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US 5,862,284 AGranted
Fiber optic cable without reinforcing members
AssigneeAlcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
InventorsJorgen Paborn, Peter Elisson
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AssigneeAlcatel Alsthom Compagnie Generale d'Electricite
InventorsJorgen Paborn, Peter Elisson
Estimating the term…
A fiber optic cable comprises a plurality of packages each made up of a plurality of optical fiber ribbons. The packages are arranged in a tight structure incorporated in a polymer resin so that the packages themselves constitute reinforcements that impart strength to the cable and prevent curvature of the optical fibers due to variations in temperature. This eliminates the need to incorporate any central and/or peripheral reinforcing member into the cable.
A fiber optic cable for installation by traction comprising at least one package made up of a plurality of optical fiber ribbons and reinforcing means adapted to impart strength to said cable and to prevent curvature of its optical fibers due to variations in temperature, wherein said at least one package of optical fiber ribbons constitutes a square structure incorporated in a polymer resin layer so that said at least one package is used as a tensile strength member and constitutes said reinforcing means, and wherein said at least one package comprises at least two packages made up of optical fiber ribbons and wherein each of said packages constitutes reinforcing means for the other of said at least two packages.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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Built up from sub-bundles: matrix structure
Means specially adapted for strengthening or protecting the cables: central member to take up tensile loads
Optical elements, systems or apparatus
Term ended 11 Feb 2017 (estimated)
USPTO file history isn’t available for this patent, so only indexed dates are shown.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns fiber optic data transmission cables and in particular a fiber optic cable containing no reinforcing members.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 shows a fiber optic cable comprising a plurality of packages of optical fiber ribbons and a reinforcing member as used in the prior art.
FIG. 2 shows a preferred embodiment of a fiber optic cable in accordance with the invention comprising four packages of optical fiber ribbons.
As shown in FIG. 1, a prior art fiber optic cable comprises a plurality of plastics material tubes 10, six tubes in this example, in each of which disposed a package 12 of optical fiber ribbons. Each ribbon generally comprises twelve optical fibers and a package comprises six ribbons. As can be seen, each package has dimensions less than the diameter of the tube, resulting in a loose structure so that they are not stressed by the plastics material tube in the event of variations in temperature.
The tubes 10 containing the packages of optical fibers are disposed around a reinforcing member having a core 14 of plastics material reinforced with glass fibers. The cable has a plastics material outer sheath 16 separated from the tubes 10 containing the packages of optical fibers by an aramide fiber jacket 18, the interstices between the tubes and the jacket being filled with a filler material. The function of the reinforcing member 14 is to impart the required strength to the cable and to attenuate contraction or elongation of the cable due to variations in temperature. This latter function is also assured by the aramide fiber jacket 18.
Unlike a prior art fiber optic cable, the fiber optic cable 20 of the invention shown in FIG. 2 does not include any reinforcing members.