CON N ECTI ON CORD

The present invention relates to an interconnection m odule that is clippable onto a connection cord, as well as to an associated connection cord and to an assembly comprising a connection panel and such a connection cord.

The invention belongs to the field of electrical connection devices.

Connection cords equipped with spring-loaded conductive pins are often designed and m anufactured specifically for a given application.

Besides, they often use a specific connection cable and a triaxial switch.

These known connection devices have in particular the drawbacks of being very expensive and not able to be replaced by standard connection cords.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the above-m entioned drawbacks of the prior art.

To that end, the invention provides an interconnection module between a connection cord and a connection panel, remarkable in that it com prises a pair of spring-loaded conductive pins and a molded body in which a portion of the pair of pins is embedded, at least one of the ends of each pin projecting from the body and the body form ing a hollow volum e making the module clippable.

Thus, not only is the cost of such an interconnection m odule reduced, but in addition, that m odule can be clipped onto standard connection cords, without it being necessary to design and m anufacture a connection cord specifically dedicated to a given application.

I n a first particular em bodim ent, the pins of the pair of pins are connected to each other by a bridge welded on each pin, the bridge being embedded in the body. I n a second particular embodim ent, the pins of the pair of pins are connected to each other through a com pression contact force applied by an electrical contact component arranged around the pins, the com ponent being em bedded in the body. The connection between the two pins is thus protected against degradation from the outside.

I n a particular embodiment, the body comprises a first face in which the portion of the pair of pins is em bedded, two lateral opposed faces orthogonal to the first face and two flanges opposed to the first face, each of the flanges having a notch, the two notches facing each other and being sym m etrical with respect to each other.

These notches make it possible to m aintain the interconnection module in position once it is clipped on a connection cord.

I n a particular embodim ent, the body is m ade of plastic.

Such m aterial is particularly suitable for m olding, for exam ple injection molding.

The present invention also provides a connection cord com prising at one end a latch and a latch protecting m eans arranged around the latch, the connection cord being remarkable in that the above-mentioned end of the connection cord is equipped with an interconnection m odule as succinctly described above, the interconnection m odule being clipped on the above- m entioned end.

I n a particular em bodim ent of the connection cord, wherein the above- m entioned end is equipped with an interconnection module having notches as succinctly described above, the notches rest against the latch protecting m eans.

The present invention further provides an assem bly com prising, on one hand, a connection panel having at least one input term inal and on the other hand, at least one connection cord as succinctly described above connected to the at least one input term inal, the assembly being rem arkable in that the connection panel com prises a pair of connection pads corresponding to the input term inal and in that the pair of pins is in contact with the pair of connection pads.

I n a particular em bodim ent, the connection pads are m ade of a m aterial com prising gold.

Nam ely, gold has very good electrical conductivity and therefore creates high-quality connections. The particular features and advantages of the connection cord and of the assem bly being sim ilar to those of the interconnection m odule, they are not repeated here.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description of particular em bodim ents given below by way of non-lim iting exam ples, with reference to the accom panying drawings, in which :

- Figure 1 is a schem atic view in perspective of an interconnection module according to the present invention , in a particular embodiment;

- Figure 2 is a schem atic view in perspective of the interconnection module of Figure 1 where m aterial has been rem oved in order to show the bridge connecting the two spring-loaded conductive pins with each other in a first embodim ent;

- Figure 3 is a schem atic view in perspective of the interconnection module of Figure 1 in the course of being assem bled onto a connection cord according to the present invention, in a particular em bodim ent;

- Figure 4 is a schem atic view in perspective of a connection cord according to the present invention equipped with an interconnection module according to the present invention, in a particular em bodim ent;

- Figure 5 is a schematic bottom view in perspective of the connection cord of Figure 4, showing how the interconnection module is maintained in position ;

- Figure 6 is a schematic view in perspective of an assem bly according to the present invention com prising two connection cords according to the present invention and a connection panel; and

- Figures 7 and 8 are schematic views in perspective of a second embodiment of the connection between the two spring-loaded conductive pins.

As shown in Figure 1 , an interconnection module according to the present invention com prises a pair of spring-loaded conductive pins 12 and a body 14.

The body 14 is m olded on the spring-loaded conductive pins 12 in such a m anner that only a portion of the pins 12 is em bedded in the body 14. Nam ely, at least one end 121 among the two ends 121 and 122 of each pin 12 projects from the body 14. I n a particular em bodiment where the body 14 is made of plastic, it m ay be m olded for exam ple by injection m olding.

The body 14 forms a hollow volum e, like a sheath or case, which makes the interconnection m odule 10 clippable onto a connection cord, as will be described in detail hereafter. I n other words, the body 14 form s a hollow volum e making the m odule 10 clippable so that it is removable for use in another plug assem bly.

As shown in Figure 2, in a first particular embodiment, inside the embedding form ed by the molded body 14, the spring-loaded conductive pins 12 are connected to each other by a bridge 16 welded on each pin 12.

Figures 7 and 8 show a second embodiment of the connection between the two spring-loaded conductive pins 12. I n that second embodiment, the bridge 16 is replaced by an electrical contact bridge com ponent 70 arranged around both pins 12 and applying a compression contact force on the pins 1 2 to connect the pins 12 with each other. The com ponent 70 is m ade of a conductive material, thus making electrical connection between the pins 12. This sub-assembly (pins 12 and com ponent 70) is over-molded by the body 14 in the sam e way as the welded bridge 16 of the first embodim ent.

Figure 7 shows the component 70 separately and Figure 8 shows the com ponent 70 arranged around the pins 12.

Figures 1 and 2 show that the body 14 comprises a first face 140 in which the pair of spring-loaded conductive pins 1 2 is partially embedded and two lateral opposed faces 142 orthogonal to the first face 140. The body 14 further com prises two flanges 144 opposed to the first face 140. Each flange 144 projects orthogonally from a respective lateral face 142, toward the inside of the body 14.

As better shown on the bottom view of Figure 5, each of the two flanges 144 has a notch 146 that makes it possible to maintain the interconnection m odule 10 in position once it is clipped on the end of a connection cord 30. The two notches 146 face each other and are sym m etrical with respect to one another, pursuant to an axial sym metry with respect to the longitudinal axis of sym m etry of the connection cord 30. Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the m anner in which the interconnection module 10 according to the invention is assembled by clipping on the end of a connection cord 30.

I n Figure 3, the arrow F indicates that the interconnection m odule 10, once placed around the connection cord 30, is pushed toward the end of the connection cord 30, until the notches 146 are located below a m eans 50 of protection of a latch 52 of the connection cord 30, such arrangem ent being shown in Figure 5. The notches 146 then rest against the protecting m eans 50, which prevents the interconnection m odule 10 from slipping away from the end of the connection cord 30 (in a direction opposite to the arrow F) .

The latch 52 is provided on the end of the connection cord 30 adapted to be plugged in an input term inal 620 of an electrical device such as a connection panel 60 of the type illustrated in Figure 6. The latch 52 m akes it possible for the connection cord 30 to stay in position in the input term inal 620 after it is plugged therein.

The latch protecting m eans 50 is arranged around the latch 52, for exam ple by m olding.

Figure 6 shows an assem bly 60 that com prises a connection panel 62 having at least one input term inal 620. I n the illustrated non-lim iting exam ple, there are six input term inals.

The assem bly 60 further comprises at least one connection cord such as the one described above, which is plugged in the at least one input term inal 620. I n the illustrated non-lim iting exam ple, two connection cords 30 are plugged in two adjacent input term inals 620, respectively.

According to the invention, the connection panel 62 comprises a pair of connection pads 622 corresponding to an input term inal 620, each pin of the pair of spring-loaded conductive pins 12 of an interconnection m odule 10 being in contact with a pad of the pair of connection pads 622. I n the illustrated exam ple, each of the two connection cords 30 is connected to the connection panel 62 through a pair of connection pads 622 located on the connection panel 62 above the plugging port of the respective input term inal The connection pads 622 are m ade of a conductive m aterial, for exam ple com prising gold.

Thus, when the connection cord 30 is inserted into one of the input term inals 620 of the connection panel 62, the pins of the pair of spring-loaded conductive pins 12 autom atically make electrical and mechanical contact with the pads of the pair of connection pads 622.