Cable harness breakout and method for its assembly

• US 7,166,805 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2005
• Issued: 01/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Afl IG LLC
• Original Assignee: Carlyle, Inc. (Carlisle Cos., Inc.)
• Inventors: Kleeberger, Terry M., Robinson, Paul W., Eliot, Billie D.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, JINHEE J
• Application Number:
  US11/073,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20050241847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 691 Days
• Field of Search: 174/154, 174/138.G, 174/77.R, 174/135, 174/DIG.8
• US Class Current: 174/154
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4471 Terminating devices demountable connectors G02B6/3807; Cable clamps
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44715 Fan-out devices
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4472 Manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 13/65912 for shielded multiconductor cable coaxial cables with one conductor surrounded by shield H01R9/05; flat shielded cables H01R12/594
• CPC Class Codes: H01R 9/03 Connectors arranged to contact a plurality of the conductors of a multiconductor cable , e.g. tapping connections
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 174/08 Shrinkable tubes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49162 by using wire as conductive path
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49169 Assembling electrical component directly to terminal or elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49174 Assembling terminal to elongated conductor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49185 of terminal
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49194 Assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc.

Abstract

A cable assembly includes a plurality of electrical or fiber-optic cables, a spacer, and a collar. The cables are arranged lengthwise in a bundle, which includes a segment having a cross-sectional arrangement organized into a plurality of columnar sections of contiguous cables. Each columnar section has at least one cable. The spacer is disposed between the adjacent columnar sections. The spacer spans substantially entirely across a cross section of the segment of the bundle in one direction. The collar is disposed entirely around the bundle and the spacer along at least a portion of the segment. The collar is sufficiently tight such that the collar and the spacer cooperate to hold the adjacent columnar sections in substantially fixed relative positions within the cross-section of the bundle.

Claims

1. A cable harness breakout comprising:

a plurality of cables of at least coextensive segments of which includes a cross section arranged in a rectangular array having N rows and M columns, wherein M and N are natural numbers greater than 2, each of the N rows including a plurality of contiguous cables;

a set of spacers demarking the interior boundaries of the N rows, wherein the spacers separate adjacent rows of the plurality of contiguous cables in the cable harness breakout; and

a collar surrounding and adhering to at least some of the cables and the set of spacers with sufficient tightness such that the collar and the spacers cooperate to hold the plurality of cables in substantially fixed relative positions within the cross-section of the cable harness breakout.

2. The cable harness breakout of claim 1, wherein the set of spacers comprises N−

1 separate pieces.

3. The cable harness breakout of claim 1, further comprising:

two spacers demarking the exterior boundaries of the topmost and bottommost rows.

4. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the spacers is a single, unitary piece.

5. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the spacers are approximately rectangular and sheet-like in shape and lies in a plane generally parallel to the lengthwise direction of the cables in the segment.

6. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the spacers and the collar are separate pieces.

7. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the spacers is a contiguously solid piece.

8. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein at least one of the spacers is formed of a plasticized cardboard.

9. The cable assembly of claim 1, wherein the collar comprises a heat-shrink tube along the segment.

10. The cable assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a piece of adhesive tape surrounding the plurality of cables and the spacers and sticking to one or more of the cables and the spacers the piece of tape being surrounded by the collar.

11. The cable assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

an outer spacer positioned between the collar and one of the N rows.