Cable with embedded information carrier unit

• US 8,515,230 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2009
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LAPP Engineering AG
• Original Assignee: LAPP Engineering & Co.
• Inventors: Lapp, Siegbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Ullah, Akm Enayet
• Application Number:
  US12/587,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20100158454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 385/100, 385/101, 385/115, 385/134, 385/147, 174/70.R, 439/577
• US Class Current: 385/101
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/368 being a sleeve, ferrule, tag, clip, label or short length strip

Abstract

In order to improve a cable, comprising an inner cable body, in which at least one conductor strand of an optical and/or electrical conductor runs in the longitudinal direction of the cable, a cable sheath, enclosing the inner cable body and lying between an outer surface of the cable and the inner cable body, and at least one information carrier unit, disposed within the outer surface of the cable, in such a way that said information carrier unit can be easily applied during the production of the cable and is positioned in a protected and reliable manner in the cable, it is proposed that the information carrier unit can be read by electromagnetic field coupling and that the information carrier unit is disposed on an intermediate sheath lying between the inner cable body and an outer cable sheath.

Claims

1. Cable, comprising:

an inner cable body, in which at least one conductor strand of an optical and/or electrical conductor runs in a longitudinal direction of the cable,

a cable sheath, enclosing the inner cable body and lying between an outer surface of the cable and the inner cable body, and

at least one information carrier unit, disposed within the outer surface of the cable, the at least one information carrier unit being adapted to be read by electromagnetic field coupling and the at least one information carrier unit being disposed on an intermediate sheath of the cable sheath lying between the inner cable body and an outer cable sheath of the cable sheath.

2. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the at least one information carrier unit is at least partly embedded in the intermediate sheath.

3. Cable according to claim 1, wherein an integrated circuit of the at least one information carrier unit is at least partly embedded in the intermediate sheath.

4. Cable according to claim 3, wherein the integrated circuit is predominantly embedded in the intermediate sheath.

5. Cable according to claim 3, wherein the integrated circuit is substantially embedded in the intermediate sheath.

6. Cable according to claim 1, wherein an antenna unit of the at least one information carrier unit is disposed at a surface of the intermediate sheath.

7. Cable according to claim 6, wherein the antenna unit is disposed on a surface of the intermediate sheath.

8. Cable according to claim 1, wherein an antenna unit of the at least one information carrier unit is at least partly embedded in the intermediate sheath.

9. Cable according to claim 1, wherein an antenna unit of the at least one information carrier unit is formed as a conductor track on a base and the base lies at a surface of the intermediate sheath.

10. Cable according to claim 1, wherein an antenna unit of the at least one information carrier unit is formed as a conductor track disposed directly on the intermediate sheath.

11. Cable according to claim 10, wherein the conductor track is formed by a conductive material applied to the intermediate sheath.

12. Cable according to claim 1, wherein an integrated circuit of the at least one information carrier unit is at least partly embedded in the outer cable sheath.

13. Cable according to claim 12, wherein the integrated circuit is substantially embedded in the outer cable sheath.

14. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate sheath has, between the at least one information carrier unit and the inner cable body, a material layer compensating for surface undulations of the inner cable body.

15. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate sheath forms a surface which is substantially free from surface undulations of the inner cable body.

16. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the outer cable sheath is made of a material that is transparent in a visible spectral range.

17. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the outer cable sheath carries an inscription and the inscription is disposed in a defined relationship with respect to the at least one information carrier unit.

18. Cable according to claim 1, wherein the at least one information carrier unit has at least one memory.

19. Cable according to claim 18, wherein the at least one memory has a memory area in which items of information once written are stored such that they are write-protected.

20. Cable according to claim 18, wherein the at least one memory has a memory area in which items of information are stored such that they are write-protected by an access code.