Differential Signal Cable Shield Tape Overlap Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The gap between the insulator and the shield tape in differential signal transmission cables causes deterioration in transmission properties, such as increased skew and differential/common-phase conversion, especially at high transmission rates like 10 Gbit/s.
Innovation Solution
The shield tape is wound around the insulator with overlapping regions, where the first overlapping region is covered by the second, and positioned to avoid high electric field intensity areas, reducing the gap's impact on transmission properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the shield tape is wound around the insulator in longitudinal wrapping, then the cable structure is simplified and manufacturing is easier, but a gap is caused between the insulator and shield tape at the ends, deteriorating transmission properties
Solution Approach 1:
The shield tape winding is divided into multiple segments (first winding section and second winding section) with overlapping regions. The first end overlapping region and second end overlapping region are positioned to overlap each other, ensuring continuous shielding coverage while maintaining the simplicity of longitudinal wrapping construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The overlapping regions are pre-positioned during the winding process to ensure that the shield tape ends overlap before completing the winding. This preliminary positioning prevents gap formation and maintains transmission properties throughout the cable length.
2Reliability
If the overlapping regions of the shield tape are positioned to cover high electric field intensity areas, then transmission properties are improved, but the cable structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The overlapping regions are specifically positioned at locations where electric field intensity is lower, such as near the outer circumferential surface of the insulator. This local positioning strategy maintains transmission properties by avoiding gap formation in high electric field areas while simplifying the overall positioning requirements.
3Length of stationary object
If the shield tape is wound tightly without overlap, then the cable diameter is reduced, but gaps form at the ends causing increased skew and differential/common-phase conversion
Solution Approach 1:
The first end overlapping region and second end overlapping region are merged to form a continuous shielding layer. This merging eliminates gaps at the shield tape ends, preventing skew and differential/common-phase conversion while maintaining a compact cable diameter through efficient overlapping design.
Data Source
AI summary
A differential signal transmission cable includes: two signal conductors; an insulator for covering these signal conductors; and a shield tape wound around the insulator in longitudinal wrapping. In the differential signal transmission cable, both ends of the shield tape in a direction of the winding around the insulator have a first overlapping region and a second overlapping region which overlap each other, and the first overlapping region of the shield tape is covered with the second overlapping region. In a tangent line of two tangent lines of a first signal conductor which is orthogonal to a line passing through centers of the signal conductors, when the tangent line positioned at radially outside of the first signal conductor is set to be a first tangent line, an end of the first overlapping region is positioned at outside of the first tangent line.