METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A CABLE MEDIA

• US 20090000688A1
• Filed: 05/28/2008
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Borivoje Antonijevic, Craig Masters, Eamonn Wyer, Robert Black, Ross Beames, Trent Hayes, Wayne Hopkinson
• Original Assignee: Borivoje Antonijevic, Craig Masters, Eamonn Wyer, Robert Black, Ross Beames, Trent Hayes, Wayne Hopkinson
• Inventors: Wyer, Eamonn, Black, Robert, Masters, Craig, Hayes, Trent, Antonijevic, Borivoje, Beames, Ross, Hopkinson, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 8,616,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 140/119
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/02 Cables with twisted pairs or quads

Abstract

A method for forming a cabling media includes providing a wire pair including first and second conductor members. Each of the first and second conductor members includes a respective conductor and a respective insulation cover surrounding the conductor thereof. The first and second conductor members are twisted about one another to form a twisted wire pair having a twist length that purposefully varies along a length of the twisted wire pair. The method may include: imparting a purposefully varied pretwist to the wire pair using a wire pair twist modulator; and imparting additional twist to the wire pair using a wire pair twisting device downstream of the wire pair twist modulator.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming a cabling media using a wire pair including first and second conductor members, each of the first and second conductor members including a respective conductor and a respective insulation cover surrounding the conductor thereof, wherein the apparatus is adapted to twist the first and second conductor members about one another to form a twisted wire pair having a twist length that purposefully varies along a length of the twisted wire pair.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including:

a) a wire pair twist modulator adapted to impart a purposefully varied pretwist to the wire pair; and

b) a wire pair twisting device downstream of the wire pair twist modulator, wherein the wire pair twisting device is adapted to impart additional twist to the wire pair.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the pretwist imparted by the wire pair twist modulator to the wire pair varies across an absolute range of at least 0.5% of a nominal twist length of the twisted wire pair.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the wire pair twist modulator is adapted to impart each of a positive twist and a negative twist to the wire pair.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 including an engagement member adapted to engage the wire pair and rotationally oscillate about a twist axis.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the engagement member includes at least one eyelet to receive the first and second conductor members.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 including a first eyelet to receive the first conductor member and a second eyelet to receive the second conductor member.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 including a plurality of serially arranged engagement members, wherein each of the engagement members is adapted to engage the wire pair and rotationally oscillate about a respective twist axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the wire pair twist modulator is adapted to rotationally oscillate the plurality of engagement members different distances.

10. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the wire pair twisting device is adapted to impart a substantially constant rate of twist per unit length to the wire pair.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 including a controller that substantially randomly varies the twist length of the wire pair.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 including a controller that varies the twist length of the wire pair in accordance with an algorithm.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 including a supply of the first and second conductor members.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 further adapted to twist the first twisted wire pair and a second twisted wire pair about one another to form a twisted core having a length such that a twist length of the twisted core purposefully varies along the length of the twisted core.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 including:

a) a core twist modulator adapted to impart a purposefully varied pretwist to the first and second twisted wire pairs; and

b) a core twisting device downstream of the core twist modulator, wherein the core twisting device is adapted to impart additional twist to the first and second twisted wire pairs.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the core twisting device is adapted to impart a substantially constant rate of twist per unit length to the first and second twisted wire pairs.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 including a jacketing device adapted to apply a jacket about the twisted wire pair.

18. The apparatus of claim 1 further adapted to twist the first twisted wire pair and a second twisted wire pair about one another to form a twisted core having a length such that a twist length of the twisted core purposefully varies along the length of the twisted core, and further including:

a) a wire pair twist modulator adapted to impart a purposefully varied pretwist to the wire pair, the wire twist modulator including an engagement member adapted to engage the wire pair and rotationally oscillate about a twist axis and a controller to control the oscillation of the engagement member;

b) a wire pair twisting device downstream of the wire pair twist modulator, wherein the wire pair twisting device is adapted to impart additional twist to the wire pair, and wherein the wire pair twisting device is adapted to impart a substantially constant rate of twist per unit length to the wire pair;

c) a core twist modulator adapted to impart a purposefully varied pretwist to the first and second twisted wire pairs; and

d) a core twisting device downstream of the core twist modulator, wherein the core twisting device is adapted to impart additional twist to the first and second twisted wire pairs, and wherein the core twisting device is adapted to impart a substantially constant rate of twist per unit length to the first and second twisted wire pairs.

19. An apparatus for forming a cabling media using a first twisted wire pair including first and second conductor members and a second twisted wire pair including third and fourth conductor members, each of the first, second, third and fourth conductor members including a respective conductor and a respective insulation cover surrounding the conductor thereof, wherein the apparatus is adapted to twist the first and second twisted wire pairs about one another to form a twisted core having a twist length that purposefully varies along a length of the twisted core.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 including:

a) a core twist modulator adapted to impart a purposefully varied pretwist to the first and second twisted wire pairs; and

b) a core twisting device downstream of the core twist modulator, wherein the core twisting device is adapted to impart additional twist to the first and second twisted wire pairs.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the pretwist imparted by the core twist modulator to the first and second twisted wire pairs varies across an absolute range of at least 0.1 twists/inch.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the core twist modulator is adapted to impart each of a positive twist and a negative twist to the first and second twisted wire pairs.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 including an engagement member adapted to engage the first and second twisted wire pairs and rotationally oscillate about a twist axis.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the engagement member includes at least one eyelet to receive the first and second twisted wire pairs.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 including a first eyelet to receive the first wire pair and a second eyelet to receive the second wire pair.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 including a plurality of serially arranged engagement members, wherein each of the engagement members is adapted to engage the first and second twisted wire pairs and rotationally oscillate about a respective twist axis.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 wherein the core twist modulator is adapted to rotationally oscillate the plurality of engagement members different angular distances.

28. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the core twisting device is adapted to impart a substantially constant rate of twist per unit length to the first and second twisted wire pairs.

29. The apparatus of claim 19 including a controller that substantially randomly varies the twist length of the core.

30. The apparatus of claim 19 including a controller that varies the twist length of the core in accordance with an algorithm.

31. The apparatus of claim 19 including a supply of the first and second twisted wire pairs.

32. The apparatus of claim 19 including a jacketing device adapted to apply a jacket about the twisted core.

33. A wire pair twist modulator for forming a cabling media using a wire pair including first and second conductor members, each of the first and second conductor members including a respective conductor and a respective insulation cover surrounding the conductor thereof, wherein the wire pair twist modulator is adapted to impart a purposefully varied twist to the wire pair.

34. The wire pair twist modulator of claim 33 including an engagement member adapted to engage the wire pair and rotationally oscillate about a twist axis.

35. A core twist modulator for forming a cabling media using a first twisted wire pair including first and second conductor members and a second twisted wire pair including third and fourth conductor members, each of the first, second, third and fourth conductor members including a respective conductor and a respective insulation cover surrounding the conductor thereof, wherein the core twist modulator is adapted to impart a purposefully varied twist to the first and second twisted wire pairs.

36. The core twist modulator of claim 35 including an engagement member adapted to engage the first and second twisted wire pairs and rotationally oscillate about a twist axis.