GB1527552A - Multi-conductor ribbon cables - Google Patents

Abstract

1527552 Ribbon cables SPECTRA-STRIP CORP 31 March 1976 13098/76 Heading H1A A flat cable 10, Fig. 1, comprises insulated wire conductor pairs each having alternately twisted sections B and straight sections A. In each pair, Fig. 2, adjacent twisted sections are of opposite hand. Pairs are arranged in the cable, Fig. 1, so that the straight sections A are in line, enabling the cable to be readily terminated at any section A without having to untwist the pairs, also termination by insulation displacement connectors is facilitated. Pairs are retained in a cavity formed between two plastics sheets which may be bonded together along the length of the cable at the nip areas between pairs and at the cable edges. Bonding at the nip may be omitted in areas A to facilitate removal of pairs for termination. Insulation of pairs may be bonded to the plastics sheets. A cavity may contain more than one pair (Fig. 8, not shown). A groove (327) may be provided (Fig. 9, not shown) in the plastics sheet to facilitate stripping. In an apparatus for manufacturing the cable (Fig. 5, not shown) the plastics films are heated by suitable means (50) and pass together with the pairs between a grooved roller (34) and a resilient roller (36), the grooves defining the pair separation and the corresponding ridges urging the plastics films together for bonding. For intermittent bonding the ridges (54) of the roller (34a) (Fig. 6, not shown) are locally relieved (52) so that no contact is made between the sheets in these regions.