Patent Application
20070149004
The Invention relates to a Telecommunications Module.
In the field of telecommunications, those lines, which connect the customers or subscribers with the switch of a telecommunications company, are usually connected via numerous telecommunications modules. The telecommunications modules are located in so-called distribution points. A typical distribution point is a main distribution frame, which is located in the central office of the telecommunications company. Generally, the telecommunications modules connect sections of the telecommunications line with each other, so as to, eventually, connect the subscribers with the switch. A telecommunications module can include a housing and plurality of contacts. Wires, which constitute sections of the telecommunications line, are connected with the contacts. Pairs of two contacts of the telecommunications module, which can be located on opposite sides, are connected with each other in the interior of the telecommunications module. This connection can be disconnected in order to allow the insertion of disconnection plugs, test plugs, protective plugs or protective modules.
Recently, new technologies have evolved in the field of telecommunications, which require additional electronic components to be arranged in the telecommunications line. As an example, ADSL-technology has spread widely in the last few years. In this technology, at least two separate signals are transmitted via one and the same telecommunications line in separate frequency bands. In order to split the combined signal, which is transmitted via one and the same line, so-called splitters are used. These splitters generally comprise suitable filters in order to transmit a first signal of the combined signal to a first output, and a second signal to a second output.
In this context, EP 0 909 102 A2 teaches such a splitter assembly, which is arranged in a main distribution frame. WO 01/97339 discloses a telecommunications module, in which a splitter circuit is arranged in a manner to provide connections between the contacts of the module and the splitter circuit.
The invention provides a telecommunications module, which is improved with respect to the density of electrical connections.
The telecommunications module includes a housing and a plurality of contacts, which are exposed to allow the connection of wires therewith. Furthermore, the telecommunications module includes a connecting device for connecting at least some of the contacts with other contacts of the telecommunications module. The connecting device is partially accommodated in the housing and partially extends outside the housing.
It is to be noted that the telecommunications module is a module, to which wires can be connected. In this respect, the telecommunications module is comparable to conventional modules, which have a housing accommodating the contacts and any internal electrical connections. Only the contacts for connecting the wires therewith are exposed. Furthermore, a grounding contact can be exposed so as to establish electrical connection with a carrier and eventually to ground. This measure will usually be taken, when the module contains overvoltage protection components, which must be connected to ground in order to divert the energy in the case of overvoltage. However, in conventional telecommunications modules, there are no further components, which are exposed to the outside or even extend outside the housing.
This can be different with protection modules, which usually have tapping contacts for tapping the contacts of a telecommunications module, to which wires are attached. However, the telecommunications module differs from such protection modules in that it has contacts, which are exposed to allow the connection of wires therewith. The contacts can be of any suitable type. E.g., the contacts can be designed as IDCs (Isolation Displacement Contacts). Furthermore, the contacts can be wire wrap pins, around which the exposed ends of wires can be wrapped.
The telecommunications module further includes a connecting device for connecting at least some of the contacts with other contacts of the telecommunications module. The contacts of the telecommunications module can be arranged in two rows. Each contact of the first row can be connected with a contact of the second row. However, in the case of a splitter circuit being integrated in the telecommunications module, a contact of a first row can be electrically connected with two contacts. Each of these two contacts can be arranged in the first or second row. In the case of a single contact being connected with two contacts, the single contact receives or transmits a combined signal, e.g. in ADSL-technology, and the two further contacts, with which connection is established, transmit or receive two “split” signals. The connecting device of the telecommunications module establishes the necessary electrical connections between the contacts. Furthermore, it can contain or carry any necessary electrical components. These can be filters for realizing one or more splitter circuits as well as protection components for the protection against overvoltage or overcurrent. The connecting device can be formed as a printed circuit board (PCB).
The density of electrical connections in a distribution point can be remarkably increased by the telecommunications module, since the connecting device at least partially extends outside the housing of the telecommunications module. Firstly, the telecommunications module can be designed simply and cost effectively by making use of standard housings. In other words, the telecommunications module can employ a housing, which is conventionally used for a telecommunications module, which does not have any or not as many internal electrical components. The housing can be made of plastic. In the telecommunications module the problem of accommodating these additional components, which are necessary due to new technologies such as ADSL, is solved by locating at least a part of these outside the housing. This must be considered highly unconventional, as it is usually desirable to accommodate any components of a telecommunications module within the housing. However, the telecommunications module realizes the advantage of requiring no or almost no changes to a conventional housing by allowing the connecting device to extend outside the housing. This extension can have any direction. In other words, that part of the connecting device, which is arranged outside the housing, can be located at any face or side of the telecommunications module.
By this measure, additional space which is available in a distribution point can be used advantageously. In particular, as previously established, a high density of electrical connections can be maintained by means of the telecommunications module, which comprises an unchanged housing. The available space can be used by allowing the connecting device to extend outside the housing. As a non-limiting example, it can be mentioned that in distribution points the telecommunications modules can be stacked on top of each other. Furthermore, plural telecommunications modules can be arranged side by side. In the telecommunications module, the connecting device can extend from a rear face of the telecommunications module. It has been found that in many types of distribution points, space is available in the depth direction of the telecommunications module. This space is advantageously used when the connecting device extends outside the housing of the telecommunications module in this direction. Thus, a high density in a distribution point can also be achieved in a case, where additional components, such as splitter circuits, are to be incorporated in the telecommunications modules. Furthermore, the necessary electrical connections and/or switches, in order to provide test and measurement access to one or more of the contacts and/or connections in the telecommunications module, can be incorporated therein, particularly in that part of the connection device, which extends from the housing. Furthermore, the connecting device can include some splitter circuits for some of the lines, which can be connected with the telecommunications module, and test and measurement access for other lines.
The effect obtained by the telecommunications module is particularly advantageous, when the extensions of the connection device outside the housing are of similar dimensions as the housing itself. Generally, any shape and size of the connecting device's extension outside the housing serves the desired purpose. However, the connecting device can even be almost as large as the housing itself, so that the space, which is used, is almost doubled.
As mentioned, the connecting device can be a PCB, which allows an efficient formation of the electrical connections and represents a particularly effective base for accommodating any type of electrical components. Furthermore, a “rigid” PCB extending from the housing has advantages with regard to the handling of the telecommunications module.
The housing can have an opening at a rear face, when the contacts, to which wires can be connected, are arranged at a front face. The connecting device can extend through the rear face so as to make use of the space, which is present there. As this space was hardly used in distribution points up to now, the invention shows a way to retain or even increase the density of electrical connections, also with the accommodation of additional components.
The telecommunications module can be combined with a second housing. The telecommunications module is attachable to a front side of the second housing. The connecting device is at least partially accommodated in the second housing. By means of the combination of the second housing with the telecommunications module, the connecting device, which unconventionally extends outside the housing of the telecommunications module, can be safely accommodated and protected from undesirable influences by the second housing. The second housing provides protection for the connecting device, particularly with regard to electric and magnetic influences. Thus, the second housing serves to shield the connecting device. Furthermore, the second housing protects the connecting device from undesirable contact with operators or other objects. Finally, the size of the second housing, particularly in a depth direction can be adjusted in accordance with the size of the connecting device, in particular that part thereof, which extends outside the housing of the telecommunications module.
The second housing can have at least one connector. This connector can be used to connect with the connecting device of the telecommunications module. Furthermore, the connector can be used for connecting with a bus or a similar, suitable electrical connection. By a bus or any other connection, a connection can be established with connectors of further housings, similar to the second housing, in order to establish electrical connection with further telecommunications modules.
This also applies to the possibility of providing the second housing with a PCB. The PCB can represent a backplane, with which one or more connecting devices of telecommunications module be connected, so as to connect these with each other and/or to establish a bus between them. As regards the PCB, it should be mentioned that the PCB can be adapted to receive electrical components, connectors and/or electrical connections formed on the PCB, from both sides. In other words, at first the front side of the PCB can be used to connect with the connecting devices of one or more telecommunications modules. The back side of the PCB can be used to accommodate electrical components, such as filters, protective components, etc. However, the second housing does not necessarily have to be provided with a PCB. Particularly, when the telecommunications modules are splitter modules or connection modules, in any case modules, which do not have a test and measurement access, the printed circuit board of the second housing can be omitted.
In order to create a telecommunications block including two or more telecommunications modules, the second housing can be sized to accommodate more than one telecommunications modules. In this manner, the second housing can form a base for several telecommunications modules. These can, as mentioned above, be connected with each other, e.g. by a bus, by means of connections, which are provided in the second housing. Thus, the telecommunications module can be attachable to the second housing so as to insert the connecting device of the telecommunications module into the second housing and preferably establish electrical connection between the connecting device of the telecommunications module and a connector of the second housing. The connector can be a part of a bus and/or a backplane, preferably in the form of a PCB. Naturally, also other telecommunications modules, which do not necessarily have to have a connecting device extending there from, can be mounted to the second housing. In particular, the latter telecommunications modules can be combined with telecommunications modules as described-above.
Particularly, in the situation, when the second housing is adapted to allow the attachment of more than one telecommunications module, the second housing can comprise a bus for connecting the telecommunications modules with each other and/or a remote device. This device can be a control, a test and measurement, or a monitoring device. Furthermore, plural telecommunications modules can be connected with each other by means of wires, which can be provided at the front side thereof. In particular, this is possible with or without the types of buses, which are described hereinafter and will usually be provided at the rear side of the telecommunications modules.
The second housing can also contain a flat cable for forming a bus and/or the desired electrical connections.
Furthermore, at least one secondary module can be attached to the second housing. Such a secondary module can be an ADSL Module, an ISDN or analog module or modem, a protection module, a test and measurement module, etc. Such a secondary module can be associated with a single or several telecommunications modules. E.g., a test and measurement module can be connected with plural telecommunications modules via a bus provided in the second housing. The test and measurement module can be used to control the test access to a selected one of the telecommunications modules as well as the connections thereof. In particular, the secondary module can be a control module which controls the switches and connections, which are provided in context with the test access provided in a telecommunications module.
The second housing can include at least one guide for guiding the connecting device of the telecommunications module. In this manner, a safe and reliable accommodation of the connecting device in the second housing is achieved, when the telecommunications module is attached to the second housing.
As regards the mechanical connection between telecommunications module and the second housing, cooperating snap means can be provided on the housing of the telecommunications module and/or the second housing.
The second housing can be made of metal so as to provide a rigid basis for one or more telecommunications modules. Furthermore, grounding functions can be performed by the second housing made of metal.
In order to provide a ground connection for protection components, the telecommunications module can have a grounding element. The second housing can, in a front part thereof, have a section, which is in contact with the grounding element of the telecommunications module. It should be noted that the connecting device of the telecommunications module can extend beyond the front part, at which the grounding section is formed, towards the rear of the second housing. Naturally, the grounding element can also be provided at a side or any other part of the second housing and/or can be in contact with a side or any other part thereof.
Thus, a ground connection can be established via the grounding element of the telecommunications module and the second housing. This enables any current, which is induced in contacts of the telecommunications module, to be diverted to ground. E.g., shielding wires, which shield cables, which are adapted for the transmission of high data rates, can be terminated at the contacts of the telecommunications module. The induced current can be diverted to ground by connecting the grounding element of the telecommunications module with those contacts, which are used for terminating shielding wires. Furthermore, protection components can be present in the telecommunications module. When these are activated, the induced current can also be diverted to ground on the above-described path.
The second housing can also be made of plastic, which allows effective mass production and all necessary functions to be formed.
The second housing can have wire guides so as to manage the wires, which are connected with the contacts of the telecommunications module.
The second housing can also have at least one coding section. Such a coding section allows specific information regarding one or more specific telecommunications modules to be formed on the second housing. In this manner, the handling is improved, and changes in the electrical connection, if necessary, can be facilitated.
The second housing cannot only form the basis for a block including plural telecommunications modules. It can also be mountable to a carrier, which can be provided at a distribution point in the field of telecommunications. In this way, an integral basis for a telecommunications block is formed. The distribution point can be any type of distribution point in the field of telecommunications. E.g., it can be a main distribution frame, a co-location distribution point or a cable cabinet. Any of these distribution points can be provided indoors or outdoors.
In particular, the second housing can be designed as a back mount frame, which is mountable to a frame, rack or carrier of a distribution point, such as a main distribution frame, a cable cabinet or a similar distributor.
As regards the second housing in general, the invention can also be seen in the provision of this second housing. The second housing is in that it allows the attachment of one or more telecommunications modules and is adapted to accommodate at least one component, in particular, a connecting device, extending outside the housing of the telecommunications module. Thus, the second housing comprising one or more features as mentioned-above, can be provided with or without one or more telecommunications modules as described-above.
Hereinafter, the invention will be described by means of a non-limiting example with reference to the drawings, in which:
At a front face 16, the telecommunications module has contacts 18, to which wires can be connected. In the interior of a housing 20, each contact 18 is connected with one or more other contacts. In the case shown, these connections are, among others, established by means of suitable connectors 22 arranged on a printed circuit board (PCB) 24. Any components, in the case shown the connectors 22 and the PCB 24, are considered the connecting device of the telecommunications module. As mentioned-above, the connecting device can have any type of electrical components, which are not shown in the drawing. With regard to its size, the housing 20 of the telecommunications module 12 is comparable with a conventional housing. However, the conventional housing is not sized to accommodate the necessary electrical components for realizing splitter circuits, etc. without reducing the capacity of the telecommunications module. In other words, the conventional telecommunications module can only accommodate very few electrical components, which means that only few electrical connections between the contacts can be realized. Accordingly, only few contacts 18 could be used for the connection of wires therewith.
In the telecommunications module, the space behind the housing 20 of the telecommunications module 12 is utilized. In particular, the rear part 26 of the PCB 24 extends from the rear of the telecommunications module 12 outside the housing 20 and into the second housing 14. In the embodiment shown, the telecommunications module 12 comprises a grounding element 28, in which a slot 30 is provided in a rear part, so as to create a web 32, which will “give” in the direction a. In the attached state shown in
In the case shown, the second housing 14 comprises lateral projections 46, which serve to lock complementary projections of the telecommunications module 12. In particular, in the case shown, the housing 20 of the telecommunications module 12 comprises, in its rear part, two latch hooks 48, one on each side, which are adapted to interlock with the projections 46. This allows a reliable mechanical connection of the telecommunications module 12 with the second housing 14. In particular, this connection can be considered as a snap connection. As regards the lug 42, it should be mentioned, that this lug can be used to attach a cover plate to the second housing 14, which can be adapted to cover one or more telecommunications modules 12. As regards the bridges 34, it should be noted that these can be used to apply information such as coding information with regard to specific telecommunications modules, thereto.
Generally, the second housing 14 shown in the drawing, has an essentially box-like structure. However, as described above, certain openings are provided in a front part thereof. It should be noted that the second housing 14 can have an open front from the beginning so as to adapt a trough-like structure. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the means for mechanically attaching one or more telecommunications modules as well as the wire guides can readily be formed on such a trough.
In the rear part of the second housing 14, a PCB 50 of the second housing can be seen. In the case shown, several connectors 52 are provided on the PCB 50. As indicated with regard to the rear part 26 of the connecting device 24 shown in the drawing, this can be inserted into a connector 52 so as to establish electrical connection. In this manner, plural telecommunications modules 12 can be connected with the PCB, which can form a bus, which is connected with several telecommunications modules. In the case shown, the connectors 52 are provided on a front face of the PCB 50. However, with an adapted design of the second housing 14 and/or an adapted position of the PCB 50, also the rear face of the PCB 50 could be provided with electrical components of any suitable type. Furthermore, the PCB 50 or any other device connecting plural telecommunications modules with each other, can be used to provide a power supply to the modules. The power supply might be necessary for switching operations which are required in connection with test and measurement access to a selected connection in the telecommunications module.
In the shown embodiment, bridges 134 are formed in a front part of the second housing 114 extending from a side wall in an inward direction, so as to establish electrical connection with the grounding element 28 of the telecommunications module. Finally, a cover 164 is indicated in
In the case shown, the side walls comprise guides 70 for guiding the printed circuit board 24. The guides are formed between additional sections of side walls 68 which are spaced apart from each other a certain distance in a front part, in order to facilitate the insertion of the connection device 24. In the rear part, the guide 70 is adapted to accommodate the printed circuit board 24 between the edges of the side wall sections 68. Finally, a coding section 62 is provided at the front end of these sections. This coding section 72 generally provides a stop for the telecommunications module attached to the second housing. This prevents the telecommunications modules from being shifted and leads to a clear relationship between a specific connector 152 and a specific telecommunications module.
In the case shown, the side walls are provided with openings 58. These openings can be provided in order to allow access to the connecting device 24, e.g. by a plug or complementary connector, which can be inserted to the opening 58. In this context, the entire content of the application entitled “Telecommunications Module and Combination including at least one Telecommunications Module”, in which the provision of connectors on at least one of the top, bottom and side faces of the telecommunications module is described and which is filed simultaneously, is incorporated herein by means of the reference. In particular, in connection with the telecommunications module as described herein, the top, bottom and side faces are to be construed to the effect that they also include the corresponding faces of the connecting device 24 including that part, which extends outside the housing of the telecommunications module. In particular, a combination of the subject matter of the above referenced application and the present disclosure is to be construed as a part of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03004373.1 | Mar 2003 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US04/05907 | 2/27/2004 | WO | 8/31/2006 |
