EP3020102B1 - Use of a cable for the transmission of audio signals - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a cable and the use of such a cable for the transmission of audio signals, in particular analog audio signals, the cable comprising: at least two conductors, a first connector at a first end of the cable for connecting the cable to a first device and a second connector at a second end of the cable for connecting the cable to a second device. The invention further relates to the use of a cable for the transmission of audio signals, the cable comprising the following: at least one conductor, at least one shield which shields the at least one conductor, at least one isolated ground connection, a first connector at a first end of the cable for Connecting the cable to a first device and a second connector to a second end of the cable for connecting the cable to a second device.

State of the art

In the context of the reproduction of sound signals, e.g. B. in the context of sound reinforcement in private or business premises, concert halls, etc., are among other things. transmit analog audio signals by means of electrical signals. For this purpose, inter alia. Low-frequency cables (LF cables) are used that connect, for example, playback devices ("sound sources") and amplifiers, as well as devices for influencing the sound, and loudspeaker cables that connect, for example, amplifiers to loudspeakers. Other cables with electrical conductors are used - as an alternative to fiber optics - for the transmission of digital audio signals.

The cables used for the transmission of audio signals, in particular analog audio signals, are of great importance for the sound quality. If cables with an unsuitable construction or with an insufficient cross-section are used, the sound quality is severely impaired.

Usually, shielded cables are used for the transmission of analog audio signals, which cables comprise several insulated strands which are surrounded by a shield. The strands are conductively connected to contacts on both connection pieces (e.g. plugs or sockets). The shield is conductively connected to the ground contact of at least one of the connection pieces.

the US2012 / 076342 A1 discloses a prior art cable used to transmit audio signals.

It has now been shown that in the context of conventional cables with such a structure, complex measures have to be taken in order to ensure reliable transmission of the audio signals and thus enable good sound.

Presentation of the invention

The object of the invention is to propose cables for the transmission of audio signals, in particular analog audio signals, which have a comparatively simple structure and enable good sound quality.

The solution to the problem is defined by the features of claim 1. According to the invention, at least two of the conductors are neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece. This means that even when the cable is fully connected, these at least two conductors are not conductively connected to either the first device connected to the cable or the second device connected to the cable (blind conductor).

In the context of the present explanations, the term “connector” is understood to mean the entirety of the connectors that a cable has at one of its ends. It can be a single-pole or multi-pole plug or a single-pole or multi-pole socket, but also several plugs or sockets or other elements that enable conductors of the cable to be electrically contacted from the outside. The cable can have differently wired and / or configured connection pieces at its two ends. In the simplest case, the connection pieces can also be formed simply by bare wire or stranded ends or tinned wire or stranded ends provided with another metal layer.

It has been shown that the structure according to the invention and the contacting according to the invention enable extremely good transmission of audio signals, in particular analog audio signals, both in the case of LF cables and speaker cables. This also in comparison with cables whose conductive cross section is significantly larger than that of the cables configured according to the invention. Since the conductive cross section actually provided by the cable remains unused within the scope of the invention, this finding is surprising.

In contrast to conventional approaches in which the most attention is paid to the choice of materials for the conductors, the invention proposes a novel circuit construction.

According to the invention, the cable has at least four conductors, with at least two of the at least four conductors creating two connections between the first connection piece and the second connection piece (e.g. "plus" and "minus" in the case of an asymmetrical connection). At least two further of the at least four conductors are also neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece.

According to the invention, the at least four conductors are now arranged without crossing over in the cable and the at least two conductors creating connections are separated from one another by at least one of the non-connected conductors. "Free of crossovers" means that the relative arrangement of the at least four conductors in the cable cross-section does not change over the entire length of the cable. A screw-like twisting of the conductor package is therefore possible, but not a change in the relative arrangement, i. H. z. B. the order of the ladder in a predetermined direction of rotation. It has been shown that the arrangement of the non-connected conductors between the connected conductors benefits the transmission quality.

The at least two conductors are advantageously isolated individually. This ensures that the conductors in the cable are continuously isolated from one another. In this case, if required, connections between several of the at least two conductors can be present in the area of one or both connection pieces or on the device side. Instead of separate insulation of the at least two conductors, the conductors can also be embedded, for example, in an insulation medium, or one of the conductors is insulated all around, while the other is routed without insulation adjacent to the insulated conductor.

In a particular embodiment, the cable is a cable for symmetrical signal transmission. The symmetrical transmission of audio signals takes place z. B. via at least three-core cables with XLR connectors. It enables interference-free transmission of signals even with longer transmission paths. It has now been shown that the use of cables according to the invention also has advantages for the transmission quality in the symmetrical transmission of audio signals, in particular in the context of analog LF cables.

A cable that can be used according to the invention for symmetrical signal transmission now comprises at least two signal conductors, at least one ground conductor and at least one conductor which is neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece. The two signal conductors carry the signal and a reference signal of opposite polarity.

A cable that can be used according to the invention for symmetrical signal transmission preferably comprises at least two signal conductors, at least one ground conductor and at least three conductors which are neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece. The two signal conductors carry the signal and a reference signal of opposite polarity. Advantageously, the signal conductors, the ground conductor and the three unconnected conductors are all twisted together; H. stranded together.

Furthermore, all conductors are advantageously arranged in the cable without crossing, and the at least two signal conductors and the ground conductor are separated from one another by at least one of the non-connected conductors.

The cable advantageously comprises a core made of non-conductive material and conductors contacting this core. The core enables a defined arrangement of the conductors surrounding it and ensures that conductors that are not adjacent along the circumference and are only separated by the insulation in between maintain a certain minimum distance. The core can, for example, made of plastic, e.g. B. PVC, PU or PE, or made of natural fibers (z. B. wool or silk).

The core can also be formed by a conductive material, in particular by a blind conductor, i.e. a conductor that is conductively connected neither to the first device connected to the cable nor to the second device connected to the cable, even when the cable is fully connected.

The cable advantageously includes a shield. This can reduce the influence of external interference signals.

In the case of the cable according to the invention, the shielding shields at least two conductors in particular. This is, for example, at least one blind conductor and at least one signal conductor.

The shield is preferably conductively connected at least to the first connection piece or to the second connection piece.

In an advantageous embodiment, the shielding is on the source side, i. H. in the direction of the sound source, conductively connected to the corresponding connector, but not to the connector facing away from the source.

In other embodiments, the shield is not conductively connected to either the first or the second connection piece.

Preferably, at least the first connection piece or the second connection piece comprises a plug which is pressed onto at least one of the conductors. It has been shown that better results can be achieved with a pressed-on connector in terms of transmission quality than with a soldered connector, because direct contact is created between the conductor and the connector. The plug is preferably made of copper and is gold-plated, silver-plated or rhodium-plated. Alternatively, the plug is made of solid silver or gold.

Alternatively, the conductors can also be connected to the corresponding contacts of the first or the second connection piece, for example, by a soldered connection.

At least one of the conductors is preferably formed by an insulated copper braid. All conductors are particularly preferably formed by insulated copper strands. Due to the skin effect, the use of litz wires for the transmission of alternating signals results in a higher effective conductive cross-section than when using wires with the same overall cross-section. Flexible and durable cables can also be produced using stranded wires. The transmission quality can be optimized if high quality oxygen-free copper ("oxygen-free copper", OFC) is used. However, contrary to prevailing opinion, this is not mandatory. Even when using commercially available copper, as it is, for. B. for cables for conducting electricity is used in the household network, very good transmission values result within the scope of the use according to the invention.

For the ladder, other materials such as. B. silver can be used. For the blind ladder, i.e. H. the conductors, which are conductively connected neither to the first device connected to the cable nor to the second device connected to the cable, even when the cable is fully connected, aluminum can also be used as conductor material, for example.

In a preferred embodiment, a first of the at least two conductors is designed as a wire and a second of the at least two conductors is designed as a stranded wire. Tests have shown that this combination can further improve the sound quality of the cables according to the invention.

When using wires, conductors that are directly provided with insulation are also preferred. They are easy to process (strand) and ensure that no short circuits occur. Alternatively, the conductors are embedded, for example, in a common insulation medium or spatially separated from one another by special spacers.

In a preferred embodiment, the conductor, which is neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece, is interrupted at at least one location along its length. It has been shown that in this way - depending on the application - a further improvement in the transmission quality can be achieved.

There can be several unconnected conductors that are broken at least once. The interruption does not have to be in the same place in the cable. The transmission characteristics of the cable can be influenced by the choice of the number of interruptions, their length and their mutual arrangement.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which the cable is used in particular to supply signals to loudspeakers, the cable comprises a first partial cable and a second partial cable, both of which are accommodated in a common sheath. The first partial cable and the second partial cable each comprise at least two conductors, at least one of the two conductors being neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece. Each sub-cable therefore includes at least one blind conductor.

Advantageously, the first part cable and the second part cable each have their own shield, which shields the at least two conductors of the respective part cable. This minimizes the mutual influence of the two sub-cables.

The first part cable and the second part cable are also preferably twisted with one another. In particular, this results in improved mechanical properties of the cable made up of two partial cables.

The two sub-cables are connected in particular to the first and the second connection piece in such a way that a first polarity (e.g. the actual audio signal) exclusively through the first sub-cable and a second polarity (e.g. the ground) exclusively through the second sub-cable be guided. This minimizes any mutual influencing of the signals of the two polarities.

1. a) mindestens einen Leiter;
2. b) mindestens eine Abschirmung, welche den mindestens einen Leiter abschirmt;
3. c) mindestens eine isolierte Masseverbindung;
4. d) ein erstes Anschlussstück an einem ersten Ende des Kabels zum Anschliessen des Kabels an ein erstes Gerät;
5. e) ein zweites Anschlussstück an einem zweiten Ende des Kabels zum Anschliessen des Kabels an ein zweites Gerät;
   wobei
6. f) die Abschirmung höchstens mit einem der beiden Anschlussstücke leitend verbunden ist; und
7. g) die Masseverbindung ausserhalb der Abschirmung geführt ist.

In an alternative example not falling under the subject matter of the claims, use can be made of a cable comprising:

1. a) at least one conductor;
2. b) at least one shield which shields the at least one conductor;
3. c) at least one isolated ground connection;
4. d) a first connector at a first end of the cable for connecting the cable to a first device;
5. e) a second connector at a second end of the cable for connecting the cable to a second device;
   whereby
6. f) the shield is conductively connected to at most one of the two connection pieces; and
7. g) the ground connection is routed outside the shield.

The ground connection is therefore not made via the shielding of the shielded cable, but rather via the ground connection running outside the shield. This configuration is particularly suitable for LF device cables. When a signal source is connected to an amplifier, the shield is preferably connected to the signal source, but not to the amplifier. It has been shown that these measures can also significantly increase the transmission quality for audio signals.

Again, in contrast to the usual approaches, a new or special material is not chosen for the conductors, but a different circuit structure is used.

In a preferred embodiment, the ground connection is guided in an insulation of the cable. The cable appears as a unit, but from a functional point of view it actually consists of two cables, namely the shielded signal cable and the ground cable running parallel to it, which runs outside the shielding of the signal cable. The common insulation has the additional task of leading the two cables at a certain distance and simplifying handling.

As an alternative to this, the ground connection is a completely separate cable, which is only led into the corresponding connection pieces at its ends together with the signal cable (which comprises the at least one conductor).

• ein erstes Zwischenstück, welches sich an ein erstes Gerät anschliessen lässt und an welches ein erstes Anschlussstück eines Kabels anschliessbar ist;
• ein zweites Zwischenstück, welches sich an ein zweites Gerät anschliessen lässt und an welches ein zweites Anschlussstück des Kabels anschliessbar ist;
• eine isolierte Masseverbindung, welche einen Massekontakt des ersten Zwischenstücks mit einem Massekontakt des zweiten Zwischenstücks verbindet;

wobei mindestens eines der Zwischenstücke derart ausgebildet ist, dass es auch bei darin eingestecktem Kabel und bei eingestecktem Zwischenstück keine Masseverbindung zwischen dem entsprechenden Gerät und dem Kabel schafft.An adapter cable can be used in conjunction with the separate ground connection. This includes

• a first intermediate piece which can be connected to a first device and to which a first connecting piece of a cable can be connected;
• a second intermediate piece which can be connected to a second device and to which a second connection piece of the cable can be connected;
• an isolated ground connection which connects a ground contact of the first intermediate piece to a ground contact of the second intermediate piece;

wherein at least one of the intermediate pieces is designed in such a way that it does not create a ground connection between the corresponding device and the cable even when the cable is plugged in and the intermediate piece is inserted.

The ground connection is preferably interrupted in one of the intermediate pieces, but carried out in the other intermediate piece. The intermediate piece with an interrupted ground connection is then advantageously plugged into the device remote from the signal source. Together with the adapter cable, a customary (and possibly already present), in particular shielded, cable can be used, which continues to serve as a signal conductor.

Further advantageous embodiments and combinations of features of the invention emerge from the following detailed description and the entirety of the patent claims.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1

Eine erste Ausführungsform eines zur erfindungsgemässen Übertragung von Tonsignalen geeigneten Kabels;

Fig. 2

eine zweite Ausführungsform eines zur erfindungsgemässen Übertragung von Tonsignalen geeigneten Kabels;

Fig. 3

eine dritte Ausführungsform einer zur erfindungsgemässen Übertragung von Tonsignalen geeigneten Kabelkombination

Fig. 4

eine vierte Ausführungsform eines zur erfindungsgemässen Übertragung von Tonsignalen geeigneten Kabels;

Fig. 5

eine fünfte Ausführungsform eines zur erfindungsgemässen Übertragung von Tonsignalen geeigneten Kabels; und

Fig. 6

eine sechste Ausführungsform eines zur erfindungsgemässen Übertragung von Tonsignalen geeigneten Kabels.

The drawings used to explain the exemplary embodiment show:

Fig. 1

A first embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention;

Fig. 2

a second embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention;

Fig. 3

a third embodiment of a cable combination suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention

Fig. 4

a fourth embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention;

Fig. 5

a fifth embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention; and

Fig. 6

a sixth embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention.

In principle, the same parts are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures.

Ways of Carrying Out the Invention

the Figure 1 shows a cross section through a first embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention. The cable 10 is particularly suitable for asymmetrical transmission of audio signals. It comprises a core 11 made of an insulating plastic material and four insulated copper strands 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4 surrounding the core. Their cross-section is 6 mm ² each. The strands are stranded with the core, ie they run without crossing over along a helical line around the core. The strands and the core are jointly surrounded by a shield 13, which is made as a braid made of suitable metal, e.g. B. made of tinned copper wire is formed. As an alternative or in addition, the shield 13 can also comprise a film. The entire cable 10 is externally covered by a suitable insulation 14 made of, for. B. plastic such as PVC, PU or PE, which forms the cable sheath.

One of two diagonally opposite copper strands 12.1, 12.3 is to the positive pole, the other to the negative pole of the connector (z. B. Cinch plug) or to separate plugs (z. B. "banana plug") for the plus and connected to the negative pole. The further copper strands 12.2, 12.4, which are also opposite one another and which are arranged between the connected conductors, are not connected with plugs, but rather end in particular where the insulation 14 also ends. The shield 13 is connected at one cable end or at both cable ends to the ground pole of the respective connector. The plugs have contact and connecting parts made of gold-plated (or otherwise refined) copper and are pressed (forged) onto the stripped copper strands 12.1, 12.3.

the Figure 2 shows a cross section through a second embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention. The cable 20 is particularly suitable for the symmetrical transmission of audio signals. It includes a core 21 made of an insulating plastic material and seven insulated copper strands 22.1 ... 22.7 surrounding the core, each with a cross section of 1.5 mm ² . The strands are stranded with the core, ie they run without crossing over along a helical line around the core. The strands and the core are jointly surrounded by a sheath 25, this in turn by a shield 23, which is designed as a braid made of tinned copper wire. As an alternative or in addition, the shield 23 can also comprise a film. The entire cable 20 is externally covered by an insulation 24 made of, for. B. plastic such as PVC, PU or PE, which forms the cable sheath.

Three non-adjacent copper strands 22.1, 22.3 and 22.5 are either connected to the positive, negative or ground poles of the connecting plugs (e.g. XLR plugs) or to separate plugs (e.g. "banana plugs") for the three Poles connected. The other copper strands 22.2, 22.4, 22.6, 22.7, which are arranged between the connected conductors, are not connected with plugs, but end in particular where the insulation 24 also ends. The shield 23 is connected at one cable end or at both cable ends to the ground pole of the respective plug. The plugs have contact and connecting parts made of gold-plated (or otherwise refined) copper and are pressed (forged) onto the stripped copper strands 22.1, 22.3, 22.5.

the Figure 3 shows a cross section through a third embodiment of a cable combination suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention. The combination is particularly suitable for asymmetrical transmission of audio signals. It comprises a signal cable 30 with a core 31 made of an insulating plastic material and four insulated copper strands 32.1, 32.2, 32.3, 32.4 surrounding the core. The strands are stranded with the core, ie they run without crossing over along a helical line around the core. The strands and the core are jointly surrounded by a shield 33, which is designed as a braid made of tinned copper wire. As an alternative or in addition, the shield 33 can also comprise a film. The entire signal cable 30 is externally covered by an insulation 34 made of plastic, e.g. B. PVC, PU or PE, which forms the cable sheath.

Two diagonally opposite copper strands 32.1, 32.3 are jointly connected to the positive pole of the connector (e.g. cinch connector) or to a separate connector (e.g. "banana plug") connected for the positive pole. The further copper strands 32.2, 32.4, which are also opposite one another and which are arranged between the connected conductors, are not connected with plugs, but rather end in particular where the insulation 34 also ends. The shield 33 is connected at one end of the cable to the ground pole of the respective plug, but not at the other end of the cable. The cable end with the connected shielding is advantageously plugged in on the signal source side. The plugs have contact and connection parts made of gold-plated copper and are pressed (forged) onto the stripped copper strands 32.1, 32.3.

The cable combination also has an earth cable 36, which is made up of a copper braid 37 and an insulation 38 surrounding it. The cross section of the copper braid 37 corresponds approximately to the sum of the cross sections of the copper braids 32.1, 32.3. The ground cable 36 is routed separately from the signal cable 30 and connected at both ends to the ground pole of the respective plug or to a separate ground plug.

the Figure 4 shows a cross section through a fourth embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention. The cable 40 is particularly suitable for the asymmetrical transmission of audio signals. It comprises a core 41 made of an insulating plastic material and four insulated copper strands 42.1, 42.2, 42.3, 42.4 surrounding the core. The strands are stranded with the core, ie they run without crossing over along a helical line around the core. The strands and the core are jointly surrounded by a shield 43, which is designed as a braid made of tinned copper wire. As an alternative or in addition, the shield 43 can also comprise a film. The shielded strands 42.1 ... 4 are in an insulation 44 made of, for. B. plastic such as PVC, PU or PE added, which forms the cable sheath. A ground conductor 47, which is arranged outside the shielding 43 of the copper strands 42.1... 4, is also received in the insulation 44.

Two diagonally opposite copper strands 42.1, 42.3 are connected together to the positive pole of the connecting plug (e.g. cinch plug) or to a separate plug (e.g. "banana plug") for the positive pole. The other, likewise opposite copper strands 42.2, 42.4, which are located between the connected conductors are arranged, are not connected to plugs, but end in particular where the insulation 44 ends. The shielding 43 is connected at one end of the cable to the ground pole of the respective plug, but not at the other end of the cable. The cable end with the connected shielding is advantageously plugged in on the signal source side. The plugs have contact and connecting parts made of gold-plated (or otherwise refined) copper and are pressed (forged) onto the stripped copper strands 42.1, 42.3.

The ground conductor 47 is connected at both ends to the ground pole of the respective plug or to a separate ground plug.

the Figure 5 shows a cross section through a fifth embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention. It corresponds in many respects to the fourth embodiment. This cable 50 is also particularly suitable for the asymmetrical transmission of audio signals. It comprises a core 51 made of an insulating plastic material and four insulated copper strands 52.1, 52.2, 52.3, 52.4 surrounding the core. The strands are stranded with the core, ie they run without crossing over along a helical line around the core. The strands and the core are jointly surrounded by a shield 53, which is designed as a braid made of tinned copper wire. As an alternative or in addition, the shield 53 can also comprise a film. The shielded strands 52.1 ... 4 are in an insulation 54 made of z. B. plastic such as PVC, PU or PE added, which forms the cable sheath. Two ground conductors 57.1, 57.2, which are arranged opposite one another outside the shielding 53 of the copper strands 52.1... 4, are also received in the insulation 54.

Two diagonally opposite copper strands 52.1, 52.3 are jointly connected to the positive pole of the connecting plug (e.g. cinch plug) or to a separate plug (e.g. "banana plug") for the positive pole. The further copper strands 52.2, 52.4, which are also opposite one another and which are arranged between the connected conductors, are not connected with plugs, but rather end in particular where the insulation 54 also ends. The shield 53 is connected at one end of the cable to the ground pole of the respective plug, but not at the other end of the cable. With Advantageously, that end of the cable with connected shielding is plugged in on the signal source side. The plugs have contact and connecting parts made of gold-plated (or otherwise refined) copper and are pressed (forged) onto the stripped copper strands 52.1, 52.3.

The ground conductors 57.1, 57.2 are connected at both ends to the ground pole of the respective plug or to a separate ground plug.

the Figure 6 shows a sixth embodiment of a cable suitable for the transmission of audio signals according to the invention. The cable 60 is particularly suitable for controlling loudspeakers and connects, for example, an (end) amplifier to a loudspeaker. It comprises two subcables 60a, 60b that run in parallel. Each of the subcables contains seven copper strands 62.1a ... 62.7a; 62.1b ... 62.7b with a cross section of 4.0 mm ² each (other cross sections, in particular in the range 0.5 - 6.0 mm ^2, are also conceivable). The strands are surrounded by a sheath 65, this in turn by a shield 63, which is designed as a braid made of tinned copper wire. As an alternative or in addition, the shield 63 can also comprise a film. Each sub-cable 60a, 60b is externally covered by an insulation 64a, 64b made of e.g. B. plastic such as PVC, PU or PE, which forms the partial cable sheath.

The two partial cables 60a, 60b are twisted with one another and together surrounded by a braid 66.

Two diametrically opposite copper strands 62.2a, 62.5a; 62.2b, 62.5b of each partial cable 60a, 60b are connected together with the positive pole (partial cable 60a) or with the negative pole (partial cable 60b) of suitable plugs (for example "banana plugs"). The other copper strands 62.1a, 62.3a, 62.4a, 62.6a, 62.7a; 62.1b, 62.3b, 62.4b, 62.6b, 62.7b, which are arranged between the connected conductors, are not connected with plugs, but in particular end where the insulation 64a, 64b also ends. The shield 63 is also not connected to the connectors. The plugs have contact and connecting parts made of gold-plated (or otherwise refined) copper and are on the stripped copper strands 62.2a, 62.5a; 62.2b, 62.5b pressed on (forged on).

The invention is not restricted to the exemplary embodiments shown. A ground conductor that is electrically and / or physically separated from the signal cable can also be used for symmetrical signal transmission. The number of conductors and their cross-sections as well as the materials used can easily be adapted within the scope of the invention to the application, namely to the currents to be transmitted and the line length. The attachment and contacting of the cables on the connectors or plugs can also be done in different ways, e.g. B. by pressing or forging, soldering, etc. take place.

In summary, it can be stated that the invention provides cables for the transmission of audio signals, in particular analog audio signals, which have a comparatively simple structure and enable good sound quality.

Claims (12)

1. Use of a cable (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) for the transmission of audio signals, in particular of analog audio signals, wherein the cable comprises the following:

   a) at least four conductors (12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4) ;

   b) a first connection piece at a first end of the cable for connecting the cable to a first device;

   c) a second connection piece at a second end of the cable for connecting the cable to a second device;

   d) a shielding (13, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63) which shields the at least four conductors;
   characterized in that

   e) at least two of the at least four conductors establish two connections between the first connection piece and the second connection piece, and at least two further conductors of the at least four conductors are neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece, wherein the at least four conductors are arranged in the cable without crossing over, and the at least two conductors which establish a connection are separated from one another by in each case at least one of the unconnected conductors.
2. Use according to Claim 1, characterized in that the at least four conductors (12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4) are individually insulated.
3. Use according to either of Claim 1 and 2, characterized in that a first of the at least four conductors (12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.4) is configured as a wire, and a second of the at least four conductors is configured as a stranded wire.
4. Use according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cable (60) comprises a first cable component (60a) and a second cable component (60b), which two cable components are accommodated by a common sheathing (65), wherein the first cable component and the second cable component each comprise at least two conductors (62.1a ... 62.7a; 62.1b ... 62.7b), wherein at least one of the two conductors is neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece.
5. Use according to Claim 4, characterized in that the first cable component (60a) and the second cable component (60b) each comprise a dedicated shielding (63a, 63b) which shields the at least two conductors (62.1a ... 62.7a; 62.1b ... 62.7b).
6. Use according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the cable is a cable for symmetrical signal transmission, wherein the cable comprises at least two signal conductors, at least one ground conductor and at least three conductors which are neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece.
7. Use according to Claim 6, characterized in that all of the conductors are arranged in the cable without crossing over, and in that the at least two signal conductors and the ground conductor are separated from one another by in each case at least one of the unconnected conductors.
8. Use according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the shielding (13, 23, 33, 43, 53) is conductively connected at least to the first connection piece or to the second connection piece.
9. Use according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the at least two conductors (12.2, 12.4) which are neither conductively connected to the first connection piece nor conductively connected to the second connection piece are interrupted at at least one point along their length.
10. Use according to Claim 9, characterized in that the at least two unconnected conductors (12.2, 12.4) are interrupted at different points along their length.
11. Use according to one of Claims 1 to 10, wherein the cable (30, 40, 50) comprises the following:

    a) at least one insulated ground connection (37, 47, 57.1, 57.2);

    b) a first connection piece at a first end of the cable for connecting the cable to a first device;

    c) a second connection piece at a second end of the cable for connecting the cable to a second device;
    wherein

    d) the shielding (33, 43, 53) is conductively connected at most to one of the two connection pieces; and

    e) the ground connection is routed outside the shielding.
12. Use according to Claim 11, characterized in that the ground connection (47, 57.1, 57.2) is routed in an insulation (44, 54) of the cable.

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