GB2418076A

GB2418076A - Interconnection module for setting up selective electrical connections between a series of conductors

Info

Publication number: GB2418076A
Application number: GB0516822A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Serge Leroyer; Pascal Ribeau
Original assignee: Souriau SAS
Current assignee: Souriau SAS
Priority date: 2004-08-20
Filing date: 2005-08-17
Publication date: 2006-03-15
Anticipated expiration: 2025-08-17
Also published as: GB0516822D0; FR2874459B1; DE102005039322B4; DE102005039322A1; FR2874459A1; GB2418076B

Abstract

The invention relates to an interconnection module 100 for setting up electrical connections between a series of conductors, said module comprising: <UL ST="-"> <LI>a package 102 provided with a plurality of channels 105 going through said package 102, <LI>a base 101 that can be fixedly attached to the package 102, said base being provided with a plurality of blind holes 110, characterized in that <LI>the channels 105 are provided with female contacts 107, a top end 108 of said female contacts being designed to be connected to conductors, a bottom end 109 of the female contacts being designed to be connected to male contacts 111, <LI>the blind holes 110 of the base 101 are provided with male contacts 111, each male contact 111 being capable of being capped by the bottom end 109 of a female contact 107, <LI>at least two male contacts 111 are electrically connected to each other by shunts 120. </UL>

Description

24 1 8076 Interconnection module for setting up selective electrical

connections between a series of conductors The invention relates to an interconnection module for setting up a selective connection between a series of conductors. More specifically, the invention relates to a particular arrangement of the male and female contacts in said connection module.

The invention can be applied especially in aeronautics. Indeed such interconnection modules, in which a plurality of contacts is mounted, are used to let an electrical current pass through several contacts at a time. It is thus possible to place several conductors at the same potential. For example, in a cockpit of an aircraft, there are known ways of using an interconnection module of this kind to enable distribution of the signal. Very weak currents, in the range of one microampere, may be transmitted by these modules.

It is an aim of the invention to ensure transmission and distribution of the signal, according to expectations, whatever the conditions of use of the interconnection module. In particular, it is an aim of the invention to set up an interconnection module in which the link between a male contact and female contacts is not disturbed by external factors. The term "external factors" refers to solid pollutants such as, dust etc., liquids such as water, oil etc., as well as the vibrations and impacts to which said module might be subjected.

At present, a known interconnection module, used to let a current pass through several contacts at a time, is the interconnection module 1 shown in figure 1. Such an interconnection module 1 has a base 2 and a package 3.

The base 2 is, for example, fixedly joined to an electrical board of an aircraft cockpit. The base 2 and the package 3 are made out of insulator materials, for example by moulding, in order to permit reliable handling of the interconnection module 1.

The base 2 carries female contacts 4. More specifically, sockets 5 are made on an external face of the base 2. The "external face" 8 is understood to be the face of the base 2 pointed toward the package 3. The sockets 5 open outwards. Conductive strips are inserted into the sockets 5.

The strips are provided with inwardly curved tabs, forming the female contacts 4, and outwardly curved connecting tabs 6. The connecting tabs 6 form shunts between two adjacent female contacts 4. Thus, an electrical current going through a first female contact 4 may be transmitted to at least one second adjacent female contact 4, connected to the first female contact 4 by a connecting tab 6.

Figure 1 shows three female contacts 4. The two female contacts 4 furthest to the right in figure 1 are electrically connected to each other by a connecting tab 6. The third female contact 4 is electrically insulated from the other female contacts 4, by a cross-wall 7 of the base 2 between two adjacent cavities 5. The cross-wall 7 is made of insulating material.

The package 3 is provided with male contacts 14. The package 3 is detachable, i.e. the package 3 can be separated from the base 2.

The male contacts 14 are pins positioned in channels 9 that go through the package 3. The channels 9 cross the package 3 from one side to the other. The term "from one side to the other" is understood to mean that the channels 9 open out of the package 3 by two opposite ends, respectively the top end 10 and the bottom end 1 1. The bottom end 11 is located at the position of a contact face 13 of the package 3 designed to come into contact with the external face 8 of the base 2.

The male contacts 14 are provided with a connection end 12 that leads out of the package 3 at the bottom end 11 of the channels 9. Thus, each connection end 12 of a male contact 14 may be inserted into a female contact 4.

In order to keep each pin 14 in a channel 9, the channels 9 are provided with retaining toes 15 that may be fixedly attached to an internal wall 16 of said channels 9. The pins 14 are provided with a ring 18 forming a shoulder against which the toes 15 abut once the pins 14 are inserted into the channels 9. Thus, any backward movement of the pins 14 in the channels 9 is restricted. More specifically, the toes 15 are made in a thickness of the internal wall 16 of the channels 9. The toes 15 stretch along the internal wall 16 of the channels 9, toward the lower end 11 of said channels. The toes 15 have a natural travel toward the interior of the channel 9 relative to the internal wall 16. The term "natural travel" is understood to mean a direction of the toes 15, when they undergo no stress in any direction whatsoever. When a pin 14 is introduced into a channel 9, the connection end 12 of the pin 14 is made to enter by the top end 10 of the channel 9. The toes 15 are then Air spread apart toward the internal wall 16 of the channel 9, so as to let the pin 14 pass through. Once the ring 18 has been introduced, the toes 15 recover their natural travel and abut said ring 18. Thus, the pin 14 is held in the channels 9, and cannot be accidentally withdrawn.

However, these holding means, formed by the ring 18 and the retaining toes 15, are not entirely satisfactory. Indeed, although the male contact 14 is held in the channels 9, said male contact 14 may be even slightly in a state of translation within the channel 9. Thus, if the interconnection module 1 undergoes impacts or vibrations, the male contacts 14 may move in their respective channels 9, thus disturbing a state of the connection, especially when the currents travailing through the contacts are of very low intensity.

Furthermore, solid pollutants and liquid elements may penetrate the interconnection module 1 at the position of the top end 10 of the channels 9.

These solid and liquid pollutants then flow along the internal wall 16 of the channels 9 and the external wall of the contacts, up to an electrical contact zone between the male contacts 14 and the female contacts 4. Now, the electrical contact is formed by the external wall of the male contacts 14 and the internal wall of the female contacts 4. The pollutants therefore accumulate precisely at the position of the electrical contact zone. These pollutants therefore disturb the passage of the current, prompting small power line disturbances.

In the invention, it is sought to make an interconnection module that does not have the above drawbacks.

For this purpose, the male and female contacts of the interconnection module of the invention have a position in the module that is inverted relative to the positions of the male and female contacts in the interconnection module of the prior art as described. Thus, the pollutants flow along on an external wall of the female contacts and not along the external wall of the male contacts. Since the male contacts are embedded in the female contacts, an electrical contact zone between the male contacts and the female contacts is protected from the pollutants. The female contacts may be held in channels of the main body of the interconnection module by retaining toes that can be integrated into the internal walls of the channels.

Furthermore, the interconnection module can be provided with an interface lining, made of soft material, with the female contacts going through said lining. Thus, the impacts and vibrations to which the interconnection module is subjected are absorbed by the interface lining, and are not transmitted to the contacts.

An object of the invention therefore is an interconnection module for setting up electrical connections between a series of conductors, said module comprising: - a package provided with a plurality of channels going through said package, - a base that can be fixedly attached to the package, said base being provided with a plurality of blind holes, characterized in that - the channels are provided with female contacts, a top end of said female contacts being designed to be connected to conductors, a bottom end of the female contacts being designed to be connected to male contacts, - the blind holes of the base are provided with male contacts, each male contact being capable of being capped by the bottom end of a female contact, - at least two male contacts are electrically connected to each other by shunts.

According to exemplary embodiments of the interconnection module of the invention, said module may comprise all or part of the following additional characteristics: - at least two male contacts are electrically insulated from each other, - an electrical contact zone between a female contact and a male contact is located in a channel, - at least one channel is provided with means for holding a female contact in said channel, - the holding means include toes over-moulded on an internal wall of the channel.

- the package is provided with an internal cavity, an intermediate insert and a guiding insert being housed in the cavity, the channels going through the intermediate insert and the guiding insert, - the intermediate insert is positioned between a top end of the package and the guiding insert, a connection between a female contact and a male contact being made in a channel, at the level of the guiding insert, - the intermediate insert is made out of a deformable material, - the shunts are formed by a metal plate, - the base is provided with at least two electrically insulated compartments, each compartment being provided with a plurality of blind holes, at least two blind holes of each of the compartments being electrically connected by shunts.

The invention will be understood more clearly from following description and the accompanying figures, which are given purely by way of indication and in no way restrict the scope of the invention. Of these figures: Figure 1 shows an already-described prior art interconnection module; Figure 2 shows an interconnection module according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention; Figure 3 is an exploded view of the interconnection module of Figure 2.

Figure 2 shows an interconnection module 100 of the invention. The interconnection module 100 is provided with a base 101 and a package 102.

The base 101 and the package 102 are made, for example, of insulating material so that said module 100 can be handled without risk of electrocution.

An external face 103 of the base 101 is capable of cooperating with a bottom end 104 of the package 102. The external face 103 of the base 101 is understood to be the face of the base pointed toward the package 102, and the bottom end 104 of the package 102, is understood to be the end of the package 102 pointed toward the base 101. For example, the external face 103 of the base 101 is provided with protruding features that can fit into specific housings made on the lower end 104 of the package 102.

The package 102 is provided with a plurality of channels 105. The channels 15 go through said package 102 from one side to the other. The term "from one side to the other'' implies that the channels 105 open out by a first end at the position of a top end 106 of the package 102 and by a second end at the position of the bottom end 104 of said package 102.

Female contacts 107 are housed in the channels 105. The female contacts 107 are formed by barrels. A top end 108 of the female contacts 107 is located at the position of the top end 106 of the package 102 and may, for example, set up a connection with a conductor. A bottom end 109 of the female contacts 107 is located at the position of the bottom end 104 of the package 102. The bottom end 109 of the female contacts 107 is designed to set up a connection with male contacts.

The base 101 is provided with a plurality of blind holes 110 distributed on the base 101, so that at least one blind hole 110 coincides with the bottom end 122 of a channel 105 when the package 102 is mounted on the base 101. In the example shown, each blind hole 110 coincides with the bottom end 122 of a channel 105. However, it is possible for the number of blind holes 110 to be greater or smaller than the number of channels 105, especially when a same base 101 is manufactured so as to be fixedly joined, as the case may be, with two different packages 102, or vice versa.

The blind holes 110 are provided with male contacts 111. The male contacts 111 are, for example, formed by spikes. A bottom end 112 of the male contacts 111 is housed inside the blind holes 110, while a top end 113 leads out of the base 101.

The top end 113 of the male contacts 111 is capped by the bottom end 109 of female contacts 107. The connection between a female contact 107 and a male contact 111 is therefore made by means of an internal wall 116 of the barrels forming the female contact 107 and the external wall 129 of the spike forming the male contact 111. And, if solid or liquid impurities get mixed into the channels 105, they flow in said channels 115, between an internal wall 114 of the channels 105 and an external wall 115 of the female contacts 7. The liquid and solid impurities therefore cannot disturb the connection between a male contact 111 and a female contact 107, of the interconnection module 100 of the invention.

In the example shown in figure 2, the bottom end 109 of the female contacts 107 does not open out into the exterior of the package 102. Thus, an electrical contact zone 130 between a female contact 107 and a male contact 111 is located in a channel 105. In another exemplary embodiment of the invention, the channels 105 and the female contacts 107 can be made in such a way that the bottom end 109 of the female contacts 107 leads out of the package 102. In this case, the electrical contact zone 130 between the female contacts 107 and the male contacts 111 is located outside the package 102, for example in the base 101 or outside it between the package 102 and the base 101. In any case, the electrical contact zone 130 between the male contacts 111 and the female contacts 107 is protected against impurities.

Figure 3, shows an non-mounted connection module 1000. It is thus possible to see the cases of the making of said module 100.

The base 101 is provided, at the position of the external face 103, with walls made of insulating material 117. The walls 117 enable the making, on the external face 103, of compartments 1 18, 1 19 which are electrically insulated from each other. The base 101, provided with compartments 118, 119, 120, can be made by moulding.

For example, a first compartment 118 is insulated from a second compartment 119 by a wall 117, so as to insulate the two blind holes 110 located in the first compartment 118 from the four blind holes 110 located in the second compartment 119. Thus, when the male contacts 111 and the female contacts 107 are connected in the interconnection module 100, a current flowing in the male contacts 111 positioned in the blind holes 110 of the first compartment 1 18 cannot be transmitted to one or more male contacts 111 positioned in the blind holes 110 of the second compartment 119.

Several blind holes 110 of a same compartment 118, 119 may be connected to one another by means of a conductive material in order to form shunts 120. The shunts 120 are, for example, formed by electrically conductive metal welds. The shunts 120 may also be formed on an electrically conductive metal plate, cut out to the appropriate dimensions, depending on the number and arrangement of the blind holes 110 that are to be electrically connected to each other. The shunts 120 enable at least two blind holes 110 to be connected so that, when the male contacts 111 are positioned in the blind holes 110, the current flowing into a first male contact 111, is transmitted to the adjacent male contacts by means of the shunts 120 connecting the respective blind holes 110 of the male contacts 111.

The package 102 is provided with a guiding insert 121, for example made by moulding out of an insulating material.. The guiding insert 121 is crossed by the channels 105. Figure 3 clearly shows an exemplary embodiment of the channels 105. The bottom end 122 of the channels 105, located at the position of the bottom end of the guiding insert 121, forms a bottleneck in said channels 105. In other words, the channel 105 has a smaller diameter at the position of the bottom end 122.

The bottom end 109 of the female contacts 107 is located at a zone of transition 123 between the largest diameter and the smallest diameter of the channels 105. The top end 113 of the male contacts penetrates the channels by the bottom end 122 of said channels 105. For example, the diameter of the spikes forming the male contacts substantially corresponds to the diameter of the channels 105 at the position of their bottom end 122.

The guiding insert 121 is housed in an internal cavity 124 made in a body of the package 102. The cavity 124 leads out at the position of the bottom end 104 of the package 102. Thus, at the position of a bottom end 125, the guiding insert 121 forms a bottom of the package 102 designed to come into contact with the external face 103 of the base 101.

The cavity 124 of the package 102 also has an intermediate insert 126. The intermediate insert 126 is positioned between the top end 106 of the package 102 and the guiding insert 121. The channels 105 also go through the intermediate insert 126. The intermediate insert 126 may advantageously be made out of a deformable or soft material, especially in order to enable the absorption of impacts and vibrations to which the interconnection module 100 may be subjected.

The female contacts 107 are introduced into the channels 105 by their bottom ends 109. The female contacts 107 penetrate the package 102 through the top end 106 of said package 102, toward the bottom end 104 of said package 102. The female contacts 107 thus cross the top end 106 of the package 102, the intermediate insert 126 and the guiding insert 121, to reach the position on the shoulder 123, said shoulder 123 being located in the guiding insert 121.

The greatest diameter of the channel 105 may, for example, substantially correspond to the diameter of the barrels forming the female contacts 107. Thus, the female contacts 107 are held in the channels 105 by tightly close contact between the internal wall 114 of the channels 105 and the external wall 115 of the female contacts 107.

In a particular exemplary embodiment of the interconnection module 100, and in order to reinforce the holding of the female contacts 107 in the channels 105, and thus prevent any translation of said female contacts 107 in the channels 105, it is possible to provide the package 102 with means for holding the female contacts 107 in the channels 105.

In the examples shown in figure 3, the holding means are formed by retaining toes 127 made in the internal wall 114 of the channels 105. These toes 127, or tabs, are made for examples during the moulding of the package 102. Each channel 105 is provided for examples with four toes 127. The toes 127 are distributed on a perimeter of said channel 105. The toes 127 have a free end 123 directed toward a centre of the channel 105. The "free end" 123 is understood to be the end of the tabs 127 that is not fixedly attached to the internal wall 114 of the channels 105. Thus, when the female contact 107 is inserted into a channel 105, said contact 107 pushes the toes 127 outwards so that they can be inserted throughout the length of the channel 105. The toes 127 are therefore tightly in contact with the external wall 115 of the female contacts 107, enabling them to be held in position in the channels 105. The female contacts 107 can no longer shift in the channels 105. This improves connection quality between the male contacts 111 and the female contacts 107.

Claims

Claims 1 - An interconnection module for setting up electrical connections

between a series of conductors, said module comprising: - a package provided with a plurality of channels going through said package, - a base that can be fixedly attached to the package, said base being provided with a plurality of blind holes, characterized in that - the channels are provided with female contacts, a top end of said female contacts being designed to be connected to conductors, a button' end of the fennels cuitacts being designed to be cnnecteu to male contacts, - the blind holes of the base are provided with male contacts, each male contact being capable of being capped by the bottom end of a female contact, - at least two male contacts are electrically connected to each other by shunts.

2 - An interconnection module according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two male contacts are electrically insulated from each other.

3 - An interconnection module according to one of the claims 1 to 2, characterized in that an electrical contact zone between a female contact and a male contact is located in a channel.

4 - An interconnection module according to one of the claims 1 to 3, characterized in that at least one channel is provided with means for holding a female contact in said channel.

- An interconnection module according to claim 4, characterized in that the holding means include toes over-moulded on an internal wall of the channel.

6 - An interconnection module according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the package is provided with an internal cavity, an intermediate insert and a guiding insert being housed in the cavity, the channels going through the intermediate insert and the guiding insert.

7 - An interconnection module according to claim 6, characterized in that the intermediate insert is positioned between a top end of the package and the guiding insert, a connection between a female contact and a male contact being made in a channel, at the level of the guiding insert.

8 - An interconnection module according to one of the claims 6 to 7, characterized in that the intermediate insert is made out of a deformable material.

9 - An interconnection module according to one of the claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the shunts are formed by an electrically conductive metal plate.

- An interconnection module according to one of the claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the base is provided with at least two electrically insulated compartments, each compartment being provided with a plurality of blind holes, at least two blind holes of each of the compartments being electrically connected by shunts.

11 - An interconnection module as hereinbefore described with reference the accompanying drawings.