CABLE ASSEMBLY FOR PROVIDING POWER THROUGH INDUCTIVE COUPLING

• US 20140285028A1
• Filed: 03/21/2014
• Published: 09/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Syscor Controls & Automation, Inc. (Enbridge Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Syscor Controls & Automation, Inc. (Enbridge Incorporated)
• Inventors: TZONEV, Nikolay Nikolov, SHPAK, Dale John, SIME, David William
• Granted Patent: US 9,544,023 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/28 using the near field of leaky cables, e.g. of leaky coaxial cables
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A Cable Assembly for supplying power includes wiring for carrying alternating electrical current, a plurality of Source Inductive Elements spaced at intervals along the wiring to provide power by induction; and an encapsulation layering that provides electrical insulation.

Claims

1. A Cable Assembly for supplying power, comprising:

wiring for carrying alternating electrical current;

a plurality of Source Inductive Elements spaced at intervals along the wiring to provide power by induction; and

an encapsulation layering that provides electrical insulation.

2. The Cable Assembly of claim 1 wherein each said Source Inductive Element is in series with said wiring.

3. The Cable Assembly of claim 1 wherein said wiring minimally comprises two wires and each said Source Inductive Element is connected between two said wires.

4. The Cable Assembly of claim 1 wherein said wiring minimally comprises two wires and wherein some of said Source Inductive Elements are connected in series with any of said wires and the remainder of said Source Inductive Elements are connected between any two said wires.

5. The Cable Assembly of claim 1 in combination with a monitoring system having plurality of Monitoring Nodes wherein each Monitoring Node is powered by the inductive coupling of a Sink Inductive Element to one of said Source Inductive Elements and wherein each Monitoring Node monitors signals from one or more sensors.

6. The Cable Assembly of claim 5, wherein the monitoring system additionally comprises a location device selected from one of as a GPS receiver or RFID device that is used to provide positional information.

7. The Cable Assembly of claim 5, wherein the monitoring system additionally comprises means for transmission of a communications signal along said wiring wherein said communications signal is inductively coupled between said Monitoring Node and any said wires that carry alternating electrical current.

8. The Cable System of claim 5, wherein the monitoring system additionally comprises means for transmission of a communications signal along wires that are dedicated to the purpose of communications wherein said communications signal is inductively coupled between said Monitoring Node and said wires.

9. The Cable Assembly of claim 5, wherein the one or more sensors includes a displacement sensor.

10. The Cable Assembly of claim 5 wherein the one or more sensors includes a chemical sensor for the detection of hydrocarbons.

11. The Cable Assembly of claim 10, wherein the chemical sensor is a polymer absorption sensor.

12. Cable Assembly of claim 7, wherein data transmission along said wiring is realized using FDM.

13. A Cable Assembly for supplying power, comprising:

wiring for carrying alternating electrical current;

an encapsulation layering covering the wiring that provides electrical insulation; and

a signal generator capacitively coupled to the wiring and used to generate communication signals along the wiring.