Abstract: A cable assembly has a central core element with a central conductor surrounded by an insulating core sheath having a uniform wall thickness. A plurality of twisted pairs of wires surround the core element, abutting each other and the core to form a tube concentric with an axis defined by the center of the core, a conductive shield layer surrounds the twisted pairs and is uniformly spaced apart therefrom.

Abstract: A cable includes a number of coaxial wires. Each of the wires has a central conductor encompassed by a dielectric sheath, and the sheath is encompassed by a conductive shield. The wires are arranged side-by-side in a row at an end of each wire, where a termination element is connected. The termination element has opposed major faces, with an array of first contacts on a first face, and an array of second contacts on the opposed face, each of the first contact being electrically connected to a corresponding second contact. Each of the central conductors of the wire elements is connected to a corresponding one of the first contacts. An electronic device may include circuit boards at each end, with contacts arranged for compressive contact with the second contacts. The termination element may be captured between a clamp and the board, with an elastomeric spring maintaining compression, and pinned holes in the termination element and board ensuring registration of the contacts.

Abstract: An optical imaging system with a flexible cable having a first end and a second end. The cable has a central core element including a flexible optical conduit, with a number of wires surrounding the core element to form a tube concentric with an axis defined by the center of the core. The cable has a conductive shield layer surrounding the wires and uniformly spaced apart from the wires An electronic instrument is connected to the first end of the cable and has an illuminator coupled with the optical conduit and a display device connected to the wires. An image transducer is connected to the second end of the cable and is connected to the wires. The wires may be twisted pairs evenly spaced apart from each other, and evenly spaced apart from an axis defined by the core.

Abstract: A medical imaging system with a base unit including an electronic display, and a remote imaging transducer connected to the display unit via a flexible cable. The cable includes a number of signal transmission lines, each of which includes a twisted pair of conductors for digital differential signal lines. Each conductor is connected at a first end to the transducer, and at a second end to the base unit. The signal transmission lines may be wrapped about a core, which may be an optical conduit communicating with a light source at the base unit.

Abstract: A cable assembly has a number of coaxial wires each having a central conductor and a surrounding shielding, and each having a first end and an opposed second end. The first ends of the wires are secured to each other in a flat ribbon portion in a first sequential arrangement, and the second ends of the wires are secured to each other in the same sequence as the first arrangement, with indicia identifying a selected wire in the sequence. The intermediate portions of the wires are detached from each other, and a sheath having a braided conductive shield loosely encompasses the wires, permitting significant flexibility of the cable.

Abstract: A connector system for interconnecting single or multiple pairs of flex circuits. A single pair of clamping bodies interconnects the respective ones of multiple pairs of electrical conductors in the form of conductor traces carried on respective pairs of flexible substrates, by pressing the flex circuits together between slender fluid-filled flexible bladders held in channels defined in the confronting sides of the clamping bodies. Alignment pins keep the flex circuits and clamping bodies aligned properly with each other, and alignment portions of the flex circuits correspond in thickness to that of the electrically interconnecting portions, to keep the flex circuits and clamping bodies parallel with each other. The clamping bodies are urged toward one another by clamping screws.

Abstract: A flexible electrical pin type contact including a plurality of elongate arm members, the opposed ends of each arm member being folded back toward each other so that intermediate sections on each arm member are flexibly outwardly bent from each other for wiping engagement with the inner surface of a mating socket. The intermediate section on each arm member divides the arm member into forward and rearward arm portions that taper toward each other to form a narrowed region in the intermediate section. The flared edge portions of each forward or rearward arm portion are folded back toward each other so that the radius of curvature established in each arm portion is smaller than the radius of curvature of the inner surface of the tubular socket. This configuration keeps burrs formed along the edges of the arm members away from the inner surface of the socket while also perserving a high degree of arm flexibililty to allow engagement of the pin contact with different sockets that vary somewhat in diameter.

Abstract: An electrical connector assembly for facilitating connection between interchangeable input/output cables and a high-density arrangement of traces on a circuit board inside a mainframe computer. The assembly comprises a collection of individual connector/terminal assemblies and individual flexible conductive elements, such assemblies and elements being specially formed and relationally positioned so as to optimize serviceability, high frequency performance, systematic routing capability and densifying capability.

Abstract: An economical connector for an array of conductors includes a retaining structure on the connector for holding the conductors in parallel alignment with respective terminals which are separate from the retaining structure. This enables simplification of the terminals while also eliminating cable termination and cable preparation steps.

Abstract: A yieldably extensible, self-retracting cable comprises a flexible center conductor surrounded by a primary dielectric material with a flexible wire shield exterior thereof and a thermoplastic or thermosetting elastomeric outer jacket formed permanently in a helical shape. The primary dielectric insulation comprises materials such as polymeric fluorocarbon or irradiated polyethylene having an exceptionally low dielectric constant. The low dielectric constant is maintained despite the permanently coiled configuration of the cable by ensuring that the plasticizing or curing temperature of the jacket is less than the melting or other degradation temperature of the dielectric material, and by utilizing unbraided wire shielding comprising a pair of concentric layers of wire wound helically in mutually-opposite directions to avoid mechanical injury of the dielectric material.

Abstract: A compact catheter assembly provides for the communication of a reference pressure to a pressure-sensing transducer by forming a passageway between spaced electrical conductors mounted on a planar dielectric substrate. The cathter assembly also provides for the operative mounting of multiple transducers onto a single catheter tip by employing a plurality of planar dielectric substrates, each having an array of electrical conductors, stacked atop one another so as to protrude longitudinally from the end of the catheter bore at different distances. A plurality of electrical transducers protrude longitudinally in series from the bore overlying the substrates.

Abstract: A highly flexible, shielded electrical cable having exceptional pliability and limpness is provided for connection to devices such as hand-held medical instruments to minimize the resistance to movement of such devices imposed by such cable. The normal stiffness of shielded cables caused by a braided wire shield is minimized by eliminating the frictional resistance to relative movement between the shield and the dielectric covering of the conductor assembly inside the shield. This is accomplished by loosely braiding the shield around the dielectric covering so as to impose no transversely inward force on the dielectric covering. Preferably, a clearance is formed between the shield and the dielectric covering, and the density of the braided shield is maximized to render it self-supporting. The outer dielectric jacket of the cable likewise loosely encircles the braided shield to eliminate frictional resistance to relative movement between the shield and jacket.