal slots are interrupted by a transverse flange 135 which forms a detent housing (not visible in the drawings). The transverse flange of the slot 124 is not visible in the drawings. However, it bears the numeral 125. It can be said that the opening of the slots 124 and 134 on the height of the uprights is oriented in the same direction as the tabs 123 and 133.

Reference will now be made to FIGS. 2a and 2b to describe in detail the structure of the ratchet skirts intended to be associated with the joining element of FIGS. 1a and 1b. The snap-on skirt visible in FIGS. 2a and 2b can also advantageously be produced by plastic injection and is designated by the numerical reference 2. The snap-on skirt 2 comprises a main plate 21, a vertical median rib 22 and a lateral horizontal rib 23. The median vertical rib 22 protrudes from the main plate 21 substantially at its vertical center. The horizontal lateral rib 23 extends on the lower edge of the plate 21 and protrudes from this plate on the same side as the median vertical rib 22. At its lower end, the rib 22 joins the rib 23, as can be seen in FIG. see it in Figure 2b.

The main plate 21 defines two latching profiles 211 located on the opposite vertical lateral sides of the plate. The latching profiles 211 are in the form of a shoulder pointing upwards. The function of these snap-fastening profiles is to provide snap fastening under the longitudinal snap-fastening edges formed by a receiving box. The main plate 21 is also pierced with several through holes whose functions are different. Firstly, the plate 21 comprises two reception windows 214 intended to receive attachment teeth formed by two adjacent connector supports. Next, the main plate 21 includes a plurality of pin-pass-through lumens 212 and 213 which have been used to pass molding pins during the molding of the snap-on skirt.

The vertical median rib 22 forms a snap tab 221 provided with a ratchet profile in the form of a tooth, the molding of which has been made possible by means of a pin passed through the lumen 212.

The lateral horizontal rib 23 forms two latching profiles 231, the molding of which has been made possible by means of two molding pins introduced through the slots 213.

This snap-fitting skirt 2 constitutes an accessory of the joining element 1. More specifically, the joining element 1 can be equipped with two snap-on skirts 2 which are fixed to the connecting element at the level of the uprights 12. and 13. The vertical mid-ribs 22 can be inserted into the vertical longitudinal slots 124 and 134 of the posts 12 and 13. In addition, the detent tab 221 is engageable with the transverse flanges 125 and 135. The engagement ribs 22 in the slots of amounts allows a perfect stability of the skirts on the junction element. In addition, the snap-fastening tabs 121 provide solid anchoring of the skirts on the joining element. When the two skirts are thus mounted and fixed on the connecting element, the assembly has a general configuration in the form of H with the connecting element forming the horizontal bar of the H and the two detent skirts forming the two bars. The assembly thus forms two housings on either side of the connecting element which will serve for receiving and fixing two connector supports, as will be seen now.

Reference will be made to FIGS. 3a to 3f to explain how the joining element and the detent skirts cooperate with two connector supports 3 and 3 '.

The two connector supports 3 and 3 'can be completely identical. In the example chosen to illustrate the invention, the connector supports are 22.5 x 45. Arranged side by side, they form a 45 x 45 standard size block. Each connector support 3 or 3 'comprises a front front plastron 31 and a rear body 32, which can be made together in a single piece for example by plastic injection. The front faceplate 31 defines the standard outer dimensions of the connector support, namely 22.5 mm wide x 45 mm high in this case. The rear body 32 has a somewhat reduced section relative to the front plate 31, so that the front plate 31 forms a rear flange at the level where it connects to the body 32. Insertion housings 311 are formed at this rear edge. as can be seen in Figure 3a. The rear body 32 forms receiving means 34 for a connector 4. The connector 4 is thus fixed in the connector support 3 so that the contact pins of the connector 4 are accessible through an opening formed on the front face of the plastron 30. A preferably male connector can thus be inserted through this opening and reach the receiving housing where the contact pins of the connector 4 are arranged. The body 32 also comprises hooking means which are presented here under the tooth shape detent 314 which are advantageously mounted on elastically deformable tabs. These ratchet teeth 314 are adapted to engage under the longitudinal ratcheting edges of a receiving housing (not shown). These teeth 314 are disposed on two opposite lateral faces of the body 32. The teeth 314 are arranged on the faces of smaller dimension corresponding to the width 22.5 mm. The body 32 also forms latching housings 321 and 331 which have different configurations in order to perform a foolproof design: there are two housings 321 and two housings 331. A housing 321 and a housing 331 are present on each face of the housing. junction element. These housings 321 and 331 are open towards the rear of the connector support, as are the insertion housings 311. The attachment housings 321 and 331 are intended to cooperate with the attachment pegs 121 and 131 of the element As a result of the coding, the arrangement of the joining element 1 with respect to the connector support 3 is imposed. In FIG. 3a, it is seen how the connecting element 1 is brought, attached and fixed on the connector support 3. The joining element 1 is attached by the rear of the connector support along a of its lateral faces which are formed the housings 321 and 331. In the final mounting position, a pin 121 and a pin 131 are engaged in their respective latches 321 and 331. Similarly, the insertion tongue 111 is engaged within the insertion housing 311. A table and solid attachment is thus achieved. Slots 124 and 134 are disposed adjacent to ratchet teeth 314. Supporting lugs 123 and 133 are disposed at the projecting rim of plastron 31.

Since the joining element 1 comprises lugs 121 and 131 on both sides thereof, and it is provided with two insertion tongues 111, it is thus possible to bring back and fix in place another connector support. 3 ', as can be seen in Figure 3c. This connector support 3 'also comprises four attachment housings 321 and 331 and two insertion housings 311. This connector support 3' can thus be put in place on the joining element 1 on which the support is already mounted. connector 3. A Once assembled, we find ourselves in the configuration shown in Figure 3d. The joining element 1 is thus sandwiched between the two connector supports 3 and 3 '. The connector block thus formed has standard dimensions of 45 x 45. The block comprises two ratchet teeth 314 on each of its opposite side faces. It is readily understood that the stability of such a block is increased relative to two individual connector supports. The joining element therefore considerably improves the stability of the connector supports. Such a block can be put in place in a snap-in receiving housing of the ratchet teeth 314 under the longitudinal edges of the receiving housing.

In the case where it is desired to have this connector support block in a housing with a 90 ° rotated orientation, it is necessary to use the two locking skirts 2, since the opposite vertical side faces of the block of connector are devoid of snap teeth. By bringing back two detent skirts 2 in the manner previously described, the connector support block is provided with four new ratchet teeth formed by the ratchet profiles 211 of the skirts 2. In fact, the ratchet profiles 211 protrude from the opposite vertical side faces of the connector support block, as can be seen in FIG. 3f. When setting the snap skirts 2 on this connector block, the vertical center rib 22 engages inside the slot 124 or 134 as previously described. On the other hand, the ratchet teeth 314 are received in the receiving windows 214. The attachment of the ratchet skirt 2 can be further improved by snapping the profiles 231 onto the lower end edges 334 formed by the bodies 32, as can be seen in Figures 3e and 3f. However, the presence of the lateral horizontal rib 23 is not mandatory.

The joining element of the present invention thus constitutes the central framework of an adjacent connector support block which has improved stability. This connecting element can also be equipped with accessories, like snap-on skirts, allowing a recumbent arrangement of a connector block.

Of course, connector support blocks consisting of three, four, five, or even more connector supports may be provided using a plurality of junction elements 1 each disposed between two adjacent connector supports. It can thus be a relatively long block that can be mounted in a single operation in a receiving box. Since the block has a high stability, the block improves the overall stability of the housing.

Claims (10)

Connector bracket assembly comprising: at least two connector supports (3, 3 ') each having a front face, a rear face and four opposite side faces in pairs, each support comprising receiving means (34) for a weak current connector (4), the front face forming an opening through which the connector (4) is accessible for the plugging of another connector;
characterized in that it further comprises a junction element (1) disposed and fixed between the two connector supports disposed adjacently. A connector support assembly according to claim 1, wherein the connector supports (3, 3 ') each comprise at least one latching housing (321, 331) for receiving a latching stud (121, 131) formed by the joining element (1). A connector support assembly as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the connector supports (3, 3 ') each comprise at least one insertion housing (311) for receiving an insertion tongue (111) formed by the junction element (1). A connector support assembly according to claims 2 and 3, wherein the housings (111, 121, 131) are open towards the rear face, so that the connecting element is mounted on a connector support by the rear face of the connector. support along one of these lateral faces. A connector support assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the joint member comprises at least one bearing shoulder (123,133) for abutting an edge of the housing. A connector support assembly according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising two snap-on skirts (2) attached to the joining member (1) and extending along two opposite side faces of a support connector connected by a lateral face provided with the connecting element, said skirts comprising snap-fastening profiles (211) intended to cooperate with the snap-fastening edges of the casing and hooking means (221) for their fixing on the joining element. A connector support assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector holders each comprise a front plastron (31) and a rear body (32); the plastron forming the opening and the body forming the receiving means. A connector support assembly according to claims 2 and 7, wherein the body forms the latching housings. A connector support assembly as claimed in claims 3 and 7, wherein the plastron forms a trailing edge, the insertion housings (311) being formed at that trailing edge. A connector support assembly as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the connector supports each comprise a front plastron (31) and a rear body (32), the plastron forming the aperture and the body forming the receiving means .

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