JP6651830B2 - Device connection cable and device connection cable work method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable used for connecting cables between devices and a cable working method.

  In recent years, various devices such as an information processing device, a communication device, and a control device are often used in a state where the entire device is systemized by connecting cables between these devices. In such a case, when the system scale becomes large, a large number (for example, several hundreds) of cables may be required for connection between devices, and the cable length may be long (for example, several hundred meters). is there. Therefore, in a system constructed by connecting cables between devices, a specific cable should be easily selected from a plurality of cables in order to simplify the work of installing or removing cables. Is required.

  For this reason, it has been proposed to attach an optical fiber for identifying the cable for connecting the devices, for example (see Patent Document 1, for example). The cable having such a configuration is configured so that the cable can be distinguished from other cables by irradiating light from one end of the optical fiber and causing the other end or the peripheral surface of the optical fiber to emit light.

JP 2001-145221 A

However, in the cable having the conventional configuration described above, it is not always possible to easily select a specific cable. This is because, for cable identification, labor and equipment for irradiating the optical fiber with light are required.
Further, even if a specific cable can be selected, it is extremely difficult to pull out only the selected cable from the installed cable bundle with the above-described cable having the conventional configuration. Therefore, for example, when a specific cable is to be removed, the cable removing operation may take a lot of time. This is particularly noticeable when the cable length to be removed is long.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cable and a cable working method capable of easily selecting a specific cable from a plurality of cables and improving the workability of the cable.

According to one aspect of the present invention,
A cable whose outer periphery is covered with a sheath,
A cable is provided in which outer diameter changing means for changing the outer diameter of the sheath is included in the sheath.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a specific cable can be easily selected from several cables, and it can implement | achieve the improvement of the workability about the cable.

It is an explanatory view showing the outline of the cable concerning the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the specific structural example of the cable which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows one specific example of the cable connection which concerns on this invention.

  Hereinafter, a cable and a cable working method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(1) Configuration of Cable First, the configuration of the cable according to the present invention will be specifically described.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of a cable according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a specific configuration example of the cable according to the present invention.

(Overview of cable)
The cable 10 described in the present embodiment is used for connecting a plurality of devices. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the cable 10 is formed by covering a conductor (electric wire) covered with an insulator with a protective coating called a sheath, and connecting both ends of the cable to a device. Connector 20 is provided.

  Examples of devices to which such a cable 10 is connected include various known devices such as information processing devices, communication devices, and control devices, but are not particularly limited. Similarly, the number of cores, the type, and the like of the cable 10 for connecting the devices and the connectors 20 at both ends of the cable 10 are not particularly limited.

  By the way, in the cable 10 described in the present embodiment, an outer diameter variation unit (not shown) is included in the sheath, as described later in detail, so that the outer diameter of the sheath (that is, the sectional diameter of the cable 10) is reduced. There is a great feature in that it is configured to fluctuate.

(Specific configuration of cable)
Here, the characteristic configuration of the cable 10 will be described in more detail with a specific example.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the cable 10 is formed by covering the outer periphery of a plurality of electric wires 11 with a sheath 12. As long as the cable 10 is covered by the sheath 12, the outer diameter of the cross-section of the cable 10 is not particularly limited, and may be a circular shape as shown in FIG. 2A or 2B, for example. A flat cable as shown in FIG. 2C may be used.

The type of the electric wire 11 constituting the cable 10 is not particularly limited, and may be a known one regardless of whether it is a stranded wire or a single wire.
The sheath 12 functions as a protective coating for the cable 10, and may be formed using vinyl chloride, heat-resistant polyethylene, or the like. It is desirable that the sheath 12 has elasticity.

  In the cable 10 having such a configuration, in the sheath 12, as an outer diameter variation unit that varies the outer diameter of the sheath 12, a fluid storage unit 13 that stores a predetermined fluid is provided in the cable axial direction (that is, the length of the cable 10 is long). Direction). In other words, the cable 10 is configured such that the fluid containing portion 13 as the outer diameter varying means is included in the sheath 12.

  The fluid storage unit 13 is configured to store and hold a predetermined fluid without leaking. Specifically, the fluid storage section 13 has a closed space formed of an elastic resin material such as vinyl chloride or polyethylene, and is configured to store a predetermined fluid in the closed space. .

It is assumed that at least one fluid container 13 is provided in the sheath 12. Therefore, a plurality of fluid storage units 13 may be provided in the sheath 12.
The arrangement of the fluid container 13 in the sheath 12 is not particularly limited. For example, if two fluid containers 13 are arranged in the sheath 12, the arrangement shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, it is conceivable that the electric wires 11 are disposed vertically (or left and right). For example, in a case where three or more (for example, four) fluid storage units 13 are arranged in the sheath 12, as shown in FIG. It is conceivable that they are allocated and arranged.

  The fluid accommodating section 13 is provided so as to extend along the entire length of the cable 10 along the cable axial direction. However, the cable 10 does not necessarily need to be constituted by one closed space over the entire length, and the cable axial direction (long direction) may be divided into a plurality of accommodation spaces. In that case, the length of one accommodation space may be set in advance in consideration of the workability at the time of cable removal work and the like, and may be, for example, about 1 m.

  It is conceivable that the fluid accommodating portion 13 already contains a predetermined fluid at the time of manufacturing the cable 10, that is, at the time when the fluid accommodating portion 13 is included in the sheath 12. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, by communicating with a check valve, a valve, or the like (not shown) arranged so as to penetrate the sheath 12, even after the cable 10 is manufactured, it is possible to perform post-mortem inspection. May be configured to be able to inject a predetermined fluid into the fluid.

  It is conceivable to use a gaseous fluid such as air or an inert gas, for example, as the predetermined fluid stored in the fluid storage unit 13. This is because such a gaseous predetermined fluid can suppress adverse effects on the electric wires 11 and the like, and there is no need to pay attention to handling the cable 10 after being housed. However, the predetermined fluid is not necessarily limited to this, and may be a liquid or a gel-like viscoelastic fluid. That is, the predetermined fluid has fluidity as long as the fluid accommodates the fluid accommodating portion 13 when it is accommodated and deflates the fluid accommodating portion 13 when the fluid is not accommodated.

  The cable 10 is configured such that the outer diameter of the sheath 12 fluctuates by including the fluid container 13 in the sheath 12 as described above. Specifically, in a state in which the fluid containing portion 13 contains the predetermined fluid, the fluid containing portion 13 expands, and accordingly, the outer diameter of the sheath 12 increases. Is released, the fluid accommodating portion 13 is deflated, and accordingly, the outer diameter of the sheath 12 is reduced.

(2) Cable Working Method Next, a working procedure for connecting a plurality of devices using the cable 10 having the above-described configuration, that is, a procedure of the cable working method according to the present invention will be specifically described.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a specific example of the cable connection according to the present invention.

(Cable installation work)
As a mode of connecting a plurality of devices with a cable, for example, one master device 31 and a plurality of slave devices 32 are connected by a cable 10, and the master device 31 concentrates information, operation, and the like in each slave device 32. There is something to manage. In constructing such a system, the cables 10 are prepared for the number of slave units 32. Then, the connector 20 provided at one end of each cable 10 is connected to the master device 31 and the connector 20 provided at the other end is connected to the corresponding slave device 32.

  In such a connection mode, for example, when the system scale becomes large, a large number (for example, about several hundred) of cables 10 may be required. Further, for example, when constructing the system in a large building, the cable length of each cable 10 may be long (for example, about several hundred meters). In such a case, the respective cables 10 are bundled together using the fixtures 34 and installed together up to the branch point to the corresponding slave device 32.

  By the way, each cable 10 is assumed to be in a state where a predetermined fluid is already stored in the fluid storage unit 13 at the time of installation.

  However, when the cable 10 has a check valve, a valve, or the like that communicates with the fluid storage unit 13, the predetermined fluid may be injected after the cable is installed. In that case, the outer diameter of the sheath 12 changes before and after the injection of the predetermined fluid. Therefore, even when a large number of cables 10 are installed, a worker performing the installation work visually recognizes a change in the outer diameter of the sheath 12 so that a specific cable 10 can be selected from the large number of cables 10. Can be easily selected. In other words, at the time of the cable installation work, it is possible to improve the workability of the specific cable 10 by utilizing the change in the outer diameter of the sheath 12 of the cable 10.

(Cable removal work)
In the system configured as described above, it may be necessary to remove the cable 10 connected to a specific slave device 32.

  In that case, a cut is made in the sheath 12 of the cable 10 to be removed, and the predetermined fluid contained in the fluid containing portion 13 contained in the sheath 12 is discharged out of the cable 10. That is, the predetermined fluid is stored in the fluid storage unit 13 at the latest before the cable 10 is removed, and the predetermined fluid is released from the fluid storage unit 13 when the cable 10 is removed. When the cable 10 has a check valve, a valve, or the like that communicates with the fluid storage unit 13, the predetermined fluid may be discharged from the fluid storage unit 13 using the check valve or the valve.

  When the predetermined fluid is released from the fluid storage portion 13, the outer diameter of the sheath 12 is reduced so that the outer diameter of the cable 10 in which the fluid storage portion 13 is included in the sheath 12 is reduced after the release of the predetermined fluid. Fluctuates. Therefore, even in the case where only a specific cable 10 is removed in a situation where a large number of cables 10 are installed, a worker performing the removal work visually recognizes a change in the outer diameter of the sheath 12. Thus, a specific cable 10 can be easily selected from a large number of cables 10. That is, at the time of the cable removal operation, it is possible to use the variation in the outer diameter of the sheath 12 of the specific cable 10 to improve the workability of the cable.

  In addition, when the predetermined fluid is discharged from the fluid container 13, the outer diameter of the cable 10 is reduced. Therefore, even when only a specific cable 10 is to be removed under a situation where a number of cables 10 are bundled together and fixed by the fixture 34, the cable to be removed Only 10 can be easily pulled out from the place bound by the fixture 34. That is, at the time of the cable removing operation, it is possible to improve the workability of the specific cable 10 by utilizing the fact that the outer diameter of the specific cable 10 is reduced.

  In the case where the fluid containing portion 13 is constituted by one closed space over the entire length of the cable 10, the outer diameter varies over the entire length of the cable 10. Therefore, a specific cable 10 can be easily selected at an arbitrary position in the longitudinal direction of the cable 10. That is, for example, it is possible to select and cut the cable 10 at an arbitrary position in the longitudinal direction of the cable 10 at the time of the cable removing operation, thereby shortening the cable removing operation, increasing the efficiency, and the like.

  Further, when the fluid accommodating portion 13 is divided into a plurality of accommodation spaces along the cable axial direction, the outer diameter of the cable 10 varies in units of the accommodation space. Therefore, it is useful to apply the case where the cable is removed several meters at a time from the end edge of the cable 10, for example, and is very suitable for reliably removing the cable. Further, for example, even when the predetermined fluid leaks due to an unexpected situation, the influence is only partial and does not extend over the entire length of the cable 10. From these facts, if the fluid storage portion 13 is divided into a plurality of storage spaces, the workability of the cable 10 can be improved, and the reliability of the work of the cable 10 and the cable 10 can be improved. It can be said that it can be achieved.

(3) Effects According to the Present Embodiment According to the present embodiment, one or more effects described below are obtained.

(A) In the present embodiment, the outer diameter changing means is included in the sheath 12 of the cable 10, and the outer diameter changing means is configured to change the outer diameter of the sheath 12. Therefore, by recognizing the outer diameter fluctuation, the cable 10 having the outer diameter fluctuation can be distinguished from the other cables 10, so that a specific cable 10 can be easily selected from the plurality of cables 10. become able to. Furthermore, if the outer diameter variation of the cable 10 is used, it is possible to easily pull out only the cable 10 that can be selected from the bundle of the installed cables 10, thereby improving the workability. It becomes feasible. That is, according to the present embodiment, a specific cable 10 can be easily selected from a plurality of cables 10, thereby improving the workability of the cable 10.

(B) Further, in the present embodiment, the fluid accommodation portion 13 is included in the sheath 12 as the outer diameter varying means, and the fluid accommodation portion 13 accommodates the predetermined fluid or discharges the predetermined fluid from the fluid accommodation portion 13. Thus, the outer diameter of the sheath 12 is varied. Therefore, the change in the outer diameter of the cable 10 can be realized with a very simple configuration without requiring a complicated mechanism. In addition, the flexibility and the like of the cable 10 are not hindered in order to realize the outer diameter variation. In other words, the outer diameter changing means configured by using the fluid storage portion 13 that stores the predetermined fluid is very suitable for being included in the sheath 12 of the cable 10.

(C) In this embodiment, a gaseous predetermined fluid is used. Therefore, air, an inert gas, or the like can be used as the predetermined fluid. Even when the predetermined fluid is stored in the fluid storage unit 13 or is discharged from the fluid storage unit 13, the predetermined fluid is discharged from the electric wire 11 or the like. Can be suppressed from being adversely affected. Further, there is no possibility of occurrence of an electric short circuit due to leakage of the predetermined fluid. In other words, even when the sheath 12 contains the fluid containing portion 13, the cable 10 after the fluid containing portion 13 contains the predetermined fluid can be handled without taking care more than necessary. Thereby, the workability of the cable 10 can be improved.

(D) Further, as described in the present embodiment, if the fluid storage unit 13 is divided into a plurality of storage spaces, the outer diameter of the cable 10 varies in units of the storage space. Therefore, it is particularly useful, for example, when the cable length of the cable 10 is as long as several hundred meters, and even in such a case, the workability of the cable 10 can be improved, and further, the cable 10 itself can be improved. Also, the reliability of the operation for the cable 10 can be improved.

(4) Modifications and the like Embodiments of the present invention have been specifically described above. However, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may be within the scope of the gist of the present invention. Various changes can be made.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where one master device 31 and a plurality of slave devices 32 are connected by the cable 10 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the present invention can be applied to a case where a cable is connected between a plurality of devices regardless of the type and number of devices to be connected.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the cable 10 in which the outer periphery of the plurality of electric wires 11 is covered with the sheath 12 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, regardless of the type and number of the cable core (for example, even when the cable core is an optical fiber), the present invention is applicable to a cable whose outer periphery is covered with a sheath. Is possible.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the outer diameter variation unit is realized by the fluid storage unit 13 that stores the predetermined fluid has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, the outer diameter changing means may be of another configuration as long as it is included in the sheath 12 and can change the outer diameter of the sheath 12.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Cable, 11 ... Electric wire, 12 ... Sheath, 13 ... Fluid accommodation part, 20 ... Connector, 31 ... Master machine, 32 ... Slave machine, 34 ... Fixture

Claims (6)

Optical fiber,
A sheath covering the outer periphery of the optical fiber,
Outer diameter variation means that is included in the sheath and varies the outer diameter of the sheath,
A device-to-device connection cable for connecting devices,
The outer diameter variation unit includes two fluid storage units that store a predetermined fluid,
The two fluid storage portions extend along the cable axial direction, and are arranged so as to sandwich the optical fiber.
Device connection cable. Optical fiber,
A sheath covering the outer periphery of the optical fiber,
Outer diameter variation means that is included in the sheath and varies the outer diameter of the sheath,
A device-to-device connection cable for connecting devices,
The outer diameter variation unit includes three or more fluid storage units that store a predetermined fluid,
The three or more fluid storage units extend along the cable axis direction and are arranged to surround the optical fiber.
Device connection cable. It said predetermined fluid device between the connection cable according to claim 1 or 2 outer diameter is configured to vary the sheath by the release of from housing or the fluid receiving portion of the predetermined fluid by pre Symbol fluid housing section . The inter-device connection cable according to claim 3 , wherein the fluid storage unit is configured to store the gaseous predetermined fluid. The device connection cable according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the fluid storage portion is divided into a plurality of storage spaces along a cable axial direction . An inter- device connection cable work method for a cable connecting between devices ,
Along with installing the cable so as to connect the devices using the cable according to any one of claims 3 to 5 ,
At the latest, before removing the cable, the predetermined fluid is stored in the fluid storage portion, and when the cable is removed, the predetermined fluid is released from the fluid storage portion.
How to connect cables between devices .

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