Patent Application
20100236812
1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to cable construction. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved LAN (Local Area Network) cables construction.
2. Related Art
In the field of cable construction, particularly LAN cables, ever advancing bandwidth requirements are requiring new and innovative ways to meet the desired testing requirements. For example, the cabling standard TIA 568-B.2-10 2008 defines augmented category 6 cabling (Cat 6a). This standard defines the parameters for running 10 Gigabit signaling over Cat 6a copper cable (for 10 GBASE-T). This standard specifies cabling performance to 500 MHz and includes certain performance specifications and test requirements for internal and Alien Crosstalk, among other electrical parameters.
Typically, in prior art arrangements shorter lay length pairs are used in multi-pair cables to reduce cross-talk. However, shorter lay lengths use more wire per length of cable, and thus there are limitations on how short the lay length can be in any given copper wire twisted pair. Therefore, it is ideal to have the longest lay length possible that meets the desired crosstalk threshold.
In addition to the crosstalk that occurs between pairs within the same sub-group (unit of 4 adjacent pairs), an additional type of interference occurs between twisted pairs of adjacent sub-groups (4 pairs groups) and between pairs of adjacent cables referred to as ALIEN crosstalk. Although crosstalk within a sub-group (4 adjacent pairs) is easier to manage because the lay lengths of the closest pairs can be tightly managed, ALIEN crosstalk is harder to mitigate within the cable itself due to the sub-group (unit of 4 adjacent pairs) proximity.
The ALIEN crosstalk is difficult to predict and mitigate since external cable conditions, such as the number of adjacent cables having the same twist rate from cable to cable; the distance between adjacent cables; longer pair lay length in adjacent cables; unknown lay lengths of twisted pairs in adjacent cables; etc. . . . , can not be easily predicted.
Regarding the application of Cat 6a standards, in particular, in the area of larger 24 twisted pair cables, several different options have been pursued in the prior art. For example, for UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pairs) cables, the 24-unshielded twisted pairs are bundled within the outer jacket into six 4 pair sub-cables, which together are Cat 6a, 10 GBASE-T compliant. Such an arrangement is shown in prior art
In another prior art arrangement in STP (Shielded Twisted Pairs) cables, to produce a 24 pair Cat 6a 10 GBASE-T compliant cable, the twisted pairs are disposed in two concentric layers, the inner having 9 pairs and the outer layer having 15 pairs. Each of these pairs is individually shielded. An example of this design is shown in prior art
However, in each prior art case, the construction arrangement used to make these cables Cat 6a 10 GBASE-T compliant have added significant size (diameter), weight and costs to the cables.
For example, the cable shown in
One such standard that these types of cables need to meet is the NEC (National Electric Code) fire safety standard for “Riser” rating, abbreviated—CMR. Cables designed as shown in
Likewise, the cable shown in
In each these two cases, although the cables meet the desired transmission performance ratings, the diameters, weight, cost and other poor design qualities of these cables make them unacceptable for many applications.
In view of these concerns outlined above, prior art cables have implemented many features necessary to meet various transmission performance standards, but in doing so have negatively impacted the traditional physical standards that cables must also meet.
The present invention overcomes the drawbacks associated with the prior art and provides a 24 twisted pair cable design that reduces ALIEN crosstalk between pairs of adjacent sub-groups (sub-unit of four pairs within a cable as well as ALIEN crosstalk between pairs in adjacently arranged cables. In one arrangement such a cable is cat 6a 10 GBASE-T compliant, while simultaneously being lighter, smaller, easier to produce, more flexible, and less expensive than prior designs. Moreover, a LAN cable according to the present invention may be CMR (riser), CMP (Plenum) CM (general-communication) and LSZH (Low-Smoke Zero Halogen) fire rated and concurrently well dimensioned for such riser usage.
To this end, the present invention provides for a cable that reduces ALIEN crosstalk between pairs of adjacent sub-groups while reducing the amount of electrical barriers (shielding) or physical spacing required to achieve desired crosstalk performance.
In one embodiment, a cable is provided at least a first layer of twisted pairs, having a combination of unshielded twisted pairs, and shielded twisted pairs and a at least a second layer of twisted pairs, having a combination of unshielded twisted pairs, and shielded twisted pairs.
The present invention can be best understood through the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:
In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in
Surrounding central filler tube 12 is an aluminum/polyester shielding tape 14, metal facing outwards. Layer 14 advantageously provides shielding between the inner layer pairs (described below) for improving cross talk performance. In one exemplary arrangement, tape 14 is a composite tape of 1 mil thickness polyester film with 1.5 mils of aluminum foil, applied longitudinally during the cabling process.
Around the aluminum/polyester shielded central tube 12, eight of the twenty four twisted pairs of cable 10 are arranged in a first twisted pair layer 16. These eight twisted pairs are labeled as elements 18a-18h. Instead of shielding each of pairs 18a-18h, as for example in prior art
As shown in
Around first pair layer 16 is an aluminum/polyester/aluminum wrapping 24. Over this wrapping is the second pair layer 26 including the remaining sixteen twisted pairs 18 of the twenty-four pair cable 10. As shown in
To obtain the required crosstalk performance between the 4-pair groups in cable 10, shielding of only a portion of the pairs was chosen. Although spacing can be used (as in prior art
The present arrangement uses a reduced number of shielded pairs, (six of the twenty four), placing them in strategic locations within the two layers 16 and 26 of cable 10 to have the greatest impact to the crosstalk performance. The other shielding 14 and 24 within cable 10 contacts the shields (20) on each of the pairs (18) creating envelopes of individually unshielded pairs resulting in an overall cable 10 which is smaller, weighs and cost less, and is easier to process and terminate.
Finally, over the outside of second twisted pair layer 26 a polymer jacket 28, preferably FRPVC, is applied, possibly by extrusion, to form the outer barrier for cable 10.
Thus cable 10, according to the above described design, provides a twenty four pair cat 6a 10 GBASE-T compliant LAN cable. This cable advantageously has a diameter that does not exceed 0.60″, preferably 0.550″, and is also CMR compliant. However, unlike the prior art, the design minimizes the use of shielding material (as opposed to prior art
In another arrangement, as shown in
As an exemplary arrangement,
It is noted that typical prior art constructions such as those shown in
While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes or equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. It is therefore, to be understood that this application is intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention.
