Variable diameter conduit tubes for high performance, multi-media communication cable

• US 20060237217A1
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cable Components Group, LLC
• Original Assignee: Cable Components Group, LLC
• Inventors: Glew, Charles A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,473,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/113.C
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/06 with means for reducing effects of electromagnetic or electrostatic disturbances, e.g. screens

Abstract

The present invention describes a conduit tube like structure for high performance, multi-media communications cables with or without support separators that are of varying internal and external dimensions and wall thicknesses that may vary consistantly or randomly and may be spirally or helically wound within or around a high performance, multi-media communications cable to vary the spacing between a high performance, multi-media communications cable and an adjacent communications cables to mitigate alien cross talk as well as the influence of EME/RFI. The conduit tube structures say be hollow, contain communications media, solid, comprised of various shapes, and wrapped with various windings and/or tensions. The final cable assembly may then be jacketed or taped as desired.

Claims

1. A high performance, multi-media communications cable comprising one or more conduit tubes and one or more conductive media conductors comprising metallic or fiber optic conductors or both possibly including one or more cable support separators, and wherein said one or more tubes may exist within or exterior to said high performance, multi-media communications cable central region or cable support-separator extending along a longitudinal length of said cable and wherein said one or more tubes provide said cable with eccentric or concentric shape;

said one or more tubes comprising various shapes, material thicknesses, diameters and sizes,

said one or more tubes extending along said longitudinal length of said cable, thereby varying overall cable diameters and wherein said one or more tubes may be helically wound around said cable or internal to said cable wherein said one or more tubes comprise variable winding patterns with variable tensions and wherein said one or more tubes provide said cable with improved electrical and/or optical performance and reduced cross-talk.

2. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes, each or separately, have a variable radial and axial diameter.

3. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may be filled and either solid or foamed or foamed with a solid skin layer.

4. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes exist within a plurality of twisted pairs of conductive media or exterior to said plurality of twisted pairs of conductive media and wherein said plurality of twisted pairs is at least 1 twisted pair and preferentially 4 twisted pair.

5. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes exist within a plurality of twisted pairs of conductive media or exterior to said plurality of twisted pairs of conductive media and wherein said plurality of twisted pairs is at least 24 pairs.

6. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes include variable winding patterns and variable tensions within or external to said cable thereby varying said cable overall diameter and thereby also varying the conductive nature of said cable and wherein said conduit tubes may be wrapped around an exterior portion of said cable or jacketed within an internal portion of said cable.

7. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may be comprised of conductive, semi-conductive, or non-conductive materials.

8. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may have corrugated or rifled inner surfaces and/or corrugated or rifled outer surfaces and wherein installation of conductive media may be accomplished.

9. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may be comprised of metal or conductive or non-conductive polymer, and wherein said tubes maybe utilized for electrical grounding or earthing media.

10. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes provide either an eccentric or concentric cable support-separator by providing a helically wound, variable pattern, and/or variably tensioned component wherein wherein said conduit tubes may be wrapped around an exterior portion of said cable or jacketed within an internal portion of said cable.

11. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may be conductive, semi-conductive, or non-conductive, filled and either solid or foamed or foamed with a solid skin layer, metallic, conductive or non-conductive polymer media, providing electrical grounding or earthing, or wherein said tubes may be primarily comprised of organic or inorganic polymers or combinations of inorganic and organic polymer blends.

12. The high performance, multi-media communications cable comprising one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may be a combination of inorganic fillers or additives with inorganic and/or organic polymers or combinations including inorganic and organic polymer blends, homo and copolymers of ethylene, propylene, or polyvinyl chloride or fluorinated ethylene propylene, fluorinated ethylene, chlorinated ethylene propylene, fluorochloronated ethylene, perfluoroalkoxy, fluorochloronated propylene, a copolymer of tetrafluoroethylene and perfluoromethylvinylether (MFA), a copolymer of ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethelyene (ECTFE), as well as homo and copolymers of ethylene and/or propylene with fluorinated ethylene, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), as well as blends of polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, nylons, polyesters, polyurethanes as well as unsubstituted and substituted fullerenes primarily comprised of C₆₀ molecules including nano-composites of clay and other inorganics such as ZnO, TiO₂, MgOH, and ATH (ammonium tetrahydrate), calcium molybdates, ammonium octyl molybdate and the like, and wherein said nano-composites or other inorganics may also be employed as nano-sized particles including tube shaped particles, wherein any and all combinations may be utilized to provide polymer blends for manufacture of said conduit tubes, and wherein said conduit tubes may provide housing for said conductive media or nanotubes of C₆₀ in the form of fibers or substituted/unsubstituted fullerenes or fullerene compounds including nano-composites in the form of fibers or substituted/unsubstituted fullerenes compounds wherein said nano-composites may also be imbedded within said conduit tubes.

13. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may be comprised addtionally of a combination of metal oxides including magnesium trioxides, metal hydrates, including magnesium hydrates, silica or silicon oxides, brominated compounds, phosphated compounds, metal salts including magnesium hydroxides, ammonium octyl molybdate, calcium molybdate, or any and all effective combinations of said oxides, hydrates, silicas, compounds, salts, hydroxides, or molybdate.

14. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may also be comprised of compounds that include acid gas scavengers that scavenge gasses such as hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride or other halogenated gasses occurring during combustion of said conduit tubes.

15. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may be comprised of organic and/or inorganic polymers that each may include the use of recycled or reground thermoplastics in an amount up to 100%.

16. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes are comprised of a polymer blend ratio of fluorinated or otherwise halogenated polymers or copolymers to ethylene or vinyl chloride polymers or copolymers of from 0.1% to up to 99.9% of fluorinated or otherwise halogenated polymers or copolymers to ethylene or vinyl chloride polymers or copolymers or foamed polymer blends including a nucleating agent of polytetrafluoroethylene, carbon black, color concentrate, or boron nitride, boron triflouride, direct injection of air or gas into an extruder, chloroflurocarbons (CFCs), or more environmentally acceptable alternatives such as pentane or other acceptable nucleating or blowing agents.

17. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes comprise solid, partially solid, or partially or fully foamed organic or inorganic dielectric materials, wherein said dielectric materials may include a solid skin surface with any one of a number of said dielectric materials and wherein said conduit tubes may include an adhesive surface.

18. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes comprise a sealant coated dimensionally heat-recoverable dual layer of said conduit tubes comprising selecting a first polymer composition comprising a cross-linkable polymer, forming a second polymer composition by admixing a thermoplastic component and a rubber-like component in proportions such that a composition comprises 30 to 95% of said thermoplastic component and 5 to 70% of said rubber-like component with said second composition being convertible to a sealant composition.

19. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes comprise potentially deforming said conduit tubes by extruding a first and second polymer composition to form a unitary dual layer, wherein said second polymer composition forms an outer tubular layer formed from a crosslinkable polymer composition disposed concentrically around an inner tubular layer and being in a first configuration at a temperature below the crystalline melt temperature of said first polymer composition whereby exposing said conduit tubes or said jacketing to a source of energy initiates formation of chemical bonds between adjacent polymer chains in said first composition, and induces a chemical change in said second composition, thereby converting said second composition from a melt processable composition to a sealant composition and rendering said first composition recoverable in that said sealant composition is more easily recoverable upon subsequent heating.

20. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes are capable of providing conductors that transmit data up to and greater than 10 Gbit/second while substantially mitigating or completely eliminating all forms of crosstalk, including alien crosstalk.

21. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes comprise said non-conductive or conductive substrate such as metallized thermoplastic film that is at a nominal 50 ohms per square (50 Ω

/cm²) resistance and is attached, laminated, molded, extruded or co-extruded to said conduit tubes and wherein said conduit tube surfaces themselves may be comprised of imbedded non-conductive or conductive substrate such as said metallized thermoplastic film at a nominal 50 ohms per square (50 Ω

/cm²) resistance, where said metallized thermoplastic film may include a drain wire of a preferred AWG or a braided shield in contact with said metallized film.

22. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes may be severed by a knife or other sharp tool in order to separate said conduit tube from a set of said cable support-separator structures to ease in routing, installation and termination of said conductive media and where said conductive media may also be pulled away from said structures through a gap for easy separation said conductive media at an end of said cable.

23. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes surfaces provides shielded or unshielded internal EME/RFI (electromagnetic emissions/radio frequency interference) barrier surfaces external to said cable central region of said cable and also provide for a barrier from external EME/RFI, and wherein said drain wire may be placed in contact with said shielded surfaces to provide additional EMI/RFI (electromagnetic interference/radio frequency interference) protection.

24. The high performance, multi-media communications cable with one or more conduit tubes of claim 1, wherein said conduit tubes are comprised of polyolefin or other thermoplastic based polymers and blends thereof capable of meeting specific flammability and smoke generation requirements as defined by UL 910, NFPA 255, 259 or 262, and EN 50266-2-x, class B test specifications as well as NFPA 72 test criteria for circuit integrity, wherein said test criteria is met by each of said high performance, multi-media communications cable, said cable support-separators, said conduit tubes and/or said jacketing.

25. A method for creating a high performance, multi-media communications cable or cables with one or more conduit tubes wherein said one or more tubes may exist within or exterior to said high performance, multi-media communications cable central region as well as one or more cable support-separators extending along a longitudinal length of said cable and wherein said one or more tubes provide said cable with eccentric or concentric shape;

said one or more tubes comprising various shapes, material thicknesses, diameters and sizes,

said one or more tubes extending along said longitudinal length of said cable, varying said cable overall diameters by helically winding around said cable or internal to said cable and wherein said one or more tubes comprise variable winding patterns with variable tensions and wherein said one or more tubes provide said cable with improved electrical and/or optical performance and reduced cross-talk.

26. The method for creating a high performance, multi-media communications cable or cables with one or more conduit tubes as in claim 25, wherein pulling of said conduit tube from a reel or cobb into a closing die to mate said conduit tube with other conductive or non-conductive media providing nesting and shielding as necessary such that one or more twisted pair or other media are provided with single or double twist bunching which, may include a binder for holding said twisted bunching with optional shielding, or may include a single or two-step process potentially followed by use of a binder for holding said twisted bunching in place and wherein said cable may be jacketed via extrusion or wrapping or both with a final take up on a final take-up reel, wherein once completed, said method includes providing said high performance, multi-media cable with at least one said conduit tube.

27. The method for creating high performance, multi-media communications cable or cables with one or more conduit tubes of claim 25, wherein said conduit tubes are contained within a wrapping or jacketing of said cable or cables and wherein said binder and said wrapping may include one or more of several methods including single tape winding such as a cigarette tape wrap, spiral wrapping such as a notebook binder with a tighter or looser configuration or varying tensions or wherein said binder may simply comprise extruding a thin skin thermoplastic or a thicker skin thermoplastic or thermoset or the like over an entire high performance, multi-media cable assembly.