WO2011024144A1

WO2011024144A1 - Cable arrangement

Info

Publication number: WO2011024144A1
Application number: PCT/IB2010/053860
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kieron William David Leeburn
Original assignee: CBI-ELECTRIC AFRICAN CABLES A DIVISION OF ATC Pty Ltd
Current assignee: CBI-ELECTRIC AFRICAN CABLES A DIVISION OF ATC Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2009-08-27
Filing date: 2010-08-27
Publication date: 2011-03-03
Anticipated expiration: 2012-02-27
Also published as: ZA201006132B

Abstract

This invention relates to a cable arrangement, and more particularly but not exclusively, to a cable arrangement incorporating cable identification means. The cable arrangement includes a tubular cable sheath defining a bore, and at least one conductor located inside the bore. An identification device is also located inside the bore of the cable sheath.

Description

CABLE ARRANGEMENT

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

THIS invention relates to a cable arrangement, and more particularly but not exclusively, to a cable arrangement incorporating cable identification means.

Theft and misappropriation of cables with conductive cores are of major concern in trade and industry. Vast losses, both direct and indirect, can annually be ascribed to cable theft. This includes the replacement cost of cables, but more significantly, also end-user down-time resulting from a loss of services supplied using the cable, whether electricity, telephony, or otherwise.

Stolen cables are usually sold to dealers in scrap metals, who in turn then recycle the conductors inside the cable cores. The dealer is usually not in a position to ascertain whether the cable is stolen or alternatively legitimately recycled material, as cables generally do not include a unique identifier allowing one to trace the origin of a cable, similar to VIN numbers used on motor vehicles. In order to alleviate the above problem, it has been in the past proposed to mark the outside sheaths of cables. However, these sheaths can easily be removed, resulting in the core and conductors of the cable remaining unidentifiable. Marking of the conductors may be helpful, but this is generally not a practical and logistically sound solution to the problem. Also, the type of cable markings referred to above does not constitute unique cable identifiers, as it still will not provide a means for ascertaining the exact origin or owner of a cable. This proves to be a major obstacle in proceedings against potential perpetrators, as the origin and ownership of a particular length of cable cannot be proven conclusively and unambiguously.

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a cable arrangement that will, at least partially, alleviate the above disadvantages.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a cable arrangement incorporating cable identification means, which will be a useful alternative to existing cable identification mechanisms.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to the invention there is provided a cable arrangement including: at least one conductor;

a tubular cable sheath defining a bore in which the conductor is located; and

an identification device located inside the bore of the cable sheath. There is provided for the cable arrangement to include a plurality of conductors, and for the identification device to be located between the conductors.

There is also provided for the conductors to be insulated by way of an insulating layer, and for the identification device to be located inside the insulating layer of at least one of the conductors.

Preferably, the identification device is in the form of an elongate strip having markings provided thereon, the elongate strip being located in the bore defined by the cable sheath, and being configured substantially coaxial with the conductors.

The elongate strip may be made from a plastic material.

The marking provided on the elongate strip is preferably in the form of non- repetitive sequential identifiers, including text, a bar code, or a combination thereof, in order for different sections of the same cable to be identifiable.

There is provided for a particular identifier to be associated with a predetermined length of the elongate strip, and therefore the cable.

There is provided for the unique identifiers to be provided at a predetermined frequency along the length of the elongate strip.

There is still further provided for the sheath to be made of a fire retardant material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A preferred embodiment of the invention is described by way of a non- limiting example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a cable arrangement in accordance with the invention; and

Figure 2 is one embodiment of the cable identifier used in the cable arrangement.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION

Referring to the drawings, in which like numerals indicate like features, a non-limiting example of cable arrangement in accordance with the invention is generally indicated by reference numeral 10.

Referring to figure 1 , the cable arrangement 10 comprises a tubular sheath 20, having a bore 22 in which a plurality of insulated conductors 21 are located. A cable identifier 30 in the form of an elongate plastic strip is located inside the bore 22, and may be located between the conductors 21 or alternatively between an inner surface of the sheath 20 and the conductors 21. The cable identifier 30 is inserted in the cable during the manufacturing process of the cable 10. Although not shown in this particular example, there is also provided for the identifier inside an insulation layer that covers a conductive element of a conductor. Referring to figure 2, the cable identifier 30 is in the form of an elongate, flexible plastic strip on which predetermined markings are printed. More particularly, in a preferred embodiment the markings include a barcode 31 and a corresponding alphanumerical string 32. The alphanumerical string 32 is a sequential identifier that never repeats, and is therefore a truly unique identifier, as there is only one of each particular marking. Various ways are foreseen how this can be achieved, but in this example the string 32 includes a first part 32.1 , which constitutes the date on which the particular cable identifier 30 was printed, followed by a sequential number 32.2, which may also include a letter to differentiate parallel elongates printed on the same date. It will be appreciated that this arrangements ensures that each incremental part of a cable has a unique number contained therein, and the numbering is furthermore sequential, so that a beginning and end number for a given length of cable can be identified. The barcode 31 is provided to assist in the allocation process and database management, as the use of the barcode will be more accurate and quicker than relying on the alphanumerical string alone.

The cable identifier 30 is specifically located inside the cable, and is protected from external removal or damage, and is even to some extent protected from heat that may be generated while trying to burn the sheath of the cable. The sheath is furthermore made from a fire retardant material in order further to protect the identifier.

In use, the cable will be formed as set out above, and the entire cable will therefore include unique identifiers along a length thereof. The sequence of the identifiers will be predetermined. Therefore, any section of cable will begin with a first unique identifier, and will end with a second unique identifier, with a plurality of unique predetermined sequential identifiers located inside the cable between the two ends. When the cable is supplied to an end-user, the relevant identifiers can be captured on a database, and allocated to the particular end-user. Should the cable, or any part thereof, be stolen and taken to a scrap dealer, it will be possible to look at the identifiers, verify the same against the database, and in so doing ascertain the origin or owner of the cable. If a particular length of cable is to be scrapped, it can be marked as such on the database, and can be sent to a scrap dealer. The important principle is that any length of cable, longer than the unique identifier, will be traceable, provided the cable identifier database is properly administrated. Numbers are furthermore only allocated to end-users after manufacturing, which simplifies the logistics as one does not need to manufacture custom-marked cables for individual clients - one system will be suitable to use for all.

It will be appreciated that the above is only one embodiment of the invention and that there may be many variations without departing from the spirit and/or the scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A cable arrangement including:

a tubular cable sheath defining a bore;

at least one conductor located inside the bore; and

an identification device which is also located inside the bore of the cable sheath.

2. The cable arrangement of claim 1 including a plurality of conductors, with the identification device being located between the conductors.

3. The cable arrangement of claim 2 wherein the conductors are insulated by way of insulating layers, and wherein the identification device is located inside a bore defined by the insulating layer of at least one conductor.

4. The cable arrangement of any one of the preceding claims in which the identification device is in the form of an elongate strip having markings provided thereon.

5. The cable arrangement of claim 4 in which the elongate strip is configured substantially co-axially with the conductors, the strip extending substantially an entire length of the cable arrangement.

6. The cable arrangement of claim 5 in which the elongate strip is made from a plastic material.

7. The cable arrangement of claim 4 in which the markings provided on the elongate strip is in the form of non-repetitive sequential identifiers, in order for different sections of the same cable to be identifiable.

8. The cable arrangement of claim 7 in which the non-repetitive sequential identifiers are in the form of text, numerals, a bar code, or a combination thereof.

9. The cable arrangement of claim 7 or 8 in which the non-repetitive sequential identifiers are provided at a predetermined frequency along the length of the elongate strip.