Improvements to Electrical Apparatus

Abstract

The invention relates is to apparatus and components which can be provided and used in order to improve the manufacture of electrical apparatus which includes one or more connectors for the connection of one or more cables thereto. One type of connector to which the invention is suited is known as an F type connector. The invention allows a connection to be achieved using securing means to secure the connector body to a housing wall and access to be gained to the securing means whilst allowing the securing means to be substantially masked from external view as the securing means are substantially located with a recess portion formed in the wall.

Claims

1. A housing for electrical apparatus, said housing including at least one wall with an aperture for the location therein of a cable connector body, said body provided for the receipt thereon of a securing means to allow the connector body to be secured to a portion of the wall of the housing adjacent the aperture and wherein the said portion is provided as a recessed portion of the said wall.

2. A housing according to claim 1 wherein the extent of the recess of the recessed portion is substantially the same as the depth of the said securing means so that a face of the securing means, when in position to secure the connector, lies substantially flush with the face of the said wall surrounding the recessed portion of the wall of the housing.

3. A housing according to claim 1 wherein the housing includes front and rear walls, opposing sidewalls, a top wall and a bottom wall and the connector, aperture and recessed portion are located on the rear wall.

4. A housing according to any of the preceding claims wherein the housing includes an internal casing and an outer casing and the securing means and connector are located on a wall of the internal casing and in which the said recessed portion is provided.

5. A housing according to claim 4 wherein an aperture is provided in the wall of the outer casing through which a portion of the connector body passes.

6. A housing according to claim 4 wherein the centre point of the aperture of the outer casing lies on the same longitudinal axis as the centre point of the aperture in the inner housing.

7. A housing according to claims 4 and 5 wherein the aperture in the outer casing is of a dimension which is sufficient to allow the connector body to pass therethrough.

8. A housing according to any of claims 4-7 wherein the outer casing masks the securing means from view from externally of the housing.

9. A housing according to claim 1 wherein the connector body includes a threaded portion for the receipt of a threaded securing means.

10. A housing according to claim 1 wherein the housing contains one or more printed circuit boards and at least one of which is connected to the said connector.

11. A housing according to claim 10 wherein the said printed circuit board connected to the connector is provided with an edge profile which includes a recessed portion which, when the printed circuit board is in position in the housing, lies adjacent to the recessed portion of the wall and hence the connector secured thereto.

12. A housing according to claim 1 wherein the recessed portion of the said wall protrudes inwardly of the housing.

13. A housing according to any of the preceding claims wherein there are provided a matching number of apertures and recessed portions in the housing walls to the number of connectors provided.

14. A housing according to claim 1 wherein the securing means is a nut.

15. A housing according to claim 1 wherein the connector is an F-Type connector.

16. A cable connector assembly, said assembly including a sheet material with an aperture, a cable connector body passing through the aperture, a securing means received on the body to secure the connector body to a portion of the sheet material adjacent the aperture and wherein the said portion is provided as a recessed portion of the said sheet material and in which the said aperture is located.

17. A cable connector assembly according to claim 16 wherein the sheet material forms a wall of a housing for electrical apparatus.

18. Electrical apparatus including a housing as defined in claims 1-15.

19. Electrical apparatus including a cable connector assembly as defined in claims 16-17.

20. Electrical apparatus including a housing and cable connector assembly as defined in claims 1-19.

Description

[0028] Specific embodiments of the invention are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings; wherein

[0029] FIG. 1 illustrates part of the component with which two F Type connectors are provided;

[0030] FIG. 2 illustrates part of an inner casing of a housing for an item of electrical apparatus in accordance with the invention;

[0031] FIG. 3 illustrates the connectors of FIG. 1 in position with the casing of FIG. 2;

[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates the assembly of FIG. 3 with an outer casing of the housing in position;

[0033] FIG. 5 illustrates a cross sectional view along line A-A of FIG. 4; and

[0034] FIGS. 6a and b illustrate a perspective view of one embodiment of an item of apparatus in accordance with the invention.

[0035] Referring firstly to FIGS. 6a and b there is illustrated an item of apparatus 2 which includes a housing with front and rear faces 4, 6, opposing side walls 8,10, top wall 12 and bottom wall 14. Within the housing is provided processing means which are provided, in this embodiment for the processing of received data in order to provide television and/or radio services. The processing means are provided in a conventional format and therefore is not described in detail here. The front face 4 of the housing includes a plurality of user control functions 16 which can, for example, be any combination of on/off button, channel selection, volume selection or the like. In addition one or more light sources 18 can be provided to indicate the particular status of the apparatus.

[0036] The rear face 6 of the housing includes a plurality of connections which, in this arrangement, include a power cable connection 20, an HDMI cable connection 22 to allow the video and/or audio data to be transmitted to a display screen and/or speakers and two coaxial cables 24,26 which are connected to respective F type connectors 28, 30.

[0037] In accordance with this embodiment of the invention, the housing is formed by an inner casing 32 formed of metal and an outer casing 33 formed of plastics material in a manner which will be described hereonin.

[0038] Turning now to FIG. 1 there is illustrated the two F Type connector bodies 28, 30. The bodies are mounted on an assembly 34 including one or more printed circuit boards 36 which have an edge profile which includes recesses 38, 40 respectively and located at the location of the respective connector bodies 28, 30. Each of the connector bodies includes a centrally mounted socket 42 for the receipt of a conductive wire of the coaxial cable 24, 26, a socket 44 for the contact of the conductive braid of the coaxial cable and a threaded outer wall portion 46.

[0039] In FIG. 2 the portion of the internal casing 32 in which the connector bodies 28,30 are located, is shown. The internal casing includes first and second apertures 48, 50 for the location of respective connectors bodies 28, 30 therethrough. It is also shown that for each of the apertures and around the periphery thereof there is provided a respective recessed portion 52, 54 in which the portion is recessed inwardly of the housing casing.

[0040] The threaded outer portion 46 of the connector bodies 28, 30 is provided to allow the location thereon of the threaded inner wall of the plug (not shown) provided on the end of the cables 24,26 to thereby guide the respective cable components of the wire and braid into contact with the sockets 42, 44 of the connector bodies 28, 30 and thereby achieve the data connection and, via the threaded engagement, maintain the connection thereafter.

[0041] In addition, the threaded portion 46 of the connector bodies 28, 30 is provided to receive threaded securing means, most commonly in the form of a nut, 56, as shown in FIG. 3. The securing nut 56 is threaded onto the threaded portion, prior to any connection with the cable. The securing nut is then turned on the threaded portion 46 until the securing nut comes into contact with the outer face 58 of the respective recessed portion 52,54 and thereby sandwiches the inner casing 32 between the securing nut 56 and the inner assembly 34 and so secures the connector bodies 28,30 in position with the inner casing 32. As the securing nut is located in the respective recessed portion 52, 54 and the recess is formed to a depth which is substantially the same as the depth of the securing nut 56 so the external face 60 of the securing nut is substantially flush with the remainder of the external face 62 of the rear wall 6 as is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5.

[0042] The external casing 33 is then placed into position with respect to the inner casing 32 and FIGS. 4 and 5 show the portion of the housing in which the connector bodies 28, 30 are located with the housing formed of both casings 32, 33. It is therefore shown that the outer casing 33 is required to have apertures 64, 66 formed therein to allow the outer portions of the connector bodies 28, 30 to be accessible for the subsequent connection of the cable connector plugs therewith. However, the apertures 64, 66 only need to be of a dimension to allow the bodies 28,30 to pass therethrough but, as the same do not need to receive the securing nut 56 as this is wholly located in the recessed portion of the inner casing so the apertures can be of smaller dimension than would conventionally be required.

[0043] The invention therefore allows the preferred connection to be achieved between the securing means and the inner metal casing and allows access to be gained to the securing means once the outer casing has been removed and, at the same time allows the securing means to be substantially masked from external view by the outer casing as the apertures in the outer casing can be of reduced dimension with the securing means being substantially located with the recess portion formed in the inner casing.