Pressure actuated sealant assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9632268-B2
Application number	US-201615181748-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2016
Priority date	Jul 2, 2012
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

An enclosure includes a housing and a sealing unit that fits within a sealing unit opening of the housing. The sealing unit provides a seal around cable ports and provides a peripheral seal between the housing and the sealing unit. The sealing unit can include a sealant arrangement and an actuation arrangement for pressurizing the sealant arrangement within the sealing unit opening. The actuation arrangement can include inner and outer pressurization structures between which the sealant arrangement is positioned. The actuation arrangement includes first and second actuators each movable between a non-actuated position and an actuated position. When the first and second actuators are moved towards the actuated positions, the first and second actuators generate first and second seal pressurization forces that press the sealant arrangement between the first and second pressurization structures, and the first and second seal pressurization forces are transferred through respective first and second springs.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cable sealing module comprising:
a module body having a total axial length that extends between first and second ends of the module body, the module body defining a central axis that extends along the total axial length, the module body having a composite construction including a volume of sealant at least partially contained between first and second axial containment layers, the first and second axial containment layers forming first and second axial end caps attached to the volume of sealant adjacent the first and second ends of the insert body, the module body defining at least three cable ports that extends axially through volume of sealant, the volume of sealant including cable sealing surfaces that extends around the cable ports, the volume of sealant also including an exposed outer sealing surface that surrounds a periphery of the module body and extends around the central axis of the module body, the exposed outer sealing surface and the cable sealing surfaces being positioned between the first and second axial end caps;
the module body having a wrap-around configuration for allowing cables to be laterally inserted into the cable ports, the wrap-around configuration including a hinge line defined by a flexible hinge for allowing first and second segments of the module body to be pivoted apart from one another about the hinge line, the at least three cable ports being defined at an interface between the first and second segments that opens when the first and second segments of the module body are pivoted apart from one another, each of the first and second segments of the module including a portion of the volume of sealant, a portion of the first axial end cap and a portion of the second axial end cap.

2. The cable sealing module of claim 1 , wherein the first and second segments of the module body form half-sections of the module body.

3. The cable sealing module of claim 1 , wherein the axial end caps include latches positioned opposite the hinge line for retaining the cable sealing module in a closed position.

4. The cable sealing module of claim 1 , wherein only the volume of sealant of the module body extends between the first and second axial end caps.

5. The cable sealing module of claim 1 , wherein the cable sealing surfaces have first axial lengths that extends between the first and second axial end caps, wherein the outer sealing surface has a second axial length that extends between the first and second axial end caps, and wherein the first axial lengths are longer than the second axial length.

6. The cable sealing module of claim 1 , wherein the first and second axial end caps each define at least three opening that align with the at least three cable ports that extend through the volume of sealant.

7. A sealing module adapted to be inserted into a sealing block, the sealing module comprising:
a first body piece; and
a second body piece hingeably connected to the first body piece;
the first and second body pieces defining a mating interface where the first and second body pieces meet, the first and second body pieces further defining therebetween at least three cable ports at the mating interface, the first and second body pieces also defining a row of three openings that respectively align with the at least three cable ports;
the sealing module having a total axial length that extends between first and second ends of the sealing module, the first and second body pieces defining a central axis that extends along the total axial length, and the at least three cable ports extending parallel with the central axis; and
the sealing module having a composite construction including a volume of sealant at least partially contained between first and second axial containment layers, the first and second axial containment layers forming first and second axial end caps attached to the volume of sealant adjacent the first and second ends of the sealing module.

8. The sealing module according to claim 7 , wherein the sealing module defines a reduced size cable port that extends axially through the volume of sealant, the volume of sealant including a cable sealing surface that extends around the reduced size cable port, the volume of sealant also including an exposed outer sealing surface that surrounds a periphery of the sealing module and extends around the central axis of the sealing module, the exposed outer sealing surface and the cable sealing surface being positioned between the first and second axial end caps.

9. The sealing module according to claim 7 , wherein the entire sealing module has a single flexible hinge, the sealing module being movable to an open configuration in which the first and second body pieces are pivoted apart from one another about the flexible hinge.

10. The sealing module according to claim 7 , further comprising an actuation arrangement for pressurizing the sealing block, the actuation arrangement including first and second pressurization structures between which the sealing block is positioned, the actuation arrangement also including first and second actuators each movable between a non-actuated position and an actuated position.

11. The sealing module according to claim 10 , wherein the first actuator includes a first lever arm for moving the first actuator between the non-actuated and actuated positions, and the second actuator includes a second lever arm for moving the second actuator between the non-actuated and actuated positions.

12. The sealing module according to claim 10 , wherein the first actuator includes a first spring and the second actuator includes a second spring, wherein when the first and second actuators are moved towards the actuated positions, the first and second actuators generate first and second seal pressurization forces that press the sealing block between the first and second pressurization structures.

13. The sealing module according to claim 12 , wherein the first and second seal pressurization forces are transferred through the first and second springs.

14. The sealing module according to claim 8 , wherein the sealing module has a wrap-around configuration for allowing a reduced sized cable to be laterally inserted into the reduced size cable port.

15. The sealing module according to claim 9 , wherein the first and second axial end caps include latches positioned opposite the flexible hinge for retaining the sealing module in a closed position.

16. The sealing module according to claim 10 , wherein the first and second axial end caps are configured to interlock with the first and second pressurization structures of the actuation arrangement.

17. The sealing module according to claim 10 , wherein the first and second axial end caps are configured to mate with the first and second pressurization structures of the actuation arrangement.

18. The sealing module according to claim 10 , wherein the first and second axial end caps define receptacles for receiving corresponding projections provided on the first and second pressurization structures of the actuation arrangement.

Assignees

• CommScope Connectivity Belgium BVBA

Inventors

• Coenegracht Philippe
• Van De Weyer Dirk Jozef G
• Aznag Mohamed

Classifications

• G02B6/4444 Primary

  Seals · CPC title

• G02B6/44775

  Cable seals e.g. feed-through (cable seals integrated to the box seals G02B6/4444; pulling eyes G02B6/44465) · CPC title

• H02G15/013 Primary

  Sealing means for cable inlets (inlets for cables filled with, or surrounded by, gas or oil H02G15/32) · CPC title