Electrical cable having an organized signal placement and its preparation

• US 7,060,905 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2001
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: McMahon, Roy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mayo, III, William H.
• Application Number:
  US09/990,723
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 174/36, 174/102.R, 174/105.R, 174/108, 174/113.R
• US Class Current: 174/110.00R
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/1891 comprising auxiliary conductors

Abstract

An electrical cable has a central conductor structure and a plurality of spiral conductor structures spirally wrapped around the central conductor structure. Each of the spiral conductor structures includes an electrically conducting spiral conductor, and a spiral conductor insulation overlying the spiral conductor. Each spiral conductor structure has no electrically conducting shielding thereon. Each spiral conductor structure retains a same pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures along a length of the electrical cable. Each spiral conductor structure has a designated identity, and a circumferential arrangement of each spiral conductor structure is selected responsive to its designated identity and to the designated identities of each of the pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures. An electrically conducting outer shield overlies the plurality of spiral conductors, and an outer insulation overlies the electrically conducting outer shield. The electrical cable is substantially circular viewed in cross section perpendicular to the local longitudinal axis.

Claims

1. An electrical cable having a local longitudinal axis and comprising:

a central conductor structure comprising

an electrically conducting central conductor,

a layer of a central conductor insulation overlying the central conductor, and

an electrically conducting central conductor shield overlying the layer of central conductor insulation;

a plurality of spiral conductor structures overlying and spirally wrapped around the central conductor structure, wherein each spiral conductor structure retains a same pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures along a length of the electrical cable, wherein each of the spiral conductor structures comprises

an electrically conducting spiral conductor, and

a spiral conductor insulation overlying the spiral conductor, wherein the spiral conductor structures have no electrically conducting shielding, wherein at least some of the spiral conductor structures have different signal-carrying identities, and wherein at least some of the spiral conductor structures having different signal-carrying identities are arranged responsive to a crosstalk threat between the various spiral conductor structures;

an electrically conducting outer shield overlying the plurality of spiral conductors; and

an outer insulation overlying the electrically conducting outer shield.

2. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein the electrical cable is substantially circular viewed in cross section perpendicular to the local longitudinal axis.

3. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein the central conductor comprises a plurality of electrically conducting central conductor wires.

4. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein the central conductor is a coaxial wire structure.

5. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein each spiral conductor comprises a plurality of electrically conducting spiral conductor wires.

6. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein the plurality of spiral conductor structures are each of substantially the same diameter.

7. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein at least some of the plurality of spiral conductor structures are of different diameters.

8. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein each spiral conductor structure has a designated identity, and wherein a circumferential arrangement of each spiral conductor structure is selected responsive to its designated identity and to the designated identities of each of a pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures.

9. The electrical cable of claim 1, further including

a spiral spacer structure spirally wrapped around the central conductor structure, the spiral spacer structure lying between two spiral conductor structures in a side-by-side relationship.

10. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein at least some of the spiral conductor structures have an identity selected responsive to a designed carried signal selected from the group consisting of a video signal, an audio signal, a telephone signal, a data signal, and a control signal.

11. The electrical cable of claim 1, wherein the electrical cable is a signal-carrying component of an in-flight entertainment system.

12. An electrical cable having a local longitudinal axis and comprising:

a central conductor structure comprising

an electrically conducting central conductor,

a layer of central conductor insulation overlying the central conductor, and

an electrically conducting central conductor shield overlying the layer of central conductor insulation;

a plurality of spiral conductor structures overlying and spirally wrapped around the central conductor structure, wherein at least one of the spiral conductor structures has a signal-carrying identity and wherein each of the spiral conductor structures comprises

an electrically conducting spiral conductor, and

a spiral conductor insulation overlying the spiral conductor, wherein

each spiral conductor structure has no electrically conducting shielding thereon, and wherein

each spiral conductor structure retains a same pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures along a length of the electrical cable, wherein

each spiral conductor structure has a designated identity, and wherein

a circumferential arrangement of each spiral conductor structure is selected responsive to its designated identity and to the designated identities of each of the pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures;

an electrically conducting outer shield overlying the plurality of spiral conductors; and

an outer insulation overlying the electrically conducting outer shield, wherein the electrical cable is substantially circular viewed in cross section perpendicular to the local longitudinal axis.

13. The electrical cable of claim 12, wherein the central conductor comprises a plurality of electrically conducting central conductor wires.

14. The electrical cable of claim 12, wherein each spiral conductor comprises a plurality of electrically conducting spiral conductor wires.

15. The electrical cable of claim 12, wherein the plurality of spiral conductor structures are each of substantially the same diameter.

16. The electrical cable of claim 12, wherein at least some of the plurality of spiral conductor structures are of different diameters.

17. The electrical cable of claim 12, further including

a spiral spacer structure spirally wrapped around the central conductor structure, the spiral spacer structure lying between two spiral conductor structures in a side-by-side relationship.

18. A method of preparing an electrical cable, comprising the steps of

providing a central conductor structure comprising

an electrically conducting central conductor,

a layer of central conductor insulation overlying the central conductor, and

an electrically conducting central conductor shield overlying the layer of central conductor insulation;

providing a plurality of spiral conductor structures each having a designated signal-carrying identity and comprising

an electrically conducting spiral conductor, and

a spiral conductor insulation overlying the spiral conductor, each spiral conductor structure having no electrically conducting shielding thereon;

selecting a circumferential arrangement of each spiral conductor structure responsive to its designated identity and to the designated identities of each of a pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures, wherein the step of selecting includes the step of arranging the spiral conductor structures responsive to a power carried by each spiral conductor structure and responsive to the power carried by the circumferentially adjacent pair of spiral conductor structures;

wrapping the spiral conductor structures around the central conductor structure in a spiral pattern, each spiral conductor structure retaining the same pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures along a length of the electrical cable;

placing an electrically conducting outer shield overlying the spiral conductor structures that are wrapped onto the central conductor structure; and

placing an outer insulation overlying the outer shield to form the electrical cable having a local longitudinal axis.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of spiral conductor structures are each of substantially the same diameter.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein at least some of the plurality of spiral conductor structures are of different diameters.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the electrical cable is substantially circular viewed in cross section perpendicular to the local longitudinal axis.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein at least some of the spiral conductor structures have an identity selected responsive to a designed carried signal selected from the group consisting of a video signal, an audio signal, a power signal, a telephone signal, a data signal, and a control signal.

23. A method of preparing an electrical cable, comprising the steps of

providing a central conductor structure comprising

an electrically conducting central conductor,

a layer of central conductor insulation overlying the central conductor, and

an electrically conducting central conductor shield overlying the layer of central conductor insulation;

providing a plurality of spiral conductor structures each having a designated signal-carrying identity and comprising

an electrically conducting spiral conductor, and

a spiral conductor insulation overlying the spiral conductor, each spiral conductor structure having no electrically conducting shielding thereon;

selecting a circumferential arrangement of each spiral conductor structure responsive to its designated identity and to the designated identities of each of a pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures, wherein the step of selecting includes the step of arranging the spiral conductor structures responsive to a crosstalk characteristic thereof;

wrapping the spiral conductor structures around the central conductor structure in a spiral pattern, each spiral conductor structure retaining the same pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures along a length of the electrical cable;

placing an electrically conducting outer shield overlying the spiral conductor structures that are wrapped onto the central conductor structure; and

placing an outer insulation overlying the outer shield to form the electrical cable having a local longitudinal axis.

24. An electrical cable having a local longitudinal axis and comprising:

a central conductor structure comprising

an electrically conducting central conductor,

a layer of a central conductor insulation overlying the central conductor, and

an electrically conducting central conductor shield overlying the layer of central conductor insulation;

a plurality of spiral conductor structures overlying and spirally wrapped around the central conductor structure, each of the spiral conductor structures comprising

an electrically conducting spiral conductor, and

a spiral conductor insulation overlying the spiral conductor, wherein each spiral conductor structure is unshielded, wherein each of the spiral conductor structures has a designated identity, and wherein at least a first one of the spiral conductor structures has two circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures each having a different identity than the first one of the spiral conductor structures;

an electrically conducting outer shield overlying the plurality of spiral conductors; and

an outer insulation overlying the electrically conducting outer shield.

25. An electrical cable having a local longitudinal axis and comprising:

a central conductor structure comprising

an electrically conducting central conductor,

a layer of a central conductor insulation overlying the central conductor, and

an electrically conducting central conductor shield overlying the layer of central conductor insulation;

a plurality of spiral conductor structures overlying and spirally wrapped around the central conductor structure, wherein a circumferential positioning of the spiral conductor structures relative to each other is responsive to a signal carried by each spiral conductor structure, and wherein each of the spiral conductor structures comprises

an electrically conducting spiral conductor, and

a spiral conductor insulation overlying the spiral conductor, wherein each spiral conductor structure is unshielded;

an electrically conducting outer shield overlying the plurality of spiral conductors; and

an outer insulation overlying the electrically conducting outer shield.

26. The electrical cable of claim 25, wherein each spiral conductor structure retains a same pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures along a length of the electrical cable.

27. The electrical cable of claim 25, wherein each spiral conductor structure retains a same pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures along a length of the electrical cable, and wherein the same pair of circumferentially adjacent spiral conductor structures is selected according to the signal carried by each of the three spiral conductor structures.

28. The electrical cable of claim 25, wherein at least some of the spiral conductor structures have an identity selected responsive to a designed carried signal selected from the group consisting of a video signal, an audio signal, a power signal, a telephone signal, a data signal, and a control signal.