JP5582155B2 - Cable and cable disconnection notification method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a cable (wire material) and a cable disconnection notification method.

  A large number of cables (wires) are connected to a computer device such as a server and a measuring device, for example, in order to connect to another device. These cables are often located on the back side of the device and are intertwined. For example, assume that one of the cables is disconnected from the apparatus. Since the back side of the device is dark behind the device, and the cables are tangled as described above, it is very troublesome and time-consuming to find a cable that has been disconnected from the device.

  Patent Document 1 proposes the following cable. The cable is provided with a light emitting diode. The light emitting diode emits light by the current when a current is flowing through the cable (when the cable is connected to a connection partner device). Further, the light emitting diode is turned off because no current is supplied when the current stops flowing through the cable (when the cable is disconnected from the connection partner device).

  That is, the cable shown in Patent Document 1 can notify the state of being connected to the connection partner and the state of being disconnected from the connection partner by turning on / off the light emitting diode.

Utility Model Registration No. 3104358

  However, in the cable shown in Patent Document 1, when the cable is disconnected from the connection partner, the light emission of the light emitting diode is stopped. As described above, the cable is arranged in a dark place on the back side of the apparatus, and many cables are often intertwined. Therefore, the cable in which the light emission of the light emitting diode is not conspicuous. For this reason, it takes time and labor to find the cable.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, a main object of the present invention is to provide a cable and a cable disconnection notification method that can clearly find a cable that has been disconnected from a connection partner.

The cable of the present invention
A conductor group including at least two conductors in which currents in opposite directions flow;
A transparent or translucent coating covering the conductor group;
A light-emitting portion that is electrically connected to the conductor group and emits light in a direction along the conductor inside the coating;
When no current is supplied from one side of both ends of the conductor group, the conductor group and the light emitting unit are electrically connected, and the current supplied from the other end of the conductor group is emitted as the light. The light emitting unit emits light by being introduced into a part, and when a current flows through all the conductors of the conductor group, the conductor group and the light emitting part are disconnected from each other. A light emission control unit for stopping light emission.

The cable disconnection notification method of the present invention is
A conductor group including at least two conductors in which currents flow in opposite directions are covered with a transparent or translucent coating;
A light emitting unit that is electrically connected to the conductor group and emits light in a direction along the conductor inside the coating by a current introduced from the conductor group;
When no current is supplied from one side of both ends of the conductor group, the conductor group and the light emitting unit are electrically connected, and the current supplied from the other end of the conductor group is emitted as the light. The light emitting part emits light by being introduced into the part,
When a current flows through all the conductors of the conductor group, the light emission of the light emitting part is stopped by bringing the conductor group and the light emitting part into a disconnected state.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to clearly find a cable that has been disconnected from a connection partner.

It is a figure explaining the cable of 1st Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the cable of 2nd Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a model figure which shows an example of the connection state of a cable. It is a figure explaining the cable of 3rd Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the cable of 4th Embodiment which concerns on this invention. It is a figure explaining the cable of other embodiments concerning the present invention.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the cable of the first embodiment according to the present invention. The cable (wire material) 1 according to the first embodiment includes a conductive wire group 3, a coating 4, a light emission control unit 5, and a light emission unit 6. The conducting wire group 3 is a conducting wire group including at least two conducting wires 8 and 9 through which currents in opposite directions flow. The coating 4 covers the conductor group 3 and is transparent or translucent.

  The light emitting section 6 is arranged so that it emits light by the current introduced from the conducting wires 8 and 9 and the light propagates in the direction along the conducting wires 8 and 9 inside the coating 4.

  The light emission control unit 5 has a function of electrically connecting the conductive wire group 3 and the light emitting unit 6 when no current is supplied from one side of both ends of the conductive wire group 3. As a result, a current supplied from the other end of the conducting wire group 3 is introduced into the light emitting unit 6, so that the light emitting unit 6 emits light.

  Further, the light emission control unit 5 has a function of disconnecting the conductive wire group 3 and the light emitting unit 6 when current flows through all the conductive wires 8 and 9 of the conductive wire group 3. As a result, no current is supplied to the light emitting unit 6, and the light emission of the light emitting unit 6 is stopped.

  Since the cable 1 according to the first embodiment has the above-described configuration, when one end of the cable 1 is disconnected from the connection partner, for example, the operator can easily recognize the cable 1. The effect that it can be found is obtained. In other words, it is assumed that one side of the both ends of the cable 1 (here, the left end portion shown in FIG. 1 for ease of explanation) is disconnected from the connection partner. In this case, the conducting wire 8 is in a state where the connection with the current supply source is broken. On the other hand, the conducting wire 9 is connected to a current supply source. In such a state, the light emission control unit 5 connects the conducting wire group 3 and the light emitting unit 6, so that the current supplied to the conducting wire 9 is introduced into the light emitting unit 6 and the light emitting unit 6 emits light. For this reason, even if the cable 1 is placed in a dark place or entangled with another cable, if one end of the cable 1 is disconnected from the connection partner, the light emitting unit 6 emits light. For example, an operator can easily find the cable 1.

(Second Embodiment)
The second embodiment according to the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of the cable according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The cable 10 of the second embodiment is a LAN (Local Area Network) cable, for example. That is, the cable 10 has a conductor group 13 including a plurality of conductors 11 and 12 through which currents in opposite directions flow. The LAN cable has, for example, a total of eight conductors each having four currents flowing in opposite directions. However, in FIG. 2, conductors having the same current application direction are grouped together to simplify the drawing. Are shown.

  The cable 10 of the second embodiment further includes a coating 14, a light emission control unit 15, a light emission unit 16, and a connector unit 17.

  The light emitting unit 16 is a light emitting diode in the second embodiment. The light emitting unit 16 is electrically connected to the conducting wires 11 and 12 of the conducting wire group 13 and emits light by current introduced from the conducting wire 11 or the conducting wire 12. Furthermore, the light emitting unit 16 is installed so that the main traveling direction of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 16 is the direction along the conductors 11 and 12.

  The light emission control unit 15 includes a current detection unit 20 and a connection control unit 21. The current detection unit 20 has a configuration for detecting the presence or absence of energization in the conductors 11 and 12 of the conductor group 13. The current detection unit 20 can be realized by an electric circuit, for example, by using a sensor that detects energization using magnetism. As described above, there are a plurality of configurations that can be employed as the current detection unit 20, and among these configurations, an appropriate configuration that takes into consideration the magnitude of the conduction current of the conductors 11 and 12, the installation space, and the like is employed as the current detection unit 20. .

  Since the current detection unit 20 can detect the presence / absence of energization in the conducting wires 11 and 12 as described above, by using the current detection unit 20, for example, from the state shown in FIG. A change to the state as shown in B) can be detected. That is, the current detection unit 20 starts from the state where both ends of the cable 10 are connected to the connection partners S1 and S2, respectively, as shown in FIG. A change to a state in which one end is disconnected from the connection partner S1 can be detected.

  The connection control unit 21 has a function of bringing the conductor group 13 (conductors 11 and 12) and the light emitting unit 16 into a disconnected state when a current flows through the conductors 11 and 12 (in the case of FIG. 3A). It has. That is, in the case shown in FIG. 3A, the light emitting unit 16 does not emit light by the connection control unit 21.

  In addition, the connection control unit 21 detects when the current detection unit 20 detects that the current is not supplied to the conducting wires 11 and 12 due to the disconnection of one end of the cable 10 from the connection partner as shown in FIG. Has a function of connecting the conducting wire group 13 and the light emitting unit 16 as follows. That is, in such a case, the connection control unit 21 electrically connects one of the conductive wires 11 and 12 connected to the current supply source to the light emitting unit 16. Such a connection control part 21 is comprised by the electric circuit using semiconductor elements, such as a diode, for example.

  By the light emission control unit 15 having the current detection unit 20 and the connection control unit 21 as described above, the light emission unit 16 causes the lead wire 11 from the side that does not come off when one side of the both ends of the cable 10 is removed from the connection partner. Alternatively, light is emitted by the current supplied by the conductive wire 12.

  The connector portions 17 are provided on both end sides of the cable 10 respectively. The connector portion 17 has a function of electrically connecting the conductors 11 and 12 to the device of the connection partner by fitting into a connector portion provided in the device of the connection partner, for example. In the second embodiment, the connector unit 17 further has a function of accommodating the light emitting unit 16 and the light emission control unit 15. That is, the light emitting unit 16 and the light emission control unit 15 are disposed in the connector portions 17 on both ends of the cable 10, respectively.

  The covering 14 has a function of covering the conductor group 13 and protecting the conductor group 13. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the coating 14 propagates the light emitted from the light emitting unit 16 in a direction along the conductors 11 and 12 for a length (for example, 30 cm or more) equal to or longer than a predetermined lower limit value. A function of emitting a part of the cable 10 to the outside to emit light is provided. That is, the coating 14 is formed of a transparent or translucent material (for example, vinyl chloride resin or polyethylene) that can have such a function.

  In the second embodiment, the light emitting unit 16 emits light when one end of the cable 10 is disconnected from the connection partner. As a result, the cable 10 emits at least part of the end side due to the above-described function of the covering 14, so that, for example, an operator of maintenance inspection finds the cable 10 clearly at a glance as in the first embodiment. be able to. As a result, for example, when a computer apparatus of a system to which a large number of cables are connected is inspected, the operator can easily identify the disconnected cable from among the large number of cables. For this reason, the structure of this 2nd Embodiment can acquire the effect that reduction of the time which maintenance requires can be aimed at.

  Further, in the second embodiment, since the light emitting unit 16 is disposed in the connector unit 17, it is easier to find the end of the cable 10 that is disconnected from the connection partner. Further, the light emitting unit 16 and the light emission control unit 15 are protected by the connector unit 17.

(Third embodiment)
The third embodiment according to the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the cable according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the description of the third embodiment, the same components as those of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description of common portions is omitted.

  The cable 10 of the third embodiment further includes a sound source 23 in addition to the configuration of the second embodiment. The sound source 23 is electrically connected to the conductor group 13 and has a function of generating sound by current introduced from the conductor group 13. For example, the sound source 23 is configured by a piezoelectric buzzer. In the third embodiment, the sound source 23 is disposed in the connector portion 17.

  In the third embodiment, the light emission control unit 15 also functions as a sound control unit. That is, in the third embodiment, the light control unit 15 has a function of performing connection control between the conductor group 13 and the sound source 23 as well as connection control between the conductor group 13 and the light emitting unit 16. Thereby, the sound source 23 emits a sound when the light emitting unit 16 emits light, and does not emit a sound when the light emitting unit 16 does not emit light.

  As described above, the cable 10 of the third embodiment has a configuration that emits a sound when one end side is disconnected from the connection partner in addition to the configuration of the second embodiment. For this reason, as in the second embodiment, the cable 10 can obtain an effect of being easily found when it is disconnected from the connection partner, and can quickly notify that the cable 10 is disconnected from the connection partner. An effect can also be obtained.

(Fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment according to the present invention will be described below.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of the cable according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the description of the fourth embodiment, the same components as those in the second and third embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description of the common portions is omitted.

  The cable 10 of the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that of the second and third embodiments. However, instead of the light emitting unit 16 configured by a light emitting diode, a light emitting unit 25 as described below is provided. I have. That is, the light emitting diode itself has almost no directivity, and light emitted from the light emitting diode is diffused and radiated at a wide angle. On the other hand, the light emitting unit 25 provided in the fourth embodiment is composed of a light source with high directivity.

  The cable 10 of the fourth embodiment has a light diffusing portion 26 in addition to the same configuration as that of the second and third embodiments. The light diffusing unit 26 is configured by, for example, a concave lens, and the light diffusing unit 26 has a function of diffusing highly directional light emitted from the light emitting unit 25 in at least a preset angle range. .

  The cable 10 of the fourth embodiment can obtain the same effects as those of the second and third embodiments.

(Other embodiments)
In addition, this invention is not limited to the 1st-4th embodiment, Various embodiment can be taken. For example, in the second to fourth embodiments, the cable 10 is an example of a LAN cable. However, the present invention is a cable having a conductor group including at least two conductors in which currents in opposite directions flow. If so, the present invention can be applied to cables other than LAN cables.

  In the second to fourth embodiments, the light emitting units 16 and 25, the light emission control unit 15, and the sound source 23 are arranged in the connector unit 17. Alternatively, one or more of the light emitting units 16 and 25, the light emission control unit 15, and the sound source 23 may be embedded in the coating 14. 4 and 5 show an example in which the sound source 23 is arranged in the vicinity of the light emitting units 16 and 25. However, the sound source 23 may be arranged away from the light emitting units 16 and 25. In this case, the light emission control unit 15 does not have a function as a sound control unit, and a sound control unit different from the light emission control unit 15 may be provided.

  Furthermore, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, the position where the cable disconnection notification unit 28 having the light emission control unit 15 and the light emission unit 16 is separated from the end of the cable 10 based on a predetermined length (for example, 30 cm). It is good also as a structure arrange | positioned. As shown in FIG. 6, when the light emitting unit 16 (or the light emitting unit 25 and the light diffusing unit 26) is arranged in a portion other than the end of the cable 10, a plurality of light emitting units 16 (light emitting in opposite directions to each other) ( Or you may arrange | position the light emission part 25 and the light-diffusion part 26) collectively. Furthermore, the cable 10 may have a configuration in which three or more units 28 are scattered as shown in FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,10 Cable 3,13 Conductor group 4,14 Coating | cover 5,15 Light emission control part 17 Connector part 20 Current detection part 21 Connection control part 23 Sound source

Claims (5)

A conductor group including at least two conductors in which currents in opposite directions flow;
A transparent or translucent coating covering the conductor group;
A light-emitting portion that is electrically connected to the conductor group and emits light in a direction along the conductor inside the coating;
When no current is supplied from one side of both ends of the conductor group, the conductor group and the light emitting unit are electrically connected, and the current supplied from the other end of the conductor group is emitted as the light. The light emitting unit emits light by being introduced into a part, and when a current flows through all the conductors of the conductor group, the conductor group and the light emitting part are disconnected from each other. A cable having a light emission control unit for stopping light emission. The light emission control unit, a current detection unit for detecting whether or not a current is flowing through the conducting wire,
The cable according to claim 1, further comprising: a connection control unit that controls connection between the conductive wire group and the light emitting unit according to a detection result by the current detection unit. A sound source that is electrically connected to the conductor group and emits sound by current introduced from the conductor group;
When no current is supplied from one side of both ends of the conductor group, the conductor group and the sound source are electrically connected, and the current supplied from the other end of the conductor group is supplied to the sound source. Sound control that emits sound from the sound source by introducing the sound source and stops the sound source by disconnecting the conductor group and the sound source when current is flowing through all the conductors of the conductor group The cable according to claim 1, further comprising a portion. It further has a connector part that is provided on at least one end side of the conducting wire group and fits with a connection partner,
The cable according to claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3, wherein the light emission control part and the light emission part are arranged inside the connector part. A conductor group including at least two conductors in which currents flow in opposite directions are covered with a transparent or translucent coating;
A light emitting unit that is electrically connected to the conductor group and emits light in a direction along the conductor inside the coating by a current introduced from the conductor group;
When no current is supplied from one side of both ends of the conductor group, the conductor group and the light emitting unit are electrically connected, and the current supplied from the other end of the conductor group is emitted as the light. The light emitting part emits light by being introduced into the part,
A cable disconnection notification method for stopping light emission of the light emitting unit by bringing the conductor group and the light emitting unit into a disconnected state when a current flows through all the conductors of the conductor group.

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