CN1161112A - Surround guard with manual locking mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

An environmental protection device with manually operated latching mechanism is described. The device includes a rigid hook and flexible latch on opposite peripheral edges of the device with cavity halves therebetween capable of fitting together upon the latching of the hook and latch to form an enclosure around an elongate substrate such as a coaxial cable splice or a cable to tap port connection upon the closing of the device and the locking of the latch and hook members. The device is preferably filled with a gel sealing material having an elongation of at least 100% and a Voland hardness from about 1 to 50 grams.

Description

Surround guard with manual locking mechanism

Related applications

This application is a continuation-in-part of US Patent Serial No. 08/252016 filed June 1, 1994, the entire specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to enclosure sealing and protection devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to hinged enclosure seals filled with sealant. In particular, the present invention relates to gel-filled enclosing sealed enclosures for coaxial cable splices and/or cable connectors connected to radio frequency source breakout ports or the like.

Background technology of the present invention

When elongated substrates such as coaxial cables, telephone cables, or power cables are spliced, or terminated and connected within enclosures or devices, it is necessary to protect the cable connectors, connector bodies, and splice connectors, including exposed internal conductors. Do not install the port or connector of the connector, otherwise the signal will be adversely affected. More specifically, when the coaxial cable is spliced, the exposed interior and connecting portion of the cable must be protected from moisture ingress so that a high-quality signal can be transmitted through the connector to the distribution box or amplifier, or from the breakout box or amplifier extracted.

Over the past few years, gel materials such as silicone gels, polyurea gels, polyurethane gels, thermoplastic elastomer gels based on polymeric materials and extender oils such as Kraton or Septon have been used, and Similar materials are used to seal the elongated substrate. The above two thermoplastic materials are tri-block copolymers of various configurations such as styrene-ethylenebutylene-styrene (styrene-ethylenebutylene-styrene), styrene-ethylene propylene-styrene (styrene-ethylenepropylene-styrene), and blended mid-block styrene-ethylene-butylene/ethylenepropylene-styrene (styrene-ethylene-butylene/ethylenepropylene-styrene) polymers. Silicones are generally derived from lightly crosslinked polysilazane and/or extended polysilazane materials, where the extender is generally a low molecular weight inert silicone such as a silicone oil or fluid. The gel provides the most effective seal upon refilling of the substrate when the elongated substrate is sealed under pressure rather than being potted by a gel surrounding the substrate. More specifically, the gel is generally detached from at least a portion of the substrate after curing and then comes into contact with the entire substrate, and in preferred embodiments, is pressurized by a spring or by a housing that restricts the movement of the gel Seal the substrate. Suitable examples describing such gels and/or shells are set forth in the following US patents: 4,610,730; 4,909,756; 4,859,809; 4,600,261; 4,634,207; The entire disclosures of the above patents are hereby incorporated by reference. Alternatively, the gel may be a disintegrating type of material such as described in US Pat. Nos. 5,229,058 and/or 5,286,516, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

A prior articulating gel-filled safety and containment device has been described in WO92/22116 (US07/712320, filed 7 July 1991, and its CIP07/988050, filed 7 December 1992) , the disclosures of these applications are also fully incorporated herein by reference. The devices referred to above, while effective, particularly when used to seal coaxial cable splices, are prone to bursting when dropped and/or when an oversized connector is inserted therein. Furthermore, it is often cumbersome to insert a screwdriver or other separate tool in order to open such a device. Thus, it is highly desirable to have a device that can be opened by hand; and a device that remains closed even if the operator chooses to insert a slightly oversized connector into the device.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides the aforementioned desirable features as well as other features that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill. Generally, this invention relates to snap restraints on enclosures. Specifically, this device can be snapped onto an elongated substrate such as around a coaxial cable connector, or on the end of a coaxial cable connector and splitter, or on the port of an amplifier to protect the coaxial cable. , connectors and devices attached to them. Another embodiment makes it possible to seal flatter base bodies, for example terminal strips for vehicles. This device can be removed by bending the locking mechanism. The locking mechanism of the present invention provides a secure snap-fit allowing the whole device to hold together under higher loads than the device described in the aforementioned WO92/22116. However, the locking system of the present invention is advantageous in that, compared to its high retention force, the device can be snapped on and off without tools with low snapping and release forces. In addition, the optimized design of this device enables the reverse combination of two such elements to seal parallel cables, connectors, splices, and automotive terminal boards. In the preferred embodiment, since the two elements abut together to form a planar configuration, there is naturally no need for a hinge between the two elements, but the central hinge of the abutment can be secured by a tie or other element if desired. part. Still other embodiments include combining one such device with a second such device such that the hook of the second device locks with the catch of the previous device, while the hook of the previous device engages the catch of the first device. Two device catch catches.

A brief description of the drawings

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the other side of the embodiment in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1 and 2 in an open position;

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 in a closed position;

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention which is very suitable for use in elongated terminal blocks;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the cavity of the connector in Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view rotated 180° about the longitudinal central articulation axis of the pair of lumen halves of the device shown in Figures 5 and 6 .

Description of the preferred embodiment

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 through 4 should be viewed together to understand the illustrated preferred embodiment of the invention. In particular, this preferred enclosure is indicated at 100 in the following figures. For a complete view of the various perspectives and orientations in the preferred embodiment, all of the drawings should be considered when referring to a particular numbered component.

The enveloping seal and lock device 100 comprises two halves 10a and 10b joined together by a living hinge 14 formed, for example, from the same plastic sheet as the two halves 10a and 10b, during gel filling and curing. The holding device 100 opens and enables the two opposite halves 10a and 10b to close about this living hinge, locking the substrate to be sealed into the housing.

Alternatively, a frangible sheet as described in WO 92/22116 but not shown in the drawings may be used to assist in holding the device open during the sealant filling operation. The two halves 10a and 10b comprise cavities formed by thin portions 16a and 16b and 20a and 20b closing the ends of the halves. Each thin section has a more rigid outer shoulder 18a and 18b and opposite rigid sections for the thin section 16a and 16b. These rigid sections strengthen the entire shell. Thin portions 16a and 16b and 20a and 20b flex and/or expand when the device is snapped around coaxial cables, cable connectors and cable splices. Suitable materials for the device 100 are polypropylene, nylon, polyethylene, etc., or any suitable material that is impact and moisture resistant, corrosion resistant and inherently kinky. Alternatively, but not shown in the figures, hinge member 14 may be a standard molded hinge made of plastic, metal or other suitable material capable of pivoting about a central pin. When this choice is taken, the body material of the device 100 need not have living hinge/bend properties.

As shown, the device 100, when closed, also includes a main lumen formed by two halves 10a and 10b, which are preferably semicircular. The flexible/expandable end seal portions 16a and 16b and 20a and 20b provide end pieces that constrain the gel as it is filled into the cavities 12a and 12b. Suitable sealing materials capable of firmly filling the above-mentioned cavities are eg silicone gels (eg polysilazane gels), polyurea gels, polyurethane gels or any suitable gel sealing materials. The most desirable gel has a cone-into-periphery characteristic, measured by ASTM D-217, of about 100 to 400 (10 ^-1 mm), preferably about 200 to 350 (10 ^-1 mm); and It should have an ultimate elongation of greater than about 100%, more preferably greater than about 200%, and most preferably greater than about 400%, as measured by ASTM D-638 at the higher test speed.

The characteristics of the above-mentioned gel/sealant can also be characterized by the test results of the Voland/Stevens texture analyzer. The gel should have a hardness of from about 1 to about 50 g, more preferably from 5 to about 30 g, and most preferably from 18 to 28 g, and have a stress relaxation of 1 to 55%. Additionally, while the enclosing closure does not constitute a critical aspect here, the gel should have an adhesion of about 5 to about 40 grams, and preferably 9 to 35 grams of adhesion. The above hardness, stress relaxation and adhesion were measured with a Voland/Stevens Texture Analyzer Model LFRA with a 1000 g load cell, 5 g trigger, as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,079,300 (Debrow et al.) With a 0.25 inch (6.53mm) ball probe, the disclosure of this patent is incorporated herein by reference. Specifically, hardness was measured using 20 ml glass scintillation vials containing about 10-12 g of gel. This tube is placed in the above-mentioned analyzer, and the stainless steel ball probe is pierced into the gel at a speed of 0.20mm/sec for a distance of 4mm. The gram force required to penetrate 4mm represents this hardness. The higher the gram force number, the harder the gel.

In general, any suitable sealing material that can be wrapped around a cable breakout port and/or cable splice to seal out moisture ingress may be used in the present invention, although the aforementioned gel material within the perimeter is preferred. Gels are ideal because they act as solid extended systems and do not flow like grease in high heat environments.

A particularly desirable sealing material is Gel Tek hard silicone gel from Raychem, type T894 and more preferably T854; or silicone-based gel No. 612 sold by Germany Warker; A gel of Sylgard 572.

In addition, thermoplastic elastic materials can also be used, such as Kraton or Septon-based thermoplastic gel formed by mixing a polymer with the trade name Kraton or Septon and a sufficient amount of plasticizer oil. Kraton or Septon gels are polymers of styrene-ethylene butylene and/or ethylene-propylene-styrene configuration. Such gels consist of 3-5% or up to 20% polymer and 80-97% plasticizer oil. Preferably the polymer is extended from 3-5% to 95-97% by naphthenic oil. When the sealing material used is a thermoplastic elastomer gel, then the collapsible end pieces 16a and 16b and 20a and 20b are optional, because the thermoplastic nature of this gel allows the filling of the shell by means of the mold. The ends are closed and the gel remains in place after cooling. Alternatively, the catch can be stretched to bend the hook to release the locking engagement.

The device 100 comprises a catch 22 as a release and a rigid hook 24 with an interdigitated ridge 26 which is closer to the edge than the hook 24 and which is provided on the side of the catch for receiving the ridge 26. Slot 30. On this side of the catch there is also a ridge 28 which fits into a groove on the hook side. These ridges and grooves limit the movement of the hook and catch in the vertical direction of FIG. 4 . The opposite configuration of the rigid hook member 24 and the flexible catch member 22 utilizing a common portion can be securely held together under higher loads before being released. However, compared with its high holding force, the lock has low fit and release force, so it can be opened by hand without tools. Specifically, the device is sized to encapsulate an RG59/RG6 connector and withstand loads of up to 200 lbs of force, yet release with less than 10 lbs of force. Movement of catch member 22 as indicated by arrow 36 in Figures 2, 3 and 4 provides the mechanism for releasing the hook. The choice of a plastic having a twistable property allows the device to bend along its hinge line in a manner similar to hinge 14 . The interlocking of the two ridges with the grooves 26, 28 and 30, as shown in Figure 4, provides additional strength and rigidity to the device 100 when closed.

Optionally, holes 32a and 32b and 34a and 34b may be provided in the device 100 for additional straps or the like to be added when closing the device for a more secure closure.

Another advantage of device 100 is that, due to its conformal nature, its two separate halves can be reversely snapped together to form a housing with two cavities when sealing parallel wires of coaxial cables is required.

Compared with WO92/22116 (the content of which specification is fully incorporated herein by reference) and U.S. patent application serial numbers No. 07/712320 and 07/988050 (the content of which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety), The housing presented here provides a much stronger latch mechanism and higher latch force.

Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5 , 6 and 7 . The features of this embodiment have been included in the embodiment described in FIGS. 1-4. In particular, Figures 5 to 7 illustrate the function of the strut which allows both the above-described preferred rigid hook and flexible catch to bend and provide substantially the same high retention force. Naturally, the hooks could also be rigid in this example. The last two digits of the reference numbers of like parts in Figures 5 to 7 are the same, and this convention is the same throughout the several Figures relating to this preferred embodiment.

Specifically, the device 200 is intended to accommodate flat substrates, such as wires on sheet metal connectors, so that they fit into the two halves when the device is closed about a hinge, preferably a plastic living hinge 214. Cavities 212a and 212b. The two chamber halves include pins 250, 252 and 265 for securing the base of the terminal block. Ribs 270 and feet 260 may be used to hold the device open when desired and to aid in uniform filling of the device and/or to further increase structural rigidity. The wall members 216a, 216b, 220a, 220b provide baffles and form cavities for filling with sealing material. These baffles are so thin that they can break or buckle when closing the two halves around the base. Of course, if a thermoplastic elastic material is used, the above-mentioned baffle will be formed by sealing the mold when filling the sealant and thus can be omitted.

Hook 224 with ridge 240 fits into a void 244 formed between catch 222 with ridge 242 and strut 228 . The catch, which acts as a release, is bent towards the body of the device about a living hinge, such as a plastic living hinge 223 . Gap 224 is sized such that there is sufficient overlap between ridges 240 and 242 so that gap 244 is not so large that the two halves spring apart due to external disturbance without movement of detent 222 . In other words, the hook 224 passes through the gap 244 either by bending itself or by bending the catch 222, and as it passes through the gap, is braced by the brace 228 to the extent that it is twisted or attached around an oversized substrate. resulting in an outward bow.

The force used to open the two lumen halves causes the hooks 204 to bend away from the closure, while the struts 228 resist this flexing, thus making the sudden opening force much higher than if the struts were not present, And the invention applies whether the hook 224 is rigid or bendable. Naturally, the same strut is also evident in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 4, but in the preferred embodiment, this strut is chosen as a rigid hook, so that the effect of rigidity is lessened. The need for struts. The struts are only used to further strengthen this particular embodiment with rigid hooks.

The interiors of the semicircular cavities 16a and 16b may include ribs or be glow-discharged during manufacture as necessary to enhance their affinity for sealing materials attached thereto. This roughening of the surface, or the option to create an EDM texture within the corresponding part, increases the surface area and micro-dimples, which further enhance the adhesion of the gel to the housing. Although the device is described with respect to specific embodiments and is sized for RG59/RG6 cable splices and breakout ports or automotive lug connectors, it can be sized to accommodate any cable connector and / or connectors.

Various modifications obvious to those skilled in the art shall belong to the scope of the present invention. For example, such a housing, wherein the first and second members are separated from each other, the peripheral portion of the first member having the hook is spaced apart from the peripheral portion having the catch member, and the second member has the catch member and the hook member braced The peripheral portion of the component is spaced apart from the peripheral portion provided with the hook, so that each component can be locked by combining the respective hook with the catch on another component. Furthermore, such hook and catch stays can be used to engage two substrates or elements such as electric fences or similar.

Obviously, various modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art without departing from the essence of the invention. In light of the foregoing, the invention should be considered to accord with the full scope of the appended claims including all equivalents thereof.

Claims (15)

1. A surrounding protection device in which a substrate passes and/or penetrates, the device comprising: A first member having a catch and a hook strut spaced from the catch by a gap sufficient to receive a hook, the catch being adjacent to the hook strut and extending along the perimeter of the first member , the hook strut provides resistance so that the hook does not bend out of the closed device body; and The second element has a hook on the peripheral portion opposite to the catch on the first element, and when the first and second elements are closed together and the hook is snap-engaged with the catch, forming a closed cavity of the substrate; The matching force and release force of the latch and the hook are less than the retaining force when the lock is combined, and the catch or the hook or both are set to be bendable so as to release the lock . 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second elements are connectable together by a hinge arranged to lock the hook and the catch when the device is hingedly closed combine together. 3. Device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the catch member and the hook member are hinged together about a plastic hinge between said two chambered halves. 4. Device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that the device is assembled with a second such device such that the hook of the second device is engaged with the catch of the first device and simultaneously the hook of the second device is locked. The hook of one device locks with the catch of the second device. 5. The device of claim 1, wherein said first and second elements are separated from each other, the first element being provided with a hook on a peripheral portion spaced apart from a peripheral portion provided with a catch, While the second element is provided with catches and hook supports on a peripheral portion spaced apart from the peripheral portion provided with hooks, such an arrangement enables these two elements to pass through the hooks provided on each of them. Lock together with the latch provided on the other. 6. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of said perimeters includes elongated ridges which can be seated in grooves on the opposite perimeter, the ridges and grooves being operable to assist in closing said upper perimeter. The two half chambers described above. 7. A device as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the catch and/or hook are arranged to be bent by hand to release the locked device. 8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: the catch member or the hook member or both have an extension protruding from the catch member and the hook part, by means of this extension part, which can be bent by hand from the outside to release the locking device. 9. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the catch is flexible and the hook is relatively stiff relative to the catch. 10. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: the sealing material filled in the two half cavities is selected from polyurethane gel, silicone gel, thermoplastic elastomer gel with plasticizing oil. One of gelatin or polyurea gel. 11. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, said member being made of a member selected from the group consisting of polypropylene, nylon and polyethylene. 12. The device of any preceding claim, wherein the gel has a Voland hardness of from about 10 to about 50 g and an ultimate elongation of at least about 100%. 13. A device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the device further includes passages through opposite peripheries thereof for securing elements passing through the passages when the device is closed. 14. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the inner surfaces of the two half-cavities are chemically etched or glow discharge etched or molded with ribs to enhance condensation. Adhesion of glue on it. 15. The device of any one of the preceding claims, further comprising two coaxial cables joined together by a coaxial cable connector and sealed in the cavities of the two cavity halves. cable connector.

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