Patent Publication Number: US-2023145954-A1

Title: Cable stabilizer for telecommunications enclosure

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/277,485, filed Nov. 9, 2021, and titled “CABLE STABILIZER FOR A TELECOMMUNICATIONS ENCLOSURE” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     Technical Field 
     The present disclosure relates generally to enclosures such as telecommunications enclosures. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a cable stabilizer that fits within a port sleeve of a telecommunications enclosure. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Telecommunications networks often use enclosures for containing and protecting telecommunications equipment (e.g., splice locations, optical splitters, multiplexers, connection panels, electrical grounding locations, etc.). Enclosures used in outside environments are desirably sealed to prevent moisture intrusion. In some examples, ports where cable enter enclosures are sealed by heat shrink sleeves. 
     SUMMARY 
     Cables entering ports of telecommunications enclosures are, in some cases, relatively stiff. When a relatively stiff cable is secured to a port of an enclosure with a shape-memory sleeve such as a heat shrink sleeve, lateral loading on the cable can cause the cable to pivot at the heat shrink sleeve which causes the cable to move within the enclosure. This type of movement is undesirable as it can cause damage to internal components within the enclosure or disconnections within the enclosure. One aspect of the present disclosure relates to using a cable stabilizer within the cable port to provide a cable anchoring location offset axially from the heat shrink sleeve to prevent pivoting of the cable at the heat shrink sleeve. 
     In one aspect, the present disclosure relates to an enclosure assembly. The enclosure assembly includes a housing defining an interior. The housing additionally includes a port sleeve defining a cable port for routing a cable into the interior of the housing. The port sleeve additionally includes an outer end positioned at an exterior of the housing and an inner end positioned at the interior of the housing. The enclosure assembly includes a cable stabilizer that fits within the port sleeve. The cable stabilizer includes a cable anchoring portion configured for allowing the cable to be secured thereto within the port sleeve. The cable stabilizer also includes a lateral stabilization portion that engages an interior of the sleeve to prevent lateral movement of the cable anchoring portion of the cable stabilizer within the sleeve. The enclosure assembly additionally includes a heat shrink sleeve for securing the cable to the outer end of the sleeve and to seal the cable relative to the sleeve. 
     In some examples, the lateral stabilization portion includes an outer cylindrical curvature that fits within an inner cylindrical curvature of the sleeve, the outer cylindrical curvature defining at least a portion of a cylinder. In some examples, the cable stabilizer defines an axial cable passage that extends along a central axis, and the outer cylindrical portion extends more than 180 degrees about the central axis. In some examples, the outer cylindrical portion extends at least 200 degrees, or 210 degrees or 220 degrees about the central axis. In some examples, the cable stabilizer is configured such that the cable is anchored so as to be generally centered along the central axis. 
     In some examples, the cable stabilizer has a wrap-around configuration with an open side facing in a lateral direction for allowing the cable to be laterally inserted into the axial cable passage of the cable stabilizer. 
     In some examples, the cable stabilizer is loaded into the port sleeve through the inner end of the port sleeve and includes an axial stop for limiting a depth the cable stabilizer can be inserted into the port sleeve. In some examples, the cable stabilizer is configured such that the cable is anchored to the cable anchoring portion prior to installation of the cable stabilizer in the port sleeve. The axial stop can be defined by a radial flange of the cable stabilizer adapted to seat on the inner end of the port sleeve. 
     In some examples, the cable anchoring portion is adapted to accommodate a first cable having a first cross-dimension size, and the cable stabilizer includes a first spacer adapted to be attached to the cable anchoring portion to accommodate a second cable having a second cross-dimension size, and the second cross-dimension size is smaller than the first cross-dimension size. In some examples, the cable stabilizer includes a second spacer adapted to be attached to the cable anchoring portion to accommodate a third cable having a third cross-dimension size, and wherein the third cross-dimension size is smaller than the second cross-dimension size. 
     In some examples, the cable anchoring portion is configured to generally center the first cable along a central cable pass-through axis of the cable stabilizer, and wherein the first spacer is configured to generally center the second cable along a central cable pass-through axis of the cable stabilizer when mounted to the cable anchoring portion. 
     In some examples, the cable anchoring portion includes flexible anchoring arms between which the cable is secured. In some examples, the cable is secured to ends of the arms and wherein the arms flex toward the cable as the cable is secured to the ends of the arms. In some examples, the flexible anchoring arms have a cantilevered configuration with base ends integral with at least one base support, the at least one base support defined by the cable stabilizer and free ends that project into a cable pass-through channel of the cable stabilizer. In some examples, the flexible arms extend outwardly from one base support. In some examples, the flexible arms extend from two base supports towards one another from the base ends to the free ends. In some examples, the cable is secured to the cable anchoring portion via a strap or tape. In some examples, the strap includes a band clamp or a tie wrap. 
     A variety of additional aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The aspects relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive concepts upon which the examples disclosed herein are based. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a prior art telecommunication enclosure in accordance with a cable routed through a port of the cable enclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is the telecommunications enclosure of  FIG.  1    with a lateral load being applied in a first direction to the cable at an exterior of the telecommunications enclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is the telecommunications enclosure of  FIG.  1    with a lateral load being applied in a second direction to the cable at an exterior of the telecommunications enclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is the telecommunications enclosure of  FIG.  1    including a cable stabilizer in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure supporting a cable routed through a cable port of the enclosure; 
         FIG.  5    is the telecommunications enclosure of  FIG.  4    with a lateral load being applied in a first direction to the cable at an exterior of the telecommunications enclosure; 
         FIG.  6    is the telecommunications enclosure of  FIG.  4    with a lateral load being applied in a second direction to the cable at an exterior of the telecommunications enclosure; 
         FIG.  7    is a cable stabilizer in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure in isolation; 
         FIG.  8    is the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  7    with a first and a second spacer separated from the cable stabilizer; 
         FIG.  9    is the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  8    with the first and second spacer removed and a cable anchored to the cable stabilizer; 
         FIG.  10    is the cable stabilizer and cable of  FIG.  9    from a top view; 
         FIG.  11    is the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  8    with the first spacer attached to the cable stabilizer and a cable anchored to the spacer; 
         FIG.  12    is a top view of the cable stabilizer, spacer, and cable of  FIG.  11   ; 
         FIG.  13    is the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  8    with the second spacer attached to the cable stabilizer and a cable anchored to the second spacer; 
         FIG.  14    is a top view of the cable stabilizer, spacer and cable of  FIG.  13   ; 
         FIG.  15    is a perspective view of the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  8    with the first and second spacers removed; 
         FIG.  16    is a bottom view of the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  15    mounted within a port sleeve of the enclosure of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  17    is a cable anchored to a cable stabilizer prior to the cable stabilizer being inserted into the enclosure of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  18    is the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  17    mounted within a port sleeve of the enclosure; 
         FIG.  19    is a partial cross-sectional view showing the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  18    with a shape-memory sleeve attached to the port sleeve; 
         FIG.  20    is another view of the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  19   ; 
         FIG.  21    is different cable stabilizer in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  22    is a bottom view of the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  21   ; 
         FIG.  23    is the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  21    with a cable anchored thereto; 
         FIG.  24    is a bottom view of the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  21    with the cable anchored thereto; 
         FIG.  25    is a different cable stabilizer in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  26    is a bottom view of the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  25   ; 
         FIG.  27    is the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  25    with a cable anchored thereto; and 
         FIG.  28    is a bottom view of the cable stabilizer of  FIG.  25    with the cable anchored thereto. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIGS.  1 - 3    illustrate a sectional view of a prior art telecommunications enclosure  20 . The telecommunications enclosure  20  includes a housing  21 . The housing  21  includes first and second housing pieces  22 ,  24  that fit together to close the housing. The first housing piece  22  is depicted as a base and the second housing piece  24  is depicted as a dome or cover. The first and second housing pieces  22 ,  24  meet at a sealing interface  26  that forms a perimeter seal between the first and second housing pieces  22 ,  24  when the first and second housing pieces  22 ,  24  are fitted together. The first and second housing pieces  22 ,  24  define an interior  21   a  of the enclosure  20 . The housing  21  additionally includes an exterior  21   b  defined by the exterior of the first and second housing pieces  22 ,  24 . The first housing piece  22  includes a port sleeve  28  which defines a cable port for routing a cable  30  into the interior  21   a  of the housing  21 . The port sleeve  28  includes an outer end  28   a  positioned at the exterior  21   b  of the housing  21  and an inner end  28   b  positioned at the interior  21   a  of the housing  21 . The cable is surrounded by a shape-memory sleeve  32  which is a heat shrink sleeve. The shape-memory sleeve  32  secures the cable relative to the outer end  28   a  of the port sleeve  28  and seals the cable  30  relative to the port sleeve  28 . When no side loads are applied to the cable  30 , the portion of the cable within the housing aligns with a centerline of the port sleeve  28 .  FIG.  2    shows the cable  30  being subjected to a lateral force F 1  from outside of the housing  21  and below the shape-memory sleeve  32 . The cable  30  is pivoted within the housing in a first direction D 1  away from the centerline of the port sleeve  28  due to the force F 1 .  FIG.  3    similarly shows the cable  30  subjected to a second opposite lateral force F 2  from outside the housing  21  and below the shape-memory sleeve  32 . The cable  30  is pivoted within the housing  21  in a second direction D 2  away from the centerline of the port sleeve  28  due to the second lateral force F 2 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , the enclosure  20  is shown including a cable stabilizer  40  fitted within the port sleeve  28 . The cable stabilizer  40  includes a cable anchoring portion  42 . The cable anchoring portion  42  is configured to allow the cable  30  to be secured to the cable stabilizer  40 . The cable stabilizer  40  additionally includes a lateral stabilization portion  44  which engages an inner cylindrical curvature  28   c  of the port sleeve  28 . In the depicted example, the inner cylindrical curvature defines an inner diameter of the port sleeve  28 .  FIGS.  5  and  6    show the cable  30  being subjected to forces F 1  and F 2  respectively. As the cable  30  is secured to the cable stabilizer  40 , the cable does not pivot within the housing  21  and remains straight at the interior of the housing. 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , the cable stabilizer  40  is shown in isolation prior to use within the port sleeve  28 . The cable anchoring portion  42  of the cable stabilizer  40  is adapted to accommodate a first cable  30   a  having a first cross-dimension CD 1  as can be seen in  FIGS.  9  and  10   . It will be appreciated that the cable  30   a  or any other cables discussed hereafter can be attached to the cable anchoring portion using a strap, tape, or other fastening element. In some examples the strap can include a band clamp or a tie wrap. 
     In order to accommodate other cables with different cross-dimensions, the cable stabilizer includes a first and second spacer  46   a ,  46   b . It will be appreciated that more or fewer spacers can be included with the cable stabilizer  40 . The first and second spacers  46   a ,  46   b  can be removed by breaking thin portions  50  of the cable stabilizer  40  prior to use. The first and second spacers  46   a ,  46   b  can additionally be configured differently depending on the desired configuration. In some examples, the spacers  46   a ,  46   b  can be separate or attached to the cable stabilizer  40  in a different manner. Once the first and second spacers  46   a ,  46   b  are removed from the cable stabilizer  40 , they can be attached to the cable anchoring portion  42  if a cable of the cross-dimension other than CD 1  is being used or discarded if a cable with the cross-dimension CD 1  is being used. The first and second spacers  46   a ,  46   b  can be individually removably attached to the cable anchoring portion  42  of the cable stabilizer  40  when desired for use with a particular cable. In this particular example, each spacer  46   a ,  46   b  include resilient arms  48 . The resilient arms  48  can snap into a mating portion  42   a  of the cable anchoring portion  42 . 
       FIGS.  11  and  12    show the first spacer  46   a  attached to the cable anchoring portion  42  of the cable stabilizer  40 . The first spacer  46   a  is attached to a cable  30   b  similar to how the cable anchoring portion  42  is attached to the cable  30   a  in  FIGS.  9  and  10   . However, the cable  30   b  has a smaller cross-dimension CD 2  than the cross-dimension CD 1  of the cable  30   a  . Similarly,  FIGS.  13  and  14    show the second spacer  46   b  attached to the cable anchoring portion  42  of the cable stabilizer  40  anchoring a cable  30   c . The cable  30   c  has a cross-dimension CD 3  which is less than both the cross-dimension CD 1  and the cross-dimension CD 2 . In certain examples, the cable stabilizer is configured to generally center a cable within the port sleeve  28 , and the selection of no spacer or one of the spacers  46   a ,  46   b  is dependent upon cable size and the desire to generally center the cable with respect to the centerline of the port sleeve  28 . 
     Referring to  FIG.  15   , the cable stabilizer  40  is shown with the first and second spacers  46   a ,  46   b  removed.  FIG.  16    shows a bottom view of the cable stabilizer  40  within the port sleeve  28  in isolation. The lateral stabilization portion  44  includes an outer cylindrical curvature  44   a  which is configured to fit within the inner cylindrical curvature  28   c  of the port sleeve  28 . The outer cylindrical curvature  44   a  defines at least a portion of a cylinder. The cable stabilizer  40  defines an axial cable passage  40   a  that extends along a central axis  60 . The central axis  60  is adapted to align with the centerline of the port sleeve  28  when the cable stabilizer is installed in the port sleeve  28 . The outer cylindrical curvature  44   a  extends more than  180  degrees about the central axis  60 . In some examples, the outer cylindrical portion extends at least 200 degrees or at least 210 degrees or at least 220 degrees about the central axis  60 . The cable stabilizer  40  is configured to anchor the cable  30  generally in co-axial alignment with the central axis  60 . It will be appreciated that the spacers  46   a ,  46   b  are also configured to anchor their respective cables  30   b ,  30   c  about generally in co-axial alignment with the central axis  60 . The cable stabilizer  40  has a wrap-around configuration with an open side  40   b  facing a lateral direction for allowing the cable  30  to be laterally inserted into the axial cable passage  40   a  of the cable stabilizer  40 . 
       FIGS.  17 - 19    show the installation process of a cable with a cable stabilizer  40 . Referring to  FIG.  17   , the cable stabilizer  40  and the spacer  46   b  are shown anchored to the cable  30   c  prior to the installation of the cable  30  within the port sleeve  28 . A desired height H of the cable  30  is shown extending above the cable stabilizer  40 . The desired height H corresponds to the amount of the cable  30   c  that is desired to extend within the enclosure  20 .  FIG.  18    shows the cable stabilizer  40  loaded into the port sleeve through the inner end  28   b  of the port sleeve  28 . The cable stabilizer  40  includes an axial stop which is depicted as a radial flange  44   b . The radial flange  44   b  is adapted to seat the cable stabilizer on the inner end  28   c  of the port sleeve  28 . After the cable stabilizer  40  is loaded into the port sleeve  28 , the shape-memory sleeve  32  is attached as can be seen in  FIG.  19   . The shape-memory sleeve  32  can be attached by heating if the shape-memory sleeve  32  is a heat shrink sleeve or by other means depending on the configuration of the sleeve.  FIG.  20    shows the cable mounted with the cable stabilizer  40 . The cable  30   c  extends height H upwards from the cable stabilizer  40  and is the height of cable  30   c  that extends into the interior  21   a  of the enclosure  20 . Additionally, the central axis  60  is shown aligned with the cable  30   c.    
     Referring to  FIGS.  21 - 24   , a different cable stabilizer  140  in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure is shown. The cable stabilizer  140  is similar to the cable stabilizer  40 , however, the cable stabilizer  140  includes flexible anchoring arms  142  which a cable  130  can be secured between as can be seen at  FIGS.  23  and  24   . The flexible anchoring arms  142  flex towards the cable  130  as the cable  130  is secured to the flexible anchoring arms  142  (e.g., with a cable tie or a strap). The flexible anchoring arms  142  have a cantilevered configuration with base ends  142   a  integral to a base support  140   a . The base support  140   a  extends downward from a cylindrical curvature  144   a  of the cable stabilizer  140  and free ends  142   b  that project into a cable pass-through channel  140   b  of the cable stabilizer  140 . In this example, the flexible anchoring arms  142  extend in opposite directions from the base ends  142   a  to the free ends  142   b  (e.g., away from one another) and the free ends are adapted to oppose one another. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  25 - 28   , a different cable stabilizer  240  in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure is shown. The cable stabilizer  240  is similar to the cable stabilizer  140  and includes flexible anchoring arms  242  with a cantilevered configuration. In this example, there are multiple base supports  240   a  which each extend downwards from a cylindrical curvature  244   a  of the cable stabilizer  240 . The flexible anchoring arms  242  include base ends  242   a  each attached to the base supports  240   a . Free ends  242   b  extend towards one another to secure a cable  230  therebetween within a cable passthrough channel  240   b , as seen in  FIGS.  27  and  28   . From the forgoing detailed description, it will be evident that modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.