Sealing enclosure for a connector on a cable, such as a standardized fiber-optic connector
The invention relates to a sealing enclosure and a sealing assembly comprising the sealing enclosure and a mating enclosure as well as a method to connect both. The sealing enclosure loosely receives a connector within a connector volume so that the connector, which may be of a standard type used in electronic or optic data transmission, may be displaced within a plug face at the forward end of the connector volume. Thus, the connector may compensate variations in the position of a mating connector with respect to the mating enclosure. Moreover, the sealing enclosure allows to seal off the connector volume and engage the sealing enclosure with a mating enclosure in a single motion. This is affected by having a cable seal interposed between an inner body and an outer body. If the outer body is moved forward to engage the mating connector, the cable seal is squeezed between the cable and the inner body sealing off the connector volume at the rearward end of the inner body.
1. A sealing enclosure for a fiber optic connector on a cable, the sealing enclosure comprising:
a cable seal adapted to sealingly engage the cable when compressed radially;
an inner body extending along a length between a forward end and a rearward end, the forward end defining a connector volume adapted to receive the fiber optic connector, the rearward end being open to enable the cable to extend therethrough, the inner body including a clamping section at the rearward end, the clamping section having rearwardly extending tongues adapted to be compressed radially, the cable seal being disposed within the clamping section, and the cable seal radially spacing an entire length of each rearwardly extending tongue from the cable even when the rearwardly extending tongues and the cable seal are compressed radially; and
an outer body adapted to slide forwardly over the inner body to a secured position, the outer body extending over a majority of the length of the inner body when in the secured position, the outer body including at least one bayonet-type locking element that is adapted to axially secure the outer body in the secured position, the outer body being provided with a wall tapering inwardly as the wall extends rearwardly, the wall being configured to radially inwardly compress the clamping section around the cable seal when the outer body is disposed in the secured position.
2. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the connector volume is dimensioned to loosely receive the fiber optic connector so that the fiber optic connector is displaceable axially and along a plane of a plug face of the sealing enclosure.
3. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the rearwardly extending tongues include resilient cantilever-type tongues.
4. The sealing enclosure of claim 3 , wherein the resilient cantilever-type tongues define axial slots therebetween, and wherein the cable seal extends completely along a length of the axial slots.
5. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the forward end of the inner body is configured to mate with a mating enclosure.
6. The sealing enclosure of claim 5 , wherein the inner body includes a positive locking element that mates with the mating enclosure.
7. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the clamping section includes a rearward facing wall that defines a sealing surface against which the cable seal is pressed when the outer body is disposed in the secured position.
8. The sealing closure of claim 1 , wherein the rearwardly extending tongues define a retainer having an inner diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the cable seal.
9. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the cable is slidable relative to the cable seal when the outer body is rearwardly moved from the secured position such that the clamping section is no longer radially inwardly compressed by the outer body.
10. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , further comprising a tapered boot secured to a rear of the outer body so as to move axially with the outer body relative to the inner body and the cable seal.
11. A sealing enclosure for a fiber optic connector on a cable, the sealing enclosure comprising:
a cable seal adapted to sealingly engage the cable when compressed radially;
an inner body extending along a length between a forward end and a rearward end, the forward end defining a connector volume adapted to receive the fiber optic connector, the rearward end being open to enable the cable to extend therethrough, the inner body including a clamping section at the rearward end, the clamping section having rearwardly extending tongues adapted to be compressed radially, the cable seal being disposed within the clamping section;
an outer body extending along a length between a forward end and a rearward end, the outer body forward end defining a volume adapted to receive the inner body, the outer body rearward end adapted to slide forwardly over the inner body to position the outer body forward end adjacent to the inner body forward end, the outer body rearward end being provided with a wall tapering inwardly as the wall extends rearwardly, the wall being configured to radially compress the clamping section inwardly around the cable seal when the outer body is disposed in a forwardmost position;
a tapered boot secured to the outer body rearward end so as to move axially with the outer body relative to the inner body and the cable seal; and
a locking element adapted to axially secure the sealing enclosure to a mating enclosure.
12. The sealing enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the connector volume is dimensioned to loosely receive the fiber optic connector so that the fiber optic connector is displaceable axially and along a plane of a plug face of the sealing enclosure.
13. The sealing enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the rearwardly extending tongues include resilient cantilever-type tongues.
14. The sealing enclosure of claim 13 , wherein the resilient cantilever-type tongues define axial slots therebetween, and wherein the cable seal extends completely along a length of the axial slots.
15. The sealing enclosure of claim 11 , wherein the forward end of the inner body is configured to mate with a mating enclosure.
16. The sealing enclosure of claim 15 , wherein the inner body includes a positive locking element that mates with the mating enclosure.
17. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the clamping section includes a rearward facing wall that defines a sealing surface against which the cable seal is pressed when the outer body is disposed in the forwardmost position.
18. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the rearwardly extending tongues define a retainer having an inner diameter that is smaller than an outer diameter of the cable seal.
19. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the cable is slidable relative to the cable seal when the outer body is moved rearwardly from the position where the clamping section is no longer radially inwardly compressed by the outer body.
20. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the locking element is a bayonet-type locking element.
21. The sealing enclosure of claim 20 , wherein the bayonet-type locking element is provided on the outer body.
22. The sealing enclosure of claim 1 , wherein the cable seal radially spaces an entire length of each rearwardly extending tongue from the cable even when the rearwardly extending tongues and the cable seal are compressed radially.