EP1380037A2

EP1380037A2 - Multi conductor arrangement for transferring energy and/or data

Info

Publication number: EP1380037A2
Application number: EP02737794A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robert Greiner; Toni Kress; Manfred OCHSENKÜHN
Original assignee: Siemens AG
Current assignee: Siemens AG
Priority date: 2001-04-20
Filing date: 2002-04-15
Publication date: 2004-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 2022-04-15
Also published as: US6881903B2; US20050006133A1; WO2002086914A2; DE50208650D1; EP1380037B1; WO2002086914A3; DE10119653C1

Abstract

The invention relates to a multi conductor (L) arrangement for transferring energy and/or data. Said system contains a plurality of conductor elements (1i) respectively comprising a conductor (1A) which is surrounded by an insulation (2) and an insulating sleeve (3), said conductor elements being mechanically connected to each other. Means (12) for contacting the conductive elements are also provided. According to the invention, the system is provided with a flexible tubular or pipe-shaped support (10) made of an insulating material having a maximum thickness (D) of 1 mm, the conductive elements (1I) are arranged on the inside wall of said support, and the insulating sleeves (3) of said conductive elements have a respective thickness (d) which is at the most equal to the thickness (D) of the support. A thermoplastic elastomer is preferably used as an insulating material.

Description

description

Multi-conductor arrangement for energy and / or data transmission

The invention relates to a multi-conductor arrangement for energy and / or data transmission with a plurality of conductor elements, each of which has a metallic conductor core with core insulation and also an insulating sheath and is mechanically connected to one another. Means for contacting the conductor elements are also present.

In the electrical connection of various end consumers such as motors, actuators, sensors or actuators, conductor arrangements or systems for energy transmission and / or for data transmission in flat construction, which are also referred to as energy bus systems or data bus lines, are often used at the moment. These conductor arrangements are usually designed as multi / multi-core, rubber or plastic insulated flat cables. The conductor arrangements are generally insulated twice, namely each transmission conductor forming a conductor element individually and the entire system as a whole. In the case of known energy bus systems, the layer thicknesses for the insulating sheaths of the individual conductor elements are currently more than 0.8 mm, while a jacket insulation of the entire line is more than 1.2 mm thick.

Such a construction of such a multi-conductor arrangement leads to a number of difficulties: a) Due to the relatively large wall thicknesses, complex

Contacting mechanisms are designed and provided. This leads to time-consuming contacting. In addition, the rigidity of the product is very high with relatively little flexibility. This entails problems with laying and small bending radii. b) The flat construction leads to relatively cost-intensive and time-consuming installation mechanisms, for example Wall breakthroughs or entries in control cabinets. Because there must be slot feedthroughs with a size adapted to the flat construction. c) In the case of a plated-through hole, for example by means of an insulation displacement technique known per se, relatively high layer thicknesses must be penetrated; This means that high forces must be applied accordingly. Furthermore, extremely narrow tolerances in the position of the individual conductor elements with respect to one another must be observed in corresponding bus lines, so that the plated-through hole detects the respective conductor element in the center. d) Due to the flat design, bends are largely only possible over the flat edge. Edgewise bending is practically impossible because the so-called aspect ratio (width to thickness of the bus system) is very large. For example, in a known rubber-insulated flat cable with seven conductor elements with a cross section of 4 mm ^2, the ratio of width to thickness is approximately 5 to 1. e) When using corresponding flat cables in the North American market, the conductor arrangement - also in the form of a flat cable - must comply with UL / CSA are pulled through a pipe for protection reasons. This is extremely expensive for flat cables.

Because of the aforementioned difficulties, known flat cables are mainly used on straight connecting lines or with relatively large bending radii. The cables are cut at the end consumer, individually stripped and contacted there.

The object of the present invention is therefore to provide a multi-conductor arrangement with the features mentioned at the outset, in which the difficulties mentioned above are at least reduced.

This object is achieved with the measures specified in claim 1. Accordingly, the multiple Conductor arrangement for energy and / or data transmission with a plurality of conductor elements, each having a metallic conductor core with a core insulation and also an insulating sheath and mechanically connected to one another, and with means for contacting the conductor elements, the following features, namely a tubular or tubular Carrier made of insulating material with a thickness of at most 1 mm, as well as - several conductor elements arranged on the inside of the carrier, the insulating envelopes of which each have a thickness which is at most equal to the thickness of the carrier.

The advantages associated with this configuration of the multi-conductor arrangement can be seen, in particular, in the fact that the design of a bus system (energy bus / data bus) in thin-layer insulation and circular construction can significantly simplify the laying of the bus system. Instead of elaborate slot openings in masonry or complicated plug-in systems in control cabinets, the new multi-conductor arrangement can now be laid using simple and quick-to-perform round holes. The conductor arrangement can be laid just as easily as a normal round cable. Due to the significantly lower rigidity of the multi-conductor arrangement in round construction, relatively small bending radii can also be achieved during laying work.

In contrast to the previously used conductor arrangements in flat construction, the implementation of the arrangement according to the invention in thin-film technology leads to a significant reduction in the wall thickness of the insulation of the individual conductor elements and to jacket insulation serving as a support.

In addition, the thin-film insulation provided enables easier and more reliable contacting, especially when using modern through-connection techniques such as insulation displacement technology, since the forces for penetration are now lower of carrier jacket and conductor element insulation must be applied. Furthermore, the contact can be made in the center of the respective conductor element in a simple manner.

Lower wall thicknesses also result in advantages in the consumption of insulation materials and the associated savings in costs and weight, as well as smaller dimensions in the logistic area when larger quantities of the multi-conductor arrangement are provided. Due to the smaller wall thicknesses, the fire load also decreases significantly in the event of a fire.

Advantageous embodiments of the multi-conductor arrangement according to the invention emerge from the dependent claims.

For example, the material of the carrier and the material of the envelopes of the conductor elements can be fused together on the inside of the carrier in the area of adjoining surface parts. Such a type of fastening of the conductor elements can be achieved by a suitable choice of material for the carrier material and the covering material. These parts of the conductor arrangement are preferably fixed in such a way that the sheaths and the carrier jacket are produced in a common method step, for example in the context of an extrusion process.

In addition, the choice of material for the sheathing material and wire insulation material can be carried out in such a way that the conductor wires covered with the wire insulation are at least partially movable in their respective sheath (in particular in the longitudinal direction with respect to the inside of the sheath). This ensures a high degree of flexibility of the conductor arrangement.

Furthermore, it is considered to be particularly advantageous if the insulating material of the coverings of the conductor elements and / or of the carrier is a thermoplastic elastomer. Such materials can be made using technology known per se the specified thin walls can be used. They have good flexibility and also enable a good mechanical connection between the carrier and the coated conductor elements, preferably by jointly forming the carrier and the coatings.

In addition to the conductor elements for energy and / or data transmission, additional (auxiliary) lines can advantageously be accommodated in the interior enclosed by the carrier. In addition to the energy lines, additional data lines, auxiliary power lines (e.g. for low-voltage voltages) or hollow wires for gaseous (e.g. compressed air) and / or liquid media (e.g. hydraulic fluid) can be integrated into the conductor arrangement. The result is a multimedia line. The wall thicknesses of the additional hollow cores can be designed to be stronger according to the requirements. Optical fibers can also run in the interior, which are advantageously to be laid protected by the support acting as a jacket.

Further advantageous refinements of the multi-conductor arrangement can be found in the subclaims not mentioned above.

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments. 1 to 4 of the drawing each show schematically in cross section an embodiment of a multi-conductor arrangement according to the invention, in particular as a multimedia line in the closed state (parts a) and separated state (parts b).

In the figures, li is designated with single-core or multi-core conductor elements, 1A conductor cores, 2 core insulations of these conductor elements,

3 conductor element envelopes,

4 hollow cores, 5 optical fibers,

6 a marking element,

7 an opening aid,

8 a contacting aid, 9j single or multi-core conductor elements,

10 a carrier,

11 a carrier interior,

12 contact pins,

13 connection areas, 14 free surface areas of the envelopes,

L conductor arrangements (in closed round form),

L 'conductor arrangements (in the separated state), δ the thickness of the wire insulation, d the thickness of the conductor element sheathing and

D the thickness of the beam.

Parts a of the figures each show the cross section through the multi-conductor arrangement forming a round conductor with a closed jacket-like carrier 10, while parts b of the figures each show at least partially the round conductor, for example, which is cut in an end region. In this case, a plurality of conductor elements li or 9] are firmly connected to the jacket-like carrier 10 of the multi-conductor arrangements designated in parts a with L and in parts b with L 'on the inside of the carrier. The corresponding fixation takes place between the material of the element coverings 3 and the material of the carrier 10. In a preferred embodiment, which is based on the figures below, the carrier and the coverings consist of the same material. With this material, the carrier 10 and the envelopes 3 can advantageously be formed simultaneously in a single process step, such as in particular an extrusion step, using an appropriate tool. However, other types of fastening for the conductor elements li or 9j, such as a subsequent adhesive technique or a fusion technique in connection areas 13, are also possible. These areas will be hereinafter also referred to as cladding web areas, while the free surface areas of the envelopes 3 outside of these connection areas are designated by 14.

The conductor wires 1A are known metallic wires, which can also be composed of a plurality of conductors or filaments, which are stranded together or otherwise bundled together. These conductor cores are each sheathed in a known manner with core insulation 2 with a thickness δ which should at most be equal to the thickness d of the element sheath 3 surrounding them. The material of the wire insulation can be different from that of the sheath. The conductor wires 1A with their insulations 2 are prefabricated before they are provided with their sheaths 3.

From parts b, the individual conductor elements li and 9j can be seen in each case contacted with a contact pin 12 using insulation displacement technology. For contacting, namely, the conductor arrangement, for example separated at one end, generally designated L ¹ , can be placed in the flat or semicircular, module-like contacting aid 8, the channel-like openings of which are matched to the respective conductor shape or size or diameter. The support 10 or support tube equipped with the conductor elements is separated in the longitudinal direction of the tube in a manner known per se using suitable means. For example, the carrier can be provided with a connecting part which is detachable in the circumferential direction. A corresponding predetermined breaking point can either be visually recognizable by means of a marking generally referred to as opening aid 7 - for example by a different coloring of the support - or be designed in a constructive manner - for example by means of a small groove or elevation. In the embodiments shown, it is visibly present on the outside of the carrier 10. There the round conductor forming the conductor arrangement L is cut open and fixed as a flat or semicircular line L ¹ in the module-like contacting aid 8. Then, preferably using insulation displacement technology, contact can be made either from above (see FIGS. 1b, 3b and 4b) or, if appropriate, from below (see FIG. 2b). In order to be able to make clear contact with the individual conductor elements, at least one marking must be present on them or on the carrier 10. Such a marking can be realized per se by differently colored envelopes 3 of the individual conductor elements li or 9j. However, a special marking element can also be provided, with respect to which the position of the individual conductor elements is unambiguous. The figures each show a corresponding exemplary embodiment in their part b. Accordingly, the marking element 6, which forms a mechanical coding, is located on the inside of the carrier 10, for example in the form of an additional web at the predetermined breaking point. In this way, there is only one possibility for fixing the conductor arrangement L 'in its separated area in the contacting aid 8. Confusion when connecting the individual conductor elements becomes impossible. When contacting by means of insulation displacement technology, there is a further advantage that the individual conductor elements li or 9j are connected to one another by a one-sided (carrier) sheath-bridge construction and the insulation of the conductor elements in the non-bridge region 14 once again can be made significantly thinner than in the jacket-web area 13.

When contacting from below, as can be seen from part b of FIG. 2, comparatively less insulating material has to be penetrated. Since the individual conductor elements have a high degree of mobility due to the special one-sided sheath-bridge construction, it is possible to work with significantly higher tolerances in the position of the conductor elements relative to one another. Nevertheless, the contact is always made in the center of the conductor element via the guides in the module-like contacting aid 8. The direct contacting of the required outgoing lines on the contacting pins 12 also reduces any heat loss. In contrast to the bus systems used hitherto, the implementation of the conductor arrangement according to the invention in thin-film technology leads to a significant reduction in the wall thickness of the insulation of the individual conductor elements li or 9j and the carrier insulation. In general, it should apply to multi-conductor arrangements according to the invention that the thickness D of the carrier sheath is at most 1 mm and the thickness d of the envelopes 3 is at most as great. A value of at most should also be used for the thickness δ of the wire insulation 2

1 mm can be selected. The layer thickness δ of the wire insulation can advantageously be between 0.05 and 0.5 mm and is preferably 0.1 to 0.3 mm. In contrast, the layer thickness D (= wall thickness) of the carrier jacket insulation in the jacket / web area 13 is between 0.5 and 1 mm, preferably between 0.6 and 0.8 mm, while in the non-web area it is between 0.1 and 0.5 mm, preferably between 0.2 and 0.4 mm.

The small layer thicknesses are preferably achieved by using known flexible insulating materials based on thermoplastic elastomers (TBE), which can have a property profile that corresponds to the respective requirement profile. For the insulating materials to be chosen advantageously for the conductor elements and the carrier sheath, these are preferably thermoplastic elastomers based on polyolefins (TPE-O), polyamides (TPE-A), polyurethanes (TPE-U), styrene copolymers (TPE-S). , Styrene / butadiene / styrene block polymers (S / B / S), styrene / ethylene-butylene / styrene block polymers (S / EB / S) and ethylene-vinyl acetate (E / V / A). In principle, however, it is also possible to choose other conventional insulation materials such as other thermoplastics or rubber-like materials instead of these elastomers.

The thermoplastic elastomers that are preferably used can be processed significantly more efficiently in an extrusion process compared to the materials previously used, in particular those based on rubber, since now, for example, an additional Rather, there is no networking step and comparatively higher production speeds can be achieved. Since the above-mentioned thermoplastic elastomers are non-crosslinked and halogen-free, flame-retardant, problem-free recycling must also be ensured. Compared to known bus lines based on cross-linked, partially halogenated rubber compounds, the conductor arrangement according to the invention is characterized by a high level of environmental friendliness.

A smooth outer contour of the carrier 10 also ensures easy cleaning. This is particularly important for applications in the food sector. A smooth outer contour also enables the use of conventional screw connections, which in turn enables a high degree of protection (> IP 67) to be achieved as standard.

In principle, two manufacturing variants for conductor arrangements according to the invention are to be realized, namely

1. the illustrated version of a closed round cable with predetermined breaking point in one production step,

2. the extrusion of the line in the described one-sided jacket-web construction using thin-film technology in a flat or semicircular design. In this version, a mechanical connection device in the manner of a “zipper system” can be integrated in the construction in the longitudinal direction of the arrangement. In a second step after the extrusion, the conductor arrangement is then transferred into the round cable using this zipper.

Depending on the embodiment, there is a cavity or channel in the interior 11 of the round construction of the conductor arrangement L, in which further lines can be laid. When using an energy bus, for example, there is the possibility of installing additional sensitive data lines such as fiber optic cable 5 in a protected manner. Hollow cores 4 for guiding gaseous substances such as compressed air and / or liquid Media such as hydraulic fluid can optionally be integrated into the conductor arrangement (see FIG. 3).

The multi-conductor arrangement according to the invention can be designed for all common conductor cross sections of its conductor elements or their conductor cores, mainly those with a cross section of 1.5 or 2.5 or 4 or 6 mm ² . In this case, according to the embodiment according to FIG. 4, different conductor cross sections of conductor elements li or 9j can also be combined with one another in a conductor arrangement L.

According to a specific embodiment of a multi-conductor arrangement according to FIG. 1, each conductor core 1A of its five conductor elements 1 is formed from one or more Cu conductors, each conductor core having a metallic cross-sectional area of

4 mm ² . The conductor wire of each of the five elements is surrounded by a tubular wire insulation 2 with a thickness δ between 0.1 and 0.3 mm. This wire insulation in turn is covered by a sheath 3 made of thermoplastic elastomer insulation material with a thickness d of at most 0.5 mm. The insulating (outer) jacket of the carrier 10, which also consists of the thermoplastic elastomer material of the envelopes 3, has a thickness D between 0.5 and 0.8 mm. The outer diameter of the carrier is then about 14 mm.

Furthermore, the figures were based only on embodiments of multi-conductor arrangements L and L 'with conductor elements li and 9j, the core insulation 2 of which is firmly enclosed by the material of the respective element covering 3. In the case of multi-conductor arrangements according to the invention, however, such a fixing of the conductor cores surrounded by the wire insulation is not absolutely necessary within the envelopes. A suitable choice of material for the wire insulation and the sheathings can in fact at least partially prevent such a firm connection between these parts during the manufacture of the multi-conductor arrangement. It follows the advantage of increased mobility / displaceability of the conductor cores and thus improved flexibility of the overall structure of the multi-conductor arrangement.

Claims

claims

1. Multi-conductor arrangement for energy and / or data transmission with a plurality of conductor elements, each having a metallic conductor core with a core insulation and also an insulating sheath and mechanically connected to one another, and with means for contacting the conductor elements, characterized by a tubular or tubular support (10) made of insulating material with a thickness (D) of at most one millimeter, as well as several conductor elements (left, 9j) arranged on the inside of the support (10), the insulating sheaths (3) of which each have a thickness (d) which is at most equal to the thickness (D) of the carrier (10).

2. Multi-conductor arrangement according to claim 1, so that the material of the sheaths (3) of the conductor elements (li, 9j) and that of the carrier (10) are fused together.

3. Multi-conductor arrangement according to claim 1, so that the conductor wires (1A) sheathed with the wire insulation (2) are at least partially movable in the respective sheath (3).

4. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, so that means for separating the carrier (10) equipped with the conductor elements (li, 9i) are provided in predetermined carrier regions.

5. Multi-conductor arrangement according to claim 4, characterized - characterized by a detachable connection in the circumferential direction of the carrier (10).

6. Multi-conductor arrangement according to claim 4 or 5, g e k e n n z e i c h n e t by an opening aid (7) at the separation point.

7. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, g e k e n n z e i c h n e t by marking the individual conductor elements (li, 9j).

8. Multi-conductor arrangement according to claim 7, g e k e n n - z e i c h n e t by differently colored envelopes (3) of the conductor elements (li, 9j).

9. Multi-conductor arrangement according to claim 7, by a predetermined position of the individual conductor elements (li, 9j) with respect to a marking element (6) at the separation point of the carrier (10).

10. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the insulating material of the sheaths (3) of the conductor elements (li, 9j) and / or the carrier (10) is a thermoplastic elastomer.

11. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, ie that additional lines (4, 5) are accommodated in the interior (11) enclosed by the carrier (10) in addition to the conductor elements (li, 9j) in the interior (11) enclosed by the carrier (10).

12. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, g e k e n n z e i c h n e t through the carrier (10), the sheaths (3) and the wire insulation (2) of the conductor elements (li, 9j) penetrating contact pins (12).

13. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a the conductor elements (left, 9j) in the separated state of the carrier (10) fixing, modular contacting aid (8).

14. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, due to a thickness (D) of the carrier (10) between 0.5 and 0.8 mm.

15. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, d a d u r c h g e k e n n z e i c h n e t that the thickness (δ) of the wire insulation (2) is at most equal to the thickness (d) of the respective sheath (3).

16. Multi-conductor arrangement according to claim 15, g e k e n n z e i c h n e t by a thickness (δ) of the wire insulation (2) of the conductor elements (li, 9j) between 0.05 and 0.5 mm, preferably between 0.1 and 0.3 mm.

17. Multi-conductor arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, g e k e n n z e i c h n e t by conductor elements (li, 9j) which have a plurality of wires or filaments enclosed by a common wire insulation (2).