FR3104838A1 - Protection set for at least one cable - Google Patents

Abstract

Protection assembly for at least one cable The protection assembly (1) comprises: - a tubular sheath (2) made of electrically insulating material and waterproof, the sheath (2) being elastically deformable radially between an unconstrained state and an expanded state, and being configured to grip a portion of at least one cable; - a rigid tubular support (10) having an outer diameter greater than the diameter (Dint) of the sheath (2) in the unconstrained state; wherein, prior to use of the assembly, the sleeve is mounted coaxially on the carrier, the assembly further comprising a lubricant (20) arranged between the carrier and the sleeve. The support comprises locking means (30) which cooperate with an axial end (21) of the sleeve, so as to prevent axial displacement of the sleeve (2) relative to the support (10), in at least one direction, before l use of the set (1). Figure 3

Description

Protection set for at least one cable

The present invention relates to a protective assembly making it possible to electrically insulate, and preferably make watertight, a portion of an electrical or telecommunications cable, or a connection zone between two or more cables.

The invention relates more particularly to an assembly comprising a cold-shrink sleeve, that is to say a sleeve made of elastically deformable material which is initially deformed in the factory and mounted, in an expanded state, on a rigid substantially tubular support of more larger diameter than the cable(s) to be protected. In the field, the sheath is extracted from the support and is then free to retract to enclose the cable, and thus protect it.

In order to facilitate the installation of the sleeve on the cable or cables, a solution of the prior art consists in providing a lubricant between the support and the sleeve, to allow the sleeve to slide relative to the support during assembly.

However, due to the presence of lubricant, there is a risk that the sheath slips in relation to the tube inadvertently: in storage condition, during transport, or at the wrong time of implementation, causing inappropriate positioning. of the sheath on the cable. To overcome this problem, it is possible to provide an additional part to immobilize the sheath, to be unlocked at the time of installation, but this entails additional costs and handling. Another solution would be to use a longer support which would provide some allowance for movement of the sheath, but this would increase the cost and the size of the protective assembly.

Another risk is that the lubricant is driven out by the elastic force exerted radially by the sheath, before the implementation of the protective assembly. However, an insufficient remaining quantity of lubricant would make the extraction of the sheath from the support particularly difficult. This risk can be overcome by the use of a very specific, but very expensive lubricant.

The invention aims to remedy all or part of the drawbacks mentioned above.

To this end, the invention relates to a protection assembly for at least one cable, comprising:

• a generally tubular sleeve made of an electrically insulating and waterproof material, the sleeve being radially elastically deformable between an unconstrained state and an expanded state, and being configured to enclose a portion of at least one cable;
• a substantially tubular rigid support having an outer diameter greater than the diameter of the sleeve in the unstressed state;

wherein, prior to use of the assembly, the sleeve is mounted coaxially on the support, the assembly further comprising a lubricant arranged between the support and the sleeve.

According to a general definition of the invention, the support comprises locking means which form a single piece with the support and which cooperate with an axial end of the sheath, so as to prevent axial displacement of the sheath relative to the support, in at least least one sense, before using the whole.

Thus, the invention makes it possible to prevent inadvertent sliding of the sheath on the support, and consequently makes it possible to guarantee the quality of the protection of the cable by the protection assembly. This is a temporary blocking of the sleeve, which does not prevent the withdrawal of the sleeve from the support, by an operator, during the implementation of the protective assembly.

Another advantage of the invention is that the blocking means, in addition to blocking the sleeve, can also form a barrier limiting or preventing the escape of lubricant. This ensures that the extraction of the sheath from the support will not be too difficult. This barrier can be formed by the blocking means themselves, or by the end of the sheath which cooperates with the blocking means.

Preferably, the blocking means are not only configured to cooperate with the sleeve, but actually cooperate with the latter, that is to say typically that the blocking means are in contact with the axial end of the sleeve and not located at a distance from it, when the protective assembly is fitted, and before it is used. The expression "axial end" should not be understood as being limited to the radial end face of the sheath, but as designating a portion of the sheath located in the vicinity of this radial end face, and extending over a small axial length, for example less than 5 mm.

Provision can be made for the locking means to be located at a distance from an axial end of the support, so that there is an end portion of the support which is not surrounded by the sheath.

Furthermore, the fact of providing locking means which form a single piece with the support eliminates the need for an additional holding piece, such as a clamp, and therefore the associated disadvantages (additional cost, additional handling, risk of loss of the additional part, etc.).

Concretely, the blocking means can be made in one piece with the support, for example by molding a plastic material.

Alternatively, provision could be made for the blocking means to be formed from a piece initially separate from the support but secured to the support before the assembly is used. This part could be fixed relative to the support, not detachable from the support, or at least not intended to be removed before disengaging the sheath from the support.

According to one possible embodiment, an axial end of the sheath is located at a distance from an axial end of the support, so that the support comprises a free end portion not surrounded by the sheath, the locking means being provided in the immediate vicinity of said axial end of the sheath and at a distance from said axial end of the support.

The blocking means may include at least one relief formed on the outer face of the support.

According to one embodiment, the blocking means comprise at least one projecting relief provided on the outer face of the support. This projection thus forms an abutment. Said protruding relief has a radial dimension which is between half and twice the thickness of the sheath mounted on the support. In this way, the projection is high enough to block the inadvertent sliding movement of the sheath, and sufficiently small so that the traction of the sheath by an operator, requiring the passage of the sheath beyond the projection, remains relatively easy.

According to another embodiment, the blocking means comprise at least one recessed relief formed in the support and opening onto the outer face. Preferably, the relief does not open onto the inner face of the support, in order to avoid the escape of lubricant. The recessed relief can be configured to accommodate an axial end of the sheath.

The recessed relief may have a substantially triangular section having a first face and a second face located opposite the first face while moving away axially from the sheath, the first face being inclined towards the axis of the assembly while moving away axially of the sheath, the second face preferably being oriented substantially radially.

The relief can extend over the entire periphery of the support. The relief can thus form an annular groove, receiving an axial end of the sleeve, or an annular stop, against which an axial end of the sleeve bears.

According to one embodiment, the sheath has a length less than that of the support and is mounted on the support at a distance from each of the axial ends of the support. Such a protection assembly can typically be used for the protection of a connection zone between the ends of two cables. The support may further comprise first locking means and second locking means configured to cooperate respectively with a first axial end and a second axial end of the sheath. The first and second locking means may be identical, or symmetrical with respect to a transverse plane of the support, or neither identical nor symmetrical.

According to another embodiment, the sleeve comprises a transverse wall closing off the axial end of the sleeve opposite the axial end of the sleeve which cooperates with the blocking means. Such a protection assembly can typically be used for the protection of a cable end, the sheath forming a cap enclosing said end.

According to yet another embodiment, the sleeve comprises a substantially tubular main part which is mounted on a substantially tubular main support and which has an open first axial end, and a plurality of substantially tubular appendages extending from the second axial end of the main part of the sheath, each of the appendages being mounted on a respective secondary support, at least one of the supports comprising means for locking the sheath. Such a protection assembly can typically be used for the protection of a connection zone between the end of a first cable and the ends of several drop cables.

We now describe, by way of non-limiting examples, several possible embodiments of the invention, with reference to the appended figures:

is a perspective view of a protection assembly according to one embodiment of the invention, the assembly comprising a support and a sheath;

is a partial schematic view in axial section of a support;

is a schematic view in axial section of a protection assembly;

illustrates a first step in implementing a protection set;

illustrates a second step in implementing a protection set;

illustrates a third step in implementing a protection set;

illustrates a fourth step in implementing a protection set;

is a diagrammatic view in axial section of a protective assembly according to a variant embodiment;

is a partial schematic view in axial section of a protective assembly according to an alternative embodiment;

is a partial schematic view in axial section of a protective assembly according to an alternative embodiment;

is a partial schematic view in axial section of a protective assembly according to an alternative embodiment;

illustrates a first step in implementing a protection set;

illustrates a second step in implementing a protection set;

illustrates a third step in implementing a protection set;

is a perspective view of a protection assembly according to another embodiment of the invention.

The invention relates to a protection assembly 1, an example of which is illustrated in Figure 1. Such a protection assembly 1 is used to set up an insulating and waterproof protection on one or more cables, typically at the level a portion where the conductors of the cable(s) are bare.

The protective assembly 1 comprises a generally tubular sheath 2, which is made of an electrically insulating and waterproof material. The sheath 2 is elastically deformable radially between:

• an unconstrained state, in which it has a diameter smaller than that of the cable(s) to be protected, so that it can enclose a portion of this or these cables;
• and an expanded state, in which it has a larger diameter than in the unstressed state.

The sheath 2 can for example be made of rubber, silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene monomer), etc.

The protective assembly 1 further comprises a substantially tubular support 10 having an axis A10.

The support 10 is made of a rigid material, which retains its shape despite the radial pressure that the sheath 2 exerts on it in the mounted position, as explained below. Preferably, support 10 is made of an electrically insulating material. The support 10 is for example made of a plastic material.

The support 10 may include an axial line of weakness 15 allowing an operator to split the support 10 after the sheath 2 has been fitted, so that the support 10 can be easily removed from around the protected cable and then thrown in the trash.

The support 10 has a first axial end 11, a second axial end 12, an inner face 13 and an outer face 14. It has a thickness e10 and an outer diameter D10 which is greater than the diameter of sleeve 2 in the unstressed state.

As seen in particular in Figures 1 and 3, before the use of the protective assembly 1, the sheath 2 is coaxially mounted on the support 10. In addition, the protective assembly 1 then comprises a lubricant 20 arranged between support 10 and sheath 2.

The lubricant is a fluid or semi-liquid or unctuous substance, which provides a gliding effect. It can be a grease, in the form of a gel or a spray. The lubricant 20 forms a continuous or discontinuous interface, over all or part of the outer face 14 of the support 10 facing the sheath 2.

On the protective assembly 1 mounted, ready to be used, illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, the sheath 2 is expanded, and exerts a radial elastic force directed towards the axis A10. The sleeve 2 has a first axial end 21, a second axial end 22, an inner face 23 and an outer face 24. In practice, according to one possible embodiment, the first axial end 21 of the sleeve 2 is located at a distance from the first end axial 11 of the support 10, so that the support 10 has a first end portion 16 which is free, that is to say not surrounded by the sheath2. This first end portion 16 may be devoid of lubricant.

On the mounted protection assembly 1, sheath 2 has:

• a thickness e2;
• an inside diameter Dint which is close to the outside diameter D10 of the support 10, since the lubricant 20 is thin, and which is greater than the diameter of the sheath 2 in the unconstrained state;
• and an outer diameter Dext.

Concretely, the assembly of the sheath 2 on the support 10, involving an expansion of the sheath 2, is generally carried out in the factory. The tendency of the sheath 2 to contract in order to return elastically to a smaller diameter makes it possible to ensure that the sheath 2 is held on the support 10. However, the presence of the lubricant 20 tends to degrade this holding.

The support 10 comprises locking means 30 intended to prevent an axial displacement of the sheath 2 relative to the support 10, in at least one direction, before the use of the protective assembly 1, by cooperation with an axial end of the sheath 2. For this purpose, the locking means 30 are provided in the immediate vicinity of the axial end of the sheath 2 with which they cooperate, and preferably at a distance from each of the axial ends of the support 10.

The locking means 30 form a single piece with the support 10, for example by being made in a single piece with the support 10. They can typically comprise at least one relief formed on the outer face 14 of the support 10, this relief possibly extend over the entire periphery of the support 10.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 and 3, the locking means 30 comprise a recessed relief forming an annular groove formed in the support 10, groove which opens on the outer face 14 of the support 10 but not on the inner face 13 of the support 10. The groove has a substantially triangular section having a first face 31 and a second face 32 located opposite the first face 31 while moving away axially from the sheath 2. The first face 31 is inclined towards the axis A10 moving away axially from the sheath 2. The second face 32 is preferably oriented substantially radially. The depth of the recessed relief may be greater than half the thickness e10 of the support 10.

As seen in Figure 3, the first axial end 21 of the sleeve 2 is engaged in this groove forming the locking means 30 and comes into abutment against the second face 32. Therefore, on the one hand, the sleeve 2 cannot slide axially – at least in the direction of said second face, that is to say towards the right in FIG. 3. On the other hand, the first axial end 21 of the sheath 2, being housed in the groove and tightened towards the inside of the support 10, forms a barrier preventing the escape of the lubricant 20. According to the nonlimiting illustration of FIG. 3, the support 10 comprises locking means only on the side of its first axial end11.

Note that, in the embodiment of Figure 3, the sleeve 2 has a length less than that of the support 10 and is mounted on the support 10 at a distance from each of the axial ends 11, 12 of the support 10. In particular, the second axial end 22 of the sheath 2 can be located at a distance from the second axial end 12 of the support 10. The support 10 thus comprises a second end portion 17 which is free, that is to say not surrounded by the sheath 2. This second portion extreme 17 may be devoid of lubricant. It may have a length greater than that of the first end portion 16 and serve as a handle during the implementation of the protective assembly 1, as now described with reference to Figures 4a to 4d.

Such a protection assembly 1 can typically be used for the protection of a connection zone 40 between two cables 41, 42. Concretely, in this connection zone 40, the sheath of the free ends opposite the cables 41, 42 can be removed, as can the sheaths of each of the conductors of the cables, these conductors being connected two by two in an electrical connector 43.

The protection assembly 1, with the sheath 2 mounted on the support 10 and cooperating with the locking means 30, is engaged on one of the cables 41, 42 (before the installation of the electrical connector 43). It is understood that the support 10 must have an internal diameter greater than that of the cables 41, 42 and of the electrical connector 43. As indicated by the arrow F1 of FIG. 4a, the protection assembly 1 is moved until it is positioned around the connection area 40, as shown in Figure 4b.

An operator can then place one hand on the sheath 2 and the other hand on the support 10, preferably at the level of the second end portion 17, and exert traction against the restraint exerted by the locking means 30 This traction can be carried out on the sheath 2, according to the arrow F2 of FIG. the support 10. This operation requires an initial effort to disengage the sheath 2 from the locking means 30, the lubricant 20 then allowing easy sliding. The withdrawal of the support 10 causes the sheath 2 to shrink which, due to its elasticity, tends to return to its unconstrained state. However, since the diameter of sheath 2 in the unconstrained state is less than that of cables 41, 42 to be protected, sheath 2, once released from support 10, is still expanded and therefore encloses cables 41, 42, ensuring their protection.

Once the sheath 2 has been completely separated from the support 10, as illustrated in FIG. 4d, the operator can exert pressure on the support 10 to break it, for example along the line of weakness 15, in order to be able to release the support. 10 of cable 42 and discard it.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the protection assembly 1 in which the support 10 comprises, in addition to the first locking means 30a which cooperate with the first axial end of the sheath 2, second locking means 30b which cooperate with the second end axis 22 of the sheath 2. In this way, the axial displacement of the sheath relative to the support can be avoided in both directions along the axis A10. With such a protective assembly 1, there is no mounting direction, the sheath 2 being able to be put in place by pulling, relative to the support 10, in one direction or the other.

Although, in the illustration of Figure 5, the locking means 30a, 30b are of the groove type with a triangular section as previously described, this should not be considered as limiting. Other embodiments of blocking means, in particular those described below, are possible. In addition, in the embodiment of Figure 5, the first and second blocking means 30a, 30b are symmetrical with respect to a transverse plane of the protection assembly 1. However, other embodiments are possible: the first and second blocking means 30a, 30b could be identical but not symmetrical, or could be different.

Alternative embodiments of the locking means 30 are shown in Figures 6 to 8.

In Figure 6, the locking means 30 form a hollow, for example an annular groove, the section of which is rectangular in shape and has faces 33, 34 oriented transversely, that is to say orthogonally to the axis A10, and a bottom face 35.

The embodiment of Figure 7 is similar to that of Figure 6, except that the faces 33, 34, 35 are connected by fillets and not sharp edges, the recessed relief thus having a rounded profile. The faces 33, 34 can also be connected by fillets to the outer face 14 of the support 10.

According to another embodiment, the locking means 30 comprise at least one projecting relief formed on the outer face 14 of the support 10. In the embodiment of FIG. 8, it is an annular peripheral projection, of section substantially rectangular. In this case, the projecting relief forms a stop against which the first axial end 21 of the sheath 2 comes to rest, and also forms a barrier preventing the escape of the lubricant 20.

In order to ensure satisfactory blocking of the sheath 2, before the use of the protective assembly 1, without however constituting an obstacle requiring too great a force to pull the sheath 2 out of the support 10, the projecting relief has a dimension radial, or height h, adapted. More precisely, this radial dimension can be between half and twice the thickness e2 of sheath 2:

½ e2 ≤ h ≤ 2 x e2.

The sheath 2, when it has a tubular shape having two open axial ends, can be used for the protection of a connection zone 40 between two cables 41, 42, as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3, 4a-4d and 5. However, a protection assembly 1 according to the invention, comprising a sheath 2 mounted on a support 10 provided with locking means 30, can also be used in other applications as described now.

Figures 9a to 9c illustrate steps for implementing a protection assembly 1 to protect the end of a cable 44.

The sheath 2 then has a tubular shape with:

• a first open axial end 21, which cooperates with the locking means 30 of the support 10, which can be of one of the types previously described or of any other suitable type;
• and a second axial end 22 which is closed off by a transverse wall 25.

Sheath 2 thus forms a cap, made in one piece, and is mounted on support 10 to form protection assembly 1. Support 10 is open at its two axial ends 11, 12. Sheath 2 cannot not slide in the direction of the first axial end 11 of the support 10, due to the transverse wall 25. Thus, the locking means 30 can be provided solely to prevent the sheath 2 from sliding in the other direction.

The protection assembly 1 is first of all engaged by the operator around the end of the cable 44 to be protected, for example until the end of the cable 44 is close to or in contact with the transverse wall 25 ( Figure 9a, arrow F3). Then the operator pulls the support 10 away from the transverse wall 25, as illustrated by the arrow F4 in Figure 9b. To facilitate this operation, the support 10 can be provided with one or more grippers 18, here located in the vicinity of the first axial end 11 of the support 10. It should be noted that these grippers 18 are distinct from the blocking means 30, and do not cooperate with the sleeve 2. At the end of the process, the sleeve 2, removed from the support 10, has retracted around the cable 44, and the support 10 can be thrown away, for example after having been broken along the line of weakness 15 (figure 9c).

Figure 10 shows a protection assembly 1 which can be used for the protection of a connection zone between the end of a first cable and the ends of several drop cables.

The sheath 2 then comprises a substantially tubular main part 26, having a first open axial end 21 and a second axial end 22 provided with a transverse wall 27. The transverse wall 27 comprises a plurality of orifices. From the periphery of each orifice projects a substantially tubular appendix 28 extending opposite the main part 26 of the sheath 2, as far as an open axial end 29.

The main part 26 of the sheath 2 is mounted on a substantially tubular main support 10a. In addition, each of the appendages 28 is mounted on a respective secondary support 10b, at least one of the supports comprising sheath locking means. The main support 10a and/or the secondary supports 10b are provided with blocking means 30, and possibly with grippers 18 separate from the blocking means 30 and located at a distance therefrom.

Protection assembly 1 in Figure 10 can also be installed on a cable head. A portion of the cable is left intact, with several conductors (here four in number) individually insulated and placed in a common sheath. The sheath is removed from an end part of the cable, the four insulated conductors then being independent. These four conductors are each placed in a secondary support 10b, while the intact portion of the cable is placed in the main support 10a. Once the supports 10a, 10b have been removed, the main part 26 and the appendages 28 of the sheath 2 retract and ensure the electrical insulation, or even the sealing, of this cable head.

It goes without saying that the invention is not limited to the embodiment described above by way of example but that it includes all the technical equivalents and the variants of the means described as well as their combinations.

Claims (11)

Protective assembly (1) for at least one cable (41, 42, 44), comprising:
- a sleeve (2) generally tubular made of an electrically insulating material, and preferably waterproof, the sleeve (2) being elastically deformable radially between an unstressed state and an expanded state, and being configured to enclose a portion at least one cable;
- a substantially tubular rigid support (10) having an outer diameter (D10) greater than the diameter (Dint) of the sheath (2) in the unconstrained state;
wherein, prior to use of the assembly (1), the sheath (2) is mounted coaxially on the support (10), the assembly (1) further comprising a lubricant (20) arranged between the support (10 ) and the sheath (2);
characterized in that the support (10) comprises locking means (30, 30a, 30b) which form a single piece with the support (10) and which cooperate with an axial end (21) of the sheath (2), so to prevent axial displacement of the sheath (2) relative to the support (10), in at least one direction, before the assembly (1) is used. Assembly according to Claim 1, characterized in that the locking means (30) are made in one piece with the support (10). Assembly according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that an axial end (21) of the sheath (2) is located at a distance from an axial end (11) of the support (10), so that the support (10) comprises a free end portion (16) not surrounded by the sleeve (2), the locking means (30) being provided in the immediate vicinity of said axial end (21) of the sleeve (2) and at a distance from said axial end (11) of the support (10). 4. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the locking means (30) comprise at least one relief formed on the outer face (14) of the support (10). 5. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the locking means (30) comprise at least one projecting relief provided on the outer face (14) of the support (10), said projecting relief having a radial dimension (h) which is between half and twice the thickness (e2) of the sheath (2) mounted on the support (10). 6. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the locking means (30) comprise at least one recessed relief formed in the support (10) and opening onto the outer face (14), in which , preferably, the relief does not open onto the inner face (13) of the support (10). 7. Assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that the recessed relief has a substantially triangular section having a first face (31) and a second face (32) located opposite the first face (31) away axially of the sleeve (2), the first face (31) being inclined towards the axis (A10) of the assembly (1) while moving away axially from the sleeve (2), the second face (32) preferably being oriented substantially radially. 8. Assembly according to one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that the relief extends over the entire periphery of the support (10). 9. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the sheath (2) has a length less than that of the support (10) and is mounted on the support (10) at a distance from each of the axial ends (11, 12) of the support (10), characterized in that the support (10) comprises first locking means (30a) and second locking means (30b) configured to cooperate respectively with a first axial end (21) and a second axial end (22) of the sheath (2). 10. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the sleeve (2) comprises a transverse wall (25) closing off the axial end (22) of the sleeve (2) opposite the axial end (21 ) of the sheath (2) which cooperates with the locking means (30). 11. Assembly according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the sleeve (2) comprises a main part (26) substantially tubular which is mounted on a main support (10a) substantially tubular and which has a first axial end (21) open, and a plurality of substantially tubular appendages (28) extending from the second axial end (22) of the main part (26) of the sheath (2), each of the appendages (28) being mounted on a respective secondary support (10b), at least one of the supports (10a, 10b) comprising means (30) for locking the sheath (2).