Granted Patent B2

US 7,505,666 · App. 11/897,363 · Granted Mar 17, 2009

Abstract

Claims (27)

1. A strain relief device for glass fiber cable having a cable jacket and at least one glass fiber and fibers arranged between the at least one glass fiber and the cable jacket, in which the cable jacket is cut back at an end piece of the glass fiber cable in order to provide strain relief at a distance from a termination or connection of the at least one glass fiber from which the cable jacket has been removed, said strain relief device comprising:

a main body with a clamping body; and

a securing body with a further clamping body, wherein the main body and the securing body can be connected to one another so that at least some of the fibers, which are exposed when the cable jacket is cut back from the at least one glass fiber, are secured adjacent to an exit from the cable jacket between the clamping body and the further clamping body by a clamp;

wherein the main body comprises, as latching elements, at least one latching surface which is formed on an inside of a housing wall of the main body and has a plurality of teeth, and the securing body comprises, as further latching elements, at least one further latching surface which is attached on an elastic element and is embodied so as to be complementary to the latching surface and has a plurality of teeth, the elastic element penetrating the main body during a multistage latching process, and said elastic element causing the teeth of the latching surface and of the further latching surface to engage with one another; and

wherein guide elements are provided which prevent the main body from rotating with respect to the securing body during the latching process and in a latched state.

2. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clamping body and the further clamping body have a through-opening and a further through-opening, respectively, which, when the main body is connected to the securing body, form together a through-opening through the strain relief device through which the glass fiber cable and the at least one glass fiber extend.

3. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clamping body and the further clamping body have surfaces which are complementary to one another and between which at least some of the fibers are clamped.

4. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clamping body and the further clamping body comprise surfaces of conical design.

5. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the clamping body includes a mandrel with an outer surface which tapers conically to a tip and the further clamping body comprises a funnel-shaped inner surface which tapers conically inwards, wherein the exposed fibers are clamped between the outer and inner surfaces in a connected state.

6. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a notch for guiding and pre-securing the fibers in a bundled state.

7. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the notch is arranged on a tip of the clamping body which is embodied as a mandrel.

8. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the main body has a latching device for latching the main body in a cutout in a mounting plate.

9. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a distance between the clamping body and the further clamping body is different in the different stages.

10. The strain relief device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the through-opening of the securing body has an oval exit opening with two clamping edges which lie opposite one another and which are configured to spring apart from one another in order to accommodate and clamp a protective hose which has been pushed over the at least one glass fiber from which the cable jacket has been removed.

11. A method for attaching aching a strain relief device on a glass fiber cable with a cable jacket, at least one glass fiber, and fibers arranged between the at least one glass fiber and the cable jacket, the cable jacket being cut back at one end of the glass fiber cable, in order to provide strain relief at a distance from a termination or connection of the at least one glass fiber from which the cable jacket has been removed, the method comprising:

arranging at least some of the fibers, which are exposed when the cable jacket is cut back from the at least one glass fiber, adjacent to an exit from the cable jacket between a clamping body of a main body of the strain relief device and a further clamping body of a securing body of the strain relief device;

connecting the main body and the securing body to one another so that at least some of the exposed fibers are secured between the clamping body and the further clamping body by a clamp;

guiding an exposed end of the at least one glass fiber through a through-opening in the securing body; and

multistage latching the securing body to the main body by leading the further clamping body of the securing body via the clamping body, wherein the further clamping body tapers conically inwards, wherein the clamping body tapers conically to a tip in a mandrel-like, complementary fashion to the further clamping body, and wherein latching elements and further latching elements engage one another and reduce incrementally a distance between an outer surface of the mandrel-like clamping body and an inner surface of the further clamping body so that a clamping force on at least some of the exposed fibers increases and clamps the fibers.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising: cutting back the cable jacket from the glass fiber and exposing at least some of the fibers.

13. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising: shortening the fibers so that at least some of the exposed fibers, which emerge from the cable jacket, remain prior to guiding the exposed end of the at least one glass fiber through the through-opening in the securing body.

14. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising: guiding the end of the at least one glass fiber from which the cable jacket has been removed and at least some of the fibers and the glass fiber cable through a through-opening in the main body so that at least some of the fibers emerge adjacent to a clamping surface of the clamping body.

15. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising: bundling and pre-securing at least some of the fibers by guiding them in a bundled fashion into a notch and clamping the fibers therein.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising: placing at least some of the fibers on an external surface of the clamping body which widens conically from a tip towards a base so that the fibers are tensioned in a taut fashion at an exit from the cable jacket and the notch.

17. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising:

fitting a protective hose over an exposed end of the at least one glass fiber and inserting the protective hose into an oval exit opening in the through-opening in the securing body until the protective hose abuts against the cable jacket, in order to accommodate and clamp the protective hose between two clamping edges which lie opposite one another and spring outwards when the protective hose is inserted.

18. The method as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising: reducing in length tips of at least some of the fibers which protrude out of the strain relief device after guiding the exposed end of the at least one glass fiber through the through-opening in the securing body.

Assignments (12)