WO2005078868A1

WO2005078868A1 - Connection device with built-in sub-d connector

Info

Publication number: WO2005078868A1
Application number: PCT/EP2005/001299
Authority: WO
Inventors: Octavio Gascon Garces; Andres Andres Gomez
Original assignee: Sistemas Digitales Multimedia S.L.
Priority date: 2004-02-11
Filing date: 2005-02-09
Publication date: 2005-08-25
Also published as: ES2238185B1; ES2238185A1

Abstract

Connection device with built-in sub-d connector which comprises a printed circuit board with a series of conductor strips, to which connection pins of the sub-d connector and respective connection terminals are fixed and connected by soldering, the connection terminals including suitable mechanical means for fixing and connecting the corresponding lead wires of a patch cable. The device comprises a support frame for fixing it to a junction box or other support element.

Description

D E S C R I P T I O N Connection device with built-in sub-d connector.

Object of the invention The present invention relates to a connection device with built-in sub-d connector.

Background of the invention It is currently usual for constructions to have concealed or built-in installations and different types of plugs or connectors, distributed through the different rooms of the building, for connecting different electronic equipment, such as sound equipment, computer equipment or electrical appliances. Connection of some of this equipment requires the use of sub-d connectors, also known as sub-25 as they have 25 connection pegs or pins, positioned in two parallel rows. Installation of these connectors proves particularly problematic because of the high number of pins to be connected to the respective lead wires and the small space between said pins. Installation of these connectors is currently carried out by specialized personnel, responsible for soldering each of the connector pins to the corresponding lead wire of the patch cable, repeating this procedure for each of the connectors of the installation. This entails a great deal of time and, as just mentioned, requires the work of specialized personnel, which increases the cost significantly. The use of these sub-d connectors raises other additional problems such as the difficulty in securely attaching them, once connected to the corresponding cable, to the built-in boxes or skirting boards typically used for housing the different connectors, making them accessible to users.

Description of the invention To solve the problem set out, the connection device with built-in sub-d connector, being the object of this invention, has been designed to have some specific constructive features which aim, on the one hand, to enable connection of the device to the lead wires of the input cable without the need for any soldering and in such a way that it can be carried out by non-specialized personnel or even users themselves and, on the other hand, to enable the assembly and secure attachment of the connection device to a conventional junction box, i.e. the type usually used for fastening switches, socket bases or for the different plugs or connectors of the installation. For this purpose, and in accordance with the invention, in addition to the sub-d connector, this connection device includes a printed circuit board with a series of electrically conductive strips to which respective connection terminals and respective connection pins of the connector are fixed and electrically connected, said connection terminals having suitable mechanical means for fixing and holding the corresponding lead wires of the patch cable of the device; said terminals and conductor strips establishing the electrical connection between each of the wires of the patch cable and the respective connector pins. In this device, the connector pins are soldered onto the respective conductor strips of the printed circuit board and are permanently connected via said conductor strips, with the terminals on the printed circuit board mechanically fixing and connecting the respective wires of the patch cable. Said connection terminals of the circuit board are also fixed onto the conductor strips of the circuit board by soldering, and thus form an integral part thereof. The connector and circuit board thus form a single array, wherein the conductor strips keep the connector pins connected to the connection terminals of the circuit board. As mentioned previously, the connection terminals of the circuit board have means for mechanically fixing the respective lead wires of the patch cable, said means possibly being made up of screws, clamps or any other mechanical tightening element capable of fixing the wires to the respective connection terminals and establishing the connection of said lead wires with the respective conductor strips and consequently with the sub-d connector pins. The connection device presented offers a number of advantages for use, and in particular: quicker and easier installation, the possibility of connecting the device with lead wires of the patch cable via the use of a simple tool, such as a screwdriver, without the need for soldering, and the possibility that said installation may be carried out by non-specialized operatives or by users themselves. In this invention, the connection device may include, in addition to the elements mentioned and which form the connection device itself, a support frame for fixing the device array to a junction box or any other conventional support element, i.e. of the type usually used for assembling connectors or different devices onto installations of the type mentioned. This support frame can be permanently fixed to the sub-d connector body, by soldering for example, or may have suitable holes for fixing the connector using fixing elements (screw - nut) usually located in the front part of this type of connector. In the second example, the support frame may be supplied separately from the connection device, as an optional accessory for assembly.

Brief description of the drawings. To accompany the description being given and in order to assist in understanding the characteristics of the invention, a set of drawings is attached to the present specification wherein the following is represented in an illustrative and non-limitative way:

Figure 1 is a front perspective view of an example of embodiment of the connection device and an unassembled support frame for the former; Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the connection device wherein the connection terminals of the circuit board can be seen, and Figure 3 is a profile view of the connection device fixed to the support frame shown in Figure 1 , wherein, in order to make the drawing clearer, only some of the wires of the patch cable connected and fixed to the connection terminals have been represented.

Detailed description of the drawings. As can be seen in the figures referred to, this connection device comprises a sub-d connector 1 , whose connection pins 11 are soldered to the conductor strips 21 of a printed circuit board 2. The circuit board 2 comprises, in its rear surface (Fig. 2), connection terminals 22 soldered to the respective conductor strips 21 of the circuit board. The connection terminals 22 remain connected to the respective pins 22 of the sub-d connector 1 via the corresponding conductor strips 21. In this example of embodiment, each of the connection terminals 22 has a screw 23 for tightening and fixing the corresponding lead wire 31 of a patch cable 3, as can be seen in Figure 3. As can be seen in Figure 1, the connection device may have a support frame 4 for fixing it to a conventional junction box or any other support element; said support frame 4 having, in this example of embodiment, a wide central window 41 which permits access to the front part of the connector 1, side holes 42 for fixing the connector 1 via its own arrays of screws and nuts 12, 13, and guide slots 43 for mounting the fixing screws of the support frame 4 to a built-in box or any other element for holding the connection device. The inventor has also provided for the device to incorporate one or several light emitting diodes (LEDs) in the circuit board 2, fed with a specific voltage which may either come from an established current rectifier or which may derive from the sub-d connector line signal itself in order to light up, from behind and in different colours, and depending on the generic application assigned to each connector 1, a translucent wall trim situated on it and fixed to the junction box, or built-in multi-purpose box, where the connector 1 is housed. Having adequately described the nature of the invention and a preferred example of embodiment, it will be seen how useful it is to be able to modify the materials, shape, size and layout of the elements described, as long as this does not involve any alteration to the essential characteristics of the invention claimed hereinafter.

Claims

C L A I M S

1. Connection device with built-in sub-d connector, characterized in that it comprises a printed circuit board (2) which has a series of electrically conductive strips (21), to which respective connection terminals (22) and respective connection pins (11) of the sub-d connector (1) are fixed and connected, said connection terminals (22) including suitable mechanical means for fixing and holding the corresponding lead wires (31) of a patch cable (3) to the device; said connection terminals (22) and said conductor strips (21) establishing the connection between the wires (31) of the patch cable (3) and the respective pins (11) of the sub-d connector (1).

2. Device, according to claim 1 , characterized in that the sub-d connector (1) is fixed to a support frame (4) for enabling the connection device array to be fixed to a junction box or other support element.

3. Device, according to claim 1 , characterized in that the pins (11) of the connector (11) are fixed and connected by soldering to the respective conductor strips (21) of the printed circuit board (2).

4. Device, according to claim 1 , characterized in that the connection terminals (22) are fixed to the conductor strips (21) of the circuit board (2) by soldering.

5. Device, according to claim 1 , characterized in that the mechanical means on the connection terminals (22) for fixing the respective lead wires (31) can be made up by screws (23), clamps or any other mechanical tightening element.

6. Device, according to claim 2, characterized in that the support frame (4) has a wide central window (41) for access to the front part of the connector (1).

7. - Device, according to claim 2, characterized in that the support frame (4) has holes (42) for fixing the sub-d connector (1) via the arrays of screws - nuts (12, 13) of the sub-d connector (1).

8. Device, according to claim 2, characterized in that the support frame (4) has guide slots (43) for mounting screws for fixing the support frame (4) to a built-in box or any other support element.