CONNECTION AND TESTING MODULE FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS LINES

DESCRIPTION

Object of the Invention

This invention refers to a connection and testing module for telecommunications lines. More specifically, the invention develops a Network Interface Device (NED) module for connecting and testing, and preferably also for circuit protection of telecommunications lines.

The field of application of the invention comes under the communications sector in general and in particular that of implementing telephone communication lines.

Background and Summary of the Invention

Experts in the field are familiar with the technical difficulties involved in practice when there is a breakdown in a communication line, for example a telephone line, and the exact point where this has taken place has to be located with a view to repairing this. Determining the location of the fault is useful for finding out whether the fault has arisen in the part of the line that has to be dealt with by the company providing the telephone service or if, on the other hand, it has taken place in the part of the line contained on the user's premises, in which case it is the user who has to provide the means required to repair it.

For this purpose, devices have been developed to enable checks and measurements to be made with a view to determining the point on the line where the cut or fault has taken place, with no need for prior travelling of the specialized staff and thus not incurring the costs involved by this. In this respect, one could mention document EP-A-711 012 by the same applicant, in which it describes a well-known module of this general type, marketed by Tyco Electronics under the trade name "VX Module", which has two conductor holders to take the respective service and subscriber wire pairs arranged so as to connect together. The conductor holders are screw- tightened to keep the pairs in the insulating displacement terminals, which establish electrical connection to the respective pairs. The terminals are extended to a test well where a continuity or bridging member made in the form of a plug and manually removable or push-in- pull-out electrically connects the terminals of the service wire pair to the subscriber wire pair. The bridging member preferably may include circuit protection means. Hence, removal of the bridging member breaks the electrical circuit between the input to the module (service pair) and

the output of the module (subscriber pair) and provides access to the terminals for carrying out the tests.

Furthermore, the invention described herein provides the essential characteristic that after being removed, said bridging member enables control media of different line parameters to be installed in its place, with a view to performing tests and measurements with conventional tools, or protection means can be incorporated, as was mentioned above, for example such as a gas tube which can act as a fuse for protecting the line against overvoltages. Such checks are made by the operator, after removing the plug, by inserting pliers to enable testing the status of the input pairs (the telephone company or operator side) or output pairs (user side) by positioning the pliers on the relevant terminals, and thus determining if the breakdown took place on the company side or on the user side. However, this form of carrying out checks and tests involves a number of disadvantages, one of which, for example, is the fact that the operator in charge of the testing has to physically go to the place where the module is located, generally the house or premises of the user or nearby this; apart from this, removing and later replacing -the bridge plug may give rise to deterioration or dirtying of the module terminals (user side or central side) which would lead to the resulting fault. There is also a possibility of the plug manipulation giving rise to losing or damaging this.

The existence of other documents is also known by means of which interface devices are provided enabling communication lines to be broken for carrying out measurements and tests. In this respect one could mention European patent document EP-O 637 176, which describes a user interface box, meant to provide a releasable connection between a telephone supply network and a user cable. The document describes an electromechanical device consisting of a network section, a user section and a female plug socket ready to receive a plug associated with a testing device. The functionality provided by the device consists in the fact that when a female socket associated with some test device is coupled, in said female socket it acts simultaneously on a movable member which drives the electrical contacts of the user section, making these yield elastically and thus losing the connection between both network and user sections. Disconnecting the user section enables carrying out the relevant measurements on the network line with the instrument that has been connected through the female socket of the device. One could also mention, as documents belonging to the known technique, U.S. patent number 5,671.273, which describes a network interface device provided with a switch which enables the electrical connection to be established between a supply network and a user, fitted with a closing case which covers and protects a test connector; U.S. patent number 6,252.941, which describes a method and apparatus in association with a network interface unit intended to enable tests to be carried out on a user pair with the use of a jack RJl 1 type connector, and using a bridge item electrically connected to two screws which in turn constitute the items for securing

the ends of the electrical cables; or U.S. patent number 2004/0221213, which describes jack connectors for communications, which include testing circuits.

This invention has the main aim of providing a module of the general type mentioned above, which substantially improves the operativity of this kind of devices, and by means of which a number of complementary utilities are provided to simplify and speed up the different testing operations, including verification of the installation by the users themselves with no need for the operator to travel.

For this purpose the invention set out, as was stated above, from a module of the type described in document EP-A-0711012, to which a test element materialised in a preferable removable female testing jack socket similar to the ones used in the known technique was added, either instead of or as well as (preferably connected with) a removable bridging member with a similar arrangement to the one described in said document, but including other complementary functionalities which make the module in the invention constitute a really practical testing element that is easy to use and highly versatile as far as functionalities are concerned. The invention thus provides, along with the possibility of lifting the lid and enabling pliers to be inserted to test the input and output pairs both on the switchboard or telephone operator side and on the user side, the further possibility of taking monitoring measurements with no need to perform the lid-lifting process, directly on the line while this is active.

Another main object of the invention consists in providing a module fitted with a light (or audible) system indicating the continuity of the line being tested, said system being activated with the help of a pushbutton.

Another main aim of the invention consists in the construction of a totally sealed module, even enabling its use outdoors if this is required.

Another object of the invention consists in providing a printed circuit adapted for its location inside the module, able to take the different active or passive components which may be necessary for implementing the corresponding utilities.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be more clearly explained from the detailed description to follow, given only for illustration purposes and in no way limitative, made with reference to the drawings adjoined.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figures Ia and Ib are schematic perspective views of a connection and testing module for communication lines of the type described in document EP-A-0711012, of which Figure Ia illustrates the alternative embodiment in which the female jack socket appears in the bridging member and Figure IB shows the alternative embodiment in which the female jack socket for testing is seen added on the side of the removable bridging member;

Figures 2a to 2d illustrate several views of the embodiment variant of the connection module of the invention, fitted out for installing outside;

Figures 3 a to 3d are schematic views of a variant embodiment of the previous connection module, built with the connector element set laterally in respect of the bridging member; Figures 4a to 4d are schematic views of a modified version of the connection module of the invention, according to an embodiment prepared for connecting and testing functions with two pairs joined to two adjacent sets of conductor holders;

Figures 5a to 5d illustrate representations of a variant embodiment of a connection module fitted with pushbutton and light element; Figures 6a and 6b correspond to different versions of the module of the invention provided with a closing cover sealed to the body of the module;

Figures 7a to 7d correspond to different versions of the module of the invention sealed with the aid of a closing cover, and

Figures 8a and 8b are perspective views of versions of the connection module indicating its versatility to adapt to different configurations depending on each specific need.

Description of Preferred Embodiments

With regard to the content of the appended figures, the different versions corresponding to the different preferential forms of embodiment of the invention will be described in detail hereinafter with the aid of numerical references to designate the parts integrating each assembly. Hence, with reference to Figure Ia, one can appreciate the representation of an example of the embodiment of the module of the type described, as stated above, in document EP-A-0711012 (VX module), in which one can essentially appreciate a base or plinth 1 carrying the conductor holders 2, 3 for the service and subscriber wire pairs, to which a removable upper plug or bridging member 4 which incorporates the internal elements is coupled, intended to establish the physical bridges providing the electrical connection between the respective conductors supported by each of the conductor holders 2, 3. The bridging member 4 removably incorporates the female jack socket 4a by means of which the relevant tests can be performed.

Figure Ib shows a modified version of the same connection module as in the previous Figure, in which there is a female testing socket 5a, in a lateral position, either replacing the removable bridging member (reference 4 in Figure Ia), between the respective screwed supports 2, 3 for pairs or laterally connected to the removable bridging member as shown in said Figure. The bridging member 5 carrying the female jack socket 5a has been designed preferably as a plug-in module, with one or more functions. The plug-in member or module 5 can be made from a body plus a mechanically-closed cover by means of plastic clips or ultrasonic welding, where all the components, depending on the application, are inside this plug-in module located for

example on a printed circuit board (PCB) inside the plug-in module, while the female jack socket 5a can be sealed by means of a gel. The sealing level of this product can be such that it can be used outdoors. Depending on the application, the components that can be fitted in this, apart from the female socket 5a already mentioned, can include a gas discharge tube, a positive temperature coefficient) resistance (PTC) ₅ a combination of capacitor + resistance, or a combination of capacitor + induction coil. The invention can thus provide all the advantages of the known VX module, apart from other applications which are currently of interest for NIDs, and can be totally sealed. Its modularity in terminal boxes and subscriber boxes is a further advantage as compared with the NEDs currently available for indoor applications. Apart from this, this module has the advantage of not requiring tools, in the sense of no special tools being needed for installation, with only a screwdriver being needed to install the pairs, and this facilitates not only installation but also the operator and subscriber tests, in the event of a fault or breakdown, with no need for an engineer to go to the subscriber's address to identify the type of fault, since it facilitates remote testing operations, with no need for operators to travel to the site from the company supplying the service. For example, the company can carry out the remote measurement of the line capacity, and if the value of that measurement coincides with the capacity of the condenser installed, it means that the loop is correct and the possible fault must thus be looked for on the user side. Incorporating a resistance beside the condenser prevents any sudden discharges of the latter, and thus protects other components that might be incorporated in the plug module. As an alternative possibility, the incorporation inside the removable plug module 5 of a printed circuit board whose size is adapted to fit the space available, carrying an induction coil and a condenser intended to eliminate any radio frequencies that might couple to the telephone line and which interfere in the user conversions. In any event, the production of the new module according to this invention can be favoured by the new preferred designs based on the existing highly commercially successful VX module.

Further embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the examples appearing in Figures 2 to 4 of the enclosed drawings. Hence, observing Figure 2, one appreciates more detailed representations of a module prepared to provide a high degree of environmental protection, that is for its possible use outdoors or in places where the condensation creates aggressive conditions for conductivity, for example in basements of buildings. In the drawing, Figure 2a shows an exploded view of the module, that is, with the removable bridging member 4 separated from the base 1, and with the internal contact terminals 6a, 6b exposed, with the testing female jack socket 4a incorporated in the removable bridging member itself; Figure 2b is an upper plan view of the module in Figure 2a, in which one can see the upper opening for access to the female testing jack socket incorporated in the bridge 4; Figure 2C is a view illustrating a semi-perspective representation of the module shown in Figures 2a and 2b with the bridge member 4 hermetically

coupled to the base body 1, while Figure 2d shows a partial view, in a lateral elevation, of the same module mentioned in relation to the previous Figures.

According to the invention, this simple version constitutes a plug-in connector module for the bridging member already mentioned and provides an easier demarcation point for final customers to be able to diagnose themselves if a fault lies in the customer's electrical installation or in the telephone network. The device illustrated includes an interruption and testing connector which is built in such a way that by simply plugging this into the male plug of the telephone (a simple and single operation) it isolates the internal electrical installation and supplies access to the network. The design of the device also enables the possibility of easily upgrading the system in the future simply by replacing the module plugged in 4 with an upgraded module, in which new functions have been added, if this is required. The appropriate casings for the plug-in module can be built with any appropriate plastic material in any shape and arrangement which may be required to suit the final use in question.

In the case of Figure 3 several views 3a-3d have been represented illustrating a similar module to the one in the previous Figure, with the alternative arrangement of the connector 5 a laterally joined to a circuit protection bridging member 5, which continues protecting the circuit and optionally certain line testing and ringing functions, thanks to the components that this may possibly include inside, while other testing and disconnection functions can be done by means of the attached connector 5 a. In the drawings one can appreciate a perspective view taken from an upper position (Figure 3a), an upper plan view (Figure 3b) in which one can more clearly see the lateral incorporation of the female connector 5a in the bridging member 5, a slightly rotated perspective view from a lateral position (Figure 3c), and a partial lateral elevation (Figure 3d).

If one now observes Figure 4, one can appreciate several upper perspective views (Figure 4a), front elevation (Figure 4b), tilted upper perspective (Figure 4c) and upper plan view (Figure 4d), of a connection module constituting a variant for embodiment of the invention advantageously modified in respect of the previous versions for its application in connection and testing functions of two pairs of conductors respectively associated with two separate adjacent sets of conductor holder terminals 2', 3'; the interlockable bridging member 7 constitutes the element establishing the electrical connection between the pairs associated with the service and user terminals, with a connection opening for access from the outside to the female jack socket 8a incorporated inside it. This alternative version of the invention can also be adapted to connect an incoming service line to three different subscriber lines.

As was stated in the definition of objects made during the description, the alternative modules for connecting and testing telecommunications that have the aforementioned conductor holder for pairs and terminals may be provided, preferably removably, with a test switch in the electrical circuit between the service wire terminals and the subscriber wire terminals, this switch

cooperating with a means of indication, set in such a way that when there is a fault, actuation of the switch produces an indication, preferably a light indication, with the assistance of a visible LED or some other signal (audible signals would also easily be possible), indicating whether the fault lies in the subscriber lines or in the exchange lines. The indication means preferably produces the signal when the exchange lines are intact, and does not produce this signal when there is no fault in the exchange lines. The switch will preferably be fitted so as to be used by the subscriber with no need to have an engineer present.

One possible form of preferred practical embodiment of this last version could consist in the alternative shown in Figures 5 a to 5 d of the adjoined drawings, which in theory correspond to a modification included in the form of embodiment of the invention which is shown in Figure Ib of the drawings. In this case the different representations correspond to a perspective view from above of the module assembly (Figure 5a), a view of the removable bridging member 5 in perspective from above (Figure 5c), an exploded view of the same bridging member (Figure 5b), and a view of the assembly of the internal components incorporated both for purposes of providing the indicator signal and for other functions (Figure 5d). According to the illustrations mentioned, on can appreciate the base 1 prepared for housing the bridging member 5 which has the task of establishing the connections between the respective service and user wire pairs, said bridging member being provided with an upper cover 9 through which an actuator item and an indicator item enter this, consisting in this particular case of a pushbutton 10 accessible to the user and a light indicator 11 which, as has been mentioned above, will preferentially be a LED diode, but in an alternative form of embodiment, the light indicator 11 may be replaced by some audible indicator, or even be used in combination with said audible indicator. Figure 5c shows the bridging member separated so that its structural characteristics can be appreciated, while Figure 5b shows an exploded view in which one can appreciate how the cover 9 protects the internal components required for the different functionalities, said components appearing fitted on a printed circuit board stated with general numerical reference 12. Of course, said printed circuit board 12 is able to support any other resistive, inductive or capacitative components which might be necessary for carrying out any different tests and checks that might be associated with the invention module. For this purpose, one can appreciate in greater detail Figure 5d, in which other additional components, materialised in the form of an inductive coil 12a and a condenser 12b, with the purposes already described.

Figures 6a and 6b are illustrative views of forms of realisation equivalent to the object of Figure 5, but differently structurally arranged in order to incorporate the respective female jack sockets 5a in lateral positions. The general arrangement of each of said modified versions depends on the elements incorporated with a view to implementing the functions associated, so that in the case of the module shown in Figure 6a additional functions to the mere

incorporation of the pushbutton 10 and light indicator 11 are included, as is the case of the modified embodiment in Figure 6b. The test circuit incorporated may be coupled both to the input pairs and the output pairs of the module, as can be understood by the experts in the subject, without this representing any difference given that the input and output sockets are located in the same module.

Figures 7a to 7d correspond to different views of the general type bridge member shown in Figures 5 and 6, but in which hermetic sealing is designed, implemented with the aid of a closing cover which adapts to the structural configuration taken by the aforementioned bridging member 5. As can be appreciated from these, the bridging member shows the access to the testing female jack socket 5a, being limited at its perimeter by a wall 13, while a constituent element of the sealing cover, which has been given general number 14, is shown foldably joined to the rest 9' of the closing cover portion, it thus being the first portion 14 which is able to be opened by an external user or operator when this is necessary. Figure 7a shows a bridging member 5 with the folding cover 14 in raised position, leaving the testing socket 5a exposed, while Figure 7b again shows the bridging member 5 with the cover 14 folded down, in closed position, covering the position of said testing female jack socket 5a; Figure 7c shows an exploded view, for illustration purposes, of said bridging member 5 as mentioned above, with the cover portions 9' and 14 in separated positions and lastly Figure 7d illustrates a representation of a full module, with the bridging member 5 occupying its position in the connection module on the base 1, and with both portions of cover 9', 14 coupled to the first one. The cover incorporates a sealing joint (not shown) for providing the assembly with the sealing required for its use where needed.

Finally, the representations shown in Figures 8a and 8b are also examples illustrating the versatility and variable configuration possibilities that the plug or bridging members incorporated in the connection module of the invention can take on in order to allow both its adaptation to any need and for the personalisation of the finished product. The form of execution shown is equivalent to the version illustrated in Figure 4 of the drawings, with the bridging member 7 coupled (Figure 8a) and raised for its separation from the base (Figure 8b).

In the previous text diverse forms of alternative embodiment of the connection and testing module for communication lines proposed by the invention have been given. It should nevertheless be understood that these are only illustrative examples of the invention and thus able to undergo variations and modifications without departing for this reason from its field of protection, limited only by the adjoined claims.