Electrical-installation system

• US 6,027,367 A
• Filed: 12/01/1997
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Datwyler AG and Woertz AG
• Original Assignee: Datwyler AG and Woertz AG
• Inventors: Strauss, Jurgen, Woertz, Hans, Bissig, Andre, Schoeffel, Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KHIEM M
• Application Number:
  US08/982,152
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 439/409, 439/416, 439/578, 439/394, 439/497, 174/59, 174/117 F
• US Class Current: 439/497
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/594 for shielded flat cable
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/616 having contacts penetrating insulation for making contact with conductors, e.g. needle points
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/67 insulation penetrating terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 12/775 Ground or shield arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6471 by special arrangement of ground and signal conductors, e.g. GSGS [Ground-Signal-Ground-Signal]
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/6592 the conductive member being a shielded cable
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 4/2483 penetrating the area under the screw tip

Abstract

An electrical-installation system comprising flat cable and connectors. Power-supply and data-transmission functions are combined in essentially the same plane. The data-transmission wires are not twisted. Contact can be established with the cores inside the connectors by piercing their insulation without stripping it.

Claims

1. An electrical-installation system comprising:

a cable comprising at least one insulated power-transmission core and at least two insulated data-transmission cores and shielding enclosing together the at least two data-transmission cores, wherein the at least two data-transmission cores are not twisted with each other and the at least one power-transmission core and the at least two data-transmission cores are combined in essentially the same plane; and

a connector comprising at least one insulated contact in engagement with the at least one of the data-transmission cores of the cable by piercing, without stripping, the insulation of the data-transmission core and by piercing, without stripping, the shielding of the data-transmission core.

2. An installation system as in claim 1, whereby any power-transmission core next to a data-transmission core acts as a protective or neutral core.

3. An installation system as in claim 1, whereby the connector includes power-or-data couplers.

4. An installation system as in claim 1, whereby the cable incorporates at least four power-transmission cores.

5. An installation system as in claim 1, wherein the cable fits into an accommodation in the connector such that the cable will always be forced into a specific position therein.

6. An installation system as in claim 1, wherein the at least two data-transmission cores are grouped together in a data-transmission portion and the power-transmission cores in a power-transmission portion;

and

the cable further comprising a web, the web connecting the data-transmission portion and the power-transmission portion.

7. An installation system as in claim 1, wherein the connector is designed to tap into the cable at any location along it.

8. An installation system as in claim 1, wherein the connector has as many insulated contacts as the cable has data-transmission cores, and each insulated contact is an insulated screw with a point that pierces the cable and establishes contact with a data-transmission core.

9. An installation system as defined in claim 1 wherein the connector also comprises at least one power-connector in engagement with the at least one power-transmission core of the cable, wherein each engaged power-contact is in engagement with only one power-transmission core of the cable by piercing, without stripping, the insulation of the core.

10. An installation system as defined by claim 9 wherein the connector has as many power-connectors as the cable has power-transmission cores, and each power-connector is a screw and has a point that pierces the cable and establishes contact with a power-transmission core.

11. An electrical-installation system comprising:

a cable having an outside and comprising at least one power-transmission core and at least two insulated data-transmission cores and shielding enclosing together at least two of the insulated data-transmission cores;

wherein the at least two insulated data-transmission cores are not twisted with each other and the at least one power-transmission core and the at least two data-transmission cores are combined in essentially the same plane; and

a connector comprising at least one contact in engagement with the at least one power-transmission core and at least two insulated contacts in engagement with the at least two data-transmission cores of the cable by piercing, without stripping, the outside of the cable and the shielding and insulation of the data-transmission core.

12. An electrical-installation system comprising:

a cable having an outside and comprising at least one insulated power-transmission core, at least two insulated data-transmission cores and shielding of the data-transmission cores against the at least one power-transmission core, wherein the shielding encloses together the at least two data-transmission cores, the at least two data-transmission cores are not twisted with each other and the at least one power-transmission core and the at least two data-transmission cores are combined in essentially the same plane; and

a connector comprising at least one power-connector in engagement with the at least one power-transmission core of the cable by piercing without stripping, the outside of the cable and the insulation of the power transmission core;

said connector further comprising, for each of the at least two data-transmission cores, at least one insulated contact in engagement with the corresponding data-transmission core of the cable by piercing, without stripping, the outside of the cable and the shielding and insulation of the data-transmission cores, the insulation of the insulated contacts being such that it prevents short circuits between the pierced data-transmission core and the pierced shielding,

wherein the outside of the cable fits into an accommodation in the connector such that the cable will always be precisely forced into a specific position therein, without stripping the outside of the cable and the shielding of the data-transmission cores.

13. The electrical-installation system claimed in claim 12, wherein the cable includes at least four power-transmission cores.

14. The electrical-installation system claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least two data-transmission cores are grouped together in a data-transmission portion and the power-transmission cores in a power-transmission portion;

and

the cable further comprising a web, the web connecting the data-transmission portion and the power-transmission portion.

15. The electrical-installation system claimed in claim 12, wherein the connector is designed to tap into the cable at any location along it.

16. The electrical-installation system claimed in claim 12, wherein each insulated contact is an insulated screw with a point that pierces the cable and establishes contact with a data-transmission core.

17. The electrical-installation system claimed in claim 12 wherein the connector also comprises at least one power-connector in engagement with the at least one power-transmission core of the cable, wherein each engaged power-contact is in engagement with only one power-transmission core of the cable by piercing, without stripping, the insulation of the core.

18. The electrical-installation system claimed in claim 12 wherein each power-connector is a screw and has a point that pierces the cable and establishes contact with a power-transmission core.