Branching device and composite cable structure

Abstract

5 10 20 26 20 28 35 15 A pr 2 02 6 A B S T R A C T 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 8 3 5 1 5 A p r 2 0 2 6 5 A B S T R A C T 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 8 3 5 1 5 A p r 2 0 2 6 5 A B S T R A C T 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 8 3 5 1 5 A p r 2 0 2 6 5 A B S T R A C T 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 8 3 5 1 5 A p r 2 0 2 6 5 1 / 5 FIG. 1 002 008 ET to OOS IT of 21 an YLL OT 08T in 20 26 20 28 35 15 A pr 2 02 6 A p r 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 8 3 5 1 5 3 0 0 1 3 2 0 0 1 4 0 F I G . 1 1 5 A p r 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 8 3 5 3 0 0 1 3 2 0 0 1 4 0 F I G . 1 1 5 A p r 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 8 3 5 3 0 0 2 0 0 1 4 0 F I G . 1 1 5 A p r 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 6 2 0 2 8 3 5 3 0 0 2 0 0 1 4 0 F I G . 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of photoelectric composite cables, and in particular, to a branching device and a composite cable structure. BACKGROUND

[0002] A photoelectric composite cable is a cable that combines an optical fiber with an electrical cable, and can not only transmit optical signals through the optical fiber to achieve high-speed data communication, but also can transmit electrical signals through the electrical cable to provide stable power support for a device.

[0003] In the related art, the photoelectric composite cable includes a main cable and a plurality of branch cables branched from the main cable, and when the photoelectric composite cable is connected to devices on an tower, the branch cables are extended to different areas of the tower and each is connected to a device in a corresponding area, so as to satisfy the requirements of the devices in different areas. 15

[0004] However, after separating the main cable into the plurality of branch cables, the branch cables at a branch outlet are prone to bird attacks or damages under external forces, thereby reducing the safety of long-term use of the photoelectric composite cable. INTERPRETATION

[0005] It is acknowledged that the terms “comprise”, “comprises” and “comprising” may, 20 under varying jurisdictions, be attributed with either an exclusive or an inclusive meaning. For the purpose of this specification, and unless otherwise noted, these terms are intended to have an inclusive meaning - i.e., they will be taken to mean an inclusion of the listed 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 components which the use directly references, and possibly also of other non-specified components or elements.

[0006] Reference to any document in this specification does not constitute an admission that it is prior art, validly combinable with other documents or that it forms part of the 5 common general knowledge. SUMMARY

[0007] The present application provides a branching device and a composite cable structure, so as to solve the problem in the related art that branch cables are easily damaged at a branch outlet after a main cable is separated into a plurality of branch cables or at least 10 provides the public or industry with a useful choice.

[0008] In one aspect, the present application provides a branching device, applicable to a composite cable, where the composite cable includes a main cable and a branch cable branching from one end of the main cable, where a junction between the main cable and the branch cable is defined as a branching portion; and the branching device includes: a housing, 15 including a first end and a second end provided opposite to each other, where a mounting channel penetrating through the first end and the second end is provided inside the housing, and the mounting channel is configured to accommodate the branching portion; a branch assembly connected to the first end of the housing, and configured to allow the branch cable to penetrate through and enclose a gap between the housing and the branch cable; a protective 20 shell sleeved on a periphery of the first end and protruding relative to the first end, so that the protective shell covers part of the branch cable located outside the housing; and a limiting assembly, located inside the mounting channel, and configured to limit a position of the main cable and connected to the housing, wherein the limiting assembly comprises: a first limiting member sleeved on the main cable, wherein an outer surface of the first limiting member is 25 provided with a clamping block, an inner surface of the housing is provided with a positioning groove, and the clamping block is inserted into the positioning groove; and optionally a second limiting member fixedly provided on the inner surface of the housing and configured to abut against the main cable. 2026202835   05 Aug 2026

[0009] In another aspect, the present application provides a composite cable structure, including a main cable and a plurality of branch cables connected to the main cable; and further including the branching device according to any one of the embodiments described above provided at a branching portion between the main cable and the branch cables.

[0010] According to the branching device and the composite cable structure provided in the present application, an additional protective shell is introduced at an outlet of the branch assembly. On one hand, the protective shell provides a robust physical barrier for the branch cable exposed at the branch outlet. In the event of bird beak pecking or accidental scratching or collision of tools during construction or maintenance, the protective shell can directly bear and disperse these external forces, thereby preventing an insulation layer or a shield layer of the branch cable from being directly destroyed. On the other hand, the protective shell protrudes from the housing, and can guide the branch cable to bend with a larger radius, thereby effectively eliminating stress concentration on the branch cable at the outlet of the branch assembly, and reducing fiber micro bending or conductor fatigue caused by sharp bending. At the same time, the protective shell can buffer dynamic stress caused by wind force and touch, so as to reduce direct pulling on the internal branching portion, thereby prolonging the overall service life. On yet another hand, the addition of the protective shell can effectively block the paths of rainwater, dust and moisture migrating inwards along the surface of the branch cable (i.e. “capillary effect”), thereby reducing the risk of moisture 20 ingress into the housing. 15 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] The accompanying drawings herein, which are incorporated into the specification and form part of the specification, illustrate the embodiments in accordance with the present application and are used together with the specification to explain the principles of the present 25 application.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic mounting structural diagram of a branching device on a composite cable according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0013] FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic structural diagram of portion A in FIG. 1. 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15

[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a mounting disc in FIG. 2

[0015] FIG. 4 is a schematic mounting structural diagram of a first limiting member in a housing of a branching device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a composite cable structure according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0017] Reference Numerals: 10-composite cable; 11-main cable; 12-branch cable; 13-branching portion; 14-connector; 100-housing; 110-first sub-housing; 120-second sub-housing; 130-grounding member; 140-anti-slip groove; 150-positioning groove; 160-limiting member;161-arc-shaped rib; 162-limiting plate; 170-first end; 180-second end; 190-protrusion; 200-mounting channel; 300-branch assembly; 310-mounting disc; 311-mounting slot; 320-branch pipe; 400-sealing filling layer; 500-sealing member; 600-insulation sleeve; 700-protective shell; 710-first sub-protective shell; 720-second sub-protective shell; 730-recess; 800-first limiting member; 810-clamping block. 20

[0018] Through the above-mentioned accompanying drawings, the specific embodiments of the present application have been illustrated, and more detailed descriptions will be provided below. The accompanying drawings and the text description are not intended to limit the scope of the concept of the present application in any way, but are used to describe the concepts of the present application to those skilled in the art by referring to specific 25 embodiments. DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, with examples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15 accompanying drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present application. On the contrary, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0020] As shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, an embodiment of the present application provides a branching device, applicable to a composite cable 10, where the composite cable 10 includes a main cable 11 and a branch cable 12 branching from one end of the main cable 11. A junction between the main cable 11 and the branch cable 12 may be defined as a branching portion 13, that is, it may be understood that the branching portion 13 is formed by part of the main cable 11 close to the branch cable 12 and part of the branch cable 12 close to the main cable 11. In this embodiment, the composite cable 10 used in the branching device is taken as an example of a photoelectric composite cable, which includes a main cable 11 and a branch cable 12 branched from the main cable 11. The branch cable 12 may be an optical cable or an electrical cable. Of course, it can also be applied to other forms of composite cable 10.

[0021] The branching device includes a housing 100, a branch assembly 300 and a protective shell 700.

[0022] The housing 100 includes a first end 170 and a second end 180 provided opposite to each other, where a mounting channel 200 penetrating through the first end 170 and the 20 second end 180 is provided inside the housing, and the mounting channel 200 is configured to accommodate the branching portion 13.

[0023] The branch assembly 300 is connected to the first end 170 of the housing 100, and the branch assembly 300 is configured to allow the branch cable 12 to penetrate through and enclose a gap between the housing 100 and the branch cable 12. That is, the main cable 11 25 enters the mounting channel 200 through the second end 180 of the mounting channel 200 away from the branch assembly 300, and after the main cable 11 is branched into the branch cable 12 in the mounting channel 200, the branch cable 12 penetrates through the branch assembly 300 at the first end 170 and extends out of the mounting channel 200.

[0024] The protective shell 700 is sleeved on a periphery of the first end 170 and 30 protrudes relative to the first end 170, so that the protective shell 700 covers part of the branch 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 cable 12 located outside the housing 100. Optionally, the protective shell 700 may be connected to the first end 170 of the housing 100 by screwing, clipping, bonding, buckling, or other means. 15

[0025] In the present application, the additional protective shell 700 is introduced at an outlet of the branch assembly 300. On one hand, the protective shell 700 provides a robust physical barrier for the branch cable 12 exposed at the branch outlet. In the event of bird beak pecking or accidental scratching or collision of tools during construction or maintenance, the protective shell can directly bear and disperse these external forces, thereby preventing an insulation layer or a shield layer of the branch cable 12 from being directly damaged. On the other hand, the protective shell 700 protrudes from the housing 100, and can guide the branch cable 12 to bend at a larger radius, thereby effectively eliminating stress concentration on the branch cable 12 at the outlet of the branch assembly 300, and reducing fiber micro bending or conductor fatigue caused by sharp bending. At the same time, the protective shell 700 can buffer dynamic stress caused by wind force and touch, so as to reduce direct pulling on the internal branching portion 13, thereby prolonging the overall service life. On yet another hand, the addition of the protective shell 700 can effectively block the paths of rainwater, dust and moisture migrating inwards along the surface of the branch cable (i.e. “capillary effect”), thereby reducing the risk of moisture ingress into the housing 100.

[0026] It should be noted that, the shape of the housing 100 is not limited in the present 20 application. In this embodiment, the housing 100 may be a stepped tubular structure, that is to say, in an extension direction, a diameter of one end of the housing 100 is greater than that of the other end. During mounting, a small end of the housing 100 (i.e., the end with a smaller diameter, i.e., the second end 180) may be sleeved on the main cable 11, and a large end of the housing 100 (i.e., the end with a larger diameter, i.e., the first end 170) is sleeved on each 25 branch cable 12 at the same time, so that the branching portion 13 is located within the mounting channel 200. The stepped tubular structure enables the housing 100 to naturally match the dimensions of the main cable 11 and the branch cable 12, with clear mounting guide. The closer to the end to the branch assembly 300, the larger the size, which can better accommodate and guide a plurality of branch cables 12 to disperse. 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15

[0027] Optionally, the mounting channel 200 may also be used to accommodate a sealing and filling layer 400. The sealing and filling layer 400 is provided inside the mounting channel 200 and wraps the branching portion 13. The sealing and filling layer 400 may be made by injecting two-component thermal conductive flame-retardant silicone sealant into the mounting channel 200, and the branching portion 13 is buried in the sealing and filling layer 400. Of course, the sealing and filling layer 400 may also be formed by injecting other forms of filling materials into the mounting channel 200, and no limitation is imposed in this regard.

[0028] Therefore, after branching the main cable 11 in the composite cable 10 into the plurality of branch cables 12, the branching portion 13 of the composite cable 10 may be wrapped by the housing 100 and the branch assembly 300, and then the mounting channel 200 inside the housing 100 may be filled by the sealing and filling layer 400, so as to further wrap the branching portion 13. In this way, double sealing for the branching portion 13 is achieved, the sealing and flame retardancy of the branching portion 13 are effectively improved, the possibility of moisture from the branching portion 13 seeping into an interior of the main cable 11 is reduced, thereby improving the usage safety of the whole composite cable 10 and prolonging the service life. At the same time, the mechanical strength of the branching portion 13 can also be improved to enhance the tensile property, thereby solving the problem in the related art that after separating the main cable 11 into the plurality of branch cables 12, the sealing performance of the branching portion 13 is relatively poor. 20

[0029] In this embodiment, a Shore hardness of the protective shell 700 is greater than a Shore hardness of the housing 100, and a difference between the Shore hardness of the protective shell 700 and the Shore hardness of the housing 100 is 10-25. For example, the Shore hardness of the protective shell 700 is in a range of 75-80, while the Shore hardness of the housing 100 is in a range of 55-65. The above design manner may ensure the protective 25 effect of the protective shell 700 while reducing the probability of interface damage caused by stress concentration generated at the joint between the housing 100 and the protective shell 700 due to uncoordinated deformation under severe impact.

[0030] Optionally, the protective shell 700 and the housing 100 may be made of a weather-resistant insulating material. Furthermore, the materials of the protective shell 700 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15 and the housing 100 are the same, for example, both are PET materials, and are made to have different hardness by means of formulation or process treatment.

[0031] In this embodiment, the housing 100 includes a first sub-housing 110 and a second sub-housing 120 which are provided opposite to each other in a radial direction, and cross-sections of the first sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120 both have a semi-circular contour and are in a stepped shape. The first sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120 may be detachably connected by screwing, fastening, strap binding, or other means, so that the first sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120 jointly define the mounting channel 200. That is to say, when the housing 100 is mounted, the first sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120 may be clamped together onto the main cable 11, and then fastened together to form the whole housing 100, thereby realizing the mounting of the whole housing 100 on the main cable 11, and improving the convenience of mounting the housing 100.

[0032] It should be noted that, during implementation, in order to facilitate injection of the two-component thermal conductive flame-retardant silicone sealant into the mounting channel 200 after the assembly of the housing 100 and the branch assembly 300 is completed, at least one injection hole may be formed on the housing 100 in advance, and the injection hole communicates with the mounting channel 200, and the injection hole may be formed on the first sub-housing 110 or the second sub-housing 120. 20

[0033] Optionally, when the housing 100 is a stepped tubular structure, the mounting channel 200 inside it is also a stepped tubular structure. This design manner may allow the formation of multi-stage sealed cabins inside the mounting channel 200, constituting an efficient multiple moisture-proof barrier.

[0034] Additionally, in other embodiments, the housing 100 can also be set as a complete 25 tubular housing.

[0035] Similarly, the protective shell 700 includes a first sub-protective shell 710 and a second sub-protective shell 720 provided opposite to each other in a radial direction, and the first sub-protective shell 710 is detachably connected to the second sub-protective shell 720. Optionally, the first sub-protective shell 710 and the second sub-protective shell 720 are 30 composed of a semi-circular shell, and the two shells may be assembled by screwing, 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15 fastening or other means, and are clamped together onto the first end 170 of the housing 100, thereby improving the convenience of mounting the protective shell 700.

[0036] Further, a protrusion 190 is formed at a joint of the first sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120, a recess 730 is formed at a joint of the first sub-protective shell 710 and the second sub-protective shell 720, and the protrusion 190 is embedded into the recess 730. The design manner may enable the protrusion on the housing 100 to be engaged with the recess on the protective shell 700 when the protective shell 700 clamps the housing 100, thereby providing a better positioning effect on the whole protective shell 700, and improving the stability of the protective shell 700 after being mounted on the housing 100. When the branch cable 12 is subjected to a twisting or bending external force, the force is transferred through the protective shell 700. At this time, the embedded protrusion 190 and the recess 730 can effectively withstand and transmit torque and shear forces, so as to prevent relative movement or rotation between the two layers of shells, thereby enabling them to resist deformation together.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, the branching device also includes a sealing member 500 for sealing the gap between an end of the housing 100 facing the main cable 11 and the main cable 11.

[0038] In this embodiment, the sealing member 500 may be a heat pipe, so that the sealing member 500 may be simultaneously sleeved on the main cable 11 and the end of the housing 20   100 facing the main cable 11, so as to wrap them at the same time, thereby achieving sealing of the gap.

[0039] That is to say, the sealing member 500 can be divided into two parts along its own axis, where one part is sleeved on the main cable 11, and the other part wraps the end of the housing 100 facing the main cable 11. 25

[0040] Therefore, the gap between the end of the housing 100 facing the main cable 11 (i.e., the small end of the housing 100) and the main cable 11 is sealed by the sealing member 500, thereby improving the sealing effect of the end of the mounting channel 200 facing the main cable 11, and optimizing the sealing performance of the branching portion 13.

[0041] In other embodiments, the sealing member 500 may also be a sleeve made of 30 rubber, silicone, or other materials. In addition, an inner diameter of the sealing member 500 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 may be adapted to an outer diameter of the main cable 11, and an outer diameter of the sealing member 500 may be adapted to an inner diameter of the end of the housing 100 facing the main cable 11. In this way, the sealing member 500 can be tightly sleeved on the main cable 11, and additionally, the end of the housing 100 facing the main cable 11 is tightly sleeved on the sealing member 500.

[0042] As shown in FIGs. 1 and 2, in some embodiments, the branch assembly 300 includes a mounting disc 310 and a plurality of branch pipes 320 provided on the mounting disc 310, where the mounting disc 310 is connected to the housing 100 and is configured to close the gap between the housing 100 and the branch cable 12; and each branch pipe 320 provides communication between the mounting channel 200 and an exterior of the housing 100, and is configured to allow a corresponding branch cable 12 to penetrate through. Optionally, there are a plurality of branch cables 12, and one branch pipe 320 may allow one branch cable 12 to penetrate through.

[0043] In this embodiment, the mounting disc 310 may be circular, and the mounting disc 310 is coaxially connected to one end of the housing 100 facing the branch cable 12 (i.e., the large end of the housing 100), so as to close the gap between the housing 100 and the branch cable 12 through the mounting disc 310.

[0044] Secondly, an extension direction of the branch pipe 320 is consistent with an extension direction of the mounting channel 200, and the branch pipe 320 is inserted and 20 fixed to the mounting disc 310, so that one end of the branch pipe 320 is located at a side of the mounting disc 310 facing the mounting channel 200, that is, extending into the mounting channel 200, and the other end of the branch pipe 320 is located at a side of the mounting disc 310 facing away from the mounting channel 200, that is, located outside the mounting channel 200. In this way, the mounting channel 200 is communicated with the exterior of the 25 housing 100 through the branch pipe 320. During implementation, the branch pipe 320 can be fastened to the mounting disc 310 through integrated molding, welding, bonding, or other methods. 15

[0045] Therefore, when the branch assembly 300 is mounted, the mounting disc 310 may be connected to the housing 100, and each branch cable 12 correspondingly passes through 30 the branch pipe 320 to the exterior of the housing 100, which not only seals the branching 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 portion 13 without easily hindering the mounting of the branch cable 12, but also enables the mounting disc 310 to provide good support for the branch cable 12. During implementation, in order to facilitate construction, the branch cable 12 may be penetrated onto the mounting disc 310 first, and then the mounting disc 310 is connected to the housing 100.

[0046] It should be noted that, a distribution manner of the branch pipes 320 on the mounting disc 310 is not limited, and may be, for example, the branch pipes 320 may be distributed in a circumferential array or in a linear array. In addition, a diameter of the branch pipes 320 only needs to be adapted to a diameter of the branch cable 12, which means that the diameter of the branch pipe 320 can be reasonably set according to the diameter of the actual branch cable 12. 15

[0047] Exemplarily, because an optical cable generally has a small diameter and an electrical cable has a large diameter, as shown in FIG. 3, some of the plurality of branch pipes 320 may be set to have a small diameter (for the optical cables to penetrate through), and the others may be set to have a large diameter (for the electrical cables to penetrate through). Secondly, the plurality of large-diameter branch pipes 320 and the plurality of small-diameter branch pipes 320 are distributed in a circumferential array with an axis of the mounting disc 310 as a center, the small-diameter branch pipes 320 are distributed at the inner ring, and the large-diameter branch pipes 320 are distributed at the outer ring, and thus the optical cables can be better protected. 20

[0048] In other embodiments, in the branch assembly 300, a plurality of through-holes for the branch cables 12 to penetrate through may also be directly provided on the mounting disc 310. In addition, the mounting disc 310 can be replaced with a bracket in other forms, and then the branch pipes 320 can be fixed on the bracket.

[0049] As shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, a mounting slot 311 is provided on an 25 inner surface of the housing 100, the mounting slot 311 is annular and coaxial with the housing 100, and the mounting disc 310 is clamped to the mounting slot 311.

[0050] Therefore, when the mounting disc 310 is mounted, the mounting disc 310 only needs to be clamped to the mounting slot 311.

[0051] In this embodiment, the mounting slot 311 includes two sub-mounting slots that 30 are respectively provided on an inner surface of the first sub-housing 110 and an inner surface 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15 of the second sub-housing 120, and an extension trajectory of each sub-mounting slot is semi-circular. In this way, after the first sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120 are combined to form the whole housing 100, two semi-circular sub-mounting slots will be communicated with each other to form a circular mounting slot 311.

[0052] The specific mounting step of the mounting disc 310 are as follows: before the first sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120 are combined with each other, the mounting disc 310 may be placed between the two sub-mounting slots, so that the first sub-housing 110 abuts against the second sub-housing 120, and at the same time the mounting disc 310 is exactly clamped in the two sub-mounting slots, so as to achieve the purpose of clamping the mounting disc 310 into the mounting slot 311, thereby making the mounting process of the mounting disc 310 more convenient and providing good sealing performance for the mounting channel 200.

[0053] During implementation, as shown in FIG. 3, notches may also be provided at two opposite ends of the mounting disc 310, so that the mounting disc 310 has a flat circular structure, thereby providing good circumferential limiting effect when the mounting disc 310 is clamped to the mounting slot 311, and reducing the possibility of circumferential rotation of the mounting disc 310.

[0054] In other embodiments, a protruding ring may also be provided on the inner surface of the housing 100, and additionally, a clamping ring may be detachably connected to the 20 inner surface of the housing 100 by screwing or other means, and the clamping ring is located at a side of the protruding ring facing away from the mounting channel 200. The housing 100, the protruding ring and the clamping ring are all coaxially provided, and the mounting slot 311 is formed between the protruding ring and the clamping ring. In addition, the mounting slot 311 can also be configured as a segmented structure, which means that the mounting slot 25   311 is composed of many segments of arc-shaped slots distributed circumferentially along the mounting disc 310.

[0055] As shown in FIG. 2, in some embodiments, the branching device further includes a plurality of insulation sleeves 600, where each insulation sleeve is configured to sleeve the corresponding branch cable 12, and is inserted into the branch pipe 320. 2026202835   05 Aug 2026

[0056] It should be noted that the insulation sleeve 600 may be made of rubber, silica gel, or other insulation materials. Preferably, the insulation sleeve 600 may be a heat shrinkable sleeve. An inner diameter of the insulation sleeve 600 matches an outer diameter of the branch cable 12, and an outer diameter of the insulation sleeve 600 matches an inner diameter of the branch pipe 320. In the axial direction, both ends of the insulation sleeve 600 protrude from both ends of the branch pipe 320.

[0057] Therefore, when the branch cables 12 penetrates through the branch pipes 320, the insulation sleeves 600 may be correspondingly sleeved on respective branch cables 12 first, and then the branch cables 12 penetrate through the branch pipes 320, and the insulation sleeves 600 are inserted into and match the branch pipes 320. In this way, the insulation electrical performance between the branch cables 12 is ensured through the insulation sleeves 600. 15

[0058] Furthermore, at least part of the insulation sleeve 600 extends to the side of the mounting disc 310 facing away from the mounting channel 200, so as to improve the protective effect of the insulation sleeve 600 on the branch cable 12. At this time, the housing 100 is provided with the protective shell 700, the protective shell 700 is located at one end of the housing 100 facing the branch cable 12, and the protective shell 700 covers part of the insulation sleeve 600 located at the side of the mounting disc 310 facing away from the mounting channel 200. Then, the insulation sleeve 600 may be protected by the protective 20 shell 700, thereby effectively protecting the branch cable 12 at the outlet and the insulation sleeve 600 from bird pecking and external damage, and reducing the possibility of damage to the insulation sleeve 600 and the branch cable 12.

[0059] As shown in FIGs. 1, 2 and 4, in some embodiments, the branching device further includes a limiting assembly, which is located inside the mounting channel 200, and is 25 configured to limit a position of the main cable 11 and connected to the housing 100. The limiting assembly firmly anchors the main cable 11 inside the housing 100, so as to provide critical protection for the branching portion 13, and the limiting assembly directly transfers and disperses the tensile force, pushing and torsional force from the external main cable 11 to the sturdy housing 100, thereby reducing fatigue fracture of internal optical fibers or wires 30 caused by repeated stress. At the same time, the limiting assembly locks the main cable 11 in 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15 a preset position, providing a stable interface for the sealing system of the branching device, and effectively preventing the sealing failure caused by cable sliding.

[0060] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, the limiting assembly includes a first limiting member 800 for sleeving on the main cable 11, and an outer surface of the first limiting member 800 is provided with a clamping block 810, an inner surface of the housing 100 is provided with a positioning groove 150, and the clamping block 810 is inserted into the positioning groove 150. Optionally, the first limiting member 800 may be configured as a hoop, the first limiting member 800 is located inside the mounting channel 200, and the first limiting member 800 is sleeved on the main cable 11 and fastened to the main cable 11. The first limiting member 800 is provided with two clamping blocks 810, and the two clamping blocks 810 are symmetrically distributed on the first limiting member 800. The inner surface of the housing 100 is provided with two positioning grooves 150 which are symmetrically distributed, and the two clamping blocks 810 are correspondingly inserted into the two positioning grooves 150.

[0061] Therefore, the part of the main cable 11 extending into the mounting channel 200 can be positioned by the first limiting member 800 to improve the stability of the part of the main cable 11 inside the mounting channel 200, so that when the material is subsequently injected into the mounting channel 200 to form the sealing filling layer 400, the possibility of shaking the main cable 11 and the branching portion 13 is reduced, thereby ensuring the 20 sealing effect on the branching portion 13.

[0062] In other embodiments, the first limiting member 800 may also be a clamping jaw, a clamping block, a support ring, etc. connected to the housing 100, and then the first limiting member 800 clamps the main cable 11.

[0063] In other embodiments, the limiting assembly can also include a second limiting 25 member 160, which is fixedly provided on the inner surface of the housing 100, and configured to abut against the main cable 11. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the second limiting member 160 may be an arc-shaped rib 161 fixed on the inner surface of the first sub-housing 110 or the second sub-housing 120 by integral molding, welding, or bonding, or may be a limiting plate 162 fixed on the inner surface of the first sub-housing 110 or the 30 second sub-housing 120 by integral molding, welding, or bonding. In this way, the arc-shaped 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15 rib 161 and the limiting plate 162 both abut against the outer surface of the main cable 11, thereby limiting the main cable 11 and improving the stability of the main cable 11 in the mounting channel 200.

[0064] During implementation, the limiting plate 162 may also abut against the outer surface of the first limiting member 800, so as to limit the main cable 11 in a manner of indirect abutting.

[0065] In other embodiments, the second limiting member 160 may also be a structure in another shape, for example, a block-shaped structure, a strip-shaped structure, a groove-shaped structure, etc. that is adaptive to an outer contour of the main cable 11.

[0066] In some embodiments, the housing 100 is provided with a grounding member 130 for grounding; and / or an outer surface of the housing 100 is provided with an anti-slip groove 140.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 2, the grounding member 130 may be a grounding screw. Specifically, when the first sub-housing 110 is fastened to the second sub-housing 120 by screws, some of the screws may be set as the grounding screws, so as to achieve the purpose of grounding. It should be noted that, during implementation, the grounding screw needs to be fully grounded, and to be connected to the grounding drainage wire in the main cable 11 at the same time.

[0068] In other embodiments, the grounding member 130 may also be a screw, block, rod, 20 or other form of component that is fastened to other parts of the housing 100, as long as the grounding member 130 is fully grounded and is connected to the grounding drainage wire in the main cable 11, the shape and fixing manner thereof are not limited herein.

[0069] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, an anti-slip groove 140 is provided on the outer surface of the housing 100, that is to say, the anti-slip groove 140 is provided on the first 25 sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120. A quantity and shape of the anti-slip grooves 140 are not limited. Exemplarily, some of the anti-slip grooves 140 may be set to be annular grooves and extend along the circumferential direction of the housing 100.

[0070] Therefore, when the first sub-housing 110 and the second sub-housing 120 are fastened by a binding band, the binding band can also be limited within the anti-slip groove 30   140, thereby improving the binding effect of the binding band on the housing 100. 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 15

[0071] In addition, a plurality of anti-slip grooves 140 are provided on an external structure of the housing 100, so that quick snap-in fixation can be achieved no matter whether using the hoop, the clamping tool or the binding band dedicated to the branching device to mount the housing 100, thereby ensuring the stability and reliability of the mounting effect of the branching device.

[0072] It should be additionally noted that an application field of the present branching device may be, for example, a connection between a baseband unit (BBU) and a remote radio unit (RRU) as well as an active antenna unit (AAU) in communication base station construction, that is, an application scenario of the photoelectric composite cable on the tower; remote power supply and transmission for intelligent light pole terminals in intelligent cities, as well as drone power supply and signal transmission in the low-altitude economy for intelligent signal light poles, where front and rear ends must support optical-electrical integrated power over fiber (PoF); and an full-sea-depth profile three-dimensional buoy observation system based on the photoelectric composite cable, connecting to various observation sensors.

[0073] As shown in FIG. 5, an embodiment of the present application provides a composite cable structure, such as a photoelectric composite cable or other composite cable 10, which includes a main cable 11 and a branch cable 12 branching from one end of the main cable 11, where a junction between the main cable 11 and the branch cable 12 is defined as a 20 branching portion 13, and the composite cable further includes a branching device provided at the branching portion 13 according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0074] The branching device has been described in detail in the above embodiments, and will not be repeated herein.

[0075] Taking a photoelectric composite cable as an example of the composite cable, the 25 main cable 11 includes a plurality of optical units and a plurality of electric units, and a main sheath wrapped around peripheries of the plurality of optical units and the plurality of electric units, where each optical unit includes at least one optical fiber and an optical sheath wrapped around a periphery of the optical fiber, and each electric unit includes at least one wire and an electric sheath wrapped around a periphery of the wire. After the main cable 11 enters the 30 mounting channel, the main sheath at the periphery thereof is stripped off, and the optical and 2026202835   05 Aug 2026 electric units inside thereof can form the branch cable 12. Of course, in other embodiments, the optical fibers in the optical units may also be recombined in the mounting channel, for example, each optical unit includes a plurality of optical fibers surrounded by the optical sheath, and after the main cable 11 enters the mounting channel, the optical sheath is also stripped off together with it; the plurality of optical fibers of all the optical units extend in the mounting channel in a form of bare fibers; at a position close to a branch disc, N sheaths surround M optical fibers extending out corresponding branch pipes, so as to form N optical unit branch jumper wires (i.e., branch cables); and at this time, a quantity of jumper wires of the optical units may be less than or greater than a quantity of optical units in the main cable 11. 15

[0076] As shown in FIG. 5, furthermore, lengths of at least two branch cables 12 may be different, and a connector 14 is provided at one end of each branch cable 12 away from the main cable 11.

[0077] Specifically, the plurality of branch cables 12 may be set to different lengths according to their different functions, so that the lengths of the plurality of branch cables 12 show a decreasing or increasing trend in sequence. In addition, the connector 14 may be provided at a connection end of the branch cable 12 (i.e., one end away from the main cable 11), and the connector 14 is electrically connected to the branch cable 12, which then may be connected to a device or other lines through the connector 14. The connector 14 may be an 20 electrical connector of an existing product, and its structure is not limited herein.

[0078] In this way, a worker can visually and conveniently determine a function of the corresponding branch cable 12 according to branch cables 12 with different lengths, thereby facilitating quick differentiation and connection by the worker, improving convenience of subsequent wiring of the branch cable 12, improving mounting efficiency, and shortening 25 construction cycle.

[0079] In addition, a label may be added to the branch cable 12 at the outlet of the branching device (i.e., at the side of the branching device away from the main cable 11), and the form and pattern of the label may be selected according to actual needs, thereby achieving rapid identification of the branch cable 12 at the outlet, and further improving mounting 30 efficiency. 2026202835   05 Aug 2026

[0080] Finally, it should be noted that those skilled in the art will easily come up with other embodiments of the present invention after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. The present invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptive changes of the present invention, and these variations, uses, or adaptive changes 5 follow the general principles of the present invention and include common general knowledge or customary technical means in the art not disclosed in the present invention, and are not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompany drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A branching device, applicable to a composite cable, wherein the composite cable comprises a main cable and a branch cable branching from one end of the main cable, a junction between the main cable and the branch cable is defined as a branching portion; and 5 the branching device comprises:a housing, comprising a first end and a second end provided opposite to each other, wherein a mounting channel penetrating through the first end and the second end is provided inside the housing, and the mounting channel is configured to accommodate the branching portion;10        a branch assembly, connected to the first end of the housing, and configured to allow thebranch cable to penetrate through and enclose a gap between the housing and the branch cable;a protective shell sleeved on a periphery of the first end and protruding relative to the first end, so that the protective shell covers part of the branch cable located outside the 15 housing; anda limiting assembly, located inside the mounting channel, and configured to limit a position of the main cable and connected to the housing, wherein the limiting assembly comprises:a first limiting member sleeved on the main cable, wherein an outer surface of the first20 limiting member is provided with a clamping block, an inner surface of the housing is provided with a positioning groove, and the clamping block is inserted into the positioning groove; and optionallya second limiting member fixedly provided on the inner surface of the housing and configured to abut against the main cable.25        2. The branching device according to claim 1, wherein a Shore hardness of the protectiveshell is greater than a Shore hardness of the housing, and a difference between the Shore hardness of the protective shell and the Shore hardness of the housing is 10-25.2026202835   05 Aug 20263. The branching device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a first sub-housing and a second sub-housing which are provided opposite to each other in a radial direction, the first sub-housing and the second sub-housing are detachably connected, and jointly define the mounting channel;the protective shell comprises a first sub-protective shell and a second sub-protective shell provided opposite to each other in a radial direction, and the first sub-protective shell is detachably connected to the second sub-protective shell.

4. The branching device according to claim 3, wherein a protrusion is formed at a joint of the first sub-housing and the second sub-housing, a recess is formed at a joint of the first sub-protective shell and the second sub-protective shell, and the protrusion is embedded into the recess.

5. The branching device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the branch assembly comprises:a mounting disc and a plurality of branch pipes provided on the mounting disc, wherein the mounting disc is connected to the housing and is configured to close the gap between the housing and the branch cable; and each branch pipe provides communication between the mounting channel and an exterior of the housing, and is configured to allow a corresponding branch cable to penetrate through.

6. The branching device according to claim 5, wherein a mounting slot is provided on an 20 inner surface of the housing, and the mounting disc is clamped to the mounting slot.

7. The branching device according to claim 5 or claim 6, further comprising:a plurality of insulation sleeves, wherein each insulation sleeve is configured to correspondingly sleeve the branch cable, and is inserted into the branch pipe.

8. The branching device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a 25 sealing member for sealing a gap between the second end and the main cable; and / or,the housing is provided with a grounding member for grounding; and / or,an outer surface of the housing is provided with an anti-slip groove.152026202835   05 Aug 20269. A composite cable structure, comprising a main cable and a branch cable branching from one end of the main cable, a junction between the main cable and the branch cable being defined as a branching portion; and further comprising the branching device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, provided at the branching portion.5        10. The composite cable structure according to claim 9, further comprising:a sealing and filling layer, which is provided in the mounting channel and wraps the branching portion.

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