Optical fiber cable assembly comprising optical tracer fiber

An optical fiber cable assembly comprising at least one optical tracer fiber, one or more optical data transmission fibers, and a cable jacket, wherein:

• the optical data transmission fibers are surrounded by the cable jacket and define a data transmission profile comprising a relatively low scattering loss of <10 dB/km at a data transmission wavelength or wavelength range λD that lies in an IR portion of the optical spectrum;
• the optical tracer fiber defines a tracer scattering profile comprising a relatively high scattering loss of >15 dB/km at a tracer wavelength or wavelength range λT that lies in a visible portion of the optical spectrum such that visible light at the tracer wavelength or wavelength range λT is dispersed from the optical tracer fiber along at least a portion of its length, wherein the optical tracer fiber is configured such that the visible light at the tracer wavelength or wavelength range λT is capable of being dispersed from zero-bend portions of the optical tracer fiber at a luminance that is at least about 80 cd/m2;
• the optical tracer fiber is embedded in the cable jacket or contained within an inside diameter of the cable jacket such that the dispersed visible light from the optical tracer fiber must pass through the cable jacket before exiting the optical fiber cable assembly;
• the cable jacket is engineered to generate light at an optically visible shifted tracer wavelength or wavelength range λT* from visible light at the tracer wavelength or wavelength range λT along at least a portion of a length of the optical fiber cable assembly,
• wherein the cable jacket comprises a fluorescent component that generates the optically visible shifted tracer wavelength or wavelength range λT* upon propagation of the tracer wavelength or wavelength range λT from the optical tracer fiber through the cable jacket;
• the optical fiber cable assembly is configured such that the dispersed visible light at the optically visible shifted tracer wavelength or wavelength range λT* is visible from an exterior of the optical fiber cable assembly;
• and
• wherein the optical tracer fiber is configured to receive light that is supplied to the optical tracer fiber from locations other than ends of the optical tracer fiber, wherein at least a portion of the cladding of the optical tracer fiber allows at least some light to pass through the cladding and into the core of the optical tracer fiber at a location other than the ends of the optical tracer fiber.