Abstract:
According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wire termination system is provided. The wire termination system has a conductive panel having a front surface and a back surface, a ground termination block attached to the front surface of the conductive panel, the ground termination block having a first terminal directly connected to the conductive panel. The system also includes a first wire termination block attached to the front surface of the conductive panel, a second wire termination block attached to the back surface of the conductive panel, and a second terminal passing through the first wire termination block and the second wire termination block.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/110,104, filed Oct. 31, 2008, entitled “FEED THROUGH WIRE TERMINAL BLOCK”, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    1. Technical Field 
         [0003]    The present disclosure relates to termination blocks and, more particularly, to feed through wire termination blocks for use in railway systems, railroad wayside enclosures or the like. 
         [0004]    2. Background 
         [0005]    Railroad signals relays, test terminal connectors or terminal blocks have been used for many years. Typically, terminal blocks are installed in railroad wayside enclosures or field cases alongside the tracks. Terminal blocks are used to interconnect outside or “dirty” cables with equipment or “clean” wires which are used as part of railway circuits. 
         [0006]    Such, dirty cables and clean wires are passed through an aperture in a terminal board or conductive panel when connected to a terminal block. For example,  FIG. 4  depicts a conductive panel  400  that has dirty cables  404  and clean wires  402  passing through apertures  402  formed in a wall of a Faraday closet. Over time, as cables or wires are repeatedly passed through such an aperture, a protective sheath covering such cables or wires could be stripped away leaving an exposed connection that may cause a short in the railway circuit. 
         [0007]    Accordingly, a need exists for improved terminal blocks for use in railway circuits. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0008]    The present disclosure relates to feed through wire termination blocks for use in railway systems, railroad wayside enclosures or the like. 
         [0009]    According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a wire termination system is provided. The wire termination system has a conductive panel having a front surface and a back surface, a ground termination block attached to the front surface of the conductive panel, the ground termination block having a first terminal directly connected to the conductive panel. The system also includes a first wire termination block attached to the front surface of the conductive panel, a second wire termination block attached to the back surface of the conductive panel, and a second terminal passing through the first wire termination block and the second wire termination block. 
         [0010]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the wire termination system has an equipment wire coupled to the second terminal. 
         [0011]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the equipment wire is a stranded wire. 
         [0012]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the wire termination system has a surge arrester coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal. 
         [0013]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the wire termination system has a hybrid surge arrester coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal. 
         [0014]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the wire termination system has a third wire termination block attached to the front surface of the conductive panel, the third wire termination block has a third terminal. 
         [0015]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the wire termination system has an outside cable coupled to the third terminal. 
         [0016]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the outside cable is a solid cable. 
         [0017]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the wire termination system has a spare conductor coupled to the first terminal. 
         [0018]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a faraday closet is provided. The faraday closet has a conductive panel having a front surface and a back surface, at least one ground termination block having at least one terminal directly connected to the conductive panel, and at least one wire termination block having at least one terminal. 
         [0019]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the second terminal extends through the conductive panel such that a first end of the second terminal extends from the front surface of the conductive panel and a second end of the second terminal extends from the back surface of the conductive panel. 
         [0020]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the faraday closet has a wire termination block having a third terminal. 
         [0021]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the faraday closet has a test strap coupled between the second terminal and the third terminal. 
         [0022]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a dielectric spacer disposed near an aperture of the test strap is provided. 
         [0023]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the faraday closet has a surge arrester coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal. 
         [0024]    According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the faraday closet has a hybrid surge arrester coupled to the first terminal and the second terminal. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0025]    The present wire termination system will be more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the following drawings, in which: 
           [0026]      FIG. 1A  is a schematic view of a feed through wire termination system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0027]      FIG. 1B  is a schematic view of a feed through wire termination system, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0028]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a dielectric spacer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
           [0029]      FIGS. 3A-3H  are schematic views of the use of the feed through wire termination system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
           [0030]      FIG. 4  is a schematic view of a conventional faraday closet. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
       [0031]    Embodiments will be described below while referencing to the accompanying figures. The accompanying figures are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. 
         [0032]    Referring to  FIG. 1A , a feed through wire termination system, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, is depicted. As shown in  FIG. 1A , wire termination block  60  is attached to a conductive panel  10 . Conductive panel  10  may be fabricated from any conductive material. The conductive panel  10  may be the back wall section of a faraday closet wire locker located inside a railroad wayside enclosure. Side “A” of the conductive panel  10  may be inside the faraday closet and side “B” of the conductive panel  10  may be outside of the faraday closet. 
         [0033]    Wire termination block  60  is an injection molded piece. It may be molded as, for example, a 1″×1″ piece, a 1″×6″ piece or any other size. Each square inch has a bolt-like terminal  70  or  75  which is nickel plated brass, is about ¼ in diameter and is provided with threads  72 . The terminals accept AREMA (American Railway Engineering and Maintenance-of-Way Association) specified nuts “N” and washers “W”. Each terminal  70  and  75  meets AREMA part number 14.1.10 specifications. Wire termination block  60  meets AREMA part number 14.1.5 specifications. 
         [0034]    Ground termination block  40  is also attached to conductive panel  10 . The ground termination block  40  is used with the feed through wire termination block  60  to provide a ground path for surge arresters or as a termination path for spare conductors. Terminal  80  of ground termination block  40  is directly connected to the conductive panel  10  using, for example, a bolt head  82  and star washer  84 . Terminal  80  meets AREMA part number 14.1.10 specifications. Each ground termination block  40  meets AREMA part number 14.1.5 specifications. 
         [0035]    The ground termination block is green to signify a ground connection, but it may be manufactured using any color. Preferably, the ground termination block is in a color different than wire termination block  60  so that it can be easily identified as a ground termination block. 
         [0036]    As shown in  FIG. 1A , an equipment or “clean” wire  20  is connected to terminal  70  of wire termination block  60  on side “B” of conductive panel  10 . The other end of clean wire  20  may be connected to gray crossing protectors and railroad crossing protectors and/or equipment. Clean wire  20  may be a stranded 16, 14, 10 or 6 American Wire Gauge size. Clean wire  20  may be connected to terminal  70  via a crimped wire ring eye terminal. 
         [0037]    Outside cable or “dirty” wire  30  is connected to terminal  75  of wire termination block  60  on side “A” of conductive panel  10 . The other end of dirty cable  30  may be connected to signals, flashes, bells, train control signal or the like. Dirty cable  30  may be a solid conductor 14, 9 or 6 American Wire Gauge size. Dirty cable  30  may be connected to terminal  70  via a crimped wire ring eye terminal. 
         [0038]    By placing the clean wire  20  on side “B” of the conductive panel  10  and the dirty cable  30  on side “A” of the conductive panel  10 , the equipment connection can be kept as far away as possible from the outside cable connection. 
         [0039]    A lightning or surge arrester  50  may be connected between terminal  80  of ground termination block  40  and terminal  70  of wire termination block  60 . Lightning arresters, also called surge protectors, are devices that are connected between each electrical conductor in a power and communications systems and the Earth. These provide a short circuit to the ground that is interrupted by a non-conductor, over which lightning jumps. Its purpose is to limit the rise in voltage when a circuit is struck by lightning. 
         [0040]    The non-conducting material may consist of a semi-conducting material such as silicon carbide or zinc oxide, or a spark gap. Primitive varieties of such spark gaps are simply open to the air, but more modern varieties are filled with dry gas and have a small amount of radioactive material to encourage the gas to ionize when the voltage across the gap reaches a specified level. Other designs of lightning arresters use a glow-discharge tube (essentially like a neon glow lamp) connected between the protected conductor and ground, or myriad voltage-activated solid-state switches called varistors or MOVs. Lightning arresters built for substation use are impressive devices, consisting of a porcelain tube several feet long and several inches in diameter, filled with disks of zinc oxide. A safety port on the side of the device vents the occasional internal explosion without shattering the porcelain cylinder. 
         [0041]    A test strap  90  may also be provided between terminals  70  and  75  of the wire termination blocks. Test strap  90  may be fabricated from any suitable conductive material, non-conductive material or combination thereof (e.g., a non-conductive core coated or plated with a conductive material or vice-versa). A suitable material used to coat or plate test strap  90  may include and is not limited to nickel and/or nickel alloys. Alternatively, test strap  90  may be made entirely of nickel and/or nickel alloys. 
         [0042]    As seen in  FIGS. 1A and 2 , a dielectric spacer  74  may be included and positioned within an aperture of one of the ends of the test strap  90 . The dielectric spacer  74  is substantially similar to the dielectric spacer in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/900,327, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,438,603, the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety. 
         [0043]    Referring to  FIG. 1B , a feed through wire termination system, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure, is depicted. In the system of  FIG. 1B , a hybrid lightning or surge arrester  55  is connected between terminal  80  of ground termination block  40  and terminal  70  of wire termination block  60 . A hybrid lightning arrester is capable of resetting itself. The hybrid lightning arrester may have an inert gas in a tube that trips a switch when a spike in energy raises the temperature beyond a threshold temperature. The hybrid arrester  55  has a wire  56  that connects to terminal  75 . 
         [0044]    Referring to  FIGS. 3A-3H , a railroad wayside enclosure or Faraday closet  100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure, is depicted.  FIGS. 3A-3C  and  3 H depict the inside of the Faraday closet  100  or side “A” of the conductive panel while  FIGS. 3D-3G  depict the outside of the Faraday closet  100  or side “B” of the conductive panel. 
         [0045]    Faraday closet  100  has a termination system  110  similar to the feed through wire termination system shown in  FIG. 1A  and a termination system  120  similar to the feed through wire termination system shown in  FIG. 1B . Each termination system  110  and  120  are connected between a ground termination block  140  and a wire termination block  160 . Outside cable or dirty wire  30  is coupled to each termination system  110  and  120 . As described above, ground termination block may be formed in different sizes. For instance, as shown in  FIG. 3B , ground termination block  140   a  is a smaller size than ground termination block  140   b.  Further, ground termination block  140   a  and  140   b  may be formed from a single piece (see  FIG. 3B ) or composed of multiple termination blocks (see  FIG. 3H ). 
         [0046]    As shown in  FIGS. 3D-3G , the outside of the Faraday closet  100  or side “B” of the conductive panel has multiple wire termination blocks  160 . Coupled to the wire termination blocks  160  are equipment or clean wires  20 . Wire termination blocks can be formed as individual wire termination blocks  160   c  or in different sizes as shown in  FIG. 3F  where wire termination block  160   a  is longer than wire termination block  160   b.    
         [0047]    Equipment wire or clean wire  20  can be routed from the top of the Faraday closet  100  as shown in  FIG. 3E  through enclosure  180 . Enclosure  180  has a number of slots or openings  182  that allow the clean wire  20  to pass through. Each clean wire may have a label  22  (see  FIG. 3F ) to identify the piece of equipment that the clean wire is coupled with. In addition a label  184  may be applied to the enclosure  180  and may correspond to a slot to provide an indication of what is or will be coupled to the clean wire  20 . For instance, label  184  may indicate which dirty wire is coupled to the wire terminal block associated with the slot  182 . 
         [0048]    It should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the present disclosure. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variances. The embodiments described with reference to the attached drawing figures are presented only to demonstrate certain examples of the disclosure. Other elements, steps, methods and techniques that are insubstantially different from those described above and/or in the appended claims are also intended to be within the scope of the disclosure.