A data transmission cable for connection to mobile devices includes at least two insulated conductors twisted into a pair, in which the pair is enclosed by an electric shield over which a jacket of insulating material is applied.
Such data transmission cables—hereinafter referred to as “cables” for short—are intended for use as flexible cables for connecting mobile devices with a voltage or signal source. Such devices can be, for example, cranes, machine tools and robots. The cables must withstand high mechanical loads and their bending and torsional strength must remain constant over an indefinite period of time. They must also remain flexible over a wide range of temperatures, for example −40° to +80° C. The elements of these cables must further be constructed in such a way that the transmission of data at increased data rates is not affected. This applies, in particular, to data rates greater than 100 Mbit/sec. In addition to the lowest possible attenuation of the data to be transmitted, adequate electric shielding is also required so that external fields do not influence the data transmission and so that a cable of this type does not emit interfering radiation.
In conventional, commercially available cables, the conductors are insulated with a foamed material so as to obtain the lowest possible dielectric constant. Although this is useful electrically, it has a negative effect on the mechanical and thus also the electrical properties of such a cable. The foamed insulation materials with wall thicknesses ranging around 0.2 mm are relatively soft and can easily be compressed if subjected to frequently alternating bending and torsional stresses. The cables are further shielded by a copper wire braid, which as a rule has sufficient electric density at higher frequencies or data rates to prevent passive or active interference with the cables. Such a shield is not suitable, however, for cables in robotic applications. It is easily destroyed by the frequently alternating bending and torsional stresses.
The object of the invention is to design the initially described cable in such a way as to ensure low attenuation and interference-free data transmission with effective shielding at data rates of up to and exceeding 100 Mbit/sec even with frequently alternating bending and torsional stresses.
This object is attained according to the invention by twisting the two conductors insulated with a solid unfoamed material together with two first strands made of a foamed insulating material to form a core, enclosing the core by a first foil made of foamed insulating material, and the shield formed around the first foil having at least one metal strip that is made of an electrically well-conducting material and is formed into a closed tubular sleeve.
In this cable, the conductors are insulated with a solid, unfoamed material. The insulation of the strands thus formed is therefore stable and cannot be compressed even if subject to constantly alternating bending and torsional stresses. A sufficiently low dielectric constant is obtained for each pair by the strands of foamed insulation material which are twisted together with the conductors and which also contribute to the increased stability and roundness of a pair and, further, by the first foil enclosing each pair, which is likewise made of a foamed insulating material. The shield, which is a closed metallic sleeve, ensures dense shielding even for the highest frequencies or data rates. The shield can be completed by stranded tin-plated copper wires, which support and thus stabilize the subjacent metal strip from the outside.
In a preferred embodiment, the closed tubular sleeve of the shield consists of two metal strips that are wound staggered on top of each other, with the outer metal strip covering the gaps of the inner metal strip. These two metal strips, which are wound so as to form gaps, result in an almost closed but nevertheless readily flexible, torsionally strong metal tube. Tin-plated copper wires can again be stranded over the outer metal strip.
Exemplary embodiments of the subject of the invention are depicted in the drawings, in which:
The cable shown in
In a preferred embodiment, the wires of the conductors 1 and 2 are litz wires. For the insulation 3 of the conductors 1 and 2, high density polyethylene or polypropylene is advantageously used. The insulation 3 can also consist of two firmly interconnected layers, namely a softer inner layer contacting the conductors and a harder outer layer surrounding the inner layer. The conductors 1 and 2 have, for example, a maximum outside diameter of 1.0 mm if they are to be used in conventional connector systems, e.g., RJ-45. The first strands 4 and 5 are preferably made of foamed polyethylene or polypropylene. For the first foil 6, foamed polytetrafluoroethylene is used in a preferred embodiment. This material ensures good electrical values. It also has good antifriction properties.
The core S, which consists of the conductors 1 and 2 and the first strands 4 and 5 and which is enclosed by the first foil 6, is mechanically stable. It can withstand frequently alternating bending and torsional stresses without damage. The core S nevertheless has good electrical properties since it includes a lot of air due to the first strands 4 and 5 and the first foil 6, which is made of a foamed material.
A shield 7, including at least one metal strip made of copper or tin-plated copper and formed into a closed tubular sleeve, is applied over the first foil 6. As shown in
The metal strips 8 and 9 in the embodiment of the shield 7 according to
The gaps 10 and 11 between the turns of the metal strips 8 and 9 should not be larger than 30% of the width of the two metal strips 8 and 9. This produces reliable coverage of the gap 10 by the outer metal strip 9, such that an overlap between the two metal strips 8 and 9 is preserved even if the cable is bent to an extreme degree.
Another embodiment of the shield 7 is shown in
The cable can also have two or more cores S. According to
The strands 20 and 21 can again be made of foamed polyethylene or polypropylene. The second foil 22 can again be made of foamed polytetrafluoroethylene.
To obtain the desired alternating bending strength and twistability of the cable with increased reliability, it is useful to strand or wind all the stranding elements—i.e., the conductors 1 and 2 as well as the strands 4 and 5—, the metal strips of the shield 7 and optionally the tin-plated copper wires 12 and 19 in the same direction. This also applies to the individual wires of the conductors if they are litz wires. In a preferred embodiment, all the cited structural elements of the cable are strand or wound at the same angle.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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103 03 809 | Jan 2003 | DE | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20040245009 A1 | Dec 2004 | US |