FR2694322A1 - Modular panel for the realization of a conductive network and associated connectors. - Google Patents

Abstract

Modular panel for making a conductor network comprising at least three layers (24, 26, 28) of insulating material and at least two layers (20, 22) of conducting material separated by the insulating material layers, the panel being designed to receive at least one apparatus (10) fitted with penetrating connection pins (14, 16) each provided with at least one conducting area, whose length and number are adapted to the conductive layers to be reached, the panel being characterized in that it is comprised of a peripheral frame having elements provided with mechanical linking parts forming electric connection members, the elements of the frame being themselves connected to the corresponding layers of conducting material so as to achieve the connection between modular panels. The invention also relates to the connectors used therewith as well as to methods for fabricating such panels.

Description

The present invention relates to a modular panel for producing a conductive network and the associated connectors.

Currently, conductive networks, whether they are data or power supply networks, require specific sets of conductive wires for the transfer of current or data.

These sets of wire bundles pose problems of bulk on the one hand and make the cabling systems complex and expensive.

On the other hand, these bundles are not flexible to use because for any modification of implantation on site, it is necessary to add wires to the bundles or else to remove them or at least to move the wires concerned by the modification.

This is even more true for temporary installations on stands at trade fairs, exhibition fairs or other similar events.

It should also be noted that not only is it often necessary to move the apparatus from the point of view of layout, but it is also necessary in certain cases to move all the corresponding control boxes, which further increases the difficulty, the time and costs involved.

We know from patent application FR-A-2 607 174 composite panels for the production of pre-equipped rooms, called clean rooms, for the rapid installation of computer equipment.

These composite panels can be linked to each other to constitute walls and floors as well as partitions.

These panels have mechanical resistance properties compatible with the construction of buildings.

In these panels it is planned to have metal connecting braids so as to produce a Faraday cage.

Such panels do not allow communication or electrical supply networks to be produced and there is no associated connector.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a modular panel for the realization of a conductive network which removes the bundles of wires, which allows positioning and modifications at will and this immediately, which has all the security required when it is used for power supply, which is easy to install and which can be removable or fixed permanently, the manufacture of which can be easily industrialized, the cost price of which, depending on the choice of materials, can be relatively low , which nevertheless lends itself to the use of sophisticated materials for certain specific applications, and which applies to many fields of activity.

To this end, the modular panel according to the invention for the production of a conductive network, in particular applicable to the electrical supply, is characterized in that it comprises at least one layer of insulating material and two layers of conductive material arranged respectively on both sides of this panel.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the panel comprises at least three layers of insulating material and at least two layers of conductive material each interposed respectively one and the other between two layers of insulating material.

Insulating and conducting materials are materials capable of receiving penetrating elements by simple punching and / or screwing.

According to a particular embodiment, the insulating material is an insulating foam of the polyurethane type and the conductive material is a metallic film.

The invention also relates to the connector for panels according to the invention and this connector can comprise according to a main embodiment of the invention at least one pin comprising a body of insulating material, provided with a punch-shaped end and conductive zones corresponding to the number of conductive layers of the panel, spaced from each other by a distance corresponding axially to the thickness e which separates the two successive conductive layers of the same panel, each conductive zone of the pin having a axial length less than this thickness e.

According to a particular application of the invention, the spindle supports at its other end an apparatus, and / or means for controlling this apparatus, connected to the conductive areas of the spindle.

According to a variant of the main embodiment, the connector comprises a number of pins corresponding to the number of conductive layers, each of these pins comprising a single conductive area disposed at a height such that it corresponds to the desired conductive layer.

According to another variant of the invention, the spindle comprises a threaded end part forming a self-tapping screw.

According to another variant, the spindle also supports a coding or decoding module depending on whether it is a means of controlling a lage apparatus or an apparatus, so as to be able to control said apparatus by the means control using a coded signal.

The invention is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which - FIG. 1 represents a sectional view of a particular embodiment of a panel according to the invention with two conductors, - FIG. 2 represents a view schematic in section of this same panel provided with a connector according to the invention with a single pin, - FIG. 3 represents a view identical to that of FIG. 2 but with a connector with two pins, - FIG. 4 represents a schematic view in section of a panel according to the invention provided with an apparatus and the control means corresponding to this apparatus, - Figure 5 shows the connection between two adjacent panels, and - Figure 6 shows a spindle assembly with thread according to an alternative embodiment of the invention.

In Figure 1 there is shown a modular panel according to the invention.

This panel comprises three layers 10, 12, 14 of electrically insulating material superimposed on each other with the interposition of two layers 16, 18 of electrically conductive material, disposed respectively between the first and second layers 10 and 12 and between the second and third layers 12 and 14.

The insulating materials are more generally foams of the polyurethane type so that they then feel receiving penetrating elements by punching as will be described later.

It is also possible to use woven or non-woven insulating fibers or else plates of solid material, produced from polymer materials having certain elastic characteristics.

As for the conductive material, it is possible to envisage all types of conductive materials as long as they are capable of receiving penetrating elements by punching and that they ensure the transfer of signals, or of electric current. A metallic film, a sheet of conductive fibers, a grid, a mesh, a metallic mesh, or a sheet of expanded metal, are perfectly suitable for such an application.

FIG. 2 shows a connector 20, which is made of insulating material and which has at its end 22 a shape of a punch, and which comprises two conductive zones 24 and 26.

The connector shown is of the pencil type, cylindrical with pointed end.

The two conductive zones 24 and 26 are spaced coaxially from each other by a distance h less than the thickness e separating the two consecutive layers of conductive material 16 and 18.

Two connection wires 28 and 30, respectively connected to each of the conductive zones (24, 26), make it possible to receive the signal transferred by the conductive layers and to transmit it inside the panel.

The installation of this type of connector is instantaneous since it suffices to exert manual pressure on this connector to make it penetrate through the panel and so that positioning is carried out easily, the connector comprises at its upper part a stop which comes to be pressed against the external surface of the first layer 10 of insulating material so that, when this stop is in contact with this layer, the conductive zones are located in line with the respective conductive layers of the panel.

The variant shown in FIG. 3 comprises a connector 30 with two pins 32 and 34, each of the pins having a single conductive zone, which is arranged on the pin at a distance h such that the depth of penetration into the panel corresponds to the depth to which is located the conductive layer with which one wishes to establish the connection.

In the example shown the conductive area 36 of the first pin 32 is in contact with the first conductive layer 16 of the panel and the conductive area 38 of the second pin 34 corresponds to the second conductive layer 18 of the panel.

In this example, the pins are surmounted by an apparatus 40.

In the example shown, this is an application to the supply of electrical energy, the first conductor 16 corresponding to the power supply and the second conductor 18 corresponding to the ground.

In this case, the apparatus shown is an electrical outlet.

We thus understand the advantages of the invention since it suffices to penetrate the pins of the connector surmounted by its equipment to immediately have a socket supplied with electric current and disposed at the location where desired on the surface of the panel.

Such panels can be placed vertically on the walls of a room or directly on the floor.

In the case of the supply of electrical energy, it is possible on the one hand to carry out an installation with the mains current, the thicknesses and the qualities of the insulating materials will be adapted accordingly, as will the capacity of the conductive material which will be determined by its nature, its thickness.

It is also possible to envisage a low-voltage supply, in particular for lighting applications or certain electrical apparatuses operating at low voltage, in particular all electrolysis systems with halogen lamps.

One can also consider the electrical distribution in three-phase form, and in this case it is advisable to add a layer of conductive material and a layer of insulating material so, the principle of connection remaining strictly identical.

The ease of fitting connectors depends on the nature of the insulating and conductive materials used. Likewise, the nature of the materials influences the fact that the displacement of a connector leaves "traces", this also depends on the nature of the connectors and their dimensions.

It turns out that the connectors can have reduced dimensions and on the other hand, the panels can be covered with a fabric, a coating which allows the penetration of the pins of the connectors between the meshes and which, by its own elasticity , allows to hide any holes left by the connectors after their removal.

The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 is of definite interest for networked applications.

Indeed, in this figure there is shown on one side an apparatus 50 which, in the embodiment is a socket 54 surmounted by a light bulb 55, the socket being fixed to the top of a connector 52 itself even provided with two connecting pins 56, 58.

The socket 54 is therefore implanted until it comes to bear against the external face of the panel, the two pins 56, 58 then penetrating inside the panel to their respective conductive layers.

The bulb 55 is therefore supplied with electrical energy.

On the other hand, in this figure there is shown the control means of this particular apparatus.

These control means 60 comprise a switch 62, disposed on a connector 64, with two pins 66, 68 which come into contact with the two layers of conductive material.

There is also provided a coding module 70, dis pOS: on the connector 64 of the control means and a decoding module 72 disposed on the apparatus itself, more particularly under the socket.

This decoding module 72 is further supplemented by a switch 73 which is itself disposed under the socket.

In this way, when the user presses the switch 62, he sends a coded signal which is transmitted via the two pins 66 and 68 to the two layers of conductive material, then this signal propagates into the two pins 56 , 58 from the socket and arrives at the decoding module 72.

Depending on the signal sent, the decoding module reacts and in turn controls the switch on the socket which cuts or supplies the bulb located at its upper part.

The message being coded, it is recognized only by the decoding module concerned and programmed in an identical manner.

It is therefore possible to create a complete network with a switch provided with a decoding module and it is possible to program the apparatuses to be controlled simultaneously.

The flexibility of installation of such a network follows directly from the invention since it is possible at any time to add an apparatus to any location, it suffices to provide the corresponding coding and it is also possible to remove it at any moment.

According to a variant of the invention, a third conductive layer is provided which is independent of the first two and which can be used, for example, only for the transfer of control signals, the first two layers of conductive material being reserved for the power supply. .

Likewise, it is possible to centrally manage all of the signals by a signal management center connected to the panel which receives the different signals from the various apparatuses or control means and which interprets them and sends the orders to the different destinations.

Such centralization allows for back-and-forth, remote control, time delay, timer, etc. systems, such as those currently produced using wire bundles.

In Figure 5 there is shown schematically the junction of two juxtaposed panels because it con just has to provide a quality connection between the layers of conductive material.

In the case shown in this figure, the two juxtaposed panels have a song or stepped edge so that the various conductors are superimposed on each other, the panels then being mechanically connected to each other by any suitable means and in particular by bonding.

With regard to safety with regard to possible perforations using a conductive element by an uninformed user, it is intended that the first accessible layer is neutral or earth so that when the conductor perforates the second layer, a short circuit occurs, which will trigger the safety of the general electrical system, fuses or circuit breakers for example.

There are many potential applications for this type of panel with connectors, both in decoration for exhibition stand panels, signs or shop window backgrounds, and for the domestic sector with an electrical network integrated through the walls, ceiling, floor or partitions, or only for the realization of telephone, hif i, video or computer networks in particular.

According to a simplified variant embodiment of the modular panel it is also possible for certain particular applications in which the panels for example are integrated in a partition to provide only a single layer of insulating material on the surfaces of which conductive films are laid.

In this case, the connectors are mounted identically, but on the other hand the two conductive layers are isolated from the user by means of the partitions.

An intermediate embodiment provides a modular panel successively comprising a layer of insulating material, a layer of conductive material, a layer of insulating material and a layer of conductive material, the third layer of insulating material being eliminated because the second conductor is protected from accessibility by the user taking into account its orientation in a partition for example.

In Figure 6, there is shown an alternative embodiment in which the pins are screws whose body, provided with a self-tapping thread, penetrates into the different layers.

The screws are insulated over a part of their length like the pins so that they are in contact simultaneously with only one layer.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the panels can be simply juxtaposed by their straight cut edges. In this case, the electrical connection is obtained for each of the polarities by two pins of the same length connected together by a conductive cable so as to connect two adjacent layers to the same potential.

Claims (9)

 1. Modular panel for producing a conductive network, in particular applicable to the electrical supply, characterized in that it comprises at least one layer of insulating material (10, 12, 14) and at least two layers (16, 18 ) of conductive material arranged respectively on one and the other face of the panel.  2. Modular panel according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least three layers of insulating material and at least two layers of conductive material each interposed respectively between two layers of insulating material.  3. Modular panel according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the insulating and conductive materials are capable of receiving elements (22, 23, 24) penetrating by punching and / or screwing.  4. Insulating panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the insulating material is a polyurethane type foam and the conductive material is a metallic film.  5. Connector for modular panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises at least one pin (22) comprising a body of insulating material provided with a punch-shaped end and conductive zones (24, 26) corresponding to the number of conductive layers (16, 18) of the panel, spaced from each other by a distance corresponding axially to the thickness e which separates two successive conductive zones from a panel, each conductive zone having an axial length less than this thickness e.  6. Connector according to claim 5, characterized in that the pin supports at its other end an apparatus (20), and / or control means (60) of this apparatus, connected to the conductive areas of the spindle.  7. Connector according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that it comprises a number of pins corresponding to the number of conductive layers, each of these pins comprising a single conductive area.  8. Connector according to any one of claims 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that the pin has a threaded end portion forming a self-tapping screw.  9. Connector according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises for each of the polarities two pins of the same length connected together by a conductive cable so as to connect two adjacent panels to the same potential.