Apparatuses And Methods For Coupling A Signal To And/Or From A Cable

• US 20110181374A1
• Filed: 04/04/2011
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cable Sense Limited
• Original Assignee: Cable Sense Limited
• Inventors: Kelly, John, Peyton, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,217,734 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 333/24.R
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/312 by capacitive methods
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/59 while the cable continuously passes the testing apparatus, e.g. during manufacture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 1/136 having patch field management or physical layer management arrangements

Abstract

Apparatuses and methods for coupling a signal to and from a twisted pair cable by non-contact coupling with twisted pairs in the twisted pair cable, such that the signal propagates along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs. In particular, a coupling unit for coupling a voltage signal to and/or from such a cable, the coupling unit having a first electrode and a second electrode. The electrodes may be electrically isolated from a voltage signal generator and/or a voltage signal processor.

Claims

1. An apparatus for coupling a signal to and from a cable including a plurality of twisted pairs, the apparatus having:

a first coupling unit arranged to couple a signal to the cable by non-contact coupling with the twisted pairs so that the signal propagates along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs; and

a second coupling unit arranged to receive the signal which has propagated along the cable by non-contact coupling with at least two of the twisted pairs between which the signal has propagated.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the signal is a voltage signal.

3. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the first coupling unit is arranged such that the voltage signal which propagates between at least two of the twisted pairs has an average voltage which corresponds to the average voltage in the conductors which form the twisted pairs.

4. An apparatus according to claim 3 wherein the first coupling unit is arranged such that the voltage signal which propagates between at least two of the twisted pairs has an average voltage which tracks the average voltage in the conductors which form the twisted pairs over time.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the first coupling unit has a first electrode and a second electrode arranged to produce an electric field therebetween to couple a voltage signal to the cable by non-contact coupling with the twisted pairs so that the voltage signal propagates along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the first coupling unit is a coupling unit for coupling a voltage signal to a cable including a plurality of twisted pairs, the coupling unit having:

a first electrode and a second electrode arranged to produce an electric field therebetween to couple a voltage signal to the cable by non-contact coupling with the twisted pairs so that the voltage signal propagates along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs; and

a voltage signal coupling means for coupling a voltage signal generated by a voltage signal generator to the electrodes;

wherein the voltage signal coupling means includes electrical isolation means arranged to electrically isolate the electrodes of the coupling unit from the voltage signal generator.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the electrical isolating means is omitted.

8. An apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the second coupling unit has a first electrode and a second electrode arranged to receive a voltage signal which has propagated along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs by non-contact coupling with at least two of the twisted pairs between which the voltage signal has propagated.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8 wherein the second coupling unit is a coupling unit for coupling a voltage signal from a cable including a plurality of twisted pairs, the coupling unit having:

a first electrode and a second electrode arranged to receive a voltage signal which has propagated along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs by non-contact coupling with at least two of the twisted pairs between which the voltage signal has propagated; and

a voltage signal coupling means for coupling a voltage signal received by the electrodes to a voltage signal processor;

wherein the voltage signal coupling means includes electrical isolation means arranged to electrically isolate the electrodes of the coupling unit from the voltage signal processor.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9 wherein the electrical isolating means is omitted.

11. An apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the first coupling unit and the second coupling unit are the same coupling unit.

12. A method of coupling a signal to and from a cable including a plurality of twisted pairs, the method including:

coupling a signal to the cable by non-contact coupling with the twisted pairs so that the signal propagates along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs; and

receiving the signal which has propagated along the cable by non-contact coupling with at least two of the twisted pairs between which the signal has propagated.

13. A method of coupling a voltage signal to and/or from a cable including a plurality of twisted pairs, the method including:

producing an electric field to couple a voltage signal to the cable by non-contact coupling with the twisted pairs so that the voltage signal propagates along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs; and

/or

receiving a voltage signal which has propagated along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs by non-contact coupling with at least two of the twisted pairs between which the voltage signal has propagated.

14. An apparatus having:

one or more first coupling units for coupling a signal to a cable including a plurality of twisted pairs so that the signal propagates along the cable between at least two of the twisted pairs;

one or more second coupling units for coupling a signal which has propagated between at least two twisted pairs from a cable including a plurality of twisted pairs; and

an interconnection determining means arranged to determine one or more interconnections between any one of the first coupling units and any one of the second coupling units by one or more cables including a plurality of twisted pairs.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the interconnection determining means is arranged to determine an interconnection between one of the first coupling units and one of the second coupling units by determining if the second coupling unit couples a signal from a cable which has been coupled to the cable by the first coupling unit.

16. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein each of the one or more first coupling units is arranged to couple to the cable a data signal containing address data to identify the first coupling unit.

17. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein each of the one or more first coupling units and each of the one or more second coupling units is associated with a respective network port in a local area network, and the interconnection determining means is arranged to determine one or more interconnections between the network ports by one or more cables including a plurality of twisted pairs.

18. An apparatus according to claim 14 wherein the network apparatus includes one or more signal units, each signal unit including:

a plurality of the first coupling units; and

/or

a plurality of the second coupling units.