WO1999065121A1

WO1999065121A1 - Apparatus and method for organizing cables

Info

Publication number: WO1999065121A1
Application number: PCT/US1998/021775
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marcel A. Weesie
Original assignee: Minnesota Mining And Manufacturing Company
Priority date: 1998-06-12
Filing date: 1998-10-13
Publication date: 1999-12-16
Also published as: AU1189099A

Abstract

An assembly and method for organizing excess lengths of a plurality of individual cables (16) includes a cable housing (32) for collecting excess lengths of individual cables (16). The excess lengths are created when using a connector (10) having a plurality of contacts (12) disposed within the connector to form at least one row of contacts in generally parallel alignment with a longitudinal axis of the connector, where the individual cables (16) enter the connector at an end of the connector and terminate at a respective one of the plurality of contacts. The cable housing (32) is spaced from the connector (10) and encloses a section of the plurality of individual cables (16). Excess lengths of the individual cables (16) are looped inside of the cable housing (32).

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR ORGANIZING CABLES Background of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for handling multiple cables or electrical wires that are connected to a longitudinal connector of the type having at least: one row of contacts, and where the cables or electrical wires are guided from the connector in a direction which generally corresponds to the longitudinal axis of the connector. The present invention is useful, for example, with electrical or electronic control units, computers and computer equipment, telecommunication distribution systems and the like. In each of these uses, it is often necessary to establish a connection w th an electrical device using multiple individual cables or electrical wires which may be bundleα together to form jacketed cables. In most situations, it is necessary to establish connections through easily releasable connectors. These releasable connectors typically have at least one longitudinal row of contacts which are arranged side by side. Due to overall space limitations often associated with electrical devices of the type contemplated, it is generally desirable to guide the cables or electrical wires away from these connectors in a direction which is essentially parallel to the longitudinal direction of the connector. By having the cables or electrical wires exit from the connector in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector, the amount of space required to accommodate the connectors and cables is reduced. If the cables or electrical wires did not exit from the connector m a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector, it would be necessary to provide additional space behind the connectors in which it would be possible to bend the cables or cable bundles m the desired direction.

The ideal connector and cable configuration, therefore, consists of a connector having a longitudinal housing into which at least one row of contacts is arranged and where it is desirable to lead the cables or electrical wires away from the housing of the connector in this longitudinal direction. In such a configuration, it will be recognized that the distance between the point where the jacketed electrical wires or cable enter into the side of the housing and the actual position of the individual contacts which terminate the cables or wires varies along the row of these contacts. That is, the wire which connects to the contact closest to the cable entrance will be shorter that the wire which connects to the contact farthest from the cable entrance.

The difference in cable or wire length is typically compensated for in one of two different ways. One possibility is to remove the outer jacket of the jacketed wires or cables for a given length and to cut the individual electrical wires or cables to a length which allows an easy connection to the respective contacts. The disadvantage of this approach is that if a repair to the connector or wires becomes necessary at a later stage, or if it is desired to change a wire connection from one contact to another, the length of a cut-off electrical wire may be too short. In such an event, additional connections or splices become necessary within the connector housing.

An alternative approach is to avoid shortening the individual wires or cables so that all individual cables or wires have the same length. This alternative requires a way to accommodate any excess cable or wire length for most of the cables or wires. Most of the cables or wires will have an excess length, and the excess length increases the closer the connector contact is positioned to the entrance point of the cable or wire bundle into the housing. Thus, a clear disadvantage of this alternative is that additional space must be provided within the housing of the connector to accommodate the excess cable or wire lengths .

The above-described methods of connecting a jacketed cable or a cable bundle to the longitudinal end of a connector having at least one row of contacts have been used over many decades, taking into account the above-mentioned disadvantages. Additional problems arise when using some types of cables or wires, such as coaxial cables or fiber-optic cables. There is a growing interest in using coaxial and fiber optic cables, because such cables allow a much higher rate of data transmission. However, both coaxial and fiberoptic cables are relatively sensitive towards bending and, furthermore, often need to maintain a specified length. Therefore, the first described method of shortening the individual cables to varying lengths can alter the characteristics of these cables in an undesired manner, while the second described method of placing excess lengths into the connector housing m most cases is not possible at all because the required bending radii are too small. In the case of coaxial cables excessive bending causes losses and alters the impedance in an undesired manner, while in the case of fiber-optical cables optical performance degradation and even breakage of the cable could occur.

The problem to be solved, therefore, is to advantageously leave all individual cables or wires of a bundle at the same length without, however, degrading the performance of the cable or wire by bending and without unduly increasing the other dimensions of the longitudinally extended connector housing.

The need for handling excess lengths of cables has been known for a very long time. For example, the need has been especially common for power cords, for all types of equipment, as typically it cannot be predicted what length of power cord may be needed. Thus, most electrical equipment is provided with a power cord having an excess length to prevent the use of extension cords and the like. The prior art presents a vast variety of methods for handling this excess cord length. For example, the references JP 09-140040 (Kato Kazuo) and DE 297 13 772 (Hetzner) both provide a housing into which a power cord could be placed. The housing is particularly simple in the Japanese application, while the German Gebrauchsmuster describes a more sophisticated housing allowing the storage of several power cords.

JP 05-215923 (Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp.) illustrates a method for handling excess lengths of suspended cables where a small portion of the cable is folded in itself. This method, however, does not contemplate the use of a housing.

The German Offenlegungsschrift DE 40 40 528 (Mars- Actel) and the German Gebrauchsmuster G 94 01 771

(Krone AG) both describe possibilities for handling excess lengths of fiber-optic cables. It can be seen from these references that handling excess lengths of fiber-optic cables typically involves a sophisticated method and apparatus which requires the use of relatively large housings or boxes. Furthermore, the references suggest that it is advisable to have relatively flat but large boxes for each individual cable, which means that this is not an appropriate method for handling excess lengths of a multiplicity of fiber-optic cables.

The Japanese application JP 09-117031 (Sumitomo Wiring Systems) relates to the handling of excess lengths of a single wire within a wire bundle, where the length of one wire is greater than the length of the other wires. The longer wire is placed into holders which allow the longer wire to follow, for example, a zig-zag path, or which allow the additional wire length to be folded. No reference is made to the above-described problem of connecting such a bundle to the longitudinal end of a connector having at least one row of contacts.

The Japanese reference JP 04-112609 (Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp.) refers to the above- described problem of connecting to the longitudinal end of a connector, and applies to a bundle of individual wires. The individual wires are placed into a device typically used for handling cable or wire harnesses. In this configuration the wires are individually inserted into this device and with a special tool it is ensured that the wires are properly bent to obtain a variable length. When the wires are removed from the device a bundle is obtained m which the length of the individual cables or wires varies in a manner so that they can easily be connected to a longitudinal connector having at least one row of contacts. However, the resultant sharp bends in the wires would not be acceptable for coaxial or fiber-optic cables. Clearly, what is needed and what is not provided m the prior art is a method and apparatus for organizing individual cables or wires of a bundle which are connected to a longitudinal connector of the type having at least one row of contacts, where the individual cables or wires exit the connector in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides an apparatus and method for organizing cables or wires in which the lengths of the individual cables or wires are kept the same, but no excess room is required within or adjacent the connector housing to accommodate the excess lengths of cable or wire. The invention is suitable for use with coaxial or fiber-optic cables which cannot be sharply bent. The invention achieves its benefits by separating the area where excess cable or wire lengths are handled from the connector housing. This is accomplished by providing the individual cables or wires of the jacketed bundle a free length which is significantly larger than the length of the connector. In case of using a jacketed cable, therefore, the jacket is removed over a length which is several times larger than the longitudinal extension of the connector. The individual cable ends are then connected to the contacts of the connector and the cables are guided away from the connector toward the portion of the bundle which is still jacketed. At this location the excess lengths of the cables are formed into loops of varying sizes depending on the excess length of the cable. These loops are then inserted into a separate housing which is placed away from the connector at a certain distance, thereby ensuring that no mechanical interference occurs. Accordingly the housing of the longitudinal connector can be relatively small, e.g. having a somewhat triangular cross-section, because it does not need to accommodate any excess lengths of cable. The unjacketed cables between the longitudinal connector and the cable housing can be "rebundled", e.g., by an additional braid or by wrapping a tape or other means which ensures that between the connector on one side and the cable housing on the other side the cables obtain some kind of an additional jacket.

Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 is a schematic illustration, partially in section, of a prior art connector and cable assembly. Figure 2 illustrates the use of the assembly of Figure 1 with an electrical device.

Figure 3 is a schematic illustration, without the connector housing and with the cable housing open, of the inventive assembly for organizing excess lengths of a plurality of individual cables.

Figure 4 shows tne assembly of Figure 3, with the connector housing and cable housing closed.

Figure 5 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the cable housing. Figures 6a and 6b illustrate an alternate configuration of the inventive assembly and another alternate configuration of the cable housing.

Figures 7a and 7b illustrate another alternative embodiment of the cable nousing. Figure 8 illustrates another alternate configuration of the inventive assembly.

Detailed Description of the Invention The invention can be best understood from the accompanying Figures 1-8.

Fig. 1 shows one possibility of handling excess cable or wire lengths according to the prior art, such as described m JP 04-112609. A longitudinal connector 10 is provided with a row of individual contacts 12. On one end 14 of connector 10, individual cables or wires 16 are inserted into housing 18 of connector 10. Cables or wires 16 are part of a jacketed cable bundle 20, the jacket 22 of which is partially removed so that the individual cables or wires 16 within connector 10 can be handled. For the sake of simplicity, only three cables or wires 16 are shown, although it should be understood that all contacts should be connected to a cable or wire. To make the connection shown in the configuration of Figure 1, the outer jacket 22 of the jacketed cable bundle 20 is removed for a length which is slightly longer than the longitudinal length of connector 10. Subsequently, individual cables or wires 16 are cut to different lengths and then the cables or wires 16 are connected to individual contacts 12. It is irrelevant which kind of contacts 12 are used. For example, the caoles or wires 16 could be pre-stripped and soldered to contacts 12, they could be connected by some insulation displacement or piercing technique where an internal portion of the contact pierces through the insulation of the corresponding cable or wire 16; they could be screwed to the contact 12 or welded. The cables or wires 16, furthermore, can be simple wires or coaxial cables. If coaxial cables are used, it is necessary to establish a contact to the core of the coaxial cable separate to that of the shield. Furthermore, it is also possible to establish a connection in this manner with fiber-optic cables by using well known techniques, provided that the bending radii as depicted are still above the critical value which would cause losses or breakage.

The prior art configuration of Figure 1 has the above described disadvantage of requiring different cable lengths. However, it does illustrate the advantage of having an array in which the individual cables 16 can be guided to the connector 10 from the side which ensures that a minimum of space is needed behind the electronic or electrical unit 27 to which the connection has to be established. The housing in Figure 1 is given a shape which is smaller in dimensions on end 24 (opposite end 14 where cables or wires 16 enter housing 18) so that the housing 18 has an essentially triangular portion 26. Triangular portion 26 provides an advantage when several connectors 10 of this type are used in close proximity to each other. This can be seen from Figure 2 which shows that with triangular portion 26 on housing 18 it is possible to have a side by side arrangement of two or more connectors 10 without having an interference of the jacketed cables 20 with the connectors 10. The essence of the invention is illustrated schematically in Figure 3. The row of contacts 12 of the longitudinal connector 10 is shown on one side (without housing 18) and a jacketed cable 20 on the other side. Only three cables 16 are depicted, although it will be recognized that all contacts 12 may be connected to corresponding cables or wires 16. The essential difference between the invention shown in Figure 3 and the prior art of Figure 1 is that the jacket 22 of the jacketed cable 20 is removed over a length which is typically many times greater than the length of the longitudinal connector 10 to create an unjacketed (or "free") bundle 28 of cables or wires 16. The individual cables or wires 16 have substantially identical lengths. Cables or wires 16 are then connected to contacts 12 of longitudinal connector 10 using any of the methods described with reference to Figure 1. The essential difference of the present invention, however, is to guide the individual cables or wires 16 out of connector 10 and to move all the excess lengths toward the end of unjacketed bundle 28 which is adjacent jacketed bundle 20. At that location, loops 30 of different sizes are created. It will be understood that the term "loop" as used herein in intended to include bends, arches, and the like which are formed m the cable or wires 16 to take up any excess length in cables or wires 16. The loops 30 are then placed into a separate housing 32 which is spaced from the longitudinal connector 10.

Fig. 4 shows the configuration of Figure 3 after having closed the corresponding housings 18, 32. Connector 10 is provided with housing 18 which is identical to those depicted in Figures 1 and 2, while the cable housing 32 holding loops 30 is closed in any appropriate manner. Cable housing 32 can have any configuration desired by the user (e.g., a flat rectangular shape, a cylindrical or elliptical shape, etc.) and may be adapted to suit particular applications. A preferred housing 32 is a relatively flat box. However, housings with a circular or elliptical cross section could be used, with the dimensions and type of housing 32 depending upon the specific application. Furthermore, it is possible to provide strain relief components within housing 32 to avoid placing any undesirable forces on cables or wires 16. In some applications, it may be desired to provide cable housing 32 with shielding to protect the cables or wires 16 from electromagnetic interference. Such electromagnetic shielding may be achieved, for example, by either plating cable housing 32 with a conductive material (e.g., metal) or by forming cable housing 32 from a suitable electromagnetic shielding material, such as aluminum or other metal. Of course, the use of other suitable shielding materials, such as conductive polymers, is also contemplated. Between longitudinal connector 10 and cable housing 32, a multiplicity of unjacketed cables or wires 16 are depicted. It may be desired to protect the unjacketed cables or wires 16 with a braid or some other means which provides the same features as a jacket. The braid can be applied after having established the connection by moving the braid over the connector 10. Alternatively, the protection of the cables or wires 16 can be established by winding a tape over the cables or wires 16, or it is also possible to place a shrinkable tube over the cables or wires 16. If a shrinkable tube is used, the dimension of the tube should be large enough so that it can be placed over the jacketed cable bundle 20 away from the connection during the connection process. After the connection is completed and the cable housing 32 is closed, the shrinkable tube is placed over the unjacketed cables or wires 16 and shrunk down. Shrinkable tubes may be heat shrinkable or preferably are of the type which shrink in the absence of heat, as described in EP 0 101 472 and US 3,515,798.

Figure 5 corresponds to Figures 3 and 4, but depicts a somewhat different configuration of the individual loops 30. Figure 5 shows that the cable jacket 22 is connected to the cable housing 32 using a strain relief clamp 34. The unjacketed bundle 28 of individual cables or wires 16 at the opposite end of cable housing 32 is also secured to cable housing 32 with another strain relief clamp 34. As discussed above, it is also possible to provide the unjacketed bundle 28 of cables or wires 16 with some kind of an additional protection, such as a braid, a shrinkable tube, a tape or the like.

Figures 6a and 6b provide a somewhat different view of the invention, but show essentially the same features already discussed. The exterior of connector 10 is depicted as a metal shell. Housing 18 of connector 10 is preferably provided with additional electromagnetic shielding by either plating housing with a conductive material (e.g., metal) or forming housing 18 from a suitable shielding material, such as aluminum. Of course, housing 18 may be formed of any other suitable electromagnetic shielding material. Housing 18 is also preferably connected to the ground portion of contacts 12. The unjacketed cables or wires 16 are covered with a braid 40, which may be formed of plastic, metal or other suitable material. The distance between connector 10 and housing 32 is indicated as 1-2 meters, but could be any length as required by the specific application. The cable housing 32 shown in Figures 6a and 6b in this configuration has an essentially circular cross section. Furthermore, the jacketed cable 20 on one side and the bundle covered by braid 40 on the other side are provided with strain relief clamps 34 as discussed above .

Figures 7a and 7b depict a special configuration of an cable housing 32 according to Figures 3-5. The interior 42 is provided with rods or pins 44 whicn act as routing features especially for coaxial cables.

Rods or pins 44 allow cables 16 to be organized to some degree and prevent undesirably sharp bending of the cables 16. In Figures 7a and 7b, housing 32 is shown to be relatively flat. The exterior of housing 32 is provided with an identification label 46.

As can be readily recognized, the invention described herein provides a novel apparatus and method for organizing cables or wires m which the lengths of the individual cables or wires are kept the same, but no excess room is required within or adjacent the connector housing to accommodate the excess lengths of cable or wire. The invention is suitable for use with coaxial or fiber-optic cables which cannot be sharply bent . Those skilled in the art will recognize that modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. For example, it is described herein to remove a length of cable jacket 22 from the end of jacketed cable 20 to create a free bundle 28 of cables or wires 16, where the free bundle may be re-jacketed after cable housing 32 has been installed over a portion of free bundle 28. However, as shown if Figure 8, it is also contemplated that a small section of jacket 22 may be removed from jacketed cable 20 at a distance from the end of jacketed cable 20. Cable housing 32 may then be placed over the area where jacket 22 has been removed, and any excess lengths of cables or wires 16 may be pulled into cable housing 32. In this manner, it is not necessary to re- jacket a portion of the cables between connector 10 and cable housing 32. Other modifications will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An assembly comprising: a connector having a plurality of contacts, the contacts disposed within the connector to form at least one row of contacts, the at least one row of contacts extending from a first end of the connector to a second end of the connector in generally parallel alignment with a longitudinal axis of the connector; a cable bundle comprising a plurality of individual cables, wherein each of the individual cables of the cable bundle enters the connector at the first end of the connector and terminates at a respective one of the plurality of contacts; and a cable housing spaced from the connector and enclosing a section of the cable bundle, the cable housing adapted to collect excess lengths of the individual cables .

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cable bundle outside the cable housing is enclosed by a cable bundle jacket .

3. The assembly of claim 2, wherein the cable bundle jacket is removed from the cable bundle between the connector and the cable housing.

4. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the cable bundle between the connector and the cable housing is covered with a shrinkable tube.

5. The assembly of claim 3, wherein the cable bundle between the connector and the cable housing is covered with a flexible braid.

6. The assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the individual cables have substantially the same length.

7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cable bundle enters the connector in a direction generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the connector.

8. The assembly of claim 7, wherein the second end of the connector is smaller than the first end of the connector .

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the cable housing includes pins in an interior of the cable housing for routing the individual cables through the cable housing .

10. A method for organizing excess lengths of a plurality of individual cables including the steps of: providing a connector having a plurality of contacts, the contacts disposed within the connector to form at least one row of contacts, the at least one row of contacts extending from a first end of the connector to a second end of the connector in generally parallel alignment with a longitudinal axis of the connector; providing a cable bundle comprising a plurality of individual cables; connecting each of the individual cables of the cable bundle to a respective one of the plurality of contacts in the connector; inserting each of the exposed plurality of individual cables into a cable housing; looping excess lengths of the plurality of individual cables within the cable housing; and closing the cable housing to secure the looped lengths of cables within the cable housing.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the cable housing is spaced from the connector along the exposed individual cables of the cable bundle.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the cable bundle is enclosed m a cable bundle jacket, and prior to connecting the individual cables to the contacts, further including the step of: removing a length of the cable bundle jacket from the cable bundle to expose the plurality of individual cables

13. The method of claim 12, further including the step of re-jacketmg the exposed individual cables between the connector and the cable housing.

14. A kit for organizing excess lengths of a plurality of individual cables, the kit comprising: a connector having a plurality of contacts, each of the plurality of contacts adapted for connection to a corresponding individual cable of plurality of cables, the contacts disposed within the connector to form at least one row of contacts, the at least one row of contacts extending from a first end of the connector to a second end of the connector in generally parallel alignment with a longitudinal axis of the connector; and a cable housing configured to be secured about the plurality of cables at a location spaced from the connector for collecting excess lengths of the individual cables within an interior of the cable housing .

5. The kit of claim 14, wherein the interior of the cable housing includes pins for routing the individual cables through the cable housing.