GB2142736A - Fibre-optic terminal or junction unit - Google Patents

Fibre-optic terminal or junction unit Download PDF

Info

Publication number
GB2142736A
GB2142736A GB08314912A GB8314912A GB2142736A GB 2142736 A GB2142736 A GB 2142736A GB 08314912 A GB08314912 A GB 08314912A GB 8314912 A GB8314912 A GB 8314912A GB 2142736 A GB2142736 A GB 2142736A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
fibre
optic
electrical
cable
unit
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
GB08314912A
Other versions
GB8314912D0 (en
GB2142736B (en
Inventor
Alan Leslie Powell
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Weidmueller Interface GmbH and Co KG
Original Assignee
CA Weidmueller GmbH and Co
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by CA Weidmueller GmbH and Co filed Critical CA Weidmueller GmbH and Co
Priority to GB08314912A priority Critical patent/GB2142736B/en
Publication of GB8314912D0 publication Critical patent/GB8314912D0/en
Publication of GB2142736A publication Critical patent/GB2142736A/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of GB2142736B publication Critical patent/GB2142736B/en
Expired legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
    • H01R—ELECTRICALLY-CONDUCTIVE CONNECTIONS; STRUCTURAL ASSOCIATIONS OF A PLURALITY OF MUTUALLY-INSULATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTING ELEMENTS; COUPLING DEVICES; CURRENT COLLECTORS
    • H01R9/00—Structural associations of a plurality of mutually-insulated electrical connecting elements, e.g. terminal strips or terminal blocks; Terminals or binding posts mounted upon a base or in a case; Bases therefor
    • H01R9/22—Bases, e.g. strip, block, panel
    • H01R9/24—Terminal blocks
    • H01R9/26—Clip-on terminal blocks for side-by-side rail- or strip-mounting
    • H01R9/2625—Clip-on terminal blocks for side-by-side rail- or strip-mounting with built-in electrical component
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/42—Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements
    • G02B6/4201—Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details
    • G02B6/4202—Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details for coupling an active element with fibres without intermediate optical elements, e.g. fibres with plane ends, fibres with shaped ends, bundles
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/42—Coupling light guides with opto-electronic elements
    • G02B6/4201—Packages, e.g. shape, construction, internal or external details
    • G02B6/4246—Bidirectionally operating package structures

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • Optical Couplings Of Light Guides (AREA)
  • Mechanical Coupling Of Light Guides (AREA)

Abstract

A fibre-optic terminal unit comprises a housing 2, e.g. of plastics, optionally with a mounting foot 3 for clipping onto a supporting rail 1. The housing may contain plug-in fibre-optic connector receptacles, electrical connectors and terminals, and one or more printed circuit boards carrying the circuitry required for driving a fibre optics transmitter and/or emitter and/or receiver and processing incoming and/or outgoing signals. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fibre-optic devices This invention relates to fibre-optic connection devices.
Fibre-optics, are assuming great commercial importance because of their high information capacity, small size and freedom from signal interference.
In general, present fibre-optic systems use discrete units separately mounted into printed circuit boards or chassis, with off-going electrical and fibre-optic cable connections made by conventional means.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a complete fibre-optic terminal unit (transmitter and/or emitter and/or receiver) including the necessary driving units are provided within a single housing incorporating electrical cable and fibre-optic cable connections as required.
According to another aspect of the invention, a fibre-optic terminal or junction unit is provided with a mounting foot adapted to mount the unit on a support rail with inturned or out-turned flanges, of the standard type used widely for supporting electrical equipment. This enables fibre-optic facilities to be mounted on the standard support rail commonly provided in electrical equipment for appliances, alongside electrical terminals and devices and other services.
In general, a fibre-optic device embodying the present invention will comprise a railmounted moulded plastics receptacle designed to receive a fibre-optic cable connector and containing a printed circuit board or other circuitry for providing power supplies, emitters, transmitters, encoders, decoders and the like for transmission of data and/or conversion of data from electrical to optical form or vice versa. The outgoing fibre-optic cable connectors are preferably separate plug-in connectors.
The present invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows three fibre-optic devices embodying the invention, and a standard support rail, and Figure 2 shows a further device embodying the invention, on a larger scale.
Fig. 1 shows a standard support rail 1 of asymmetrical cross-section with in-turned flanges, as used for supporting electrical equipment, and three different fibre-optic devices each comprising a generally rectangular housing 2 of moulded plastics material provided with a mounting foot 3 designed to be clipped onto and unclipped from a supporting rail.
On the left, Fig. 1 shows a joint unit or through connection unit 4 with sockets 5 on opposite sides for receiving plug-in fibre-optic connectors 6 on the ends of fibre-optic cables 7.
Fig. 1 also shows a rail-mounted emitter unit 8 with a socket 9 for a single way fibreoptic connector, one or more terminals 10, for example screw terminals, for electrical cables 11, and one or more circuit boards in the housing of the unit, carrying power supply and signal conversion circuitry providing an interface between the fibre-optic cable and the electrical cables.
On the right, Fig. 1 shows a rail mounted transmitter unit 1 2 with a fibre-optic socket 9 connected to a circuit board which is also connected to a ribbon cable connector for receiving a ribbon cable plug 1 3.
Fig. 2 shows an emitter/transmitter unit 14 with respective sockets for receiving fibreoptic cable connectors 6 and interfacing these with fibre-optic circuitry and electrical circuitry on a printed circuit board 1 5 which, on the opposite side of the housing 2, is provided with electrical terminations, for example screw terminals 10 for power feed wires 1 6 and a miniature or sub-miniature D cable connector 1 7 for signal connections. - The housings may for example be made of plastics or phenolic material.
Rail mounted fibre-optic units or devices embodying this invention can be arranged according to any of the following combinations: 1. A dual emit and transmit fibre optic system together with its associated circuitry which is fed either by screw cable connectors ribbon cable connectors or any combination thereof.
2 Single way emit or transmit only facility fibre optic outputs with screw cable inputs, ribbon cable inputs or sub-miniature D range connectors or any combination thereof.
3 Either single way emit or transmit fibreoptic outputs or emit and transmit fibre-optic outputs with single or dual fibre-optic inputs.
This latter class being referred to as straight through rail mounted fibre-optic cable connector facilities.
The advantage of such systems is that by incorporating a standard or multi-purpose combination rail foot arrangement into the fibre optic circuitry container we enable designers and installation engineers to quickly install fibre-optic systems alongside conventional electrical instrument control circuitry or power supplies and to readily make the necessary interconnections to drive the system and collect data for onward transmission either by conventional electrical means or further fibre optic systems.
1. A fibre-optic terminal unit comprising a housing containing a fibre-optic transmitter and/or emitter and/or receiver and any driving means required therefor and provided with electrical cable and fibre-optic cable connec
**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (5)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Fibre-optic devices This invention relates to fibre-optic connection devices. Fibre-optics, are assuming great commercial importance because of their high information capacity, small size and freedom from signal interference. In general, present fibre-optic systems use discrete units separately mounted into printed circuit boards or chassis, with off-going electrical and fibre-optic cable connections made by conventional means. According to one aspect of the present invention, a complete fibre-optic terminal unit (transmitter and/or emitter and/or receiver) including the necessary driving units are provided within a single housing incorporating electrical cable and fibre-optic cable connections as required. According to another aspect of the invention, a fibre-optic terminal or junction unit is provided with a mounting foot adapted to mount the unit on a support rail with inturned or out-turned flanges, of the standard type used widely for supporting electrical equipment. This enables fibre-optic facilities to be mounted on the standard support rail commonly provided in electrical equipment for appliances, alongside electrical terminals and devices and other services. In general, a fibre-optic device embodying the present invention will comprise a railmounted moulded plastics receptacle designed to receive a fibre-optic cable connector and containing a printed circuit board or other circuitry for providing power supplies, emitters, transmitters, encoders, decoders and the like for transmission of data and/or conversion of data from electrical to optical form or vice versa. The outgoing fibre-optic cable connectors are preferably separate plug-in connectors. The present invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows three fibre-optic devices embodying the invention, and a standard support rail, and Figure 2 shows a further device embodying the invention, on a larger scale. Fig. 1 shows a standard support rail 1 of asymmetrical cross-section with in-turned flanges, as used for supporting electrical equipment, and three different fibre-optic devices each comprising a generally rectangular housing 2 of moulded plastics material provided with a mounting foot 3 designed to be clipped onto and unclipped from a supporting rail. On the left, Fig. 1 shows a joint unit or through connection unit 4 with sockets 5 on opposite sides for receiving plug-in fibre-optic connectors 6 on the ends of fibre-optic cables 7. Fig. 1 also shows a rail-mounted emitter unit 8 with a socket 9 for a single way fibreoptic connector, one or more terminals 10, for example screw terminals, for electrical cables 11, and one or more circuit boards in the housing of the unit, carrying power supply and signal conversion circuitry providing an interface between the fibre-optic cable and the electrical cables. On the right, Fig. 1 shows a rail mounted transmitter unit 1 2 with a fibre-optic socket 9 connected to a circuit board which is also connected to a ribbon cable connector for receiving a ribbon cable plug 1 3. Fig. 2 shows an emitter/transmitter unit 14 with respective sockets for receiving fibreoptic cable connectors 6 and interfacing these with fibre-optic circuitry and electrical circuitry on a printed circuit board 1 5 which, on the opposite side of the housing 2, is provided with electrical terminations, for example screw terminals 10 for power feed wires 1 6 and a miniature or sub-miniature D cable connector 1 7 for signal connections. - The housings may for example be made of plastics or phenolic material. Rail mounted fibre-optic units or devices embodying this invention can be arranged according to any of the following combinations: 1. A dual emit and transmit fibre optic system together with its associated circuitry which is fed either by screw cable connectors ribbon cable connectors or any combination thereof. 2 Single way emit or transmit only facility fibre optic outputs with screw cable inputs, ribbon cable inputs or sub-miniature D range connectors or any combination thereof. 3 Either single way emit or transmit fibreoptic outputs or emit and transmit fibre-optic outputs with single or dual fibre-optic inputs. This latter class being referred to as straight through rail mounted fibre-optic cable connector facilities. The advantage of such systems is that by incorporating a standard or multi-purpose combination rail foot arrangement into the fibre optic circuitry container we enable designers and installation engineers to quickly install fibre-optic systems alongside conventional electrical instrument control circuitry or power supplies and to readily make the necessary interconnections to drive the system and collect data for onward transmission either by conventional electrical means or further fibre optic systems. CLAIMS
1. A fibre-optic terminal unit comprising a housing containing a fibre-optic transmitter and/or emitter and/or receiver and any driving means required therefor and provided with electrical cable and fibre-optic cable connec tions therefor.
2. A fibre-optic terminal unit as claimed in claim 1 incorporating at least one fibre-optic cable connector in the form of a separate plug-in connector.
3. A fibre-optic terminal unit as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the housing is provided with a mounting foot adapted to mount the unit on a support rail with in-turned flanges or with out-turned flanges.
4. A fibre-optic terminal or junction unit provided with a mounting in which the housing is provided with a mounting foot adapted to mount the union a support rail with inturned flanges or with out-turned flanges.
5. A fibre-optic unit substantially as herein described with reference to Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 of the accompanying drawings.
GB08314912A 1983-05-31 1983-05-31 Fibre-optic terminal or junction unit Expired GB2142736B (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08314912A GB2142736B (en) 1983-05-31 1983-05-31 Fibre-optic terminal or junction unit

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB08314912A GB2142736B (en) 1983-05-31 1983-05-31 Fibre-optic terminal or junction unit

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB8314912D0 GB8314912D0 (en) 1983-07-06
GB2142736A true GB2142736A (en) 1985-01-23
GB2142736B GB2142736B (en) 1988-01-27

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB08314912A Expired GB2142736B (en) 1983-05-31 1983-05-31 Fibre-optic terminal or junction unit

Country Status (1)

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GB (1) GB2142736B (en)

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2334592A (en) * 1998-02-19 1999-08-25 Mitel Semiconductor Ab Adapter for coupling optical fibre and electronic circuits
WO2002023676A1 (en) * 2000-09-12 2002-03-21 Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh Modular connection system for ethernet applications in the industrial sector
US6379166B1 (en) 2000-06-26 2002-04-30 Randl Industries, Inc. Fiber optic cable outlet box
DE102007004865B4 (en) * 2007-01-31 2010-07-01 Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh Rail-based, modular device system of industrial information network technology

Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1440806A (en) * 1972-07-20 1976-06-30 Bunker Ramo Opto-electric or electric-optic cable termination
GB1504869A (en) * 1974-07-03 1978-03-22 Plessey Co Ltd Optical code readers
GB2010020A (en) * 1977-11-25 1979-06-20 Siemens Ag Arrangement for transmitting electrical signals
GB2044949A (en) * 1979-03-07 1980-10-22 Vero Electronics Ltd A terminating connector for a fibre optic able
GB2057936A (en) * 1979-07-24 1981-04-08 Northern Telecom Ltd Hermetic optical fiber feedthrough
GB2087681A (en) * 1980-11-17 1982-05-26 Geosource Inc Seismic cable connector with otical transceiver
EP0061772A1 (en) * 1981-04-01 1982-10-06 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Electro-optical plug-connector module
EP0076514A2 (en) * 1981-10-06 1983-04-13 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Optical connector
EP0079106A2 (en) * 1981-11-06 1983-05-18 E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Fiber optic connector

Patent Citations (9)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB1440806A (en) * 1972-07-20 1976-06-30 Bunker Ramo Opto-electric or electric-optic cable termination
GB1504869A (en) * 1974-07-03 1978-03-22 Plessey Co Ltd Optical code readers
GB2010020A (en) * 1977-11-25 1979-06-20 Siemens Ag Arrangement for transmitting electrical signals
GB2044949A (en) * 1979-03-07 1980-10-22 Vero Electronics Ltd A terminating connector for a fibre optic able
GB2057936A (en) * 1979-07-24 1981-04-08 Northern Telecom Ltd Hermetic optical fiber feedthrough
GB2087681A (en) * 1980-11-17 1982-05-26 Geosource Inc Seismic cable connector with otical transceiver
EP0061772A1 (en) * 1981-04-01 1982-10-06 Siemens Aktiengesellschaft Electro-optical plug-connector module
EP0076514A2 (en) * 1981-10-06 1983-04-13 Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha Optical connector
EP0079106A2 (en) * 1981-11-06 1983-05-18 E.I. Du Pont De Nemours And Company Fiber optic connector

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2334592A (en) * 1998-02-19 1999-08-25 Mitel Semiconductor Ab Adapter for coupling optical fibre and electronic circuits
US6227720B1 (en) 1998-02-19 2001-05-08 Mitel Semiconductor Ab Fiber optic connection device
GB2334592B (en) * 1998-02-19 2002-11-13 Mitel Semiconductor Ab Adapter for coupling optical and electronic circuits
US6379166B1 (en) 2000-06-26 2002-04-30 Randl Industries, Inc. Fiber optic cable outlet box
WO2002023676A1 (en) * 2000-09-12 2002-03-21 Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh Modular connection system for ethernet applications in the industrial sector
US6802737B2 (en) 2000-09-12 2004-10-12 Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh Modular connection system for ethernet applications in the industrial sector
DE102007004865B4 (en) * 2007-01-31 2010-07-01 Tyco Electronics Amp Gmbh Rail-based, modular device system of industrial information network technology

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB8314912D0 (en) 1983-07-06
GB2142736B (en) 1988-01-27

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PCNP Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee

Effective date: 19930531