CA2196300A1 - Reinforced, variable-sized coupling for conduit - Google Patents
Reinforced, variable-sized coupling for conduitInfo
- Publication number
- CA2196300A1 CA2196300A1 CA 2196300 CA2196300A CA2196300A1 CA 2196300 A1 CA2196300 A1 CA 2196300A1 CA 2196300 CA2196300 CA 2196300 CA 2196300 A CA2196300 A CA 2196300A CA 2196300 A1 CA2196300 A1 CA 2196300A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- sleeve
- conduit
- tube
- spirally
- wound
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
- H02G15/00—Cable fittings
- H02G15/08—Cable junctions
- H02G15/18—Cable junctions protected by sleeves, e.g. for communication cable
- H02G15/1806—Heat shrinkable sleeves
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B29—WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
- B29C—SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
- B29C61/00—Shaping by liberation of internal stresses; Making preforms having internal stresses; Apparatus therefor
- B29C61/06—Making preforms having internal stresses, e.g. plastic memory
- B29C61/0608—Making preforms having internal stresses, e.g. plastic memory characterised by the configuration or structure of the preforms
- B29C61/065—Preforms held in a stressed condition by means of a removable support; Supports therefor
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L13/00—Non-disconnectible pipe-joints, e.g. soldered, adhesive or caulked joints
- F16L13/004—Shrunk pipe-joints
-
- F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
- F16—ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVE FUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L—PIPES; JOINTS OR FITTINGS FOR PIPES; SUPPORTS FOR PIPES, CABLES OR PROTECTIVE TUBING; MEANS FOR THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL
- F16L47/00—Connecting arrangements or other fittings specially adapted to be made of plastics or to be used with pipes made of plastics
- F16L47/20—Connecting arrangements or other fittings specially adapted to be made of plastics or to be used with pipes made of plastics based principally on specific properties of plastics
- F16L47/22—Connecting arrangements or other fittings specially adapted to be made of plastics or to be used with pipes made of plastics based principally on specific properties of plastics using shrink-down material
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
- H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
- H02G15/00—Cable fittings
- H02G15/08—Cable junctions
- H02G15/18—Cable junctions protected by sleeves, e.g. for communication cable
- H02G15/182—Cable junctions protected by sleeves, e.g. for communication cable held in expanded condition in radial direction prior to installation
- H02G15/1826—Cable junctions protected by sleeves, e.g. for communication cable held in expanded condition in radial direction prior to installation on a removable hollow core, e.g. a tube
- H02G15/1833—Cable junctions protected by sleeves, e.g. for communication cable held in expanded condition in radial direction prior to installation on a removable hollow core, e.g. a tube formed of helically wound strip with adjacent windings, which are removable by applying a pulling force to a strip end
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Laying Of Electric Cables Or Lines Outside (AREA)
- Cable Accessories (AREA)
Abstract
A connector assembly (10) for connecting the ends of two pieces (12, 14) of conduit or other substantially cylindrical objects including a spirally-wound sleeve (18) and an elastic tube (16). The sleeve (18) is positioned to cover both conduit ends and is spirally wound to adjust to the diameter of the conduit by winding the sleeve in a tighter or looser spiral and the tube (16) is allowed to contract over the sleeve and is preferably dimensioned to extend beyond in the ends of the sleeve to contact the conduit ends when contracted.
Description
w096107049 219 6 3 ~ U~
1 REINFnTrTen, V~r~T~r~r~Te-~TyT~n cOUPT.TNr- FOR CQNDUIT
3 FTT'T.n OF T~ INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the 6 joining of two pieces of tubing, and more particularly, 7 to the joining of the end6 of polymeric conduit used to 8 insulate and protect electrical cables.
i3ACRGROUND OF THE INV~NTION
11 One method of protecting underground electrical 12 cables is by the use of polymeric conduit, usually 13 polyethylene, which surrounds the cable and provides 14 protection from envil, ~1 elements such as water and dirt. The conduit may also provide electrical 16 insulation, although this function is not its primary 17 purpose. Since the conduit comes in finite lengths, it 18 is n~c~s~ry to join the ends of serial lengths of 19 conduit to ac -~ te long lengths of cable. The present invention provides a means for joining the ends 21 of conduit which may be easily accomplished in the field.
22 Additionally, the present invention allows the 23 connection of the cable insulation itself in addition to 24 or instead of merely connecting the conduit which c~n~n~ the cable.
27 S~MMARY OF THF INV~NTION
28 The present invention includes a connector 29 assembly for joining the ends of two lengths of conduit, which connector assembly compri8es a spirally-wound, 31 reinforcing sleeve positioned to span the distance 32 between the ends of the conduits and overlie the conduit 33 ends and at least one elastic tube which covers the 34 sleeve and preferably extends beyond the ends of the sleeve to contact the two conduits. The elastic tube may W096/07049 219 6 3 0 ~ r~
1 be one tube having a length sufficient to extend from one 2 conduit to the other;br may be two elastic tubes, each of 3 which covers one~,conduit, the joint between the 4 reinforcing sleeve and the conduit and a portion of~the sleeve.
6 The connector assembly may also include an 7 injector port as a part of the reinforcing, spirally-8 wound sleeve, to permit the injection of waterproofing or 9 other fluid into the joint between the conduit ends or into the gap between the ends of the insulation of two 11 cables.
13 RRT~ DES~RTPTION OF THE D~RAWINGS
14 The present invention will be more thoroughly described with respect to the ac_ _ ~ing drawings, 16 wherein like numbers refer to like parts in the several 17 views, and wherein:
18 Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating two 19 conduit ends and a connector assembly of the present invention;
21 Figure 2 is a perspective view of a 22 reinforcing, spirally-wound sleeve forming a portion of 23 the c~nnect~r assembly of figure 1;
24 Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating two conduit ends and an elastic tube of:the connector 26 assembly of Figure l;
27 Figure 4 is a top view of an alternate 28 embodiment of the spirally-wound sleeve of the present 29 invention;
Figure 5 is a plan view of the sleeve of Figure 31 4 prior to coiling;
32 Figure 6 is an end view of the sleeve of Figure 33 4; and 34 Figure 7 is a side elevationaI view of an alternate embodiment of the connector assembly of the 36 present invention.
e ~ 09610704g ' '' ' " P~ 3~
1 DES~TPTION OF T~E ~ ~K~ EM~O~IMEN~S
2 Figure 1 illustrates a connector assembly, 3 generally indicated as 10, of the present invention as it 4 is nt i 1; 7ed to cover and connect the ends of two conduits 12 and 14. Although the invention will be described 6 tl~uu~h~lL as joining two sections of hollow conduit, it 7 is equally applicable to joining two cable ends by 8 bridging the insulation of the cable, or, most generally, 9 joining any two substantially cylindrical or tubular objects. The connector assembly 10 includes an outer, 11 elastic tu~e 16 and an inner, reinforcing, spirally-12 wound 81eeve 18. The reinforcing sleeve 18 is also 13 illustrated in Eigure 2 where the spiral nature of the 14 sleeve 18 is more readily apparent. It is desirable that the sleeve 18 be spirally wound, wherein a longitudinal 16 edge 20 of the sleeve 18 overlaps and covers a portion of 17 the sleeve 18, so that the sleeve 18 may accommodate a 18 wide variety of conduit 12 and 14 diameters by uncoiling 19 or more tightly coiling the spiral of the sleeve 18. The sleeve 18 is preferably manufactured of a polymeric 21 material, such as high density polyethylene, but may also 22 be fashioned from sheet metal, if desired. A preferred 23 method of forming the sleeve 18 is longitudinally 24 slitting an extruded tube, but other methods, such as coiling a flat sheet, are acceptable.
26 Figure 3 illustrates the conduit ends 12 and 14 27 as the conduit ends 12 and 14 are disposed prior to 28 assembly of the connector assembly 10. Figure 3 also 29 illustrates the elastic tube 16 in one form in which it may be conveniently applied to the conduit 14. The 31 elastic tube 16 is in a form described in U.S. Patent No.
32 3,515,798, assigned to the assignee of the present 33 invention and herein incorporated by reference, wherein 34 the elastic tube 16 is pre-stretched and supported on a removable core 24. The core 24 is scored along a helical 36 path 26 and may be removed in a long, c~ntinu~us strip by :
W096/07049 21963 0~ r~ ,5.J~
,~- 4 1 pulling on the end 28 which unwinds the core 24 along the 2 helical scoring 26. Removal of the core 24 allows the 3 tube 16 to contract to its original dimensions. Other 4 methods for retaining the tube 16 i~ the ~n~n~ state have been proposed and could be used in the present 6 invention. Examples may be found in U.S. patents nos.
7 4,070,746 and 4,656,070 wherein the tube i9 held in the 8 ~ n~ state by an P~t~rn~l, rigid tube which is g adhesively bonded to the tube. To allow the tube to contract, the external tube may be broken and peeled away 11 from the tube or the adhesive bond between the tube and 12 the external tube chemically broken.
13 Eigure 3 illustrates an lnt~ ~;ate step in 14 the assembly of the connector assembly 10 to the conduit ends 12 and 14 As shown in Figure 3, the tube 16, in an 16 ~ n~d condition, has been assembled to the conduit 14 17 by displacing one conduit end 14 from its alignment with 18 the other conduit end 12 and sliding the tube 16 along 19 the conduit 14.
The next assembly step is to position the 21 sleeve 18 over the conduit ends 12 and 14 by likewise 22 displacing one of the conduit ends 12 or 14 from 23 alignment with the other conduit end 12 or 14 and sliding 24 the sleeve 18 over the conduit 12 or 14. The sleeve 18 is then retracted along the conduit 12 or 14, the ends of 26 the conduit 12 and 14 again aligned and the sleeve 18 27 slid towards the other conduit end 12 or 14 to span the 28 gap therebetween and cover both conduit ends 12 and 14 to 29 a subst~nt;nlly ;d~nt;~l extent.
Once the sleeve 18 is positioned over the 31 conduit ends 12 and 14, the tube 16 is then slid to cover 32 the sleeve 18 and preferably extend beyond the ends of 33 the sleeve 18 to cover the conduit ends 12 and 14, 34 substantially as illustrated in Figure 1. Once the tube 16 is positioned over the sleeve 18, the core 24 is 36 removed from the tube 16 and the tube 16 thus permitted Wo96l07049 21 ~63 0 ~ r~ c~
,}~ j.. ~
"
1 to contract to compress the reinforcing sleeve 18 and 2 seal to the conduit ends 12 and 14. It is preferable 3 that the ends of the tube 16 extend beyond the ends of 4 the sleeve 18 so that the tube 16 can provide a seal to protect the connection from envi~, t~l cont~m;n~nt~.
6 However, it has been found that a tube 16 which partially 7 covers the sleeve 18 produces adequate ~l;g ---t of the 8 conduit ends 12 and 14 and strength at the junction.
g In the past, it has been attempted to join the conduit ends 12 and 14 by using only an elastic tube 16 11 such as that illustrated in Figure 3. This solution does 12 not work well because the tube 16 shrinks into the gap 13 between the conduit ends 12 and 14 where it may interfere 14 with the ability to pull cable through the conduit 12 and 14 and because the edges of the conduit ends 12 and 14 16 may puncture the tube 16. The addition of the sleeve 18 17 solves these problems and has been found to also aid in 18 the alignment of the conduit ends 12 and 14 and add a 19 great deal of stiffness to the junction of the cable ends 12 and 14.
21 Figures 4-6 illustrate an alternate embodiment 22 of a spirally-wound sleeve 30 of the present invention.
23 The spirally-wound sleeve 3Q includes injection ports 32 24 which are ~ ted by slots 34 in the sleeve 30.
As best seen in Figure 5, the slots 34 extend 26 from one longitudinal edge 36 and partially into the 27 width of the sleeve 30, in the direction which will 28 become the circumference of the sleeve 30 when it is 29 spirally wound, and in alignment with injection ports 32.
Figure 5 illustrates the sleeve 30 in a flat condition 31 while Figures 4 and 6 illustrate from the top and side, 32 respectively, the sleeve 30 as spirally wound for 33 assembly to the conduit ends 12 and 14. The slots 34 are 34 provided to allow the spiral of the sleeve 30 to be more or less tightly wound and, as discussed above, 36 acc ~te a range of conduit 12 and 14 diameters. The 2 1 ~ 6 ~ ~ ~
1 injection ports 32 are provided to permit a waterproofing 2 or other useful fluid to be injected into the junction 3 between the conduits 12 and 14 or between two cable endQ
4 after the sleeve has been as8embled to the conduit 12 and 14.
6 If the sleeve 30 of figures 4-6 is nt;l i7~, 7 the tube 16 may be assembled over the sleeve 30 as shown 8 in Eigure 1, but the injection ports 32 may interfere 9 with the assembly of a single tube 16 to cover such a sleeve 30. An alternative is to utilize two tubes 16 by 11 assembling one ex~anded tube to each conduit end 12 and 12 14 and positioning the sleeve 30 between the two tubes 13 16. Each tube 16 would then cover a conduit end 12 or 14 14 and the portions of the sleeve 30 which extend from the injection ports 32 to the ends of the sleeve 30.
16 The sleeve 30 is shown provided with two 17 injection ports 32 to allow fluid to be injected into one 18 port 32 while air escape3 from the other. It i8 equally 19 possible to provide the sleeve 30 with only one injectio~
port 32 if air entrapment is not a problem. In this 21 case, only one slot 34 in alignment with the single 22 injection port 32 would be necessary. Also7 the 23 injection port 32 is illustrated as being a boss which 24 extends from the sleeve 30. The port 32 could equally well be simply a hole in the sleeve 30.
26 Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment of a 27 connector assembly 40 which in~ q two features which 28 may make assembly of the connector as3embly 40 to the 29 conduit ends 12 and 14 more convenient. The first is that the connector assembly 40 is provided with two 31 support cores 42 and 44. In this fashion, the cores 42 32 and 44 may be stripped from both ends of the connector 33 assembly 40 and neither need be pulled the entire length 34 of the cable assembly 40. Secondly, the rnnn~ctor assembly 40 is provided with a spirally-wound sleeve 46 36 which is disposed between the elastic tube 48 and the 096l07049 '~ n ~ vJv 1 cores 42 and 44 which support tke tube 40. Thus the r~nnrrt~ asgev~bly 40 may simply be positioned over the 3 conduit ends 12 and 14 as a unit rather than individually 4 as was descriked above. When the cores 42 and 44 are removed, the tube contracts towards the conduit ends 12 6 and 14 and ~orces the sleeve 46. to wind into a tighter 7 spiral and contact the conduit 12 and lg.
.
1 REINFnTrTen, V~r~T~r~r~Te-~TyT~n cOUPT.TNr- FOR CQNDUIT
3 FTT'T.n OF T~ INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to the 6 joining of two pieces of tubing, and more particularly, 7 to the joining of the end6 of polymeric conduit used to 8 insulate and protect electrical cables.
i3ACRGROUND OF THE INV~NTION
11 One method of protecting underground electrical 12 cables is by the use of polymeric conduit, usually 13 polyethylene, which surrounds the cable and provides 14 protection from envil, ~1 elements such as water and dirt. The conduit may also provide electrical 16 insulation, although this function is not its primary 17 purpose. Since the conduit comes in finite lengths, it 18 is n~c~s~ry to join the ends of serial lengths of 19 conduit to ac -~ te long lengths of cable. The present invention provides a means for joining the ends 21 of conduit which may be easily accomplished in the field.
22 Additionally, the present invention allows the 23 connection of the cable insulation itself in addition to 24 or instead of merely connecting the conduit which c~n~n~ the cable.
27 S~MMARY OF THF INV~NTION
28 The present invention includes a connector 29 assembly for joining the ends of two lengths of conduit, which connector assembly compri8es a spirally-wound, 31 reinforcing sleeve positioned to span the distance 32 between the ends of the conduits and overlie the conduit 33 ends and at least one elastic tube which covers the 34 sleeve and preferably extends beyond the ends of the sleeve to contact the two conduits. The elastic tube may W096/07049 219 6 3 0 ~ r~
1 be one tube having a length sufficient to extend from one 2 conduit to the other;br may be two elastic tubes, each of 3 which covers one~,conduit, the joint between the 4 reinforcing sleeve and the conduit and a portion of~the sleeve.
6 The connector assembly may also include an 7 injector port as a part of the reinforcing, spirally-8 wound sleeve, to permit the injection of waterproofing or 9 other fluid into the joint between the conduit ends or into the gap between the ends of the insulation of two 11 cables.
13 RRT~ DES~RTPTION OF THE D~RAWINGS
14 The present invention will be more thoroughly described with respect to the ac_ _ ~ing drawings, 16 wherein like numbers refer to like parts in the several 17 views, and wherein:
18 Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating two 19 conduit ends and a connector assembly of the present invention;
21 Figure 2 is a perspective view of a 22 reinforcing, spirally-wound sleeve forming a portion of 23 the c~nnect~r assembly of figure 1;
24 Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating two conduit ends and an elastic tube of:the connector 26 assembly of Figure l;
27 Figure 4 is a top view of an alternate 28 embodiment of the spirally-wound sleeve of the present 29 invention;
Figure 5 is a plan view of the sleeve of Figure 31 4 prior to coiling;
32 Figure 6 is an end view of the sleeve of Figure 33 4; and 34 Figure 7 is a side elevationaI view of an alternate embodiment of the connector assembly of the 36 present invention.
e ~ 09610704g ' '' ' " P~ 3~
1 DES~TPTION OF T~E ~ ~K~ EM~O~IMEN~S
2 Figure 1 illustrates a connector assembly, 3 generally indicated as 10, of the present invention as it 4 is nt i 1; 7ed to cover and connect the ends of two conduits 12 and 14. Although the invention will be described 6 tl~uu~h~lL as joining two sections of hollow conduit, it 7 is equally applicable to joining two cable ends by 8 bridging the insulation of the cable, or, most generally, 9 joining any two substantially cylindrical or tubular objects. The connector assembly 10 includes an outer, 11 elastic tu~e 16 and an inner, reinforcing, spirally-12 wound 81eeve 18. The reinforcing sleeve 18 is also 13 illustrated in Eigure 2 where the spiral nature of the 14 sleeve 18 is more readily apparent. It is desirable that the sleeve 18 be spirally wound, wherein a longitudinal 16 edge 20 of the sleeve 18 overlaps and covers a portion of 17 the sleeve 18, so that the sleeve 18 may accommodate a 18 wide variety of conduit 12 and 14 diameters by uncoiling 19 or more tightly coiling the spiral of the sleeve 18. The sleeve 18 is preferably manufactured of a polymeric 21 material, such as high density polyethylene, but may also 22 be fashioned from sheet metal, if desired. A preferred 23 method of forming the sleeve 18 is longitudinally 24 slitting an extruded tube, but other methods, such as coiling a flat sheet, are acceptable.
26 Figure 3 illustrates the conduit ends 12 and 14 27 as the conduit ends 12 and 14 are disposed prior to 28 assembly of the connector assembly 10. Figure 3 also 29 illustrates the elastic tube 16 in one form in which it may be conveniently applied to the conduit 14. The 31 elastic tube 16 is in a form described in U.S. Patent No.
32 3,515,798, assigned to the assignee of the present 33 invention and herein incorporated by reference, wherein 34 the elastic tube 16 is pre-stretched and supported on a removable core 24. The core 24 is scored along a helical 36 path 26 and may be removed in a long, c~ntinu~us strip by :
W096/07049 21963 0~ r~ ,5.J~
,~- 4 1 pulling on the end 28 which unwinds the core 24 along the 2 helical scoring 26. Removal of the core 24 allows the 3 tube 16 to contract to its original dimensions. Other 4 methods for retaining the tube 16 i~ the ~n~n~ state have been proposed and could be used in the present 6 invention. Examples may be found in U.S. patents nos.
7 4,070,746 and 4,656,070 wherein the tube i9 held in the 8 ~ n~ state by an P~t~rn~l, rigid tube which is g adhesively bonded to the tube. To allow the tube to contract, the external tube may be broken and peeled away 11 from the tube or the adhesive bond between the tube and 12 the external tube chemically broken.
13 Eigure 3 illustrates an lnt~ ~;ate step in 14 the assembly of the connector assembly 10 to the conduit ends 12 and 14 As shown in Figure 3, the tube 16, in an 16 ~ n~d condition, has been assembled to the conduit 14 17 by displacing one conduit end 14 from its alignment with 18 the other conduit end 12 and sliding the tube 16 along 19 the conduit 14.
The next assembly step is to position the 21 sleeve 18 over the conduit ends 12 and 14 by likewise 22 displacing one of the conduit ends 12 or 14 from 23 alignment with the other conduit end 12 or 14 and sliding 24 the sleeve 18 over the conduit 12 or 14. The sleeve 18 is then retracted along the conduit 12 or 14, the ends of 26 the conduit 12 and 14 again aligned and the sleeve 18 27 slid towards the other conduit end 12 or 14 to span the 28 gap therebetween and cover both conduit ends 12 and 14 to 29 a subst~nt;nlly ;d~nt;~l extent.
Once the sleeve 18 is positioned over the 31 conduit ends 12 and 14, the tube 16 is then slid to cover 32 the sleeve 18 and preferably extend beyond the ends of 33 the sleeve 18 to cover the conduit ends 12 and 14, 34 substantially as illustrated in Figure 1. Once the tube 16 is positioned over the sleeve 18, the core 24 is 36 removed from the tube 16 and the tube 16 thus permitted Wo96l07049 21 ~63 0 ~ r~ c~
,}~ j.. ~
"
1 to contract to compress the reinforcing sleeve 18 and 2 seal to the conduit ends 12 and 14. It is preferable 3 that the ends of the tube 16 extend beyond the ends of 4 the sleeve 18 so that the tube 16 can provide a seal to protect the connection from envi~, t~l cont~m;n~nt~.
6 However, it has been found that a tube 16 which partially 7 covers the sleeve 18 produces adequate ~l;g ---t of the 8 conduit ends 12 and 14 and strength at the junction.
g In the past, it has been attempted to join the conduit ends 12 and 14 by using only an elastic tube 16 11 such as that illustrated in Figure 3. This solution does 12 not work well because the tube 16 shrinks into the gap 13 between the conduit ends 12 and 14 where it may interfere 14 with the ability to pull cable through the conduit 12 and 14 and because the edges of the conduit ends 12 and 14 16 may puncture the tube 16. The addition of the sleeve 18 17 solves these problems and has been found to also aid in 18 the alignment of the conduit ends 12 and 14 and add a 19 great deal of stiffness to the junction of the cable ends 12 and 14.
21 Figures 4-6 illustrate an alternate embodiment 22 of a spirally-wound sleeve 30 of the present invention.
23 The spirally-wound sleeve 3Q includes injection ports 32 24 which are ~ ted by slots 34 in the sleeve 30.
As best seen in Figure 5, the slots 34 extend 26 from one longitudinal edge 36 and partially into the 27 width of the sleeve 30, in the direction which will 28 become the circumference of the sleeve 30 when it is 29 spirally wound, and in alignment with injection ports 32.
Figure 5 illustrates the sleeve 30 in a flat condition 31 while Figures 4 and 6 illustrate from the top and side, 32 respectively, the sleeve 30 as spirally wound for 33 assembly to the conduit ends 12 and 14. The slots 34 are 34 provided to allow the spiral of the sleeve 30 to be more or less tightly wound and, as discussed above, 36 acc ~te a range of conduit 12 and 14 diameters. The 2 1 ~ 6 ~ ~ ~
1 injection ports 32 are provided to permit a waterproofing 2 or other useful fluid to be injected into the junction 3 between the conduits 12 and 14 or between two cable endQ
4 after the sleeve has been as8embled to the conduit 12 and 14.
6 If the sleeve 30 of figures 4-6 is nt;l i7~, 7 the tube 16 may be assembled over the sleeve 30 as shown 8 in Eigure 1, but the injection ports 32 may interfere 9 with the assembly of a single tube 16 to cover such a sleeve 30. An alternative is to utilize two tubes 16 by 11 assembling one ex~anded tube to each conduit end 12 and 12 14 and positioning the sleeve 30 between the two tubes 13 16. Each tube 16 would then cover a conduit end 12 or 14 14 and the portions of the sleeve 30 which extend from the injection ports 32 to the ends of the sleeve 30.
16 The sleeve 30 is shown provided with two 17 injection ports 32 to allow fluid to be injected into one 18 port 32 while air escape3 from the other. It i8 equally 19 possible to provide the sleeve 30 with only one injectio~
port 32 if air entrapment is not a problem. In this 21 case, only one slot 34 in alignment with the single 22 injection port 32 would be necessary. Also7 the 23 injection port 32 is illustrated as being a boss which 24 extends from the sleeve 30. The port 32 could equally well be simply a hole in the sleeve 30.
26 Figure 7 illustrates an embodiment of a 27 connector assembly 40 which in~ q two features which 28 may make assembly of the connector as3embly 40 to the 29 conduit ends 12 and 14 more convenient. The first is that the connector assembly 40 is provided with two 31 support cores 42 and 44. In this fashion, the cores 42 32 and 44 may be stripped from both ends of the connector 33 assembly 40 and neither need be pulled the entire length 34 of the cable assembly 40. Secondly, the rnnn~ctor assembly 40 is provided with a spirally-wound sleeve 46 36 which is disposed between the elastic tube 48 and the 096l07049 '~ n ~ vJv 1 cores 42 and 44 which support tke tube 40. Thus the r~nnrrt~ asgev~bly 40 may simply be positioned over the 3 conduit ends 12 and 14 as a unit rather than individually 4 as was descriked above. When the cores 42 and 44 are removed, the tube contracts towards the conduit ends 12 6 and 14 and ~orces the sleeve 46. to wind into a tighter 7 spiral and contact the conduit 12 and lg.
.
Claims (3)
1. A connector assembly for joining the adjacent ends of two substantially cylindrical or tubular objects, comprising:
a spirally-wound sleeve dimensioned to circumferentially cover both object ends and capable of compressing radially to engage said object ends;
at least one elastic tube in contact with and covering at least a portion of said spirally-wound sleeve, said sleeve being dimensioned so as to be radially expanded when in contact with said sleeve so that a radially inward compression force is applied to said sleeve which forces and maintains said sleeve in contact with said object ends to join the two ends.
a spirally-wound sleeve dimensioned to circumferentially cover both object ends and capable of compressing radially to engage said object ends;
at least one elastic tube in contact with and covering at least a portion of said spirally-wound sleeve, said sleeve being dimensioned so as to be radially expanded when in contact with said sleeve so that a radially inward compression force is applied to said sleeve which forces and maintains said sleeve in contact with said object ends to join the two ends.
2. A connector assembly according to claim including two elastic tubes, each covering an end and a portion of said sleeve and extending beyond said sleeve to contact the objects.
3. A connector assembly according to Claim 1 further including at least one injection port and a slot extending from the terminal longitudinal edge of said sleeve and partially into said sleeve, said slot being aligned with said port so that said sleeve may be adjusted in diameter by sliding said longitudinal edge around said sleeve relative to said port.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US29703094A | 1994-08-29 | 1994-08-29 | |
US08/297,030 | 1994-08-29 |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
CA2196300A1 true CA2196300A1 (en) | 1996-03-07 |
Family
ID=23144574
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
CA 2196300 Abandoned CA2196300A1 (en) | 1994-08-29 | 1995-07-17 | Reinforced, variable-sized coupling for conduit |
Country Status (4)
Country | Link |
---|---|
EP (1) | EP0778929A1 (en) |
JP (1) | JPH10505149A (en) |
CA (1) | CA2196300A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO1996007049A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
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CN111727338A (en) * | 2018-01-24 | 2020-09-29 | 赛多利斯史泰迪北美股份有限公司 | Fluid transfer assembly |
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Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
DE69707915T2 (en) | 1996-12-19 | 2002-08-08 | Tyco Electronics Ltd Uk | CABLE PACKAGING ARRANGEMENT |
JP4889160B2 (en) * | 2001-05-15 | 2012-03-07 | スリーエム イノベイティブ プロパティズ カンパニー | Tube coating article, tube coating apparatus and tube coating method |
US6911596B2 (en) | 2001-05-15 | 2005-06-28 | 3M Innovative Properties Company | Method for covering an article with a tubular cover member, tubular cover member and covered article |
CN1734874B (en) * | 2005-07-19 | 2010-05-12 | 上海上缆辐照技术开发有限公司 | Equal diameter connector of power cable, and manufacturing process thereof |
CN114392406B (en) * | 2022-01-21 | 2022-09-23 | 中山大学孙逸仙纪念医院 | Electronic endoscopic device for visualization of medical intracavity duct |
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Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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GB352877A (en) * | 1929-11-29 | 1931-07-16 | Gen Electric | Improvements in and relating to electrical cables |
GB979833A (en) * | 1963-07-26 | 1965-01-06 | Standard Telephones Cables Ltd | Electric cable joints |
FR2054896A5 (en) * | 1969-07-30 | 1971-05-07 | Sumitomo Electric Industries | |
GB1470049A (en) * | 1973-03-21 | 1977-04-14 | Rachem Corp | Splicing method and heat-recoverable article |
GB1594573A (en) * | 1976-11-05 | 1981-07-30 | Raychem Sa Nv | Sealing and insulating heat-recoverable article and method |
BE880992A (en) * | 1979-01-05 | 1980-05-02 | Raychem Corp | IMPROVEMENTS ON THERMAL RECOVERY DEVICES |
US4709948A (en) * | 1985-08-19 | 1987-12-01 | Raychem Limited | Fibre reinforced polymeric article |
-
1995
- 1995-07-17 JP JP8508736A patent/JPH10505149A/en active Pending
- 1995-07-17 WO PCT/US1995/009053 patent/WO1996007049A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
- 1995-07-17 CA CA 2196300 patent/CA2196300A1/en not_active Abandoned
- 1995-07-17 EP EP95927256A patent/EP0778929A1/en not_active Withdrawn
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN111727338A (en) * | 2018-01-24 | 2020-09-29 | 赛多利斯史泰迪北美股份有限公司 | Fluid transfer assembly |
CN111727338B (en) * | 2018-01-24 | 2022-12-30 | 赛多利斯史泰迪北美股份有限公司 | Fluid transfer assembly |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP0778929A1 (en) | 1997-06-18 |
JPH10505149A (en) | 1998-05-19 |
WO1996007049A1 (en) | 1996-03-07 |
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