Low-torque electro-optical laminated cable and cablewrap

• US 6,438,301 B1
• Filed: 07/07/1999
• Issued: 08/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: TRW Inc. (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Stone, Timothy R., Carroll, Mark A., Johnson, Dan R., Sherman, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanghavi, Hemang
• Application Number:
  US09/348,370
• Time in Patent Office: 1,140 Days
• Field of Search: 385/100-114, 174/117.F, 174/117.FF, 174/117.A, 174/117.R, 156/51
• US Class Current: 385/101
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4416 Heterogeneous cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/12 Arrangements for exhibiting specific transmission characteristics

Abstract

An elongated electro-optical cable (100) is presented, which includes a plurality of elongated electrical conductors (104), a plurality of fiber optic elements (102), and an elongated insulating film casing enveloping the plurality of electrical conductors (104) and the plurality of fiber optic elements (102). The fiber optic elements (102), electrical conductors (104), and the elongated insulating film casing are arranged to form a generally flat cable (100). The cable may be arranged such that the electrical conductors (104) are shielded, for example, with a silver epoxy. An outer jacket (402) may be placed around the electrical conductors (104), fiber optic elements (102), and insulating film casing, which jacket (402) may be made from a tetrafluoroethylene polymer fiber. The electrical conductors (104) may be made from oxygen free copper and the insulating film casing may be made from a polyimide polymer. A method for making an elongated electro-optical cable (100) is also presented, which includes insulating a sheet of a plurality of shielded elongated electrical conductors, affixing a sheet of a plurality of fiber optic elements to the laminated insulated electrical conductors, and then insulating the fiber optic elements.

Claims

1. An elongate electro-optical cable comprising:

a plurality of elongate electrical conductors;

a plurality of fiber optic elements; and

an elongate insulating film casing enveloping said plurality of electrical conductors and said plurality of fiber optic elements, said insulating film casing comprising at least one insulating film layer;

wherein said plurality of electrical conductors, said plurality of fiber optic elements and said elongate insulated film casing are arranged to form a generally flat cable; and

wherein said at least one insulating film layer is disposed between said plurality of electrical conductors and said plurality of fiber optic elements, said insulating film layer extending substantially along a plane in which the generally flat cable resides.

2. The cable of claim 1 wherein said plurality of electrical conductors is enveloped by a second insulating film casing and said plurality of fiber optic elements is enveloped by a third insulating film casing.

3. The cable of claim 1 wherein said elongated insulating film casing is non-cylindrical in shape.

4. The cable of claim 1 further comprising at least one shield for shielding at least some of said plurality of elongated electrical conductors.

5. The cable of claim 4 wherein said at least one shield comprises a silver epoxy.

6. The cable of claim 1 further comprising an outer jacket.

7. The cable of claim 6 wherein said jacket encloses substantially all of said electrical conductors, said fiber optic elements, and said insulating film casing.

8. The cable of claim 7 wherein said jacket comprises tetrafluoroethylene polymer fiber.

9. The cable of claim 1 wherein said plurality of elongated electrical conductors comprise oxygen free copper conductors.

10. The cable of claim 1 wherein said elongated insulating film casing comprises a polyimide polymer.

11. The cable of claim 10 wherein said polyimide polymer is formed as a result of a polycondensation reaction between pyromellitic dianhydride and diaminodiphenyl ether.

12. An elongated electro-optical cable comprising:

a first insulating film layer and a second insulating film layer;

a conductor layer comprising a plurality of elongated electrical conductors, said electrical conductor layer disposed between said first insulating film layer and said second insulating film layer, wherein said first insulating film layer has an outer surface and said second insulating film layer has an outer surface and said outer surfaces face away from said electrical conductor layer;

a third insulating film layer and a fourth insulating film layer;

a first shield layer and a second shield layer, said first shield layer disposed between said first insulating film layer outer surface and said third insulating film layer and said second shield layer disposed between said second insulating film layer outer surface and said fourth insulating film layer;

a fifth insulating film layer; and

a fiber layer comprising a plurality of elongated fiber optic elements, said fiber optic layer disposed between said fourth insulating film layer and said fifth insulating film layer;

wherein said electrical conductor layer, said shield layers said fiber optic element layer, and said insulating film layers are arranged to form a generally flat cable.

13. The cable of claim 12 wherein said electrical conductor layer, said shield layers said fiber optic element layer, and said insulating film layers are arranged to have an elongated direction and a cross-sectional direction and to form a generally flat cable in said cross-sectional direction.

14. The cable of claim 12 wherein said plurality of elongated electrical conductors comprise oxygen free copper conductors.

15. The cable of claim 12 wherein at least one of said insulating film layers comprises a polyimide polymer.

16. The cable of claim 15 wherein said polyimide polymer is formed as a result of a polycondensation reaction between pyromellitic dianhydride and diaminodiphenyl ether.

17. The cable of claim 12 wherein at least one of said shielded layers comprises a silver epoxy.

18. The cable of claim 12 further comprising an outer jacket.

19. The cable of claim 18 wherein said jacket encloses substantially all of said electrical conductor layer, said shield layers, said fiber optic element layer, and said insulating film layers.

20. The cable of claim 18 wherein said jacket comprises tetrafluoroethylene polymer fiber.

21. A method for making an elongated electro-optical cable comprising:

insulating and shielding a sheet of a plurality of elongated electrical conductors;

affixing a sheet of a plurality of fiber optic elements to the plurality of insulated, elongated electrical conductors; and

insulating the plurality of fiber optic elements.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said step of insulating and shielding a plurality of shielded electrical conductors comprises:

insulating a plurality of elongated electrical conductors;

shielding the plurality of elongated electrical conductors; and

insulating the plurality of shielded elongated electrical conductors.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said step of insulating the plurality of elongated electrical conductors comprises:

laying a first sheet of insulating film;

laying a plurality of elongated electrical conductors on said first sheet of insulating film; and

laying a second sheet of insulating film on said plurality of electrical conductors, opposite said first sheet of insulating film.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein said step of insulating the plurality of fiber optic elements comprises:

laying a third sheet of insulating film on the shield of the first side of the plurality of elongated electrical conductors; and

laying the sheet of the plurality of fiber optic elements on the third sheet of insulating film, opposite said shield applied to said first sheet of insulating film; and

laying a fourth sheet of insulating film on said plurality of fiber optic elements, opposite said third sheet of insulating film.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein said step of shielding the plurality of elongated electrical conductors comprises:

applying a shield to a first side of the plurality of insulated, elongated electrical conductors; and

applying a shield to a second side of the plurality of insulated, elongated electrical conductors.

26. The method of claim 21 further comprising jacketing the sheet of the electrical conductors and the sheet of the plurality of fiber optic elements.

27. An elongate electro-optical cable comprising:

means for transmitting electrical current;

means for transmitting optical data; and

a first insulating means for constraining said optical transmitting means and said current transmitting means in a generally flat cable, said insulating means comprising at least one insulating film layer;

wherein said at least one insulating film layer is disposed between said electrical transmitting means and said optical transmitting means, said insulating film layer extending substantially along a plane in which the generally flat cable resides.

28. The cable of claim 27 wherein said electrical transmitting means is enveloped by a second insulating means and said optical transmitting means is enveloped by a third insulating means.

29. The cable of claim 27 wherein said first insulating means is non-cylindrical in shape.

30. The cable of claim 27 further comprising means for shielding said electrical transmitting means, said shielding means contacting said first insulating means.

31. The cable of claim 30 wherein said shielding means comprises a silver epoxy.

32. The cable of claim 27 further comprising a jacketing means enveloping said first insulating means.

33. The cable of claim 32 wherein said jacketing means comprises tetrafluoroethylene polymer fiber.

34. The cable of claim 27 wherein said electrical transmitting means comprises oxygen free copper.

35. The cable of claim 27 wherein said first insulating means comprises a polyimide polymer.

36. The cable of claim 35 wherein said polyimide polymer is formed as a result of a polycondensation reaction between pyromellitic dianhydride and diaminodiphenyl ether.