Corrosion resistant, environmentally sealing, electrically conducting, cable connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9318239-B2
Application number	US-201313895737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 16, 2013
Priority date	May 16, 2013
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A connector anchors as outer conductor onto a cable and connects the outer conductor to the cable's inner conductor without exposing the inner conductor to the ambient environment. The connector includes a longitudinally split cylinder having a thicker center wall and a pair of flanking walls that wrap around a notched section of the cable and contact the inner conductor. An inner ring with multiple recessed interior circumferential grooves wraps around and overlaps the split cylinder so that the grooves will emboss and grip the cable's jacket without piercing the jacket when swaged. The outer conductor is placed over the inner ring. An outer ring anchors the outer conductor to the inner ring when swaged.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A conductive connector for a cable with a core strength member, an inner conductor, an outer conductor, and a cable jacket, wherein the cable can be circumferentially notched, removing a sectional length of jacket exposing an outermost layer of the inner conductor and removing a shorter sectional length of a center portion of the outermost layer, exposing one or more underlying layers of the inner conductor and a pair of flanking sectional lengths of the exposed outermost layer, said connector comprising:
a pair of intermediate halves of a longitudinally split open-ended cylinder comprised of a conductive metallic material, said split open-ended cylinder having a split-cylinder length substantially equal to the sectional length of the jacket, where each said intermediate half has a semi-cylindrical wall with a thicker center wall having a smaller center inside diameter and a width substantially equal to the shorter sectional length of the inner conductor, and a pair of flanking walls, where said pair of flanking walls bookend said center wall, and each said flanking wall has a flanking wall length and a flanking wall inside diameter that is larger than said inside diameter of said center wall, wherein said pair of intermediate halves are configured to be assembled on the cable to form said split open-ended cylinder so that the ends of said intermediate halves sealedly abut the jacket and said center wall fits inside the shorter sectional length and abuts the flanking sectional lengths of the exposed outermost layer of the inner conductor; and
a cylindrical inner ring comprised of a conductive metallic material and having a pair of open ends, each said open end having a plurality of recessed inside circumferential grooves that are proximate to the open end, wherein said inner ring has a length sufficient to span beyond said intermediate halves such that said plurality of circumferential grooves on both said open ends of said inner ring overlap the cable jacket, and wherein said inner ring has an inside diameter substantially equal to the outside diameter of the cable so that said circumferential grooves are in contact with and emboss the jacket when said inner ring is placed over and swaged onto said intermediate halves.

2. The connector according to claim 1 further comprising:
a cylindrical outer ring comprised of a metallic material and having an inside diameter that is large enough to slide over the cable and an outer conductor distributed around said inner ring so that the outer conductor is overlaying most of said inner ring;
wherein, after said outer ring has been slid over the outer conductor and centered over said inner ring, said outer ring is configured to be swaged to anchor the outer conductor between said outer ring and said inner ring.

3. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein said inner ring is comprised of a corrosion resistant material.

4. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein said inner ring is comprised of titanium.

5. The connector according to claim 4 , wherein said inner ring is plated in platinum.

6. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein said intermediate halves are comprised of aluminum.

7. The connector according to claim 6 , wherein said intermediate halves are plated in fin.

8. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein said outer ring is comprised of a corrosion resistant metallic material.

9. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein said outer ring is comprised of titanium.

10. The connector according to claim 1 further comprising;
an electrical joint compound, wherein said electrical joint compound is coated on exposed layers of the inner conductor, where said electrical joint compound facilitates conduction between the inner conductor and said pair of intermediate halves assembled on the cable.

11. The connector according to claim 1 , wherein the depths of said plurality of recessed inside circumferential grooves are less than the thickness of the jacket so as to allow said inner ring to emboss and grip the jacket without piercing the jacket when said inner ring is swaged onto the cable.

12. The connector according to claim 2 , wherein the depths of said plurality of recessed inside circumferential grooves are less than the thickness of the jacket so as to allow said inner ring to emboss and grip the jacket without piercing the jacket when said inner ring is swaged onto the cable.

13. A sealed, corrosion resistant cable having electrically connected inner and outer conductors, comprising:
an inner conductor having a circumferential notch cut into an outer layer thereof;
a jacket covering and environmentally sealing said inner conductor, said jacket having a circumferential notch cut therein thereby creating trimmed ends of said jacket, said notch being adjacent to and having a length that is longer than the length of said notch in said inner conductor;
a longitudinally split open-ended cylinder comprised of a conductive metallic material and having a thick center wall and thin flanking walls, said thick center wall filling said notch in said inner conductor and contacting said inner conductor, and said flanking walls filling said notch in said jacket and sealedly abutting the trimmed ends of said jacket;
a cylindrical inner ring having a pair of open ends and a length longer than the length of said notch in said jacket, each said open end having a plurality of recessed inside circumferential grooves that are proximate to the open ends of said inner ring, wherein said inner ring wraps around said longitudinally split cylinder and said jacket and is swaged so that said inner ring contacts said longitudinally split cylinder and said grooves are embossed into said jacket without piercing through said jacket;
an outer conductor wrapped around said jacket and said inner ring; and
an open-ended, cylindrical outer ring wrapped around said outer conductor and said inner ring, said outer ring being swaged, thereby anchoring said outer conductor to said inner ring and creating an electrically conductive path between said outer and inner conductors through said longitudinally split cylinder and said inner ring.

14. The cable of claim 13 , wherein said jacket is comprised of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

15. The cable of claim 13 , further comprising a continuous strength member disposed within said inner conductor.

16. The cable of claim 15 , wherein said inner conductor is comprised of a plurality of layers of aluminum wire.

17. The cable of claim 16 , wherein said outer conductor is composed of a layer of titanium clad copper conductor wire.

18. The cable of claim 16 , wherein said longitudinally split cylinder is comprised of aluminum and is plated in tin.

19. The cable of claim 18 , wherein said inner ring is comprised of titanium and is plated in platinum.

20. The cable of claim 17 , wherein said outer ring is comprised of titanium.

Assignees

• Sovel James E
• Cornman Jacob
• Gershenson Meir
• Us Navy

Inventors

• Sovel James E
• Cornman Jacob
• Gershenson Meir

Classifications

• H01B7/2806 Primary

  Protection against damage caused by corrosion · CPC title

• B63G7/04

  by means of cables · CPC title

• H01B3/445

  from vinylfluorides or other fluoroethylenic compounds · CPC title