Patent Publication Number: US-2023164465-A1

Title: Identification device for connection cables in telecommunication-network jumper boards

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention refers to an identifier device to be applied to each end connector of a patch cord used to interconnect, in an organized way, a respective pair of patch panel ports of different digital or analog data telecommunication lines in different applications. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Installations of telecommunication network patch panels are well known in the state of the art, which comprise a plurality of panel ports to be interconnected, two by two, in a previously ordered manner, by a patch cord having, at each end, a connector to be fitted and retained in a respective port of a pair of panel ports, one port being connected, generally at the rear region of the panel, to a (so-called external) telecommunication line, by for example a connection to a network switch, router or PBX, while the other port of the pair is connected, also usually by the rear region of the panel, to another (so-called internal) telecommunication line, for example a local network point or socket where a computer, telephone, printer, server or other equipment will be connected. 
     The patch cord allows the organized connection of each pair of panel ports, according to an order that can be rearranged, at any time, according to the varying operational requirements of each installation, requiring the operator to carefully note the ports to have their interconnection performed by a respective patch cord. 
     In installations with a high number of patch panels and panel ports, the operator in charge of implementing or rearranging the interconnections is obliged to expend effort and time to overcome the usual difficulties to safely locate the panel ports to have their interconnection carried out or rearranged, with an effective risk of interconnection errors that will also require efforts to detect and correct the same, particularly in installations with a high number of telecommunication lines to have their interconnections effected, complemented or rearranged. 
     Due to the inconveniences of the operations of effecting, complementing and reordering of interconnections between the panel ports, made by means of manual notes to be followed by the operators, computerized systems were proposed for tracking and individual identification of the interconnection of each two of patch panel ports by a patch cord. In this type of interconnection system, each of the opposite ends of each patch cord carries a connector on which an identifier tag is fixed, containing individual identification data of each patch cord to be applied to the patch panels that are usually mounted in a structure arranged in a space, for example, a room of generally restricted access. 
     In these installations, the patch panels have each panel port operatively associated with a sensor capable of reading the data contained in the identifier tag of the connector that is fitted to a respective patch panel port. A controller device is operatively associated with the patch panels to identify/track whether certain patch cords have their connectors connected to the patch panel port pairs, in the desired order. 
     In a known solution, described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,605,707, on each of the end connectors of a patch cord, an RFID identifier tag is fixed with a microchip containing the unique identification data of the respective patch cord, to be detected by an RF antenna provided in each respective panel port, when the respective connector of a patch cord is plugged into or unplugged from the same. The signals detected by the RF antenna are then transmitted to a reader device provided with a processor that transforms the RF antenna signals into digital data to be stored in a database of a computerized controller device, which records the connectivity condition of the patch cord, allowing the identification of each two panel ports that are interconnected by the same patch cord or that have been disconnected from each other. 
     This previous solution has, as an inconvenience, the fact that it requires communication on radio frequencies from 868 MHz to 950 MHz, or in the 2.4 GHz band. These frequencies are quite high, making the circuits and components necessary to carry, switch and read the signals complex, leading to a very high-cost solution that does not present global standardization, as to each country or region (USA, Europe, Japan and others) having different requirements, with the need of local adaptations. 
     Other identification systems using RFID can be seen in patent documents U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,665,107; 8,427,335; and 8,171,468, which have at least some of the drawbacks discussed above. 
     Patent application BR 10 2017 021868-6, by the applicant, describes and claims a solution to allow an easy and secure visual and individual identification not only of each pair of patch panels ports, as well as the respective patch cords, using reduced power and low frequency for wireless communication between each patch cord and the panel ports, indicating and identifying the connection or disconnection of the ports of each pair of ports and also allowing a simple and fast insertion of data in the identifier tags already fixed in the respective end connectors of a patch cord with the latter already interconnecting two panel ports. 
     In this previous solution of the applicant, the identifier tags are housed in a respective recess provided in the end connector body, being fixed there generally by adhesive, being exposed to the dirt and humidity of the installation environment and accessible manually, without the need for disconnection of the connector from the respective panel port, thus being subject to possible involuntary mechanical interference and the wear of the adhesive over time. 
     Despite the advantages over the prior art, the aforementioned previous solution by the applicant requires the provision of patch cords already manufactured with the end connectors carrying the identifier tags. Thus, in case it is desired to provide an installation, originally devoid of automatic identification means of the connections, with a computerized system of visual and individual identification of each pair of ports of patch panels and the respective patch cords, the patch cords in the installed condition will not be able to receive the identifier tags, requiring their replacement by patch cords with the end connectors carrying the identifier tags. 
     In order to provide greater flexibility to the construction of patch cords with connectors carrying the respective identifier tags, another solution was proposed, still by the prior art, comprising an identifier device formed by a tag holder body configured to be mounted around each end connector and to carry, attached by adhesive, an identifier tag. According to this other solution of the prior art, a common patch cord can have its end connectors provided with respective identifier tags by mounting an identifier device on whose body an identifier tag is fixed, by adhesive. 
     Despite leading to an advantageous versatility in terms of providing identifier tags to connectors of patch cords of conventional construction, this other prior art solution uses an identifier device having a body formed in two pieces to be fitted and locked to each other, around the body of the connector, one of the forming parts of the body receiving, externally, the gluing of an identifier tag with a microchip containing the unique identification data of the respective patch cord. 
     This previous solution, mentioned above, has a construction that leads to an assembly that is difficult to access with the connector kept fitted in a patch panel port. In order to assemble this identifier device with a body formed in two parts, the installer is required to access the upper and lower faces of the connector, which makes this operation very difficult, if not impractical in the field, with the connector already installed in a panel port, with its lower face virtually inaccessible. 
     The aforementioned other previous solution presents the body of the identifier device formed in two pieces fitted into and locked to each other by exposed and easily accessible locking means, allowing the disassembly of the body from the tag holder device, with the connector remaining seated in a respective port of the patch panel, without the operation conduction being highlighted. The safety of the mounting is fragile. In addition, the identifier tag is externally attached to the body of the identifier device by means of an adhesive, with which the tag is exposed to the environment, without any protection, being able to come off with the time, depending on the deterioration of the adhesive. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Due to the aforementioned drawbacks, the present invention aims at providing an identifier device to be applied to each end connector of a patch cord, to interconnect a pair of ports of patch panels, which comprises a tag-holder body of simple and robust construction, to be easily and quickly fitted and retained around an end connector of a patch cord and having an identifier tag securely housed and protected therein, in the form of a tag containing passive electronic memory and capable of communicating, via radio frequency (RF), and of storing identification data of the respective patch cord, with the tag-holder body and the identifier tag kept retained, so as not to be removed, except in a destructive manner, in relation to the end connector, the latter being kept fitted in the respective port of the patch panel. 
     The identifier tags used in the identifier device in question operate together with readers based on Near Field Communication (NFC) according to the ISO/IEC 14443 standard, being positioned externally to the elements involved in the “End connector/Panel Port” connections, which elements can thus continue to exactly follow industry compatibility standards. 
     The device of the invention is applied to patch cords with each of their opposite ends carrying a connector having an upper face provided with a crimping cavity, opposite side faces and a lower face. 
     According to the invention, the identifier device comprises: a one-piece “U” shaped body, having a basic leg to be seated against the upper face of a connector and provided with a housing and at least one projection to be fitted inside the crimping cavity of the connector, the body also having two side legs to be seated against the respective opposite side faces of the connector and each incorporating an inner end tooth to be seated against the lower face of the connector. 
     The device also comprises an identifier tag, containing passive electronic memory and positioned inside the housing; and a cover attachable to the basic leg of the body, closing the housing and retaining the identifier tag within the latter. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be described below, with reference to the attached drawings, given by way of example of a possible embodiment of the identifier device and in which: 
         FIG.  1    represents a perspective view of a patch cord provided with a pair of RJ-45 end connectors, each having its upper face provided with a crimping cavity; 
         FIG.  2    represents an exploded perspective view of the identifier device, illustrating the tag holder body, with the tag housing open, the cover of the tag housing and the tag itself; 
         FIGS.  3  and  4    represent perspective views of the tag holder body with the cover mounted and closing the tag housing; 
         FIG.  5    represents a perspective view of an end connector carrying an identifier device with the housing cover in the assembled and closed condition; 
         FIG.  6    represents a longitudinal sectional view of the set illustrated in  FIG.  5   ; and 
         FIG.  7    represents a cross-sectional view of the set illustrated in  FIG.  5   . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     As illustrated and already mentioned, the present invention relates to an identifier device for patch cords in patch panels of telecommunication network, of the type that comprises a plurality of patch panels (not illustrated) that receive, respectively, external lines and internal lines (not shown), and which are usually mounted on structures installed in a suitable space, usually a room of restricted access. 
     As is known in the art, each connecting panel comprises, in its front region, a plurality of panel ports well known in the art and also not illustrated here, to be interconnected, two by two, in a previously ordered manner, by a patch cord  10  having, at each end, a connector  20 , for example of the RJ45 type, to be fitted and retained in a respective port, of a pair of panel ports to be interconnected with each other. 
     Each connector  20  of a patch cord  10  has an upper face  21  provided with a crimping cavity  25 , usually of rectangular contour, opposite side faces  22 , generally flat and parallel to each other, and a lower face  23 . 
     According to the invention, the identifier device ID comprises a one-piece body  30  in a “U” shape, preferably injected in a resistant and flexible electrically non-conductive polymeric material, such as polycarbonate, having a basic leg  31  to be seated against the upper face  21  of a respective connector  20  and provided with a housing  33 , facing outwardly of the body  30 , and with at least one projection  34 , facing inwardly of the body  30  and to be fitted inside the crimping cavity  25 . 
     In the illustrated and preferred construction, the at least one projection  34  of the basic leg  31 , facing inwardly of the body  30 , has a width, in the direction transverse to the “U” shape of the body  30 , dimensioned to define a snug fitting of said projection  34  inside the crimping cavity  25 , locking the body  30  against displacements in the longitudinal direction of the connector  20 . 
     In the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the body  30  is provided with two inwardly facing projections  34 , spaced apart in the direction of the basic leg  31 , both having their width dimensioned to be fitted, snugly, inside the crimping cavity  25 , axially locking the body  30  with respect to the connector  20 . 
     The locking of the body  30  against displacements in directions orthogonal to the axial geometric axis of the connector  20  is achieved with a body  30  further having two side legs  32  to be seated against the respective opposite side faces  22  of the connector  20 , each side leg  32  incorporating an inner end tooth  35  to be seated against the lower face  23  of the connector  20 . 
     The side legs  32  of the body  30  are elastically deformable outwards, to position the respective inner end teeth  35  externally to the abutting side faces  22  of the connector  20 , during the assembly, by simple engagement, of the body  30  around the respective connector  20 . 
     After passing through the abutting side faces  22  of the connector  20 , with the side legs  32  of the body  30  elastically deformed outwards, the inner end teeth  35  are displaced, by the elastic memory of the side legs  32 , to the position of engagement under the respective opposing marginal portions of the lower face  23  of the connector  20 , with the basic leg  31  of the body  30  seated against the upper face  21  of the connector  20 . 
     Thus, the installation of the identifier device only requires access to the upper face  21  of the connector  20 , allowing that said installation to be carried out with the connector kept fitted in a respective panel port connection, without the need of disconnecting the patch cord. 
     With the construction described above, the body  30 , after being fitted around the connector  20 , remains transversely and axially locked in the latter, without requiring any tool or complex and time-consuming operation, being positioned externally adjacent to a respective port of panel of a patch panel, in which the connector  20  is fitted. 
     In order to facilitate the fitting of the body  30  to the connector  20 , the inner end teeth  35  of the side legs  32  are externally and inferiorly rounded, to cause the elastic deformation of the side legs  32  outwards, during the fitting operation of the body  30 , facilitating the passage of the inner end teeth  35  through the side faces  22  of the connector  20 . Despite being easy to fit into the connector  20 , the construction of the body  30  and its positioning next to the panel port make its disassembly impractical, by means of the non-destructive opening of the side legs  32  and the release of the inner end teeth  35 , without the connector  20  being disconnected from the panel port. 
     The identifier device ID further comprises an identifier tag  40 , positioned inside the housing  33  and containing passive electronic memory and capable of communicating via radio frequency (RF) and storing data relating to the individual identification of the respective patch cord  10  at whose ends the two connectors  20  are fitted, each affixing a respective identifier tag  32 . 
     The housing  33  of the body  30  is closed by a cover  50  that can be fitted and retained on the basic leg  31  of the body  30 , retaining the identifier tag  40  protected from external agents and mechanically secure in its operational position. 
     To make the non-destructive opening of the cover  50  impracticable, with the body  30  mounted on the connector  20  and with the latter fitted to a panel port, the housing  33  of each body  30  is defined inside a recess  36  in an inverted “U” shape, provided along the longitudinal extent of the basic leg  31  and having opposite ends, in each of which a step  37  facing downwards is internally formed. To match the recess  36 , the cover  50  has an inverted “U” shape, which can be fitted into the recess  36 , having a base  51 , covering and closing the housing  33 , and two side flaps  52  each incorporating an inner end tooth  57  to be fitted, after elastic deformation of the side flaps  52 , and retained under a respective step  37  of the recess  36 . With this construction, the cover  50  remains fully housed inside the recess  36 , with its inner end teeth  57  inferiorly and externally chamfered to facilitate its fitting inside the recess  36 , but making the non-destructive disengagement impractical, particularly with connector  20  fitted to a panel port. 
     The identifier tags  40  associated with each patch cord  10  contain the same individual identification data of the respective patch cord  10 . The identifier tag  40  does not require additional circuits or an external antenna, being totally passive. 
     The identifier tag  40 , used in the identifier device ID, contains a small electronic memory that allows a simple and quick insertion of data in the identifier tags  40 , before they are positioned and retained in the housing  33  of each body  30  and even before the latter is quickly and easily fitted onto a corresponding connector  20 . Thus, existing cabling without individual identification can be easily added to the identifier devices in question, without the need for replacement. 
     The identifier tag  40 , arranged in the housing  33  of the body  30  fitted to each connector  20 , provides, by wireless communication, to a non-illustrated tracking module, signals representative of the identifier data of the respective patch cord  10  and stored in its electronic memory, so that such data can be captured, digitized and stored for later processing to track the interconnections being carried out or rearranged in the set of patch panels.