Abstract:
A scalable mass interconnect device having a receiver assembly with module mounting members positioned in the receiver frame in a direction parallel to a plane of movement of the engagement cams in the receiver. Modules are mounted in the module mounting members such that the modules are perpendicular to a plane of movement of the engagement cams in the receiver.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
   None. 
   STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
   Not applicable. 
   FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
   The invention relates broadly to an interface connection system and, more specifically, to a low profile mass interconnect device. Such connection interface equipment requires the frequent placement of interchangeable test adapters (ITA) or wiring modules with multiple minute electrical contacts in operative engagement with opposite co-acting electrical contacts of, for example, receiver modules. The receiver contacts and interchangeable test adapter/wiring contacts should engage with precision to minimize wear and to prevent damaging the delicate and expensive equipment. 
   BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   A variety of mass interconnect devices have been used in the past. One example of prior art interface systems was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,005, entitled “Slide Cam Mechanism for Positioning Test Adapter in Operative Relationship with a Receiver,” which was assigned to Virginia Panel Corporation. In the &#39;005 Patent, the receiver included an inner frame and outer walls. Between the outer walls and adjacent sides of the receiver frame were placed fixed hanger plates provided with straight slots and interior slides having coacting cam slots. The slides were driven by a hand lever and attached round torsion shaft with connected linkage having an over-dead-center locked position. Movement of the hand lever would cause the slides to move parallel to the outer walls and interior sides. Modules for holding various electrical contacts were mounted in the receiver parallel to the direction of movement of the slides. 
   The individual test adapter, or ITA, had four split roller dual bearings or rollers on common dry lube sleeves that would rotate oppositely during the camming action to minimize friction. The individual test adapter rollers rested on dwell shoulders of the cam slots and then descended through the straight slots during movement of the slides of the receiver to produce positive straight-on engagement of the test adapter and receiver multiple contacts. The slides had elongated linear guide bearings with dry lube pads for precision free movement. The slides were connected to a cylindrical torsion shaft via linkage. Like the receiver modules, the ITA modules were mounted in the system in a direction parallel to the ITA sides on which the rollers were located. When modules, pins, patchcords, and perhaps a cover are mounted to or on the interface test adapter, the assembly is sometimes referred to as a “fixture.” 
   Another prior art system has been known as the MAC Panel Series 06, or rotating latch, interface device. In the rotating latch type device, the camming is performed by plates that rotate rather than moving in a linear fashion. In the rotating latch devices, the connector modules have been mounted to the receiver and test adapter frame parallel to the plant of rotation of the rotating latches. 
   Another prior art system sold by Virginia Panel Corporation included a receiver that included slides similar to those disclosed in the &#39;005 patent but used pins at two corners, diagonal from one other, on the receiver. These pins inhibited vertical movement of the ITA in the receiver to produce straight-on engagement. This prior art system, shown in  FIG. 6 , included machined side rails  501  and a cylindrical torsion shaft. 
   Another prior interface device is known as the TTI Testron VG Series interface device. This device may be in a tabletop or a rack-mounted form. This VG Series device included a fixture support plate mounted to the receiver in a direction perpendicular to the face of the receiver. The receiver would be mounted directly to the test equipment. 
   The TTI Testron fixture, or test adapter, would be engaged to the receiver by lifting the fixture onto a pair of hooks protruding from the face of the receiver and then resting the fixture on the support plate. A handle and gears were used to pull the hooks, and hence, the fixture, into the receiver to cause the electrical contacts in the receiver and the fixture to mate. 
   Although these devices generally functioned well and provided advantages over prior devices, the devices did not provide users with convenient access to the connectors and wires of a test adapter after the test adapter had been assembled. Such access may be desirable to perform troubling shooting tasks and repairs on the test adapters. Further, the devices included many components, including some machined parts, which contributed to expense and increased time for manufacturing and assembling the products. 
   SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   A receiver for a mass interconnect device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a receiver frame having atop, a bottom, and two sides forming a face of the frame; one or more engagement cams positioned parallel to the two sides of the frame; and at least one module mounting member connected to the receiver frame parallel to the two sides of the receiver frame. The receiver may further comprise a platform, plate or table removably mounted to the receiver frame and supports connected to the underside of the platform. 
   The receiver may be mounted to test equipment by connecting the supports, or some other component of the receiver assembly, to retractable slides connected to the test equipment. Such an arrangement permits the user to slide the receiver away from the test equipment to access wiring behind the receiver. 
   Still other aspects, features, and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description, simply by illustrating preferable embodiments and implementations. The present invention is also capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details can be modified in various respects, all without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are to be regarded as illustration in nature, and not as restrictive. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention of the present application will now be described in more detail with reference to preferred embodiments of the architecture and method, given only by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a receiver of a low profile mass interconnect device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a side view of a receiver of a low profile mass interconnect device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a receiver of an embodiment of the present invention with the table removed and the receiver mounted to a test rack. 
       FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a receiver of an embodiment of the present invention mounted to a test rack on retractable slides. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   A receiver assembly of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 1–4 .  FIG. 1  illustrates a receiver assembly in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. A receiver frame  120  has fixture alignment pins  122  on one or both sides of the receiving for aligning a fixture for engagement with the receiver assembly. One or more mounting members  124  extend across a face of the receiver  120 , adjacent the sides of the receiver frame, displaced from the sides of the receiver frame, or both. Each mounting member  124  has one or more module mounting holes  126  therein. 
   One or more modules  128 ,  129  of similar or varying types and sizes are mounted on the receiver frame  120  by connecting the modules to one or more mounting members  124 . In this arrangement, the modules are mounted perpendicular to the direction of movement of the linearly moving engagement slides, or perpendicular to the plane of rotation or movement in a rotating latch or other cam embodiment. By arranging the modules in this manner, a lower profile interface device may be achieved. The modules may accommodate any type of contact, including, but not limited to, signal, power, coaxial, high frequency, pneumatic and fiberoptic. 
   In a preferred embodiment, each module  128 ,  129  is mounted to the receiver frame  120  by connecting the module to two mounting members  124  in the receiver frame  120 . The modules may be connected to the module mounting members  124  via any of a variety of known methods such as with screws or spring means. 
   At each side of the receiver assembly, there is an engagement slide  140  and a receiver out side wall  110 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , each engagement slide  140  in this embodiment has a cam slot  142  and an elongated guide slot  144  therein. Each sidewall  110  has a pair of pins  146 , each having a bearing  148  thereon for guiding the engagement slide in a linear motion. Each receiver outer sidewall  100  further may have slots or recesses  116  therein. Such recesses may accommodate pins extending from the sides of test adapters and may or may not be designed to guide the test adapters into the receiver. The cam slots in the engagement slides are use to exert force on pins, or pins having bearing thereon, on the sides of test adapters to draw the test adapters into the receiver. The camming action likewise could be performed by a plate that rotates around a single pin rather than moving linearly. 
   In the preferred embodiment, the engagement slides are driven by linkage  204 ,  206  connected to the torsion shaft  202 . The torsion shaft  202  is connected to a handle  200 . When the handle  200  is move to rotate the torsion shaft in the direction  208 , the linkage drives the engagement slide  140  linearly to cam the test adapter pins in the cam slots  142  into the face of the receiver frame  120  thereby cause the pins in the test adapter to mate with pins in the receiver. When the handle  200  is moved in the opposite direction, the engagement slides is move linearly to cam to the test adapter pins away from or out of the face of the receiver frame thereby disengaging the respective pins in the test adapter and receiver. Although linkage  204 ,  206  is preferred, a similar motion may be achieved using a gear system or screw mechanism. 
   A test adapter (not shown) engaged with a receiver is held in place via over-dead-center locking of the linkage  204 ,  206 . A spring mechanism or assembly  136  connected to the receiver sidewall  110  or the receiver frame  120  likewise may be used or may be used in conjunction with over-dead-center locking to secure the handle  200 , and hence the test adapter, in an engaged position. 
   In a preferred embodiment, each receiver sidewall  110  has one or more fixture pre-alignment guides  114  protruding there from. The receiver sidewalls  110  may be mounted to the receiver frame via any of a variety of methods, although one or more screws  112  are used for this purpose in a preferred embodiment. 
   In a preferred embodiment, a fixture support plate  130  and handle  200  are removably mounted to the receiver frame  120  and/or receiver outer sidewalls  110 . By removing the support table and/or the handle, more convenient shipping and handling may be achieved. The fixture support plate may have one or more anti-friction sliding surfaces  132  thereon.  FIG. 3  illustrates a receiver with the support table  130  removed. In  FIG. 3 , the receiver is mounted directly to a rack 
   The receiver assembly further has a pair of supports or legs  134  mounted to the fixture support plate  130  via one or more screws  136 . As shown in  FIG. 4 , the receiver may be mounted onto test equipment via retractable slides  302  rather than being mounted directly to a rack or test equipment. In  FIG. 4 , the receiver is connected to the support table, and the table legs  134  are mounted to the retractable slides  302 . The retractable slides  302  permit the user to slide the receiver out from the test equipment after the receiver is mounted to access the wiring behind the receiver. The use of retractable slides or other means for permitting the receiver to be displaced from the test equipment allows users of the equipment to check and/or repair the wiring and pins quickly and easily. 
   In operation, a user will place a fixture onto the support table  130  and slide the fixture along the anti-friction surfaces  132  toward the receiver to place the pins on the sides of the test adapter into openings in the slide plates on either side of the receiver. After pushing the fixture into that position, the user may close the handle to engage the pins in the fixture with the pins in the receiver. 
   While the foregoing invention has been described in terms of its preferred embodiments, it should be understood that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It is intended that all such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims.