Laying of a tube containing transmission elements onto a support filament
AssigneeNorthern Telecom Limited
InventorCollin A. Akre
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A laying head for laying a tube containing an optical fiber onto the outer surface of an elongate support. An upstream end of the laying head provides an inlet for the support and a guide passage for guiding the tube into a chamber of the laying head. The chamber extends around the passline for an angular distance greater than that of the guide passage to allow lateral movement of the tube within the head. The tube passes from the chamber onto the surface of the support as the support exits the chamber. The chamber allows for lateral tube movement to enable the tube to be laid onto the support in spiral fashion with the tube causing the head to rotate around the support.
Claims13
Apparatus for laying a tube containing a transmission element along the outer surface of an elongate support member with the tube passing around the support member, the apparatus comprising a laying head mounted around a passline for the support member, the laying head defining a chamber and having an upstream end part rotatable around the passline and defining an inlet for passage of the support member into the chamber and a guide passage positioned radially outwards from the inlet for guiding the tube into the chamber, the chamber subtending a larger angle around the passline than the guide passage and being unrestricted around the passline to permit lateral movement of the tube relative to the laying head and angularly around the passline, the head also having downstream end part defining an outlet for passage of the support member from the chamber, the head providing a circular entrance defining edge to the outlet from the chamber for urging the tube inwards towards the passline and onto the outer surface of the support member while enabling the tube during its lateral movement to slide along the edge and around the feedpath.
A method of laying a tube containing a transmission element along the outer surface of an elongate support member while passing around the member, the method comprising passing the support member along a passline through an inlet in a rotatable upstream end part of a laying head, through a chamber of the laying head and out through an outlet in a downstream end part of the laying head, the outlet having a circular entrance defining edge from the chamber, while simultaneously guiding the tube through a guide passage and into the chamber at a position radially outwards from the support member, the chamber subtending a larger angle around the passline than the guide passage, passing the tube through the chamber and urging it radially inwards onto the support member and then through the outlet with the chamber providing an unrestricted freedom of movement to the tube angularly nd the passline relative to the guide passage, the tube extending angularly around the passline progressively from the guide passage to the outlet as it travels through the chamber and at a circular entrance defining edge to the outlet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.