Distributor for Use in Communication Systems

This application claims the priority of Application Ser. No. EP 90/402,830.5, filed Oct. 10, 1990, in the Federal Republic of Germany, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to a distributor in particular for use in communication systems.

DE-OS [German Laid-Open Patent Application] 2,147,336 discloses a distributor for communication systems in which connecting elements are attached in a regular arrangement on a rack, with the incoming and outgoing conductors or cables being brought to these connecting elements. The rack is formed by rack bars which extend vertically and horizontally in the customary manner and rest on the floor of the room in which they are set up. The connecting elements are separators or switches or simple throughput distribution modules which are open and are arranged next to and above one another. Lanes remain between them for guiding the conductors.

Often such communication racks are supplemented by sheet medal casings to form cabinets Such cabinets or cabinet racks are disclosed, for example, in DE 2,911,444.A1 which relates to individual cabinets as well as to cabinet modules that can be arranged in a row. At their frontal faces, the cabinets are generally equipped with doors, at the rear only if necessary and only depending on the way they are set up, free-standing or along a wall.

In the latter case, stationary metal encasing sheets are attached, also to the sides. In the past, in addition to their aesthetic effect, these casings performed only a protective function from a mechanical point of view, but since the advent of digital technology, they become increasingly more important as a shield against interfering electromagnetic radiation.

Cable and conductor inlets are of particular importance in connection with shielding measures, for example at the distributor, so as to ensure that the passages through the shielding are electromagnetically tight.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a telecommunication system distributor that is reliably shielded against interfering radiation, is suitable for the accommodation of different conductors and plug-in connectors and is simple to manufacture. This is accomplished by a distributor including a distributor housing open at a top thereof, for mounting in an electromagnetically shielded cabinet, the distributor housing being provided with a door at a front thereof, a plurality of bars arranged in vertical juxtaposition along a rear wall of the distributor housing, the bars each forming an internal hollow space with the rear wall, an upper end face of the bars being closed and a lower end face of the bars being open, the bars having one of plug-in connectors and switching devices mounted thereon, and a bottom plate disposed at a bottom of the distributor housing for closing the distributor housing at the bottom in front of the bars, wherein permanently connected internal lines extend downwardly within the bars and out of the distributor housing through the open lower end faces of the bars, and external lines for connection to plug-in connectors enter the distributor housing from the open top thereof.

The invention will now be described for one embodiment thereof that is illustrated in the associated drawing figures. It is shown in:

FIG. 1, a perspective sectional view of a communication system cabinet including an inserted, shielded distributor whose housing door is open, offering a view of the bars, some equipped with plug-in connectors for the connection of external lines;

FIG. 2, is a perspective view of a bar of the distributor according to FIG. 1 which is equipped with openings for the insertion of, and is in part equipped with, different types of plug-in connectors.

The distributor 1 shown in FIG. 1 is installed in a communication system cabinet S that is shielded to provide for EMC [electromagnetic compatibility]. Only a section of this cabinets is shown including the components adjacent to distributor 1 such as, for example, the upper frame R, part of a vertical strut H and part of the cabinet casing V. The upper frame R is closed by metal covering sheets A up to the housing 2 of distributor 1.

Distributor 1 is composed of a cabinet-like housing 2 which has a door 3 at the front and bars 4a accommodated in its interior which serve as supports for plug-in connectors and possibly also for switching devices (not shown). Moreover, blind bars 4b are also provided whose function will be described below. Housing 2 is open at the top and is closed at the bottom by a removable bottom plate 14. The latter may be configured as a slide and may be insertable from the front or removed toward the front when door 3 is open. Housing 2, door 3 and bottom plate 14 are advisably manufactured of stainless steel.

The parting grooves between housing 2, door 3 and bottom plate 14 are electrically sealed with the aid of commercially available contact springs 9 (e.g. as disclosed in PCT 85/00378) or by contact spring strips.

The cables or lines are guided from the top and bottom into the housing 2 of distributor 1, for example, the external lines 7 from the top through the housing opening and the internal lines 8 (intraframe connections) from the bottom into bars 4a.

Bars 4a and 4b have a U-shaped profile and are likewise advisably made of stainless steel. The bars are arranged vertically directly next to one another along the rear wall 5 of housing 2. While the respective lower end face of bars 4a and 4b is open, the upper end face is closed and is provided with a flap 12, which projects outwardly beyond the plane in which the free arms of the profile end and extends outwardly parallel to this plane as can be seen in FIG. 2.

In the upper region of the rear wall 5 of housing 2 transversely extending slots 6 (FIG. 1) are provided into which the flaps 12 of bars 4a and 4b can be inserted. The spacing between slots 6 is of such dimensions that bar comes to lie against bar. Near the lower end, each bar 4a or 4b is equipped with a conventional push-type locking bolt 13 which when depressed fixes the bar to rear wall 5. Since the open U-shaped profile of bars 4a faces rear wall 5 when bars 4a are inserted, a channel is created in each case in which the internal lines 8 can be brought to plug-in connectors KL or KS.

In addition to bars 4a which can be equipped with plug-in connectors, a minimum arrangement also uses blind bars 4b which cannot be equipped with plug-in connectors (FIG. 1). These are used to fill up the bar locations in distributor 1 that are not occupied.

Bars 4a are provided with appropriate openings for the installation of the plug-in connectors, such as glass fiber connectors or connecting sleeves GS, coaxial connectors or plug-in sleeves KS, contact strips KL and the like. FIG. 2 shows a part of a bar 4a for mixed equipment. It has round openings 10 for glass fiber type plug-in connectors GS or coaxial line connectors KS, and rectangular openings 11 for contact strips KL. However, in FIG. 1, bars 4a are shown which are provided exclusively for glass fiber connectors GS or coaxial connectors KS as well as bars intended exclusively for plug-in contact strips KL. Before installation in distributor 1, bars 4a are equipped with plug-in connectors GS, KL, KS, lines 8 and switching devices so that they can be inserted by means of a few manipulations with all wiring already connected.

After all bars 4a and 4b have been inserted into distributor 1, bottom plate 14 is pushed in, thus closing the remaining bottom opening in housing 2 between bars 4a and 4b as well as door 3. In this way, a continuous shield is created between the external region and the internal region. Therefore, the region in which the external lines 7 are attached to plug-in connectors KL, KS, GS is an open chute defined by door 3, the side walls of housing 2, bars 4a and 4b and bottom plate 14, while the region in which internal lines 8 are disposed is divided into several chutes that are open at the bottom and are each formed by bars 4a and rear wall 5. This modular configuration permits the realization of a flexible distribution of the lines in an area that is insensitive to interfering radiation.

If required, cable holders 15 may be attached to bars 4a in order to make an orderly arrangement of external lines 7. The cable holders 15 are U-shaped bars made of sheet metal or plastic whose free ends are each provided with a T-shaped attachment 16. Bars 4a are provided with at least one pair of T-shaped, diverging slots 17 disposed near the front edge of the bar. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, slots 17 lie approximately in the center of the bar. They may also be attached further up where the bundle of incoming lines is still thickest. If several pairs of slots 17 are distributed over the length of the bar, a cable holder 15 or two, if required, may be employed at suitable locations. The insertion is effected simply by slightly pressing together the free arms of cable holder 15 which has been pushed over lines 7 until attachments 16 fit into the vertical portions of slots 17 and can be inserted until they encounter a stop. When released, the free arms spring apart again while the undercut portions of the T-shaped attachments 16 slide into the horizontal portions of the T-shaped slots 17. With this engaging connection the cable holder 15 is fixed to bar 4a. Cable holders 15 can be employed to arrange external lines 7 into neat bundles.

Door 3, as well as the bars 4a, 4b, may be provided with at least one push-type locking bolt 13 which, when depressed, fixes the closed door to the housing (not shown). Other possibilities for locking the door are, for example, rotary locking bolts, locks, magnetic locks, etc.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the same are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.