JP2011090866A - Transmission cable and transmission cable unit equipped with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transmission cable offering superior connection workability in its connection to a connector. <P>SOLUTION: The transmission cable includes a first cable group 13 composed of a single or a plurality of first cables 11 and 12 having first conductors 11a and 12a and first insulating layers 11b and 12b sheathing the first conductors 11a and 12a, a first conductive layer 17a encircling the first cable group 13, a second cable group 16 which is composed of a single or a plurality of second cables 14 and 15 having second conductors 14a and 15a and second insulating layers 14b and 15b sheathing the second conductors 14a and 15a and is disposed outside the first conductive layer 17a, a drain line 19, and a second conductive layer 18a encircling the first conductive layer 17a, the second cable group 16, and the drain line 19. The drain line 19, the first conductive layer 17a, and the second conductive layer 18a are electrically connected to each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a transmission cable and a transmission cable unit suitable for use in a USB cable or the like.

  There is known a USB transmission cable in which a drain line is provided in two sets of cable groups each having a pair of signal cables (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Universal Serial Bus 3.0 Specification Revision 1.0, [searched July 1, 2009], Internet <URL: http://www.usb.org/developers/docs/usb_30_spec_052109.zip>

  However, since the connector to which the transmission cable is connected has only one terminal (pin) corresponding to the drain wire, the two drain wires must be soldered to one terminal. Connection work was complicated.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a transmission cable excellent in connection workability to a connector.

  The transmission cable according to the present invention includes a first cable group including a first or a plurality of first cables each having a first conductor and a first insulating layer covering the first conductor; A first conductive layer that surrounds the first cable group; a second conductive wire; and a second insulating layer that covers the second conductive wire. A second cable group disposed outside the first conductive layer, a drain line, the first conductive layer, the second cable group, and a second conductive layer surrounding the drain line; The drain line, the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer are electrically connected.

  In the above invention, the drain line and the first conductive layer are in direct contact, the drain line and the second conductive layer are in direct contact, and the first conductive layer and the first conductive layer are in contact with each other. The second conductive layer may be in direct contact.

  In the above invention, the drain line may be in direct contact with the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, respectively.

  In the above invention, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are in direct contact with each other, and the drain line is connected to the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer, respectively. They may be in direct contact with each other.

  In the above invention, each of the first and second cable groups is a multicore parallel cable pair, and the drain wire includes a midpoint between the centers of the plurality of first cables, and a plurality of the second cables. You may make it arrange | position on the virtual line which passes along the midpoint between the centers of a cable.

  A transmission cable unit according to the present invention includes a pair of third cables each including the transmission cable, the power cable, the ground cable, a third conductor, and a third insulating layer covering the third conductor. And a covering layer covering the transmission cable, the power cable, the ground cable, and the third cable group.

  A transmission cable unit according to the present invention includes the plurality of transmission cables and a coating layer that covers the plurality of transmission cables.

  According to the present invention, since the transmission cable has one drain wire, the workability of connecting to the connector is improved.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a transmission cable unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the transmission cable shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the structure of the first cable group. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating another example of the structure of the first cable group. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement positions of the drain lines. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a first modification of the transmission cable in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a second modification of the transmission cable in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a third modification of the transmission cable in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a fourth modification of the transmission cable in the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a transmission cable unit in the second embodiment of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

<< First Embodiment >>
1 is a cross-sectional view of the transmission cable unit in the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the transmission cable shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of the structure of the first cable group, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating another example of the structure of the cable group, FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement position of the drain wire, and FIGS. 6 to 9 are cross-sectional views illustrating modifications of the transmission cable. Note that FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the transmission cable as in FIG. 2, but in order to facilitate the explanation of the arrangement position of the drain line, hatching processing and some reference numerals in the drawing are omitted. Yes.

  The transmission cable unit 1 in the first embodiment is used as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0 cable, for example. As shown in FIG. 1, a transmission cable unit 1 includes a transmission cable 10 for signal transmission, a power cable 20 for power supply, a ground cable 30 for power supply, a twist cable pair 40 for signal transmission, and a sheath. 70 is provided with a filler 50 filled inside, and a shield layer 60 and a sheath 70 covering these members.

  The power cable 20 includes a power line conductor 21 that supplies power and an insulating power line insulating layer 22 that covers the power line conductor 21. The ground cable 30 includes a ground line conductor 31 made of copper or the like and an insulating ground line insulating layer 32 that covers the ground line conductor 31.

  The twisted cable pair 40 is a cable for transmitting a signal to a device compliant with the USB 2.0 standard, thereby ensuring compatibility with the USB 2.0 standard. The twisted cable pair 40 includes a signal cable 43 in which a conductor 41 for transmitting a signal is covered with an insulating insulating layer 42 such as a polyethylene material, and a conductor 44 for transmitting a signal, which is insulated with a polyethylene material or the like. Signal cable 46 covered with a conductive insulating layer 45. The twisted cable pair 40 is a UTP (Unshielded Twist Pair) that does not include a shield for protecting the pair of signal cables 43 and 46 from noise such as electromagnetic waves. In FIG. 1, the twisted cable pair 40 is indicated by a broken line.

  The filler 50 is a member made of polypropylene or aramid fiber. By filling the filler 50 in the sheath 70, when the transmission cable 10, the power cable 20, the ground cable 30, and the twisted cable pair 40 are covered with the sheath 70, the gap generated inside the sheath 70 is filled and transmitted. The shape of the cable unit 1 is stabilized.

  The shield layer 60 is made of a metal foil or a braid of a plurality of metal strands, and the signal transmission transmission cable 10 housed in the shield layer 60 from noise such as electromagnetic waves from the outside of the transmission cable unit 1 and The twisted cable pair 40 and the like are protected.

  The sheath 70 is a hollow tube made of an insulator such as polyvinyl chloride. The sheath 70 forms the outermost periphery of the transmission cable unit 1 and houses the transmission cable 10, the power cable 20, the ground cable 30, the twist cable pair 40, and the filler 50 therein.

  The transmission cable 10 is a cable for transmitting a signal to a device corresponding to the USB 3.0 standard, and is a signal transmission cable including a shield. Hereinafter, the transmission cable 10 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission cable 10 includes a first cable group 13 for signal transmission, a second cable group 16 for signal transmission, and a first covering that covers the first cable group 13. A member 17, one drain wire 19, and a second covering member 18 that covers these members are provided.

  The first cable group 13 has a pair of cables of a signal transmission cable 11 and a signal transmission cable 12. The signal transmission cables 11 and 12 have first conductive wires 11a and 12a made of soft copper or the like, and insulating first insulating layers 11b and 12b covering the first conductive wires 11a and 12a, respectively. As shown in FIG. 3, the first cable group 13 is a parallel cable pair (Twinax cable pair or two-core parallel cable) in which a pair of signal transmission cables 11 and 12 are arranged substantially in a straight line. 4), or as a twisted pair cable pair (for example, an STP (Shielded Twist Pair) cable) obtained by twisting the signal transmission cable 11 and the signal transmission cable 12 as shown in FIG. Good.

  The first covering member 17 includes a conductive first conductive layer 17a made of aluminum or the like, and an insulating insulating layer 17b made of polyethylene terephthalate (hereinafter also referred to as PET) or the like. For example, as the first covering member 17, a member obtained by vapor-depositing aluminum or the like on one surface of a resin tape such as PET can be used. As shown in FIG. 2, the first covering member 17 covers the first cable group 13 such that the insulating layer 17b is located on the inner side and the first conductive layer 17a is located on the outer side. In this way, by covering the first cable group 13 with the conductive first conductive layer 17a made of aluminum or the like, for example, the first cable group 13 is shielded equivalent to an SDP (Shielded differential pair). The first cable group 13 can be protected from noise such as electromagnetic waves from the outside of the first covering member 17.

  The second cable group 16 has the same configuration as the first cable group 13. In other words, the second cable group 16 has a pair of cables of the signal transmission cable 14 and the signal transmission cable 15. The signal transmission cables 14 and 15 have second conductive wires 14a and 15a made of soft copper and the like, and insulating insulating layers 14b and 15b covering the second conductive wires 14a and 15a, respectively. Further, the second cable group 16 may be a parallel cable pair as shown in FIG. 3 as the first cable group 13, or may be a twisted pair cable pair as shown in FIG. Good.

  The transmission cable 10 may be applied to uses other than the USB 3.0 cable. In this case, the first cable group 13 may be composed of one or three or more signal transmission cables. Similarly, the second cable group 16 may be composed of one or three or more signal transmission cables.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the first cable group 13 is disposed inside the first covering member 17, while the second cable group 16 is disposed outside the first covering member 17. Has been placed. That is, the first cable group 13 and the second cable group 16 are separated by the first covering member 17 having the first conductive layer 17a such as aluminum, so that the first cable group 13 and the second cable group 16 are separated from each other. Noise such as electromagnetic waves between the second cable group 16 can be blocked, and electrical influences such as crosstalk in the first cable group 13 and the second cable group 16 can be effectively prevented.

  Similar to the first covering member 17, the second covering member 18 includes a conductive second conductive layer 18 a made of aluminum or the like, and an insulating insulating layer 18 b made of PET or the like. For example, as the second covering member 18, similarly to the first covering member 17, a material obtained by vapor-depositing aluminum or the like on one surface of a resin tape such as PET can be used. As shown in FIG. 2, the second covering member 18 covers the first covering member 17 covering the first cable group 13, the second cable group 16, and the drain wire 19. This constitutes the outermost periphery of the transmission cable 10. In addition, the second covering member 18 includes the first covering member 17, the second cable group 16, and the like so that the second conductive layer 18 a is located on the inner side and the insulating layer 18 b is located on the outer side. The drain wire 19 is covered. Thus, by covering the second cable group 16 with the conductive second conductive layer 18a such as aluminum, for example, the second cable group 16 has a shielded configuration equivalent to the SDP. The second cable group 16 can be protected from noise such as electromagnetic waves from the outside of the second covering member 18.

  The drain wire 19 is composed only of a conductive wire made of copper or the like, and is for dropping noise such as electromagnetic waves shielded by the first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a to an external ground. As shown in FIG. 2, the drain line 19 is in direct contact with the first conductive layer 17a, is also in direct contact with the second conductive layer 18a, and is further connected to the first conductive layer 17a. The second conductive layer 18a is in direct contact. As a result, the drain line 19, the first conductive layer 17a, and the second conductive layer 18a are electrically connected, and noise such as electromagnetic waves shielded by the first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a is removed. It can be dropped to an external ground via line 19. The drain line 19 and the first conductive layer 17a, the drain line 19 and the second conductive layer 18a, and the first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a do not need to be in direct contact with each other. The drain line 19, the first conductive layer 17 a, and the second conductive layer 18 a may be electrically connected through indirect contact through another member.

Further, when the first cable group 13 and the second cable group 16 are parallel cable pairs as shown in FIG. 3, the drain wire 19 is connected to a pair of the first cable group 13. It is arranged on an imaginary line passing through a midpoint between the centers of the signal transmission cables 11 and 12 and a midpoint between the centers of the pair of signal transmission cables 14 and 15 constituting the second cable group 16. Is preferred. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the center of the signal transmission cable 11 included in the first cable group 13 is defined as O _11, and the center of the signal transmission cable 12 included in the first cable group 13 is defined as O _{11. 12} , the midpoint between the center O ₁₁ of the signal transmission cable ₁₁ and the center O ₁₂ of the signal transmission cable 12 included in the first cable group 13 is defined as P ₁ . Similarly, when the center of the signal transmission cable 14 included in the second cable group 16 is O ₁₄ and the center of the signal transmission cable 15 included in the second cable group 16 is O ₁₅ , Let P ₂ be the midpoint between the center O ₁₄ of the signal transmission cable ₁₄ and the center O ₁₅ of the signal transmission cable 15 included in the cable group 16. An imaginary line passing through the center point P ₁ between the centers O ₁₁ and O _{12 of} the first cable group 13 and the center point P ₂ between the centers O ₁₄ and O _{15 of} the second cable group 16 is represented by L _1. when the drain line 19, it is preferable to be arranged on the imaginary line L _1. Thereby, the signal transmission characteristics of the first cable group 13 and the second cable group 16 can be improved. Incidentally, the drain line 19, without disposed on the imaginary line L _1, may be disposed in the vicinity of the imaginary line L _1.

  As described above, the transmission cable 10 according to the present embodiment covers the first cable group 13 with the conductive first conductive layer 17a included in the first covering member 17, as shown in FIG. The first conductive layer 17a covering the first cable group 13, the second cable group 16, and one drain wire 19 are covered with the second conductive layer 18a, so that the first conductive layer 17a is covered with the first conductive layer 17a. The layer 17a, the second conductive layer 18a, and the drain line 19 are electrically connected to each other. In this way, the two drain lines in the conventional USB 3.0 transmission cable are shared to form one drain line 19, and the one shared drain line 19 is the first conductive layer. By configuring the transmission cable 10 so as to be in electrical contact with the first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a, noise such as electromagnetic waves blocked by the first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a can be transferred to the drain line 19. In addition to being able to be dropped to an external ground, it is not necessary to solder two drain wires to one terminal of the connector, and the connection workability when connecting the drain wire 19 to the connector is improved. Can do.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the second cable group 16 is covered with the second covering member 18 together with the first covering member 17 and the drain wire 19 that cover the first cable group 13. Here, if only the second cable group 16 is covered with the second covering member 18, the first cable group 13 covered with the first covering member 17 and Further, a covering member for covering the second cable group 16 covered with the second covering member 18 and the drain wire 19 is further required. That is, in the present embodiment, the second cable group 16 is covered by the second covering member 18 together with the first covering member 17 and the drain wire 19 that cover the first cable group 13, thereby making it unnecessary. The covering member is not necessary, and as a result, the productivity of the transmission cable 10 is improved. Thereby, the diameter of the transmission cable 10 can be reduced, and the bending characteristic of the transmission cable 10 can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission cable 10 according to the present embodiment includes the drain line 19 and the first conductive layer 17a, the drain line 19 and the second conductive layer 18a, and the first conductive layer 17a and the first conductive layer 17a. The structure is not limited to the structure in which the two conductive layers 18a are in direct contact with each other, and the first conductive layer 17a, the second conductive layer 18a, and the drain line 19 are electrically connected to each other. If it is.

  For example, as in the transmission cable 10a shown in FIG. 6, the drain line 19 and the first conductive layer 17a are in direct contact with each other, and the drain line 19 and the second conductive layer 18a are in direct contact with each other. The first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a may not be in direct contact with each other. In this case, since the first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a are electrically connected via the drain line 19, the first conductive layer 17a, the second conductive layer 18a, and the drain line 19 are connected. Are electrically connected to each other.

  Further, as in the transmission cable 10b shown in FIG. 7, the first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a are in direct contact with each other, and the drain line 19 is directly in contact with the second conductive layer 18a. The drain line 19 may not be in direct contact with the first conductive layer 17a. In this case, since the first conductive layer 17a and the drain line 19 are electrically connected via the second conductive layer 18a, the first conductive layer 17a, the second conductive layer 18a, and the drain line 19 are connected. Are electrically connected to each other.

  Further, as in the transmission cable 10c shown in FIG. 8, the first conductive layer 17a and the second conductive layer 18a are in direct contact with each other, and the drain line 19 is directly in contact with the first conductive layer 17a. The drain line 19 may not be in direct contact with the second conductive layer 18a. In this case, since the second conductive layer 18a and the drain line 19 are electrically connected via the first conductive layer 17a, the first conductive layer 17a, the second conductive layer 18a, and the drain line 19 are connected. Are electrically connected to each other.

  In addition, as in the transmission cable 10d shown in FIG. 9, the first covering member 17 ′ covering the first cable group 13 is composed of only a conductive conductive layer such as aluminum having no insulating layer. Also good. In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the drain wire 19 is disposed in the first covering member 17 ′, and the drain wire 19 and the first covering member 17 ′ are in direct contact with each other. The first covering member 17 ′ and the second conductive layer 18a are in direct contact with each other. Thereby, since the drain wire 19 and the second conductive layer 18a are electrically connected via the conductive first covering member 17 ′, the first covering member 17 ′ and the second conductive layer are electrically connected. 18a and the drain line 19 are electrically connected to each other.

<< Second Embodiment >>
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the transmission cable unit in the second embodiment. Below, the transmission cable unit 1a in 2nd Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the transmission cable unit 1 a includes four transmission cables 10 and a shield layer 60 and a sheath 70 that cover the plurality of transmission cables 10. The transmission cable unit 1a in the second embodiment is different from the transmission cable unit 1 for USB 3.0 in the first embodiment in that it has a plurality of transmission cables 10, but is the same as the transmission cable unit 1 in the first embodiment. Further, the power cable 20, the ground cable 30, the twist cable pair 40, the filler 50, and the like may be provided. Moreover, although the transmission cable unit 1a is provided with the four transmission cables 10, the number of the transmission cables 10 contained in the transmission cable unit 1a is not specifically limited.

  The transmission cable 10, the shield layer 60, and the sheath 70 that constitute the transmission cable unit 1 a according to the second embodiment are the same as those included in the transmission cable unit 1 in the first embodiment, and thus description thereof is omitted. To do.

  As described above, the transmission cable unit 1 a according to the second embodiment includes the plurality of transmission cables 10. Here, as described above, the transmission cable 10 is a single drain line 19 by sharing two drain lines in the conventional transmission cable. Therefore, when the transmission cable unit 1a having a plurality of transmission cables 10 is connected to the connector, the number of drain wires connected to the connector is smaller than that of the conventional transmission cable unit, so that the connection workability to the connector is improved. improves. Further, since the number of drain wires included in the transmission cable unit 1a is halved, the diameter of the entire transmission cable unit 1a is reduced, and the bending characteristics of the transmission cable unit 1a can be improved.

  The embodiment described above is described for facilitating understanding of the present invention, and is not described for limiting the present invention. Therefore, each element disclosed in the above embodiment is intended to include all design changes and equivalents belonging to the technical scope of the present invention.

  The signal transmission cables 11 and 12 in the embodiment described above are an example of the first cable in the present invention, and the signal transmission cables 14 and 15 in the present embodiment are an example of the second cable in the present invention. The twisted cable pair 40 in the embodiment corresponds to an example of the third cable group in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a ... Transmission cable unit 10, 10a-10d ... Transmission cable 13 ... 1st cable group 11 ... Signal transmission cable 11a ... 1st conducting wire 11b ... 1st insulating layer 12 ... Signal transmission cable 12a ... 1st 1 conducting wire 12b ... 1st insulating layer 16 ... 2nd cable group 14 ... cable for signal transmission 14a ... 2nd conducting wire 14b ... 2nd insulating layer 15 ... cable for signal transmission 15a ... 2nd conducting wire 15b ... 2nd insulating layer 17 ... 1st coating member 17a ... 1st conductive layer 17b ... Insulating layer 18 ... 2nd coating member 18a ... 2nd conductive layer 18b ... Insulating layer 19 ... Drain wire 20 ... Power cable 30 ... Ground cable 40 ... Twisted cable pair 50 ... Filler 60 ... Shield layer 70 ... Sheath

Claims (7)

A first cable group composed of a single cable or a plurality of first cables having a first conductor and a first insulating layer covering the first conductor;
A first conductive layer surrounding the first cable group;
A second cable configured by a single or a plurality of second cables having a second conductive wire and a second insulating layer covering the second conductive wire, and disposed outside the first conductive layer. Group,
Drain line,
The first conductive layer, the second cable group, and a second conductive layer surrounding the drain line,
The transmission cable, wherein the drain line, the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer are electrically connected. The transmission cable according to claim 1,
The drain line and the first conductive layer are in direct contact;
The drain line and the second conductive layer are in direct contact;
The transmission cable, wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are in direct contact with each other. The transmission cable according to claim 1,
The transmission cable, wherein the drain line is in direct contact with the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, respectively. The transmission cable according to claim 1,
The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are in direct contact with each other, and the drain line is directly connected to the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer, respectively. A transmission cable characterized by contact. The transmission cable according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Each of the first and second cable groups is a multicore parallel cable pair;
The drain line is arranged on an imaginary line passing through a midpoint between the centers of the plurality of first cables and a midpoint between the centers of the plurality of second cables. cable. A transmission cable according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A power cable,
A ground cable,
A third cable group composed of a pair of third cables having a third conductor and a third insulating layer covering the third conductor;
A transmission cable unit comprising: the transmission cable, the power cable, the ground cable, and a covering layer that covers the third cable group. A plurality of transmission cables according to any one of claims 1 to 5;
A transmission cable unit comprising: a coating layer that covers the plurality of transmission cables.

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