US2666898A

US2666898A - Method and means for facilitat

Info

Publication number: US2666898A
Authority: US
Publication date: 1954-01-19
Anticipated expiration: 1971-01-19

Description

Jan. 19, 1954 Q M MELDAL 2,666,898

METHOD AND MEANS FOR FACILITATING CONNECTING ELECTRIC MULTICONDUCTORS I Filed July 5, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l \y ND INVENTOR. ODD' MODULF MELDAL BY ATTORNEY Jan. 19, 1954 o. M. MELDAL METHOD AND MEANS FOR Filed July 3, 1951 2,666,898 FACILITATING CONNECTING ELECTRIC MULTICONDUCTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

ODD MODULF MELDAL BY ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 19, 1954 METHOD AND MEANS FOR FACILITAT- ING CONNECTING ELECTRIC MULTI- CONDUCTORS Odd Modulf. Meldal, Portland, Oreg.

ApplicationJuly 3, 1951, Serial No. 235,063

2 Claims.

This invention-relates in general to the problem of electrically connecting up a cable, or similar multiconductor, comprising 'a plurality of individual insulated electric wires, so that the same individual wire may be connected at each end of the multiconductor to the proper respective current carrier and-contact element.

As is well known, when a conduit or cable having a number of separate-individual wires, such for example as control circuit wires, is required to be connected in one part of a building to corresponding incoming wires and at another part of the building to the corresponding control circuits, the problem of selecting the right wire for each connection at the corresponding ends Of the cable or multiconductor is a laborioustask, and the amount of time consumed in ascertaining the corresponding ends of the individual wires in order to make such connections is increased very considerably with an increase in the number of separate or individual wires inthe multiconductor. Heretoforethe procedure customarily followed has consisted of the method of trial and error for each wire separately, and obviously this has been a lon procedure when the two ends of the multiconductor are considerably remote from each other.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a convenient, simple and practical method andmeans whereby the ascertaining of the corresponding endsof each individual wire and the connecting upof such a-mult'iconductor can be accomplished with a minimum expenditure of time; and labor.

A related object ofthe invention is to provide a practical means by which the corresponding ends of individual wires can be checked and identified in quick succession when taken ina group at a time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a convenient and simple means by which the checking of the ends of the wires in a multiconductor can be accomplished efiiciently by a single operator even though the ends of the multiconductor are located in different parts of the building or-otherwise widely separated. v

These objects I have beenable to achieve by the use of means consisting-of a pair of simple devices employed in combination inthe manner hereinafter briefly explained, one member of the combination apparatus; comprising a special resistor block, and the other being in street a simple ohmmeteras; will' be readily understood from the following description with reference to the accompanying-drawings;

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevation showing, more or less diagrammatically, the means employed in carrying out my invention and the manner of operation of the same;

Fig. 2 is a corresponding wiring diagram; and

Fig. 3 is a foreshortened elevation of one of the individual plug-in cords used in part of my apparatus.

Referring first to Fig. 1, "let it be assumed that a multiconductor A, having a plurality of individual conductor Wires I, 2, 3, 4,-for example, has its terminus at some point in a building, and that a second multiconductor B, leading from the term'nus of A to some other. distant point in the building, has at least an equal number of separate conductor wires, which are to be "joined at the adjacent end B" of the multiconductor B to the incoming wires from the multiconductor B, and are to be joined at the other end B2 of the multiconductor B to se arate control circuits, telephone connections, or to circuits, for some other separately operating installations.

The individual incoming wires l1, 2, 3, 4 of the multiconductor A will be individually marked or tagged for identification as is customary. However, before the adjacent ends of the wires at the end B of the multiconductor B are connected with these incoming marked wires. of multiconductor A it" is necessary to determine which are the corresponding ends of these wiresat the other and remote terminus B2 of. the multiconductor B.

A resistor assembly or block, indicated as a whole by the reference character 20, is provided with a number of plug-in sockets 21 which are electrically connected in series with a similar plug-in socket 22, the serial connections being through the medium of the successive resistor elements 23; Thus the resistance to the passage of an electric current from any one of theplug-in.

sockets 21 to the socket 22 would be different for each of the sockets 21' andwould depend upon the cumulative resistance of the various resistor elements 23- in the line between that, particular socket 2| and the. socket 22. I r

A plurality of plug-in cords 24 ('see Fig. 3') are provided, each cordhaving a plug-in contact element 44 at one end, for plugging in to one of the sockets2 I or into thesocket 22; and'a contact.

clamp 45 at the other end for making a clamping contact with the end of a. wire or withany other. conducting element.

A specially constructed ohmmeter, indi'c'atedlin.

general by the reference character 26' hasa'pair. of terminals" 21' and '28 connected to opposite