GB2118379A - Device for temporarily terminating a cable or conduit - Google Patents

Abstract

A device for temporarily terminating a cable (3) or conduit comprises a termination member, such as a bridging resistor (5) between the inner and outer conductors of a short piece of coaxial cable (4), arranged in a sleeve (1) of heat-shrinkable material which can be shrunk on the cable or conduit. Also disposed in the sleeve (1) is a double-ended coupling element (2), such that the termination member (5), in the position of use, engages one end of the coupling element (2), while the free end (3) of the cable or conduit engages the other end of the coupling element (2). In use only the portions of sleeve 1 surrounding the free end (3) of the cable or conduit, the coupling element (2) and carrier (6) are shrunk (see dot-dash line (9)) this allows the sleeve to be severed at 8 for removal of items (4)-(8) whereupon a further cable or conduit can be coupled to element (2) and the remainder of the sleeve shrunk onto it. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFCATION Device for temporarily terminating a cable or con duit The invention relates to a devicefortemporarily terminating a cable or conduit, for example for temporarilyterminating the end of a wide-band communication or coaxial cable by means of an assembly including a bridging resistor between the inner and outer conductors of the cable.

A device for temporarily terminating the end of a wide-band communication cable has been proposed, comprising an end cap of heat-shrinkable material with a resistor cast therein; the ends of the thermal conductors of the resistor, which project freely out of the cap, are secured to the inner and outer conductors of the coaxial cable, for example by soldering. The cap is then pushed over the soldered joint and heat-shrunk on to the casing of the cable.

A cable whipping unit, when pre-fabricated in that manner, can then be fitted in cable splicing or jointing units. The terminated or closed-off ends of the cable project outwardly, so that they can be cut off later whereby, when the wide-band commnication cable network is to be enlarged, the cables to be connected into the network can then be connected to the system at that location, with special-purpose high-quality couplings generally being employed for that purpose.

According to the present invention, there is provided a device for temporarily terminating the end of a cable or conduit, comprising a sleeve of heatshrinkable material for shrink fitting on to the cable or conduit, a termination member disposed within the sleeve, and a double-ended coupling element arranged within the sleeve such that in the position of use of the device the termination member engages one end of the coupling element and the free end of the cable or conduit engages the other end of the coupling element.

In one aspect of such a device, the cable or conduit is an electric cable such as a wide-band communication or coaxial cable, and the termination member is a bridging resistor connecting the inner and outer conductors of the cable.

In an embodiment, the termination member, such as a resistor, in use of the device, is arranged on a short cable or conduit portion which is disposed within a region of the sleeve, that has not been shrunk on to the cable or conduit.

A further feature of the invention provides that the non-shrunk region may be in the form of a closed cap, while the termination member or resistor is secured to the head portion of the cap, with the head portion of the cap being separable from the remaining, non-shrunk region, for the purposes of removal of the termination member or resistor.

A desirable feature of the device provides that the separation line for removing the termination member or resistor with the head portion of the cap is made visible to the user by a marking on the non-shrunk region, such as a coloured ring, a printed marking, a recess or impression or a raised portion or the like. In principle, it would also be possible for a tearing thread or separating or severing thread or the like to be disposed as by extrusion at the separation line, so that pulling the thread will result in separation of the head portion of the cap.

The terminal portion of the cap may be of a continuous configuration, that is to say, the sleeve of heat-shrinkable material may be closed in itself, in that region. However, it may also be in the form of a tube portion, in which case a remaining portion of the sleeve may be shrunk on to for example a carrier element for carrying the resistor, to form the cap, thereby forming a closed sleeve, from the functional point of view.

After removal of the termination member or resistor to remove the termination of the cable or conduit, and engagement of a connecting cable or conduit with the coupling element, the region of the sleeve which has not yet been shrunk can be shrunk on to the inserted portion of cable or conduit.

An embodiment of a device according to the present invention will be described by way of example hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows a view in partial section of the device.

The device illustrated comprises a sleeve 1 of heat-shrinkable material, and a coupling element 2 for coupling the ends of coaxial cables, wide-band communication cables or other conduits, which is first disposed within the sleeve 1, substantially in the middle of the length thereof. The middle portion of the sleeve is then shrunk on to the coupling element 2. The end portion of such a coaxial or wide-band communication cable is shown in the drawing, in the right-hand half thereof, and designated by reference numeral 3. In the left-hand half of the drawing, the sleeve 1 has not yet been shrunk in the region of the end portion 3, the broken line in the right-hand half of the drawing showing the sleeve 1 in the condition after it has been shrunk in that region.

A short portion of cable as indicated at 4 is inserted into the other end of the sleeve end engages the coupling element 2. From the point of view of function, the cable is of the same type as the cable 3.

The short portion of cable 4 is provided with a bridging resistor 5 which connects the inner and outer conductors of the cable and which is held buy a resistor carrier 6 of plastics material. Other forms of termination member than a resistor may be employed in the device, according to the cable or conduit concerned.

As shown in the left-hand half of the drawing, the carrier 6 projects slightly from the sleeve 1 when the sleeve 1 has been shrunk on to the carrier 6 is an outer region 7 of the sleeve, thereby to form a cap configuration. A marking 8, which can for example be a line printed on the sleeve or formed by making a notch, depression, raised portion or the like thereon, indicates to the user the location at which the head portion of the cap, which is indicated at 9 for the sake of simplicity, can be separated from the sleeve 1 by a separating or severing cut. When that is done, the head portion 9 with the carrier 6, the resistor 5 and the short portion of cable 4 can be withdrawn from the coupling element 2 so that a further cable end portion can be inserted from that end.It will be seen therefore that, when the resistor is removed, there is immediately made available a coupling location for connecting a corresponding cable or conduit thereto, and that the user of the device then still has an unshrunk region 10 ofthe sleeve 1, which can thus be shrunk on to the cable or conduit which is then inserted into the sleeve.

It will be seen from the foregoing description that the coupling element 2 required for coupling purposes is already available in the termination unit, without subsequent installation work being required for that purpose, with the coupling element 2 being disposed within the shrinkable sleeve and therefore very substantially protected from environmental influences and the like.

In addition, the above-described construction makes it possible for the coupling to be of such a form that, irrespective of the direction of installation, the coupling can be engaged from both ends with the same elements, namely for example with suitably cut and stripped ends of coaxial cables, irrespective of whether one cable represents a short portion of cable with a bridging resistor 5 as described, or a cable to a consumer or to a splicer or tapping unit or the like.

It will be seen that the above-described arrangement permits cable termination or cable whipping units to be produced in the factory, using very simple means. Thus, the process may be such that a double-ended coupling element 2 is inserted inside a tube portion or sleeve 1 of heat-shrinkable material, approximately at the centre thereof, and that region is subjected to a heat treatment, that is to say, it is shrunk on to the coupling element 2, both ends of the sleeve 1 having regions which have not yet been shrunk, that is to say, which are very much larger in diameter than the middle region.Then, from one end, a suitably cut wide-band communication or coaxial cable portion or conduit can be inserted into the arrangement and the corresponding region of the sleeve is then shrunk on to the casing of the cable or conduit, while from the other end a termination member or, as described, a short portion of cable 4 with the bridging resistor 5 can be inserted into the sleeve 1, in which case only the end portion of that non-shrunk region 10 of the sleeve is subjected to heat treatment to form the closed cap 1, so that the non-shrunk end portion of the sleeve 1 shrinks on to the element 4, 6 carrying the resistor 5, thereby to form the cap configuration at 9.In that case, the consumer has at least a part of the sleeve enclosing the bridging resistor 5 in that condition, that is not shrunk, so that, after removal of the cap 9 and insertion for example of the end of a further cable, the consumer can make use of that shrinkable region for shrinking on to the inserted end of the further cable or conduit.

It will be appreciated that various alterations and modifications may be made in the above-described embodiment without thereby departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. Thus for example the head portion 9 of the cap may be an integral component of the sleeve 1.

The coupling element 2 may be of a different configuration. It should also be noted that the arrangement according to the present invention is not restricted to use in connection with cables such as wide-band communication cables or coaxial cables, as other fields of use may also be envisaged in this respect, for example in connection with current-carrying cables or other lines or conduits such as water, hydraulic oil or other fluid lines.

Claims (8)

1. A device for temporarily terminating the end of a cable or conduit, comprising a sleeve of heat-shrinkable material for shrink fitting on to the cable or conduit, a termination member disposed within the sleeve, and a double-ended coupling element arranged within the sleeve such that in the position of use of the device the termination member engages one end of the coupling element and the free end of the cable or conduit engages the other end of the coupling element.

2. A device according to claim 1 for use on an electric cable, wherein said termination member is a bridging resistor.

3. A device according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein said termination member in the position of use of the device is arranged on a short cable or conduit portion within a non-shrunk region of the sleeve.

4. A device according to claim 3 wherein said non-shrunk region is in the form of aclosed cap.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein said termination member is secured to a head portion of said cap and wherein said head portion of said cap is separablefrom the remaining non-shrunk region, for removal of the termination member.

6. A device according to claim 5 wherein the line of separation is made visible to the user by a marking on the outside of said non-shrunk region.

7. A device according to one of the preceding claims wherein after removal of said termination member to remove said temporary termination of said cable or conduit, and engagement of a connecting cable or conduit with said coupling element, said region of the sleeve which has not yet been shrunk can be shrunk on to the portion of connecting cable or conduit engaged with said coupling element.

8. Adevicefortemporarilyterminating a cable or conduit substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.