JP2949546B2 - Wiring connection device and wiring connection method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a wiring connection device and a wiring connection method for connecting various networks to various terminal devices. Many terminal devices such as telephones, facsimile machines, personal computers (personal computers), etc. are installed, and a wiring connection device is used to connect a private branch exchange or a local area network. There is a demand for facilitating the wiring connection work in such a wiring connection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In an intelligent building or the like for facilitating office automation (OA),
There is known a configuration in which various wirings are laid under the floor in advance, and a power supply line and a signal line of various terminal devices are plugged into an outlet on the floor or the like, whereby connection with a private branch exchange or connection with a host computer is possible. . In such a configuration, a wiring connection device for connecting various networks such as a private branch exchange and a local area network to underfloor wiring and the like is provided.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a conventional example, and shows an outline of the above-described conventional wiring connection apparatus.
The one connector 55 and the connector 56 of the output-side patch panel 52 are connected by a patch cable 53 composed of a plurality of signal lines such as six-core. In this case, a modular jack is generally used. Although the patch cable 53 is shown as having the shortest distance, it is actually selected to have a length such that it can be easily inserted into and removed from the connectors 55 and 56.

A private branch exchange (PBX) 57 and a local area network (LA) are
N) 58 and other networks are connected by, for example, twisted pair wires, and terminals such as telephones 59 and 60, a facsimile machine (FAX) 61, and personal computers (PCs) 62, 63 and 64 are connected to the output patch panel 52. The devices are connected by, for example, twisted pair wires, and the wiring connection device and each terminal device are connected by a wire such as a twisted pair laid under the floor in advance.

For example, in order to change the arrangement positions of the telephones 59 and 60 and not to change their telephone numbers, the connection of the patch cable 53 is changed, and the position of the subscriber in the private branch exchange 57 is changed. , The telephones 59 and 60 are in the state before the rearrangement. This makes it possible to take measures without updating the subscriber accommodation position information of the private branch exchange 57 by an expert.

[0006]

The connection state between the input side patch panel 51 and the output side patch panel 52 of the conventional wiring connection device is determined by the numbers of the connectors 55 and 56, the terminal device name, the telephone number, and the like. Is managed by a management ledger or the like corresponding to. Therefore, the telephone 59,
For the movement of 60, the telephones 59 and 60 are displayed on the management ledger.
Is checked, and the corresponding patch cable 53 is replaced.

For this reason, it is necessary to find a connector to be connected or a connector to be replaced from a large number of connectors, and there is a disadvantage that the work such as connection replacement becomes complicated.
In addition, there is a disadvantage that there is a high possibility that a work error occurs in the connection change. Furthermore, if the management ledger is not corrected after the connection is changed, there is a disadvantage that the connection state cannot be checked thereafter. Also, similar to the case of connection by the patch cable 53, the patch cable 53
There is also a high possibility that a mistake will occur when deleting a. The present invention facilitates the work of connection or deletion,
It is another object of the present invention to check the result.

[0008]

The wiring connection device and the wiring connection method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1, an input side patch panel 1 connected to various networks and various terminal devices are connected. An output-side patch panel 2, a patch cable 3 including a plurality of signal lines and at least one connection confirmation line, and a management control unit 4 for managing a connection state of the patch cable 3;
The output side patch panel 2 includes connectors 5 and 6 for connecting with the patch cable 3 and the connectors 5 and 6.
The control and control unit 4 has indicators 7 and 8 such as corresponding lamps and light-emitting diodes, and the position or patch cable 3 connected by the patch cable 3 between the input-side patch panel 1 and the output-side patch panel 2. Of the display corresponding to the connector at the position where is to be deleted, and the connection completion or deletion completion is confirmed via the connection confirmation line of the patch cable 3.

An input-side patch panel 1 having a plurality of connectors 5 and a display 7 corresponding to the connector 5, an output-side patch panel 2 having a plurality of connectors 6 and a display 8 corresponding to the connector 6, In a wiring connection device including a patch cable 3 including a signal line and at least one connection confirmation line, and a management control unit 4 for managing a connection state of the patch cable 3, an input side patch panel 1 and an output side When the patch panel 3 is connected to the patch panel 2 or the patch cable 3 is deleted, the management control unit 4
Are indicators 7, 8 at positions according to the connection information or the deletion information.
Is turned on or off, and the patch cable 3 is connected or deleted by the patch cable 3 between the connectors 5 and 6 corresponding to the indicators 7 and 8 that have been turned on or off. Then, the connection or deletion between the designated positions is confirmed via the connection confirmation line of the patch cable 3, and the process proceeds to the next processing.

[0010]

[Operation] Input patch panel 1 and output patch panel 2
Is connected by a patch cable 3 to connect a private branch exchange to a terminal device such as a telephone,
Also, a connection can be made between a local area network and a personal computer. In this case, indicators 7 and 8 such as lamps and light-emitting diodes are provided for the connectors 5 and 6, and a management control unit 4 is provided. The lighting devices 7 and 8 are turned on or off. Therefore, it is only necessary to connect the positions of the indicators 7 and 8 that are lit or blinking, for example, the connectors 5 and 6 at the positions indicated by black circles in FIG. To delete the patch cable 3,
What is necessary is to remove the patch cable 3 from the connectors 5 and 6 at the positions of the indicators 7 and 8 that are lit or blinking. Further, since the patch cable 3 includes a connection confirmation line, after connecting the patch cable 3, the management control unit 4 confirms whether or not the designated positions are connected via the connection confirmation line. When the patch cable 3 is deleted, the connection confirmation line is cut off, so that it can be confirmed.

When connecting between the input-side patch panel 1 and the output-side patch panel 2 by the patch cable 3, the management control unit 4 turns on the indicators 7, 8 of the connection position according to the input connection information. Or, control the blinking. The patch cables 3 connect the connectors 5 and 6 corresponding to the indicators 7 and 8 that are controlled to be turned on or off. When this connection is completed, the connection between the connectors 5 and 6 at the designated position is also made by the connection confirmation line of the patch cable 3. Check if is connected. When it is determined that the connection is completed, it is determined whether or not there is the next connection information,
If there is the next connection information, the display devices 7 and 8 of the connection position are controlled according to the connection information. In the case of the deletion, the indicators 7, 8 at the positions according to the deletion information are controlled, and the connection confirmation line is also removed, so that the completion of the removal can be determined.

[0012]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of the present invention.
A case is shown in which a plurality of input-side patch panels 1 and a plurality of output-side patch panels 2 are mounted on a rack 10, respectively, and the management control unit 4 is mounted on the lowermost stage of the rack 10. Reference numerals 5 and 6 denote connectors for inserting modular jacks or the like at both ends of the patch cable 3, reference numerals 7 and 8 denote indicators such as lamps and light-emitting diodes, and reference numeral 9 denotes a patch panel address setting section. For example, when a 6-core cable is used, the patch cable 3 can be composed of four signal lines, one connection confirmation line, and one idle line. In the case of a telephone, two of the four signal lines are used. Also patch cable 3
Indicates a case where the shortest distance is set, but in practice, the cable length has a margin that allows easy insertion and removal with respect to the connectors 5 and 6.

B1 is a local area network (L)
AN) or a cable connected to a hub, B2 indicates a cable connected to a private branch exchange (PBX) or the like, B3 indicates a part of a cable connected to various terminal devices such as a telephone or a personal computer. In, cable B
The signal lines 1 and 2 and the connector 5 are connected by connecting lines (not shown).
The signal line of the cable B3 and the connector 6 are connected by a connection line not shown. In addition, each cable B1 to B3
Are led out through cable ducts (not shown) on both sides of the rack 10 and the like. The input-side patch panel 1 shows two types of configurations, one for connecting a local area network or a hub and the other for connecting a private branch exchange. The output-side patch panel 2 is used for various terminal devices. Here, the same configuration is shown. The number of patch panels to be mounted in the rack 10 can be selected according to the number of lines. When a plurality of patch panels are mounted as shown in the figure, the setting unit 9 sets an address corresponding to the patch panel. Will be.

FDD is a floppy drive unit for inserting a floppy, SW1 is a new / additional switch which is depressed when wiring connection is newly performed by the patch cable 3, or when wiring connection is newly added, and SW2 is for connection change. In this case, the delete switch is pressed when the patch cable 3 is deleted in advance, SW3 is a work start switch that is pressed when the wiring connection work is resumed after interrupting the wiring connection work, and SW4 is when the wiring connection work is completed. Alternatively, an end / stop switch that is pressed when temporarily interrupting, SW5 is a reset switch that is pressed when an alarm is generated, etc.
SW is a power switch, BZ is a buzzer, L1 to L5 are indicators corresponding to each switch such as a lamp or a light emitting diode, etc., L1 is a new / additional indicator, L2 is a deletion indicator, L3
Is an operation start indicator, L4 is an end / interruption indicator, and L5 is an alarm indicator.

When the connection between the input-side patch panel 1 and the output-side patch panel 2 by the patch cable 3 is completed, the power can be turned off by the power switch PSW of the management control unit 4. When newly connecting or deleting, the power switch PSW is turned on, and the connection information or the deletion information is inserted into the floppy drive unit FDD, for example, by inserting the floppy disk created and written by another personal computer into the connection information. Alternatively, the deletion information is read, and control is performed according to the connection information or the deletion information.
For example, as indicated by black circles, the display units 7 and 8 are controlled to be turned on or off to indicate a connection position or a deletion position. In the case of the connection change, after the operation of once removing the patch cable 3 is performed, the operation of additionally connecting the patch cable 3 is performed.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an embodiment of the present invention. The input side patch panel 1 includes a private branch exchange (PBX) 11 and
One type of configuration is shown for a hub (HUB) 12 connected to a local area network (LAN) 13, and a telephone 14, a facsimile machine (FAX) 15, and a personal computer 16- 18 and the like are shown.

When the input side patch panel 1 and the output side patch panel 2 are connected by a patch cable 3 shown by a solid line, when a personal computer 18 is additionally installed,
Connection information for connecting the connectors 5a and 6a is input to the management control unit 4 by a floppy disk or the like. The management control unit 4 operates the display 7 corresponding to the connectors 5a and 6a according to the connection information.
a and 8a are controlled to blink, for example. Therefore, even if a large number of connectors 5 and 6 are arranged, the positions to be connected can be easily and reliably identified. Therefore, it is possible to connect the connectors 5a and 6a as indicated by dotted lines using the patch cable 3a. it can.

The management control unit 4 includes a connection position indicator 7a,
8a is controlled to blink, and the connector 5 at the connection position is controlled.
It is monitored whether or not the connection between the connectors 5a and 6a by the connection confirmation line is between the designated positions.
After shifting the blinking control of 8a to lighting control, the process proceeds to the next process. For example, the presence / absence of connection information is determined, and if there is no next connection information, the work of wiring connection is terminated. If there is next connection information, the displays 7 and 8 are controlled according to the connection information. Will be.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main part of an embodiment of the present invention. The connectors 5-1 to 5-n of the input side patch panel 1 are shown in FIG.
And a wiring connection device in which the connectors 6-1 to 6-n of the output-side patch panel 2 are connected by patch cables 3-1 to 3-n. The case where there are one signal line S and one connection confirmation line G is shown. The signal lines S of the connectors 5-1 to 5-n are connected to various networks such as private branch exchanges, and the signal lines S of the connectors 6-1 to 6-n are connected to various terminal devices such as telephones and personal computers. .

Reference numerals 21 and 22 denote address decoders for decoding an address signal from the management control unit 4 to set a designated output line to a low level and to set other output lines to a high level, 23 to a comparison circuit, and 24 to a management circuit. The processor (CPU) of the control unit 4, 25 is a memory (MEM) including a floppy or random access memory, etc., SW1 to SW5 are various switches provided on the front of the management control unit 4 in FIG.
1 to L1n are connectors 5-1 to 5-1 of the input side patch panel 1.
Indicators using light emitting diodes corresponding to 5-n, L21 to L21
2n denotes connectors 6-1 to 6-n of the output side patch panel 2.
This is a display using a corresponding light emitting diode.

When the connection information is input to the management control unit 4 by a floppy or the like and written into the memory 25, and the new / additional switch SW1 is pressed, the processor 24 of the management control unit 4 reads the connection information from the memory 25 and reads the connection information. Is added to the address decoder 21 of the input-side patch panel 1 and the address decoder 22 of the output-side patch panel 2. For example, in the case of connection information for connecting between the connector 5-1 of the input-side patch panel 1 and the connector 6-2 of the output-side patch panel 2, the display L11 is constituted by the low-level output of the address decoder 21. The light emitting diode emits light when a forward voltage is applied thereto. Similarly, the low voltage output of the address decoder 22 applies a forward voltage to the light emitting diode constituting the display L22 to emit light. In this case, it can be configured to perform blinking control at a predetermined cycle according to a control signal from the management control unit 4.

Therefore, a patch cable 3- is connected between the connectors 5-1 and 6-2 corresponding to the light-emitting indicators L11 and L22.
1, the connectors 5-1 and 6 are connected.
The signal line S-2 is connected via the signal line S of the patch cable 3-1. The signal line S between the decode output line of the address decoder 21 for the display L11 and the input line of the comparison circuit 23 is connected.
The connection is made via the connection confirmation line G.

When this connection operation is completed, the comparison circuit 23
, A decode output signal (“0111... 1”) of low level only to the display L11 from the address decoder 21 and high level for the others is input via the connection confirmation line G of each patch cable 3. And address decoder 2
2 is a low-level decode output signal for only the display L22 from the other, and a high-level decode output signal (“1011...
1) is input. At this time, the patch cable 3-1 is used to connect between the designated positions.
The low-level position of the decode output signal is changed via the one connection confirmation line G. That is, the comparison circuit 23
Are output as “1011... 1”, and the address decoder 2
2 is the same as the decoded output signal. Therefore, the match detection signal is applied from the comparison circuit 23 to the management control unit 4. In this case, for the unconnected connector, the decode output signal can be regarded as high level (not specified).

In the new / additional mode, the management control unit 4 monitors the coincidence detection signal from the comparison circuit 23, and when this coincidence detection signal is added, determines that the specified positions are connected by the patch cable 3. Then, for example, buzzer BZ
When the connection position is displayed by sounding (see Fig. 1) and blinking control of the display unit, switch to lighting control and display that the specified wiring connection has been made by sound and light. Then, after a predetermined time of about several seconds, the processing shifts to the next processing. In this case, the presence or absence of the next connection information is determined, and if there is the next connection information, an address signal indicating a position according to the connection information is added to the address decoders 21 and 22. Therefore, it is possible to support the wiring connection by the patch cable 3 with a relatively simple configuration, and it is possible to confirm the connection as to whether or not the result of the wiring connection work is correct.

When the deletion information is input to the management control unit 4 and written into the memory 25, and the deletion switch SW2 is pressed, the management control unit 4 outputs an address signal according to the deletion information read from the memory 25 to the address decoder 21, 22, for example, when the patch cable 3-1 is deleted, the indicators L11 and L22 are controlled to light or blink. In this case, until the patch cable 3-1 is deleted, the match detection signal is input from the comparison circuit 23 to the management control unit 4, and the management control unit 4 is in the deletion mode. Will be monitored to see if it is gone.

Indicators L11 and L controlled to be turned on or off
When the patch cable 3-1 is disconnected from the connectors 5-1 and 6-2 corresponding to the P.22, the comparison circuit 2 is connected via the connection confirmation line G.
3, the low-level decoded output signal input to the comparator circuit 23 disappears, and the all-high-level signal is
Is input to Accordingly, there is no match detection signal from the comparison circuit 23. Thereby, the management control unit 4 can confirm that the patch cable 3-1 at the specified position has been deleted.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the input-side patch panel 1 is provided with an address decoder 21, which is connected to the management controller 4 by an address signal line, and the output-side patch panel 2 is provided with an address decoder 22 and a comparison circuit. 23 and
Although the case where the connection is made by the address signal line and the coincidence detection signal line is shown, a configuration in which the comparison circuit 23 is provided on the input side patch panel 1 is also possible.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the embodiment of the present invention, in which a new / add switch SW1 and a delete switch SW2 are provided.
The case where either of the above is pressed is shown. First, it is determined whether the pressed switch is the new / additional switch SW1 (a), and if the new / additional switch SW1 is not pressed, it is determined whether it is the deletion switch SW2 (h). .

When it is determined that the new / additional switch SW1 has been pressed, the blinking of the LED (light emitting diode) at the location according to the connection information is performed (b). As described with reference to FIG. 3, an address signal indicating the connection position is transmitted from the management control unit 4, and the display is controlled to blink based on the decoding result of the address signal. In this case, for example,
The management control unit 4 applies a blinking instruction signal and a clock signal to the address decoders 21 and 22, and outputs a low-level decode output signal alternately between a high level and a low level at a predetermined cycle synchronized with the clock signal. When there is no flashing instruction signal, a configuration may be employed in which a low-level decode output signal is continuously output. Such a control configuration can use a known flashing display configuration or the like.

Next, the blinking portions of the LEDs are connected by a patch cable (c). For example, in FIG. 3, the display L is controlled by the decode output signals of the address decoders 21 and 22.
1n and L2n are controlled to blink, this display L1n,
The connectors 5-n and 6-n specified by L2n are connected by the patch cable 3-n.

Next, the management control unit 4 determines whether or not the end / interrupt switch SW4 has been pressed (d). When the end / interrupt switch SW4 has been pressed, the operation is terminated. Confirm connection (e). This connection confirmation is performed via the above-described connection confirmation line G of the patch cable 3-n. In FIG. 3, since the low-level signal positions input to the comparison circuit 23 are the same, , The match detection signal is applied to the management control unit 4 to check the connection.

When the connection is confirmed, the buzzer BZ (FIG. 1)
(See FIG. 7), and the blinking of the LED is switched to continuous lighting, and then the process proceeds to the next connection point (f). That is, the buzzer BZ
Is sounded to enable the recognition of the connection completion by hearing, and the transition from blinking display to continuous lighting enables visual recognition of the connection completion.

Next, the management control unit 4 determines the presence or absence of the next connection information (g). If there is no next connection information, the process ends. If there is the next connection information, the process proceeds to step (b). . The duration of the buzzer BZ sound and LED lighting is
A few seconds are usually sufficient so that it is possible to check whether the correct connection has been made and to prepare for the transition to the next connection operation.

If the delete switch SW2 is pressed by inputting the delete information by a floppy or the like, it is determined in step (h) that the delete switch SW2 has been pressed. Perform (i).
Next, the patch cable 3 between the blinking portions of the LED is removed (j). For example, when the patch cable 3-1 in FIG. 3 is deleted, the blinking control of the indicators L11 and L22 is performed. Thus, the patch cable 3-1 is detached from the connectors 5-1 and 6-1. Then finish /
It is determined whether or not the interruption switch SW4 is pressed (k),
When the end / interrupt switch SW4 is pressed, the process is terminated, and when it is not pressed, the deletion is confirmed (l). This deletion confirmation is performed via the connection confirmation line G of the patch cable 3. In FIG. 3, the deletion confirmation is performed by detecting a state where the match detection signal is no longer output from the comparison circuit 23. It can be carried out.

When the management control unit 4 confirms the deletion,
After the buzzer BZ is sounded and the blinking of the LED is switched to continuous lighting, the process proceeds to the next deletion location (m). By moving to the next deletion location, the presence or absence of the next deletion information is determined (n), and if there is the next deletion information, the process proceeds to step (i). I do.

As described above, the display of the connection position or the deletion position blinks or lights in accordance with the connection information or the deletion information, so that the position of the connector 5 of the input-side patch panel 1 and the connector 6 of the output-side patch panel 2 are changed. Is designated, the connection by the patch cable 3 or the deletion of the patch cable can be easily performed without referring to the management ledger or the like.

As described above, since the connection confirmation and deletion confirmation between the input patch panel 1 and the output patch panel 2 can be performed using the connection confirmation line G of the patch cable 3, the management control The connection state information can be collected in the unit 4. It is also possible to collate the given connection information with the actual connection state and point out an error.

For example, in FIG. 3, the address signal of the input side patch panel 1 applied to the address decoder 21 from the management control unit 4 is fixed, and the address signal of the output side patch panel 2 applied to the address decoder 22 is sequentially increased. do it,
By storing the address signal when the match detection signal is obtained from the comparison circuit 23 for all the addresses of the input side patch panel 1 and all the addresses of the output side patch panel 2, the input side patch Connection state information can be obtained based on the correspondence between the addresses of the panel 1 and the output side patch panel 2.

As described above, since the connection state information can be obtained, it is possible to check whether or not the wiring connection is performed as set by checking the connection information input from a floppy disk or the like. In this case, in the process of obtaining the connection state information, it is compared with the input connection information, and when a portion where the wiring connection is not performed according to the input connection information is detected, the alarm display L5 (see FIG. 1) is displayed. It can be turned on and the lighting of the indicators 7 and 8 at that location can be controlled.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, the indicators 7 and 8 such as lamps and light emitting diodes (LEDs) are provided for the connectors 5 and 6 of the input side patch panel 1 and the output side patch panel 2 respectively. Also, a connection confirmation line is provided on the patch cable 3 connecting the connectors 5 and 6, and the management control unit 4 controls the indicators 7 and 8 at the connection or deletion locations by controlling the lighting or blinking of the indicators, and in accordance with the instructions. The patch is connected or disconnected, and the result is checked by the management control unit 4 via the connection confirmation line of the patch cable 3. Even if the user is not a specialist, the connection or deletion is automatically performed. Since the display is indicated by the indicators 7 and 8, there is an advantage that connection or deletion can be easily performed, and erroneous connection can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a main block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Input side patch panel 2 Output side patch panel 3 Patch cable 4 Management control unit 5, 6 Connector 7, 8 Display

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Shuichi Shibasaki 1-17-3 Sakado, Takatsu-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture Inside Fuji Denso Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-6-252923 (JP, A) Hei 6-76878 (JP, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁶ , DB name) G06F 19/00 H01R 11/01 H04L 12/28 H04M 3/00

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. An input-side patch panel (1) for connecting to various networks, an output-side patch panel (2) for connecting to a terminal device, a plurality of signal lines and at least one
A patch cable (3) comprising a plurality of connection confirmation lines; and a management controller (4) for managing a connection state of the patch cable (3), wherein the input-side patch panel (1) and the output-side patch panel are provided. (2) has connectors (5) and (6) for connection with the patch cable (3), and displays (7) and (8) corresponding to the connectors (5) and (6). The management control unit (4) deletes a position connected by the patch cable (3) or the patch cable (3) between the input-side patch panel (1) and the output-side patch panel (2). A wiring connection device having a configuration for controlling the indicators (7) and (8) corresponding to the position connector and confirming the end of connection or the end of deletion via the connection confirmation line of the patch cable (3). . 2. An input-side patch panel (1) having a plurality of connectors (5) and an indicator (7) corresponding to the connectors (5), a plurality of connectors (6) and the connectors (6).
An output-side patch panel (2) having a corresponding display (8), a patch cable (3) including a plurality of signal lines and at least one connection confirmation line, and a connection state of the patch cable (3). In the wiring connection device provided with a management control unit (4) for managing, the input patch panel (1) and the output patch panel (2) are connected or connected by the patch cable (3). When deleting the patch cable (3), the management control unit (4) controls lighting or blinking of the indicators (7) and (8) at positions according to the connection information or the deletion information. Removing the patch cable (3) connected or connected by the patch cable (3) between the connectors (5) and (6) corresponding to the controlled indicators (7) and (8); Part (4) is the patch Buru (3) of the check the connection or deletion between specified position via the connection confirmation line, wiring connection method characterized by shifts to the next processing.