Power cable joint comprising optical fibers and organizer accommodating them

Abstract

A power cable joint includes splices and extra-length portions of first and second optical fibers which are included in respective first power cable and second power cable, and a cable joint sleeve (100). The abovementioned splices and extra-length portions are accommodated in an organizer (10) that includes a tray (20) having a recessed area (22) and configured to shapingly fit to an outer surface (101) of the cable joint sleeve (100). In particular, splices and extra-length portions of optical fibers are housed in an upper surface (21) of the tray (20). The organizer (10) further includes a fastener (40) configured to secure the tray (20) to the outer surface (101) of the cable joint sleeve (100) and a cover (50) configured to at least partially cover the upper surface (21) of the tray (20).

Claims

1. A power cable joint, comprising a cable joint sleeve and an organizer configured to accommodate splices and extra-length portions of first and second optical fibers that are included in respective first and second power cables, the organizer comprising: a tray having a recessed area and configured to shapingly fit to an outer surface of the cable joint sleeve and comprising an upper surface configured to house the splices and the extra-length portions of the first and second optical fibers; a fastener configured to secure the tray to the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve; and a cover configured to at least partially cover an upper surface of the tray, wherein the fastener includes one or more of a tape coated with adhesive on both sides or a hook-and-loop strap.

2. The power cable joint of claim 1, wherein the tray includes a rigid body having a curvature which is substantially equal to a curvature of the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve.

3. The power cable joint of claim 1, wherein the tray includes a flexible body configured to be deformed to take a curvature of the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve.

4. The power cable joint of claim 1, wherein the tray has a first side and a second side opposing one another and parallel to a longitudinal direction of the cable joint sleeve, and a third side and a fourth side opposing one another and parallel along a circumferential direction of the cable joint sleeve, the first and second sides each having a length shorter than a length of each of the third and fourth sides.

5. The power cable joint of claim 4, wherein the cover is a flexible plate having a width at least equal to the length of each of the first and second sides of the tray, and having a minimum length to cover the recessed area of the tray.

6. The power cable joint of claim 4, wherein the cover is coupled to the tray by adhesive tapes provided along the circumferential direction to overlap at least a portion of the length of each of the third and fourth sides and a portion of the joint sleeve.

7. The power cable joint of claim 4, wherein the fastener comprises a hook-and-loop strap and the tray comprises a first through slot near the first side and a second through slot near the second side.

8. The power cable joint of claim 1, wherein the cover is either a rigid body or a flexible body configured to be deformed to take a curvature of the tray when the tray is fitted to the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve and the cover is arranged over the tray.

9. The power cable joint of claim 1, wherein the cover is made of a transparent polymeric material.

10. The power cable joint of claim 1 comprising more than one organizers arranged onto the cable joint sleeve, wherein the trays of the organizers are arranged onto the outer surface in an array along a circumferential direction of the cable joint sleeve.

11. The power cable joint of claim 10 wherein the organizers share the fastener.

12. The power cable joint of claim 10 wherein the organizers share the cover.

13. An organizer comprising: a tray including a rigid body configured to shapingly fit to an outer surface of a cable joint sleeve and having a curvature substantially equal to a curvature of the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve; and a fastener including one or more of a tape coated with adhesive on both sides or a hook-and-loop strap and configured to secure the tray to the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve.

14. An organizer comprising: a tray including a flexible body configured to be deformed to take a curvature of an outer surface of a cable joint sleeve; and a fastener including one or more of a tape coated with adhesive on both sides or a hook-and-loop strap and configured to secure the tray to the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve.

15. A method for accommodating extra-length portions of first and second optical fibers and optical fiber splices in a power cable joint, the first and second optical fibers being included in respective first power cable and second power cable, the method comprising the following acts: providing an organizer comprising a tray, a cover and a fastener, the tray being configured to shapingly fit to an outer surface of a cable joint sleeve of the power cable joint, the fastener including one or more of a tape coated with adhesive on both sides or a hook-and-loop strap; fastening the tray on the outer surface by the fastener; providing the extra-length portions of the first and second optical fibers from the first and second power cables; accommodating the extra-length portions of the first optical fiber and the second optical fiber into the tray sequentially; splicing the first and second optical fibers together to generate splices; accommodating the splices in the tray; and covering the first and second optical fibers in the tray by the cover.

16. A power cable joint, comprising a cable joint sleeve and more than one organizers arranged onto the cable joint sleeve, the organizers configured to accommodate splices and extra-length portions of first and second optical fibers that are included in respective first and second power cables, the organizers each comprising: a tray having a recessed area and configured to shapingly fit to an outer surface of the cable joint sleeve and comprising an upper surface configured to house the splices and the extra-length portions of the first and second optical fibers; and a cover configured to at least partially cover an upper surface of the tray, wherein trays of the organizers are arranged onto the outer surface in an array along a circumferential direction of the cable joint sleeve; and wherein the organizers share a fastener configured to secure the trays of the organizers to the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve the fastener.

17. The power cable joint of claim 16, wherein the tray includes a rigid body having a curvature which is substantially equal to a curvature of the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve.

18. The power cable joint of claim 16, wherein the tray includes a flexible body configured to be deformed to take a curvature of the outer surface of the cable joint sleeve.

19. The power cable joint of claim 16, wherein the fastener includes one or more of a tape coated with adhesive on both sides or a hook-and-loop strap.

Description

(1) Further features and advantages of the present disclosure will appear more clearly from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof, such description being provided merely by way of non-limiting example and being made with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tray an organizer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

(3) FIG. 2 is a sketched perspective view of a power cable joint with an organizer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and with the tray of FIG. 1 secured to a joint sleeve by fastener, and a cover ready to be put in place;

(4) FIG. 3 is a sketched perspective view of the joint and organizer of FIG. 2 secured to the joint sleeve, the organizer being shown in an assembled and operative configuration thereof;

(5) FIG. 4 is a sketched perspective view of the power cable joint with an organizer according to another embodiment of the present disclosure and with the tray of FIG. 1 secured to the joint sleeve by fastener, and a cover ready to be put in place;

(6) FIG. 5 is a sketched perspective view of the power cable joint of the present disclosure with a plurality of trays of FIG. 1 secured to the joint sleeve by fasteners of FIG. 2.

(7) In the drawings, numeral reference 10 indicates an embodiment of an organizer according to the present disclosure.

(8) Organizer 10 is used when two power cables including optical fibers, possibly arranged inside one or more protecting tubes 37, are to be joined. Preferably, the power cables are single-phase MV, HV and EHV cables, more preferably HV and EHV cables.

(9) Organizer 10 allows firmly and orderly accommodating optical fiber splices and extra-length portions of optical fibers over a power cable joint sleeve 100, which is schematically shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(10) The cable joint sleeve 100 extends along a substantially rectilinear longitudinal axis X, shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(11) The cable joint sleeve 100 has preferably a substantially cylindrical shape with a diameter comprised between 130 mm and 450 mm.

(12) In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cable joint sleeve 100 has a diameter equal to 238 mm.

(13) As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, organizer 10 comprises a tray 20 configured to shapingly fit on the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100, a cover 50 configured to couple to the upper surface 21 of the tray 20 so as to at least partially cover it, and a fastener 40 configured to secure the tray 20 on the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100.

(14) Referring to FIG. 1, the tray 20 is a substantially quadrilateral plate, with a first side 20b′ and second side 20b″ opposing one another and parallel to the longitudinal direction X of the cable joint sleeve 100 and a third side 20a′ and fourth side 20a″ opposing one another and oriented along a circumferential direction Y of the cable joint sleeve 100, first side 20b′ and second side 20b″ being substantially perpendicular to third side 20a′ and fourth side 20a″.

(15) In the tray of FIG. 1, the first and second sides 20b′, 20b″ are shorter than the third and fourth sides 20a′, 20a″.

(16) In an exemplary embodiment, the size of the tray 20 can be 160 mm×100 mm×4 mm (length×width×thickness).

(17) The tray 20 shown in the attached figures is a rigid body having a predetermined curvature which is substantially equal to the curvature of the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100.

(18) In an embodiment not shown the tray 20 is a flexible body configured to be deformed to take the curvature of the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100 when the tray 20 is coupled to the cable joint sleeve 100.

(19) In both the embodiments discussed above, when coupled with the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100, the tray 20 takes the configuration shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

(20) In the embodiment shown in the attached figures, the tray 20 is secured to the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100 by a fastener 40 comprising two Velcro straps 41, 42.

(21) The tray 20 comprises two first through slots 45a near the first side 20b′ and two second through slots 45b near the second side 20b″ where the Velcro straps 41, 42 pass through. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the two Velcro straps 41, 42 passes through a respective slot 45a and extends around the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100 to reach a corresponding slot 45b to securely fix the tray 20 onto the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100.

(22) The upper surface 21 of the tray 20 comprises a recessed area 22 wherein three different zones are defined: a first zone 25 close to the first side 20b′ of the tray 20, a second zone 30 adjacent to the first zone 25 along a direction parallel to the third and fourth side 20a′, 20a″ and a third zone 35 close to the second side 20b″ of the tray 20. The second zone 30 is thus arranged between the first zone 25 and the third zone 35 along the circumferential direction Y substantially parallel to the third and fourth side 20a′, 20a″.

(23) The recessed area 22 has a substantially rectangular shape with rounded corners.

(24) The slots 45a, 45b are formed on non recessed portions of the upper surface 21 of the tray 20 on opposite sides of the recessed area 22.

(25) A first partition 28 separates the second zone 30 from the first zone 25.

(26) A second partition 29 separates the second zone 30 from the third zone 35.

(27) The first zone 25 is provided for accommodating optical fiber splices.

(28) The second zone 30 and third zone 35 are provided for accommodating extra-length portions of optical fibers upstream of optical fiber splices.

(29) The third zone 35 comprises two opposed passageways 36, one into the third side 20a′ and one into the fourth side 20a″. Through each passageway 36, the optical fibers of the one of the two power cables to be joined are received in the tray 20.

(30) Passageways 36 are defined by no-through slots formed on the upper surface 21 of the tray 20 to allow insertion of the optical fibers.

(31) A third partition 23 is arranged in the third zone 35 to define two sub-zones, a first sub-zone 35a and a second sub-zone 35b. The first sub-zone 35a is configured to accommodate a length of optical fibers passing through the one passageways 36.

(32) Third partition 23 extends along a direction parallel to the second sides 20b″ and comprises curved end portions 23a, 23b having a radius of curvature greater than or equal to the minimum bending radius of the optical fibers. The end portions 23a, 23b guide the optical fibers arranged in the first zone 35a towards the second area 30.

(33) The end portions of second partition 29 are curved walls to guide passage of the optical fibers from the third zone 35 to the second zone 30.

(34) Such curved walls have a radius of curvature greater than or equal to the minimum bending radius of the optical fibers.

(35) End retaining elements 34 project cantilevered from the top surface of end portions of the second partition 29 over the third area 35.

(36) A no-through slot 34′ is provided adjacent to each end retaining element 34 to allow insertion of the optical fibers from above under the end retaining elements 34.

(37) The second zone 30 comprises a central mandrel 31 having a substantially circular shape with a radius of curvature greater than or equal to the minimum bending radius of the optical fibers.

(38) The end portions of the first partition 28 are curved walls to guide passage of the optical fibers from the second zone 30 to the first zone 25.

(39) Such curved walls have a radius of curvature greater than or equal to the minimum bending radius of the optical fibers.

(40) End retaining elements 34 project cantilevered from the top surface of end portions of the first partition 28 over the first area 25.

(41) A no-through slot 34′ is provided adjacent to each end retaining element 34 to allow insertion of the optical fibers from above under the end retaining elements 34.

(42) Extra-length portions of optical fibers are wounded around the central mandrel 31.

(43) A plurality of central retaining elements 60 project cantilevered from a top surface of the central mandrel 31 along substantially radial directions with respect to the central mandrel 31. In the embodiment shown in the attached figures, eight retaining elements 60 are provided, each of them being angularly spaced apart from two adjacent retaining elements 60 by an angle of 45°.

(44) Side retaining elements 61 project cantilevered from the top surface of each of the third and fourth side 20a′, 20a″ of the tray 20 over the second zone 30 toward the central mandrel 31. Each side retaining elements 61 is aligned to a respective central retaining element 60 and defines with the central retaining element 60 a no-through slot to allow insertion of the optical fibers from above under the central retaining element 60 and the side retaining elements 61.

(45) Second retaining elements 62 project cantilevered over the second zone 30 from the top surface of second partition 29. In the embodiment shown in the attached figures, three second retaining elements 62 are provided, each of them being aligned to a respective central retaining element 60 and defining with the central retaining element 60 a no-through slot to allow insertion of the optical fibers from above under the central retaining element 60 and the second retaining elements 62.

(46) First retaining elements 63 project cantilevered over the second zone 30 from the top surface of first partition 28. In the embodiment shown in the attached figures, three first retaining elements 63 are provided, each of them being aligned to a respective central retaining element 60 and defining with the retaining element central 60 a no-through slot to allow insertion of the optical fibers from above under the central retaining element 60 and first retaining elements 63.

(47) The first zone 25 comprises a plurality of seats 26 for housing optical fiber splices.

(48) Each seat 26 extend parallel to the first side 20b′ of the tray 20 and can be defined between two respective parallel walls 27. Two seats 26 are defined between a parallel wall 27 and the first partition 28 or the wall of the recessed area 25 parallel to the first side 20b′.

(49) The optical fiber splices are inserted in the seats 26 from above.

(50) A plurality of holes 80 can be formed on the upper surface 21 of the tray 20 to allow coupling of the cover 50 to the tray 20.

(51) In the exemplary embodiment shown in the attached figures, eight holes 80 are formed, three holes 80 being provided close to the first side 22b′, other three holes 80 being provided close to the opposite second side 22b″ and two holes 80 being provided on the central mandrel 31 at 180° from each other.

(52) Holes 80 can be absent when the cover 50 is coupled to the tray 20 by pressure, or when the cover 50 is a flexible plate secured onto the tray 20 by adhesive tapes.

(53) Cover 50 is a body configured to have or to get substantially the same curvature of the tray 20.

(54) The size of the cover 50 is such as to cover at least the first zone 25, the second zone 30 and the third zone 35.

(55) Cover 50 shown in the attached FIGS. 2 and 3 is a rigid body having a curvature which is substantially equal to the curvature of the tray 20.

(56) When coupled with the tray 20 the cover 50 takes the configuration shown in FIG. 3. A plurality of rivets 81 (eight in the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3) are provided to be inserted onto respective holes formed on the cover 50 to then be inserted onto the holes 80 formed on the tray 20 to allow coupling of the cover 50 with the tray 20.

(57) In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the cover 50 is a flexible body, specifically a flexible plate configured to be deformed to take the curvature of the tray 20 and of the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100 when the tray 20 is coupled to the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100 and the cover 50 is arranged over the tray 20. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 4, the cover 50 has a length substantially similar to the length of the tray 20 along the third and fourth side 20a′, 20a″. A single cover 50 having a greater length is suitable for covering all of the trays 20′, 20″ and 20′″ shown in FIG. 5.

(58) The cover 50 of FIG. 4 is linked to the outer surface 101 by adhesive tapes.

(59) FIG. 5 shows a joint sleeve 100 where more organizers 20′, 20″ and 20′″ are fitted onto the outer surface 101 in an array along the circumferential direction Y and fastened by a plurality of Velcro straps 41, 42. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, a cover (not illustrated) like cover 50 of FIG. 4 is arranged over all of the tray 20′, 20″ and 20′″, then kept in place by fasting its ends (which can be joined if the cover has a length such to encircle the joint sleeve 100) by one or more adhesive tapes (which can be insulating tapes). Further adhesive tapes can be circumferentially provided to link the cover to the outer surface 101 of the joint sleeve 100.

(60) In use, the operator fits the tray 20 to the outer surface 101 of the cable joint sleeve 100 by, for example, Velcro strap 41, 42 and/or by a double sided adhesive tape. Then, the operator accommodates the exposed optical fiber portions of the two power cables to be joined in the recessed area 22 of the upper surface 21 of the tray 20. Finally the operator covers the tray 20 with the cover 50 and couples the cover 50 to the tray 20 by the rivets 81.

(61) Once fastened the tray 20 on the outer surface 101 of the joint sleeve 100, the accommodation of the extra-length portions of optical fibers in the tray 20 and of the optical fibers splices in the recessed area 22 may comprise:

(62) inserting portions of optical fibers (or of the protecting tube 37 containing them) of the two power cables from above in the passageways 36, inserting the extra-length portions of optical fibers from one power cable in the first sub-zone 35a; routing the extra-length portions of optical fibers to the second zone 30 by the end portions of partition 29; winding parts of the extra-length portions of optical fibers around the central mandrel 31 and under the central, side, first and/or second retaining elements 60, 61, 62, 63 (depending on the number of optical fibers to be wound); routing the extra-length portions of optical fibers to the first zone 25 by the end portions of partition 28; splicing the optical fibers; inserting the resulting splices in the seats 26.

(63) In an embodiment, the portions of optical fibers or of the protecting tube 37 containing them inserted in the passageways 36 are then kept in place by plugs (not illustrated).

(64) When the optical fibers are contained in a protecting tube 37, the protecting tube 37 is cut at a length similar to that of the passageway 36 and the optical fibers are released therefrom to be accommodated and spliced in the tray 20.

(65) Different paths for the exposed optical fibers of the two power cables to be joined can be defined in the recessed area 22 from the passageways 36 to the seats 26, passing through the central zone 30.

(66) Substantially no exposed portions of optical fibers are provided outside the organizer 10.

(67) Once the optical fibers are accommodated and spliced into the organizer 10 of the present disclosure, the cable joint manufacturing process can proceed by adding suitable further covers and protections.