CABLE AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE CABLE

Abstract

A cable includes a guide element and a signal line. The guide element extends flatly on a guide plane, and the signal line is guided along a winding path on the guide plane by the guide element. The signal line has multiple bends on the guide plane. In particular, the cable is suitable for use under high stretching loads by virtue of the winding course of the signal line. The cable is simultaneously particularly space-saving in that the line is guided solely within the guide plane. A method for producing the cable is also provided.

Claims

1. A cable, comprising: a guide element extended within a guide level in a flat manner; and a signal line disposed in said guide level, said signal line being led along a winding path by said guide element and said signal line having a plurality of bends within said guide level.

2. The cable according to claim 1, wherein said guide element has a guide contour determining a course of said path.

3. The cable according to claim 1, wherein said path has a meandering shape.

4. The cable according to claim 1, which further comprises a cross section of the cable in which: said guide element has a height and a width perpendicular to said height; said signal line has a diameter; said height approximately corresponds to said diameter; and said width is greater than said diameter.

5. The cable according to claim 4, wherein said width is at least twice as large as said diameter.

6. The cable according to claim 1, wherein said guide element has a sheathing, and said signal line is led within said sheathing.

7. The cable according to claim 2, wherein said guide element has a plurality of molded parts forming said guide contour.

8. The cable according to claim 7, wherein the cable extends in a longitudinal direction, and a plurality of said molded parts are disposed in a row in said longitudinal direction.

9. The cable according to claim 7, wherein said molded parts are constructed as identical parts.

10. The cable according to claim 7, wherein each molded part has a respective coupling element for connecting said molded part to a respective subsequent molded part.

11. The cable according to claim 7, wherein said guide element has a sheathing, said signal line is led within said sheathing, and said molded parts completely fill an interior space defined by said sheathing up to said guide contour.

12. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the cable has a length, and said guide element has a molded part with a length approximately corresponding to said length of the cable.

13. The cable according to claim 1, wherein said signal line is round.

14. The cable according to claim 1, wherein said signal line has at least one signal wire constructed as a light-guiding element.

15. The cable according to claim 1, wherein said signal line is a bundle conductor having an outer tube and a plurality of signal wires running within said outer tube.

16. The cable according to claim 15, wherein said outer tube is filled with air, a liquid or a thixotropic gel.

17. The cable according to claim 1, wherein said guide element has at least one strain relief element, and said signal line and said at least one strain relief element have an approximately identical thickness measured perpendicularly to said guide level.

18. The cable according to claim 1, wherein said guide element has two strain relief elements encompassing said signal line laterally and defining said guide level, and said signal line runs within said guide level in a winding manner.

19. The cable according to claim 1, wherein the cable includes only said guide element and said signal line.

20. A method for manufacturing a cable, the method comprising the following steps: using a flat guide element to define a guide level; using the guide element to guide the signal line along a winding path; and providing the signal line with a plurality of bends within the guide level.

21. The method according to claim 20, which further comprises using a plurality of molded parts to form the guide element, and placing the molded parts in a row in a longitudinal direction of the cable.

22. The method according to claim 20, which further comprises: providing the cable with a finished cable length; using a molded part to form the guide element; and providing the molded part as a continuous product or at least with a length corresponding to the finished cable length.

23. The method according to claim 22, which further comprises providing the molded part as a solid semi-finished product, and introducing a guide contour into the molded part to specify the path.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

[0051] FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, cross-sectional view of a cable; and

[0052] FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, longitudinal-sectional view of the cable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0053] Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a cable 2 that is constructed for signal transmission and has a signal line 4 for this purpose. In this case, the signal line 4 is constructed as so-called bundle conductors and includes a number of signal wires 6, which are constructed in this case as light-guiding elements. These signal wires 6 are led within an outer tube 8 which, in the exemplary embodiment shown herein, is additionally encompassed by a strain relief 10 as well as a cable sheathing 12. The signal wires 6 are loosely led through the outer tube 8, which means an intermediate space exists between the outer tube 8 and the signal wires 6 which is, in particular, filled with air, a liquid or a thixotropic gel.

[0054] As can be clearly seen particularly from FIG. 2, the signal line 4 follows a winding path P, which runs along the cable 2 in particular in a meandering manner. Thereby, the signal line 4 has a plurality of bends 14 that are alternately crimped on the right and left. Thus, the signal line 4 is only bent at a level, that is specified as a guide level F of a guide element 16 of the cable 2. This guide element 16 is constructed to be flat in its entirety and defines the guide level F in a way which corresponds to the drawing level in FIG. 2. The path P now lies within this guide level F so that the signal line 4 only extends along that level and the cable 2 obtains a particularly flat construction overall.

[0055] The flat construction is particularly evident in FIG. 1, which shows the cable 2 in a cross section. It is clearly evident that the cable 2 has a height H along a short axis Al which is less than a width B of the cable along a long axis A2, which runs perpendicular to the short axis Al. In the exemplary embodiment shown herein, the width B is roughly five times a diameter D of the signal line 4, which is constructed in this case to be round. In contrast, the height H approximately corresponds to the diameter D, meaning it is approximately the same size.

[0056] In the exemplary embodiment shown herein, the guide element 16 is composed of a number of molded parts 18, a number of strain relief elements 20 as well as a sheathing 22, which is at the same time an outer casing of the cable 2. The strain relief elements 20 are, for example constructed as steel cables or are aramid fibers and primarily run straight in a longitudinal direction L of the cable 2. Thereby, the strain relief elements 20 are also within the guide level F. The signal line 6 runs between the two strain relief elements 20. The remaining intermediate spaces are filled in by the molded parts 18. Thereby, each molded part 18 has a contour. The assembled molded parts 18 then form together a guide contour K, which specifies the path P and at which the signal line 4 is laid. Thereby, in particular, the signal line 4 is led along the bent-structured edge sides of the molded parts 18.

[0057] The molded parts 18 are constructed as identical parts so that they form a periodic structure when disposed in a row. In the exemplary embodiment shown herein, the molded parts 18 in particular are constructed to be approximately U-shaped, which is particularly evident from FIG. 2. The molded parts 18 generally have at least one convex as well as one concave section of the edge side. In the U-shaped embodiment, the middle is formed by a concave section at which a respective outer convex section joins. The convex sections align with the convex sections of the adjacent molded parts 18.

[0058] It is also clear from FIG. 2 that the molded parts 18 are organized in two groups, which respectively extend in the longitudinal direction L, wherein the two groups encompass the signal line 4 on the side. The respective molded parts 18 are then disposed in a row in the longitudinal direction L of the cable 2 within a group.

[0059] In addition, two consecutive molded parts 18 are connected to each other through a coupling element 24, which is constructed as a lug in the illustrated exemplary embodiment. The lug is inserted into a recess complementary to the lug of the subsequent molded part 18.

[0060] The sheathing 22 is attached to the entire configuration composed of a signal line 4, molded parts 18 and strain relief elements 20, in particular, the sheathing 22 is extruded and defines an outer contour of the cable 2, that roughly corresponds to a rectangle as is evident from FIG. 1, where the short sides are constructed to be rounded. As a whole, the cable 2 is thus constructed to be especially flat. However, the cable 2 can be subjected to a high level of strain without risk, since a sufficient excess length of the signal line 4 has been implemented due to the winding course of the signal line 4 within the guide level F.

[0061] The following is a summary list of reference numerals and the corresponding structure used in the above description of the invention. Reference list: [0062] 2 Cable [0063] 4 Signal line [0064] 6 Signal wire [0065] 8 Outer tube [0066] 10 Strain relief [0067] 12 Line sheathing [0068] 14 Bend [0069] 16 Guide element [0070] 18 Molded part [0071] 20 Strain relief element [0072] 22 Sheathing [0073] 24 Coupling element [0074] A1 short axis [0075] A2 long axis [0076] B Width [0077] D Diameter [0078] F Guide level [0079] H Height [0080] K Contour [0081] L Longitudinal direction [0082] P Path