Multilayer woven high density electrical transmission cable and method

• US 4,746,769 A
• Filed: 09/03/1985
• Issued: 05/24/1988
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/1983
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Woven Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Woven Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Piper, Douglas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nimmo, Morris H.
• Application Number:
  US06/772,125
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: 174/36, 174/117 M, 174/115, 174/32, 29/857, 139/425 R
• US Class Current: 174/117.00M
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/1033 composed of a wire-braided conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/083 Parallel wires, incorporated in a fabric
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49174 Assembling terminal to elongated conductor

Abstract

A multilayer woven high density electrical transmission cable (A) is disclosed including a first woven cable layer (D) and a second woven cable layer (E) bound together by warp bindings (24) as integral cable structure. Signal conductors (16) and ground conductors (18) extend in the warp direction in cable layer (D). Signal conductors (26) and ground conductors (28) extend in the warp direction in cable layer (E). Signal conductors (16 and 26) are broken out of their respective cable layers either on opposite sides, breakout sections (B,B'"'"'), or at the same sides, breakout section (B") as required for a prescribed program termination. All of the ground conductors (18 or 28) of one cable layer cross over to the side of the other cable layer so that one-hundred percent of the ground conductors (18 and 28) are on the same side at the breakout section for termination. The density of the signal conductors is doubled for a given cable width while affording signal identification for a prescribed termination program.

Claims

1. A woven, high frequency multilayer electrical transmission cable comprising:

(a) a double layer section which includes;

(i) a first woven transmission cable layer including a first plurality of warp elements extending longitudinally in a warp direction in said cable interwoven with a weft element, at least a number of said first plurality of warp elements consisting of first electrical signal conductors; and

(ii) a second woven transmission cable layer which includes a second plurality of warp elements extending longitudinally in a warp direction interwoven with said weft element wherein at least a number of said warp elements consist of second electrical signal conductors; and

(iii) a plurality of warp binder elements woven between said first and second cable layers binding said first and second cable layers together as integral cable structure;

(b) a breakout section formed at each end of said double layer section including a woven tab section wherein said warp binder elements and said weft element are interwoven together; and

(c) said first signal conductors being broken out of said first cable layer on a first side of said double layer section at said breakout section, and said second signal conductors being broken out of said second cable layer on a second side of said double layer section at said breakout section, opposite to said first side;

said first and second conductors being broken out in a manner in which said first and second signal conductors are free on either side of said woven tab section for connection to a terminal connector.

2. The cable of claim 1 including a terminal connector electrically connected to said first and second signal conductors at each end of said double layer cable section.

3. The cable of claim 1 wherein a number of said first and second plurality of warp elements of said first and second cable layers consist of a number of ground conductors woven between adjacent signal conductors of each of said first and second cable layers, the geometrical spacing and configuration of said signal conductors and ground conductors in each of said first and second cable layers being such that the characteristic impedance of said woven transmission cable is prescribed and fixed, said first and second signal conductors being woven in an undulating pattern throughout said first and second cable layers;

and said first signal conductors of said first cable layer being parallel to said second signal conductors of said second cable layer to preserve the electrical characteristics thereof.

4. The cable of claim 1 including a first number of ground conductors woven in said first cable layer as part of said first plurality of warp elements and a second number of ground conductors woven in said second cable layer as part of said second plurality of warp elements;

one of said first or second ground conductors crossing over to the opposite side of said double layer section at each of said breakout sections so that all of said ground conductors are disposed on the same side of said double layer section for termination.

5. A method of producing individual woven multilayer electrical transmission cables comprising:

(a) weaving a continuous length of cable structure which includes a plurality of said multilayer cable sections and a plurality of breakout cable sections, and said breakout cable sections being formed at opposing ends of said multilayer cable sections;

(b) weaving said multilayer cable sections by the steps of;

(i) weaving a first cable layer be weaving a first plurality of warp elements extending longitudinally in a warp direction in said cable layer with a weft element wherein at least a number of said warp elements consists of first electrical signal conductors,

(ii) simultaneously weaving a second cable layer by weaving a second plurality of warp elements extending longitudinally in a warp direction in said second cable layer with said weft element wherein at least a number of said warp elements consists of second electrical signal conductors, and

binding said first and second cable layers together at points along the length of said multilayer cable section, with warp binder elements woven in between said first and second cable layers,

(c) weaving said breakout cable sections by the steps of;

(i) breaking out said fist signal conductors from said first cable layer on one side of said multilayer cable section in a configuration wherein said first signal conductors are not woven with any other elements,

(ii) breaking out said second signal conductors from said second cable layer on an opposite side of said multilayer cable sections opposite from said one side in a configuration wherein said second signal conductors are not woven with any other elements,

(iii) weaving a woven tab consisting of said weft yarn and the remaining of said warp elements in said first and second cable layers exclusive of said first and second signal conductors, and weaving said woven tab between said first and second conductors for separating said first and second conductors for identification; and

(d) severing said cable structure across selective sections of said cable structure to produce individual multilayer transmission cables having a high density of signal conductors.

6. The method of claim 5 including breaking said first signal conductors out of said first cable layer on a side of said multilayer cable section which is opposite the side on which the first cable layer is woven, and breaking said second signal conductors out of said multilayer section on a side which is opposite the side on which said second cable layer is woven.

7. The method of claim 5 including breaking said first signal conductors out of said multilayer section on the side of said first cable layer, and breaking said second signal conductors out of said multilayer section on the side of said second cable layer.

8. The method of claim 5 including breaking said first and second signal conductors out at a first end of said multilayer sections on opposite sides at which they are woven in their respective first and second cable layers;

and breaking said first and second signal conductors out at a second end of multilayer cable sections on the same sides at which they are woven in their respective first and second cable layers.

9. The method of claim 5 including weaving a cutline section between two adjacent breakout sections in said continuous length cable structure in which said first and second signal conductors are bound, and severing said cable structure across said cutline sections to separate said cable structure into individual woven multilayer transmission cables.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said cutline section is woven in the form of said multilayer transmission cable sections.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein said cutline sections have a sufficient length to separate said adjacent breakout sections and which readily distinguish said cutline sections from said multilayer cable sections.

12. The method of claim 5 including weaving a number of ground conductors as warp elements in a prescribed pattern with said signal conductors in each of said first and second cable layers.

13. The method of claim 12 including breaking each of said ground conductors out of said weave pattern on the same side of said multilayer section.

14. The method of claim 12 including breaking each of said ground conductors in said second cable layer out of said second cable layer and crossing each said ground conductor over to the side of said first cable layer in said break out cable section.

15. A method of weaving a high density, high speed multilayer electrical signal transmission cable comprising:

weaving a first cable layer which includes a number of first electrical signal conductors extending longitudinally in the cable layer in a warp direction interwoven with a weft element;

weaving a second cable layer section which includes a number of second electrical signal conductors extending longitudinally in said cable layer in a warp direction interwoven with said weft element;

simultaneously weaving said first and second cable layers in a manner in which said first and second cable layers are flush with one another, and weaving warp binding elements between said first and second cable layers to bind said layers together in said flush configuration as unitary multilayer cable structure;

breaking out said first and second signal conductors at each end of said first and second cable layers on sides of said unitary multilayer cable structure in a manner in which said first and second signal conductors are not woven; and

terminating said first and second signal conductors at each end of said first and second cable layers by connection to terminal connectors.

16. The method of claim 15 including crossing said first and second signal conductors broken out from said first and second cable layers to opposite sides of said multilayer cable structure during weaving in a manner that said first and second signal conductors lie on opposite sides of said multilayer cable section from which they are woven in said first and second cable layers.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein first and second signal conductors are broken out of said multilayer cable construction on the same side at which they are woven in said first and second cable layers.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein said first and second signal conductors are broken out on the same side as the side in which they are woven in first and second cable layers at one end of said multilayer cable structure, and said first and second signal conductors cross and are broken out on opposite sides from that at which they are woven in said first and second cable layers at a second end of said multilayer cable structure.

19. The method of claim 15 including weaving a number of ground conductors as warp elements in a prescribed pattern with said signal conductors in each of said first and second cable layers.

20. The method of claim 15 including breaking each of said ground conductors out of said weave pattern on the same side of said multilayer section.

21. The method of claim 15 including breaking each of said ground conductors in said second cable layer out of said second cable layer and crossing each said ground conductor over to the side of said first cable layer in said break out cable section.

22. The method of claim 15 including weaving said signal conductors in each of said first and second cable layers in an undulating pattern and in a manner that corresponding ones of said signal conductors of said first and second cable layers are parallel to each other.