# US 11,307,370 B2 · Optical fiber unit and optical fiber cable

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- Number: US 11,307,370 B2
- Document ID: US11307370B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/759,760
- Filed: 2018-11-02
- Published: 2021-06-17
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2017-11-02
- Assignees: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
- Applicants: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
- Inventors: Fumiaki Sato; Kuushin Ryan; Yoshiaki Nagao
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11307370B2

## CPC

- G02B 6/4403: {with ribbon structure (G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence)}
- G02B 6/4431: {with provision in the protective covering, e.g. weak line, for gaining access to one or more fibres, e.g. for branching or tapping (break-out terminations G02B6/4471)}
- G02B 6/44: Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables (cables incorporating electric conductors and optical fibres {where features relating to the optical fibres are not of interest} H01B11/22)
- G02B 6/4405: {with longitudinally spaced waveguide clamping (G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence)}
- G02B 6/441: {built up from sub-bundles (G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence)}
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## Abstract

An optical fiber unit includes: an assembly in which a plurality of optical fiber ribbons in which a plurality of optical fibers are disposed in parallel are assembled; and a coating for covering the periphery of the assembly in a state of having a space inside. The coating is interrupted at a part in a circumferential direction of the optical fiber unit, and an opening part is formed.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An optical fiber unit, comprising:
an assembly in which a plurality of optical fiber ribbons in which a plurality of optical fibers are disposed in parallel are assembled; and
a coating for covering the periphery of the assembly in a state of having a space inside, wherein
Young's modulus of the coating is 400 MPa or less, and
the coating is interrupted at a part in a circumferential direction of the optical fiber unit, and an opening part is formed.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The optical fiber unit according to claim 1, wherein
the optical fiber ribbon is an intermittently connected optical fiber ribbon in which a connection part in which adjacent optical fibers are connected to each other and a non-connection part in which adjacent optical fibers are not connected to each other are intermittently provided in a longitudinal direction between some or all of the optical fibers.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The optical fiber unit according to claim 1, wherein
the opening part is formed in a spiral shape along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber unit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The optical fiber unit according to claim 1, wherein
more than half in the circumferential direction of the optical fiber unit is covered with the coating.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The optical fiber unit according to claim 1, wherein
the opening part is intermittently provided in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber unit.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

An optical fiber cable, comprising:
the optical fiber unit according to claim 1.

### Claim 7

An optical fiber unit, comprising:
an assembly in which a plurality of optical fiber ribbons in which a plurality of optical fibers are disposed in parallel are assembled;
a coating for covering the periphery of the assembly in a state of having a space inside; and
a bundle wound around the coating, wherein
the coating is interrupted at a part in a circumferential direction of the optical fiber unit, and an opening part is formed.