EP0952635A2 - Electrical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

An electrical connector (8) comprising: on its front side first connections (12) to which external electrical conductors can be attached in order to establish electrical connections between the conductors and the first connections (12). A mounting assembly (14) on the rear of the connector (8) receives surge protectors (18) so that they are electrically coupled to the first terminals (12) to provide surge protection for electrical circuits which, when used, the first Connections (12) are coupled. Detachable mounting means (20) releasably connect the connector (8) to the support structure (22) for the connector.

Description

The present invention relates to an electrical connector comprising: first connections on its front side and to which external electrical conductors can be attached in order to make electrical connections between the conductors and the first connections, the connector being designed to accommodate surge protective devices so that the overvoltage protection devices are then electrically coupled to the first connections in order to provide overvoltage protection for electrical circuits which, when used, are coupled to the first connections via the external conductors, and a releasable mounting means for releasably connecting the connector to a support structure for the connector, characterized in that the connector has a mounting assembly positioned on the back of the connector for receiving the surge protectors.

Electrical connectors with connections, for example for making a releasable electrical connection to electrical conductors of a communication network, can be arranged to accommodate surge protective devices which, in the event of an overvoltage condition on a conductor, act to form a conductive path to earth. Devices of this type can be connected via respective pairs of conductors which are assigned to respective communication circuits. Each surge protector may include a three-terminal device, the first and third terminals, when used, being connected to respective conductors of the pair to which it is associated. The second connection is grounded. If a normal voltage is applied to such a device, the device represents a high impedance as between all connections, but takes place under overvoltage conditions a breakdown at either the first or second connection, which creates a conductive path from the overvoltage connection to earth. In practical communication systems, the provision of devices of this type is important in order to prevent overvoltage conditions, for example due to lightning strikes, from causing serious damage to the system.

In practice, for example in a telephone exchange, the connectors releasably connected to the network conductors are arranged on a suitable supporting structure, the connections pointing outwards for easier access, bearing in mind that changes in the connections from the connector connections to the conductors may be possible must be made frequently to take into account the needs of network users. With such a construction, the surge protectors can then be mounted on the front of the connectors. From the point of view of easy access, this mounting arrangement is useful since the surge protectors may need to be accessible for replacement themselves. It is also inconvenient to mount them in this way, since the devices are then located next to the connector connections and hinder the convenient access to the connector connections.

An object of the invention is to provide an electrical connector that can be arranged to accommodate surge protectors such that easy access to the connector terminals and access to the surge protectors is easily possible.

In one aspect, the invention is characterized in that the connector (8) has a mounting assembly (14) positioned on the rear of the connector (8) for receiving the overvoltage protection devices (18).

The detachable mounting means (20) can be at least partially formed by a conductive earthing element (50) which, when the connector is used, establishes a detachable electrical connection to the support structure (22), so that from the connector to an earthed conductive part of the support structure (22) an electrical ground path is formed.

The first connections (12) can be carried by an insulating body (10) of the connector, the mounting assembly (14) having second connections (16) that make electrical contact with individual ones of the first connections (12), the mounting assembly (14) being designed to accommodate the overvoltage protection devices (18) so that they are connected to the second connections (16) in such a way that the overvoltage protection devices (18) are coupled to the first connections (12) via the second connections (16).

The assembly module (14) can have an insulating structure (24) and a printed circuit board (26), the second connections (16) being carried by the insulating structure (24) and being electrically coupled to the conductor tracks (88) of the printed circuit board (26), which are electrically coupled to the first connections (12).

An electrically conductive earthing element (50) can be provided, which forms part of the releasable mounting means (20) when the connector is used or is otherwise electrically coupled thereto in order to form an earthing connection to the overvoltage protection devices (18). In one form, the grounding element (50) is designed so that it detachably contacts the insulating body (10) of the connector. Also in a special form, the grounding element (50) can have gripping parts (68) which are designed to releasably grip the support structure (22) in order to effect the releasable connection of the connector to the support structure (22). In the latter case, the gripping parts (68) can be elastic and in addition opposite parts (70) of the connector can be arranged so that parts of the support structure between the gripping parts (68) and the opposite parts (70) of the connector can be gripped elastically. The opposite parts (70) can be formed on the grounding element (50) so that each gripping part (68) and its opposite part (70) define a respective rearward opening between them for receiving a respective part of the support structure (22). Said gripping part (68) and an associated opposite part (70) of the grounding element (50) can be located at each end of the grounding element (50).

A cover (30) covering the rear of the connector can be provided. It can be detachably attached to the insulating body (10) of the connector.

The insulating body (10) of the connector and the first connections (12) can form parts of a separation module (40), the first connections (12) being arranged in two parallel rows, so that pairs of the first connections (12), each one comprising first terminal (12) in one row and an opposite first terminal (12) in the other row, the first terminals (12) having respective elastic contact parts (12c), the elastic contact parts (12c) of the first terminals (12) are arranged in each pair thereof so that in a first state thereof they are elastically biased into electrical contact with each other, but in a second state thereof by inserting an electrically insulating element therebetween, for example a test plug, so that they are against the elastic pretension are pushed apart, are moved out of direct electrical contact. With this arrangement, the elastic contact parts (12c) of each pair are electrically coupled in their first state and separated in the second state. In arrangements of this type, only the first connections may be arranged in a row of the first connections to be coupled to the overvoltage protection devices (18).

For example, there may be two spaced parallel rows from the second terminals (16) with an elongated portion (52) of the grounding element (50) positioned to extend parallel to and between the rows. The elongated portion (52) of the grounding element can be generally flat and arranged to form a protruding barrier between individual ones of the surge protectors (18) located on either side thereof. The elongated part (52) can have projections (54) that contact the conductor tracks (88) on the printed circuit board (26) and thus individual ones of the second connections (16) via these conductor tracks.

• Figur 1 eine auseinandergezogene perspektivische Ansicht eines gemäß der Erfindung aufgebauten elektrischen Verbinders und einer Stützstruktur, mit der der Verbinder verwendet wird;
• Figur 2 eine perspektivische Rückansicht des Verbinders und der Stützstruktur von Figur 1;
• Figur 3 eine Ansicht ähnlich der in Figur 2, wobei aber ein Bauteil des Verbinders entfernt ist, um Verbindungen innerhalb des Verbinders zu einem Erdungselement zu zeigen;
• Figur 4 einen Schaltplan, der elektrische Verbindungen innerhalb des Verbinders von Figur 1 zeigt.

The invention is further described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

• Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical connector constructed in accordance with the invention and a support structure with which the connector is used;
• Figure 2 is a rear perspective view of the connector and support structure of Figure 1;
• Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 2, but with a component of the connector removed to show connections within the connector to a grounding element;
• Figure 4 is a circuit diagram showing electrical connections within the connector of Figure 1.

The electrical connector 8 shown is designed to be releasably secured to a support structure 22, which in this case is formed by two spaced-apart parallel rails 72.

The connector 8 has an electrically insulating body 10 on its front side first connections 12 are arranged, to which insulated wire conductors of communication circuits are connected during operation of the connector. The terminals 12 are insulation displacement type with bifurcated outer ends that define opposing elastic arms between which an insulated wire conductor can be pushed so that inner edges of the arms cut through the insulation and are elastically urged into contact with the conductor so that the conductor is removed from the arms is taken, which then contact the conductor electrically.

The front of the body 10 has an elongated, rectangular shape and the connectors 12 are arranged thereon in two spaced parallel rows which are parallel to the longer sides of the front. The bifurcated ends of terminals 12 are received in forwardly open cavities 74 on the front of body 10 to allow easy connection of wire conductors thereto.

On the rear of the body 10, the connector 8 is provided with a mounting assembly 14 with a printed circuit board 26 and, mounted thereon, an insulating structure 24 formed from the insulating bodies 38 of the two overvoltage device connectors 28. As will be described below, certain of the terminals 12 are soldered to conductive traces on the printed circuit board 26 or otherwise electrically connected thereto. Conductor tracks on the printed circuit board 26 are also connected, for example by soldering, to second connections 16, which are formed by the insulating bodies 38, which are parts of the connectors 28.

The connectors 16 are of a type that allow electrical connection to be inserted into the wires by a clamping action when one end of the wire is pressed into the connector. The overvoltage protection devices 18 are connected by inserting wires 44, 46, 48 of each device 18 into the respective connections 16 the connectors 28 are electrically connected so that the cores then gripped establish an electrical connection to the terminals 12 via the conductor tracks on the printed circuit board 26. In this case, the devices 18 are gas discharge tubes, that is to say gas-filled devices with a central connection to which the wire 46 is connected and connections at the outer ends to which the respective wires 44, 48 are connected.

An earth conductor in the form of an earth element 50 is formed from a metal plate by stamping and bending. It has a flat central, generally flat strip-shaped part 52, with projections 54 running outwards from an edge. These projections 54 are received in openings in the circuit board 26 at locations between the two connectors 28 and soldered or otherwise electrically connected to the conductor tracks on the circuit board 26, so that the part 52 protrudes from the rear of the circuit board 26 in a protruding manner Relationship to the circuit board 26 and between the connectors 28 extends outward.

The element 50 has transversely bent, approximately flat parts 60 at its ends, each of which has a tongue-like mounting part 62 with an aperture 64 at a free end. These parts 62 are inserted into slots 66 on the back of the body 10 and at each end of the body 10 so that the mounting parts 62 cooperate with internal holding elements, not shown, in the slots 66 to hold the mounting parts 62 and the element 50 securely but can be detachably mounted on the body 10. For example, the slots 66 can have inner latching projections which snap into the apertures 64 for this purpose.

The flat parts 60 also define elastic gripping parts 68 on the ends opposite the mounting parts 62, which extend outwards and backwards on the connector 8. These gripping parts 68 cooperate respective adjacent but spaced-apart edge parts 70 of the element 50 formed by recesses at the ends of the part 52, in order to enable a releasable elastic gripping of the parallel rails 72 of the support structure 22, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Each gripping part 68 and its adjacent, opposite edge part 70 thus represent a respective releasable mounting means 20 for releasably mounting the connector 8 on the structure 22

A rear cover 30 is provided which can be placed over the planar portion 52 of the element 50, the circuit board 26, the connectors 28 and the devices 18. The cover 30 bears against the rear of the body 10 and is held when the connector is coupled to the rails 72 of the support structure 22 by clamping end extensions 32 of the cover between the rear of the body 10 and the rails. The cover 30 has end slots 34, at which the edge parts 70 of the flat part 52 of the element 50 are exposed, so that they can engage the rails 72 for gripping together with the gripping parts 68.

The electrical connections present when in use within connector 8 and towards it and away from it are shown schematically in FIG. 4, this figure depicting wire conductors 82, 86 of an incoming circuit pair that connect to adjacent “incoming” connections 12 in a row of connections 12 on the body 10 and shows wire conductors 80, 84 of a pair of outgoing circuits connected to adjacent "outgoing" terminals 12 in the other row of terminals 12 on the body 10. The connections to the conductors 80, 82, 84, 86 are made on insulation displacement contact parts 12a of the terminals 12. The printed circuit board traces on the printed circuit board 26 are schematically represented by the reference number 88. Certain of these traces connect, as shown, from Body parts 12b of the contacts 12 in the "incoming" row thereof to the connections 16 and thus to the wires 44, 48 of the devices 18. The wires 46 of the devices 18 also contact the element 50 and thus the rails 72 of the support structure 22 via further printed circuit board tracks 88.

When in use, connections can be made between wires connected to the terminals 12 as required to suit the installation of required communication circuitry. This can easily be done on the front of the connector without the interference or inconvenience that can occur when the surge protectors are placed on the front of the connector. On the other hand, if necessary, the devices 18 can be easily accessed by disconnecting the connector 8 from the rails 72 and removing the cover. The devices 18 can be easily removed from the connectors 28 by applying manual force to pull the wires away from the terminals 16.

The body 10 shown and the connections 12 shown represent a so-called “separation module” 40, the connections in each row of which are detachably and electrically coupled to respectively assigned, opposite connections 12 in the other row. This coupling is brought about by elastic engagement of elastic contact parts 12c (FIG. 4) of the connections 12 in one row with corresponding spring parts 12c of the connections in the other row. The parts 12c are arranged in a longitudinally extending trough in the front of the connector body so that they are accessible so that a targeted separation of the electrical coupling between each of the connections of one row from the respective associated connections 12 in the other row is possible, for example by insulating plugs or test plugs between the Parts 12c are arranged so that the parts 12c are pushed apart against their own elastic bias. Thanks to the fact that the surge protectors are located on the back of the connector, the test plugs and / or isolating plugs can be easily inserted and removed if necessary. It should also be understood that any other type of connector may be used to connect to the connectors 12 of the connector in place of the isolating or test plugs.

The arrangement described has been presented by way of example only, but many modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, which includes any novel feature disclosed and any combination of features disclosed herein.

List of reference numbers

8th

Electrical connector

10th

Insulating body

12th

First connections

12a

Insulation displacement contact parts (of contacts 12)

12b

Body parts (of contacts 12)

12c

Spring parts (of contacts 12)

14

Assembly assembly

16

Second connections

18th

Surge protection devices

20th

Removable assembly tools

22

Support structure

24th

Insulation structure

26

Circuit board

28

Surge connector

30th

cover

32

End Extensions (Cover 30)

34

Slots (in the cover 30)

38

Insulating body (of connector 30)

40

Separation module

44

Wire (of surge protective devices)

46

Wire (of surge protective devices)

48

Wire (of surge protective devices)

50

Grounding element

52

Flat part (from element 50)

54

Projections (on element 50)

60

Cross-bent flat parts (on element 50)

62

Assembly parts (on element 50)

64

Aperture (at element 50)

66

Slots (on body 10)

68

Gripping parts (on element 50)

70

Edge part (on element 50)

72

rails

74

Cavities (on body 10)

80

Core conductor (outgoing)

82

Core conductor (incoming)

84

Core conductor (outgoing)

86

Core conductor (incoming)

88

Conductor tracks (on circuit board 26)

Claims (16)

An electrical connector (8) comprising: first terminals (12) on its front side and to which external electrical conductors can be attached to make electrical connections between the conductors and the first terminals (12), the connector being designed to provide surge protective devices (18) so that the surge protectors are then electrically coupled to the first terminals (12) to provide surge protection for electrical circuits that are coupled to the first terminals (12) when used via the external conductors, and a detachable one Mounting means (20) for releasably connecting the connector (8) to a support structure (22) for the connector, characterized in that the connector (8) has a mounting assembly (14) positioned on the rear of the connector (8) for receiving the surge protective devices ( 18). An electrical connector according to claim 1, wherein the releasable mounting means (20) is at least partially formed by a conductive grounding element (50) which, when the connector is used, establishes a releasable electrical connection to the support structure (22) so that the connector (8) an electrical grounding path is formed to a grounded conductive part of the support structure (22). The electrical connector of claim 1, further characterized in that the first terminals (12) are carried by an insulator body (10) of the connector, the mounting assembly (14) having second terminals (16), the individual one of the first terminals (12) being electrical contact, the mounting assembly (14) being designed to receive the overvoltage protection devices (18) so that they are connected to the second connections (16) in such a way that the overvoltage protection devices (18) are coupled to the first connections (12) via the second connections (16). The electrical connector of claim 3, further characterized in that the mounting assembly (14) has an insulating structure (24) and a circuit board (26), the second terminals (16) being carried by the insulating structure (24) and attached to the conductor tracks (88 ) of the printed circuit board (26) are electrically coupled, which are electrically coupled to the first connections (12). An electrical connector according to claim 3 or 4, further characterized in that an electrically conductive grounding member (50) is provided for electrically coupling to the releasable mounting means (20) to form a ground connection to the surge protectors (18). An electrical connector according to claim 5, further characterized in that the grounding element (50) is designed to releasably contact the insulator body (10) of the connector. The electrical connector of claim 6, further characterized in that the grounding member (50) includes gripping members (68) configured to releasably engage the support structure (22) to effect releasably connecting the connector to the support structure (22) . An electrical connector as claimed in claim 7, further characterized in that the gripping members (68) are resilient and are located adjacent respective opposing members (70) of the connector so that portions of the support structure between the gripping members (68) and the opposing members (70) of the Connector can be gripped elastically. The electrical connector of claim 8, further characterized in that the opposed portions (70) are formed on the ground member (50) such that each gripping member (68) and its opposing portion (70) have a respective one therebetween. Define rearward opening for receiving a respective part of the support structure (22). An electrical connector as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, further characterized in that at each end of the grounding element (50) there is a said gripping part (68) and an associated opposite part (70) of the grounding element (50). An electrical connector according to any one of claims 3 to 10, further characterized in that a cover (30) is provided to cover the back of the connector. The electrical connector of claim 11, further characterized in that the cover (30) is releasably attached to the insulator body (10) of the connector. An electrical connector according to any one of claims 3 to 12, further characterized in that the insulator body (10) of the connector and the first terminals (12) form part of a separation module (40), the first terminals (12) being arranged in two parallel rows , so that pairs of the first connections (12), each comprising a first connection (12) in one row and an opposite first connection (12) in the other row, are defined, the first connections (12) having respective elastic contact parts ( 12c), the elastic contact parts of the first terminals in each pair thereof being arranged to be elastically biased into electrical contact with each other in a first state thereof, but by inserting an electrically insulating member therebetween in a second state thereof that they are pressed apart against the elastic bias, from the direct electrical contact are moved. The electrical connector of claim 13, further characterized in that only the first terminals (12) in a row of the first terminals (12) are arranged to be coupled to the overvoltage protection devices (18). An electrical connector according to any one of claims 3 to 14, further characterized in that there are two spaced parallel rows from the second terminals (16) with an elongated portion (52) of the grounding element (50) positioned to be parallel to and extends between the rows. The electrical connector of claim 15, further characterized in that the elongated portion (52) has protrusions (54) contacting the traces (88) on the circuit board (26) and thus individual ones of the second terminals (16) via these traces.

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