WO2021171064A1

WO2021171064A1 - A luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions

Info

Publication number: WO2021171064A1
Application number: PCT/IB2020/051731
Authority: WO
Inventors: Fernando LABASTIDA SÁNCHEZ; Alfonso PÉREZ SÁNCHEZ; Rogelio RAMÍREZ RAMÍREZ
Original assignee: Servicios Condumex, S.A. De C.V.
Priority date: 2020-02-28
Filing date: 2020-02-28
Publication date: 2021-09-02

Abstract

A luminous mining cable that is resistant to extreme conditions comprising a cable assembly which is embedded into a transparent jacket protecting such assembly, wherein the cable assembly further comprises a lighting arrangement that in turn comprises at least one LED strip as the outermost element of the cable assembly with dedicated power supply for lighting the LEDs in each LED strip only; provides a solution for all the technical problems of the prior art, as it can be lit over long periods of time and at any conditions of a mine, it is easier to handle and provides a constant intensity of light easily visible for an operator inside a mine when the cable is not feeding power or signals to a mining equipment.

Description

A LUMINOUS MINING CABLE RESISTANT TO EXTREME CONDITIONS

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to cables for mining, and more particularly to a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions.

BACKGROUND

It is known that mining industry is very important in the world. It is also known that by its nature it needs many lighting equipment to illuminate the work area. Sometimes it can be difficult to properly illuminate the work area due to the extreme and challenging conditions of the mine. Such would be, for example, total darkness in big areas, very high or low temperatures, a lot of dust, and many heavy equipment in movement. Due to said extreme and challenging conditions, equipment can be easily damaged if it is not correctly identified and illuminated. Particularly cables are susceptible to damage because they are often placed on the floor and are exposed to shocks, crushing or other damage due to the severe operating conditions. Also, mine workers are exposed to damage from electric shocks if the cable is not correctly identified. It is relevant to mention that particularly if a power cable is damaged and stops supplying electric power to a machine, the operation of the mine is totally interrupted. An interruption of the operation of the mine can have a cost in the hundreds of thousands of united states dollars.

Solutions have been tried to reduce cable damage as it is shown in document US9343200, which refers to electric and telecommunications cables. These cables have retro-reflective integral covers, comprising a first protective cover layer wrapping the core; at least one reflective tape including external visible light retro-reflective elements and wrapping the first protective cover layer, so as to form a second cover layer and; a third protective cover layer wrapping the second cover layer constituted by the reflective tape with retro-reflective elements and the first protective cover layer. However, the cable described therein requires direct lighting to allow light reflection in order to be seen, so it has limited applications for totally dark places when there are not any light sources around.

Document WO 82/03942 also describes an electrical cable with light reflective elements which act to reflect light to said cable. The electrical cable comprises at least one continuous ribbon including a multiplicity of light reflective elements. The elements are embedded in the outer jacket of the cable along the entire length of the electrical cable. However, this document does not describe a real solution for the mining industry at mine total darkness conditions. This is also because its reflective capacity requires it to be illuminated by another light source.

Another example is described in document WO2014/026300, which describes an energy harvesting system comprising a power cable and an energy harvesting device for illuminating one or more power cables. The power cables can be three-phase or single-phase. The energy extraction device has an arrangement of energy extraction at least in one of the three-phase cables of the power cable. The energy extraction device comprises a continuous helicoidal ferrous core, which purpose is to harvest an amount of energy from the main conductor and multiple coils of conductive insulated wire wound around the ferrous core, and the coils are connected to Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) that illuminate the power cable. Nevertheless, the power cable has disadvantages. For example, the cable only has lighting intermittently and not continuously because the energy extraction device only works if the cable is supplying electrical power to a machine and if the cable is not working the LEDs do not turn on. Also, the extraction device takes energy of one of one the three-phase cables of the power cable to turn on the LEDs. Accordingly, in order to function the cables need to be powered, which in turn requires a machine or other equipment in operation in order to light the LEDs. Therefore, this form of power cable lighting would not be useful for users who require continuous cable lighting, even when such cable is not supplying electric power to a machine or equipment. Another disadvantage is that if the power cable stops supplying electric power to a machine, it will stop lighting and it will be susceptible to being damaged or crushed. The cable described in document WO2014/026300 has the additional disadvantage that a layer of filler material is used to cover the energy extraction device. The filler material is necessary due to the disproportion of at least one of the three-phase cables that has the energy extraction device around it. The presence of the energy extraction device results in an irregular form of the diameter of the power cable that requires filler in order to procure a more circular shape of it. Therefore, the diameter of the power cable is substantially increased and, therefore due to such filler the power cable also becomes very thick, heavy and difficult to handle. Also, the power cable of document WO2014/026300 has a structure in which the power supply core cable comprising an energy harvesting device needs a metallic braided shield to be in electrical contact with the ground conductor cables, this also increases the outside diameter of the power cable. In addition, due to the application of the filler and the metallic braided shield the manufacturing cost increases. It is also important to consider that if the power cable is damaged, the operation of the mine is interrupted, and this implies a very high economic cost as said before. It is also important to consider that another disadvantage of the power cable described in WO2014/026300 is that the connector used must be larger than the standard connector used for power cables and it is more expensive than a conventional connector. Another disadvantage is that the light intensity of the LEDs is not always the same, because it depends on the demand of energy by the equipment that is being supplied by the same and cable visibility may be affected.

Another drawback of a cable that harvest energy from the cables within for the LEDs such as the one described in WO2014/026300 is that such arrangement cannot be used to power LEDs when the function of the cable is not power, for example in the case of optical fiber for data.

Another example is described in CN105825943, this invention relates to the technical field of power and cables, and particularly relates to a luminous power cable, which comprises a cable core and an inner layer coating the cable core. The cable has a color fluorescent coating, that only can be luminous in lighting conditions, and therefore, it can be easily identified in bright conditions. Nevertheless, this cable is not useful for harsh conditions in mines because the cable can be luminous only when there are light sources around.

Patent document WO2018/184349 relates to the technical fields of optical and electrical cables, and power and communication constructions. This document relates to an electrical or optical cable easily identifiable under bright and dark light conditions. The cable comprises an electrical or optical cable core, a protection layer surrounding the electrical or optical cable core, and a sheath layer extruded on and surrounding the protection layer; the sheath groove has a luminous unit therein, and the sheath layer and the luminous unit are surrounded by a transparent light-transmitting strip; the luminous unit is a linear or strip-like structure that can emit visible light after absorbing visible light. Notwithstanding, the cable described requires direct lighting to allow light emission in order to be seen, so it has limited applications for totally dark places when there are not any light sources around.

Document CN206584767U, refers to a luminous charge cable of LEDs comprising a positive cable, a negative cable and at least one LED light cable. The LEDs are covered with a transparent cover layer or transparent wrap layer. Nevertheless, the cable described in this document is only useful as a charge cable, since it does not have the structure of a cable useful for the mining industry. In addition, it has the same disadvantage than the cable of document WO2014/026300 because the LEDs are only lit whenever the cable is actually connected to an apparatus for charging and, in fact, when the device finishes charging, even if the cable is still connected, the LED cable turns off. Therefore, such cable is useless in total darkness conditions because it also requires the cable to be supplying energy to an equipment in order to make the cable visible.

According to the above, it is an object to eliminate the drawbacks present in the cables presently used by developing a luminous cable for mining resistant to extreme conditions that can be illuminated for long periods of time, allowing a quick and easy viewing in total darkness conditions, preventing damage from shocks, crushing or other damage due to the severe operating conditions, and in the case of mining power cables, to prevent the operation of the mine from being suspended.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

Considering the prior art defects, it is an object of the present invention to provide a luminous mining cable that is resistant to extreme conditions and can be lit for long periods of time while the cable is not supplying power or operating in connection to an equipment or machine.

Another object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable for use in harsh environments and total darkness where light sources are not available and reflective materials are not noticeable.

A third object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions with a LED strip with different color lighting options that allows greater control in operating and maintenance conditions.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions that has a specific arrangement that allows the protection of the LED strip so that its useful life is very long.

Another object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions that has a more compact design, more flexible and lighter.

One more object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions that has a lower manufacturing cost.

Hence, an object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions that does not need a special plug adapter.

Further, an object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions that can be easily seen by a machine operator in any conditions inside a mine.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions that has a power supply independent for the lighting arrangement.

Finally, an object of the invention is to provide a luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions that has a constant light intensity.

These and other objects are achieved by means of the luminous mining cable resistant to extreme conditions according to the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A luminous mining cable that is resistant to extreme conditions comprising a cable assembly which is embedded into a transparent jacket protecting such assembly, wherein the cable assembly further comprises a lighting arrangement that in turn comprises at least one Light Emitting Diodes (LED) strip as the outermost element of the cable assembly with dedicated power supply for lighting the LEDs in each LED strip only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The novel aspects, considered characteristic of the present invention, will be particularly set forth in the appended claims. However, some embodiments, features and some objects and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the detailed description when read together with the appended drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a basic cross-section view of an embodiment of a luminous mining cable according to the principles of the present invention with a power cable as the base of the cable assembly and one lighting arrangement.

Figure 2 illustrates a cross-section view of a specific embodiment of a luminous mining cable of Figure 1 .

Figure 3 illustrates a cross-section view of a specific embodiment of a luminous mining cable with two LED strips according to the principles of the present invention.

Figure 4 illustrates a cross-section view of a specific embodiment of a luminous mining cable with three LED strips according to the principles of the present invention.

Figure 5 illustrates a plan-top view of a typical lighting arrangement for use in the luminous mining cable of the present invention when it is not incorporated into the cable assembly.

Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of the specific embodiment of the luminous mining cable of figure 3 showing a section of the cable assembly free of filler, according to the principles of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It has been found that a luminous mining cable that is resistant to extreme conditions comprising a cable assembly which is embedded into a transparent jacket protecting such assembly, wherein the cable assembly further comprises a lighting arrangement that in turn comprises at least one LED strip as the outermost element of the cable assembly with dedicated power supply for lighting the LEDs in each LED strip only; provides a solution for all the technical problems of the prior art, as it can be lit over long periods of time and at any conditions of a mine, it is easier to handle and provides a constant intensity of light easily visible for an operator inside a mine when the cable is not feeding power or signals to a mining equipment.

For the purpose of the present patent application, the term “cable assembly” must be understood as an assembly of at least one wire or fiber, insulated or not, capable of transmitting electric energy, data signals or light signals. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention when the cable assembly comprises at least two wires or fibers, the cable assembly has a coiled arrangement.

According to the principles of the present invention, the cable assembly may be designed by a technical skilled person according to the specific purposes of connection to mining equipment, such as supplying power to a machine or providing data or light signals to a device. For example, the cable assembly could include metal wires for supplying power or optical fibers for providing light or data signals.

The cable assembly can include more conductive elements required for the specific function or use that is intended for the luminous mining cable. Accordingly, the cable assembly may include all the necessary elements known in the prior art for complying its function. For example, in a specific embodiment where the luminous mining cable of the present invention is used for supplying electric power, a typical cable assembly is formed by three power supply core cables, two ground conductor cables; and one ground check conductor, known as SHD-GC cables. In such SHD-GC cables, the three power supply core cables are a type of electrical cable that combines multiple signals or power feeds into a single jacketed cable. The ground conductor cables are safety cables that have intentionally been connected to ground. Its purpose is to carry electrical current only under short circuit or other conditions that would be potentially dangerous. The one ground check conductor cable allows a safer operation of the electrical system, since it is possible to continuously monitor the insulation resistance of the phase conductors.

For a better reference of the structures that those skilled in the art could use under the principles of the present invention for the cable assembly, in SHD-GC cables the three power supply core cables are typically phase conductors of a flexible electric conductor, preferably bare copper, that conforms the center of the power supply core cable. Then each power supply core cable is covered with a conductor shielding, preferably extruded. The conductor shielding is covered in turn with an insulation material, preferably ethylene-propylene rubber. The insulation material is typically covered with a high voltage shield to resist the stress caused by such high voltage and insulate such high voltage to avoid direct contact with other objects or people. The high voltage shield preferably is a metallic braided shield made with a combination of annealed tinned copper and colored nylon threads. The two ground conductor cables typically are also made of an electric conductor, but for this case tinned copper is preferred. The ground check conductor cable typically is made also an electric conductor covered by an insulation material, preferably flexible bare copper and ethylene-propylene rubber, polyethylene, polypropylene thermoplastic or fluorinated materials, respectively.

The transparent jacket used to protect the cable assembly of the present invention could be made of a thermoplastic polymer, preferably a polyurethane.

As mentioned before, the lighting arrangement of the luminous mining cable of the invention comprises a dedicated power supply for lighting the LEDs in the LED strip. The dedicated power supply of the lighting arrangement is independent of the function of the cable assembly. This is particularly relevant in the case of a luminous mining cable designed to supply electric power, in which the power supply for lighting the LEDs in the LED strip is independent from the power supply of the luminous mining cable. Unlike prior art cables, this dedicated power supply makes it possible to illuminate the cable without the need of the other elements in the cable assembly to be operating. For this purpose, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the dedicated power supply of the lighting arrangement comprises two insulated conductor cables located next to each LED strip and a dedicated power source, which is any source of electric power as, for example, a battery or a generator. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the two insulated conductor cables are packaged next to each LED strip with a transparent binding tape. The two insulated conductor cables are functionally connected to a dedicated power source. Preferably, the core of the insulated conductor cables is made of electric conductor, preferably copper, and the insulation material of the insulated conductor cables is preferably made of thermoplastic or thermoset polyolefin. Preferably, one insulated conductor cable is a positive polarity conductor cable and the other insulated conductor cable is a negative polarity conductor cable. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the negative polarity conductor cable is grounded.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the dedicated power supply further comprises at least one electrical derivation in order to be able to connect the two insulated conductor cables to the LED strip at least at one point along the luminous mining cable. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention where the dedicated power supply has a positive polarity conductor cable and a negative polarity conductor cable, both have at least one electrical derivation in order to be able to connect to the LED strip at least at one point along the luminous mining cable.

Accordingly, in a specific embodiment of the present invention the two insulated conductor cables are connected to the LED strip at least once throughout the total length of the luminous mining cable to deliver electric power to the LED strip. However, in another embodiment of the present invention, the two insulated conductor cables could be connected to the LED strip more than once over very long distances to assure a constant light intensity. In addition, the light intensity of the lighting arrangement may be modified due to the increment or decrement of the power supplied by the dedicated power supply according to the different conditions inside a mine. Therefore, by providing connections of the insulated conductor cables periodically at pre-determined lengths, the luminous mining cable could be easily seen even when the luminous mining cable is not supplying power or light or data signals to an equipment or machine without jeopardizing the luminous effect for loss of power. Thus, the luminous mining cable is not susceptible to be easily damaged because it is correctly identified and illuminated at all times inside the mine.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the lighting arrangement of the cable assembly comprises more than one LED strip, preferably two or three. In such embodiment of the present invention, the lighting arrangement can show different wavelengths of visible light. Accordingly, unlike prior art cables, the cable of the present invention can be used under different visibility conditions within the mine, or to communicate different states of the operation of the machine or equipment inside the mine along all the length of the cable, or to inform of emergencies or other contingencies to the mine personnel.

The principles and embodiments above described for the luminous mining cable of the present invention may be better understood when explained in connection with the appended drawings as follows.

Figure 1 shows a transversal cross-section view of an embodiment of the luminous mining cable (1000). The luminous mining cable (1000) comprises a cable assembly (1100), a lighting arrangement (1200) and a transparent jacket (1300). The lighting arrangement (1200) is the outermost element of the cable assembly (1100), which is protected by the transparent jacket (1300).

Referring now to figures 2, 3 and 4, these show a transversal cross-section view of different embodiments of the luminous mining cable (1000) which in this case has a function of supplying power to a machine inside a mine. As it can be seen, the luminous mining cable (1000) comprises a cable assembly (1100) formed in this case by three power supply core cables (1120) with an insulation material (1121) used as protection of the three power supply core cables (1120), the three power supply core cables (1120) are located in the center of the luminous mining cable (1000); two ground conductor cables (1130), next to the three power supply core cables (1120); and one ground check conductor cable (1140). In the specific embodiment that is shown in figure 2, the luminous mining cable (1000) comprises a lighting arrangement (1200) with one LED strip (1210), whereas in the embodiments showed in figure 3 and 4 the luminous mining cable (1000) comprises a lighting arrangement (1200) with two and three LED strips (1210), respectively, as the outermost element of the cable assembly (1100). Next to the LED strips (1210) it can be seen a positive polarity conductor cable (1220) with an insulation material (1221) and a conductor negative polarity conductor cable (1230) with an insulation material (1231). Such positive (1220) and negative (1230) polarity conductor cables constitute, along with a dedicated power source (not shown in the figures), the dedicated power supply for their corresponding LED strip under the principles of the present invention. The whole cable assembly is embedded into a transparent jacket (1300).

Referring now to figure 5, this shows a plan-top view of a specific embodiment of a lighting arrangement (1200) that shows it schematically. As it can be seen, the lighting arrangement (1200) comprises one LED strip (1210), which in turn comprises a plurality of LEDs (1211). In addition, a positive polarity conductor cable (1220) and a negative polarity conductor cable (1230) are shown. The function of the insulated conductor cable with a positive polarity (1220), and the insulated conductor cable with a negative polarity (1230) is to delivery electric power to the LED strip (1210) throughout the luminous mining cable (not shown in this figure). As it can be seen the positive polarity conductor cable (1220) has an electrical derivation (1222) to connect to the LED strip (1210), and also the negative polarity conductor cable (1230) has an electrical derivation (1232) to connect to the LED strip (1210) and ensure the lighting of the LEDs (1211) throughout the whole length of the luminous mining cable. The derivations as shown may be made with different intervals of length along the luminous mining cable in order to ensure that the illumination level does not vary along the cable.

Figure 6 shows an upper perspective view of the specific embodiment of the luminous mining cable (1000) with two LED strips (1210) shown before in figure 3. As it can be seen, the luminous mining cable (1000) has a coiled arrangement so the LED strips (1210) in the lighting arrangement (1200) have a low probability of being damaged. Also, a section of the cable assembly (1100) is shown free of filler, in order to allow identification of the different elements in the luminous mining cable according to the principles of the present invention with the same reference numbers used in the other figures described above.

It is important to note that the embodiments shown in the figures are only illustrative and that a power cable assembly was chosen to show the best way to build a cable with one of the most complex structures in the cable assembly. However, those skilled in the art can easily identify that the principles of the present invention can be applied to any other cable assemblies.

The present invention will be better understood from the following examples, which are given only for illustrative purposes in order to allow a better understanding of the preferred embodiments of the invention and the advantages of the same, without implying that there are no other non-illustrated embodiments which can be taken into practice based on the above detailed description. Example 1

An assay was carried out to evaluate the diameter and weight of the luminous mining cable with respect to the prior art cables in the case of cables designed to supply electric power to a machine inside a mine, according to one of the preferred embodiments described before (SHD-GC type).

Comparative tests were performed to verify that the luminous mining cable is lighter and thinner than prior art cables. The tests were made comparing the luminous mining cable with the prior art power cable described on document WO2014/026300. The power cable of document WO2014/026300 comprises an energy harvesting system for illuminating the power cable that is similar to the lighting arrangement.

The results that were obtained are shown in the following tables 1 and 2.

Table 1

Table 2

As it can be seen the luminous mining cable with one lighting arrangement is 21% lighter than the power cable of document WO2014/026300. The luminous mining cable with two LED strips is 37% lighter than power cable of document WO2014/026300. Thus, the luminous mining cable with three LED strips is 37% lighter than power cable of document WO2014/026300.

Moreover, the outer diameter of the luminous mining cable with one lighting arrangement is 12% thinner than the power cable of document WO2014/026300. The luminous mining cable with two LED strips is 26% thinner than the power cable of document WO2014/026300. Thus, the luminous mining cable is 30% thinner than the power cable of document WO2014/026300. It should be noted that the power cable of document WO2014/026300 has a structure in which the power supply core cable comprising an energy harvesting system needs a metallic braided shield to be in electrical contact with the ground conductor cables. Thus, that is one of the reasons why this prior art cable is thicker and heavier than the luminous mining cable. Therefore, luminous mining cable has advantages over prior art documents. Specifically compared to the power cable of document WO2014/026300, the luminous mining cable is thinner and therefore more flexible and lighter.

Example 2 An assay was carried out to evaluate the resistance to fatigue of the luminous mining cable of the present invention. For the purpose of this assay a luminous mining cable designed to supply electric power to a machine inside a mine, according to one of the preferred embodiments described before, is used (SHD-GC type).

In this assay the harsh operating and environmental conditions were simulated, including winding/unwinding and tension to which mining cables are subjected.

A third-party test program included the development of methods and equipment to determinate the effect of the different design mining cables and simulate the field performance of mining cables.

The resistance to fatigue test simulates field conditions in connection to tension and cyclical movement of a mining cable.

Testing is performed in cycles and it is measured the number of cycles a cable will withstand until it loses electrical continuity in any of the power supply core cables in the cable assembly, or the cable jacket is damaged.

The conceptual design is based on the Underwriters Laboratories standard UL 2556, adapted to large cables such as mining cables. Results are shown in the Table 3.

Results are shown in the Table 3, which shows the resistance to fatigue on pulleys - Mining Cables with different designs.

Table 3.

As it can be appreciated, the luminous mining cable of the present invention has a significantly greater resistance to fatigue than the power cable of document WO2014/026300, in term of losing electrical continuity due to damage of any of the power supply core cables or damage of the transparent jacket.

Example 3

An assay was carried out to evaluate the resistance to bending of the luminous mining cable of the present invention. For the purpose of this assay a luminous mining cable designed to supply electric power to a machine inside a mine, according to one of the preferred embodiments described before, is used (SHD-GC type).

A third-party test program included the development of a “Resistance to Bending” test procedure and equipment to simulate field conditions with regards to the effect of flexural stress in the continuity of the multiple elements of the mining cable core. The conceptual procedure is based in the International Standard ISO 14572 - Cyclic Bending Test, adapted to large cables.

Testing is performed in cycles and measures the number of cycles a cable will withstand until it loses electrical continuity in any of the power supply core cables in the cable assembly, or the cable jacket is damaged.

The cable is attached vertically and then subjected to 90° bends in both left and right directions.

Results are shown in the Table 4, which shows the resistance to bending with different designs.

Table 4

As it can be appreciated, the luminous mining cable of the present invention has a significantly greater resistance to bending than the power cable of document WO2014/026300, in term of losing electrical continuity due to damage of any of the power supply core cables or damage of the transparent jacket. It will be obvious for any expert on the art that the embodiments of the luminous mining cable as previously described and illustrated on the accompanying drawings, are just illustrative and do not limit the present invention since many possible changes are possible considering the details without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be considered as restricted except for what the prior art demands and the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1 . A luminous mining cable that is resistant to extreme conditions comprising a cable assembly which is embedded into a transparent jacket protecting such assembly; wherein the cable assembly further comprises a lighting arrangement that in turn comprises at least one Light Emitting Diodes (LED) strip as the outermost element of the cable assembly with a dedicated power supply for lighting the LEDs in each LED strip only.

2. The luminous mining cable according to claim 1 , wherein the cable assembly comprises three power supply core cables; two ground conductor cables; and one ground check conductor.

3. The luminous mining cable according to claim 2, wherein each power supply core cable is a phase conductor of a flexible electric conductor.

4. The luminous mining cable according to claim 3, wherein each power supply core cable is bare copper.

5. The luminous mining cable according to claim 2, wherein each power supply core cable is covered with a conductor shielding.

6. The luminous mining cable according to claim 5, wherein the conductor shielding is covered with an insulation material.

7. The luminous mining cable according to claim 6, wherein the insulation material is ethylene-propylene rubber.

8. The luminous mining cable according to claim 6, wherein the insulation material is covered with a high voltage shield.

9. The luminous mining cable according to claim 8, wherein the high voltage shield is a metallic braided shield made with a combination of annealed tinned copper and colored nylon threads.

10. The luminous mining cable according to claim 2, wherein the two ground conductor cables are made of an electric conductor.

11. The luminous mining cable according to claim 10, wherein the two ground conductor cables are made of tinned copper.

12. The luminous mining cable according to claim 2, wherein the ground check conductor cable is made of an electric conductor covered by an insulation material.

13. The luminous mining cable according to claim 12, wherein the ground check conductor cable is made of bare copper.

14. The luminous mining cable according to claim 12, wherein the insulation material covering the ground check conductor is ethylene-propylene rubber, polyethylene, polypropylene thermoplastic or fluorinated materials.

15. The luminous mining cable according to claim 1 , wherein the transparent jacket is made of a thermoplastic polymer.

16. The luminous mining cable according to claim 15, wherein the transparent jacket is made of a polyurethane.

17. The luminous mining cable according to claim 1 , wherein the dedicated power supply comprises two insulated conductor cables located next to each LED strip and a dedicated power source.

18. The luminous mining cable according to claim 17, wherein the two insulated conductor cables are packaged next to the LED strip with a transparent binding tape.

19. The luminous mining cable according to claim 17, wherein the two insulated conductor cables are functionally connected to the dedicated power source.

20. The luminous mining cable according to claim 17, wherein the core of the insulated conductor cables is an electric conductor.

21. The luminous mining cable according to claim 20, wherein the core of the insulated conductor cables is copper.

22. The luminous mining cable according to claim 17, wherein the insulation material of the insulated conductor cables is a thermoplastic or thermoset polyolefin.

23. The luminous mining cable according to claim 17, one insulated conductor cable is a positive polarity conductor cable and the other insulated conductor cable is a negative polarity conductor cable.

24. The luminous mining cable according to claim 23, wherein the negative polarity conductor cable is grounded.

25. The luminous mining cable according to claims 1 and 17, wherein the dedicated power supply comprises at least one electrical derivation in order to be able to connect the two insulated conductor cables to the LED strip at least at one point along the luminous mining cable.

26. The luminous mining cable according to claims 23 and 25, both the positive polarity conductor cable and the negative polarity conductor cable both have at least one electrical derivation in order to be able to connect to the LED strip at least at one point along the luminous mining cable.

27. The luminous mining cable according to claim 25, wherein the light intensity of the lighting arrangement may be modified due to the increment or decrement of the power supplied by the dedicated power supply according to the different conditions inside a mine.

28. The luminous mining cable according to claim 1 , wherein the lighting arrangement of the cable assembly comprises more than one LED strip.

29. The luminous mining cable according to claim 28, wherein the lighting arrangement of the cable assembly comprises two or three LED strips.

30. The luminous mining cable according to claim 1 , wherein the lighting arrangement can show different wavelengths of visible light.