Cable enclosure assemblies and methods for using the same

Abstract

According to embodiments of the present invention, a cable sealing assembly for providing an environmental seal about a cable includes a housing, a flowable cable sealant and a compression feature. The housing includes first and second housing parts. The first housing part defines a cable passage to receive a cable having a lengthwise cable axis. The cable sealant is disposed in the cable passage. The compression feature forms at least a part of the second housing part and is movable in an installation direction between a ready position and an installed position. The compression feature is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable in a direction transverse to the cable axis to circumferentially surround a portion of the cable when the compression feature is moved from the ready position to the installed position.

That which is claimed is: 
     
       1. A cable sealing assembly for providing an environmental seal about a cable, the assembly comprising:
 a housing including first and second housing parts, the first second housing part defining a cable passage to receive a cable having a lengthwise cable axis; 
 a flowable cable sealant disposed in the cable passage; and 
 a compression feature projection forming at least a part of the second first housing part and movable in an installation direction between a ready position and an installed position; 
 wherein the compression feature projection is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable in a direction transverse to the cable axis to circumferentially surround a portion of the cable when the compression feature projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position, wherein the projection defines opposed prongs configured to be positioned on opposite sides of the cable when the projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position, the opposed prongs having surfaces that at least partially face each other and that diverge as the surfaces extend away from the first housing part; and 
 wherein the compression feature projection, when moved from the ready position to the installed position in the installation direction, applies a compressive load to the cable sealant in each of:
 a first direction generally toward the cable, substantially parallel to the installation direction and substantially perpendicular to the cable axis; 
 a second direction generally toward the cable, transverse to the cable axis and transverse to the first direction; and 
 a third direction generally toward the cable, transverse to the cable axis, transverse to the first direction, and generally opposing the second direction, the cable sealing assembly further including a ridge configured to occupy a triple point void channel formed in the cable sealant by movement of the projection from the ready position to the installed position. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the compression feature has surfaces defined by the opposed prongs of the projection cooperatively form a generally concave engagement surface. 
     
     
       3. The assembly of  claim 1  wherein:
 the assembly is configured to initially receive the cable in the cable passage such that a cable entry trough is defined in the cable sealant along the portion of the cable; and 
 the compression feature projection is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable to fill the cable entry trough with the cable sealant when the compression feature projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position. 
 
     
     
       4. The assembly of  claim 1  wherein:
 when the compression feature projection is in the installed position, a buffer region is defined between the compression feature projection and the cable; and 
 the compression feature projection is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable to fill the buffer region with the cable sealant when the compression feature projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position. 
 
     
     
       5. The assembly of  claim 4  wherein the second first housing part includes a locator feature tab configured to engage the cable to maintain a buffer spacing distance between the cable and the compression member projection to maintain the buffer region. 
     
     
       6. The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the assembly is a cable enclosure assembly, the first and second housing parts are relatively movable between an open position and a closed position, and the cable enclosure assembly defines an enclosed chamber when the cable enclosure assembly is in its closed position. 
     
     
       7. The assembly of  claim 6  wherein the cable enclosure assembly is a clamshell assembly and the first and second housing parts are pivotally joined by a hinge mechanism. 
     
     
       8. The assembly of  claim 7  wherein the hinge is located on a hinge side of the cable enclosure assembly, the assembly includes a cable port communicating with the cable passage to receive the cable, the cable port is defined in the hinge side of the cable enclosure assembly, and the cable sealant and the compression feature projection are located adjacent the cable port. 
     
     
       9. The assembly of  claim 6  including a perimeter sealant, wherein the cable sealant and the perimeter sealant in combination environmentally seal the chamber when the cable enclosure assembly is in its closed position. 
     
     
       10. The assembly of  claim 6  wherein the second first housing part is free of sealant when the cable enclosure assembly is in its open position. 
     
     
       11. The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the first second housing part includes at least one containment wall defining a sealant cavity in the cable passage, wherein the cable sealant is bounded by the at least one containment wall to limit displacement of the cable sealant from the sealant cavity when the compression feature projection is moved from its ready position to its installed position. 
     
     
       12. The assembly of  claim 1  including the cable installed in the cable passage, wherein the cable is a fiber optic cable including an optical fiber. 
     
     
       13. The assembly of  claim 12  wherein the cable is a flat drop cable including a strength member, an optical fiber, and a jacket surrounding the strength member and the optical fiber. 
     
     
       14. The assembly of  claim 12  including:
 a second cable, wherein the second cable is a fiber optic cable including an optical fiber; and 
 a splice connection coupling the optical fibers of the first and second cables in chamber defined by the first and second housing parts. 
 
     
     
       15. The assembly of  claim 1  including a triple point filler feature configured to occupy a triple point void channel formed in the cable sealant by movement of the compression feature from the ready position to the installed position. 
     
     
       16. The assembly of claim  15  1 wherein the triple point filler feature ridge is located on the compression feature projection. 
     
     
       17. The assembly of  claim 1  wherein the sealant is an elastically elongatable gel sealant. 
     
     
       18. A method for providing an environmental seal about a cable having a lengthwise cable axis using a cable sealing assembly including first and second housing parts, the method comprising:
 installing the cable in a cable passage defined in the first housing part; and thereafter   moving a compression feature forming at least a part of the second housing part in an installation direction between a ready position and an installed position such that the compression feature forces a flowable cable sealant disposed in the cable passage to flow about the cable in each of:
 a first direction generally toward the cable, substantially parallel to the installation direction and substantially perpendicular to the cable axis; 
 a second direction generally toward the cable, transverse to the cable axis and transverse to the first direction; and 
 a third direction generally toward the cable, transverse to the cable axis, transverse to the first direction, and generally opposing the second direction 
   to circumferentially surround a portion of the cable.   
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18  wherein the cable sealant is an elastically deformable gel sealant and including elastically elongating and deforming the gel sealant such that the gel sealant deforms to substantially conform to the portion of the cable and a restoring force in the elastically deformed gel sealant bears against the portion of the cable. 
     
     
       20. A cable sealing assembly for providing an environmental seal about a cable, the assembly comprising:
 a housing assembly including a housing defining first and second housing parts, the second housing part defining a cable passage to receive a cable having a lengthwise cable axis; and 
 a flowable cable sealant disposed in the cable passage; 
 wherein the housing assembly includes:
 a compression feature projection forming at least a part of the first housing part movable between a ready position and an installed position to flowably displace the cable sealant about the cable, wherein the projection defines opposed prongs configured to be positioned on opposite sides of the cable when the projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position; and 
 a triple point filler feature ridge positioned between the opposed prongs, the ridge configured to occupy a triple point void channel formed in the cable sealant by movement of the compression feature projection from the ready position to the installed position. 
 
 
     
     
       21. A method for providing an environmental seal about a cable having a lengthwise cable axis using a cable sealing assembly that includes a housing defining first and second housing parts, the method comprising:
 installing the cable in a cable passage defined in the second housing part of the housing of the cable sealing assembly, the cable passage having a flowable cable sealant disposed therein; and thereafter 
 moving a compression feature projection forming at least a part of the first housing part from a ready position to an installed position to flowably displace the cable sealant about the cable and position a triple point filler feature ridge in a triple point void channel formed thereby in the cable sealant, wherein the projection defines opposed prongs configured to be positioned on opposite sides of the cable when the projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position and the ridge is positioned between the opposed prongs. 
 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 18  wherein:
 installing the cable in the cable passage includes forming a cable entry trough in the cable sealant along the portion of the cable; and 
 the compression feature is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable to fill the cable entry trough with the cable sealant when the compression feature is moved from the ready position to the installed position. 
 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 18  wherein the compression feature has a generally concave engagement surface. 
     
     
       24. A cable sealing assembly for providing an environmental seal about a cable, the assembly comprising:
 a housing including first and second housing parts, the first housing part defining a cable passage to receive a cable having a lengthwise cable axis;   a flowable cable sealant disposed in the cable passage; and   a compression feature forming at least a part of the second housing part and movable in an installation direction between a ready position and an installed position;   wherein the compression feature is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable in a direction transverse to the cable axis to circumferentially surround a portion of the cable when the compression feature is moved from the ready position to the installed position; and   wherein the compression feature has a generally concave engagement surface.   
     
     
       25. A cable sealing assembly for providing an environmental seal about a cable, the assembly comprising:
 a housing including first and second housing parts, the first housing part defining a cable passage to receive a cable having a lengthwise cable axis;   a flowable cable sealant disposed in the cable passage; and   a compression feature forming at least a part of the second housing part and movable in an installation direction between a ready position and an installed position;   wherein the compression feature is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable in a direction transverse to the cable axis to circumferentially surround a portion of the cable when the compression feature is moved from the ready position to the installed position;   wherein, when the compression feature is in the installed position, a buffer region is defined between the compression feature and the cable;   wherein the compression feature is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable to fill the buffer region with the cable sealant when the compression feature is moved from the ready position to the installed position; and   wherein the second housing part includes a locator feature that is configured to engage the cable to maintain a buffer spacing distance between the cable and the compression member to maintain the buffer region.   
     
     
       26. A cable sealing assembly for providing an environmental seal about a cable, the assembly comprising:
 a housing including first and second housing parts, the first housing part defining a cable passage to receive a cable having a lengthwise cable axis;   a flowable cable sealant disposed in the cable passage; and   a compression feature forming at least a part of the second housing part and movable in an installation direction between a ready position and an installed position;   wherein the compression feature is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable in a direction transverse to the cable axis to circumferentially surround a portion of the cable when the compression feature is moved from the ready position to the installed position;   wherein the assembly is configured to initially receive the cable in the cable passage such that a cable entry trough is defined in the cable sealant along the portion of the cable; and   wherein the compression feature is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable to fill the cable entry trough with the cable sealant when the compression feature is moved from the ready position to the installed position.   
     
     
       27. A cable sealing assembly for providing an environmental seal about a cable, the assembly comprising:
 a housing including first and second housing parts, the first second housing part defining a cable passage to receive a cable having a lengthwise cable axis; 
 a flowable cable sealant disposed in the cable passage; and 
 a compression feature projection forming at least a part of the second first housing part and movable in an installation direction between a ready position and an installed position; 
 wherein the compression feature projection is shaped and configured to force the cable sealant to flow about the cable in a direction transverse to the cable axis to circumferentially surround a portion of the cable when the compression feature projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position; and 
 wherein the cable sealing assembly further includes a triple point filler feature ridge configured to occupy a triple point void channel formed in the cable sealant by movement of the compression feature projection from the ready position to the installed position, wherein the projection defines opposed prongs configured to be positioned on opposite sides of the cable when the projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position and the ridge is positioned between the opposed prongs. 
 
     
     
       28. A method for sealing a fiber optic cable against a housing, the method comprising:
 pressing a length of the fiber optic cable into a volume of sealant within the housing thereby causing the sealant to deform and flow at least partially about the fiber optic cable;   forming a trough in the sealant when pressing the length of the fiber optic cable into the sealant: and   moving a projection in an installation direction to displace at least a portion of the sealant and cause the sealant to flow close to at least a portion of the trough about the fiber optic cable, wherein the projection defines opposed prongs configured to be positioned on opposite sides of the cable when the projection is moved from the ready position to the installed position, the opposed prongs having surfaces that at least partially face each other and that diverge as the surfaces extend toward the fiber optical cable, wherein the surfaces defined by the opposed prongs of the projection are shaped to force the sealant to flow about the cable in each of: a first direction generally toward the fiber optic cable, substantially parallel to the installation direction and substantially perpendicular to a cable axis of the fiber optic cable; a second direction generally toward the fiber optic cable, transverse to the cable axis and transverse to the first direction; and a third direction generally toward the fiber optic cable, transverse to the cable axis, transverse to the first direction, and generally opposing the second direction to circumferentially surround a portion of the fiber optic cable, wherein the projection includes a ridge positioned between the opposed prongs, the ridge configured to occupy a triple point void channel formed in the cable sealant by movement of the projection, wherein the housing includes first and second housing parts mounted together to form the housing, the sealant being within the second housing part and the first housing part including the projection.   
     
     
       29. A method according to claim 28, further comprising the step of pressing the length of the fiber optic cable into the volume of sealant with a tab of the first housing part. 
     
     
       30. A method according to claim 29, wherein the tab extends farther from the first housing part toward the fiber optic cable than the projection so as to provide a buffer region between the fiber optic cable and the projection, wherein the projection forces cable sealant to flow about the fiber optic cable to at least partially fill the buffer region. 
     
     
       31. A method according to claim 28, wherein the surfaces defined by the opposed prongs of the projection cooperatively form an engagement surface that includes a curved portion. 
     
     
       32. A method according to claim 28, wherein the surfaces defined by the opposed prongs of the projection cooperatively form a generally concave engagement surface.