Electrical connectors – With coupling separator – Nonconducting pusher
Reexamination Certificate
1998-02-12
2001-07-17
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Electrical connectors
With coupling separator
Nonconducting pusher
Reexamination Certificate
active
06261111
ABSTRACT:
RELATED PATENT DOCUMENTS
A closely related document is U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,394 of Astier.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to equipment and procedures for making wiring connections, and more particularly to equipment and procedures for quickly and easily making and breaking a large number of cable connections to an electronics module simultaneously, or any of such connections selectively. The invention is also applicable to facilitating the making or breaking of multiple-conductor connections if all the wiring passes through only a few cable connectors, or even just one.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A common apparatus used by the airline industry is an electronics module. Each electronics module is connected to other equipment by cables. An electronics module utilizes a common device, to make and break these cable connections, called a cable connector.
One category of electronics module contains equipment which operates a variety of functions in an aircraft passenger cabin. There is typically one electronics module for each row of passenger seats on an airliner. In a commercial airliner an electronics module is commonly mounted under a seat, and therefore is inconvenient or awkward to reach.
During flight, aircraft undergo a significant amount of vibration. Therefore, the electronics modules should be securely fastened to the aircraft and the cable connectors should be securely fastened to the electronics module. The electronics modules and the cable connectors, however, also require testing, repair and replacement, and therefore must be removable. For these purposes different designs are now in use as will be explained shortly.
First, however, it should be noted that such removal of electronics modules is quite frequent. It must also be recognized that in the airline industry profit is made only by flying, and enormous loss or expense is incurred whenever aircraft must remain on the ground because of testing and repair.
Of course many spare modules can be kept available, so that a jetliner need not be delayed for the entire duration of testing and repair of a malfunctioning electronics module. Nevertheless the sensitivity of airline operations to idle time is so great that even a few minutes' delay for removal or replacement—or for the availability of a highly trained technician to perform such procedures—represents monumental cost.
(a) Nonrack
In the nonrack design (
FIGS. 10 and 11
) the electronics module
51
is mounted on a plate
52
with some means for attaching and detaching the plate from the aircraft. Numerous panel connectors
53
are permanently fixed in the electronics module, and the cable connectors are attached directly to the electronics-module panel connectors.
Therefore to test, repair or replace the electronics module each cable connector must be individually disconnected from its corresponding panel connector on the electronics module. Each cable connector is securely fastened to the electronics module by a respective latch
55
fixed permanently at each end of the panel connector.
When a cable connection is made, the two latches are manually fastened to each cable connector. To ensure that each cable connector will not disconnect due to vibration, the latches are made very difficult to engage or remove. Thus it is awkward and time consuming to remove the electronics module because all of the individual cable connections must be painstakingly disconnected first.
After the above steps are taken the electronics module can be disconnected from the aircraft. This is done by lifting four different knobs
54
on the electronics-module mounting plate to disconnect it from the aircraft.
In order to replace the electronics module the plate has to be reattached to the aircraft by pushing down the knobs. Then each individual cable connector must be reattached—first engaging the cable connector with the panel connector on the electronics module, and next fastening the two latches to the cable connector.
To properly engage the cable connector with the panel connector it might be helpful for a person to visually align them. This would necessitate lying on the floor of the aircraft because the electronics modules are under the seats. It is very important that the connectors be properly aligned with each other so that they will engage correctly, otherwise they could sustain significant damage or fail to create a wiring connection.
This nonrack apparatus creates a process that is very time consuming and requires a great deal of effort. Nonrack systems have somewhat passed out of modern use.
(b) Rack
This design includes an electronics module, cable connectors, and a rack
64
(
FIGS. 13 through 13
c
) with a unitary connector
61
bolted
63
to it. The electronics module is not attached to the cable connectors directly. The electronics module slides into, and is locked within, a rack that is securely attached to the aircraft.
Therefore an intermediary between the cables and the electronics module has been created. This intermediary is both mechanical and electrical. The rack is a mechanical intermediary, and the unitary cable connector is an electrical intermediary.
This connector has one end of the cables permanently attached to it, with the opposite end extending toward—or in some cases to—other equipment. At the opposite ends of the cables
62
are cable connectors for attachment to such other equipment.
This design fixes cables to the rack instead of using removable individual cable connectors attached directly to the electronics module. The connector is positioned in the rack such that it is properly aligned to make the connection with the panel connector on the electronics module.
This design allows the electronics module to be removed from the rack without having to disconnect any of the cable connectors. To remove the electronics module from the rack, a hold-down device is manually unscrewed to release the electronics module from the rack and forcibly withdraw the multiple connector pins. Then the electronics module is pulled out by a handle on the module itself.
To put the electronics module back in place, it first must be slid into the rack. Once in the rack, the electronics module is manually pushed into place to engage the connector. Then the electronics module is secured by the hold-down device, which requires a person to manually screw the device in—to forcibly engage the multiple pins, and until the electronics module is secure.
Although the electronics module can be removed without individually removing each cable connector as in the previous design, the unitary connector is permanently attached to the rack. Therefore the entire rack must be removed to test, repair, or replace the connector. This requires a significant amount of time and effort.
(c) Cable connector
The Astier patent mentioned earlier covers a slide locking device
120
for connectors
105
(FIGS.
12
through
12
B). This locking element fixes a cable connector to a panel connector
140
. The locking element is partially attached to the cable connector (FIG.
12
A), and positioned between the cable connector and the panel connector (FIG.
12
B).
The locking element has several hooks
130
which engage corresponding slots
143
on a panel
142
after the connection has been made between the connectors. Then the locking element is manually slid laterally to engage the hooks with the panel. This device allows the individual cable connectors to be attached to the panel, and does so without the cumbersome latches described above. In order to make a proper connection, however, a person should visually align the connectors, engage the connectors, and then slide the locking mechanism to engage the lock.
This locking device would make it slightly faster to disconnect all of the cable connectors from the electronics module in the nonrack design discussed above. The process, however, is still overly time consuming. This is mainly because the cable connectors must be individually disconnected from the electronics module in order to remove the electronics module. This locki
Ashen & Lippman
Ergo Mechanical Systems, Incorporated
Nasri Javaid
Sircus Brian
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