CABLE CONNECTION

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a cable assembly, i.e., a combination of several cables combined for joint installation. It particularly relates to a cable assembly combining several optical fiber cables (optical waveguides - LWL), or fiber optic cables, such as, in particular, fiber optic minicables or fiber optic microcables, without, however, being limited to cables of this type. Rather, in the specially designed cable assembly in question, cables of any type can be combined for the purpose of joint installation.

[0002] In principle, the cables combined in the cable assembly can be either cables for data or signal transmission, i.e., communication cables, or cables for energy or power transmission. With regard to the first category of communication cables, the cables combined in the cable assembly designed according to the invention can be cables with one or more wires, or cores, for electrical data transmission, or fiber optic cables for optical data transmission.

[0003] Against the background of the preferred application of a joint laying of fiber optic cables in the form of a cable assembly designed in accordance with the invention, the following explanations will primarily refer - as stated, but without limitation - to this application.

[0004] When laying fiber optic cables to provide communication connections, it is common practice to insert the corresponding fiber optic cable into a previously buried plastic conduit. In this context, it is also known to combine several such plastic conduits, each designed to accommodate a fiber optic cable, into a cable-and-pipe assembly using a common sheath surrounding the plastic pipes. Such a pipe assembly is laid underground and can then be equipped with the appropriate fiber optic cables as needed. With regard to the subsequent installation of the fiber optic cables into the empty conduits or plastic pipes, it has become known, for example, to blow the fiber optic cables into the plastic pipes using a blowing device.

[0005] In practice, this works like this: a cable duct assembly containing a sufficiently large number of empty ducts, i.e., not yet equipped with fiber optic cables, is inserted into a cable route created by previously completed excavation work, i.e., is laid underground. Appropriate branches are created on the properties located along such a cable route, which are to be supplied with a communications connection by the company providing the cable duct assembly. After these branches have been created, the appropriate number of fiber optic cables are inserted, for example, blown into the empty ducts (plastic pipes) of the cable duct assembly, including the plastic pipes branching off from it, on-site at the construction site. More frequently, a large number of empty ducts, or plastic pipes, of the cable duct assembly initially remain unequipped.These unequipped, surplus conduits can later be used to install fiber optic cables in plastic conduits of the cable duct assembly to supply additional properties located along the cable route with a communication connection from the operator of the cable duct assembly.

[0006] The disadvantage here is that installing the fiber optic cables on site at the construction site involves a considerable amount of installation work. This is especially true if the company providing the cable and duct assembly is to supply one or more properties at a later date, i.e., retroactively, after the initial development. For the subsequent installation of the empty conduits, it is then particularly necessary to reopen the soil and the cable and duct assembly at the relevant transition points. For the process of blowing in the fiber optic cables, which are to be inserted subsequently, the necessary equipment, such as one or more blowing devices, must be brought along to carry out the work.This means that, in particular, the subsequent provision of fiber optic cables to establish a communication connection causes considerable logistical and installation effort on site at the construction site.

[0007] DE 10 2019 117 612 A1 describes a technical solution that can avoid the disadvantages outlined above. According to this solution, several communication cables, in particular fiber optic cables, are combined for joint installation into a cable and pipe assembly. Within said cable and pipe assembly, the individual cables are each arranged in a plastic pipe. The plastic pipes combined into the assembly by a common sheath surrounding them are each equipped with a communication cable by the manufacturer, so that the communication cables no longer have to be inserted into the plastic pipes combined into the assembly by means of the surrounding sheath on site, or immediately before installation.

[0008] To lay the communication cables, the entire cable duct assembly, including the plastic pipes containing the communication cables, is inserted along a cable route into a trench dug in the ground for this purpose. In order to connect a property located along the cable route to a communications network, for example, i.e. to connect a communications cable from the cable duct assembly laid in the trench to a connection point provided on the property, two openings are made in the casing of the cable duct assembly. A first opening is created at the level of the property to be connected, and a second opening is created at a distance from the first opening that is at least equal to the distance between this first opening and the cable connection point on the property to be supplied. At the second opening created in the casing of the cable duct assembly, a pipe and the communications cable contained therein are severed.The above-mentioned severed pipe, together with the communication cable arranged in it, is finally pulled out at the first opening created in the sheath of the cable-pipe assembly at the level of the property to be supplied and laid in the direction of the connection point on this property.

[0009] Although the solution described above significantly reduces the work required on site to connect a property, it also has some disadvantages. The first is that the described solution, like other solutions using plastic conduits described above, entails a not inconsiderable amount of material, particularly in the form of the plastic conduits. Another is that, according to the installation method described in DE 10 2019 117 612 A1, the end of the communication cable not required for connecting a property—i.e., the end severed at the level of the second opening in the sheath of the cable-duct assembly—remains in the ground with the plastic conduit accommodating the cable. However, such a procedure is less cost-effective in terms of material costs. EP 1 309 054 A1 describes another solution.According to this further solution, several communication cables are joined together in a double tube structure.

[0010] The object of the invention is to provide an alternative solution for the joint installation of multiple cables that avoids the aforementioned disadvantages. The solution to be created should, in particular, reduce the on-site assembly effort while simultaneously requiring as little material as possible. In accordance with the two aforementioned requirements, it should be possible to flexibly connect individual properties along a route on which the cables are laid, i.e., to connect a connection point of a particular property to one of these cables.

[0011] The object is achieved by a cable assembly having the features of patent claim 1. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention are provided by the subclaims.

[0012] To solve this problem, a cable assembly is provided with several cables, which are assembled by the manufacturer into a cable drum for joint installation. Each cable in this cable assembly consists of at least one transmission line and a surrounding cable sheath. The cable sheath protects the transmission line(s) it surrounds from environmental influences, particularly those that occur after installation in the ground, as well as from mechanical stress. The type of cable and the at least one transmission line contained within it will be described in more detail below.

[0013] The multiple cables are directly combined into the cable assembly by means of multiple surrounding interconnecting elements, such that each of the cables is movable in the longitudinal direction within the at least one interconnecting element surrounding the cables, relative to a respective section of the cable assembly unwound from the cable drum during installation, both relative to this interconnecting element and relative to the respective other cables of the cable assembly. Due to this mobility of the individual cables in the longitudinal direction, i.e., in the direction of extension and thus back and forth relative to the installation direction of the cable assembly, a respective cable can be removed from the cable assembly via a recess in the cable assembly with the interconnecting elements to create a cable branch.

[0014] This means that the cables in the cable assembly are neither mechanically nor permanently connected to one another. The cables are not individually held by a surrounding pipe (plastic pipe), but are joined together directly, i.e. immediately, to form the cable assembly by means of at least one connecting element. The connecting elements - more detailed information on their properties will follow later - serve only to temporarily hold the cables together and thus to enable multiple cables to be laid simultaneously along a cable route in a specially created trench in the ground. For this purpose, the cables are, as already explained, already wound together in a bundle by the manufacturer. The connecting elements surrounding the cables of the cable assembly therefore have no protective function either for the cables of the cable assembly wound on the cable drum or for a section of the cable assembly unwound from the drum and laid in the ground.Rather, it simply serves to facilitate the efficient installation of the cables combined in the system. In this context, it should be noted that the technical solution proposed here already eliminates the need for plastic conduits that accommodate the individual cables, resulting in significant material savings.

[0015] In principle, it is possible to combine cables of different types, and thus for a wide variety of purposes, into such a cable assembly, in which the cables - as mentioned - are essentially only temporarily grouped together. Disregarding possible undesirable electromagnetic interactions between several cables laid simultaneously in a cable trench in the form of such a cable assembly, it would even be conceivable to combine power supply cables and communication cables together in such a cable assembly. However, this is generally not the case due to the potential interactions already mentioned and other practical considerations.

[0016] With regard to preferred application scenarios, a practical design of such a cable assembly preferably consists of several communication cables, i.e., exclusively of communication cables combined therein. These communication cables are particularly preferably fiber optic cables (also synonymously known as optical fiber cables), such as, in particular, fiber optic minicables or fiber optic microcables. The communication cables in question, which serve to transmit data using optical transmission methods, i.e., fiber optic cables, typically consist of several optical fibers, or glass fibers, enclosed by a common cable sheath. According to the understanding underlying this, fiber optic minicables have a diameter of ≤ 6.50 mm (2.70 mm - 6.50 mm), whereas fiber optic microcables even have diameters of ≤ 2.60 mm.

[0017] In this case, it is possible for the individual cables, each of which is not enclosed by a plastic pipe or the like, to be combined into the cable assembly by means of a hose-like composite element that surrounds all cables together over the entire length of the cable assembly. In this embodiment, not according to the invention, it is then necessary to create the recess mentioned above for creating a cable branch in the composite element by means of a cable removed from the cable assembly after the cable assembly has been laid, thus, to insert a window into the composite element at the level of a property to be connected.Of course, in addition, a further recess must be made in the composite element surrounding the entire laid section of the cable assembly at a distance corresponding to the required length of the branch to be created, in order to be able to cut the cable to be removed from the cable assembly for the branch via this second recess.

[0018] According to the invention, however, it is not necessary to introduce one or more openings or recesses into a composite element to enable the removal of a cable—as mentioned, even one that is not enclosed by a pipe—from the cable assembly to create a branch. According to the invention, the cables of the assembly are held together by several strip-shaped composite elements spaced apart from one another along the extension direction of the cables (longitudinal direction of the cable assembly), i.e., by several composite elements each extending in the form of a strip relative to the circumferential direction of the cables. Several such strip-shaped composite elements are arranged along the entire length of the cable assembly, preferably at an equidistant distance from one another.

[0019] In a cable assembly consisting of a plurality of fiber optic cables, the strip-shaped assembly elements are spaced apart, for example, by a distance of between 30 and 60 cm, while each strip has a width of approximately 5 to 10 cm. The gaps between the assembly elements represent recesses already present from the outset, through which the cables belonging to the assembly are freely accessible. Thus, individual cables can be severed at the appropriate point to create a branch and pulled out of the assembly (including the severed end, if necessary).

[0020] This advantageously reduces both the material expenditure, namely the amount of material required for the now multiple composite elements, and the labor required on the construction site. The latter is evidently due to the fact that with this design, it is no longer necessary to create corresponding recesses in the composite element(s) using the required tools during the installation of the cable assembly and the subsequent creation of branches from this cable assembly.

[0021] Regardless of whether the cable assembly is implemented using a single composite element extending across its entire length or using several spaced-apart composite elements, a plastic, such as polyethylene, is proposed as the material for the composite element(s). By selecting a material for the composite element(s) that matches the material of the cable sheath of the respective cables assembled to form the cable assembly, the basic idea of ​​the proposed solution ensures in each case that the required mobility of the cables relative to the composite element and among each other is ensured within the composite element(s).

[0022] A further embodiment of the cable assembly, not according to the invention, is achieved in that the cables joined together are held in the assembly by a stranding that also forms a composite element. Even with this embodiment, in which, for example, a thread is wound spirally around the cables, it will generally not be necessary to create a recess in the composite element thus formed to create a branch on the construction site, i.e., to sever the corresponding thread.

[0023] The following drawings provide exemplary embodiments of the invention and explain their practical application. The drawings show in detail: Fig. 1: a section of a cable assembly realized by means of several connecting elements, according to the claimed invention, Fig. 2: a section of a cable assembly realized by means of a connecting element extending over the entire section length, not according to the claimed invention, Fig. 3: the laying of a cable assembly according to the proposed solution in a cable route along several properties, Figs. 4a and 4b: the provision of a fiber optic cable for one of the properties to establish a communication connection, Fig. 5: the conditions after the provision of a fiber optic cable for another property in the development situation according to the Figures 3 and 4 , Fig. 6: the precautionary provision of a fiber optic cable for another developed property and a not yet developed property according to the development situation according to the Figures 3 to 5 .

[0024] In the Fig. 1a preferred embodiment of the described cable assembly 1 is shown, in which the plurality of cables 2 1 - 2 n forming this cable assembly 1 - for example fiber optic cables - are held together in the cable assembly 1 by means of a plurality of composite elements 3, 3', 3" spaced apart from one another in the extension direction (longitudinal direction x) of the cable assembly 1. The individual composite elements 3, 3', 3" consist of strip-shaped sections made of polyethylene. The corresponding composite elements 3, 3', 3" are arranged along the section of a cable assembly 1 shown at a distance of approximately 30 to 60 cm from one another. They each have a strip width of approximately 5 to 10 cm.

[0025] The distances or gaps existing between the connecting elements 3, 3', 3" form recesses through which a cable 2 1 - 2 n that has previously been severed to a corresponding length can be detached from the cable assembly 1, i.e. pulled out, and laid along the cable route, creating a branch in the direction of a connection point on a property 5 1 - 5 n.

[0026] The Fig. 2In contrast, shows a non-inventive embodiment in which the illustrated section of the cable assembly 1 is held together by a single connecting element 3, which extends over the entire length of the cable assembly 1 still located on the cable drum 4 before the section shown is separated. As already explained earlier, when using this embodiment, two windows, or recesses, must be created in the connecting element 3 to create a branch after laying the cable assembly 1.A first recess for removing a cable 2 1 - 2 n from the cable assembly 1 at the location of the branch to be created and a further one at a distance towards the end of the section which corresponds to the length required at the branch point for the cable 2 1 - 2 1 to be removed from the cable assembly for its connection to a connection point of the property 5 1 - 5 n to be connected, in order to be able to cut through the cable 2 1 - 2 n used to create the branch.

[0027] The following figures show the process of laying the cable assembly 1. The Fig. 3shows the laying of a cable assembly 1 according to the invention in the ground on a cable route running along five adjacent properties 5 1 - 5 n. A telecommunications company, by which or on whose behalf the cable route is being laid, wishes to provide a cable 2 1 - 2 n , or a fiber optic cable (communications cable), for establishing a communications connection for all properties 5 1 - 5 n along the, for example, 300 m long cable route, at least as a precautionary measure, namely in the event that the owner of a property may not use telecommunications services from this company until a later date. After creating a corresponding trench in the ground, a section of the cables 2 1 - 2 n , which have already been assembled by the manufacturer into a cable assembly 1 and wound onto a cable drum 4, is unwound from the relevant cable drum 4.During its unwinding, the cables 2 1 - 2 n joined to form the cable assembly 1 are inserted into the trench previously created in the ground along the five properties 5 1 - 5 n in the example, and a section corresponding to its length is cut off from the cable assembly 1 provided on the cable drum 4.

[0028] The Figures 4a and 4bshow, by way of example, the provision of a fiber optic cable from the cable assembly 1 laid in the cable route for one of the five properties 5 1 - 5 n located along the cable route. If the cables are combined to form the cable assembly by a single composite element extending over their entire length, not according to the invention, a first recess is introduced into the composite element 3 surrounding the severed section of the cable assembly 1 over its entire length at the level of this property 5 1 - not shown in detail here.In the further course of the cable assembly 1, here to the left of the property 5 1 to be supplied or connected, a second recess is made in the composite element 3 of the cable assembly 1 at a distance which corresponds at least to the distance between the first recess made at the level of this property 5 1 and a connection point for the communication cable 2 2 provided on this property (also not shown in detail).

[0029] The cable 2 2 (fiber optic cable) intended to create the branch to the property 5 1 to be supplied is then severed through this second recess. The severed fiber optic cable is finally detached from the cable assembly 1 at the first recess at the level of the property 5 1 for which the fiber optic cable (cable 2 2 ) is to be provided, and laid to a connection point provided for this purpose on this property 5 1. The corresponding, previously severed fiber optic cable can be identified, for example, by a color marking on the cable sheath or by a color code (e.g. according to VDE). The creation of the aforementioned openings (first recess and second recess) on the construction site for severing and pulling a cable 2 1 - 2 n out of the pipe assembly 1 can - as already explained - be omitted if the cables 2 1 - 2 n are connected by means of several strip-shapedspaced-apart composite elements 3, 3', 3" are combined to form the cable assembly 1.

[0030] As in the Fig. 5 As shown by way of example with respect to another property 5 2 located along the route, further fiber optic cables (cables 2 1 - 2 n ) can be separated from the cable assembly 1 in the manner described above and branched off from it to connect a respective property 5 1 - 5 n. Furthermore, as shown in the Fig. 6 As shown, for plots 5 1 - 5 n which are either not yet built on or for which no connection to the network of the telecommunications company that is laying the cable network 1 or on whose behalf it is being laid, fiber optic cables are already provided as a precautionary measure for possible later connection. Fig. 4a , 4b and 5The procedure explained merely consists in the fact that the respective fiber optic cable (cable 2 1 - 2 n ) provided as a precaution is not yet connected to a connection point of the properties 5 1 - 5 n in question, but after it has been removed from the cable network 1, for example, it is laid in the form of a ring, a loop or the like, remains in the ground or its end is led to a defined handover point which forms a placeholder for possible later use.

Claims

1. Cable assembly (1) comprising a number of cables (21 - 2n) which are grouped together and each consist of at least one transmission line and a surrounding cable sheath, wherein the cable assembly is designed to be rolled up on a cable drum (4) at the manufacturer's, for the cables (2i-2n) to be laid at one and the same time, characterized in that the cables (21 - 2n) are joined together directly to form the cable assembly (1) by means of a number of strip-like embracing elements (3, 3', 3") which surround the cables (2i-2n) and are kept at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction (x) of the cable assembly (1), to be precise they are joined together in such a way that, with respect to a respective section of the cable assembly (1) unrolled from the cable drum (4) during laying, each of the cables (21 - 2n) is movable, within the strip-like embracing elements (3, 3', 3") which surround the cables (21 - 2n), in the longitudinal direction (x) in relation to these embracing elements (3, 3', 3") and in relation to the other cables (21 - 2n) in each case of the cable assembly (1) and, as a result, can be removed from the cable assembly (1) by way of a clearance, existing in the cable assembly (1) because of the distances between the strip-like embracing elements (3, 3', 3"), to create a cable branch.

2. Cable assembly (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the cables (21 - 2n) grouped together to form the cable assembly (1) are communication cables.

3. Cable assembly (1) according to Claim 2, characterized in that at least one of the cables (21 - 2n) grouped together to form the cable assembly (1) is a communication cable with a number of transmission lines designed for data transmission and surrounded by a common cable sheath.

4. Cable assembly (1) according to Claim 3, characterized in that the communication cables (21 - 2n) are fibre-optic cables, in particular mini or micro fibre-optic cables, each with a plurality of optical fibres.

5. Cable assembly (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the embracing elements (3, 3', 3") consist of plastic.

6. Cable assembly (1) according to Claim 5, characterized in that the embracing element or elements (3, 3', 3") consist of polyethylene.