Connecting element for connecting a first data cable to a second data cable and data line having the connecting element

Abstract

A data line includes a first data cable, a second data cable and a connecting element connecting the first and second data cables to one another. A connecting element interconnects a first parallel pair data cable and a second star quad data cable. The connecting element has multiple connecting lines which transition mutually adjacently disposed cores of a respective transmission pair of the first data cable to diagonally oppositely disposed cores of a transmission pair of the second data cable.

Claims

1. A data line, comprising: a first data cable having two core pairs, each of said core pairs including two respective mutually adjacently disposed cores forming a transmission pair for a symmetrical transmission of data said two adjacently disposed cores defining a parallel pairing; a second data cable being different than said first data cable, said second data cable having a quad-stranded assembly with four cores including diagonally oppositely disposed cores each forming a respective transmission pair for a symmetrical transmission of data said diagonally oppositely disposed cores defining a diagonal pairing; and a connecting element for interconnecting said first data cable and said second data cable, said connecting element being an adapter element having a plurality of connecting lines, at least two of said connecting lines crossing over each other for eliminating the initial pairing and converting the parallel pairing into a diagonal pairing and vice versa and said mutually adjacently disposed cores of a respective transmission pair of said first data cable being guided to said diagonally oppositely disposed cores of a respective transmission pair of said second data cable.

2. The data line according to claim 1, which further comprises pair shieldings each shielding a respective one of said core pairs of said first data cable, and an overall shield shielding said transmission pairs of said second data cable.

3. The data line according to claim 1, wherein: said connecting element has two mutually opposite end sides; a first plug part is disposed on one of said end sides for a plug connection to one of said two data cables; and a second plug part is disposed on the other of said end sides for a plug connection to the other of said two data cables.

4. The data line according to claim 1, wherein: said connecting element has two mutually opposite end sides; a plug part is disposed on one of said end sides for a plug connection to one of said two data cables; and said other end side is constructed for a direct connection to the other of said two data cables.

5. The data line according to claim 2, which further comprises a ground connection for electrically connecting said pair shieldings of said first data cable to said overall shield of said second data cable.

6. The data line according to claim 1, which further comprises a housing formed of a conductive material for outwardly shielding said connecting element.

7. The data line according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of connecting lines are shielded with respect to one another.

8. The data line according to claim 2, wherein said connecting lines are coaxial conductors each including an inner conductor and an outer conductor, and said outer conductors each have one end connected to at least one of said pair shieldings and another end connected to said overall shield.

9. The data line according to claim 1, wherein said cores of one of said data cables at least partially form said connecting lines.

10. The data line according to claim 1, wherein said shieldings of said first data cable shield said connecting lines.

11. The data line according to claim 2, wherein said pair shieldings of said first data cable are divided centrally between said two cores of said core pair forming partial shields, and each of said cores is associated with a respective one of said partial shields each running partially around a respective one of said cores and having an open region.

12. The data line according to claim 11, wherein at least a part of said cores with a respective one of said partial shields is twisted to cause said open regions to be directed outward.

13. The data line according to claim 1, which further comprises a printed circuit board having conductor tracks forming said connecting lines.

14. The data line according to claim 13, wherein said printed circuit board has two opposite ground plates providing shielding, and said connecting lines are led between said ground plates.

15. The data line according to claim 1, wherein said at least two of said connecting lines have different path lengths for different transmission pairs, and a compensation path adapts said path lengths of said connecting lines of said different transmission pairs to one another.

16. The data line according to claim 15, wherein said compensation path makes said path lengths identical.

17. The data line according to claim 16, wherein said connecting element has an angled shape with an inner side, and said compensation path is formed by leading said crossing-over connecting lines on said inner side of said connecting element having said angled shape.

18. The data line according to claim 17, wherein said connecting element having said angled shape is an angled plug.

19. In a data line including a first data cable having two core pairs, each of the core pairs including two respective mutually adjacently disposed cores forming a transmission pair for a symmetrical transmission of data, the two adjacently disposed cores defining a parallel pairing, and a second data cable being different than the first data cable, the second data cable having a quad-stranded assembly with four cores including diagonally oppositely disposed cores each forming a respective transmission pair for a symmetrical transmission of data, the improvement comprising: a connecting element for interconnecting the first data cable and the second data cable, said connecting element being an adapter element having a plurality of connecting lines, at least two of said connecting lines crossing over each other for eliminating the initial pairing and converting the parallel pairing into a diagonal pairing and vice versa and the mutually adjacently disposed cores of a respective transmission pair of the first data cable being guided to the diagonally oppositely disposed cores of a respective transmission pair of the second data cable.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, side-elevational view of a data line having two data cables of different types which are connectable to one another by way of a connecting element;

(2) FIG. 2 is a simplified plan view of a connection layout in a connecting element for a connection of cores of a parallel pair to cores of a quad-stranded assembly;

(3) FIG. 3 is a side-elevational view of a structural variant in which the connecting element is an integral constituent part of a plug of the first data cable;

(4) FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, in which the connecting element is an integral constituent part of a plug of the second data cable;

(5) FIGS. 5A and 5B are plan views illustrating a connecting element in which the cores of the parallel pair are used as connecting lines wherein, in order to eliminate the pairings, the pair shields have been cut open and twisted;

(6) FIG. 6A is a simplified plan view of a printed circuit board on which the connecting lines are formed;

(7) FIG. 6B is a side-elevational view of the multi-layer printed circuit board according to FIG. 6A; and

(8) FIG. 7 is a side-elevational view of the two data cables with an angled plug connector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(9) Referring now in detail to the figures of the drawings, in which parts having an identical function are denoted by the same reference designations, and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is generally seen a data line 2 having a first data cable 4 and a second data cable 6. In this case, the first data cable 4 is in the form of a so-called parallel pair with (exactly) two core pairs 4a, 4b (see also FIG. 2). Each core pair 4a, 4b in this case is surrounded by a respective pair shielding 8. The latter is furthermore normally also surrounded by a cable sheath. A first plug 10 is disposed on the end of the first data cable 4. The plug typically has an, in particular, metallic housing.

(10) The second data cable 6 is a quad-stranded assembly (star quad) which likewise has two core pairs 6a, 6b. Individual cores 7 of a respective core pair 6a, 6b in this case are disposed diagonally with respect to one another. The total of four cores 7 is surrounded by an overall shield 12. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 1, the end of the second data cable 6 has a second plug 11, which likewise has, for example, a metallic housing.

(11) The configuration of the individual cores 7 of the two data cables 4, 6 emerges, in particular, from the diagrammatic illustration of FIG. 2.

(12) The data cables 4, 6 serve generally for the transmission of high-frequency data signals for high-speed data transmission of two symmetrical data signals. In FIG. 1, there is also provided a connecting element 14 for the connection of the two data cables 4, 6. The respective core pairs 4a, 4b; 6a, 6b, with their respective pairings, of the two data cables 4, 6 are transitioned to one another by way of the connecting element. The connection layout for this purpose can be seen from FIG. 2.

(13) The connecting element 14 generally has connecting lines 16 by way of which the individual cores 7 of the two data cables 4, 6 are connected to one another. Due to the different pairings, it is necessary in this case for at least two of the connecting lines 16 to cross over (in this regard, see the two central connecting lines 16). Furthermore, a ground connection 18 is also formed, which electrically connects the pair shields 8 to the overall shield 12.

(14) Furthermore, in FIG. 2, a compensation path 20 is also indicated in the two connecting lines that do not cross over. Due to the crossing-over connecting lines 16, the connecting lines have a lengthened path. In order to compensate for this path, the two connecting lines 16 that do not cross over are extended by the compensation path 20.

(15) In FIG. 2, the configuration of the cores 7 of the first data cable 4 is illustrated in the left-hand half of the image, and the configuration of the cores of the second data cable 6 is illustrated on the right-hand side. The left-hand half of the image may in this case also be regarded as a plug face of a first plug part 22, and the right-hand half of the image may be regarded as a second plug part 24 of the connecting element 14 at the opposite end sides thereof.

(16) In this case, the plug parts 22, 24 have in each case, or jointly, a plug housing 26 which is preferably composed of conductive material, in particular metal. The plug housing may alternatively also be composed of non-conductive material. In this case, the plug housing is, for example, metalized. In this way, overall, shielding to the outside is realized in the plug region. The two plug parts 22, 24 are compatible with the above-mentioned plugs 10, 11 of the first and second data cables 4, 6.

(17) In FIG. 1, the connecting element 14 is illustrated as a separate component with each of the two plug parts 22, 24. Alternatively, it is also possible for the connecting element 14 to be integrated into the respective plug 10 of one of the two data cables 4, 6, as is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4. In this case, therefore, the cores 7 are transitioned from one pairing to the other pairing within the combined plug part 10, 24; 11, 22. If a combined second plug part 10, 24 is involved, as is illustrated in FIG. 3, the first data cable 4 is connected thereto, and the cores 7 of the parallel pair are transitioned for example to the plug face illustrated in the right-hand half of the image.

(18) In the structural variant of FIG. 4, the situation is reversed. There, within the combined first plug part 11, 22, the connected second data cable 6 with the quad-stranded configuration is transitioned, for example, to the plug face illustrated in the left-hand half of the image of FIG. 2.

(19) In general, the connecting element 14 has a housing which is formed, for example, by the above-mentioned common plug housing 26.

(20) The connecting lines 16 may be constructed in various ways.

(21) With regard to a transmission which is reliable and interference-free as far as possible, it is basically sought in this case for the pairings of the individual core pairs 4a, 4b and 6a, 6b to be eliminated and, in effect, re-created.

(22) For this purpose, it is provided in particular that the connecting lines 16 run within the connecting element 14 so as to be shielded with respect to one another as far as possible or, generally, a reliable potential reference of the respective connecting line 16 to a ground potential be realized. The shields (pair shielding 8, overall shield 12) are in this case normally connected to ground potential.

(23) In a first structural variant, the connecting lines 16 are in the form of coaxial lines 30 which have an inner conductor 32 and an outer conductor 34. The coaxial lines 30 are indicated by way of example in FIG. 1. The outer conductor 34 in this case is typically formed by a shield layer, in particular a shield mesh, which surrounds a dielectric (plastic) with the inner conductor 32 led therein. In addition, in this case, each coaxial line 30 typically has an outer insulating sheath.

(24) The respective inner conductor 32 in this case is electrically contacted in each case with a core 7. The respective outer conductor 34 serves for connecting the respective pair shield 8 to the overall shield 12. Through the use of the coaxial line 30, it is thus the case that each individual connecting line 16 is individually shielded. In this way, the pairings are eliminated, and interference is prevented.

(25) In this structural variant with the coaxial lines 30, a separate housing 26 is not imperatively necessary. The coaxial lines 30 may also be combined in a simple manner and for example connected, at the end, to the first and the second plug parts 22, 24 for a respective plug connection to the first data cable 4 and second data cable 6.

(26) Instead of coaxial lines 30 being used, simple cores are used, that is to say a conductor surrounded by a core insulation. In this case, the cores are preferably disposed in the housing 26. Alternatively, only the first and the second plug parts 22, 24 are attached, at the end, to the cores.

(27) In an alternative embodiment, in particular in conjunction with, for example, the variants according to FIGS. 3 and 4, in particular in conjunction with FIG. 3, the cores 7 of a respective data cable 4, 6 are continued in the connecting element 14, and thus form the connecting lines 16. For this purpose, the cores 7 each have the cable sheath that is normally provided, and also the shielding (pair shielding 8 or overall shield 12), removed. In particular, the cable sheath is thus stripped, and the shields in the region of the connecting element 14 are removed. This is possible, in particular, in situations with relatively low demands with regard to transmission quality, because the cores 7 are unshielded only over a relatively short transmission path.

(28) In a preferred embodiment, it is the case that the shield of the respective data cable 4, 6 is continued for the purposes of shielding within the connecting element 14. This will be discussed in more detail below, in particular in conjunction with FIGS. 5A and 5B:

(29) Proceeding from the first data cable 4, the individual core pairs 4a, 4b are severed. Specifically, for this purpose, a respective pair shield 8 is severed in the middle, in such a way that two partial shields 36 are realized per core pair 4, 4a. These are in each case approximately U-shaped as viewed in cross section. The partial shields 36, or the respective cores 7 with their partial shield 36, are then preferably twisted through 90, in such a way that an open region 38 of the respective partial shield 36 is oriented outward. Therefore, in the direction of a respective adjacent core 7, there is at least one part of one or more partial shields 36. The individual cores 7 are thus reciprocally shielded with respect to one another.

(30) In this case, too, the connecting element 14 expediently has a housing 26 which forms a shielding to the outside. The open regions 38 are oriented toward the housing 26, in such a way that the open region 38 is thus shielded by the housing 26.

(31) The cores 7 which are prepared in this way and which have the partial shields 36 are transitioned or converted, within the connecting element 14, from the core distribution illustrated in FIG. 5A to the core distribution illustrated in FIG. 5B.

(32) In a further structural variant, the connecting lines 16 are formed as conductor tracks of a printed circuit board 40. A conductor track of this type is illustrated in FIGS. 6A and 6B. The printed circuit board is illustrated in a plan view in FIG. 6A and is illustrated in a side view in FIG. 6B. The printed circuit board 40 is a multi-layer printed circuit board, in which the connecting lines 16 are led in different layers or planes. The connecting lines 16 of one layer are illustrated as solid lines, and those of the other layer are illustrated as dotted lines.

(33) The printed circuit board 40 furthermore normally has, on its opposite sides, terminal contacts 42 which are typically likewise disposed in different layers. In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6A, the left-hand side of the printed circuit board 40 is provided for the connection of the first data cable 4 or for the connection of two pairwise shielded core pairs 4a, 4b. The first core pair 4a in this case is disposed in one plane of the printed circuit board 40, and the other core pair 4b is disposed in the layer of the printed circuit board 40 situated underneath. The two middle connecting lines 16 are in each case crossed over and transitioned into the respective other plane for the transitioning of the pairing to the star-quad configuration. For this purpose, so-called vias 44, that is to say through-connections, are provided through an insulation layer 46. The contacting of the data lines 4 to the printed circuit board 40 is realized, for example, in a manner which is known per se. For this purpose, it is possible, on one hand, for the conductors of the cores 7 to be directly electrically contacted with the terminal contacts 42, for example by way of soldering. As an alternative to this, the terminal contacts 42 are suitably connected to a respective plug part 22, 24 or to a part thereof. This means that the printed circuit board 40 is optionally integrated in the separate connecting element 14, as illustrated in FIG. 1, or else in a combined plug part 10, 24 or 11, 22, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

(34) The multi-layer construction of the printed circuit board 40 is shown in FIG. 6B. As can be seen, a middle insulation layer 46 is disposed between two layers 48 with the connecting lines 16. The layers are in each case in turn followed by an insulation layer 46. Adjoining these, two ground planes or plates 50 are also formed, in such a way that the connecting lines 16 are enclosed between the two ground planes 50. By way of this measure, it is likewise the case that the respective pairing between the pairs 4a, 4b; 6a, 6b is eliminated. Each individual connecting line 16 is connected to the ground potential. The respective pair shielding 8 or the overall shield 12 is preferably connected indirectly or directly to the ground planes 50.

(35) Finally, FIG. 7 shows a structural variant in which the connecting element 14 has an angled form or shape. In this case, the angled profile of the connecting lines 16 is also illustrated in highly simplified and diagrammatic form. Due to the angled profile, an inner side 52 and an outer side 54 are formed. It is now preferably the case that the two crossing-over connecting lines 16 are laid on the inner side 52, and the non-crossing-over connecting lines 16 are laid on the outer side 54. This automatically yields an automatic compensation of the different path lengths.