Magnetic transformer with increased bandwidth for high-speed data communications

Abstract

The isolation transformer includes a transformer core (300). First and second through-holes (340, 342) extend through the transformer core from a first surface to a second surface. Each through-hole has an elongated profile, at least a portion of which provides a respective flat winding surface. The flat winding surfaces are spaced apart by a central portion of the transformer core. The transformer is wound with a six-wire cable having a central non-conductive core. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth conductors are adjacently arranged around the central non-conductive core in a substantially equidistant angular relationship. The second conductor is disposed between the first and third conductors. The fifth conductor is disposed between the fourth and sixth conductors. The conductors are twisted around the central non-conductive core with a selected twist density. [Selected figure] Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application relates to improvements in conductors and circuitry for use in high speed data communications, and more particularly to baluns and twisted wire cables. [Background technology]

[0002] A transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one electrical circuit to another using inductively coupled conductors. As is well understood, a change in current in the primary winding causes a change in magnetic flux, which in turn changes the magnetic field passing through the secondary winding. This changing magnetic field induces a changing electromotive force ("EMF") or voltage in the secondary winding. An ideal transformer assumes that all of the magnetic flux generated by the primary winding is coupled to all of the transformer's secondary windings. However, in reality, some of the magnetic flux generated by the primary winding exists outside the secondary windings, making the transformer appear to have inductance in series with the transformer windings. This non-ideal operating characteristic is known as leakage inductance.

[0003] Leakage inductance is caused by imperfect coupling of the windings, which creates leakage flux that does not link all turns of the secondary transformer winding. The result is voltage drops across the leakage reactance in the circuit, especially when the transformer is loaded, resulting in less than ideal voltage regulation. This is particularly problematic in high frequency applications, where the high frequencies of the current exacerbate the non-ideal parasitic effects found in transformers.

[0004] For many years, engineers have known that reducing the amount of leakage inductance seen in a transformer improves the high frequency performance of the transformer. To date, the most commonly used methods to reduce the amount of leakage inductance seen in a transformer have traditionally been to twist the primary and secondary wires together and either interleave the windings (e.g., intersperse individual or layers of the primary winding with the secondary winding), or to implement a combination of both twisting and interleaving the windings to increase the coupling between the windings. The goal of both twisting and interleaving techniques is to distribute the electromagnetic energy (both internal and externally generated energy) as evenly as possible to each of the primary and secondary windings. However, while it is possible to implement a combination of twisting and interleaving, twisting can be very difficult to achieve when interleaving multiple sets of windings. This is primarily due to the fact that multiple interleaved windings require careful control of the order of the wires in the bundle in order to get the best coupling. This can be difficult to achieve when using a combination of both interleaving and wire twisting.

[0005] In high frequency communications, small transformers with relatively few windings are used to electrically isolate network data lines from local circuits so that a potential difference with respect to ground between the network data lines and the local circuits does not generate current between the data lines and the local circuits. For example, FIG. 1 shows a known transformer 100 that may be used for isolation. Such isolation transformers are often referred to as "baluns." As shown, the transformer includes a core 102 that includes a magnetically permeable material having, for example, a relative permeability (μ / μ0) of 1,500 to 5,000. A plurality of wires 104 are wound on the core to form the windings of the transformer. In the illustrated embodiment, the wires are grouped into a multi-wire (e.g., 3-wire) cable. For example, a first three-wire cable 106 may have two primary wires and one secondary wire, and a second three-wire cable 108 may have two additional primary wires and another secondary wire. The three wires in each cable are twisted together so that the three wires in each cable experience similar perturbations from electromagnetic noise.

[0006] The transformer core 102 is formed as an elliptical (e.g., racetrack-shaped) body 110 with a first cylindrical through hole 112 spaced apart from a second cylindrical through hole 114. An example of such a transformer is described in detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,924,130, "An Isolated Magnetic Device Capable of Handling High Speed ​​Communications," which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. As described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,924,130, the transformer is completed by threading a wire (cable) 104 through the first and second through holes to form the windings of the transformer. The ends of the wire are selectively interconnected to define the primary and secondary windings of the transformer. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the circular through holes that receive the wire will cause the wire threaded through the through holes to be spaced at different intervals along the circumference of the through hole. For example, turns of wire located near the center of the core will be closer together across the thickness of the core between the through holes than turns of wire farther from the center of the core. As further shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 2, the wires (cables) tend to bunch up in the through-holes rather than being evenly distributed therein. In some configurations, bunching of the wires can cause the start of a particular winding to be located close to the end of a particular winding, increasing the parasitic capacitance between the start and end of the windings. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Although the above-mentioned cables and transformers are suitable for high-speed data communications up to a certain data transmission speed (e.g., up to a frequency range of 400 MHz), for higher data transmission speeds the coupling between the primary and secondary windings of the transformer must be improved.

[0008] In view of the above, there is a need for a system and method that provides enhanced coupling between windings of an isolation transformer in a high speed data communication coupler system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] One aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein is an isolation transformer including a transformer core. First and second through holes extend through the transformer core from a first surface to a second surface. Each through hole has an elongated profile, at least a portion of the elongated profile providing a respective flat winding surface. The flat winding surfaces are spaced apart by a central portion of the transformer core. The transformer is wound with a six-wire cable having a central non-conductive core. The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth conductors are adjacently disposed about the central non-conductive core at substantially equally spaced angles. The second conductor is disposed between the first and third conductors. The fifth conductor is disposed between the fourth and sixth conductors. The conductors are twisted around the central non-conductive core with a selected twist density.

[0010] Another aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein is an isolation transformer comprising a transformer core having a first surface and a second surface. A first through hole extends through the transformer core from the first surface to the second surface. The first through hole has an elongated profile, at least a portion of the elongated profile providing a first flat winding surface. The second through hole extends through the transformer core from the first surface to the second surface. The second through hole has an elongated profile, at least a portion of the elongated profile providing a second flat winding surface. The second flat winding surface is spaced from the first flat winding surface by a central portion of the transformer core. The transformer further comprises at least one multi-wire cable including a first conductor, a second conductor, a third conductor, a fourth conductor, a fifth conductor, and a sixth conductor. The second conductor is disposed between the first conductor and the third conductor. The fifth conductor is disposed between the fourth conductor and the sixth conductor. In a particular embodiment, each of the first and second through holes has an elliptical profile with a central rectangular portion, a first semicircular end, and a second semicircular end. Each of the first and second flat winding portions is defined by a respective side of the central rectangular portion of the respective through hole. In a particular embodiment, the at least one multi-wire cable includes a first three-wire cable including a first conductor, a second conductor, and a third conductor, the first, second, and third conductors being twisted together; and further includes a second three-wire cable including a fourth conductor, a fifth conductor, and a sixth conductor, the fourth, fifth, and sixth conductors being twisted together. In a particular embodiment, the first three-wire cable and the second three-wire cable are wound on the transformer core with one turn of the first three-wire cable disposed between adjacent turns of the second three-wire cable core. In another particular embodiment, the at least one multi-conductor cable comprises a six-conductor cable including a first conductor, a second conductor, a third conductor, a fourth conductor, a fifth conductor, and a sixth conductor, where the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth conductors are helically wound around a central non-conductive core.

[0011] Another aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein is a transformer core including a solid formed magnetic material having at least a first surface and a second surface. A first through hole extends through the magnetic material from the first surface to the second surface. The first through hole has an elongated profile, at least a portion of the elongated profile providing a first flat winding surface. The second through hole extends through the magnetic material from the first surface to the second surface. The second through hole has an elongated profile, at least a portion of the elongated profile providing a second flat winding surface. The second flat winding surface is spaced from the first flat winding surface by a central portion of the magnetic material. In a particular embodiment according to this aspect, each of the first and second through holes has an elliptical profile having a central rectangular portion, a first semicircular end, and a second semicircular end. Each of the first and second flat winding portions is defined by a respective side of the central rectangular portion of the respective through hole.

[0012] Another aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein is a multi-conductor cable for a transformer winding. The cable is comprised of a central non-conductive core. At least a first conductor, a second conductor, a third conductor, a fourth conductor, a fifth conductor, and a sixth conductor are adjacently disposed around the central non-conductive core at substantially equally spaced angles. The second conductor is disposed between the first conductor and the third conductor. The fifth conductor is disposed between the fourth conductor and the sixth conductor. The conductors are twisted around the central non-conductive core with a selected twist density. In certain embodiments according to this aspect, each conductor has a common diameter corresponding to a selected wire gauge. The diameter of the central non-conductive core is at least the same as the common diameter of the conductors. In certain embodiments according to this aspect, the central non-conductive core comprises a monofilament material. In certain embodiments according to this aspect, the multi-conductor cable includes only six conductors and a central non-conductor. In certain embodiments according to this aspect, the multi-conductor cable includes eight conductors and a central non-conductor. In a particular embodiment according to this aspect, the multi-conductor cable includes nine conductors and a central non-conductor.

[0013] Another aspect of the embodiments disclosed herein is a high data rate coupler system comprising an isolation transformer and a choke. The isolation transformer includes a core having a first surface and a second surface. The first through hole extends through the transformer core from the first surface to the second surface. The first through hole has an elongated profile, at least a portion of the elongated profile providing a first flat winding surface. The second through hole extends through the transformer core from the first surface to the second surface. The second through hole has an elongated profile, at least a portion of the elongated profile providing a second flat winding surface. The second flat winding surface is spaced from the first flat winding surface by a central portion of the transformer core. The transformer further includes at least one multi-wire cable including a central non-conductive core, a first conductor, a second conductor, a third conductor, a fourth conductor, a fifth conductor, and a sixth conductor. The second conductor is disposed between the first conductor and the third conductor. The fifth conductor is disposed between the fourth conductor and the sixth conductor. The first and third conductors form a first primary winding of the isolation transformer. The fourth and sixth conductors form a second primary winding of the isolation transformer. The first and second primary windings are connected in series to form a center-tapped primary winding. The second conductor forms a first secondary winding of the isolation transformer and the fifth conductor forms a second secondary winding of the isolation transformer. The first and second secondary windings are connected in series to form a center-tapped secondary winding. The choke is wound around each end of the second conductor and the fifth conductor. In certain embodiments according to this aspect, the at least one multi-wire cable includes six conductors and a central non-conductor. In other embodiments according to this aspect, the at least one multi-wire cable includes a first three-wire cable and a second three-wire cable. In a particular embodiment having a first three-wire cable and a second three-wire cable, the first, second and third conductors are in the first three-wire cable and the fourth, fifth and sixth conductors are in the second three-wire cable.

[0014] The foregoing and other aspects of the present disclosure are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a known isolation transformer. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the isolation transformer of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 of FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a transformer core having elongated through holes, showing the front surface, top surface, and right side of the transformer core. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a rotated perspective view of the transformer core of FIG. 3, showing the rear, bottom surface, left side of the transformer core. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a transformer incorporating the core of FIGS. 1 and 2, in which the first and second three-wire cables of FIGS. 3 and 4 each include first and second coils with three turns. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the transformer of FIG. 5 taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of the transformer of FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 illustrates a segment of a six-wire cable having a central non-conductive core around which the six conductors are wound in a twisted pattern. [Figure 9] 9 is a cross-sectional view of the six-wire cable of FIG. 8 taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 8. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a transformer incorporating the transformer core of FIGS. 3 and 4 and the six-wire cable of FIGS. 8 and 9. [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional view of the transformer of FIG. 10 taken along line 11-11 of FIG. 10. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a circuit diagram of the transformer of FIGS. 10 and 11 showing the six wires of a six-wire cable as windings around the transformer core. [Figure 13] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a transformer having a toroidal core structure and the six-wire cable of FIG. 8 attached thereto. [Figure 14] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a high data rate coupler system incorporating the transformer of FIGS. 10 and 11 with a six-wire cable and a toroidal core wound with a three-wire cable. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the transformer of FIG. 14 showing the interconnections to the primary winding of the transformer in greater detail. [Figure 16]FIG. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the transformer of FIG. 14 showing the interconnections to the secondary windings of the transformer in greater detail. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a circuit diagram of the high data rate coupler system of FIGS. 14-16 showing the interconnections of the primary windings and the interconnections of the secondary windings and the toroidal coil. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram of a high data rate coupler system similar to that of FIG. 17, incorporating the transformer of FIGS. 5 and 6 in place of the transformer of FIGS. 10 and 11. [Figure 19] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a high data rate coupler system incorporating the transformer of FIGS. 5 and 6 with two three-wire cables and a toroidal core wrapped with the three-wire cables. [Figure 20] 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 8, in which the multiconductor cable includes eight conductors around a non-conductive core. [Figure 21] 9 is a cross-sectional view similar to that of FIG. 8, in which the multiconductor cable includes nine conductors around a non-conductive core. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] An improved high data rate isolation transformer is disclosed in the accompanying drawings and described below. This embodiment is disclosed by way of example of a transformer and not by way of limitation except as defined in the appended claims.

[0017] 3 and 4 show a transformer core 300 according to the disclosed implementation. Unlike the elliptical transformer 100 core of FIGS. 1 and 2 described above, the transformer core 300 of FIGS. 3 and 4 has a generally box-like (parallelopid) appearance with six approximately rectangular sides. In the illustrated orientation with reference to X, Y and Z coordinates, the core has a top surface 310, a bottom surface 312, a left surface 314, a right surface 316, a front surface 318 and a rear surface 320. A first (top-bottom) central axis 330 passes through the center of the core parallel to the Y axis from the top surface to the bottom surface. A second (left-right) central axis 332 passes through the center of the core parallel to the X axis from the left surface to the right surface. A third (front-back) central axis 334 passes through the center of the core parallel to the Z axis from the front surface to the rear surface. The three central axes intersect at the center of the core. References to top, bottom, left, right, front, and back are convenient in providing the following description. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that transformer cores may be oriented in a variety of different orientations during construction and use.

[0018] In the illustrated embodiment, the transformer core 300 has a height of approximately 0.136 inches along a top-to-bottom central axis 330, a width of approximately 0.120 inches along a left-to-right central axis 332, and a thickness (depth) of approximately 0.120 inches along a front-to-back axis 334. Dimensions are exemplary only and are not intended to be limiting. As shown in FIG. 3, edges between the top surface 310 and bottom surface 312 and between adjacent left and right surfaces 314 and 316 may be filleted (e.g., rounded) to remove sharp edges.

[0019] 3 and 4, the transformer core 300 includes a first elongated through hole 340 and a second elongated through hole 342. Each elongated through hole extends through the core parallel to a front-to-back central axis 334 from the front surface 318 to the rear surface 320. In the illustrated embodiment, the two elongated through holes are spaced substantially equidistant from the front-to-back central axis and also equidistant from the left-to-right central axis 332 of the core.

[0020] Unlike the circular through holes 110, 112 of the core 100 of FIG. 1 described above, the elliptical through holes 340, 342 of the transformer core 300 of FIGS. 3 and 4 are generally elliptical (e.g., racetrack) shaped. Each through hole is wider in a left-right direction parallel to a left-right central axis 332 and narrower in a top-bottom direction parallel to a top-bottom central axis 330. Each elongated through hole has a generally rectangular central portion 350. A first semicircular end 352 extends from a left edge of the rectangular central portion. A second semicircular end 354 extends from a right edge of the rectangular central portion. Each elongated through hole has a respective inner planar surface 356 closest to the center of the core and a respective outer planar surface 358 furthest from the center of the core. A central portion 360 of the core extends from the front surface 318 to the rear surface 320 of the core between the two through holes. The central portion of the core has a nominal height between the respective planar surfaces of the two through holes.

[0021] In the illustrated embodiment, each elongated through hole 340, 342 has an overall width (W) of approximately 0.065 inches from the outer periphery of the respective first semicircular end 352 to the outer periphery of the respective second semicircular end 354. In the illustrated embodiment, each elongated through hole has a height (H) of approximately 0.034 inches from the respective inner planar surface to the respective outer planar surface, which corresponds to the diameter of each semicircular end. The rectangular central portion 350 of each elongated through hole has a width of approximately 0.31 inches. The inner planar surfaces of the through holes are spaced apart from one another by approximately 0.23 inches, which corresponds to the height of the central portion 360 of the core. The foregoing dimensions and spacing of the elongated through holes are merely examples and are not intended to be limiting.

[0022] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the transformer core 300 of FIGS. 3 and 4 configured as part of a transformer 500 with a number of wires passing through the elongated through holes 340, 342 and wound around the central portion 360 of the core. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the transformer of FIG. 5. In the illustrated embodiment, a first three-wire cable 510 and a second three-wire cable 512 are wound around the central portion of the core in an interleaved manner, with three turns of the first cable interleaved with three turns of the second cable. The resulting transformer is shown in circuit form in FIG. 7. For convenience of the following description, the two wires of the first cable are designated as N1 and N2, and the third wire of the first cable is designated as G. The two wires of the second cable in FIGS. 5-7 are designated as B1 and B2, and the third wire of the second cable is designated as R. In FIGS. 5-7, the start of each wire in FIG. 6 is further identified with an S suffix, and the end of each wire is identified with an F suffix. The start point of each wire is first threaded through the second (lower) elongated hole and exits through the first (upper) hole. The end point of each wire extends through the second (lower) elongated hole. The identities of the start point and end point are interchangeable.

[0023] As shown generally in Fig. 7, in a specific application of the transformer 500 of Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, the start points (N1S and N2S) of the wires N1 and N2 of the first cable 510 are connected to each other, the end points (N1F and N2F) of the N1 and N2 wires are connected to each other, and the N1 and N2 wires are connected in parallel to be wound around the central part of the core. The start points (B1S and B2S) of the B1 and B2 wires of the second cable 512 are connected to each other, and the end points (B1F and B2F) of the B1 and B2 wires are connected to each other, and the B1 and B2 wires are connected in parallel to be wound around the central part of the core. The interconnected end points (N1F and N2F) of the N1 and N2 wires of the first cable are further connected to the start points (B1S and B2S) of the B1 and B2 wires of the second cable such that the parallel connected N1 and N2 wires and the parallel connected B1 and B2 wires are connected in series as a continuous six-turn primary winding 700 of a transformer. The end points N1F, N2F of the interconnected N1 and N2 wires and the start points B1S, B2S of the B1 and B2 wires form a center tap 702 of the primary winding as shown in the circuit diagram. The interconnected N1S and N2S end segments of the N1 and N2 wires form a first outer lead 704 of the primary winding. The interconnected B1F and B2F end segments of the B1 and B2 wires form a second outer lead 706 of the primary winding.

[0024] As shown in Figure 7, the end of the R wire (RF) of the second cable 512 is connected to the start of the G wire (GS) of the first cable 510, such that the R and G wires are connected in series as a six-turn secondary winding. The common connection of the end of the R wire (RF) and the start of the G wire (GS) forms the center tap 712 of the secondary winding 710 of the transformer 500, as shown in the circuit diagram. The RS end segment of the R wire forms the first outer lead 714 of the secondary winding. The GF end segment of the G wire forms the second outer lead 716 of the secondary winding. In the illustrated embodiment, the secondary windings are interconnected in the cross-coupled configuration shown to further improve the passband impedance match by adding half the interwinding capacitance and reducing leakage inductance.

[0025] As shown in the cross-sectional view of Figure 6, two cables 510, 512 are positioned against the inner flat surfaces 356 (see element number 356 in Figures 3 and 4) of the respective elongated through holes 340, 342 such that each turn of each cable is located adjacent to the central portion 360 of the transformer core 300. If the sum of the diameters of adjacent turns of wire exceeds the extent of the flat inner surface, the turns of wire at one or both ends of the flat inner surface may extend to semicircular ends 352, 354 as shown. However, small differences in the height of the central portion of the core between each end turn relative to the nominal height of the central portion of the core between the flat inner surfaces of the elongated through holes do not substantially affect the desired uniformity of the coupling between the turns of wire.

[0026] The structure of transformer 500 of Figures 5-7 improves the operation of the transformer at higher data communication speeds by increasing the coupling between the turns of wire within the windings and reducing transformer parasitics parallel to the windings (e.g., distributed capacitance between the start of the winding and the end of the winding at either end of the slot, as also shown in Figure 7).

[0027] The two interleaved three-wire cables 510, 512 of the transformer 500 in Figures 5-7 provide coupling between the primary and secondary windings for data communication at wide bandwidths up to approximately 1,800 MHz. However, winding a transformer with two three-wire cables requires that the two cables be wound around the transformer core 300 in two separate steps or using a technique that allows the two cables to be wound simultaneously while maintaining the boundary wires of the two cables against the inner surface 356 of the core.

[0028] If the bandwidth provided by the two interleaved three-wire cables 510, 512 is not required, the transformer core 300 can be wound with a single multi-wire cable. For example, FIG. 8 illustrates a segment of a multi-wire cable 800 that can be wound on a transformer core in a single operation. As illustrated, the multi-wire cable includes six conductive magnet wires with a thin enamel insulation formed thereon. Such magnet wires are commercially available from a number of vendors. In the illustrated embodiment, the magnet wires include 38 gauge wires having an outer diameter of about 0.0045 inches. However, the following description can be readily adapted to wires of different gauges. For convenience in referring to the wires in the following description, the six wires are shown as B1, B2, R, N1, N2, and G. The selected labels B, R, N, and G refer to blue, red, natural, and green, respectively, although other colors or other techniques can be used to identify the wires. In a particular implementation, the six wires can be colored to correspond to the insulation, allowing easy identification of each specific wire when interconnected as described below.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 8, the six conductive magnet wires B1, B2, R, N1, N2, G in the cable 800 are twisted around a central non-conductive core filament 830 having a diameter that corresponds approximately to the diameter of each of the six magnet wires. For example, the diameter of the core filament may be the same as the diameter of the magnet wires, or the diameter of the core filament may be slightly larger than the diameter of the magnet wires. Preferably, the core filament comprises a non-magnetic material. For example, in one embodiment, the non-conductive, non-magnetic core filament comprises a monofilament material such as nylon, fluorocarbon, polyethylene, polyester, or other suitable material. Such materials may be similar to materials used for fishing lines. The six conductor wires can be twisted clockwise or counterclockwise around the central core filament. A clockwise twist direction is shown in FIG. 8. The twist density (or tightness) can be varied as desired. In the illustrated embodiment, the twist density is selected to be in the range of 16 twists per inch (TPI) to 20 TPI. As shown, each of the six conductors is spirally wound around a central non-conductive core filament, with the start of the spiral pattern of each conductor separated by a 60 degree angle from the start of the spiral patterns of the two adjacent conductors. Thus, the centers of the six wires form a hexagonal pattern around the central non-conductive core filament, as shown in the cross-sectional view of the six-wire cable in FIG.

[0030] In the illustrated embodiment of the six-wire cable 800, the R wire is disposed between the B1 and B2 wires, with the three wires forming a first group of wires. The G wire is disposed between the N1 and N2 wires, with the three wires forming a second group of wires. The B1 wire is adjacent to the N2 wire, and the B2 wire is adjacent to the N1 wire. As will become apparent from the following description, each B wire performs the same function, and each N wire performs the same function, so the numbering of the B wires and the numbering of the N wires is arbitrary in the embodiments described herein. The six conductors are tightly wound around the central core 830. The inclusion of the central core prevents the six conductors from being pushed inward during the stranding process. Thus, the six conductors maintain their initial B1-R-B2-N1-G-N2 configuration around the central core throughout the stranding process. The three wires in each group remain together over the length of the cable, with the R wire tightly disposed between the B1 and B2 wires and the G wire tightly disposed between the N1 and N2 wires. The six conductors also maintain a desired configuration when wound around transformer core 300 as described below.

[0031] The ease of winding a six-wire cable 800 is shown in Figures 10 and 11, where the six-wire cable is wound on the transformer core 300 in the form of a three-turn coil 1010 threaded through the first (upper) elongated through-hole 340 and the second (lower) through-hole 342 to form a transformer 1000 structure around the central core portion 360 of the core. For purposes of the following description, the three-turn coil "starts" when it enters the second (lower) elongated through-hole and "ends" when it exits the first (upper) elongated through-hole. Thus, the first end segments of each of the six wires N1, N2, B1, B2, G, R of the six-wire cable at the beginning of the cable are labeled with the suffix "S" (e.g., N1S, N2S, B1S, B2S, GS, RS). The second end segment of each of the six wires at the end of the cable is marked with the suffix "F" (e.g., N1F, N2F, B1F, B2F, GF, RF).

[0032] The transformer 500 described above required three turns of each of the two three-wire cables 510, 512, wound on the transformer core for a total of six turns. Unlike the transformer 500 of FIG. 5, the transformer 1000 of FIG. 10 only requires a single three-turn single coil 1010 to be wound on the transformer core. With reference to FIGS. 10 and 11, the three turns of the six-wire cable 800 in the single coil occupy substantially less vertical (e.g., left to right) space within the elongated through-holes 340, 342 compared to the six turns of the two three-wire cables described above. Thus, each of the three turns of the six-wire cable is positioned against the inner flat surface 356 of each of the through-holes.

[0033] In addition to being easier to wind than the two three-wire cables 510, 512, the single six-wire cable 800 may improve the balance or symmetry between the first and second groups of windings. As previously described, the first group of windings includes the B1 and B2 wires along with the R wire. The R wire is positioned tightly between the B1 and B2 wires. The second group of windings includes the N1 and N2 wires along with the G wire. The G wire is positioned tightly between the N1 and N2 wires. The wiring positions of the two groups of wires provide a symmetrical coupling between the two groups of wires (e.g., the coupling of the B1 and B2 wires to the R wire is similar to the coupling of the N1 and N2 wires to the G wire). An additional advantage is that the six wires of the six-wire cable are twisted simultaneously as the cable is threaded through the elongated through-hole and around the front surface 318 and the rear surface 320 of the transformer core. Thus, the six wires experience similar electromagnetic and other perturbations.

[0034] The advantage of the single six-wire cable 800 over the two three-wire cables 510, 512 provided by the common helical winding around the central non-conductive core 810 is partially offset by a reduced bandwidth. The first set of wires N1, G, N2 are tightly wound relative to the second set of wires B1, R, B2. The tight winding increases the parasitic capacitive coupling between the two sets of commonly wound wires compared to the parasitic coupling between the two sets of separately wound wires in the two three-wire cables. The increased parasitic capacitive coupling may reduce the overall bandwidth of the transformer 1000 relative to the transformer 500. For example, the transformer 1000 wound with the six-wire cable may operate at a bandwidth of up to about 1,200 MHz compared to the bandwidth of about 1,800 MHz for the transformer 500 wound with the two three-wire cables.

[0035] FIG. 12 shows a basic circuit diagram of the transformer 1000 of FIGS. 10 and 11. The transformer includes six windings wound on the core 300. The first winding 1200 includes an N1 wire between a start end segment N1S and a finish end segment N1F. The second winding 1210 includes an N2 wire between a start end segment N2S and a finish end segment N2F. The third winding 1220 includes a B1 wire between a start end segment B1S and a finish end segment B1F. The fourth winding 1230 includes a B2 wire between a start end segment B2S and a finish end segment B2F. The fifth winding 1240 includes an R wire between a start end segment RS and a finish end segment RF. The sixth winding 1250 includes a G wire between a start end segment GS and a finish end segment GF.

[0036] The six-wire cable 800 of Figure 8 can also be used in other transformer configurations. For example, Figure 13 shows a perspective view of a transformer 1300 in which the six-wire cable of Figure 8 is used, where the six-wire cable of Figure 8 is wound on a toroidal core structure 1310. The toroidal transformer configuration of Figure 13 has the advantage that all of the transformer windings can be wound in a single operation, as described above with respect to the transformer 1000 of Figures 10 and 11.

[0037] Figure 14 shows an embodiment of a high data rate coupler system 1400 incorporating the transformer 1000 of Figures 10 and 11. For example, the high data rate coupler operates at a bandwidth of up to 1,200 MHz.

[0038] The coupler system 1400 of FIG. 14 includes a transformer 1000 wound with the six-wire cable 800 of FIGS. 8 and 9 as described above. The coupler system further includes a toroidal choke 1410 having a toroidal core 1412 wound with a coil 1414 having multiple turns (e.g., three turns) of the three-wire cable. The toroidal choke is connected to the transformer as described below. Extended ends of the six-wire cable are selectively interconnected to interconnect the transformer and the choke and form leads to the transformer. A close-up of a first set of interconnections is shown in FIG. 15. A close-up of a second set of interconnections is shown in FIG. 16. When interconnected as shown in FIGS. 14-16, the transformer and the toroidal choke form an electrical circuit that is shown diagrammatically in FIG. 17.

[0039] In FIG. 15, the R and G wires of the three-turn coil 1010 are cut off at the first (top) through-hole 340 and the second (bottom) through-hole 342 of the core 300, so that only the connections to the N1, N2, B1, and B2 wires are shown. As shown in FIG. 15 and represented in circuit form in FIG. 17, the first end (origin) segments N1S, N2S of the N1 and N2 wires respectively extending from the second (bottom) elongated through-hole of the core 300 are twisted together to form a first two-wire cable 1420 with a twist density of 16-20 twists per inch. The first two-wire cable formed by the first end segments N1S, N2S has a length extending approximately one inch from the three-turn coil. The exposed distal ends of the first end segments N1S, N2S (ends furthest from the three-turn coil) are soldered or otherwise electrically connected to one another. As shown in FIG. 17, a first two-wire cable forms a first outer lead 1432 of a primary winding 1430 of a center-tapped transformer 1000 .

[0040] As shown in FIG. 15 and shown in circuitry in FIG. 17, second end segments N1F, N2F of the N1 and N2 wires, respectively, extending from the first (upper) elongated through hole 340 of the core 300, are twisted together with first end segments B1S, B2S of the B1 and B2 wires, respectively, extending from the second (lower) elongated through hole 342. The four end segments N1F, N2F, B1S, B2S form a fourth conductor cable 1440 twisted at a twist density of between 16-20 TPI. The four end segments may be approximately 1 inch in length. The exposed distal ends of the four end segments are soldered or otherwise electrically connected to one another. As shown in FIG. 17, the four end segments form a center tap lead 1442 of the primary winding 1430 of the transformer 1000.

[0041] As further shown in FIG. 15 and shown in circuitry in FIG. 17, second end segments B1, B2F of each of the B1 and B2 wires extending from the first (top) elongated through hole 340 of the core 300 are twisted together to form a second two-wire cable 1450 having a twist density of 16-20 twists per inch. The second two-wire cable formed by the second end segments B1F, B2F has a length extending approximately one inch from the three-turn coil. The exposed distal ends of the second end segments B1F, B2F are soldered or otherwise electrically connected to one another. The second two-wire cable forms the second outer lead 1452 of the primary winding 1440 of the center-tapped transformer 1000.

[0042] In FIG. 16, the extensions of the R and G wires of the three-turn coil 1010 are again shown. The R and G wires are visible in FIG. 16 because the extensions of the N1, N2, B1 and B2 wires have been cut off at the first (top) through hole 340 and the second (bottom) through hole 342 of the core 300. As shown in FIG. 16 and represented in the circuit in FIG. 17, the first end segment RS of the R wire extends a distance of about 0.15 inches to about 0.2 inches from the second (bottom) elongated through hole 340. Similarly, the second end segment GF of the G wire extends a distance of about 0.1 inches to about 0.15 inches from the first (top) elongated through hole 342. The distal ends of the end segment RS and the end segment GF are electrically connected to the first end of the third N wire. The third N wire (without suffix) is not part of the six-wire cable 800 of the transformer 1000. As shown in FIG. 16, the ends of the two end segments RF, GS and N wires form a center tap 1462 of a secondary winding 1460 of a transformer.

[0043] As shown in FIG. 17, the first end segment RS of the R wire forms a first outer lead 1464 of the center-tapped secondary winding 1460 of the transformer 1000. The second end segment GF of the G wire forms a second outer lead 1466 of the secondary winding. The first end segment RS of the R wire and the second end segment GF of the G wire are twisted together with a third N wire to form a three-wire cable 1470 that extends from the transformer 1000 to the toroidal choke 1410 and is spaced from the transformer by about 0.1 inches to about 0.15 inches. In the illustrated embodiment, the three-wire cable is twisted together with a twist density of about 10 turns per inch. As shown in FIG. 14, the three-wire cable is wound around the toroidal core 1412 of the toroidal choke to form a three-turn toroidal coil 1414. The three turns of the coil are evenly distributed between about 180 degrees of the circular core. As shown in the circuit diagram in FIG. 17, the RS end of the R wire is wound around a first coil 1472 to form a first winding of the toroidal choke, and the GF end of the G wire is wound around a second coil 1474 to form a second winding of the toroidal choke. The toroidal choke operates in a conventional manner to suppress common mode noise in the RS end segment of the R wire and the GF end segment of the G wire when the two wires form part of a data communication line. The N wire, connected to the center tap 1462 of the secondary winding 1460 of the transformer 1000, also passes through the toroidal core as a third coil 1476 wound with the first and second coils. The N wire can be electrically connected to a source (or destination) of DC voltage providing power over the Ethernet cable, for example, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2016 / 0187951 A1 to Buckmeier et al., published June 30, 2016, and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0044] In an alternative embodiment, the N wire is brought out of the three-wire cable 1470 before bypassing the windings of the toroidal choke 1410, and the toroidal core is wound with only two wires, an RS end segment of the R wire and a GF end segment of the G wire. In yet another configuration, if power over the Ethernet cable is not required, the N wire from the center tap of the transformer secondary winding is removed, and the toroidal core is wound with two wires, an RS end segment of the R wire and a GF end segment of the G wire, and connected to the isolation transformer only by the two end segments.

[0045] As shown in Figures 14, 15, and 16, the six wire extended end segments are a continuous segment of the six-wire cable 800 forming the three-turn coil 1010. The two outer leads 1432 and 1452 and the center tap lead 1442 of the primary winding 1430 of the transformer 1000 only require electrical connection to other circuitry (not shown) in which the coupler system 1400 is incorporated. Similarly, the R and G wires of the toroidal choke 1410 are continuous with the RS end segment of the R wire and the GF segment of the G wire, respectively. The only electrical connections made in the immediate vicinity of the transformer are from the third N wire and RF end segment of the R wire and the GS segment of the G wire. By eliminating electrical interconnections between the wires in the transformer and the toroidal choke, the transformer is compact and easy to manufacture. Thus, the combination of the transformer core 300 having elongated through holes 340, 342 and the six-wire cable 800 that combines all the windings into a single compact cable provides significantly improved manufacturing implementation and functionality.

[0046] 18 and 19 show a coupler system 1800 that operates at a higher data rate, similar to the coupler system 1400 of FIGS. 14-17. The coupler system of FIGS. 18 and 19 is implemented with the transformer 500 of FIGS. 5 and 6 incorporating two three-wire cables 510, 512. As described above, the N1S and N2S end segments of the two cables are connected together to form the first outer lead 704 of the primary winding 700. The N1F, N2F, B1S, and B2S end segments are connected together to form the center tap 702 of the primary winding. The B1F and B2F end segments are connected together to form the second outer lead 706 of the primary winding. The RS end segment forms the first outer lead 714 of the transformer secondary winding 710. The RF and GS end segments and an additional N wire form the center tap 712 of the secondary winding. The GF end segment forms the second outer lead 716 of the secondary winding. The toroidal coil 1410 is implemented as described above by twisting the first outer lead, the second outer lead and an additional N wire together and wrapping the three wires around the toroidal core 1412 to form three coils of the toroidal choke. The coupler system of Figures 18 and 19 operates at a bandwidth of 1,800 MHz in accordance with the IEEE 802.3bq-2016 requirements for the 40GBaseT interface.

[0047] The multi-conductor cable of FIG. 8 can be configured with additional conductors around a non-conductive core. For example, FIG. 20 shows a cable 1900 including eight conductors 1920 helically wound around a non-conductive core 1910. In the illustrated embodiment, the conductors are 38 gauge wire (e.g., about 0.0045 inch diameter) and the non-conductive core has a diameter of about 0.0073 inch, which is slightly larger than the diameter of 34 gauge magnet wire. In FIG. 20, each helically wound wire is spaced at a 45 degree angle from two adjacent wires. As a further example, FIG. 21 shows a cross-sectional view similar to the view of FIG. 8, where the multi-conductor cable includes nine conductors 2020 around a non-conductive core 2010. In the illustrated embodiment, where the conductors are 38 gauge wire (e.g., about 0.0045 inch diameter), the non-conductive core has a diameter of about 0.0087 inch, which is slightly larger than the diameter of 32 gauge magnet wire. As shown in FIG. 21, each helically wound wire is spaced at a 40 degree angle from two adjacent wires.

[0048] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the foregoing embodiments are illustrative of the present invention, which may be advantageously incorporated into alternative embodiments within the spirit and scope of the present invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. a transformer core having a first surface and a second surface; a first through hole having an elongated profile extending through the transformer core from a first surface to a second surface, at least a portion of the elongated profile providing a flat surface, the portion of the profile facing the center of the transformer core defining a first inner flat surface; a second through hole having an elongated profile extending through the transformer core from the first surface to the second surface, at least a portion of which provides a flat surface, the second through hole having a second inner planar surface at a central portion of the transformer core, the second inner planar surface being spaced from the first inner planar surface by a central portion of the transformer core; at least one multi-conductor cable wound adjacent to the first inner planar surface and the second inner planar surface between the first and second through holes of the transformer core; the at least one multi-wire cable includes a first conductor, a second conductor, a third conductor, a fourth conductor, a fifth conductor, and a sixth conductor, the second conductor being twisted with the first conductor and the third conductor so as to be located between the first conductor and the third conductor, the fifth conductor being twisted with the fourth conductor and the sixth conductor so as to be located between the fourth conductor and the sixth conductor, the first conductor and the third conductor form a first primary winding of an isolation transformer; the fourth conductor and the sixth conductor form a second primary winding of an isolation transformer; the first primary winding and the second primary winding are connected in series to form a center-tapped primary winding; the second conductor forms a first secondary winding of an isolation transformer; the fifth conductor forms a second secondary winding of an isolation transformer; The first secondary winding and the second secondary winding are connected in series to form a center-tapped secondary winding. Isolation transformer.

2. 2. The isolation transformer of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second through holes has an elliptical profile having a central rectangular portion, a first semicircular end, and a second semicircular end, and the first and second inner planar surfaces are respectively defined by sides of the central rectangular portion of the respective through hole.

3. 3. The isolation transformer of claim 1, wherein the at least one multi-conductor cable comprises a six-conductor cable in which the first conductor, the second conductor, the third conductor, the fourth conductor, the fifth conductor, and the sixth conductor are spirally wound around a central non-conductive core.

4. the at least one multi-conductor cable comprises a six-conductor cable in which the first conductor, the second conductor, the third conductor, the fourth conductor, the fifth conductor, and the sixth conductor are adjacently arranged at substantially equally spaced angles about a central non-conductive core; 3. The isolation transformer of claim 1, wherein the first through sixth conductor wires are twisted around the central non-conductive core at a selected twist density.

5. 5. The isolation transformer of claim 3 or 4, wherein each conductor has a common diameter corresponding to a selected wire gauge, and the central non-conductive core has a diameter at least as large as the common diameter of the conductors.

6. 6. The isolation transformer of claim 3, wherein the central non-conductive core comprises a monofilament material.

7. 7. The isolation transformer according to claim 3, wherein the multi-conductor cable includes only six conductors and the central non-conductive core.

8. 7. The isolation transformer according to claim 3, wherein the multi-conductor cable comprises eight conductors and the central non-conductive core.

9. 7. The isolation transformer according to claim 3, wherein the multi-conductor cable comprises nine conductors and the central non-conductive core.

10. A high data rate coupler system comprising an isolation transformer according to any one of claims 1 to 9, a choke wound with an end segment of each of the second conductor and the fifth conductor; High data rate coupler system.

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