Twisted Tape Separators for Crosstalk Reduction in Communication Cables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional communication cables with twisted pairs suffer from crosstalk due to the proximity of adjacent pairs, leading to interference and reduced data transmission rates, as existing separators are often inflexible and bulky, limiting their effectiveness in providing adequate separation.
Innovation Solution
The use of a longitudinally twisted tape structure as a separator, which is scored or cut to create spaced sections that extend between twisted pairs, providing flexible and efficient separation while reducing material usage and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional preformed cross-fillers are used as separators, then separation between twisted pairs is provided, but the separators are inflexible and bulky
Solution Approach 1:
The separator is divided into multiple individual tapes instead of using a single preformed cross-filler structure. Each tape can be independently positioned and adjusted, providing flexibility while maintaining separation functionality between twisted pairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses thin tape structures instead of bulky preformed cross-fillers. These thin tapes are flexible and can be easily positioned between twisted pairs, eliminating the rigidity and bulkiness of conventional separators while maintaining effective separation.
2Ease of operation
If flat tapes are folded into cross-filler structures, then separation is provided, but the resulting separator is bulky and inflexible
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential separation function from the bulky folded cross-filler structure and implements it using simple, thin individual tapes. This eliminates unnecessary material while maintaining the core functionality of separating twisted pairs.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of folding thick tapes into cross-filler configurations, the patent uses thin, flexible tapes that naturally provide separation without requiring folding or complex structuring, thereby reducing material usage and maintaining flexibility.
3Volume of moving object
If twisted pairs are placed in close proximity, then cable compactness is achieved, but crosstalk and interlinking increase
Solution Approach 1:
Individual tapes are introduced as intermediary elements between adjacent twisted pairs. These tapes act as physical barriers that prevent interlinking and reduce crosstalk while allowing the twisted pairs to remain in close proximity for cable compactness.
Solution Approach 2:
Thin flexible tapes are positioned between twisted pairs to provide electrical separation and mechanical support. These thin films effectively reduce crosstalk and prevent interlinking without significantly increasing cable core volume, maintaining compactness while eliminating harmful electromagnetic interference.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable may include a plurality of twisted pairs of individually insulated conductors and a separator positioned between the twisted pairs. The separator may be formed from a tape that is scored at a plurality of respective spaced locations along a longitudinal direction. As a result of scoring the second portion, a plurality of longitudinally spaced sections extending from the first portion may be defined. The tape may then be twisted along the longitudinal direction such that a first of the plurality of sections extends in a first direction between a first set of adjacent twisted pairs and a second of the plurality of sections extends in a second direction different than the first direction and between a second set of adjacent twisted pairs. A jacket may be formed around the twisted pairs and the separator.