MXPA96006456A - Electron interconnection assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electrical interconnection assembly that finds utility in a partition wall system of spaces, said electrical interconnection assembly being adapted to be mounted on a guide in the wall panels of said system. The electrical interconnection assembly comprises a junction block for receiving electrical receptacles, a power cable connected between the junction block and a power source, an electrical cable assembly having an end connected to the junction block, and a junction connector. end connected mechanically and electrically to another end of the electrical cable assembly

Description

ELECTRICAL INTERCONNECTION ASSEMBLY Background of the Invention Field of the Invention The invention relates to electrical interconnection systems and more particularly to such systems for use in distributing electric power to modular wall panels or the like. Prior Art Known interior wall systems typically employ pre-fabricated modular units that are joined together in various configurations to divide a work space into smaller offices or work areas. Generally, such modular wall panels are equipped with guides, for example along a lower edge of the modular panels, to house electrical wiring and junction blocks in order to provide electrical contacts and electrical power connections to adjacent panels. The electrical cable assemblies typically include a flexible conduit that houses a plurality of electrical cables. Rigid end connectors are mechanically attached to the flexible conduit and electrically connected to the wires to join the wires to a joint block. The modular panels of a space divider system can be configured such that adjacent panels are in a straight line or in various angular positions with respect to each other. It is common to set up intersecting walls in such a way that three or four modular wall panels intersect at right angles. Each of the panels typically requires electrical contacts, and may require contacts on both sides of the panels. In any case, electrical power must be provided to all panels and often only one of the panels in the multiple panel junction is connected to a source of electrical power. Some modular wall panels and their associated guides are narrow in cross section. These narrow wall panels are typically joined together in a particular configuration such that an angle is formed between any two adjacent wall panels. In this case, it becomes very difficult, if not impossible, to feed an electrical cable assembly between the adjacent wall panels, due to the size of the rigid end connectors of the cable assemblies. An example of a prior art system is shown in U.S. Patent No. 5,096,434, issued to Byrne, whose subject matter is incorporated herein by reference, and includes an interconnection system in each wall panel comprising a electrical junction block having four receptacle connectors formed integrally to receive electrical contact receptacles and a pair of rigid end connectors electrically connected to the junction block for connection to similar end connectors of adjacent panels. However, even when this system is installed in narrow wall or thin line panels, the length of the rigid end connectors does not allow the cable assemblies to fit around the corners created by two adjacent wall panels. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION These and other problems with the prior art are overcome by means of an interconnection system comprising an electrical interconnection assembly for each panel that includes an electrical junction block having a plurality of receptacle connectors integral thereto. to interchangeably receive electrical contact receptacles and power cable assemblies. A power cable is arranged between joining blocks of adjacent panels in order to supply power to the connecting blocks and / or to any cables or contact receptacles attached thereto. The electrical cable assemblies include a flexible conduit that houses a plurality of electrical wires. Pivot end connectors are mechanically attached to the flexible conduit and electrically connected to the wires to join the wires to a joint block. According to another aspect of the invention, an end connector is pivotal at a point separate from the intersection of the end connector and the conduit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS An illustrative embodiment of the invention is described in the following detailed description, with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of four wall panels, illustrating interconnection assemblies. of wall panel according to the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of one of the joint block assemblies of an electrical interconnection assembly of Figure 1; Figure 3 is an enlarged side view of a receptacle block forming part of the joint block assembly of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a top plan view of a pivotal cable assembly according to the present invention; Figure 5 is an exploded orthographic view of the pivotal cable assembly of Figure 4; Figure 6 is an orthographic view of the assembled components of Figure 4; Figure 7 is a top plan view of the pivotal cable assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 is an exploded orthographic view of the pivotal cable assembly of Figure 7; and Figure 9 is an orthographic view of the assembled components of Figure 8. Detailed Description Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of the four wall panel guide areas illustrating the connections of the interconnect assemblies of the invention in a configuration in which the four panels are arranged at right angles to each other. As will be evident from the following description, the specific angle at which the panels are placed is not particularly significant. Further, the invention is equally applicable to any number of panels configured at various angles. Figure 1 shows the guide portions 12, 14, 16 and 18 of a four panel configuration 10 where the panels are arranged at right angles to each other. Each of the four panels is provided with an interconnect assembly 19, comprising one or more junction blocks 22 and energy cable assemblies 20A-20F interconnecting the junction blocks 22. A junction block 22 is disposed within each panel guide, such that opposite sides of the joint block can be exposed outside the guide through guide openings. Each connecting block has a pair of recesses 32 for mounting one or more electrical contact receptacle blocks 100 (Figures 2 and 3). The receptacle blocks 100 provide power to electrical equipment (not shown) located in proximity to the panels. Each junction block 22 includes a pair of female connector blocks 34 at one end and a pair of female connector blocks 34A at another end, as illustrated in Figure 2. Each pair of female connector blocks 34, 34A can be interconnected independently to one another. or more power cable assemblies 20A-20F, and each is provided with two columns 38, 40 of a plurality of female connector terminals for connection to the male connector terminals of the power cable assemblies. Column 38 is electrically connected to column 40 in a similar manner, as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,096,434. As shown in Figure 1, a power cable 21 connects the junction block 22A to an external power source. The power cable assembly 20A electrically interconnects the junction blocks 22A and 22B; the power cable assembly 20B electrically interconnects the connecting blocks 22B and 22C; and the power cable assembly 20C electrically interconnects the junction blocks 22C and 22D. In this way, the power cable 21 can only provide power to all the junction blocks through power cable assemblies located in the wall panel configuration 10. The 20D-20G power cable assemblies are provided for the Electrical connection of additional union blogs (not shown), which can be part of the configuration of four panels or other panels. Additional details relating to the interconnection blog 19 are illustrated in the amplified orthographic view, as shown in Fig. 2. A linking blog 22 has a lower wall 26, an upper wall 28, and a middle wall 30, which form an area open space 32 on each side of the junction block 22 (only one side is illustrated in Figure 2). In addition, block 22 includes a pair of female connector blocks 34 that extend outward from a first end 35 of joint block 22, and a second pair of female connector blocks 34A extending outwardly from a second end 35A of the joint block 22. A pair of female connector blocks 34 can be electrically connected to the other pair of female connector blocks 34A of the joint block 22, through internal wiring (not shown) in the joint block. A female receptacle connector 88 is located within each half of the joint block 22 within the open spatial area 32. Electrical contact receptacle blocks 100 (Figures 2 and 3) are adapted to link the female receptacle connectors 88. Of this In this manner, one of the connecting blocks 22 is adapted to support, if desired, two electrical contact receptacle blocks 100, one on each side of the joint block 22. As an additional reference to Figure 2, the pairs of blocks female connectors 34, 34A are each provided with a pair of side flanges 90 having upper and lower recessed areas 91, for attachment with flanges 125 of a male connector 120 that is part of the set of power cables 20. Tabs 90 are made of resilient plastic material and formed integrally to the housing to which they are connected and provided with an inclined end surface, which extends outwards 92. When the end surfaces 92 of the side flanges 90 are linked by flanges 125 of the male connector 120, the side flanges 90 will be biased inwardly, allowing the flanges 125 to link the recessed areas 91 to provide a mechanical closing linkage of the male connectors and female. The pairs of female connector blocks 34, 34A are each provided with two columns 38, 40 of a plurality of female connector terminals 94 and a wedge nipple 95. The male connector portion 120 of the cable assembly 20 is provided with a plurality of male connector terminal spaces 122 for receiving the male connector terminals 122A, and a wedge opening 124 for receiving the wedge nipple 95. In order to releasably secure the union block 22 to the panel guides 12, 14, 16 and 18, a mounting system includes a pair of L-shaped mounting nipples 75, 76 and interlock latch members 78, 80 are integrally mounted in or molded to the top of the wall upper 28. The joint block 22 can also be provided with connecting nipples 82, 84 to secure pre-formed halves of the joint block 22 together along a seam line 86, as further illustrated in the figure 2. This mounting system is similar to U.S. Patent No. 4,993,576, which is incorporated herein by reference. It should be noted that the two halves of the joint block 22, as defined by the seam line 86, are identical, and therefore a description with respect to one half of the joint block also refers to the other half. Turning now to FIGS. 2 and 3, there is shown an electrical contact receptacle block 100 for connection to the female receptacles 88 of the junction block 22. The receptacle block 100 includes a first open end 101 and a second open end 102. The first and second open ends 101, 102 include a plurality of terminal spaces 103 for receiving male terminals 103A for connection to a plurality of female terminals (not shown) located in the female receptacle connectors 88 in the joint block 22. A top receptacle portion 104 includes one or more receptacles 105 for receiving receptacle pins (not shown) of electrically operated equipment. An upper wall 106 and a bottom wall 107 are spaced so as to provide a loose fit between the top wall 28 and the bottom wall 26 of the joint block. The receptacle 100 is provided with a spring latch 108 disposed in the recess 110 in the bottom surface 107 of the receptacle 100. The bottom wall 107 links the bottom wall 26 when the receptacle 100 is installed in the joint block. The closing flange 31 on the lower wall 26 will be aligned with the recess 110 when the receptacle 100 is inserted between the upper and lower walls 28, 26, causing the spring latch 108 to be depressed. The receptacle 100 can then be moved further. either to the left or to the right (depending on which side of the junction block the receptacle 100 is installed) to link one of the open ends 101, 102, such that the male terminals 103A link female terminals (not shown) within the receptacle 88. Recesses 112 are provided in the receptacle 100 to accommodate the closure flange 31 in the bottom wall 26. Movement to the left or right by a sufficient distance will cause the spring latch 108 to be moved beyond the flange. of closure 31, causing the spring latch 108 to return to its extended position. Therefore, the receptacle 100 will be retained in a closed position. The receptacle 100 can be removed by depressing the spring latch 108 and sliding the receptacle 100 to the left or right to align the closure flange 31 with the recess 110. The female receptacle connector 88 and the columns 38, 40 of the female connector terminals 94 may each be provided with eight separate terminals for the reception of eight separate electrical cables (FIGS. 5, 8) of a set of power cables 20. As an example, these may include two wires ground terminals, three neutral wires and three positive wires, representing three separate circuits, with a shared ground for two of the circuits. Similarly, 10 or 12 wire systems can be easily accommodated, having corresponding numbers of terminals in each of the connectors and providing a greater number of separate circuits. Some of the separate circuits may be dedicated circuits having protection against shock waves, battery backup, etc., for computers or other electrically sensitive equipment. Referring again to Figure 1, depending on the type of panel configuration used, a set of power cables, for example set 20C, is pulled from an opening 25 in a guide to an opening 27 in an adjacent guide typically by a serpent 23 or by any other well-known means. When the assembly 20C includes a typical rigid male connector, it is extremely difficult to feed the connector portion around the corner created by the intersection of two wall panels, since a longitudinal dimension of the connecting portion is greater than the length of the diagonal defined between the points 29, 29A of the intersecting panels. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, and referring to Figures 1 and 4-6, a set of power cables 20 includes a conduit 114 attached to the pivotal male connector 120. The conduit 112 is preferably a flexible conduit that it can be bent to accommodate a connection to adjacent panels that are arranged at angular positions to each other, as well as in a straight line as shown in Figure 1. The pivotal male connector 120 is attached to a joint block 22 or other assembly of cables having a male mating connector (not shown). By feeding the pivotal male connector 120 from one guide to another in two adjacent wall panels, and as the male connector 120 (showing phantom line) approaches the corner at the intersection of the two wall panels, a portion of the male connector will pivot to accommodate the corner, thus effectively shortening the length of the male connector. The male connector 120 includes a male connector module 140 for housing male connector terminals 122A (FIG. 2) connected to electrical cables 142 and for supporting the flanges 125, as described above. A pair of nipples 144 is located on each side of the connector module 140, distally of the flanges 125. A first connector housing half 146 is identical to a second connector housing half 148. The housing halves 146 and 148 include, each , an upper flange 150 and a lower flange 152. A plurality of holes 155 are located in each housing half, such that when aligning the housing halves, the holes are also aligned to secure together the housing halves by suitable fasteners, such as rivets, nut and bolt assemblies, etc. The upper flange 150 of each housing half includes a semi-cylindrical opening 154 for attaching a pin 160 attached to a collar 159 at the end of the conduit 114, while the lower flange 152 of each housing half includes a semi-cylindrical opening 156. for attaching a pin 161 attached to the collar 159. A pair of nipple openings 158 are provided in each housing half to accommodate the nipples 144 located on each side of the connector module 140. The collar 159 is attached at one end of the conduit 114 and includes upper and lower pins 160, 161 integrally molded or otherwise bonded thereto. The collar 159 includes an opening (not shown) that receives wires 142 when the connector 120 is assembled. The upper and lower flanges 150, 152 define a pipette-shaped opening 153 for directing the wires 142 to the conduit 114. In assembly, the nipples 144 of the module 140 are aligned with openings 158, while the pins 160 and 161 of the collar 159 are aligned with openings 154 and 156, respectively, of the two housing halves 146 and 148. The housing halves are then secured in shape joint with suitable fasteners through holes 155 in the pivotal assembly, as shown in Figure 6. In this manner, the male portion 120 can pivot through any desired angle with respect to the conduit 114, as shown in Figure 4 Ghost line, to fit around narrow corners in the guides of the wall panels. Referring now to FIGS. 7-9, a second embodiment of a pivotal male connector 220 of a set of power cables 20 is shown in accordance with a preferred arrangement of the present invention. Like reference numbers in the previous embodiment are used to identify equal parts in the present embodiment, and therefore will not be described in further detail. The power cable assembly 20 includes a flexible conduit 114 attached to the pivotal male connector 220. The male connector 220 includes a male connector module 240 for housing the male connector terminals 122A (Figure 2) connected to electrical wires 142 and for supporting the eyelashes 125, as described above. An upper cylindrical pin 242 and the lower cylindrical pin 244 are integrally or otherwise connected to the male connector module 240 distally of the flanges 125. A first connector housing half 246 is identical to a second connector housing half 248. The halve housing 246 and 248 each include a top flange 250 and a bottom flange 252. A plurality of holes 225 are located in each housing half, such that when aligning the housing halves, the holes are also aligned to secure together the housing halves by means of suitable fasteners, such as rivets, nut and bolt assemblies, etc. The upper flange 250 of each housing half includes a semi-cylindrical opening 254 for attaching the upper pin 242 of the module 240, while the lower flange 252 of each housing half includes a semi-circular opening 256 for linking the lower pin 244 of the module 240. A channel 258 having opposing channel edges 260, 261 is located in each housing half 246, 248 distally of the openings 254, 256. The channel 258 is configured to accommodate a collar 262. The collar 262 is attached at one end of the conduit 114 and includes two flanges 264, 266 integrally molded or otherwise bonded thereto. The collar 262 includes an opening (not shown) that receives wires 142 when the connector 220 is assembled. Upper and lower flanges 250, 252 define an opening 253 for directing wires 142 to conduit 114. A pair of opposingly curved channels 241 are located adjacent to the pivot pins of module 240 to provide clearance for the outer edges 257 of the flanges. housing halves such that the module 240 can rotate relative to the housing halves. In assembly, the pins 242 and 244 of the module 240 are aligned with the openings 254 and 256, respectively, of the two housing halves 246, 248. The collar 262 is aligned with the channels 258 of the two housing halves such that tabs 264 and 266 are located on channel edges 260 and 261, respectively, to restrain the collar against movement. The housing halves are then secured together with suitable fasteners through holes 255 in the pivotal assembly, as shown in Figure 9. In this manner, the male connector module 240 can pivot through any desired angle with respect to the duct 114, as shown in figure 7 in phantom line, to fit around narrow corners in the wall panel guides. Although the above description refers to a specific embodiment having a specific arrangement of male and female terminals with their mechanical interconnection, it will be noted that such an arrangement is only illustrative. The male and female terminals and / or the mechanical interconnection can be inverted in the joint blocks, the power cable assemblies, the receptacle blocks, etc., to produce similar results. It will be understood that the embodiments described herein are only illustrative of the invention, and that numerous other arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (1)

1. An electrical interconnect assembly for use in a space divider wall system, which includes a plurality of modular, erect wall panels having opposite, vertically extending end edges and a guide area extending between said opposite edges for supporting electrical conductors and junction blocks, said assembly adapted to be mounted on said guide and comprising: at least one joint block for receiving electrical receptacles; an energy cable disposed between said junction block and a power source for supplying power to said junction block; a set of electrical cables having one end connected to said joint block; and an end connector mechanically and electrically connected to another end of said set of electrical cables, said end connector being capable of pivoting at a point spaced apart from an intersection of said end connector and said set of electrical cables.