Communication device capable of maintaining signal transmission between different devices

Abstract

The invention discloses a communication device capable of maintaining signal transmission between different devices. The communication device comprises a shell, a cover body, a signal processing module and a signal switching module, the cover body is detachably installed on the shell. The signal processing module is arranged on the cover body, and a signal transmission terminal of the signal processing module faces the shell. The signal switching module is arranged in the shell and comprises a rotor and a conducting strip. The rotor has a switching element, a cavity, a device port, and a module port. The device port is electrically connected to the preceding stage device and / or the backward stage device, and the switching element is movably arranged in the cavity. The conducting strip is located in the shell. When the signal transmission terminal is inserted into the module port, the conducting strip is pushed by the switching element to be separated from the device port, and when the signal transmission terminal is moved out of the module port, the conducting strip pushes the switching element to contact the device port, thereby maintaining signal transmission between the preceding stage device and the following stage device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, and more particularly to a communication device capable of maintaining signal transmission between different devices. Background Art

[0002] In common cable TV communication systems, each node on the trunk line loop is equipped with a splitter. Different external electronic devices are respectively installed at the front and rear ends of each splitter, and multiple splitters and their corresponding external electronic devices are connected to each other in series. The splitter may need to be repaired or replaced. The maintenance method is to remove the control circuit board in the splitter, and then install the repaired or replaced control circuit board back into the splitter; however, the repair or replacement process will interrupt the signal transmission path established by this splitter in the trunk line loop. Therefore, how to design a splitter (or communication device) that can keep the signal transmission path of the front and rear external electronic devices unobstructed during the circuit board maintenance process is one of the development topics of the design industry of related institutions. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a communication device capable of maintaining signal transmission between different devices to solve the above-mentioned problem.

[0004] The present invention provides a communication device capable of maintaining signal transmission between different devices, and is used for maintaining signal transmission between a front-stage device and a rear-stage device. The communication device comprises a housing, a cover, a signal processing module and a signal switching module. The housing has a storage space. The cover is detachably mounted on the housing to cover the storage space. The signal processing module is arranged on the cover. The signal processing module has at least one signal transmission terminal, which is arranged at a position of the signal processing module facing the storage space. The signal switching module is arranged on the housing. The signal switching module comprises at least one rotor and a conductive sheet. The at least one rotor has a switching element, and a cavity, a device port and a module port which are interconnected. The device port is electrically connected to the front-stage device and / or the rear-stage device, and the switching element is movably arranged in the cavity. The conductive sheet is located in the storage space. When the at least one signal transmission terminal is inserted into the module port and pushes against the switching element along a specific direction, the conductive sheet is separated from the device port by the pressure applied by the switching element; when the at least one signal transmission terminal is removed from the module port, the conductive sheet pushes against the switching element along a direction opposite to the specific direction to contact the device port, thereby maintaining the signal transmission between the front-stage device and the rear-stage device.

[0005] The communication device of one embodiment of the present invention further includes an insulating member, which is disposed in the housing and combined with the conductive sheet to limit the movement of the conductive sheet in the accommodating space. The insulating member includes a main body, an input end insulating portion, and an output end insulating portion. The main body is located between the two opening ends of the housing, the input end insulating portion is adjacent to one of the two opening ends, and the output end insulating portion is adjacent to the other of the two opening ends.

[0006] The communication device of the present invention utilizes the special design of the rotor and the conductive sheet of the signal switching module. When the shell and the cover are assembled and closed, the switching element pushes against the conductive sheet to produce deformation and separate the device port from the rotor. Therefore, the signal transmission path between the front-stage device and the rear-stage device is in sequence: the front-stage device, the input-end rotor, the signal input terminal, the signal processing circuit board, the signal output terminal, the output-end rotor and the rear-stage device; when the shell and the cover are separated, the conductive sheet pushes against the switching element in reverse to touch the device port of the rotor. At this time, the signal transmission path between the front-stage device and the rear-stage device is in sequence: the front-stage device, the input-end rotor, the conductive sheet output-end rotor and the rear-stage device. Therefore, regardless of whether the shell and the cover are in a closed or separated state, the communication device of the present invention can continuously maintain signal transmission between the front-stage device and the rear-stage device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 and Figure 2 Exploded views of components of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention at different viewing angles.

[0008] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the application of the communication device according to the embodiment of the present invention in combination with other devices.

[0009] Figure 4 It is a structural cross-sectional view of a rotor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 5 4 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of a conductive sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 6 and Figure 7 2 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention at different operating stages.

[0012] Explanation of reference numerals: 10-communication device; 12-pre-stage device; 14-post-stage device; 16-housing; 161-bottom of housing; 18-cover; 20-signal processing module; 22-signal switching module; 24-insulating member; 26-opening portion; 28-accommodating space; 30-input opening end / opening end; 32-output opening end / opening end; 34-signal processing circuit board; 36-signal transmission terminal; 361-signal input terminal; 362-signal output terminal; 38-rotor; 381-input end rotor; 382-output end rotor; 40-conductive sheet; 42-first switching element / switching element; 44-first cavity / cavity body; 46-first device port / device port; 48-first module port / module port; 50-second switching element / switching element; 52-second cavity / cavity; 54-second device port / device port; 56-second module port / module port; 58-connecting part; 60-first conductive part / conductive part; 62-first abutment top / abutment top; 64-second conductive part / conductive part; 66-second abutment top / abutment top; 68-main body; 70-input end insulating part; 72-output end insulating part; 74-top of the switching element; 76-bottom of the switching element; 78, 80-conductive clip; D-specific direction. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] See also Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 and Figure 2 1 is an exploded view of components of the communication device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention at different viewing angles. Figure 3 The communication device 10 of the embodiment of the present invention is used in combination with other devices. The communication device 10 can be used in a cable TV system or other communication systems with signal series characteristics. The communication device 10 can be a splitter, which is installed at least between the front-stage device 12 and the rear-stage device 14; the front-stage device 12 and the rear-stage device 14 refer to external devices that can read, receive and send signals transmitted by the communication device 10. When the internal circuit of the communication device 10 of the present invention needs to be repaired or replaced, the signal transmission between the front-stage device 12 and the rear-stage device 14 can still be maintained, so as to avoid signal interruption between the front-stage device 12 and the rear-stage device 14 during maintenance.

[0014] The communication device 10 may include a housing 16, a cover 18, a signal processing module 20, a signal switching module 22, and an insulating member 24. The housing 16 has an opening 26, a receiving space 28, an input opening end 30, and an output opening end 32. The opening 26 may be an opening of the receiving space 28, and the disassembly and assembly of the components inside the receiving space 28 may be completed through the opening 26. The input opening end 30 and the output opening end 32 are connected to the opening 26 and the receiving space 28. The cover 18 is detachably mounted on the opening 26 of the housing 16 to cover and close the receiving space 28 to prevent the communication device 10 from being affected by environmental factors such as dust, moisture, and signal interference. The appearance of the housing 16 and the cover 18 is not limited to the embodiment shown in the figure, but depends on the design requirements.

[0015] The signal processing module 20 is disposed on the cover 18, which means that the signal processing module 20 can be separated from the housing 16 as the cover 18 is removed from the housing 16. The signal processing module 20 may have a signal processing circuit board 34 and a signal transmission terminal 36. The signal processing circuit board 34 is installed in the cover 18, and the signal transmission terminal 36 is disposed on the signal processing circuit board 34 to face the accommodating space 28. The number of the signal transmission terminals 36 will depend on the design requirements; for example, if the communication device 10 is disposed between two external devices (i.e., the front-stage device 12 and the rear-stage device 14), the signal transmission terminal 36 may include a signal input terminal 361 and a signal output terminal 362. The signal input terminal 361 and the signal output terminal 362 are electrically connected to each other through the circuit configuration on the signal processing circuit board 34, and are respectively disposed at different positions of the signal processing circuit board 34.

[0016] In a possible embodiment of the present invention, the signal processing circuit board 34 can be installed on the cover 18 by screw locking or structural snap-fitting, and the function of the signal processing circuit board 34 can be the distribution, attenuation or combination of radio frequency signals, but the actual application still depends on the design requirements, and other possible changes will not be further described here.

[0017] The signal switching module 22 is disposed in the housing 16 and may include a rotor 38 and a conductive sheet 40. Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 is a structural cross-sectional view of a rotor 38 according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 54 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of the conductive sheet 40 of an embodiment of the present invention. The rotor 38 depends on the number of external devices and signal transmission terminals 36. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rotor 38 may include an input end rotor 381 and an output end rotor 382, ​​which are respectively arranged at positions corresponding to the input opening end 30 and the output opening end 32 of the shell 16. The input end rotor 381 may have a first switching element 42, and a first cavity 44, a first device port 46 and a first module port 48 that are interconnected. The first switching element 42 is movably arranged in the first cavity 44. The first device port 46 is used to electrically connect to the pre-stage device 12, and the first module port 48 is used to electrically connect to the signal input terminal 361 of the signal processing module 20.

[0018] Accordingly, the output-end rotor 382 may have a second switching element 50, and a second cavity 52, a second device port 54, and a second module port 56 that are interconnected. The second switching element 50 is movably disposed in the second cavity 52. ​​The second device port 54 is used to electrically connect to the subsequent device 14, and the second module port 56 is used to electrically connect to the signal output terminal 362 of the signal processing module 20.

[0019] The conductive sheet 40 is located in the accommodating space 28 and includes a connecting portion 58, a first conductive portion 60, a first abutting portion 62, a second conductive portion 64, and a second abutting portion 66. The connecting portion 58 is connected to the insulating member 24 to be positioned in the accommodating space 28. The first abutting portion 62 and the second abutting portion 66 extend outward from two opposite ends of the connecting portion 58. The first conductive portion 60 may be disposed at an end of the first abutting portion 62 relative to the connecting portion 58 and extends upward toward the input-end rotor 381. The second conductive portion 64 is disposed at an end of the second abutting portion 66 relative to the connecting portion 58 and extends upward toward the output-end rotor 382.

[0020] The insulating member 24 may be disposed in the housing 16 to combine with the conductive sheet 40 of the signal switching module 22 to limit the movement of the conductive sheet 40 in the accommodating space 28. The insulating member 24 may include a body portion 68, an input end insulating portion 70, and an output end insulating portion 72. The body portion 68 is located between the input opening end 30 and the output opening end 32 of the housing 16. The input end insulating portion 70 is adjacent to the input opening end 30, and the output end insulating portion 72 is adjacent to the output opening end 32. In a possible embodiment of the present invention, the body portion 68 may be integrally formed with the input end insulating portion 70 and the output end insulating portion 72, or may be separated from the input end insulating portion 70 and the output end insulating portion 72 and respectively disposed at corresponding positions in the housing 16; the variation depends on the design requirements and will not be described in detail herein.

[0021] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 4. The input-end rotor 381 and the output-end rotor 382 can be made of conductive materials. The input-end rotor 381 will be set in the input-end insulating portion 70 of the insulating member 24 to be separated from the housing 16, which means that there is no electrical connection with the housing 16. The output-end rotor 382 will also be set in the output-end insulating portion 72 of the insulating member 24 to be separated from the housing 16, and there will be no electrical connection with the housing 16. In order to achieve the signal switching function, the first switching element 42 and the second switching element 50 are both made of insulating materials and have respective opposite top ends 74 and bottom ends 76. The top end 74 of the first switching element 42 can be inserted into the input-end rotor 381 and along the direction of the first module port 48 to detachably contact the signal input terminal 361; the bottom end 76 of the first switching element 42 can protrude from the first cavity 44 to contact the first abutment portion 62 of the conductive sheet 40.

[0022] Accordingly, the top end 74 of the second switching element 50 can be inserted into the output end rotor 382 in the direction of the second module port 56 to detachably contact the signal output terminal 362; the bottom end 76 of the second switching element 50 can protrude from the second cavity 52 to contact the second abutment portion 66 of the conductive sheet 40. Furthermore, the first module port 48 and the second module port 56 may have a conductive clip 78 inside to clamp and fix the signal input terminal 361 and the signal output terminal 362. The first device port 46 and the second device port 54 may also have a similar conductive clip 80 inside to clamp and fix the connection pins (not marked in the drawings) of the front-stage device 12 and the rear-stage device 14.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 5 . The connection portion 58 of the conductive sheet 40 is fixedly connected to the insulating member 24 so as to be spaced from the bottom 161 of the housing 16. The first abutting portion 62 and the second abutting portion 66 can swing relative to the connection portion 58 along a specific direction D, and the interval between the connection portion 58 and the bottom 161 can be defined as the allowable swing range of the first abutting portion 62 (or the second abutting portion 66). The conductive sheet 40 is made of a conductive material with elastic deformation characteristics, such as a metal sheet. When the conductive sheet 40 is not subjected to external pressure, its original state allows the first conductive portion 60 to touch the first device port 46 of the input rotor 381, and the second conductive portion 64 to touch the second device port 54 of the output rotor 382. When the conductive sheet 40 is subjected to external pressure, it will elastically deform to store elastic restoring force, and make the first abutting portion 62 and the second abutting portion 66 touch the bottom 161 of the housing 16; when the external force applied to the conductive sheet 40 is removed, the elastic restoring force will be released, and the conductive sheet 40 will return to its original state.

[0024] In addition, the first conductive portion 60 will extend upward relative to the first abutment portion 62, and its extension length is greater than the protruding length of the bottom end 76 of the first switching element 42 relative to the first cavity 44, so as to effectively touch the first device port 46 of the input rotor 381. Correspondingly, the second conductive portion 64 will also extend upward relative to the second abutment portion 66, and its extension length is greater than the protruding length of the bottom end 76 of the second switching element 50 relative to the second cavity 52, so as to effectively touch the second device port 54 of the output rotor 382. The shapes of the first conductive portion 60 and the second conductive portion 64 are not limited to Figure 5 The hook shape shown depends on the design requirements.

[0025] See also Figures 1 to 4 and Figure 6 and Figure 7 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 1 is a cross-sectional view of the structure of the communication device 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention at different operating stages. Figure 6 As shown, the cover 18 is combined with the housing 16, so that the signal input terminal 361 of the signal processing module 20 is inserted into the first module port 48 of the input end rotor 381 of the signal switching module 22, and the signal output terminal 362 is inserted into the second module port 56 of the output end rotor 382. At this time, the signal input terminal 361 pushes the top 74 of the first switching element 42 to move along the specific direction D in the first cavity 44, so the bottom 76 of the first switching element 42 will press the first abutting top 62 of the conductive sheet 40, so that the first conductive portion 60 is separated from the first device port 46, and the first abutting top 62 contacts the bottom 161 of the housing 16; correspondingly, the signal output terminal 362 also pushes the top 74 of the second switching element 50 to move along the specific direction D in the second cavity 52, so the bottom 76 of the second switching element 50 will press the second abutting top 66 of the conductive sheet 40, so that the second conductive portion 64 is separated from the second device port 54, and the second abutting top 66 contacts the bottom 161 of the housing 16.

[0026] like Figure 7As shown, if the cover 18 is detached from the housing 16, the signal input terminal 361 moves out of the first module port 48 of the input end rotor 381, and the signal output terminal 362 moves out of the second module port 56 of the output end rotor 382. At this time, the first switching element 42 is no longer restricted by the pressure of the signal input terminal 361, and the second switching element 50 is no longer restricted by the pressure of the signal output terminal 362. The conductive sheet 40 releases its elastic restoring force and pushes the first switching element 42 and the second switching element 50 upward in a direction opposite to the specific direction D, driving the first abutting portion 62 to separate the housing 16 so that the first conductive portion 60 touches the first device port 46, and also driving the second abutting portion 66 to separate the housing 16 so that the second conductive portion 64 touches the second device port 54.

[0027] In summary, the communication device of the present invention utilizes the special design of the rotor and the conductive sheet of the signal switching module. When the shell and the cover are assembled and closed, the switching element pushes against the conductive sheet to produce deformation and separate the device port from the rotor. Therefore, the signal transmission path between the front-stage device and the rear-stage device is in the following order: the front-stage device, the input-end rotor, the signal input terminal, the signal processing circuit board, the signal output terminal, the output-end rotor, and the rear-stage device. When the shell and the cover are separated, the conductive sheet pushes against the switching element in the opposite direction to touch the device port of the rotor. At this time, the signal transmission path between the front-stage device and the rear-stage device is in the following order: the front-stage device, the input-end rotor, the conductive sheet output-end rotor, and the rear-stage device. Therefore, regardless of whether the shell and the cover are in a closed or separated state, the communication device of the present invention can continue to maintain signal transmission between the front-stage device and the rear-stage device.

[0028] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims of the present invention should fall within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A communication device capable of maintaining signal transmission between different devices, used to maintain signal transmission between a front-stage device and a rear-stage device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises: A housing having a containing space; A cover body is detachably mounted on the housing to cover the accommodating space; a signal processing module disposed in the accommodating space, the signal processing module having at least one signal transmission terminal disposed at a position of the signal processing module facing the accommodating space; and A signal switching module is disposed in the housing, and the signal switching module comprises: At least one rotor has a switching element, and a cavity, a device port and a module port that are interconnected, the device port is electrically connected to the preceding device and / or the succeeding device, and the switching element is movably disposed in the cavity; and A conductive sheet is located in the accommodating space. When the at least one signal transmission terminal is inserted into the module port and pushes against the switching element along a specific direction, the conductive sheet is separated from the device port by the pressure of the switching element. When the at least one signal transmission terminal is moved out of the module port, the conductive sheet pushes against the switching element along a direction opposite to the specific direction to contact the at least one rotor, thereby maintaining the signal transmission between the front-stage device and the rear-stage device.

2. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The signal processing module also has a signal processing circuit board. The at least one signal transmission terminal includes a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal, which are respectively arranged at different positions of the signal processing circuit board and are electrically connected to each other.

3. The communication device according to claim 2, wherein: The signal processing circuit board is installed on the cover body by screw locking or structural clamping.

4. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: Also included: An insulating member is disposed in the housing and combined with the conductive sheet to limit the movement of the conductive sheet in the accommodating space.

5. The communication device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The insulating member includes a main body, an input end insulating portion and an output end insulating portion. The main body is located between the two opening ends of the shell, the input end insulating portion is adjacent to one of the two opening ends, and the output end insulating portion is adjacent to the other opening end of the two opening ends.

6. The communication device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The main body is integrally formed with the input end insulating portion and the output end insulating portion, or the main body is separated from the input end insulating portion and the output end insulating portion.

7. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The communication device further includes an insulating member, and the at least one rotor includes an input-end rotor and an output-end rotor. The input-end rotor is disposed at an input-end insulating portion of the insulating member to be spaced from the shell, and the output-end rotor is disposed at an output-end insulating portion of the insulating member to be spaced from the shell.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one rotor is made of conductive material and can be switchably electrically connected to the at least one signal transmission terminal or the conductive sheet as the switching element moves.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The switching element is made of insulating material and has a top end and a bottom end opposite to each other. The top end is inserted into the device port of the at least one rotor to detachably contact the at least one signal transmission terminal, and the bottom end protrudes from the cavity to contact the conductive sheet.

10. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The conductive sheet includes a connecting portion, at least one conducting portion and at least one abutting top portion. The at least one abutting top portion extends outward from the connecting portion. The at least one conducting portion is connected to an end of the at least one abutting top portion opposite to the connecting portion.

11. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The at least one conducting portion extends from the at least one abutting portion toward the at least one rotor, and an extending length of the at least one conducting portion relative to the at least one abutting portion is greater than a protruding length of the switching element relative to the cavity.

12. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The communication device further comprises an insulating member arranged in the housing, the connecting portion is connected to the insulating member to be spaced from a bottom of the housing, and the at least one abutting portion can swing relative to the connecting portion along the specific direction.

13. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The at least one abutting top portion contacts a bottom portion of the housing when the at least one conducting portion is separated from the device port.

14. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The connecting portion is elastically deformed to store an elastic restoring force when the switching element applies pressure, and the elastic restoring force drives the at least one abutting portion to separate from the shell and makes the at least one conducting portion contact the device port.

15. The communication device according to claim 10, wherein: The at least one rotor includes an input-end rotor and an output-end rotor, the at least one conductive portion includes a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion, the at least one abutting portion includes a first abutting portion and a second abutting portion, the first conductive portion and the first abutting portion correspond to the input-end rotor, and the second conductive portion and the second abutting portion correspond to the output-end rotor.

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