COAXIAL CABLE SPLICE

• US 3,787,607 A
• Filed: 05/31/1972
• Issued: 01/22/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hubert J. Schlafly
• Original Assignee: Hubert J. Schlafly
• Inventors: Schlafly, Hubert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gilheany, Bernard A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Grimley, A. T.
• Application Number:
  US05/258,435
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• Field of Search: 174/21C,71C,88R,88C,92,94R 156/49 29/628,63F
• US Class Current: 174/88.00C
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/0503 Connection between two cable ends
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 15/085 for coaxial cables or hollow conductors plug and socket connections between HF conductors H01P1/04; plug and socket connections per se H01R24/38

Abstract

Coaxial cables are spliced together by laying bare a length of center conductor on one end of each cable, joining the center conductors coaxially, enclosing the joined lengths of center conductor in dielectric material of substantially the same outer diameter as the inside diameters of the outer conductors of the cables being spliced, and providing at least one layer of conductive material over the dielectric material to extend lengthwise of the cable from one outer conductor to the other and circumferentially of the cable substantially over the entire circumference thereof. The conductive material may include sections of flexible foil intimately conformable to the shape of the outer conductors of the cable in order to insure transmission of radio frequency energy across the splice, either capacitively or conductively, and it may include splints in the form of substantially semi-cylindrical shells extending from the outer conductor of one cable to that of the other and conductively connected thereto in order to insure transmission of low frequency or direct current energy across the splice.

Claims

1. The method of splicing two coaxial cables which comprises the steps of:

a. stripping back the outer conductor and interelectrode dielectric on one end of each cable to bare the center electrode thereof, b. joining coaxially the bared center conductors of the two cables, c. substantially enclosing the bared joined center conductors of the two cables in replacement dielectric material of substantially the same outer diameter as the outer diameter of the interelectrode dielectric of said cables, and d. applying over said replacement dielectric material a layer of conductive material extending substantially over the entire periphery and length of said replacement dielectric material and into contact with the outer conductors of said cables.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said applying step comprises applying a relatively rigid conductive sheet to said replacement dielectric material over less than the separation of the outer conductors of said cables and further applying a relatively flexible conductive sheet at each end of said relatively rigid conductive sheet in close physical conformity with the outer conductor of one of said cables and with said relatively rigid conductive sheet.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said applying step comprises applying a relatively rigid conductive sheet to said interelectrode dielectric and to the outer conductors of said cables.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said joining step comprises cold pressure welding said bared center conductors together.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein said joining step comprises butt welding said bared center conductors together.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein said two cables include identical interelectrode dielectric and wherein said replacement dielectric material is the same material as said interelectrode dielectric.

7. A coaxial cable splice comprising a replacement dielectric substantially enclosing a length of bared butt-joined center conductor at the end of each of the spliced cables, said replacement dielectric having substantially the same outer diameter as the interelectrode dielectric of said spliced cables, said splice further comprising a layer of conductive material extending from the outer conductor on one of said cables to the outer conductor on the other of said cables and having over said replacement dielectric an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of said replacement dielectric.

8. A coaxial cable splice according to claim 7 wherein said layer comprises a section of coaxial cable outer conductor of lesser length than the separation of the outer conductors on said spliced cables and a conductive foil wrapped at each end of said section in contact with said section, with said replacement dielectric, and with the outer conductor of one of said spliced cables.

9. A coaxial cable splice according to claim 7 wherein said layer comprises two substantially semi-cylindrical shells of relatively rigid conductive material of greater length than the separation of the outer conductors on said spliced cables and having over the length of said replacement dielectric an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of said replacement dielectric and over the remainder of the length thereof an inner diameter substantially equal to the outer diameter of the outer conductors of said spliced cables.

10. A coaxial cable splice according to claim 7 wherein said spliced cables include identical interelectrode material and wherein said replacement dielectric is made of the same material as the interelectrode dielectric of said spliced cables.

11. A coaxial cable splice according to claim 7 wherein said layer extends in overlapping relation with the outer conductors of said spliced cables, said splice including a conductive adhesive between said layer and the outer conductors of said spliced cables in the region of said overlapping relation.

12. A coaxial cable splice comprising a section of the cable to be spliced slotted lengthwise and with the center conductor removed, said section substantially enclosing a length of bared butt-joined center conductor at the end of each of the spliced cables, said splice further comprising a conductive foil wrapped at each end of that section to conform to the outer conductor of that section and to the outer conductor of the adjacent cable end, and a pair of substantially semi-cylindrical metallic shells extending from the outer conductor of one of said cable ends to the outer conductor of the other.

13. A coaxial cable splice according to claim 12 including conductive adhesive material at the joints between said metallic shells.

14. A coaxial cable according to claim 12 including a conductive adhesive between said metallic shells and the outer conductors of said cable ends.