Communication cables and communication cable assemblies

Abstract

To provide a communication cable and a communication cable assembly which can use a reversible plug that can be inserted into a receptacle upside down and can increase the communication distance and power supply distance relative to the cable diameter. [Solution] A communication cable 1 is a communication cable in which a pair of plug connectors 110A, 110B are electrically connected to both terminals, and the communication cable has two first differential pairs 2A, 2B for transmitting high-speed differential signals, one or more power lines 4 and ground lines 5 for supplying power to devices connected to the terminals, and a configuration channel line 6 for detecting the front and back orientation of the plug connectors 110A, 110B, and the communication cable does not have any first differential pairs other than the two first differential pairs 2A, 2B.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to communication cables and communication cable assemblies. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, transmission cables that can reduce costs and improve transmission characteristics have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface standard has undergone various developments to date, with the maximum transfer speed continuing to improve. For example, USB 1.0 and USB 1.1 were 12 Mbps, USB 2.0 was 480 Mbps, USB 3.0 was 5 Gbps, USB 3.1 was 10 Gbps, and USB 3.2 was 20 Gbps. Regarding connectors, Type-A and Type-B were previously specified, but USB 3.1 and later versions have adopted the reversible Type-C connector.

[0004] Furthermore, USB cables are now capable of handling a variety of communications using a single cable, which has resulted in more complex core configurations and an increase in the number of cores. For example, USB 2.0 recommends four cores, USB 3.0 eight cores, and USB Type-C 15 cores.

[0005] The transmission cable described in Patent Document 1 is a transmission cable that complies with the USB Type-C standard, and is a 17-core cable including eight coaxial lines (for 10 Gbps transmission), four signal lines (a first SBU line, a second SBU line, a CC line, and a Vconn line), one power line, two ground lines, and a pair of twisted pair wires. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-10747 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Transmission cables conforming to the existing USB Type-C standard are the mainstream in many countries for smartphone charging cables. Furthermore, there is a growing trend to adopt the USB Type-C standard for power and communication cables not only for smartphones but also for PCs and other communication and imaging devices. This is thought to be due to the need to standardize the connector plugs (mating parts) and receptacles of connected devices, rather than to standardize cable characteristics, thereby enhancing convenience. Meanwhile, the USB Type-C standard specifies specifications for both cables and connectors. The board size constraints of the USB Type-C connector also restrict the cable outer diameter. This limits the conductor cross-sectional area of ​​each core wire, resulting in a problem of degraded communication quality over long cable lengths. Furthermore, while the Type-C standard allows for both data transfer and power supply over a single cable, if either the communication distance or the power supply distance is shorter than the other, the cable length is limited by the shorter distance.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a communication cable and a communication cable assembly that can use a reversible plug that can be inserted into a receptacle upside down, and that can increase the communication distance and power supply distance relative to the cable diameter. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] [1] A communication cable in which a pair of plug connectors are electrically connected to both ends, Two first differential pairs for transmitting high-speed differential signals; one or more power lines and one or more ground lines for supplying power to devices connected to the terminal; a configuration channel line for detecting the orientation of the plug connector; A communication cable in which the first differential pair does not include any other first differential pairs than the two first differential pairs. [2] The communication cable according to [1], wherein the signal lines constituting the first differential pair have a central conductor and an insulating layer covering the conductor, and the ratio of the conductor diameter of the conductor to the cable diameter is 0.06 or more. [3] The communication cable according to [2], wherein each of the power line and the ground line comprises a conductor and an insulating layer covering the conductor, the ratio of the conductor diameter of the conductor of the power line and the ground line to the cable diameter is 0.10 or more, and when there are multiple electric wires and multiple ground lines, the conductor diameter is the conductor diameter converted into one line so that the resistance values ​​are equivalent. [4] The signal lines constituting the first differential pair have a central conductor and an insulating layer covering the conductor, and the conductor of the signal line has a thickness of 0.06 mm 2 The communication cable according to [1] above, having a cross-sectional area of ​​at least 100 mm. [5] Each of the power supply line and the ground line includes a conductor and an insulating layer covering the conductor, and the conductor of the power supply line and the ground line has a thickness of 0.30 mm. 2 [4] The communication cable according to [4], wherein the communication cable has a cross-sectional area of ​​the above, and when there are a plurality of the electric wires and a plurality of the ground wires, the cross-sectional area is the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the respective electric wires and ground wires. [6] The communication cable according to [1] above, wherein the number of core wires is 6 or more and 14 or less. [7] The communication cable according to [1], further comprising a second power line. [8] The communication cable according to [1], further comprising a second differential pair for transmitting low-speed differential signals. [9] The communication cable according to [1], wherein a wire that functions as a ground wire for supplying power to a device connected to the terminal is used instead of the ground wire.

[10] The communication cable according to any one of [1] to [9] above; a pair of plug connectors electrically connected to both ends of the communication cable; and a communication cable assembly comprising:

[11] The communication cable assembly according to

[10] , wherein one of the pair of plug connectors is provided with a circuit element that records the value of the power that can be supplied to the device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, a reversible plug that can be inserted into a receptacle upside down can be used, and the communication distance and power supply distance can be increased relative to the cable diameter. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a communication cable assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the communication cable shown in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a connector board compatible with a cable compliant with the USB Type-C standard, where (a) is a plan view of the connector board seen from the front side, and (b) is a plan view of the connector board seen from the back side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows an example of a connector board according to the first embodiment, where (a) is a plan view of the connector board seen from the front side, and (b) is a plan view of the connector board seen from the back side. [Figure 5] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining how the first differential pair according to the first embodiment is connected to the connector substrate shown in FIG. 4, where (a) is a plan view of the connector substrate as seen from the front side, and (b) is a plan view of the connector substrate as seen from the back side. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a communication cable according to the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a communication cable according to the third embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining how the first differential pair according to the third embodiment is connected to the connector substrate shown in FIG. 4, where (a) is a plan view of the connector substrate as seen from the front side, and (b) is a plan view of the connector substrate as seen from the back side. [Figure 9A] FIG. 9A is a diagram showing the attenuation characteristics when the cable length is 3 m. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a diagram showing attenuation characteristics depending on the cable length corresponding to each communication distance. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, components having substantially the same functions are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

[0013] [First embodiment] 1 is a plan view showing an example of a communication cable assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention. This communication cable assembly 100 includes a communication cable 1 of a predetermined length within a communication distance and a power supply distance, a first plug connector (hereinafter abbreviated as "first connector") 110A connected to one end of the communication cable 1, and a second plug connector (hereinafter abbreviated as "second connector") 110B connected to the other end of the communication cable 1.

[0014] The communication cable 1 has ten cores, which is a reduced number of cores compared to the core configuration of a cable compliant with the USB Type-C standard. That is, while a cable compliant with the USB Type-C standard has four pairs of high-frequency signal lines (SSTX1 line, SSRX1 line, SSTX2 line, SSRX2 line), the communication cable 1 has only two pairs of high-frequency signal lines (for example, (SSTX1 line, SSRX1 line)).

[0015] Furthermore, while a cable compliant with the USB Type-C standard has signal lines (SBU1 line, SBU2 line) for alternate mode (HDMI (registered trademark), DisplayPort, etc.), this communication cable 1 does not have an alternate mode, in other words, it does not include signal lines (SBU1 line, SBU2 line) or is configured specifically for USB signals. Note that signal lines (SBU1 line, SBU2 line) may be added as necessary.

[0016] The above configuration reduces the number of core wires. For a conventional cable, the conductor diameter of the SSTX1 and SSRX1 wires can be increased, thereby extending the communication distance. Furthermore, the conductor diameter of the power and ground wires used to supply power to devices connected to the communication cable 1 can be increased, thereby extending the power supply distance. In other words, the communication distance and power supply distance relative to the cable diameter can be increased. Furthermore, by retaining the CC wires compliant with the USB Type-C standard, a reversible plug can be used, which can be inserted upside down into a USB Type-C standard-compliant connector, i.e., a receptacle. Furthermore, reducing the number of core wires allows for thicker core wires, which provides advantages in the selection of resin layer materials and manufacturing, as described below. To enjoy the convenience of standardizing USB Type-C connectors, it is sufficient that the shape and structure of the connector's mating portion match the shape and structure of the USB Type-C standard mating portion of the device to be connected. The shape and structure of the connector board and cable other than the connector's mating portion do not need to comply with the USB Type-C standard. Furthermore, since the cable can be made longer without deteriorating communication quality and is also lighter, it can also be used in in-vehicle devices, for example.

[0017] The first connector 110A is connected to a receptacle provided in, for example, a computer (hereinafter referred to as the first device), and includes a resin housing 111A, a plug 112A provided so as to be exposed from the housing 111A, and a connector board 200A disposed within the housing 111A. The connector board 200A of the first connector 110A electrically connects the plug 112A to one end of the communication cable 1. The plug 112A is an example of a fitting portion.

[0018] The second connector 110B is connected to, for example, a receptacle provided in a peripheral device (hereinafter referred to as the second device), and uses the same connector as the first connector 110A, as shown in Fig. 1(a). That is, the second connector 110B includes a resin housing 111A, a plug 112A provided so as to be exposed from the housing 111A, and a connector board 200A disposed within the housing 111A. The connector board 200A of the second connector 110B electrically connects the plug 112A to the other end of the communication cable 1.

[0019] The first device and the second device connected to the first connector 110A or the second connector 110B include, for example, devices such as a personal computer, a tablet terminal, a smartphone, a digital camera, a printer, a mouse, earphones, a USB memory, and a charger. In addition, the devices may have a charging function. The first device and the second device are compliant with, for example, the USB PD (Power Delivery) standard and have a PD control unit. The PD control unit performs PD communication compliant with the USB PD standard.

[0020] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1(a), the first connector 110A and the second connector 110B use the same connector. However, as shown in FIG. 1(b), different connectors may be used. For example, the second connector 110B includes a resin housing 111B equipped with a screw for preventing the connector from coming loose, a plug 112B exposed from the housing 111B, and a connector substrate 200A disposed within the housing 111B. In this embodiment, the connector substrate 200A of the first connector 110A and the connector substrate 200A of the second connector 110B use the same substrate, but different substrates may be used. This embodiment does not include a cable (USB Type-C legacy cable) having a plug according to this embodiment connected to one end and a plug conforming to the Type-A or Type-B standard connected to the other end. The plug 112B is an example of a mating portion.

[0021] (Communication cable configuration) FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the communication cable 1 shown in FIG. 1. This communication cable 1 includes two first differential pairs 2A and 2B for transmitting high-speed differential signals (e.g., 5 Gbps to 20 Gbps), a second differential pair 3 for transmitting low-speed differential signals (e.g., 480 Mbps), one or more power lines 4 (Vbus lines), one or more ground lines 5, a configuration channel line (hereinafter referred to as a "CC line") 6 for detecting the orientation of a USB Type-C-compliant plug, and a power line (hereinafter referred to as a "Vconn line") 8 for a circuit in the plug that also conforms to the USB Type-C standard. The first differential pairs are the two first differential pairs 2A and 2B, and the cable is a 10-core cable. Note that the communication cable 1 is not limited to a 10-core cable and may be a cable with 8 or fewer cores, 9 or fewer cores, or 14 or fewer cores. Having 14 or fewer cores allows for differentiation from the recommended number of cores (15) for USB Type-C. The CC line 6 may not conform to the USB Type-C standard. The Vconn line 8 may not conform to the USB Type-C standard. The Vconn line 8 is an example of a second power line.

[0022] Of the signal wires 2a to 2d constituting the first differential pair 2A, 2B, two adjacent signal wires 2a, 2b constitute the first differential pair, and the other two adjacent signal wires 2c, 2d constitute the second differential pair. The pair of signal wires 2a, 2b are twisted together with the drain wire 10 and are collectively covered with a shielding layer 11, thereby constituting a first twinax cable. The other pair of signal wires 2a, 2b are also twisted together with the drain wire 10 and are collectively covered with a shielding layer 11, thereby constituting a second twinax cable. A communication cable 1 using twinax cables for the first differential pair 2A, 2B is hereinafter also referred to as a twinax-type communication cable. Note that a twinax cable may also be a type that does not have any twisting. The drain wire 10 is, for example, a twisted wire formed by twisting together multiple metal wires. The signal lines 2a to 2d are an example of signal lines that form a first differential pair.

[0023] The signal lines 2a to 2d each include a conductor 21 and an insulating layer 22 that covers the conductor 21. The conductor 21 is, for example, a twisted wire formed by twisting together a plurality of metal wires. The insulating layer 22 is made of a resin material (for example, cross-linked polyethylene). The conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a to 2d that make up the first differential pair 2A, 2B have a cross-sectional area that allows a communication distance of at least 4.0 m or more, preferably 5.0 m or more, and more preferably 6.0 m or more at a transfer rate of 5 Gbps. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a to 2d is 0.06 mm 2 More than 0.08mm is preferable. 2 The above is more preferable. In order to avoid difficulty in connecting the signal lines 2a to 2d to the connector board 200A, the cross-sectional area of ​​the conductors 21 is set to 0.35 mm 2 Less than 0.23mm is preferable 2 The following is more preferable: Due to size restrictions on the connector board 200A for a mating portion that complies with the USB Type-C standard, the ratio of the conductor diameter of the conductor 21 of the signal lines 2a to 2d to the cable diameter is preferably 0.06 or more. The conductor 21 is an example of a central conductor.

[0024] The shield layer 11 comprises an inner shield layer 11a provided on the inside and formed by winding a conductive tape (e.g., a tape laminated with aluminum and polyester), and an outer shield layer 11b provided on the outside of the inner shield layer 11a and formed by winding a resin tape (e.g., a polyester tape).

[0025] The second differential pair 3 is formed by twisting two signal lines 3a and 3b together. The signal lines 3a and 3b each include a conductor 31 and an insulating layer 32 that covers the conductor 31. The conductor 31 is, for example, a twisted wire formed by twisting together a plurality of metal wires. The insulating layer 32 is made of a resin material (for example, polyethylene).

[0026] The power line 4 includes a conductor 41 and an insulating layer 42 that covers the conductor 41. The conductor 41 is, for example, a twisted wire formed by twisting together a plurality of metal wires. The insulating layer 42 is made of a resin material (for example, a fluororesin such as ethylene tetrafluoride-ethylene copolymer resin (ETFE), or polyvinyl chloride).

[0027] The ground wire 5 includes a conductor 51 and an insulating layer 52 that covers the conductor 51. The conductor 51 is, for example, a twisted wire formed by twisting together a plurality of metal wires. The insulating layer 52 is made of a resin material (for example, a fluororesin such as ethylene tetrafluoride-ethylene copolymer resin (ETFE) or polyvinyl chloride). The ground wire 5 may also be a bare wire that does not have an insulating layer on its outer periphery.

[0028] The conductor 41 of the power line 4 and the conductor 51 of the ground line 5 have cross-sectional areas such that, for example, when a power of 60 W (20 V, 3 A) is supplied, the voltage drop in the power line 4 is 500 mV or less, and the voltage drop in the ground line 5 is 250 mV or less over a power supply distance of at least 3.0 m, preferably 5.0 m or more, and more preferably 6.0 m or more. Specifically, the cross-sectional areas of the conductor 41 of the power line 4 and the conductor 51 of the ground line 5 are each 0.30 mm 2 More than 0.50mm is preferable. 2The above is more preferable. Furthermore, if the cross-sectional areas of the conductor 41 of the power line 4 and the conductor 51 of the ground line 5 are increased, the cable diameter will increase, making it difficult to connect them to the connector board 200A. Therefore, in order to avoid making the connection to the connector board 200A difficult, the cross-sectional areas of the conductor 41 of the power line 4 and the conductor 51 of the ground line 5 are each set to 1.5 mm 2 Less than 1.0mm is preferable 2 The following is more preferable. Note that multiple power lines 4 and ground lines 5 may be used. In this case, the cross-sectional area of ​​conductors 41, 51 is considered to be the total cross-sectional area of ​​the multiple lines. By making the power supply distance approximately the same as the communication distance (for example, the difference between the communication distance and the power supply distance is 2 m or less or 1 m or less), the distance over which data communication and power supply can be performed simultaneously can be extended. Due to size constraints on the connector board 200A for a mating portion that complies with the USB Type-C standard, the ratio of the conductor diameter of conductor 41 of power line 4 and conductor 51 of ground line 5 to the cable diameter is preferably 0.10 or more and 0.23 or less.

[0029] The CC wire 6 includes a conductor 61 and an insulating layer 52 that covers the conductor 61. The conductor 61 is, for example, a stranded wire formed by twisting together a plurality of metal wires. The insulating layer 62 is made of a resin material (for example, polyvinyl chloride).

[0030] The Vconn line 8 includes a conductor 81 and an insulating layer 82 that covers the conductor 81. The conductor 81 is, for example, a twisted wire formed by twisting together a plurality of metal wires. The insulating layer 82 is made of a resin material (for example, polyvinyl chloride).

[0031] The Vconn line 8 may be used to identify the device connected to the cable 1 and determine its capabilities and requirements. This allows a host (usually a computer or charger) to supply the appropriate power to the device connected to the cable 1. For example, a USB Type-C-compliant docking station or display communicates with the host via the Vconn line 8 to request the required power level and functionality. This allows the connected device to be identified and the required power and functionality to be secured. Active cables with an integrated circuit (eMaker) may also use the Vconn line 8 to efficiently transmit data and power. The integrated circuit (eMaker) within the cable communicates with the host via the Vconn line 8 to establish the appropriate power and data transmission protocol. This allows for faster data transfer and appropriate power supply. The Vconn line 8 may also be used to supply power to devices. For example, a device connected to a USB Type-C port (e.g., earphones or a mouse) can receive power via the Vconn line 8. This eliminates the need for a separate power source, allowing for a simpler and more compact design.

[0032] The first differential pair 2A, 2B, second differential pair 3, power line 4, ground line 5, CC line 6, and Vconn line 8 are covered with a shielding layer 12 together with an intervening string 13, and the outside of the shielding layer 12 is covered with a sheath 7. The sheath 7 is made of a resin material (e.g., polyvinyl chloride) with a thickness of about 0.6 to 0.9 mm. The intervening string 13 is made of a fibrous material (e.g., cotton, silk, etc.). The intervening string 13 is an example of an inclusion.

[0033] The shield layer 12 comprises an inner shield layer 12a provided on the inside and formed by wrapping a conductive tape (e.g., a tape laminated with aluminum and polyester), and an outer shield layer 12b provided on the outside of the inner shield layer 12a and formed from a metal braid (e.g., a tin-plated soft copper wire braid).

[0034] (Connector board configuration) Fig. 3 shows a connector board 200B compatible with a cable compliant with the USB Type-C standard, where (a) is a plan view of the connector board 200B seen from the front side, and (b) is a plan view of the connector board 200B seen from the back side. Fig. 4 shows an example of a connector board 200A according to this embodiment, where (a) is a plan view of the connector board 200A seen from the front side, and (b) is a plan view of the connector board 200A seen from the back side. In Figs. 3 and 4, A indicates the plug side, B indicates the cable side, and C indicates the width direction of the connector board.

[0035] (Connector board configuration compatible with cables compliant with the USB Type-C standard) As shown in FIG. 3, the connector board 200B, which is compatible with cables conforming to the USB Type-C standard, is configured to be compatible with 18-core cables, i.e., has 18 terminals (also called pads), and has a base material 201 formed from an insulating material.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3(a), on the surface 201a of the substrate 201, there are formed a plug side surface terminal group 211 consisting of terminals 211a to 211l provided on the plug side A, and a cable side surface terminal group 231 consisting of terminals 221a, 221b provided between the plug side A and the cable side B, and terminals 231a to 231i provided on the cable side B.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3(b), on the back surface 201b of the base material 201, there are formed a plug side back surface terminal group 212 consisting of 212a to 212j provided on the plug side A, and a cable side back surface terminal group 232 consisting of terminals 222a, 222b provided between the plug side A and the cable side B, and terminals 232a to 232i provided on the cable side B.

[0038] The terminals 231a to 231i of the cable side front surface terminal group 231 are formed at a pitch of 0.9 to 1.0 mm, and the terminals 232a to 232i of the cable side back surface terminal group 232 are formed at a pitch of 0.9 to 1.0 mm. In other words, the minimum pitch of the terminals in the width direction C of the connector board 200B is 0.9 mm.

[0039] (Configuration of Connector Board According to the Present Embodiment) The connector board 200A according to this embodiment conforms to the USB Type-C standard, but is configured to be compatible with a 10-core cable, i.e., has 10 terminals (also called pads), and includes a base material 201 made of an insulating material, as shown in Fig. 4. The number of terminals of the connector board 200A may be increased or decreased depending on the number of cores of the communication cable 1.

[0040] 4(a), a plug-side surface terminal group 211 consisting of terminals 211a-211l provided on the plug side A, terminals 221a and 221b for a metal cover (not shown) of the plug 112A provided between the plug side A and the cable side B, and a cable-side surface terminal group 231 consisting of terminals 231a-231f provided on the cable side B are formed on the surface 201a of the substrate 201. Of the cable-side surface terminal group 231, terminal 231f is a shield terminal and has a rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is the width direction C of the connector substrate 200A. The terminals 231a and 231b of the cable-side surface terminal group 231 are an example of a pair of surface terminals. The shield terminal 231f is an example of a surface shield terminal.

[0041] As shown in FIG. 4(b), a back surface 201b of the substrate 201 is provided with a plug-side back surface terminal group 212 consisting of terminals 212a-212j provided on the plug side A, terminals 222a and 222b for a metal cover (not shown) of the plug 112A provided between the plug side A and the cable side B, and a cable-side back surface terminal group 232 consisting of terminals 232a-232f provided on the cable side B. Of the cable-side back surface terminal group 232, terminal 232f is a shield terminal and has a rectangular shape whose longitudinal direction is the width direction C of the connector substrate 200A. In addition, an IC chip (also referred to as an eMarker) 15 that controls power supply is mounted on the back surface 201b of the substrate 201 of one of the pair of connector substrates 200A. The IC chip 15 may be mounted on the front surface 201a of the substrate 201. Furthermore, depending on the specifications of the devices to be connected, the pair of connector boards 200A may not be equipped with an IC chip 15. The front surface 201a and the back surface 201b are an example of one surface. The terminals 232a and 232b of the cable side back surface terminal group 232 are an example of a pair of back surface terminals. The shield terminal 232f is an example of a back surface shield terminal. The IC chip (eMarker) 15 is an example of a circuit element arranged in the plug.

[0042] The IC chip 15 stores specification information such as manufacturer information (Vendor ID) and current carrying capacity (Max Voltage, Max Current). The USB PD3.1 standard allows for the supply of power up to 240 W (48 V, 5 A), while the USB PD3.0 standard allows for the supply of power up to 100 W (20 V, 5 A) when supporting 5 A and up to 60 W (20 V, 3 A) when supporting 3 A. The IC chip 15 of this embodiment stores outputtable power rules such as voltages of 5 V, 9 V, 15 V, and 20 V and currents of 3 A, and stores current carrying capacity such as a maximum voltage of 20 V and a maximum current of 3 A. By including the IC chip 15 in the communication cable assembly 100, even if the second device requests an output power (e.g., 100 W) that exceeds the power (e.g., 60 W) that the first device can output, the PD control unit of the first device supplies power close to the output request (20 V, 3 A) to the second device via the communication cable 1 based on the power rule that can be output.

[0043] The terminals 231a to 231e of the cable side front surface terminal group 231, excluding the shield terminal 231f, are formed at a pitch of 1.0 to 1.57 mm, and the terminals 232a to 232e of the cable side back surface terminal group 232, excluding the shield terminal 232f, are formed at a pitch of 1.2 to 2.0 mm. In other words, the minimum pitch of the terminals in the width direction C of the connector board 200A is 1.2 mm.

[0044] According to the connector board 200A of this embodiment, the minimum pitch of the terminals in the width direction C can be increased by 1.3 times or more compared to the minimum pitch in the width direction C of the connector board 200B compliant with the USB Type-C standard. Furthermore, since the number of cable cores is reduced, the number of pads on the connector board 200A can also be reduced, and the pad width can be increased, for example, from 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm for the same dimensions and area as the connector board 200B compliant with the USB Type-C standard. With the above configuration, connection work can be performed with the naked eye. Furthermore, connection work of the communication cable 1 to the connector board 200A can be performed without using a jig (wiring arrangement part) that aligns and holds the end of the communication cable 1 to be connected.

[0045] (Manufacturing method for communication cable assembly) Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the communication cable assembly 100 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0046] First, two first differential pairs 2A and 2B, a second differential pair 3, a power line 4, a ground line 5, a CC line 6, a Vconn line 8, and an intervening cord 13 are prepared. The first differential pairs 2A and 2B are each formed by twisting together two signal lines 2a and 2b or two signal lines 2c and 2d and a drain line 10, with conductive tape wound around the outer periphery to form an inner shield layer 11a, and resin tape wound around the outer periphery of the inner shield layer 11a to form an outer shield layer 11b. The second differential pair 3 is formed by twisting together two signal lines 3a and 3b.

[0047] Next, the two first differential pairs 2A and 2B, the second differential pair 3, the power line 4, the ground line 5, the CC line 6, the Vconn line 8, and the intermediate string 13 are twisted together, and a conductive tape is wrapped around the outer periphery of these to form the inner shield layer 12a. Then, a metal braid is wrapped around the outer periphery of the inner shield layer 12a to form the outer shield layer 12b. Next, a sheath 7 is formed around the outer periphery of the shield layer 12 by extrusion molding using an extruder.

[0048] In this manner, the communication cable 1 is manufactured. Thereafter, the communication cable 1 is cut to the required length, and the ends are connected to the connector board 200A of the first connector 110A and the connector board 200A of the second connector 110B, thereby manufacturing the communication cable assembly 100 having the first connector 110A and the second connector 110B at both ends of the communication cable 1. The process of connecting the first differential pair 2A, 2B to the connector board 200A will be described later.

[0049] (Connection of the first differential pair) 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining how the signal lines 2a to 2d of the first differential pair 2A, 2B according to the first embodiment are connected to the connector substrate 200A shown in FIG. 4, where (a) is a plan view of the connector substrate 200A as seen from the front side, and (b) is a plan view of the connector substrate 200A as seen from the back side.

[0050] The conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a and 2b constituting the first differential pair 2A are connected to the terminals 231a and 231b shown in Fig. 5(a). The conductors 21 of the signal lines 2c and 2d constituting the first differential pair 2B are connected to the terminals 232a and 232b shown in Fig. 5(b). When connecting the conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a and 2b constituting the first differential pair 2A to the terminals 231a and 231b of the cable-side surface terminal group 231 of the connector board 200B compatible with the USB Type-C standard cable shown in Fig. 3(a), the shield layer 11 must be removed, and then the insulating layer 22 of the signal lines 2a and 2b must be removed, and the exposed conductors 21 must be connected to the narrow-pitch terminals 231a and 231b. On the other hand, when connecting the conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a and 2b constituting the first differential pair 2A to the terminals 231a and 231b of the cable-side surface terminal group 231 of the connector board 200A shown in Fig. 4(a), the wide pitch of the terminals 231a and 231b makes it easy to connect the signal lines 2a and 2b. The same applies to the back surface 201b of the connector board 200A shown in Fig. 4(b). The drain wire 10 is drawn out from the shield layer 11 and connected to a metal cover (not shown) of the plug 112A.

[0051] The conductors 31 of the signal lines 3a and 3b constituting the second differential pair 3 are connected to, for example, terminals 231c and 231d shown in Fig. 5(a), and the conductor 51 of the ground line 5 is connected to, for example, terminal 231e shown in Fig. 5(a). The power line 4 is connected to, for example, terminal 232e shown in Fig. 5(b), the conductor 61 of the CC line 6 is connected to, for example, terminal 232c shown in Fig. 5(b), and the Vconn line 8 is connected to, for example, terminal 232d shown in Fig. 5(b). The CC line 6 and the Vconn line 8 are connected to an IC chip (eMarker) 15 via wiring patterns (not shown).

[0052] (Effects of the first embodiment) The communication cable assembly 100 according to the first embodiment provides the following advantages. (a) The number of core wires can be reduced compared to the core wire configuration of cables compliant with the USB Type-C standard, which reduces manufacturing costs and also makes the cable lighter. (b) When the cable outer diameter is the same, the outer diameter of the core wire can be made thicker, which improves various characteristics (communication performance, bending resistance (meaning the property of being less likely to break when repeatedly bent; the same applies below), and mechanical strength). In addition, since the conductor is thicker, the risk of wire breakage due to injection pressure during molding is reduced, thereby expanding the options for molding methods. Furthermore, when the cable outer diameter is the same, the core wires of the signal lines 2a, 2b, etc. can be made thicker, which expands the range of materials that can be used for the insulating layer. For example, this allows the selection of constituent materials from expensive nylon-based resins such as polyamide to inexpensive polyolefin-based resins such as polyethylene, and enables the shortening of molding time by changing the molding machine from a dedicated molding machine that performs low-pressure molding to a general-purpose molding machine that performs injection molding. (c) By reducing the number of first differential pairs that transmit high-speed differential signals to two, the conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a to 2d can be made thicker, which increases the communication distance of high-speed differential signals relative to the cable diameter. That is, if the cable diameter is reduced (for example, to 3.7 mm), the weight of the communication cable can be reduced without shortening the communication distance. Furthermore, if the cable diameter is kept at the same level as conventional cables (for example, 6.8 mm), the communication distance can be increased. (d) The CC line 6 and Vconn line 8 enable high-speed charging of a device with power conforming to the USB PD standard by connecting a charger and a device with the communication cable 1. Furthermore, by reducing the number of first differential pairs that transmit high-speed differential signals to two, the conductor 41 of the power line 4 and the conductor 51 of the ground line 5 can be made thicker, thereby increasing the distance over which power can be supplied (for example, to the same extent as the communication distance). (e) Since it has CC wire 6, a reversible plug can be used that can be inserted into the receptacle upside down (upside down). (f) Since the pitch of the terminals 231a, 231b and the pitch of the terminals 232a, 232b of the connector board 200A are wide, the signal lines 2a to 2d that make up the first differential pair 2A, 2B can be easily connected to the connector board 200A.

[0053] [Second embodiment] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a communication cable according to a second embodiment of the present invention. While the communication cable 1 according to the first embodiment uses one power line 4 and one ground line 5, the communication cable 1 according to this embodiment uses a plurality of power lines 4 and a plurality of ground lines 5 (for example, two). The following describes the second embodiment, focusing on differences from the first embodiment. Furthermore, since the communication cable assembly 100 according to the second embodiment is manufactured in the same manner as the first embodiment, a description thereof will be omitted.

[0054] Similar to the first embodiment, the communication cable 1 of this embodiment is a 12-core cable including a first differential pair 2A, 2B, a second differential pair 3, a CC line 6, a Vconn line 8, a pair of power lines 4A, 4B, and a pair of ground lines 5A, 5B. The pair of power lines 4A, 4B and the pair of ground lines 5A, 5B are distributed. The number of power lines is not limited to two and may be three or more. Similarly, the number of ground lines is not limited to two and may be three or more.

[0055] As in the first embodiment, the conductors 41 of the power lines 4A and 4B and the conductors 51 of the ground lines 5A and 5B have cross-sectional areas such that, for example, when a power of 60 W (20 V, 3 A) is supplied, the voltage drop in the power line 4 is 500 mV or less and the voltage drop in the ground line 5 is 250 mV or less over a power supply distance of at least 3.0 m, preferably 5.0 m or more, and more preferably 6.0 m or more. Specifically, the total cross-sectional area of ​​the conductors 41 of the power lines 4A and 4B and the total cross-sectional area of ​​the conductors 51 of the ground lines 5A and 5B are each 0.30 mm 2 More than 0.50mm is preferable. 2The above is more preferable. In order to avoid difficulty in connecting the power supply lines 4A and 4B to the connector board 200A, the total cross-sectional area of ​​the conductors 41 and the total cross-sectional area of ​​the conductors 51 of the ground lines 5A and 5B are set to 1.5 mm 2 Less than 1.0mm is preferable 2 The following is more preferable: Due to size restrictions on the connector board 200A for a mating portion that complies with the USB Type-C standard, the ratio of the conductor diameter of the conductor 41 of the power lines 4A and 4B and the conductor 51 of the ground lines 5A and 5B to the cable diameter (however, this is the conductor diameter converted into one so that the resistance values ​​are equivalent) is preferably 0.10 or more and 0.23 or less.

[0056] According to the second embodiment, the conductors 41 of the pair of power lines 4A, 4B and the conductors 51 of the pair of ground lines 5A, 5B can be made thicker than when the power line 4 and the ground line 5 are used alone, so the power supply distance can be extended to the same extent as in the first embodiment. Furthermore, by distributing the pair of power lines 4A, 4B and the pair of ground lines 5A, 5B, the cable structure is stabilized, and the cross-sectional shape of the entire communication cable 1 can be maintained as circular.

[0057] [Third embodiment] 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a communication cable according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the communication cable 1 of the first embodiment, the first differential pair of signal lines 2a and 2b constituting the two first differential pairs 2A and 2B and the second differential pair of signal lines 2c and 2d are each collectively shielded by a shield layer 11, but the communication cable 1 of this embodiment uses coaxial cables 9a to 9d as the signal lines constituting the two first differential pairs 2A and 2B (also referred to as a coaxial type communication cable). The following describes the third embodiment, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment.

[0058] In a communication cable 1 according to the third embodiment, a first differential pair 2A is formed by a first differential pair of a pair of coaxial wires 9a and 9b, and a first differential pair 2B is formed by a second differential pair of a pair of coaxial wires 9c and 9d. These coaxial wires 9a to 9d are arranged on the outer periphery, and a CC line 6 and intervening strings 14a and 14b are arranged in the center. The first differential pair 2A and 2B, the second differential pair 3, the power line 4, and the ground line 5 are covered with an intervening string 13 by a shielding layer 12, the outside of which is covered by a sheath 7. The intervening strings 14a and 14b are made of a resin material (e.g., polyethylene). The coaxial wires 9a to 9d are an example of signal wires that form the first differential pair. The intervening strings 14a and 14b are an example of an inclusion.

[0059] The coaxial cables 9a to 9d each include a central conductor 91, an inner insulating layer 92 covering the central conductor 91, an outer conductor 93 formed on the outside of the inner insulating layer 92, and an outer insulating layer 94 covering the outer conductor 93. The central conductor 91 is, for example, a stranded wire formed by twisting together a plurality of metal wires. The inner insulating layer 92 is made of a resin material (for example, cross-linked polyethylene). The outer conductor 93 is made of, for example, a metal braid. The outer insulating layer 94 includes a first outer insulating layer 94a made of a resin material (for example, polyvinyl chloride), and a second outer insulating layer 94b provided on the outside of the first outer insulating layer 94a and made of a resin material (for example, polyvinyl chloride). The central conductor 91 is an example of a central conductor.

[0060] As in the first embodiment, the central conductors 91 of the coaxial lines 9a to 9d constituting the first differential pair 2A, 2B have a cross-sectional area such that the communication distance at a transfer rate of 5 Gbps is at least 4.0 m, preferably 5.0 m, and more preferably 6.0 m. Specifically, the cross-sectional area of ​​the central conductors 91 of the coaxial lines 9a to 9d is 0.06 mm 2 More than 0.08mm is preferable. 2 The above is more preferable. In order to avoid difficulty in connecting the coaxial cables 9a to 9d to the connector board 200A, the cross-sectional area of ​​the central conductor 91 of each cable is set to 0.35 mm 2 Less than 0.23mm is preferable 2The following is more preferable: Due to size restrictions on the connector board 200A for a mating portion that complies with the USB Type-C standard, the ratio of the conductor diameter of the central conductor 91 of the coaxial lines 9a to 9d to the cable diameter is preferably 0.06 or more.

[0061] (Manufacturing method for communication cable assembly) Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the communication cable assembly 100 according to the third embodiment will be described.

[0062] First, two first differential pairs 2A and 2B, a second differential pair 3, a power line 4, a ground line 5, a CC line 6, a Vconn line 8, and intervening strings 13, 14a, and 14b are prepared. Four coaxial lines 9a to 9d that constitute the first differential pair 2A and 2B are prepared. The second differential pair 3 is formed by twisting together two signal lines 3a and 3b.

[0063] Next, the two first differential pairs 2A and 2B, the second differential pair 3, the power line 4, the ground line 5, the CC line 6, the Vconn line 8, and the intervening strings 13, 14a, and 14b are twisted together, and conductive tape is wrapped around the outer periphery of these to form the inner shield layer 12a. Then, a metal braid is wrapped around the outer periphery of the inner shield layer 12a to form the outer shield layer 12b. Next, a sheath 7 is formed around the outer periphery of the shield layer 12 by extrusion molding using an extruder.

[0064] In this manner, the communication cable 1 is manufactured. Thereafter, the communication cable 1 is cut to the required length, and the terminals are connected to the connector board 200A of the first connector 110A and the connector board 200A of the second connector 110B, thereby manufacturing the communication cable assembly 100 having the first connector 110A and the second connector 110B at both ends of the communication cable 1. The process of connecting the coaxial lines 9a to 9d that constitute the first differential pair 2A, 2B to the connector board 100A will be described later.

[0065] (Connection of the first differential pair) 8A and 8B are diagrams for explaining how the first differential pair according to the third embodiment is connected to the connector substrate shown in FIG. 4, where (a) is a plan view of the connector substrate as seen from the front side, and (b) is a plan view of the connector substrate as seen from the back side.

[0066] To connect the center conductors 91 of the coaxial wires 9a and 9b of the communication cable 1 according to the third embodiment to the terminals 231a and 231b of the cable-side surface terminal group 231 of the connector board 200B (shown in FIG. 3A) compatible with a USB Type-C cable, the outer insulating layer 94 must be removed, and then the inner insulating layer 92 of the coaxial wires 9a and 9b must be removed to connect the exposed center conductors 91 to the narrow-pitch terminals 231a and 231b. The outer conductor 93 must also be pulled out as a single conductor and connected to a shield terminal (a metal cover, not shown, of the plug 112A). On the other hand, when connecting the center conductors 91 of the coaxial wires 9a and 9b to the terminals 231a and 231b of the cable-side surface terminal group 231 of the connector board 200A (shown in FIG. 4A), the wide-pitch terminals 231a and 231b facilitate the connection of the coaxial wires 9a and 9b. Furthermore, the outer peripheral surface can be connected to the shield terminal 231f without having to pull out the exposed outer conductor 93 like a single conductor wire. This also applies to the back surface 201b of the connector board 200A shown in FIG. 4(b).

[0067] (Effects of the third embodiment) The communication cable assembly 100 according to the third embodiment has the same effects as the first embodiment, and also has the following effects. (a) By reducing the number of first differential pairs that transmit high-speed differential signals to two, the central conductors 91 of the coaxial lines 9a to 9d can be made thicker, thereby increasing the communication distance of high-speed differential signals relative to the cable diameter. (b) Since the conductor 41 of the power line 4 and the conductor 51 of the ground line 5 can be made thicker, the distance over which power can be supplied can be increased (for example, to the same extent as the communication distance). (c) Since the coaxial lines 9a to 9d are used as the signal lines constituting the first differential pair 2A, 2B, the outer insulating layers 94 of the coaxial lines 9a to 9d can be peeled off to connect the outer surfaces of the exposed outer conductors 93 to the shield terminals 231f, 232f, which facilitates the connection of the coaxial lines 9a to 9d to the connector board 200A. (d) Since coaxial cables 9a to 9d are used as the first differential pair 2A, 2B, the coaxial cables 9a to 9d are independent of each other, resulting in very little change in differential characteristics, and therefore improving bending resistance compared to twinax type communication cables.

[0068] (Variation 1) In each of the above embodiments, the communication cable 1 includes the second differential pair 3 for transmitting low-speed differential signals, but the second differential pair 3 may be omitted from the communication cable 1. This allows the conductors of the signal lines constituting the first differential pair 2A, 2B to be made thicker, further increasing the communication distance for high-speed differential signals. In addition, the conductor diameters of the power supply lines and ground lines can be made larger, further increasing the distance over which power can be supplied.

[0069] (Variation 2) In the above embodiments, the communication cable 1 includes the Vconn line 8 and the IC chip 15 is mounted on the connector board 200A, but the Vconn line 8 and the IC chip 15 may be omitted depending on the specifications of the device to be connected.

[0070] (Variation 3) In the above embodiments, the communication cable 1 includes the Vconn line 8 and the IC chip 15 is mounted on the connector board 200A, but the IC chip 15 may be omitted without omitting the Vconn line, which can reduce costs.

[0071] (Variation 4) In each of the above embodiments, the communication cable 1 includes the second differential pair 3 for transmitting low-speed differential signals. However, the second differential pair 3 may be omitted from the communication cable 1, and the Vconn line 8 and IC chip 15 may also be omitted to form a seven-core cable. This allows the conductors of the signal lines constituting the first differential pair 2A, 2B to be made thicker, further increasing the communication distance for high-speed differential signals. Furthermore, the conductor diameters of the power supply lines and ground lines can be made larger, further increasing the distance over which power can be supplied.

[0072] (Variation 5) In each of the above embodiments, the communication cable 1 includes the ground wire 5. However, the ground wire 5 may be omitted from the communication cable 1, and a drain wire or the like may be added instead of the ground wire 5, or the number of element wires of the overall shield may be increased to substitute for the ground wire 5. This allows the cable diameter to be reduced. The drain wire and the element wire of the overall shield are examples of wires that function as ground wires. [Example]

[0073] The communication performance (communication distance) and power supply performance (power supply distance) were tested and evaluated for Example 1 corresponding to the first embodiment, Example 2 corresponding to the second embodiment, Example 3 partially corresponding to the first embodiment, and Comparative Examples 1 and 2. The configurations of the tested communication cables Examples 1, 2, and 3 are shown in Table 1, and the configurations of Comparative Examples 1 and 2 are shown in Table 2. In Tables 1 and 2, T represents tin-plated annealed copper wire, and AG represents silver-plated annealed copper wire.

[0074] [Table 1] [Table 2]

[0075] Example 1 corresponds to the first embodiment, and AWG size 27 (conductor diameter 0.42 mm) is used as the conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a to 2d constituting the first differential pair 2A and 2B, and AWG size 18 (conductor diameter 1.19 mm, cross-sectional area 0.823 m) is used as the conductors 41 and 51 of the power line 4 and the ground line 5. 2 The conductor resistance is 0.0196 Ω mm 2 The ratio (d / D) of the conductor diameter d to the cable diameter D for the first differential pair 2A, 2B was 0.062.

[0076] Example 2 corresponds to the second embodiment, and the conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a to 2d constituting the first differential pair 2A and 2B are made of AWG size 27 (conductor diameter 0.42 mm), the same as in Example 1. The conductors 41 and 51 of the power lines 4A and 4B and the ground lines 5A and 5B are made of AWG size 22 (conductor diameter 0.80 mm, total cross-sectional area 0.763 mm). 2 The ratio (d / D) of the conductor diameter d to the cable diameter D for the first differential pair 2A and 2B was 0.062.

[0077] In Example 3, compared to Example 1, the conductors 41 and 51 of the power line 4 and the ground line 5 are made of thin AWG size 22 (conductor diameter 0.76 mm, cross-sectional area 0.342 m 2 conductor resistance 57.5Ω / km), and the rest was the same as in Example 1. The ratio (d / D) of the conductor diameter d to the cable diameter D for the first differential pair 2A, 2B was 0.062.

[0078] In Comparative Example 1, the conductors 21 of the signal lines 2a to 2d constituting the first differential pair are made of AWG size 32 (conductor diameter 0.24 mm), which is thinner than that of Example 1, and the conductors 41 and 51 of the power line 4 and the ground line 5 are made of AWG size 26 (conductor diameter 0.48 mm, cross-sectional area 0.140 m), which is thinner than that of Example 1. 2The ratio (d / D) of the conductor diameter d to the cable diameter D for the first differential pair 2A and 2B was 0.065.

[0079] In Comparative Example 2, a 17-core cable with a diameter of 5.2 mm was used, with four first differential pairs forming a 17-core configuration. Conductors 21 of signal lines 2a to 2d constituting the first differential pair were made of AWG size 30 (conductor diameter 0.30 mm), which was thinner than that of Example 1. Conductors 41 and 51 of power line 4 and ground line 5 were made of AWG size 26 (conductor diameter 0.50 mm, cross-sectional area 0.150 m), which was thinner than that of Example 1. 2 The ratio (d / D) of the conductor diameter d to the cable diameter D for the first differential pair 2A, 2B was 0.058. If the ratio (d / D) exceeds 0.08, the weight of the communication cable increases. Therefore, from Examples 1, 2, and 3 and Comparative Examples 1 and 2, it can be said that the ratio (d / D) for the first differential pair 2A, 2B is preferably 0.06 or more and 0.08 or less in order to suppress an increase in the weight of the communication cable.

[0080] (Method for evaluating communication distance) The video captured by the camera was sent to a PC via the communication cable under test, and communication performance (communication distance) was evaluated based on whether the video froze, dropped, had noise, discolored the image, etc. during the 10-minute recording period. If there were no problems with the video for 10 minutes, it was marked as ○, and if the video was not displayed on the PC, it was marked as ×. The evaluation results are shown in Table 3.

[0081] (Attenuation characteristics) Figure 9A shows the attenuation characteristics when the cable length is 3 m. Figure 9B shows the attenuation characteristics for each cable length (used cable length) corresponding to each communication distance. Since the data transfer rate of the camera used was 5 Gbps, the attenuation characteristics were measured around 2.5 GHz.

[0082] The amount of attenuation when the communication cable length was 3 m was due to the AWG size of the communication cable, and as shown in Figure 9A, the smaller the AWG size (the larger the conductor diameter), the smaller the amount of attenuation. That is, the amount of attenuation at a frequency of around 2.5 GHz was 6 dB in Examples 1, 2, and 3, 11 dB in Comparative Example 1, and 8 dB in Comparative Example 2. These attenuation values ​​are shown in Table 3.

[0083] As shown in Figure 9B, the attenuation at the cable length corresponding to the communication distance is 13 dB at a frequency of around 2.5 GHz for Examples 1, 2, and 3 and Comparative Example 1, which can be estimated as the communication limit. On the other hand, in Comparative Example 2, although it is small at 8 dB at a frequency of around 2.5 GHz, it is thought that the communication distance was the shortest at 3 m due to factors such as the power supply specifications via power line 4 (Vbus line) and the potential difference with GND. The attenuation values ​​are shown in Table 3.

[0084] [Table 3]

[0085] (Evaluation results of communication distance) (1) In Examples 1, 2, and 3 (cable diameter 6.8 mm), the communication distance was doubled from 3 m to 6 m compared to Comparative Example 2 (cable diameter 5.2 mm). Comparative Example 1 (cable diameter 3.7 mm) had the same communication performance as Comparative Example 2 (cable diameter 5.2 mm), and was able to reduce the weight of the communication cable. (2) When the cable diameter is D and the communication distance is L, the ratio of the communication distance L to the cable diameter D (L / D), which is an evaluation value of the communication performance, was L / D = 6000 mm / 6.8 mm = 882 for Examples 1, 2, and 3, L / D = 3500 mm / 3.7 mm = 946 for Comparative Example 1, and L / D = 3000 mm / 5.2 mm = 577 for Comparative Example 2. Therefore, it can be said that the communication distance L / D to the cable diameter is preferably 800 or more or 880 or more, and more preferably 900 or more or 940 or more.

[0086] (Method for evaluating the distance at which power can be supplied) The test was conducted on the communication cable under test to measure the voltage drop (IR drop) due to the internal resistance of the power line 4 when 60W (20V, 3A) of power was supplied. The equipment used was a USB PD standard tester (QuadraMAX). The evaluation criteria were that the power line had a voltage drop of 500mV or less, and the ground line had a voltage drop of 250mV or less, and a test was deemed to have passed if either or both were not met. The evaluation results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.

[0087] (Evaluation results of distance at which power can be supplied) In Example 1, the voltage drop was within the allowable range up to 7.0 m. In Example 2, the voltage drop was within the allowable range up to 6.0 m. In Example 3, the voltage drop was within the allowable range up to 3.0 m, but exceeded the allowable range at 4.0 m. In Comparative Example 1, which has nine cores and is therefore incompatible with PD communication, it was not evaluated. In Comparative Example 2, the voltage drop was within the allowable range up to 2.0 m, but exceeded the allowable range at 3.0 m.

[0088] (comprehensive evaluation) In Examples 1, 2, and 3, a communication distance of 6.0 m was achieved for a cable diameter of 6.8 mm. In Examples 1 and 2, a power supply distance of 6 m or more was achieved for a cable diameter of 6.8 mm. Therefore, in Examples 1 and 2, a communication distance and a power supply distance of 6.0 m were achieved.

[0089] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and implementations are possible. [Explanation of symbols]

[0090] 1...communication cable, 2A, 2B...first differential pair, 2a to 2d...signal line, 3...second differential pair, 3a, 3b...signal line, 4...power line, 5...ground line, 6...CC line, 7...sheath, 8...Vconn line, 9a to 9d...coaxial line, 10...drain line, 11...shield layer, 11a...inner shield layer, 11b...outer shield layer, 12...shield layer, 12a...inner shield layer, 12b...outer shield layer, 13, 14a, 14b...intervening cord, 15...IC chip (eMarker), 21...conductor, 22...insulating layer, 31...conductor, 32...insulating layer, 41...conductor, 42...insulating layer, 51...conductor, 52...insulating layer, 61...conductor, 62...insulating layer, 81...conductor, 82...insulating layer, 91...center conductor, 9 2...inner insulating layer, 93...outer conductor, 94...outer insulating layer, 100...communication cable assembly, 110A...first connector, 110B...second connector, 111A, 111B...housing, 112A, 112B...plug, 200A, 200B...connector board, 201...substrate, 201a...surface, 201b...back, 211...plug side surface terminal group, 211a to 211l, 221a, 221b...terminals, 212...plug side back surface terminal group, 212a to 212j, 222a, 222b...terminals, 231...cable side surface terminal group, 231a to 231e...terminals, 231f...shield terminal, 232...cable side back surface terminal group, 232a to 232e...terminals, 232f...shield terminal

Claims

1. A communication cable having a pair of plug connectors electrically connected to both ends, two first differential pairs for transmitting high-speed differential signals; one or more power lines and one or more ground lines for supplying power to devices connected to the terminal; a configuration channel line for detecting the orientation of the plug connector; the first differential pair does not include any other first differential pairs than the two first differential pairs; Communication cable.

2. the signal lines constituting the first differential pair each include a central conductor and an insulating layer covering the conductor, and the ratio of the conductor diameter to the cable diameter is 0.06 or more; 2. The communication cable according to claim 1.

3. Each of the power supply line and the ground line includes a conductor and an insulating layer covering the conductor, the ratio of the conductor diameter of the conductor of the power supply line and the ground line to the cable diameter is 0.10 or more, and when there are multiple electric wires and multiple ground lines, the conductor diameter is the conductor diameter converted into one wire so that the resistance values ​​are equivalent.

3. The communication cable according to claim 2.

4. The signal lines constituting the first differential pair each include a central conductor and an insulating layer covering the conductor, and the conductor of the signal line has a thickness of 0.06 mm. ２ having a cross-sectional area of ​​at least 2. The communication cable according to claim 1.

5. Each of the power supply line and the ground line includes a conductor and an insulating layer that covers the conductor, and the conductor of the power supply line and the ground line has a thickness of 0.30 mm. ２ and when there are a plurality of the electric wires and a plurality of the ground wires, the cross-sectional area is the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the electric wires and the ground wires.

5. The communication cable according to claim 4.

6. The number of cores is 6 or more and 14 or less.

2. The communication cable according to claim 1.

7. a second power supply line; 2. The communication cable according to claim 1.

8. a second differential pair for transmitting a low-speed differential signal; 2. The communication cable according to claim 1.

9. Instead of the ground wire, a wire rod is used that functions as a ground wire for supplying power to a device connected to the terminal.

2. The communication cable according to claim 1.

10. A communication cable according to any one of claims 1 to 9; the pair of plug connectors electrically connected to both ends of the communication cable; A communication cable assembly comprising:

11. One of the pair of plug connectors includes a circuit element that records the value of the power that can be supplied to the device.

11. The communication cable assembly of claim 10.

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