JP2011060988A - Installation mechanism of patch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an installation mechanism of a patch panel which can effectively make the most of an attachment space of a communication rack. <P>SOLUTION: The installation mechanism is an installation mechanism 10 of a patch panel for attaching a connector panel 12 having a cable connector 38 to a space between constituent members of the communication rack, and has the connector panel 12 and a bracket 16. The bracket 16 has a bracket fixing part 20 fixed to the communication rack, and a connector panel attachment part 24 to which the connector panel 12 is attached, and the connector panel attachment part 24 is constituted so as to move slidably between a given length. The connector panel attachment part 24 of the bracket 16 has a slide part 24c constituted by connecting two members via a hinge part 28, the connector panel 12 is attached in one member of the two members, and the slide part 24c can slide up to at least a position where the one member to which the connector panel 12 is attached and the hinge part 28 protrude outward. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a patch panel installation mechanism, and more particularly to a patch panel installation mechanism for connecting and housing optical fiber cords, UTP cables, STP cables, and the like.

  FIG. 6A is a schematic perspective view of an existing patch panel attached to a communication rack. FIG. 6B is an enlarged perspective view of the front side of the existing patch panel of FIG. As the communication rack 32, a 19-inch rack is shown as an example, and there are other 23-inch racks and the like. The communication rack 32 is provided with four mount angles 34-1 to 34-4 as constituent members, and the side portions are covered with the main body 44. The patch panel 36 has a thin box shape, and is one of communication devices that perform relay, management, and the like of optical fiber cords, UTP cables, STP cables, and the like. The patch panel 36 is fixed over the two mount angles 34-1 and 34-2 using screw holes 48 formed in each mount angle 34. A bracket 42 is used for fixing. The name of the 19-inch rack is so called because the horizontal interval between the screw holes 48 of the two mount angles 34-1 and 34-2 to which the communication device is attached is 19 inches, and is called EIA standard and JIS standard. It has become. The height direction is specified in units of U (unit: 44.45 mm in EIA standard, 50 mm in JIS standard), and the communication devices and communication devices to be attached are called 1U and 2U sizes depending on their height. Will be better. The depth dimension of the communication rack 32 is not specified.

  On the patch panel 36, two plugs 38 are arranged side by side with the same insertion surface of the plugs, with two arranged vertically and 24 arranged side by side. Therefore, a work space is provided on the front side of the communication rack 32 so that the plug can be easily inserted into and removed from the connector 38. When there is no space on the front side, the patch panel 36 can be mounted on the back side of the communication rack 32. In this case, the power supply wired to other communication devices and communication devices In many cases, work and management are difficult due to obstruction of cables and the like.

  When the patch panel 36 is used, the cord 40 with the SC connector connected to the patch panel 36 is connected to the main body 44 side of the communication rack 32 in order to prevent interference with wiring of network devices or the like mounted on the top and bottom of the patch panel 36. Lined up. FIG. 6 also shows a state where the cord 40 with SC connector is aligned.

  As described above, the patch panel 36 and the network device are bridged and attached to the mount angles 34-1 and 34-2 of the 19-inch rack 32 using the mounting bracket 42. Such a patch panel 36 can be attached by changing the upper and lower positions of the communication rack 34 and attached to the back side, but cannot be attached in any other manner.

  Regarding an existing patch panel, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a patch panel in which a modular jack can be attached and detached from the front side of the panel. Further, in Patent Document 2, if the cable is bent below the minimum bending radius, there is a possibility of adversely affecting the signal transmission through the copper wire patch cord. A patch panel is disclosed. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a cord guide structure for straightening a cord such as an optical fiber connected to a patch panel, thereby simplifying the cord routing operation.

Japanese Patent No. 3482907 JP 2002-517890 Gazette JP 2006-59984 A

  As described above, the horizontal interval of the communication rack 32 is determined by the standard. Therefore, for example, in the case of a 1U-size patch panel 36, a 24-port configuration is common, but even when only a few ports are actually used for such a 24-port / 1U patch panel 36, Since the space on the back side of the communication rack 32 cannot be used effectively, a conventional 1U size patch panel 36 must be mounted on the front side of the communication rack 32. Therefore, since the space between the mount angles 34 of the communication rack 32 is partitioned by the installation of the patch panel 36, there is no space for mounting other network devices, and the space of the communication rack 32 is not effectively utilized. .

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a patch panel installation mechanism that enables effective use of a mounting space for a communication rack.

In order to achieve the above object, the installation mechanism of the patch panel according to claim 1,
In a patch panel installation mechanism for attaching a connector panel having a connector to a space between components of a communication rack,
The connector panel is attached to one of the constituent members at one location.

  With this configuration, the patch panel can be mounted not only on the front side of the communication rack but also on the back side. In addition, since there is no spanning state between the constituent members of the communication rack as in the past, the space between the constituent members is not partitioned by the panel. Therefore, the communication rack can be effectively utilized without wasting space. Further, the mounting direction of the connector panel to the communication rack is not limited, and the plug can be easily inserted into and removed from the connector, and the work of relaying and managing the cord with the SC connector and the like becomes more accurate. Furthermore, since the number of ports actually used is the same as that of the existing patch panel, the cost can be reduced.

The patch panel installation mechanism according to claim 2 is the patch panel installation mechanism according to claim 1,
The connector panel is attached to the component member via a bracket. The bracket is fixed to the component member of the communication rack, and the connector is fixed in the rack fixing portion. A connector panel mounting portion to which the panel is mounted, and the connector panel mounting portion is configured to be slidable within a predetermined length with respect to the constituent members of the communication rack.

  Therefore, even after the connector panel is attached to the component member via the rack fixing portion of the bracket, the connector panel can move by a predetermined length. The cord with the connector can be inserted and pulled out, and the work of relaying and managing the cord with the SC connector and the like can be performed more easily.

The patch panel installation mechanism according to claim 3 is the patch panel installation mechanism according to claim 2,
The connector panel mounting portion of the bracket is configured by connecting two members via a hinge portion, the connector panel is mounted by one member of the two members, and the slide is at least The one member to which the connector panel is attached and the hinge portion can be extended to a position protruding outward.

  Therefore, the above-mentioned one member can be rotated by sliding the connector panel until the hinge portion protrudes outward, that is, by sliding the connector panel to a position at which one member can rotate. Thereby, the routing direction of the cord with the SC connector or the like can be changed. Accordingly, the plug insertion / removal direction can be changed according to the situation, and the relay and management work of the cord with the SC connector and the like can be performed more easily.

The installation mechanism of the patch panel according to claim 4 is the installation mechanism of the patch panel according to claim 2 or 3,
The connector panel mounting portion of the bracket is provided with a connector panel fixing piece for screwing the connector panel, and the connector panel has a plurality of substantially orthogonal outer walls, A screw hole is formed, and the connector panel is attached to the connector panel mounting portion by fastening the screw hole with a screw at the connector panel fixing piece.

  Therefore, when the connector panel is attached to the connector panel attachment portion, the attachment direction of the connector panel can be changed every 90 degrees by selecting the outer wall in which the screw hole is formed. As a result, the routing direction of the cable with the SC connector connected to the connector can be changed and the plugging / unplugging direction of the plug to / from the connector can be changed. Can be done. In addition, it is possible to easily perform the wire-working operation of the cord with the SC connector or the like because the drawing direction can be changed.

  According to the patch panel installation mechanism of the present invention, it can be mounted not only on the front side of the communication rack, but also on an empty space on the back side, and the connector panel is bridged between the constituent members so that the communication rack can be mounted. It is possible to avoid the occurrence of a state where the inner space is divided. Therefore, more network devices can be mounted on the front side of the communication rack, and the space of the communication rack can be used effectively. In addition, flexibility in the mounting direction of the connector panel can be improved, and the efficiency of work for relaying and managing the communication cable in the communication rack can be improved. Furthermore, since the configuration corresponding to the number of ports actually used is sufficient, the cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional existing patch panel.

It is a schematic perspective view of a connector panel and a bracket according to the installation mechanism of the patch panel of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view showing an example in which a connector panel is fixed to a bracket according to the patch panel installation mechanism of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view showing an example in which a connector panel is fixed to a bracket according to the patch panel installation mechanism of the present invention. It is a schematic perspective view showing an example in which a connector panel is fixed to a bracket according to the patch panel installation mechanism of the present invention. However, the same figure (a) shows the case where a connector panel is slid, and the same figure (b) shows the case where a connector panel is rotated. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the example attached to the rack for communication in connection with the installation mechanism of the patch panel of this invention. However, the conventional patch panel is also shown for reference. It is a schematic perspective view about the patch panel mounted in the conventional communication rack.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a connector panel and a bracket according to the patch panel installation mechanism of the present invention. The patch panel installation mechanism 10 includes a connector panel 12 and a bracket 16, and the connector panel 12 is located at one of the mount angles 34-1 to 34-4 of the communication rack 32 via the bracket 16. (See FIG. 5 described later).

  The connector panel 12 includes a connector mounting portion 14a for inserting and fixing the connector 38, and connector panel fixing portions 14c and 14d, which are outer walls that are continuous with the connector mounting portion 14a and extend substantially orthogonal to the surface. Have. In the present embodiment, the connector mounting portion 14a has a substantially rectangular shape, and four mounting holes 14b are formed along the long side, and the connector 38 is inserted and fixed. Accordingly, the size of the connector mounting portion 14a has a length of approximately 4 to 5 connectors 38 on the long side and a length of approximately 1 to 2 connectors 38 on the short side.

  The connector panel fixing portions 14c and 14d are bent substantially at right angles from one long side and one short side of the connector mounting portion 14a, and project from the connector mounting portion 14a when the connector 38 is inserted into the hole 14b. It extends for the length of each. In the present embodiment, the outer wall extending at a right angle from one long side is a first connector panel fixing portion 14c, and the outer wall extending at a right angle from one short side is a second connector panel fixing portion 14d. It is said. Although the number of mounting holes 14b in the connector mounting portion 14a is four and four connectors 38 can be mounted, this is an example, and the number is not limited to four. For example, as a practically preferable example, the size of the connector mounting portion 14a may be set so that up to about 10 connectors 38 can be mounted.

  The connector mounting portion 14a, the first connector panel fixing portion 14c, and the second connector panel fixing portion 14d of the connector panel 12 are provided with a plurality of screw holes 14e, whereby a connector panel mounting portion of the bracket 16 described later is provided. In the attachment with the 24 connector panel fixing pieces 25, the attachment direction is not limited to one direction.

  The bracket 16 includes a bracket fixing portion 20 that is fixed to the communication rack, and a connector panel attachment portion 24 to which the connector panel 12 is attached. The connector panel mounting portion 24 has a rail mechanism portion 22. The rail mechanism portion 22 is formed so as to project vertically from both longitudinal edges of the base portion 18 of the base portion 18 of the bracket 16 formed in a substantially rectangular shape toward the front side of the base portion 18, and the tip portion is further bent. The cross section has a so-called U-shaped rail portion 24a and a slide portion 24c that moves along the rail portion 24a. In addition, the front side of the base part 18 is a surface on the side where the slide part 24c moves. In addition, the slide portion 24c is connected to the first slide portion 24c-1 and the second slide portion 24c-2 via a hinge portion 28 as will be described later. The direction in which the slide portion 24c moves is indicated by arrows 101 and 102.

  The bracket fixing portion 20 protrudes from one end side in the direction in which the slide portion 24c of the base portion 18 moves, in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the base portion 18 in a direction opposite to the front side of the base portion 18 or the rail portion 24a. It protrudes in the direction opposite to the formed direction. The bracket fixing portion 20 is formed with through holes 20a and 20b through which bolts threadedly engaged with the screw holes 48 formed in the mount angle 34. The size of the bracket fixing portion 20 is such that the bracket 16 is mounted. The size is appropriately determined so that the angle 34 can be easily fixed.

  A slit portion 24d is provided on a surface of the rail portion 24a that is formed so as to protrude vertically toward the front surface side of the base portion 18, and a slide portion fixing screw 24b moves along the movement of the slide portion 24c in the slit portion 24d. Is configured to move. When the slide portion 24c is fixed at a predetermined position, the slide portion fixing screw 24b is tightened so that the slide portion 24c can be fastened to the rail portion 24a.

  At one end in the longitudinal direction of the slide portion 24c, a connector panel fixing piece 25 for screwing the connector panel 12 is formed so as to protrude perpendicular to the moving direction of the slide portion 24c. The connector panel fixing piece 25 and the bracket fixing portion 20 face in the same direction, and protrude in opposite directions with respect to the surface of the base portion 18 of the bracket 16.

  The connector panel fixing piece 25 is provided with two through-holes 25a, and on the back side of the connector panel fixing piece 25, the first connector panel fixing portion 14c, the second connector panel fixing portion 14d of the connector panel 12 or the connector mounting Both surfaces of the part 14a are matched, and the fixing screw 30 is screwed into the screw holes 14e formed on these surfaces, so that both are fixed.

  A rotation mechanism 26 is provided at the approximate center of the slide 24c. The rotation mechanism unit 26 divides a slide part 24c having a size substantially the same as that of the base part 18 into two at a substantially center, and divides the slide part 24c into a first slide part 24c-1 and a second slide part 24c-2. The hinge portion 28 connects them. The two slide parts 24c1 and 24c2 are configured by the hinge part 28 so as to be in the same plane or bend and orthogonal to each other. Details will be described later with reference to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the connector panel 12 is described as being attached to the mount angle of the communication rack via the bracket 16, but the connector panel 12 is directly attached to the mount angle without the bracket 16. May be. In addition, you may attach by affixing with a double-sided tape.

  2 and 3 show various attachment examples when the connector panel 12 is attached to the bracket 16. FIG. 2A shows a state in which the second connector panel fixing portion 14 d of the connector panel 12 is attached to the back side of the connector panel fixing piece 25 of the slide portion 24 c of the bracket 16. FIG. 2B shows a state in which the first connector panel fixing portion 14 c of the connector panel 12 is attached to the back side of the connector panel fixing piece 25 of the slide portion 24 c of the bracket 16.

  FIG. 3A shows a state in which the connector attaching portion 14a of the connector panel 12 is attached to the back side of the repeater fixing 25 of the slide portion 24c of the bracket 16 so that the connectors 38 are vertically arranged. FIG. 3B shows a state in which the connector attachment portion 14a of the connector panel 12 is attached to the back side of the connector panel fixing piece 25 of the slide portion 24c of the bracket 16 so that the connectors 38 are horizontally aligned.

  FIG. 4A shows a state in which the slide portion 24c is moved from the state shown in FIG. 2A and the second slide portion 24c-2 and the hinge portion 28 are protruded outward. The position of the connector panel 12 can be changed by loosening the slide portion fixing screw 24b and moving the slide portion 24c to a predetermined position, and then tightening the slide portion fixing screw 24b. FIG. 4B shows a state where the connector panel 12 is rotated 90 degrees in the direction indicated by the arrow 103 by the rotation mechanism 26 from the state shown in FIG. As described above, the rotation mechanism portion 26 provided in the slide portion 24c can bend the second slide portion 24c-2 by 90 degrees by the hinge portion 28. However, as illustrated, the second slide portion 24c- 2 is configured to be bent only so that the rear surface side of 2 faces the bracket fixing portion 20. The parallel or bent state of the first slide part 24c-1 and the second slide part 24c-2 is configured to be fixed by a lock mechanism.

  By sliding and rotating the connector panel 12 shown in FIG. 4, the cord 40 with the SC connector, which is a communication cable, is pulled out to avoid a crowded situation, and the direction in which the cord 40 with the SC connector is routed can be changed. Since the insertion direction of the plug to be inserted / removed can be changed by 90 degrees, the relay and management work of the cord 40 with the SC connector can be further facilitated. Further, since the drawing direction can be changed also in the wire-shaping work of the cord 40 with the SC connector, it can be easily performed.

  As described above, the connector panel 12 and the bracket 16 can be connected in various states as shown in the figure, and the optimum state in relation to the network device already mounted on the communication rack 32 actually used. Will be chosen. Note that, from any form, the connector panel 12 can be easily changed in other directions.

  FIG. 5A shows an example in which the patch panel installation mechanism of the present invention is mounted on a communication rack. FIG. 5B is a partially enlarged perspective view of FIG. The patch panel installation mechanism 10 is mounted on the front side and the back side of the communication rack 32. The existing patch panel 36 is also shown for reference.

  If the patch panel installation mechanism 10 of the present invention is used, it can be mounted not only on the front side of the communication rack 32 but also on the open space on the back side. Further, the connector panel 12 is not bridged between the mount angles 34-1 and 34-2, and the space in the communication rack 32 is not divided. Therefore, more network devices can be mounted on the front side of the communication rack 32 and the space of the communication rack 32 can be used effectively. In addition, since the connector panel 12 is flexible in the mounting direction, and the connector panel 12 can be slid and rotated, it is possible to avoid the situation in which the cords 40 with SC connectors are crowded, and the predetermined cords 40 with SC connectors are attached. It is possible to change the routing direction. Therefore, the work efficiency of maintenance and management of the cord 40 with SC connector is greatly improved. In addition, since it is possible to configure only the number of ports that are actually used, the cost can be reduced as compared with the conventional patch panel. Further, by using a plurality of patch panel installation mechanisms 10 according to the present invention, it is possible to divide and mount existing patch panels in units of arbitrary ports. Can be performed more efficiently.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the connector mounting portion 14a of the connector panel 12 has a substantially rectangular shape, but may have another shape, for example, a substantially square shape. Moreover, although the number of the connectors 38 attached to the connector attaching part 14a is shown as four, it is not limited to this number. Furthermore, although the SC adapter is illustrated as the connector 38, an LC adapter or an RJ-45 jack may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Patch panel installation mechanism 12 Connector panel 14a Connector mounting part 14b Mounting hole 14c 1st connector panel fixing part 14d 2nd connector panel fixing part 14e Mounting screw hole 16, 42 Bracket 18 Base part 20 Bracket fixing part 22 Rail mechanism part 24 Connector panel mounting portion 24a Rail portion 24b Slide portion fixing screw 24c Slide portion 24c-1 First slide portion 24c-2 Second slide portion 24d Slit portion 25 Connector panel fixing piece 26 Rotating mechanism portion 28 Hinge portion 30 Fixing screw 32 19 Inch rack (communication rack)
34 Mount angle (component)
36 Patch panel 38 Connector 40 Cord with SC connector 44 Body 48 Screw hole

Claims (4)

In a patch panel installation mechanism for attaching a connector panel having a connector to a space between components of a communication rack,
A patch panel installation mechanism, wherein the connector panel is attached to one of the components at one location. The attachment of the connector panel to the component member is performed via a bracket,
The bracket has a rack fixing portion fixed to a component of the communication rack, and a connector panel mounting portion to which the connector panel is attached in a fixed state at the rack fixing portion,
The patch panel installation mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the connector panel mounting portion is configured to be slidable within a predetermined length with respect to a component of the communication rack. The connector panel mounting portion of the bracket is configured by connecting two members via a hinge portion,
The attachment of the connector panel is performed by one member of the two members,
3. The patch panel installation mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the sliding is enabled at least to a position where the one member to which the connector panel is attached and the hinge portion protrude outward. 4. The connector panel mounting portion of the bracket is provided with a connector panel fixing piece for screwing the connector panel,
The connector panel has a plurality of outer walls substantially orthogonal to each other, each of the outer walls is formed with a screw hole,
4. The patch panel installation mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the connector panel is attached to the connector panel attachment portion by fastening with screws in the screw holes and the connector panel fixing pieces. 5.

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