Data cable

Abstract

A data cable (1) for transmitting data in communication technology, information transmission technology or computer technology, the data cable comprising two core wires (2), where each core wire (2) has a conductor (3) and an insulating layer (4), where the insulating layer (4) of each core wire (2) has the same coloring additive comprising the same colorant. In order to be able to improve the signal transmission even when the coloration of the core wires (2) differs, the invention provides that the outer region (11) of the insulating layer (4) of one core wire (2) additionally has a further colouring additive comprising a further colouring agent, and the outer region (11) of the insulating layer (4) of the other core wire (2) does not contain the additional coloring additive and does not contain any other coloring additive.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a data cable for transmitting data in communication technology, information transmission technology or computer technology, the cable comprising two cores, each of which has a conductor and an insulation layer, wherein the insulation layer of each core has the same coloring additive including the same colorant. Background Art

[0002] Data cables, especially those with high data transmission rates, usually consist of one or more wire pairs and serve as a connection between a transmitter and a receiver, where signals (electromagnetic waves) are transmitted and subsequently processed further. In this case, bidirectional communication is possible, i.e. the transmitter becomes the receiver and the receiver becomes the transmitter.

[0003] The signals may be transmitted by means of differential data transmission, which is a symmetrical transmission with anti-phase signals, or by means of common-mode signal transmission, which is also a symmetrical transmission but with signals in phase.

[0004] Each wire pair of a data cable consists of two conductors and two insulation layers, each surrounding one of the two conductors. In order to be able to further process the wire pairs fully automatically, the two wires of the wire pair need to have different colors (in appearance), so the insulation layers are surrounded by corresponding color coatings. However, the different colors used for the color coatings have different dielectric values ​​due to their internal materials, especially their pigments (Farbpigmente), and the different dielectric values ​​cause the signals in the two cables to be transmitted at different speeds and attenuated to different degrees. Therefore, the transmission of the signal in the two wires is asymmetrical or there is a time difference over the length of the data cable. This means first of all that the signal duration is different, which affects the transmission of the signal or data. This is called mode conversion, which is also usually used to measure how good the quality of signal transmission is.

[0005] US 5 187 329 A, US 1 968 903 A, WO 2018 / 197365 A1, US 5 281 764 A and US 2010 / 307790 A1 all disclose cables having two cores, wherein the insulation layer of each core is surrounded by a color coating layer, and the color coating layers of the two cores have different colors. Summary of the invention

[0006] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a data cable for transmitting data in communication technology, information transmission technology or computer technology, which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art and improves signal transmission even when the core wires have different coloring.

[0007] This object is achieved on a data cable for transmitting data in the field of communication technology, information transmission technology or computer technology, the data cable including two core wires, each core wire having a conductor and an insulating layer and the insulating layer of each core wire having the same colorant additive including the same colorant. According to the invention, this object is achieved in that an outer region of the insulating layer of one core wire additionally has an additional colorant additive including other colorants, and an outer region of the insulating layer of the other core wire does not contain this additional colorant additive and does not contain any other colorants.

[0008] Thus, for the data cable according to the invention, the insulating layer of each core wire contains the same colorant additive including the same colorant. In addition, an outer region of one core wire further contains an additional colorant additive, and the colorant included in this additional colorant additive is different from the colorant included in the colorant additive that each core wire's insulating layer has. The outer region of the other core wire does not contain this additional colorant additive including other colorants and does not contain any other colorant additives including this additional colorant and / or any other colorants. This means that the outer region of the insulating layer of the other core wire does not contain other colorant additives. The outer region thus only has the said colorant additive and in other cases no other colorant additives.

[0009] Thus, the outer region of the insulating layer is the outermost region when observed in the radial direction within the cross-section of the data cable according to the invention.

[0010] By adding the same colorant additive to the insulating layer of each core wire, it is ensured that the characteristics of the core wires (especially the attenuation characteristics) are the same as each other, thus standardizing or synchronizing the core wires. By blending an additional colorant additive into the outer region of the insulating layer of one core wire, it is ensured that one core wire of the data cable according to the invention is visually a different color from the other core wire, thus ensuring fully automatic deep processing. Since only the outer region of the insulating layer of one core wire contains the said additional colorant additive (the outer region of the insulating layer of the other core wire does not contain the said additional colorant additive and does not contain any other colorant additives), the signal transmission characteristics of this core wire, especially the attenuation characteristics, are not substantially changed or only slightly changed compared to the other core wire. This means that for the data cable according to the invention, although two different colors can be observed between the core wires visually, the signal transmission characteristics of the core wires are as well adapted to each other as possible, thereby enabling a significantly improved signal transmission compared to the prior art. In other words, coloring the outer region of the insulating layer of one core wire is sufficient to ensure fully automatic deep processing, and at the same time, the propagation delay of the signal is only affected as slightly as possible.

[0011] For example, it can be imagined that a data cable according to the present invention includes two core wires, wherein the insulating layers of the two core wires both contain the same coloring additive including a white colorant. Additionally, an outer region of the insulating layer of one of the two core wires contains another coloring additive having a green colorant. Therefore, the two core wires visually appear in different colors. One core wire is visually white, while the other core wire is visually green. Of course, the use of other color combinations is not excluded.

[0012] The term "colorant" is understood in the context as a coloring substance. For example, the colorant can be a pigment (Farbpigment) that is substantially insoluble in the application medium (within the insulating layer in the context of the present invention) and exists in the form of solid particles, wherein the coloring is produced by the absorption and reflection (scattering or reflection) of a specific frequency range of visible light.

[0013] Of course, the pigment can also be a mixture composed of "different" pigments to achieve a specific color. Additionally, the use of (liquid) dyes is also possible, which are soluble in the application medium (such as a polymer).

[0014] The coloring additive causes at least the coloring of the insulating layer due to the colorant. However, whether it is the coloring additive included in all insulating layers or the additional coloring additive, they of course also contain other additives in addition to the colorant, whereby the insulating layer can be optimally adapted to the corresponding intended use.

[0015] For example, the coloring additive can have, in addition to the colorant, a base material, an anti-aging material, a dispersion aid, a filler, a compatibilizer, a light stabilizer, a processing aid, or a lubricant and / or a nucleating agent. The base material can be a polymer or a mixture composed of polymers, which is usually the same as the application medium. Alternatively, it can be a polymer or a mixture composed of polymers that is compatible with the application medium and has no significant negative impact on the properties of the application medium. Antioxidants are mostly used as anti-aging agents, which prevent or reduce the decomposition of the base material of the coloring additive or all other internal materials during processing and use. The dispersion aid helps the colorant to have better miscibility and better distributability within the base material, while the filler (mostly rock powder) increases the covering ability of the coloring additive and improves the economic productivity of the coloring additive.

[0016] Compatibilizers help to achieve better compatibility of the coloring additive with the application medium and / or better compatibility of the colorant with the substrate material. Light stabilizers are UV stabilizers that prevent or reduce the decomposition of polymers and / or dyes. Processing aids or lubricants can reduce the "production pressure" within the machine and enable better processability. Nucleating agents are seed-forming agents that exert an influence on the product properties of the final product. Of course, it is not excluded that other additives are provided, such as antistatic agents, antiblocking agents, visual brighteners, effect pigments, etc.

[0017] Of course, it is not excluded that the data cable according to the invention has more than two core wires. For example, the data cable can have three, four, five, six or even more core wires, wherein at least one outer region of the insulating layer of a core wire additionally has an additional coloring additive comprising other colorants, and at least one outer region of the insulating layer of an additional core wire does not contain such an additional coloring additive and does not contain any other coloring additives.

[0018] One factor affecting the visual visibility of the different colors of the core wires and the improved signal transmission is the thickness of the outer region of the insulating layer, in particular the thickness of the outer region of the insulating layer of that (those) core wire(s) that additionally has an additional coloring additive. That is, on the one hand, the outer region must be thick enough to provide sufficient volume for the additional coloring additive, in particular for the other colorants, so that the additional coloring additive, in particular the other colorants, can be distributed to a sufficient extent; on the other hand, it must be thin enough to minimally affect the signal transmission characteristics, in particular the attenuation characteristics, of the core wire even when an additional coloring additive is mixed in. Therefore, in an implementation variant of the present invention, it is stipulated that the outer region of the insulating layer of each core wire has a thickness between 5 μm and 200 μm, preferably between 25 μm and 100 μm, and particularly preferably between 40 μm and 60 μm. These thickness ranges are the optimal solutions considering sufficient coloring of the core wire and at the same time only a slight propagation delay of the signal.

[0019] In order to obtain a coloring degree of a core wire sufficient for fully automatic deep processing, in another implementation variant of the present invention, it is stipulated that the overall composition of the insulating layer of a core wire includes at most 5% by weight of an additional coloring additive, preferably at most 3% by weight of an additional coloring additive, and particularly preferably at most 1.5% by weight of an additional coloring additive. These amounts are the optimal solutions for sufficient visual visibility and only a slight influence on the signal transmission characteristics, in particular the attenuation characteristics, of a core wire.

[0020] In order to be able to manufacture the data cable according to the invention efficiently, in particular economically efficiently, in one implementation variant of the invention it is provided that the insulating layer of each core wire is manufactured by an extrusion process. By means of the extrusion process, diverse shapes can be produced at low cost and different materials can be reliably processed.

[0021] In another implementation variant of the invention it is provided that the insulating layer of each core wire is made of polypropylene. Polypropylene is advantageous because the molecular structure, the size of the average molecular weight, the molecular weight distribution, the crystallinity and the spherulite structure can vary within wide limits, whereby the properties can be influenced. In addition, polypropylene has a high dynamic load-carrying capacity and makes the material suitable for a large number of possible applications. Also, the dielectric constant and the dielectric loss factor are largely independent of temperature. In another implementation variant of the invention it is provided that the insulating layer of each core wire comprises: - an inner insulating layer which at least partially covers the outer surface of the conductor, and - an outer insulating layer which at least partially covers the outer surface of the inner insulating layer, wherein the outer insulating layer comprises the said outer region. That is, the inner insulating layer and the outer insulating layer of each core wire both have the same coloring additive comprising the same colorant. Additionally, the outer insulating layer at one core wire comprises an outer region of the insulating layer which additionally has a further coloring additive comprising other colorants. In particular, the outer insulating layer consists of the outer region of the insulating layer.

[0022] The outer insulating layer imparts stability to the data cable according to the invention and serves as a means of protection against the environment.

[0023] In particular, if at least part of the insulating layer is made of foamed material, it is sometimes necessary to isolate the foamed material from the conductor. Therefore, in another implementation variant of the invention it is provided that the inner insulating layer of each core wire has: - an inner skin layer which at least partially covers the outer surface of the conductor, and - a main layer which at least partially covers the inner skin layer.

[0024] It is conceivable that the main layer is at least partially made of foamed material and the inner skin layer is made of another material, wherein the inner skin layer serves as a separation between the conductor and the main layer. That is, the inner skin layer isolates the main layer in the direction of the conductor, provides a certain stability and accordingly abuts against the conductor.

[0025] The main layer made of foamed material gives the data cable according to the invention optimal transmission characteristics.

[0026] In another implementation variant of the present invention, it is stipulated that the data cable is a data cable in the form of "shielded twisted pair". This variant of the data cable according to the present invention has a shielding layer, whereby interference can be very effectively prevented from entering (or leaving) the cable. Additionally, the cores of at least one core pair are crossed, twisted or stranded. The advantage of the core pair with crossing, twisting or stranding is that external noise or interference signals are coupled as evenly as possible into the two cores of the core pair. Although the coupled interference changes the signals on the cores, the difference between the signals only changes slightly. The combination of the braided structure (Geflecht) and the shielding layer has proven to be very effective in reducing internal and external electromagnetic effects.

[0027] In another implementation variant of the present invention, it is stipulated that the data cable is a data cable in the form of "shielded parallel lines". Here, the cores of at least one core pair extend substantially parallel to each other. There is also a shielding layer at the same time. The advantage of this implementation variant is that the data cable is very flexible due to the cores extending parallel to each other, and thus can be laid well.

[0028] In another implementation variant of the present invention, it is stipulated that the data cable is a data cable in the form of "unshielded twisted pair". This variant of the data cable according to the present invention has twisted cores for each core pair, but no shielding layer. This unshielded twisted pair is the "simplest" version of the "twisted pair" cable, where, in particular, the economic manufacturability is advantageous. Description of the Drawings

[0029] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to embodiments. The drawings are exemplary and, although presenting the inventive concept, in no way constitute a restrictive or exhaustive presentation.

[0030] Wherein: Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a core pair of a data cable according to the prior art is shown; Figure 2 A schematic mode conversion curve of a data cable according to the prior art is shown; Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of a core pair of a first embodiment of a data cable according to the present invention is shown; Figure 4 A schematic mode conversion curve of a first embodiment of a data cable according to the present invention is shown; Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of a core pair of a second embodiment of a data cable according to the present invention is shown. Detailed Description of the Invention

[0031] Figure 1is a schematic cross-sectional view of a pair of cores (i.e., two cores 2) of a data cable 1 for transmitting data in communication technology, information transmission technology, or computer technology, except according to the prior art. Each of the two cores 2 has a conductor 3 and an insulating layer 4. The insulating layer includes an inner insulating layer 5 and an outer insulating layer 6. The outer insulating layer is formed by the outer region 11 of the insulating layer 4. Among them, the inner insulating layer 5 covers the outer surface 7 of the conductor 3 and the outer insulating layer 6 covers the outer surface 8 of the inner insulating layer 5. That is, the inner insulating layer 5 is arranged between the conductor 3 and the outer insulating layer 6.

[0032] In order to be able to perform deep processing on the cores 2 fully automatically, the cores have different colors. One of the two cores 2 is visually green ( Figure 1 the left core 2 in Figure 1 ), while the other of the two cores 2 is visually white (

[0033] the right core 2 in

[0034] ).

[0035] Figure 2 shows the mode conversion curve of the data cable 1 according to the prior art. Here, the TCTL parameter (transverse conversion transmission loss) is depicted via frequency, where the TCTL parameter is a measure of the asymmetric attenuation (i.e., mode conversion) of the data cable 1. This means that the lower the TCTL parameter, the better the attenuation characteristics of the data cable 1 and the better (more symmetric) the data transmission between the cores 2 of the data cable 1.

[0036] In Figure 2 three lines can be observed, namely the TCTL parameters 13 of the two cores 2 of the data cable 1 according to the prior art and the boundary value line 12 respectively. To ensure good signal transmission, the TCTL parameters 13 of the two cores 2 should be below the boundary value line 12 in the entire frequency domain. From Figure 2It can be seen that the data cable 1 according to the prior art does not meet this point. Between 20 MHz and 30 MHz, the TCTL parameter 13 of the two core wires 2 exceeds the boundary value line 12 and then permanently lies above the boundary value line 12. This means that at frequencies greater than or equal to 20 - 30 MHz, the boundary value line 12 is exceeded by the TCTL parameter 13. Therefore, for the data cable 1 according to the prior art, in the higher frequency domain, there is an obvious propagation delay of the signal in the two core wires 2, which means that an asymmetric signal transmission occurs.

[0037] Figure 3 Fig. shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a pair of core wires (i.e., two core wires 2) of a first embodiment of the data cable 1 according to the present invention. The structure of the first embodiment of the data cable 1 according to the present invention, especially the structure of the insulating layer 4, is generally equivalent to Figure 1 the structure of the data cable 1 according to the prior art shown in. Although Figure 3 only two core wires 2 are shown in, it does not exclude the case where the data cable 1 further has more core wires 2, such as three, four, five, six or more core wires 2.

[0038] The difference lies in the coloring degree of the insulating layer 4. In the first embodiment of the data cable 1 according to the present invention, the insulating layers 4 of the two core wires 2, that is, the inner insulating layer 5 and the outer insulating layer 6, each have the same coloring additive including the same white colorant, wherein the outer insulating layer 6 is formed by the outer region 11 of the insulating layer 4 and has a thickness of approximately 50 μm in the first embodiment. Additionally, one of the two core wires 2 ( Figure 3 the left core wire 2 in ) has an additional coloring additive including a green colorant in its outer insulating layer. The other core wire 2 of the two core wires 2 ( Figure 3 the right core wire 2 in ) does not contain the said additional coloring additive and does not contain any other coloring additives. Therefore, the said one core wire 2 is visually green ( Figure 3 the left core wire 2 in ) while the said other core wire 2 is visually white ( Figure 3 the right core wire 2 in ).

[0039] In this implementation variant, the overall composition of the insulating layers 4 of the two core wires 2 respectively includes 1% by weight of the coloring additive, and the coloring additive includes a white colorant. Additionally, Figure 3The overall composition of the core wire on the left in [the context] includes 1.78% by weight of additional coloring additives, where the additional coloring additives in this case consist of the same amount of white coloring agent and green coloring agent. This means that the additional coloring additives include the same amount of white coloring agent in addition to the green coloring agent. Therefore, on the one hand, the data cable 1 according to the present invention can be fully automatically deep-processed, and on the other hand, the signal transmission characteristics of the visually green core wire 2 are only slightly affected compared to the visually white core wire 2.

[0040] The insulation layers 4 of the two core wires 2 of the first embodiment are made of polypropylene by means of an extrusion process.

[0041] Figure 4 The mode conversion curve of the first embodiment of the data cable 1 according to the present invention is shown. Here, the TCTL parameter is again depicted by frequency, just as in Figure 2 [the relevant context]. In Figure 4 [the relevant context] three lines can also be seen, namely the TCTL parameters 13 of the two core wires 2 respectively and the Figure 2 known boundary line 12.

[0042] From Figure 4 it can be seen that for the data cable 1 according to the present invention, the TCTL parameters of the two core wires 2 are clearly below the boundary line 12 throughout the frequency domain. Therefore, although the signal transmission characteristics of the two core wires 2 of the first implementation variant of the data cable 1 according to the present invention have different colors in terms of visual visibility (one core wire 2 is visually green and the other core wire 2 is visually white), they still match well with each other, and thus the signal transmission can be significantly improved compared to the prior art.

[0043] Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of a pair of core wires (i.e., two core wires 2) of the second embodiment of the data cable 1 according to the present invention is shown. The second embodiment is equivalent to the first embodiment of the data cable 1 according to the present invention, except that the inner insulation layer 5 of the two core wires 2 has an inner skin layer 9 and a main layer 10, where the inner skin layer 9 is arranged between the conductor 3 and the main layer 10. The inner skin layer serves as a separator between the conductor 3 and the main layer 10 and provides stability.

[0044] Both the first embodiment of the data cable 1 according to the present invention and the second embodiment of the data cable 1 according to the present invention can be designed as a "shielded twisted pair" type data cable 1, a "shielded parallel line" type data cable 1, or an "unshielded twisted pair" type data cable 1.

[0045] List of reference numerals 1 Data cable 2 Core wire 3 Conductor 4 Insulation layer 5 Inner insulation layer 6 Outer insulation layer 7 Outer surface of conductor 3 8 Outer surface of inner insulation layer 5 9 Inner skin layer 10 Main layer 11 Outer region of insulation layer 4 12 Boundary value line 13 TCTL parameter of one of the core wires 2 of data cable 1

Claims

1. A data cable (1) for transmitting data in communication technology, information transmission technology or computer technology, the data cable comprising two core wires (2), wherein, Each core wire (2) has: - a conductor (3), and - an insulating layer (4), wherein the insulating layer (4) of each core wire (2) has the same coloring additive, and the same coloring additive includes the same colorant, characterized in that an outer region (11) of the insulating layer (4) of one core wire (2) additionally has an additional coloring additive, and the additional coloring additive includes other colorants, and an outer region (11) of the insulating layer (4) of another core wire (2) does not contain the additional coloring additive and does not contain any other coloring additive.

2. The data cable (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating layer (4) of each core wire (2) has a thickness between 5 μm and 200 μm respectively. Preferably, the insulating layer (4) of each core wire (2) has a thickness between 25 μm and 100 μm respectively. Particularly preferably, the insulating layer (4) of each core wire (2) has a thickness between 40 μm and 60 μm respectively.

3. The data cable (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that, The overall composition of the insulating layer (4) of the one core wire (2) includes up to 5% by weight of the additional coloring additive. Preferably, the overall composition of the insulating layer (4) of the one core wire (2) includes up to 3% by weight of the additional coloring additive. Particularly preferably, the overall composition of the insulating layer (4) of the one core wire (2) includes up to 1.5% by weight of the additional coloring additive.

4. The data cable (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The insulating layer (4) of each core wire (2) is manufactured by an extrusion process.

5. The data cable (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The insulating layer (4) of each core wire (2) is made of polypropylene.

6. The data cable (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The insulating layer (4) of each core wire (2) includes: - an inner insulating layer (5) that at least partially covers the outer surface (7) of the conductor (3), and - an outer insulating layer (6) that at least partially covers the outer surface (8) of the inner insulating layer (5), wherein the outer insulating layer (6) includes the outer region (11).

7. The data cable (1) according to claim 6, characterized in that, The inner insulating layer (5) of each core wire (2) has: - an inner skin layer (9) that at least partially covers the outer surface (7) of the conductor (3), and - a main layer (10) that at least partially covers the inner skin layer (9).

8. The data cable (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The data cable (1) is a "shielded twisted pair" type data cable.

9. The data cable (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The data cable (1) is a "shielded parallel line" type data cable.

10. The data cable (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The data cable (1) is a "non-shielded twisted pair" type data cable.

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