JP2015115300A - Flat cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flat cable capable of suppressing occurrence of defective appearance and deterioration in mechanical strength.SOLUTION: A flat cable 1 includes three or more cable cores 21 which each have a plurality of cables 23 twisted together and are arranged in parallel, and includes at least one cable unit 2 and a jacket member 3 covering at least the cable unit 2. The cable unit 2 includes two cable cores 21 and a cover member 22 covering the two cable cores 21.

Description

  The present invention relates to a flat cable used for wiring of electronic equipment.

  A flat cable is known which is manufactured by collectively covering a resin composition using an extrusion molding machine in which a plurality of insulated wire stranded wires formed by twisting a plurality of insulated wires are arranged in parallel ( For example, see Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-123548 A

  The insulated wire stranded wires constituting the flat cable are not fixed to each other at the time before being collectively covered with the resin composition. For this reason, each insulated wire stranded wire is not arranged at a desired position during extrusion molding, and the appearance of a flat cable is deteriorated due to uneven coating thickness of the resin composition, and the mechanical strength of the flat cable is reduced. There is a problem of inviting.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a flat cable that can suppress the occurrence of poor appearance and the decrease in mechanical strength.

  [1] A flat cable according to the present invention includes a plurality of electric cables twisted together, and includes three or more cable cores arranged in parallel, and includes at least one cable unit. And a jacket member that covers at least the cable unit, wherein the cable unit includes two cable cores and a covering member that covers the two cable cores.

  [2] A flat cable according to the present invention is a flat cable having a plurality of electrical cables twisted together and having 2n (n is an integer of 2 or more) cable cores arranged in parallel. And n cable units each including the two cable cores and a covering member covering the two cable cores, and a jacket member covering the n cable units. It is characterized by that.

  [3] A flat cable according to the present invention is a flat cable having a plurality of electrical cables twisted together and having 2n + 1 (n is an integer of 1 or more) cable cores arranged in parallel. And covering the n cable units each including the two cable cores and a covering member covering the two cable cores, and covering the one cable core and the n cable units. And a jacket member.

  [4] In the above invention, the covering member may be a resin tape spirally wound around the two cable cores.

  [5] In the above invention, the covering member may be a resin member formed by extrusion molding.

[6] In the above invention, the plurality of electric cables of at least one of the cable cores included in the cable unit are spirally twisted in a first circumferential direction,
The resin tape may be spirally wound in a second circumferential direction opposite to the first circumferential direction.

  [7] In the above invention, the cable core may include an interposition member that extends along the axial direction of the flat cable and is disposed between the plurality of electric cables.

  The flat cable according to the present invention includes at least one cable unit configured by covering two cable cores with a covering member. For this reason, it becomes easy to arrange | position a cable core in the desired position at the time of manufacture of the said flat cable, and generation | occurrence | production of the external appearance defect of a flat cable and the fall of mechanical strength can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a flat cable according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cable unit included in the flat cable according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 3 (A) and 3 (B) are plan views showing a cable unit included in the flat cable of the present invention, and FIG. 3 (A) is a view showing the cable unit in the first embodiment. B) is a diagram showing a modification of the cable unit in the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the covering member included in the cable unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a flat cable according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 6 (A) and 6 (B) are cross-sectional views showing the cable core in the embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 (A) is a view showing a first modification, and FIG. 6 (B) is a first view. It is a figure which shows 2 modifications. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the flat cable in the embodiment of the present invention.

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

<< first embodiment >>
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a flat cable in the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a cable unit provided in the flat cable in the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 (A) and FIG. It is a top view which shows the cable unit with which the flat cable of this invention is provided, and FIG. 4 is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the coating | coated member contained in the cable unit in 1st Embodiment.

  The flat cable 1 in the first embodiment is used, for example, for external wiring and internal wiring of an electronic device having a music playback function, a video playback function, a camera function, and the like. As shown in FIG. 1, the flat cable 1 has a flat cross-sectional shape, and includes two cable units 2 and a jacket member 3.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cable unit 2 in the present embodiment includes two cable cores 21 arranged in parallel along the XY plane in FIG. 2 and a covering provided around the two cable cores 21. And a member 22. The two cable cores 21 are arranged in parallel along the Y-axis direction in FIG. 2 and each have a plurality of (seven in this example) cables 23.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cable core 21 in the present embodiment is configured by seven cables 23 twisted together. In the present embodiment, the cables 23 included in the two cable cores 21 included in the cable unit 2 are respectively twisted in a spiral manner in the same circumferential direction (hereinafter also referred to as a first circumferential direction) (FIG. 3). (See (A)). In the following description, the twisting direction of the cable 23 included in the cable core 21 is also simply referred to as “twisting direction of the cable core 21”.

  In addition, the number of the cables 23 which comprise the cable core 21 is not specifically limited, For example, you may comprise a cable core by twisting together the two cables 23 mutually. Moreover, although the flat cable 1 in this embodiment is provided with a total of four cable cores 21, the total number of cable cores provided in the flat cable is not particularly limited, and the flat cable includes a total of three or more cable cores 21. Just do it.

  In the present embodiment, the cable 23 includes an inner conductor 231, an insulating member 232 provided on the outer periphery of the inner conductor, an outer conductor 233 surrounding the outer periphery of the insulating member 232, and a sheath member 234 provided on the outer periphery of the outer conductor 233. And.

  The internal conductor 231 is made of copper, silver, aluminum, iron, nickel, or an alloy thereof, and is composed of a stranded wire formed by twisting seven thin wires 231a as shown in FIG. Note that the number of fine wires constituting the internal conductor 231 is not particularly limited. For example, although not particularly illustrated, the internal conductor 231 may be configured by twisting three thin wires, or the internal conductor 231 may be configured by only one conductor wire.

  The insulating member 232 is formed of an insulating resin. Examples of such an insulating resin include polyolefin resins, polyamide resins, polyester resins, polystyrene resins, polynitrile resins, polymethacrylate resins, and polyvinyl resins. Resins, cellulose resins, fluorine resins, imide resins and the like can be exemplified.

  The outer conductor 233 is a part that functions as an electromagnetic shield layer, and a plurality of wires 233a made of copper, silver, aluminum, iron, nickel, or alloys thereof are parallel to the outer periphery of the insulating member 232 and spirally formed. It is formed by winding. In addition, the number of the wire 233a which comprises the external conductor 233 is not specifically limited. Further, the outer conductor 233 may be formed by arranging a braided material obtained by braiding the wire 233 a on the outer periphery of the insulating member 232.

  The sheath member 234 is formed by extruding a thermoplastic resin. Examples of such a thermoplastic resin include polyolefin resins, polyamide resins, polyester resins, polystyrene resins, polynitrile resins, polymethacrylates. Examples of the resin include a polyvinyl resin, a polyvinyl resin, a cellulose resin, a fluorine resin, and an imide resin.

  As described above, the cable 23 in the present embodiment is a coaxial cable, but is not particularly limited thereto. For example, it may be a single-core cable (detailed as cable 23B (see FIG. 5) in the second embodiment) configured by coating a single wire or a stranded wire with a covering material. The cable 23 in the present embodiment corresponds to an example of the electric cable of the present invention.

  The covering member 22 in the present embodiment is composed of an insulating resin tape. As a resin material for forming such an insulating resin tape, polyethylene terephthalate resin, polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin, fluorine resin, polyimide resin, or the like is used. It can be illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the covering member 22 is spirally wound in a second circumferential direction opposite to the twisting direction (first circumferential direction) of the two cable cores 21. Thereby, the cable unit 2 has a flat cross-sectional shape as a whole (see FIG. 2). The relationship between the twisting direction of the cable core 21 and the winding direction of the covering member 22 is such that the twisting direction of at least one cable core 21 included in the cable unit 2 is opposite to the winding direction of the covering member 22. Well, not particularly limited to this.

  For example, like the cable unit 2B shown in FIG. 3B, only one of the two cable cores 21 included in the cable unit 2B is twisted spirally in the first circumferential direction. The other cable core 21 ′ may be twisted spirally in the second circumferential direction. Incidentally, FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B show the cable core 21 in a state where it is stripped from the covering member 22 for explanation.

  In the present embodiment, all the cable units (two in this example) included in the flat cable 1 are configured by the cable unit 2 shown in FIG. 3A, but are not particularly limited thereto. For example, even if the arbitrary cable unit of the cable units included in the flat cable has a configuration in which the first circumferential direction and the second circumferential direction are interchanged with each other in the cable unit 2 illustrated in FIG. Good.

  Further, for example, among the plurality of cable units included in the flat cable, an arbitrary cable unit is configured by the cable unit 2 as shown in FIG. 3A, and the other cable units are shown in FIG. 3B. You may be comprised from the cable unit 2B. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which replaced the 1st circumferential direction and the 2nd circumferential direction mutually about arbitrary cable units.

  Further, for example, all of the cable units included in the flat cable may be configured by the cable unit 2B shown in FIG. At this time, for any cable unit, the first circumferential direction and the second circumferential direction may be interchanged with each other.

  In addition, although the coating | coated member 22 of this embodiment is comprised only from the insulating resin layer as mentioned above, it is not specifically limited to this. For example, like the covering member 22B shown in the enlarged view of FIG. 2, a thermoplastic adhesive layer 222 is provided on the upper side (outside of the cable unit) of the resin layer 221 made of the same resin material as the covering member 22. You may comprise a coating | coated member as the obtained insulating resin tape. Examples of the material constituting the thermoplastic adhesive layer 222 include thermoplastic resins such as olefin resins, vinyl acetate resins, polyester resins, and styrene resins, thermoplastic elastomers, and the like. In this case, workability at the time of winding the two cable cores 21 with the covering member 22B can be improved.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the two cable units 2 in the present embodiment are arranged in parallel along the cross-sectional major axis direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 1) of the flat cable 1. The cores 21 are also arranged in parallel along the same direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 1). For this reason, the two cable units 2 are arranged along the XY plane in FIG. 1, and all the cable cores 21 are also arranged along the XY plane in FIG. Similarly, when the number of cable units included in the flat cable is three or more, the cable units are arranged in parallel along the cross-sectional major axis direction of the flat cable, and all the cable cores are also along the same direction. Arranged in parallel.

  In addition, the coating | coated member should just have the function to hold | maintain arrangement | positioning of the two cable cores 21 contained in the cable unit 2 in parallel, and the structure is not specifically limited. For example, like the covering member 22C shown in FIG. 4, the covering member 22C may be formed around the two cable units by extruding a thermoplastic resin. Examples of such thermoplastic resins include polyolefin resins, polyamide resins, polyester resins, polystyrene resins, polynitrile resins, polymethacrylate resins, polyvinyl resins, cellulose resins, fluorine resins, imide resins, and the like. Can be illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the jacket member 3 covers the periphery of the cable unit 2 so as to collectively surround a plurality (two in this example) of cable units 2 included in the flat cable 1. All the cable units 2 included in the flat cable 1 are held by the jacket member 3 in a state of being arranged in parallel. And all the cable cores 21 with which the flat cable 1 is provided are also hold | maintained in the state arrange | positioned in parallel.

  The jacket member 3 can be formed, for example, by extruding a resin member. Examples of such a resin member include vinyl chloride resins, olefin resins, fluorine resins, urethane resins, modified polyphenylene ether resins, thermoplastic elastomers, and the like.

  When manufacturing the flat cable 1 described above, first, 28 (= 7 (the number of cables included in one cable core) × 4 (the number of cable cores)) cables 23 are prepared. Next, a total of four cable cores 21 are produced by twisting the cables 23 every seven.

  Next, two cable cores 2 are prepared by arranging the two cable cores 21 in parallel with each other and winding the two cable cores 21 together using the covering member 22. At this time, the flexibility of the flat cable 1 can be improved by winding the two cable cores 21 around the covering member 22 with a minimum tension capable of maintaining the parallel arrangement of the two cable cores 21. .

  Next, the two cable units 2 are arranged in parallel so that the cross-sectional major axis directions (X-axis direction in FIG. 1) of the two produced cable units 2 overlap each other. And the jacket member 3 is formed in the circumference | surroundings of those cable units 2 by extrusion molding.

  In the conventional flat cable, since the cable cores are not fixed to each other before the jacket member is formed, when the jacket member is formed by extrusion, the cable cores are arranged in a plane in parallel. Hard to hold. For this reason, the jacket member is not uniformly coated around the cable core, and the appearance failure of the flat cable may occur or the mechanical strength of the flat cable may be reduced.

  On the other hand, in the flat cable 1 according to this embodiment, the arrangement of the two cable cores 21 is fixed by the covering member 22 that covers the two cable cores 21 before the jacket member 3 is formed. For this reason, when forming the jacket member 3 by extrusion molding, the cable cores 21 are easily held in a state of being arranged in parallel with each other, and the jacket member 3 is uniformly covered around the cable core 21. be able to. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the external appearance defect of the flat cable 1 and the fall of mechanical strength can be suppressed.

  In the present embodiment, the twisting direction (first circumferential direction) of the cable core 21 is opposite to the winding direction (second circumferential direction) of the covering member 22. For this reason, the bending tendency of the cable core 21 caused by twisting is alleviated by winding with the covering member 22. Thereby, when forming the jacket member 3 by extrusion molding, it becomes easy to arrange | position two cable units 2 in parallel, and generation | occurrence | production of the external appearance defect of the flat cable 1 and a mechanical strength fall can further be suppressed. .

<< Second Embodiment >>
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a flat cable 1B in the second embodiment. The flat cable 1B in the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except that the configuration of the cable unit is different. Therefore, only the parts different from the first embodiment will be described, and the first embodiment will be described. About the same part, the code | symbol same as 1st Embodiment is attached | subjected and description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the flat cable 1 </ b> B in the present embodiment includes two cable units and a jacket member 3. In the following description, of the two cable units, the one disposed on the left side in FIG. 5 is defined as a cable unit 2L, and the one disposed on the right side in FIG. 5 is defined as a cable unit 2R.

  The cable unit 2L includes two cable cores 21 arranged in parallel, a drain wire 24, and a covering member 22C provided around the two cable cores 21 and the drain wire 24.

  The drain wire 24 (ground wire) is formed by twisting thin wires 241 formed of a conductive metal material such as copper or aluminum, and as shown in FIG. Is arranged substantially parallel to the two cable cores 21.

  In the present embodiment, the seven thin wires 241 are twisted together to constitute the drain wire 24, but the number of fine wires constituting one drain wire is not particularly limited. For example, the drain wire may be formed by twisting 19 fine wires. Further, a reinforcing member made of a resin or the like may be provided inside the drain wire in order to improve the strength.

  The covering member 22 </ b> C includes a resin layer 221 and a metal layer 223 formed on the inner side (drain line 24 side) of the resin layer 221. The resin layer 221 is made of the same material as that of the covering member 22 as described in the first embodiment. The metal layer 223 is formed by attaching or vapor-depositing a conductive metal such as copper, silver, or aluminum to the resin layer 221.

  The covering member 22C covers the periphery of the two cable cores 21 in a spiral manner in the second circumferential direction so that the metal layer 223 is on the inner side. Inside the cable unit 2L, the drain wire 24 and the metal layer 223 are in contact and electrically connected, and the drain wire 24 is electrically connected to a ground terminal of a connector or the like (not shown) to which the flat cable 1B is connected. By being connected to and grounded, it is possible to give an electromagnetic shielding effect to the flat cable 1B.

  Also in this embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the winding direction (second circumferential direction) of the covering member 22C and the twisting direction (first circumferential direction) of the cable core 21 are opposite to each other. ing. In the cable unit 2R described later, the winding direction (second circumferential direction) of the covering member 22C and the twisting direction (first circumferential direction) of the cable core 21B are opposite to each other.

  The cable unit 2R disposed on the right side of the flat cable 1B in FIG. 5 is different in the configuration of the cable 23B included in the cable core 21B, and the drain line 24 is disposed below the cable unit 2R in FIG. Except for this, it has the same configuration as the cable unit 2L described above.

  The cable 23B includes a central conductor 235 and a sheath member 236 provided on the outer periphery of the central conductor 235. The center conductor 235 is made of copper, silver, aluminum, iron, nickel, or an alloy thereof, and is formed of a stranded wire formed by twisting seven thin wires 235a as shown in FIG. In addition, the number of the thin wires which comprise the center conductor 235 is not specifically limited.

  The sheath member 236 is formed by extruding a thermoplastic resin. Examples of such a thermoplastic resin include polyolefin resins, polyamide resins, polyester resins, polystyrene resins, polynitrile resins, polymethacrylates. Examples of the resin include a polyvinyl resin, a polyvinyl resin, a cellulose resin, a fluorine resin, and an imide resin.

  In the flat cable 1B according to the present embodiment, the cable units 2L and 2R described above are covered with the jacket member 3 in a state where the cable units 2L and 2R are arranged in parallel along the cross-sectional major axis direction (X-axis direction in the drawing) of the flat cable 1B. Has been. Accordingly, the cable cores included in the cable units 2L and 2R are also arranged in parallel along the same direction (X-axis direction in the drawing).

  The cable units 2L and 2R in the present embodiment each include one drain line 24, but the number of drain lines included in the cable units 2L and 2R is not particularly limited. For example, two drain lines may be arranged substantially in parallel with the cable cores 21 and 21B at the upper and lower sides in the approximate center inside the cable units 2L and 2R.

  In the present embodiment, all the cable cores 21 included in the cable unit 2L have only the cable 23, and all the cable cores 21B included in the cable unit 2R have only the cable 23B. It is not limited. For example, at least one of the cable units 2L and 2R may include a cable core configured by twisting the cable 23 and the cable 23B.

  The flat cable 1B in the present embodiment can be manufactured in the same manner as the flat cable 1 described in the first embodiment, except that the manufacturing methods of the cable units 2L and 2R are different. The cable unit 2L can be manufactured by simultaneously covering the two cable cores 21 and the drain wire 24 disposed substantially above the center of the two cable cores 21 with the covering member 22C. Similarly, the cable unit 2R is manufactured by simultaneously covering the two cable cores 21B and the drain wire 24 disposed below the approximate center of the two cable cores 21B with the covering member 22C. Can do.

  Also in the flat cable 1B according to this embodiment, the arrangement of the two cable cores 21 is fixed by the covering member 22C that covers the two cable cores 21 before the jacket member 3 is formed. The arrangement of the two cable cores 21B is fixed by a covering member 22C that covers the cable core 21B. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the external appearance defect of the flat cable 1B, and the fall of mechanical strength can be suppressed.

  Also in the present embodiment, the twisting direction (first circumferential direction) of the cable cores 21 and 21B is opposite to the winding direction (second circumferential direction) of the covering member 22C. For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of the external appearance defect of the flat cable 1B, and the fall of mechanical strength can further be suppressed.

  Furthermore, in the flat cable 1B of this embodiment, the covering member 22C covering the periphery of the cable cores 21 and 21B has the metal layer 223, and the metal layer 223 is provided inside the cable units 2L and 2R. The drain line 24 is electrically connected. Thereby, the metal layer 223 can be electrically grounded via the drain wire 24, and an excellent electromagnetic shielding effect can be imparted to the flat cable 1B.

  The embodiment described above is described for facilitating the 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.

  For example, like a cable core 21C shown in FIG. 6A, a cable-shaped interposition member 211 is disposed at the center of the cable core 21C so as to extend along the axial direction of the flat cable, and the interposition member 211 is disposed. The cable core 21C may be configured by twisting the cables 23 around each other.

  Moreover, like the cable core 21 </ b> D shown in FIG. 6B, the cable is obtained by twisting the interposition member 211 </ b> B arranged so as to extend along the axial direction of the flat cable and the cable 23. The core 21D may be configured. Examples of the material constituting the interposing members 211 and 211B include an aramid resin, a polyester resin, and a polypropylene resin. The axial direction of the flat cable is the direction in which the flat cable extends, and corresponds to, for example, the Y-axis direction in FIG.

  In these cases, resistance to tension applied along the axial direction of the flat cable can be imparted to the flat cable, or the cross-sectional shape of the cable core can be made circular. The cable core may have a plurality of interposition members. Further, the interposition members 211 and 211B described above each have a circular cross-sectional shape. However, the present invention is not particularly limited thereto, and for example, the cross-sectional shape may be a polygonal shape or a star shape.

  Further, for example, the total number of cable cores included in the flat cable may be an odd number (three in this example) as in the flat cable 1C shown in FIG. In this case, other cable cores except for one arbitrary cable core (in this example, the cable core 21S on the right side in the figure) are included in the cable unit 2. Such a flat cable 1C can be manufactured by forming the jacket member 3 by extrusion molding in a state where the one cable core 21S and the cable unit 2 are arranged in parallel in a planar shape.

  Although not particularly shown, for example, the drain wire may be arranged outside the cable unit. In this case, the metal layer and the drain wire are electrically connected by forming a metal layer outside the covering member constituting the cable unit.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1B, 1C ... Flat cable 2, 2B, 2L, 2R ... Cable unit 21, 21B, 21C, 21D ... Cable core 211, 211B ... Interposition member 22, 22B, 22C ... Cover member 23, 23B ... Cable 24 ... Drain wire 3 ... Jacket member

Claims (7)

A flat cable having a plurality of cable cores arranged in parallel, each having a plurality of electrical cables twisted together,
At least one cable unit;
A jacket member covering at least the cable unit,
The cable unit is
Two cable cores;
And a covering member covering the two cable cores. A flat cable having 2n (n is an integer of 2 or more) cable cores each having a plurality of electrical cables twisted together and arranged in parallel;
N cable units each including two cable cores and a covering member covering the two cable cores;
A flat cable comprising: a jacket member that covers the n cable units. A flat cable having 2n + 1 (n is an integer of 1 or more) cable cores each having a plurality of electric cables twisted together and arranged in parallel,
N cable units each including two cable cores and a covering member covering the two cable cores;
A flat cable comprising: a jacket member covering one cable core and the n cable units. The flat cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The flat cable, wherein the covering member is a resin tape spirally wound around the two cable cores. The flat cable according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The flat cable, wherein the covering member is a resin member formed by extrusion molding. The flat cable according to claim 4,
The plurality of electric cables of at least one of the cable cores included in the cable unit are twisted in a spiral shape in the first circumferential direction,
The flat cable, wherein the resin tape is spirally wound in a second circumferential direction opposite to the first circumferential direction. The flat cable according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The cable core includes an interposed member that extends along an axial direction of the flat cable and is disposed between the plurality of electric cables.

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