Optoelectrical composite cable

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9417416-B2
Application number	US-201414209890-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2014
Priority date	Apr 25, 2013
Publication date	Aug 16, 2016
Grant date	Aug 16, 2016

Abstract

An optoelectrical composite cable includes an optical fiber; a resin inner cylinder that accommodates the optical fiber; a plurality of electrical lines arranged outside the inner cylinder so as to cover a surrounding of the inner cylinder, and a tubular outer cylinder that collectively covers the plurality of electrical lines. The plurality of electrical lines include pairs of electrical lines, and the electrical lines constitute at least one of the pairs of electrical lines have a larger outer diameter than the other electrical lines and are arranged at opposing positions, with the inner cylinder being interposed therebetween.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optoelectrical composite cable comprising:
an optical fiber;
a resin inner cylinder that accommodates the optical fiber;
a plurality of electrical lines arranged outside the inner cylinder so as to cover a surrounding of the inner cylinder; and
a tubular outer cylinder that collectively covers the plurality of electrical lines,
wherein the plurality of electrical lines comprise pairs of electrical lines, and the electrical lines constitute at least one of the pairs of electrical lines have an outer diameter greater than the other electrical lines and are arranged at opposing positions, with the inner cylinder being interposed therebetween, and
wherein each of the plurality of electrical lines includes a center conductor which is covered with an insulator.

2. The optoelectrical composite cable, according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical lines comprise signal lines that constitute the pair of electrical lines for signal transmission and power-supply lines that constitute the pair of electrical lines for power supply, and
the power-supply lines have an outer diameter greater than the signal lines and are arranged at opposing positions, with the inner cylinder being interposed therebetween.

3. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 2 , wherein the power-supply lines comprise a power feeder line and a ground line; and
the power feeder line and the ground line are arranged at opposing positions, with the inner cylinder being interposed therebetween.

4. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 3 , wherein the power feeder line comprises a plurality of power feeder lines, and the ground line comprises a plurality of ground lines.

5. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of power-supply lines are arranged adjacent to each other, and the plurality of ground lines are arranged adjacent to each other.

6. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical lines are helically wound around an outer circumferential surface of the inner cylinder and are interposed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, and
when the inner cylinder receives a load upon receiving an external force from a circumference side of the outer cylinder, the adjacent electrical lines contact each other and the electrical lines slide relative to the inner cylinder to thereby reduce the load.

7. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of electrical lines contacts an adjacent electrical line of the plurality of electrical lines.

8. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrical lines comprise signal lines that constitute the pair of electrical lines for signal transmission and power-supply lines that constitute the pair of electrical lines for power supply.

9. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein the optoelectrical composite cable is symmetrical with respect to a center axis of the resin inner cylinder.

10. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 2 , wherein the outer diameter of the power supply lines is set according to a number of the power supply lines.

11. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 10 , wherein the outer diameter of the power supply lines decreases as the number of the power supply lines increases.

12. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 2 , wherein the outer diameter of the power supply lines and the outer diameter of the signal lines is set so as to satisfy the expression:
0.8× D 2 ≦ D 1 < D 2 ,

where the outer diameter of a widest power supply line of the power supply lines is D 2 and the outer diameter of a narrowest signal line of the signal lines is D 1 .

13. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein a number of the plurality of electrical lines is in a range between 4 and 20.

14. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein an outer diameter of the resin inner cylinder is 80% or more of a distance between the outer diameter of the resin inner cylinder and an inner diameter of the outer cylinder.

15. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein central axes of the plurality of electric lines are inclined relative to a longitudinal direction of the cable.

16. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein a pitch of a helical winding of the plurality of electric lines is in a range between 5 mm and 150 mm.

17. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , further comprising a reinforcement member encompassing the optical fiber and disposed inside the resin inner cylinder.

18. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 17 , wherein a volume of the reinforcement member in a space inside the resin inner cylinder is in a range of 2% to 50%.

19. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 17 , wherein the reinforcement member comprises at least 35% of an area inside the resin inner cylinder.

20. The optoelectrical composite cable according to claim 1 , wherein an elastic modulus of the resin inner cylinder is between 0.3 GPa to 4.0 GPa.

Assignees

• Hitachi Metals Ltd

Inventors

• Yasuda Hiroki
• Hirano Kouki
• Sakaguchi Hiroshi

Classifications

• G02B6/4416 Primary

  Heterogeneous cables · CPC title

• G02B6/4413

  Helical structure · CPC title