Woven electrical transmission cable with cut line

• US 5,380,954 A
• Filed: 10/04/1993
• Issued: 01/10/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Woven Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: Woven Electronics Corporation
• Inventors: Orr, Lawrence W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): NIMMO, MORRIS
• Application Number:
  US08/131,740
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 174/117 M, 174/117 F, 174/117 FF, 139/425 R, 156/47
• US Class Current: 174/117.00M
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/009 Cables with built-in connecting points or with predetermined areas for making deviations
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/083 Parallel wires, incorporated in a fabric

Abstract

The invention is directed to a woven electrical transmission cable formed with cut zones, body zones and an identification tracer. The cable is formed of an array of longitudinally extending insulated conductor warp wires arranged side by side. A plurality of longitudinally extending synthetic yarns arranged to be substantially parallel with and substantially adjacent one edge of the array of conductive wires. The synthetic yarns are colored a color which distinguishes from the color of the conductor wires. A weft yarn is woven with the array of conductor wires and the synthetic yarns to form the body zone. The weft yarn weaves only with the synthetic yarns to form the cut zones which are arranged in spaced manner longitudinally of the cable. The conductor wires weave with the weft yarn in a two up two down twill weave to form the body zones.

Claims

1. A method of forming a stable, cut woven electrical cable comprising the steps of:

arranging a plurality of insulated warp forming conductive wires in a longitudinally extending parallel array;

arranging at least two non-conductive warp forming yarns in a longitudinally extending array substantially parallel with and adjacent an edge of said array of conductive warp wires;

forming stable body zones along a length of said cable by weaving a weft yarn with said conductive warp wires and said non-conductive warp yarns;

forming cut zones along said length of said cable by causing said weft yarn to break out and weave only with said non-conductive warp yarns so that said cable may be cut at selected cut zones to produce individual electrical cables having controlled cut weft yarn ends.

2. The method of claim 1 including cutting said cable at selected of said cut zones so that ends of said conductive warp wires freely extend from said body zones and cut ends of said weft yarn remain woven with said non conductive warp yarns to be held stable against unraveling.

3. The method of claim 1 including forming said insulation for said conductive warp wires of a color which differs from that of the non-conductive warp yarns so that said non-conductive warp yarns form an identifying tracer.

4. The method according to claim 1 including cutting said cable with a hot knife to cause said weft yarn to bond with said non-conductive warp yarns at least adjacent the point of cutting.

5. The method of claim 4 including coating at least said non-conductive yarns prior to cutting to insure bonding between said non-conductive warp yarns and said weft yarn.

6. The method of claim 1 including employing different weave patterns to weave said weft yarn with said conductive wires and said non-conductive warp yarns.

7. The method of claim 6 including weaving said weft yarn with said conductive warp wires in a twill pattern.

8. The method of claim 7 including weaving said weft yarn with said conductor warp wires in a two up two down twill pattern.

9. The method of claim 1 including weaving said weft yarn as single picks.

10. A woven electrically conductive cable having cut sections comprising:

a plurality of substantially parallel insulated conductor wires forming first warp members;

a plurality of substantially non-conductive yarns arranged substantially parallel with said first warp members and forming second warp members;

a non-conductive weft forming yarn interlacing with said first and second warp members along first lengths thereof, said non-conductive weft yarn and said first and second warp members forming body sections of said conductive cable;

said non-conductive weft yarn interlacing with only said second warp members along second lengths of said conductive cable to form cut sections in which said conductive first warp members extend unwoven with said non-conductive weft yarn;

whereby,

said second warp members act to stabilize said woven cable by controlling said non-conductive weft yarn along said cut sections.

11. The cable of claim 10 wherein said conductor wires are arranged in an array and said non-conductive yarns are arranged substantially along one edge of said array, said non-conductive yarns forming an edge tracer which assist in edge identification.

12. The cable of claim 11 wherein said conductor wires and said non-conductive yarns are of different colors which assist in distinguishing one from the other.

13. The cable of claim 10 wherein said non-conductive yarns are one of polyamide, polyester, and polyamide and polyester blend.

14. The cable of claim 13 wherein said non-conductive yarns are multi-filament synthetic yarns.

15. The cable of claim 10 wherein said non-conductive weft yarn is one of either polyamide, polyester, and polyamide and polyester blend.

16. The cable of claim 10 wherein when said cable is cut along said cut line and said non-conductive yarn and said non-conductive weft yarn are bonded together at least adjacent said cut.

17. The cable of claim 16 wherein said non-conductive weft yarn and said non-conductive yarns are coated with a bonding agent at least at said cut.

18. The cable of claim 10 wherein said conductor wires and said weft yarns forming said body sections are woven in a two up, two down twill weave.

19. The cable of claim 10 wherein said non-conductive yarns are woven in a one up, one down weave along the length of said cable.

20. The cable of claim 10 wherein said conductor wires and said weft yarns are woven in a twill weave pattern to form said body sections.

21. A woven electrical conductive cable having a tracer line, cut zones of a first length, and body zones of a second length:

said cable being formed of a plurality of side by side longitudinally extending insulated conductor warp wires, said insulation being colored a first color;

a plurality of longitudinally extending synthetic warp yarns arranged substantially parallel with and substantially adjacent one edge of said conductor wires forming said tracer line, said synthetic warp yarns being colored a second color different than said first color;

a weft yarn weaving generally in a twill weave pattern with said conductor wires over said second lengths to form said body zones;

said weft yarn weaving with said synthetic warp yarns over said first and second lengths to form said tracer line;

whereby,

said tracer line acts to identify a first position of said electrically conductive cable, and to stabilize said body zone by controlling said weft yarn across said cut zones of said conductive cable.

22. The cable of claim 21 wherein there are at least two of said synthetic yarns and at least four of said conductor wires.

23. The cable of claim 21 wherein said twill weave pattern comprises a two-up, two-down regular twill weave pattern.