US-12619041-B2 - Optoelectronic cable

US12619041B2US 12619041 B2US12619041 B2US 12619041B2US-12619041-B2

Abstract

An optoelectronic cable comprises an optical fiber wire disposed at the center of the optoelectronic cable, with an armoring layer that is arranged at a periphery of the optical fiber wire. A plurality of electric wires is disposed around the periphery of the optical fiber wire, and an outer sheath is disposed as an outermost layer of the optoelectronic cable. By arranging the armoring layer at the periphery of the innermost optical fiber wire, optical fibers therein can be protected from being damaged by external forces. The overall assembly can also effectively reduce the total diameter, resulting in a softer and more flexible optoelectronic cable highly convenient for packaging and installation.

Inventors

Kai-Hsuan Lin
Yi-Chieh Cheng

Assignees

ELKA INTERNATIONAL LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20230203
Priority Date: 20220912

Claims (18)

1 . An optoelectronic cable comprising: a cable body including: an optical fiber wire, the optical fiber wire including at least one optical fiber and an armoring layer that is arranged at a periphery of the optical fiber wire; a plurality of electric wires disposed around the periphery of the optical fiber wire; a plurality of filler wires disposed between and twisted with the plurality of electric wires, the plurality of filler wires including at least one first filler wire and at least one second filler wire having different diameters; and an outer sheath disposed as an outermost layer of the cable body; and a connector including: a connector body having a front end and a rear end; a plug disposed at the front end of the connector body; a circuit board having a front side and a rear side, the front side being coupled to the rear end of the connector body and the rear side coupled to the cable body; and a housing encapsulating the connector body, the circuit board and a front section of the cable body.
2 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber wire includes at least four single-mode or multi-mode optical fibers, and each optical fiber includes a fiber core, a coating layer and a fiber shell.
3 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber wire includes four optical fibers each having a diameter of 0.235 mm to 0.265 mm.
4 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electric wires includes at least one independent ultra-high-speed signal pair wire set including a pair of transmission wires, a ground wire and a sheath.
5 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 4 , wherein each of the pair of transmission wires has a diameter of 0.20 mm to 0.255 mm.
6 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electric wires includes at least one first tinned copper stranded wire and at least one second tinned copper stranded wire disposed at intervals around the periphery of the optical fiber wire.
7 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 6 , wherein each of the at least one first tinned copper stranded wire has a diameter of 0.405 mm to 0.511 mm.
8 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 6 , wherein each of the at least one second tinned copper stranded wire has a diameter of 0.644 mm to 0.812 mm.
9 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 1 , wherein the connector is one of an HDMI connector, a DP connector, a standard USB 2.0 connector, a standard USB 3.0 connector, a standard USB 3.1 connector, a micro USB connector, a USB Power Delivery (USB PD) connector, and a USB Type-C connector.
10 . An optoelectronic cable comprising: an optical fiber wire, the optical fiber wire including at least one optical fiber and an armoring layer wrapping the at least one optical fiber; a plurality of electric wires disposed around the periphery of the optical fiber wire; a plurality of filler wires disposed between and twisted with the plurality of electric wires, the plurality of filler wires including at least one first filler wire and at least one second filler wire having different diameters; and an outer sheath wrapping the optical fiber wire and the plurality of electric wires.
11 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 10 , wherein the optical fiber wire includes at least four single-mode or multi-mode optical fibers, and each optical fiber includes a fiber core, a coating layer and a fiber shell.
12 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 10 , wherein the optical fiber wire includes four optical fibers each having a diameter of 0.235 mm to 0.265 mm.
13 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of electric wires includes at least one independent ultra-high-speed signal pair wire set including a pair of transmission wires, a ground wire and a sheath.
14 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 13 , wherein each of the pair of transmission wires has a diameter of 0.20 mm to 0.255 mm.
15 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 10 , wherein the plurality of electric wires includes at least one first tinned copper stranded wire and at least one second tinned copper stranded wire disposed at intervals around the periphery of the optical fiber wire.
16 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 15 , wherein each of the at least one first tinned copper stranded wire has a diameter of 0.405 mm to 0.511 mm.
17 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 15 , wherein each of the at least one second tinned copper stranded wire has a diameter of 0.644 mm to 0.812 mm.
18 . The optoelectronic cable of claim 10 , further comprising a connector that is one of an HDMI connector, a DP connector, a standard USB 2.0 connector, a standard USB 3.0 connector, a standard USB 3.1 connector, a micro USB connector, a USB Power Delivery (USB PD) connector, and a USB Type-C connector.

Description

FIELD The present disclosure relates generally to cable manufacturing, and in particular to an optoelectronic cable. BACKGROUND With the development of high-speed communication networks, cables are essential for power supply and data transmission of communication network equipment. For example, optoelectronic cables with integrated connectors are used for transmitting power and high-speed signals simultaneously. Optoelectronic cables combine optical fibers and electric wires. In practice, optoelectronic cables can be a solution for broadband access of high-speed communication network equipment as well as power supply. In order to improve the mechanical strength of conventional optoelectronic cables, such as increasing tensile strength and compressive strength, improving water resistance, preventing damage from rodent bites, and increasing service lifetime, an armoring layer is used for wrapping around the outer side of the cable for protection. Some optoelectronic cables have armoring layers concentrically arranged on optical fibers in the inner part of the cables. Although the protection effect is adequate, the inner and outer armoring layers will increase the outer diameter of the cables, causing inconvenience in production, packaging, storage and transportation. In addition, such cables are too hard to roll and not soft enough to handle, constituting a major disadvantage when applied to installation and wiring. Electric wires in optoelectronic cables have already been covered with insulating sheaths, whose material is tough and not easily broken. On the other hand, optical fibers therein are fragile and easily broken, and thus require special protection, so improvements are proposed by further research. SUMMARY One aspect of the present disclosure is directed to an optoelectronic cable. The optoelectronic cable comprises a cable body and a connector. The cable body includes: an optical fiber wire disposed at the center of the cable body, a plurality of electric wires disposed around the periphery of the optical fiber wire, and an outer sheath disposed as an outermost layer of the cable body. The optical fiber wire has at least one optical fiber and an armoring layer that is arranged at a periphery of the optical fiber wire. The connector includes a connector body having a front end and a rear end, a plug disposed at the front end of the connector body, a circuit board, and a housing encapsulating the connector body, the circuit board and a front section of the cable body. The circuit board has a front side and a rear side, the front side being coupled to the rear end of the connector body and the rear side coupled to the cable body. In one aspect, the optical fiber wire includes at least four single-mode or multi-mode optical fibers, and each optical fiber includes a fiber core, a coating layer and a fiber shell. In one aspect, the optical fiber wire includes four optical fibers each having a diameter of 0.235 mm to 0.265 mm. In one aspect, the plurality of electric wires includes at least one independent ultra-high-speed signal pair wire set including a pair of transmission wires, a ground wire and a sheath. In one aspect, each of the pair of transmission wires has a diameter of 0.20 mm to 0.255 mm. In one aspect, the plurality of electric wires includes at least one first tinned copper stranded wire and at least one second tinned copper stranded wire disposed at intervals around the periphery of the optical fiber wire. In one aspect, each of the at least one first tinned copper stranded wire has a diameter of 0.405 mm to 0.511 mm. In one aspect, each of the at least one second tinned copper stranded wire has a diameter of 0.644 mm to 0.812 mm. In one aspect, the cable body further comprises a plurality of filler wires disposed between and twisted with the plurality of electric wires. In one aspect, the connector is one of an HDMI connector, a DP connector, a standard USB 2.0 connector, a standard USB 3.0 connector, a standard USB 3.1 connector, a micro USB connector, a USB Power Delivery (USB PD) connector, and a USB Type-C connector. Compared with conventional structures, by arranging an armoring layer at a periphery of the innermost optical fiber wire, optical fibers therein can be protected from being damaged by external forces, thereby ensuring robust data transmission. The overall assembly can also protect the optical fiber wire while effectively reducing the total diameter, resulting in a softer and more flexible optoelectronic cable highly convenient for packaging and installation. These and other features, aspects and advantages of various embodiments will become better understood with reference to the following description and appended claims. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the description, serve to explain the related principles. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWI