Optical cable end sealing structure and hollow-core optical fiber cable

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of optical cable sealing, and particularly discloses an optical cable end sealing structure and a hollow-core optical fiber cable, and the optical cable end sealing structure comprises a sealing seat which is used for sleeving and being connected to the circumferential surface of the optical cable; the sealing ring is used for sleeving and sealing the circumferential surface of the optical cable; the sealing cover is provided with a stepped blind hole, one end, provided with the stepped blind hole, of the sealing cover is used for being in threaded connection with the sealing seat along the axial direction so as to enable the sealing ring to spirally abut against the sealing seat, and the sealing cover, the sealing ring and the optical cable are used for defining a sealing cavity for sealing the end of the optical cable. The stepped blind hole of the sealing cover is used for containing the end face structure of the optical cable in a non-contact mode. The optical cable end sealing structure can stably protect the end part of the optical cable for a long time, and the optical cable end sealing structure is not easy to be punctured and poked off by a reinforcing member which may protrude in the optical cable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of optical cable sealing, and more specifically, relates to an optical cable end sealing structure and a hollow-core optical fiber cable. Background Art

[0002] Optical cable is a cable used for data transmission. It uses optical fiber as the transmission medium and is mainly composed of optical fiber and protective layer. Optical cable is currently widely used in communications, Internet, audio and video transmission and other fields.

[0003] In the related art, in order to protect the end of the optical cable, a sealing structure is usually applied to the end of the optical cable. Generally speaking, a sealing structure such as a plastic heat shrink cap is used to protect the end of the optical cable. However, research has found that when the heat shrink cap is heat-shrunk and connected to the end of the optical cable, it is difficult to achieve a uniform heat shrink effect, which makes the heat shrink cap and the optical cable usually not fit tightly enough and easily form a gap, which makes it easy for water to enter the end of the optical cable. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the defects or improvement needs of the prior art, the present application provides an optical cable end sealing structure and a hollow optical fiber cable, aiming to solve the problem that the traditional sealing structure has a poor sealing effect on the optical cable.

[0005] The present application provides an optical cable end sealing structure, which specifically includes: A sealing seat, used for being sleeved and connected to the circumferential surface of the optical cable; A sealing ring, used for sleeve-mounting and sealingly fitting on the circumferential surface of the optical cable; A sealing cover with a stepped blind hole, wherein one end of the sealing cover with the stepped blind hole is used for being threadedly connected to the sealing seat along the axial direction so that the sealing ring is screwed against the sealing seat, the sealing cover and the sealing ring are used to enclose a sealing cavity for sealing the end of the optical cable together with the optical cable, and the stepped blind hole of the sealing cover is used to accommodate the end face structure of the optical cable without contact.

[0006] Through the above technical scheme conceived by the present application, compared with the prior art, the present sealing structure seals the end face structure of the optical cable by enclosing a sealing cavity, and can flexibly adjust the compression amount of the sealing ring by adjusting the tightening depth of the sealing cover by screws, thereby ensuring that the sealing ring and the optical cable are tightly sealed, which makes it difficult for water to enter the end of the optical cable. In addition, the sealing cover can form a large friction force under the resistance of the sealing ring, making it difficult for the sealing cover and the sealing seat to loosen, so that the internal structure of the sealing structure can be stably assembled as a whole, and form a stable and lasting protection for the end of the optical cable.

[0007] At the same time, the stepped blind hole at the end of the sealing cover can accommodate the end face structure of the optical cable without contact. This allows the optical cable to be stored and constructed, even if the structures in the optical cable, such as the reinforcement, protrude from the end face of the optical cable due to stress release, post-contraction or uneven force on the components. These structures can still be well accommodated in the stepped blind holes and maintain a certain distance from the inner wall of the sealing cover, so that these protruding structures do not produce resistance forces on the sealing cover. This avoids possible damage to the optical cable due to the optical cable contacting the sealing structure, and also avoids the sealing cover being punctured or loosened due to the resistance force, thereby achieving long-term sealing protection of the optical cable end.

[0008] As a further preference, the bottom step hole of the stepped blind hole is used to accommodate a reinforcement member in the optical cable protruding from an end face of the optical cable.

[0009] As a further preference, an axial gap is formed between the bottom step hole and the reinforcement, and the axial gap is 10 mm-20 mm.

[0010] As a further preference, the sealing structure further comprises a connecting piece, and the sealing seat is used to be connected to the circumferential surface of the optical cable through the connecting piece.

[0011] As a further preference, the connecting member comprises a mesh sleeve, which is used to be sleeved on the circumferential surface of the optical cable, one end of the mesh sleeve is connected to the sealing seat, and the other end of the mesh sleeve is away from the sealing seat and used to be connected to the circumferential surface of the optical cable.

[0012] As a further preference, the sealing seat and the sealing cover can be supported on the circumferential surface of the optical cable via a sealing ring without contact.

[0013] As a further preference, the sealing structure also includes an end face sealing structure for sealing the end face of the optical cable.

[0014] As further preferred, the sealing cover has a traction portion with perforations.

[0015] The second aspect of the present application provides a hollow-core optical fiber cable adopting the following technical solution: A hollow-core optical fiber cable comprises a hollow-core optical fiber cable body and an optical cable end sealing structure, wherein the optical cable end sealing structure is installed at the end of the optical fiber cable body.

[0016] As further preferred, the hollow-core optical fiber cable body comprises: A cable core, the cable core comprising a strength member and a plurality of loose tubes containing hollow core optical fibers, the loose tubes being twisted on the surface of the strength member; An outer sheath is coated on the outside of the cable core.

[0017] In general, the above technical solutions conceived by this application have the following technical advantages compared with the prior art: 1. This sealing structure seals the end face structure of the optical cable by enclosing a sealing cavity. The compression of the sealing ring can be flexibly adjusted by adjusting the tightening depth of the sealing cover by screws, thereby ensuring that the sealing ring and the optical cable are tightly sealed. At the same time, an end face sealing structure is also provided to further seal the end of the optical cable, thereby achieving layer-by-layer sealing protection of the end of the optical cable; and the stepped blind hole at the end of the sealing cover can accommodate the end face structure of the optical cable without contact, thereby preventing the reinforcement and other structures that may protrude from the optical cable from puncturing and piercing off the sealing cover, thereby ensuring that this sealing structure provides stable and long-lasting protection for the optical cable.

[0018] 2. The sealing cover and the sealing seat in this sealing structure are supported on the outer periphery of the end of the optical cable without contact through the sealing ring, and are connected to the outer periphery of the optical cable through the mesh sleeve. During the traction construction operation, the traction force can be evenly transmitted to the optical cable through the mesh sleeve. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a connection structure between an optical cable end sealing structure and a hollow-core optical fiber cable provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of a hollow-core optical fiber cable provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same elements or structures, wherein: 1. Sealing seat; 2. Sealing ring; 3. Sealing cover; 3-1. Stepped blind hole; 3-1a. Bottom step hole; 3-2. Pulling part; 4. Reinforcement member; 5. Mesh sleeve; 6. End face sealing structure; 7. Hollow core optical fiber; 8. Loose tube; 9. Outer sheath; 10. Armor layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0022] The following is combined with Figure 1-Figure 2 This application is described in further detail.

[0023] The present application embodiment discloses a cable end sealing structure. Figure 1The optical cable end sealing structure includes a sealing seat 1, a sealing ring 2 and a sealing cover 3, wherein the sealing seat 1 is used to be sleeved and connected to the circumferential surface of the optical cable; the sealing ring 2 is used to be sleeved and sealed on the circumferential surface of the optical cable; the sealing cover 3 has a stepped blind hole 3-1, and one end of the sealing cover 3 with the stepped blind hole 3-1 is used to be threadedly connected with the sealing seat 1 along the axial direction to spirally contact the sealing ring 2 to the sealing seat 1, the sealing cover 3 and the sealing ring 2 are used to enclose a sealed cavity for sealing the end of the optical cable with the optical cable, and the stepped blind hole 3-1 of the sealing cover 3 is used to accommodate the end face structure of the optical cable without contact.

[0024] Under this design, the sealing structure seals the end face structure of the optical cable by enclosing a sealing cavity, and can flexibly adjust the compression of the sealing ring by adjusting the tightening depth of the sealing cover 3 by screwing, thereby ensuring that the sealing ring 2 and the optical cable are tightly sealed, which makes it difficult for water to enter the end of the optical cable. In addition, the sealing cover 3 can form a large friction force under the resistance of the sealing ring 2, making it difficult for the sealing cover 3 and the sealing seat 1 to loosen, so that the internal structure of the sealing structure can be stably assembled as a whole, and form a stable and lasting protection for the end of the optical cable.

[0025] At the same time, the stepped blind hole 3-1 at the end of the sealing cover 3 can accommodate the end face structure of the optical cable without contact. This allows the optical cable to be stored and constructed, even if the structures in the optical cable, such as the reinforcement member 4, protrude from the end face of the optical cable due to stress release, post-contraction or uneven force on the components. These structures can still be well accommodated in the stepped blind hole 3-1 and maintain a certain distance from the inner wall of the sealing cover 3, so that these protruding structures are difficult to produce a resistance force on the sealing cover 3. This avoids possible damage to the optical cable due to the optical cable contacting the sealing structure, and avoids the sealing cover 3 being punctured or loosened due to the resistance force, thereby achieving long-term sealing protection of the optical cable end. Therefore, the optical cable end sealing structure under this design is particularly suitable for hollow-core optical fiber cables, which have high requirements for end waterproofing.

[0026] Furthermore, the sealing seat 1 has a central hole, through which the sealing seat 1 can be sleeved on the outer periphery of the optical cable. Preferably, the sealing seat 1 is provided with an internal thread at one axial end of the central hole, and the sealing cover 3 is provided with an external thread adapted to the internal thread at one end with the stepped blind hole 3-1.

[0027] It is clear that in other embodiments, an external thread may be provided on the sealing seat 1, and a matching internal thread may be provided on the end of the sealing cover 3 with the stepped blind hole 3-1.

[0028] Further, in some embodiments, the bottom step hole 3-1a of the stepped blind hole 3-1 is used to accommodate the reinforcement member 4 in the optical cable that may protrude from the end face of the optical cable. The bottom step hole 3-1a is the deepest hole of the stepped blind hole 3-1.

[0029] Furthermore, in some embodiments, an axial gap A can be formed between the bottom step hole 3 - 1 a and the reinforcement member 4 , and the axial gap A is preferably 10 mm to 20 mm.

[0030] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the sealing structure also includes a connector, which is used to connect the sealing seat 1 to the outer periphery of the optical cable end.

[0031] In some specific embodiments, the connector includes a mesh sleeve 5, which is used to be sleeved on the circumferential surface of the optical cable, one end of the mesh sleeve 5 is connected to the sealing seat 1, and the other end of the mesh sleeve 5 is away from the sealing seat 1 and is used to connect to the circumferential surface of the optical cable. Under this design, the connection between the optical cable and the sealing seat 1 is achieved through the mesh sleeve 5, and the mesh sleeve 5 can grasp the optical cable. When traction construction is carried out, the mesh sleeve 5 can transmit traction to the optical cable for construction and deployment.

[0032] In some embodiments, the mesh sleeve 5 can be made of a hard material, such as steel, and the mesh sleeve 5 made of this material has sufficient structural strength. Generally speaking, the mesh sleeve 5 can be connected to the sealing seat 1 by a fixed connection method such as welding or bonding, and the mesh sleeve 5 can be connected to the optical cable by bonding or the like.

[0033] In some embodiments, the mesh sleeve 5 can be made of a flexible material, such as a flexible fiber material. The mesh sleeve 5 made of this material has good flexibility. When the optical cable is pulled through the sealing structure, the mesh sleeve 5 can buffer and absorb the impact force, thereby reducing the instantaneous impact and damage to the optical cable.

[0034] Of course, in some embodiments, the mesh sleeve 5 can be made of a heat shrinkable material and fixed to the outer periphery of the optical cable by heat shrinkage, or made of any other feasible material that is not easy to break.

[0035] Furthermore, in other embodiments, the connector may also adopt structures such as a connecting sleeve and a connecting piece, and these structures may be fixedly connected to the optical cable at one end and connected to the connecting seat at the other end.

[0036] Preferably, in some embodiments, the inner diameter of the sealing seat 1 and the sealing cover 3 is larger than the outer diameter of the optical cable to be sealed, and the sealing seat 1 and the sealing cover 3 can be supported as a whole on the circumferential surface of the optical cable without contact through the sealing ring 2. This arrangement can effectively reduce the risk of the sealing seat 1 and the sealing ring 2 touching and damaging the optical cable.

[0037] Further, such as Figure 1As shown, in some embodiments, the end sealing reinforcement structure also includes an end face sealing structure 6 for sealing the end face of the optical cable, the end face sealing structure 6 is connected to the end face of the optical cable and penetrated by the reinforcement member 4 protruding from the end face of the optical cable in the optical cable, and the end face sealing structure 6 is used to form a sealed connection with the circumferential surface of the protruding reinforcement member 4. Generally speaking, the end face sealing structure 6 is made of waterproof sealant. That is, the waterproof sealant is applied to the end face of the optical cable to form the end face sealing structure 6. By setting the end face sealing structure 6, in conjunction with the use of the sealing cover 3, the sealing seat 1 and the sealing ring 2, the layered sealing protection of the end face of the optical cable is achieved, and the waterproof effect is excellent.

[0038] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the sealing cover 3 also has a traction portion 3-2 with a perforation, so that the user can perform the traction construction of the optical cable. Specifically, the traction portion 3-2 with a perforation is preferably a pull ring fixed to / integrally formed at the end of the sealing cover 3.

[0039] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the sealing ring 2 is an elastic sealing ring, for example, the sealing ring 2 is made of rubber. The sealing seat 1 and the sealing cover 3 are preferably made of steel, aluminum or other materials.

[0040] The embodiment of the present application also discloses a hollow-core optical fiber cable, which includes a hollow-core optical fiber cable body and any one of the above-mentioned cable end sealing structures, wherein the cable end sealing structure is installed at the end of the optical fiber cable body.

[0041] Specifically, if Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the hollow core optical fiber cable body includes a cable core and an outer sheath 9, wherein the cable core includes a strength member 4, a plurality of loose tubes 8 containing hollow core optical fibers 7, and the loose tubes 8 are twisted on the surface of the strength member 4; the outer sheath 9 is coated on the outside of the cable core.

[0042] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the hollow-core optical fiber cable body further includes an armor layer 10 , which is disposed between the cable core and the outer sheath 9 . The armor layer 10 is preferably made of an armored metal tape.

[0043] It should be understood that expressions such as "including" and "may include" used in this application indicate the existence of the disclosed functions, operations or constituent elements, and do not limit one or more additional functions, operations and constituent elements. In this application, terms such as "including" and / or "having" may be interpreted as indicating specific characteristics, numbers, operations, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof, but may not be interpreted as excluding the existence or possibility of adding one or more other characteristics, numbers, operations, constituent elements, components or combinations thereof.

[0044] It should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0045] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0046] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0047] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An optical cable end sealing structure, characterized in that: include: A sealing seat (1) is used for being sleeved and connected to the circumferential surface of the optical cable; A sealing ring (2) is used for being sleeved and sealingly attached to the circumferential surface of the optical cable; A sealing cover (3) having a stepped blind hole (3-1), wherein one end of the sealing cover (3) having the stepped blind hole (3-1) is used for being threadedly connected to the sealing seat (1) along the axial direction so as to screw the sealing ring (2) against the sealing seat (1); the sealing cover (3) and the sealing ring (2) are used to enclose a sealing cavity for sealing the end of the optical cable together with the optical cable; the stepped blind hole (3-1) of the sealing cover (3) is used for accommodating the end face structure of the optical cable without contact.

2. The optical cable end sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom step hole (3-1a) of the stepped blind hole (3-1) is used to accommodate a reinforcing member (4) in the optical cable that protrudes from the end face of the optical cable.

3. The optical cable end sealing structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: An axial gap is formed between the bottom step hole (3-1a) and the reinforcement member (4), and the axial gap is 10 mm to 20 mm.

4. The optical cable end sealing structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing structure also comprises a connecting piece, and the sealing seat (1) is used to be connected to the circumferential surface of the optical cable through the connecting piece.

5. The optical cable end sealing structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The connecting piece comprises a mesh sleeve (5), the mesh sleeve (5) being used to be sleeved on the circumferential surface of the optical cable, one end of the mesh sleeve (5) being connected to the sealing seat (1), and the other end of the mesh sleeve (5) being away from the sealing seat (1) and being used to be connected to the circumferential surface of the optical cable.

6. The optical cable end sealing structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sealing seat (1) and the sealing cover (3) can be supported on the circumferential surface of the optical cable without contact via the sealing ring (2).

7. The optical cable end sealing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The sealing structure also includes an end face sealing structure (6) for sealing the end face of the optical cable.

8. The optical cable end sealing structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The sealing cover (3) has a traction portion (3-2) with perforations.

9. A hollow core optical fiber cable, characterized in that: The invention comprises a hollow-core optical fiber cable body and an optical cable end sealing structure as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the optical cable end sealing structure is installed at the end of the optical fiber cable body.

10. The hollow-core optical fiber cable according to claim 9, wherein: The hollow core optical fiber cable body comprises: A cable core, the cable core comprising a reinforcement member (4), a plurality of loose tubes (8) containing hollow core optical fibers (7), the loose tubes (8) being twisted on the surface of the reinforcement member (4); An outer sheath (9), the outer sheath (9) is coated on the outside of the cable core.

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