Abstract:
A connector for electrically and mechanically joining a conductor to a communication cable sheath. Transversely arcuate, opposed members or arms with a row of pointed tangs on each longitudinal edge, are hingedly joined at one end. The other ends are adapted to be joined to clamp the cable sheath between the arms. At least one arm is elastic and longitudinally curved away from the other arm so that in use a compressive force is maintained even upon deformation of the cable sheath.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to electrical connectors for making an electrical connection between a conductor and the conductive shield of a communication cable. 
     Communication cables are constructed with a core of conductors surrounded by a protective sheath. The sheath is usually comprised of a tubular metallic shield with an outer tubular plastic jacket. Most commonly the shield is aluminum, has a thin insulating coating and is bonded to the outer jacket. 
     In a cable system, shield continuity and ground must be maintained for optimum performance. Thus at various points in a cable system, for example at a splice, a bonding conductor must be connected to a cable shield to provide this continuity and ground. 
     Because the shield is usually not separable from the jacket, a shield connector must be attached to the combined shield and jacket forming a layered structure. While a typical shield connector may make good electrical contact initially, flow of the plastic jacket can sufficiently reduce contact force between connector and shield to cause a bond failure after a few years. Efforts have been directed to improving contact force by substituting for the usual nut and bolt connector joining means a sleevelike fitting provided with annular grooves adapted to interfit with protuberances on a terminus of a connecting post. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,643,006. However in this device, as in others, for example those of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,753,204, 3,753,213 and 4,026,619, the eventual permanent deformation of the plastic jacket with age will lead to reduction of the contact force and possibly even to loosening of the connector&#39;s mechanical bond to the cable sheath. 
     Some shield connectors have spring action to compensate for these changes, thereby minimizing the contact force reduction. These connectors generally fall into two categories: 
     (1) The cantilever types have pivoting top and bottom plates encompassing a portion of the sheath which are pulled together by a joining means external to the contact area, between the pivot and the contact area. Examples are the devices of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,778,749 and 3,787,797. 
     (2) The most common types are those with a centrally located joining means pulling top and bottom plates together in the contact area. In this case the joining means passes through a hole or slit in the sheath. Examples are the devices of U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,676,836 and 3,701,839. 
     The first type of connector has the advantage of a potentially large &#34;travel&#34; in spring action. Its primary disadvantage is low initial contact force, typically one-half the tension in the joining means. The second type provides contact force approximately equal to the tension in the joining means, but it has potentially small &#34;travel&#34; in the spring action and therefore does not compensate for jacket plastic flow very well. 
     In view of these problems with existing shield connectors, design criteria for an improved shield connector might include high initial contact force together with a long &#34;travel&#34; spring action to compensate for jacket plastic flow. 
     Fault currents and lightning surge currents also have been known to cause shield bond failures or damage to the cable core conductors, so a shield bond should be highly resistant to these damaging currents. In particular the resistance of the shield bond must remain low when subjected to such currents. 
     Shield bond failure can also result from damage to the shield during connector installation. This can occur due to bending and weakening of the shield or simply by cutting the shield in a manner that reduces its current carrying capacity. A shield connector should not damage the cable shield during installation. 
     A mechanically firm bond is also an important requirement since any tendency to looseness or relative motion in the bond components can aggravate the previously mentioned failure modes. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The foregoing objects and others are achieved in accordance with the principles of this invention by the use of a connector formed of two arms or members, at least one of elastic material, with a hinged relationship at one end and a means for joining the other ends to each other and to a bonding conductor. 
     In the preferred embodiment, at least one of the arms is longitudinally arcuate to curve away from the other arm at the ends so that a portion of cable sheath positioned between the members and between the hinged end and the joined end is compressed between the members with a force approximately twice the tension in the joining means. Because of elastic member deformation the compressive force is substantially maintained even if the plastic jacket of the sheath deforms with aging. 
     Tangs or barbs comparable in projection to the cable sheath thickness, protrude from the members into the sheath thereby contacting the shield. At least the member adjacent to the cable shield and one of the joining means are conductive so that by means of the barbs, a member, the joining means and a bonding conductor can conduct shield electrical currents. 
     The barbed connector members firmly grip the cable sheath maintaining cable sheath integrity while providing a mechanically firm shield bond. 
     To further enhance the electrical connection between barbs and cable shield, the relative positioning of the barbs on opposite members, together with transverse curvature in the members, causes the barbs of one member to wedge transversely against the barbs of the other member, with the shield compressed between them. 
     A still further aid to connector contact with the cable shield is an embossed surface on the connector member surface adjacent the cable shield. Small but numerous edges and points are available for penetrating the thin insulating coating on the cable shield. 
     It is one object of this invention to provide a shield connector which maintains a high force of contact to a cable shield. 
     Another object of this invention is to provide a shield connector which maintains a low resistance connection to a cable shield even when the bond is subjected to fault currents, surge currents, varying temperatures, and vibration. 
     A further object of this invention is to provide a mechanically firm shield bond that does not physically or electrically weaken the cable sheath structure. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: 
     FIG. 1 is a plan view of a connector according to the present invention, showing the upper or outer member and the joining means; 
     FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the connector in exploded or disassembled form; 
     FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the portion of the disassembled connector lying between arrows 3-3 of FIG. 2, showing the oblong hole in the upper or outer member; 
     FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the connector as assembled; 
     FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the connector attached to a cable sheath and bonding conductor; and 
     FIG. 6 is an end view of a cross-section of the connector, cable sheath and bonding conductor, taken along a plane normal to the axis of the cable sheath and passing through line 6--6 of FIG. 5. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 6 is a preferred embodiment of a connector 10 according to the present invention. In FIG. 1 the connector 10 is shown as assembled. It is comprised of a generally V-shaped strip of elastically resilient conductive material having a U-shaped loop 14 (see FIG. 2) which functions primarily as a hinge, and joining means of a stud 22, washer 24 and nut 26. FIG. 4 shows a side view as assembled. It will be readily seen by those skilled in the art that the connector might comprise two separate members movably joined to each other, and any other suitable joining means. 
     In addition to the longitudinal curvarture forming the V and U shapes, the strip also has transverse curvature except in portions of the loop 14. The strip is composed of any of various copper alloys, of springlike quality, known to those skilled in the art and used for similar purposes. Preferably, all connector parts are tin plated. 
     The connector may be seen disassembled in FIGS. 2 and 3. It has an upper arm 32 with a transversely concave inner surface, a lower arm 36 with a transversely convex inner surface, and a stud 22 projecting from the lower arm near its end opposite the loop 14. The upper arm 32 has an oblong hole 42 through which the stud 22 projects when arms 32 and 36 are pulled together. The loop 14 has only longitudinal curvature except in the transition region 15 joining loop 14 and arms 32 and 36, where adjacent to loop 14 the longitudinal curvature is joined with transverse curvature. 
     The inner convex surface 76 of arm 36 is preferably embossed to create sharp raised edges and points which act as supplementary shield contacts. 
     The transverse curvature of arms 32 and 36 is preferably approximately equal to that of the cable shield. This curvature makes said arms relatively longitudinally unbending compared to the loop 14 which thereby functions as a hinge or pivot. Arms 32 and 36 have edge barbs or tangs 52 and 56 respectively, on each longitudinal edge, projecting inwardly an amount comparable to the typical cable sheath thickness. Corresponding barbs 52 and 56 of the arms 32 and 36 respectively are longitudinally positioned along the strip edges to be in longitudinal alignment when the joinable ends are joined, as illustrated in FIG. 4. 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 show a connector according to the present invention mounted on a cable sheath comprised of jacket 62 and shield 60, with a flexible braid bonding conductor 72 mounted between the upper arm 32 and the washer 24. The stud 22 has been inserted in a linear slit 65 in the end of sheath 60, 62. The slit 65, shown in FIG. 6, is expanded around stud 22, extending from there, longitudinally parallel to the cable axis, to the cut end of the sheath 60, 62. It allows arm 36 to be inserted under the sheath 60, 62. 
     The slit 65 provides the clearance needed for the entry of arm 36. This reduces abrasion and strain on the core covering 67 and core conductors 68, shown in FIG. 5 and omitted from FIG. 6. Only a small amount of sheath deformation is required to produce sufficient clearance. 
     When the connector 10 is fully engaged with the sheath 60, 62 all the edge barbs 52, 56 engage the sheath 60, 62 along each edge of the slit 65 and lock the slit edges, restoring the sheath integrity and minimizing relative motion of connector 10 and sheath 60, 62. In this manner the connector 10 re-establishes the integrity of the jacket 62 mechanically and the shield 60 electrically. 
     Barbs 52 and 56 are longitudinally spaced along the strip edges from the vicinity of the stud 22 and slot 42 to the beginning of loop 14. However, as best seen in FIG. 6, the transverse positioning of barbs 52 and 56 is such that the sharp tips of barbs 52 on the upper member 32 are inwardly positioned relative to the tips of barbs 56 on the lower member 36, so that when the joinable ends of arms 32 and 36 are joined, the upper barbs 52 push transversely and outwardly against the lower barbs 56 trapping the cable shield 60 in between with high contact force. 
     Because of the transverse curvature of the arms 32 and 36, a curvature which generally conforms to the shield 60 curvature, any deformation of arms 32 and 36 due to more forceful joining of the joining means 22, 24, 26 causes barbs 52 to tend to move transversely outwardly and barbs 56 to tend to move transversely inwardly thereby increasing wedging contact force between barbs 52 and 56 and shield 60. 
     Comparing FIG. 2 with FIG. 4 it can be seen that the applied connector 10, which would have the configuration shown in FIG. 4, is deformed elastically so that the mid portions between loop 14 and joining means 22, 24, 26 are sprung outwardly from their undistorted positions and the loop 14 is in tension as is the stud 22. Thus the total clamping force is approximately equal to the sum of the tension in the stud 22 and the tension in the loop 14, or approximately twice the tension in the stud 22. This greater available clamping force permits increasing the contact area between connector 10 and shield 60 while still attaining a higher than usual contact force. This produces a lower initial bond resistance than ordinary shield connectors provide. 
     Also, because of the elastically stored compression between the deformed arms 32 and 36, plastic flow of the jacket 62 is substantially compensated for by elastic maintenance of contact force between arms 32, 36 and the sheath 60, 62 in the portions of said arms adjacent to the loop 14. Thus the present connector 10 also has increased capability for maintaining low bond resistance while the cable jacket 62 ages. 
     Joining means 22, 24, 26 are conductive, enabling shield currents to be better conducted to the bonding conductor attached to the stud 22, by the nut 26 and washer 24. The washer is preferably generally conforming in shape to arm 32 so that if the bonding conductor is flat braided cable 72 it may be positioned over the stud 22, between arm 32 and washer 24 for lowest contact resistance between bonding conductor 72 and connector 10. Other bonding conductors such as bar or wire with a lug may be placed over the stud 22, between washer 24 and nut 26, if desired. Alternatively, bonding conductors may be conductively joined to arm 32 at locations other than the joining means, by any of various means well known to those skilled in the art. 
     Shield currents conducted by way of arm 36 have the parallel paths of stud 22 and loop 14, to reach the bonding conductor 72. 
     Arm 32 is preferably provided with an extension 78 to provide leverage facilitating pushing members 32 and 36 together, after arm 36 has been inserted under the sheath 60, 62. 
     Although the invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example, and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.