CABLE

• US 20100172618A1
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LAPP Engineering & Co.
• Original Assignee: LAPP Engineering & Co.
• Inventors: Lapp, Siegbert
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/101
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/32 with arrangements for indicating defects, e.g. breaks or leaks
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/368 being a sleeve, ferrule, tag, clip, label or short length strip

Abstract

In order to improve a cable, comprising an inner cable body, in which at least one conductor strand of an optical and/or electrical conductor runs in the longitudinal direction of the cable, a cable sheath, enclosing the inner cable body and lying between an outer surface of the cable and the inner cable body, and at least one information carrier unit, disposed within the outer surface of the cable, in such a way that statements can be made about the cable, it is proposed that the at least one information carrier unit can be read by electromagnetic field coupling, that the at least one information carrier unit picks up at least one measured value of a sensor associated with it and that the measured value can be read out by a read device.

Claims

1-86. -86. (canceled)

87. Cable, comprising an inner cable body, in which at least one conductor strand of an optical and/or electrical conductor runs in the longitudinal direction of the cable, a cable sheath, enclosing the inner cable body and lying between an outer surface of the cable and the inner cable body, and at least one information carrier unit, disposed within the outer surface of the cable, the at least one information carrier unit being adapted to be read by electromagnetic field coupling, the at least one information carrier unit picking up at least one measured value of a sensor associated with it, and in that the measured value can be read out by a read device.

88. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the sensor picks up at least one of the state variables such as radiation, temperature, tension, pressure and moisture.

89. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the sensor is a sensor which reacts irreversibly to the state variable to be picked up.

90. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the sensor is a sensor which reacts reversibly to the state variable to be picked up.

91. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the information carrier unit can be activated and picks up the measured value in the activated state.

92. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the information carrier unit stores the at least one measured value in a memory.

93. Cable according to claim 92, wherein the information carrier unit only stores the measured value in the memory if it exceeds a threshold.

94. Cable according to claim 92, wherein the information carrier unit only stores the measured value in the memory if it lies outside a statistically determined measured value distribution.

95. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the sensor picks up state variables of the inner cable body.

96. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the sensor picks up state variables of the cable sheath.

97. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the sensor picks up state variables between the inner cable body and the cable sheath.

98. Cable according to claim 87, wherein a multiplicity of information carrier units is provided in the cable and each of the information carrier units can be individually addressed by an access code.

99. Cable according to claim 87, wherein a carrier strand is associated with the inner cable body, the carrier strand running over the length of the inner cable body, in that at least one information carrier unit that can be read by electromagnetic field coupling is disposed on the carrier strand and in that the carrier strand is covered over by the cable sheath.

100. Cable according to claim 99, wherein the carrier strand runs parallel to a longitudinal direction of the inner cable body.

101. Cable according to claim 99, wherein the carrier strand is formed as a filler tape.

102. Cable according to claim 99, wherein the carrier strand is formed such that it wraps around the at least one conductor strand of the inner cable body.

103. Cable according to claim 99, wherein the carrier strand lies directly on the inner cable body.

104. Cable according to claim 99, wherein the carrier strand is at least part of a separating layer between the inner cable body and the cable sheath.

105. Cable according to claim 99, wherein the information carrier unit is disposed on a side of the carrier strand that is facing the inner cable body or on a side of the carrier strand that is facing away from the inner cable body.

106. Cable according to claim 87, wherein the sensor is disposed on the carrier strand.