Flexible optical fiber cable
By incorporating a spiral groove and positioning sleeve on the outer core of the optical fiber, the problem of easy breakage when the optical fiber is bent is solved, thereby improving its resistance to pressure and friction and reducing optical power loss.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- XIAMEN RUIFU COMM TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2021-06-22
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-05
AI Technical Summary
Traditional optical fiber cables are prone to breakage when bent, and braided or spiral winding methods suffer from high optical power loss and weak resistance to pressure and friction.
The flexible optical fiber cable design with a spiral groove structure uses a positioning sleeve outside the core to form a spiral groove to accommodate the optical fiber, which is then protected by a protective layer to improve its resistance to pressure and friction.
It effectively prevents optical fibers from breaking when bent, reduces optical power loss, and improves the lateral compressive strength and axial abrasion resistance of optical fibers.
Smart Images
Figure CN224203464U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of optical fiber technology, and in particular to a flexible optical fiber line. Background Technology
[0002] Optical fiber, short for optical waveguide fiber, is a type of fiber made of glass or plastic used as a means of light transmission. Optical fiber is widely used in communications, transportation, industry, medicine, education, aerospace, and computer industries due to its advantages such as large information capacity, high security, light weight, small size, and long transmission distance. Its applications are profoundly impacting and transforming human life. Traditional optical fiber cables typically consist of fiber filaments (bare fibers) and an insulating sheath surrounding them. The bending radius of such cables is the same as the bending radius of the fiber filament, generally recommended to be around 30mm. However, in practical applications, users or installers often bend the fiber filaments to a radius smaller than this recommended value, frequently resulting in fiber breakage. Therefore, traditional optical fiber cables have poor bending resistance. To address the problem of traditional optical fiber cables' poor bending resistance, some methods involve braiding the fibers. While this solves the problem, it also presents the following issues: the braided fiber has a small braiding spacing that is difficult to adjust, leading to significant optical power loss. Some optical fibers are spirally wound, which solves the problem of traditional optical fibers being unable to withstand bending and allows for adjustable winding pitch, ensuring that the optical power loss of the optical fiber is minimized. However, this method also has the following drawbacks: the optical fiber has weak resistance to pressure and friction. This is because the optical fiber is protruding on the outer side of the center line, and the optical fiber itself is very brittle. Even with the protection of the outer sheath, it is difficult to withstand certain lateral pressure or axial friction, which makes the optical fiber prone to breakage under pressure. Utility Model Content
[0003] This invention addresses the technical problems existing in the prior art by providing a flexible optical fiber that is resistant to pressure and friction.
[0004] The technical solution adopted by this utility model to solve its technical problem is: a flexible optical fiber, including a long strip-shaped flexible core and at least one wire, a wire positioning part is provided on the outside of the core, the wire positioning part forms at least one spiral groove, the wire is installed in the spiral groove to form a spiral shape; the wire includes optical fiber.
[0005] Furthermore, the wire positioning part is a positioning sleeve disposed outside the shaft core, and the outer side of the positioning sleeve is provided with the spiral groove.
[0006] Furthermore, there are multiple positioning sleeves, which are fixedly connected one by one along the length of the shaft core, and each positioning sleeve has at least one spiral groove on its outer side, with the spiral grooves of adjacent positioning sleeves joined end to end.
[0007] Furthermore, the positioning sleeve is fitted onto the outside of the shaft core, or the positioning sleeve is injection molded onto the outside of the shaft core; the positioning sleeve is made of plastic, rubber, or silicone.
[0008] Furthermore, the wire positioning part is composed of a long material spirally wound around the shaft core. The long material forms a spiral pattern through spiral winding, and the interval between adjacent spiral patterns forms the spiral groove.
[0009] Furthermore, the long condition is a flexible belt, flexible rope, or flexible tube.
[0010] Furthermore, it also includes a protective layer disposed on the shaft core, the wire positioning part and the wire, the protective layer including any one or more of the following: insulating sheath, metal mesh, fiber mesh and spray coating.
[0011] Furthermore, the optical fiber is a bare fiber, or the optical fiber comprises a bare fiber and an outer sheath enclosing the bare fiber.
[0012] Furthermore, the wire also includes a conductor.
[0013] Furthermore, the shaft core includes a load-bearing wire core and a core sleeve disposed outside the load-bearing wire core; the load-bearing wire core includes one or more of nylon filament, cotton thread, bulletproof filament, fiber filament, and conductor.
[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0015] 1. This utility model uses a spiral groove to accommodate at least one fiber optic cable. The spiral groove can protect the fiber optic cable and prevent it from protruding outside the flexible cable. This greatly improves the lateral compressive strength and axial friction resistance of the fiber optic cable, making it less prone to breakage during use.
[0016] 2. The spiral groove is formed by opening on the outer side of the positioning sleeve, or the spiral groove is formed by spirally winding a long material around the shaft core, which simplifies the forming process of the spiral groove. In particular, there are multiple positioning sleeves, which are fixedly connected one by one along the length direction of the shaft core, which can reduce the processing difficulty of the positioning sleeve with the spiral groove.
[0017] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments; however, the flexible optical fiber of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a utility model, as shown in the embodiment. Figure 1 (excluding protective layer);
[0019] Figure 2 This is Example 1 Figure 1 An enlarged schematic diagram of part A in the middle;
[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a utility model, as shown in the embodiment. Figure 2 (including protective layer);
[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention in Embodiment 2. Figure 1 (excluding protective layer);
[0022] Figure 5 This is Example 2 Figure 4 Enlarged schematic diagram of part B in the middle;
[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the present invention in Embodiment 2. Figure 2 (including protective layer);
[0024] Among them, 1. optical fiber, 2. shaft core, 21. wire core, 22. core sleeve; 3. spiral groove, 4. positioning sleeve, 5. insulating sheath, 6. flexible tape. Detailed Implementation
[0025] Example 1
[0026] Please see Figures 1-3 As shown, this utility model discloses a flexible optical fiber cable, comprising a long, flexible core 2 and at least one wire. A wire positioning portion is provided on the outside of the core 2, forming at least one spiral groove 3. The wire includes an optical fiber 1, which is housed within the spiral groove 3 to form a spiral shape. Specifically, the wire is the optical fiber 1; therefore, the optical fiber 1 is accommodated in the spiral groove 3 and is spiral-shaped. In other embodiments, the wire may include not only the optical fiber but also conductors, which are stranded with the optical fiber, thereby constituting a photoelectric composite cable.
[0027] In this embodiment, the optical fiber 1 can be a bare fiber or it can contain an outer sheath (i.e., the optical fiber 1 includes a bare fiber and an outer sheath covering the bare fiber). The number of spiral grooves 3 is specifically one, but not limited to this. In other embodiments, the number of spiral grooves is several, for example, two or more. Correspondingly, the number of wires (i.e., optical fibers) is also several, corresponding one-to-one with the spiral grooves. Thus, this invention can realize the parallel spiral winding of multiple wires (i.e., optical fibers), enabling the simultaneous connection of multiple different devices and solving the problem of the inconvenience of transmitting multiple different types of signals on a single line.
[0028] In this embodiment, the ratio of the pitch of the optical fiber 1 to the diameter of the wire body formed by the core 2 and the wire positioning part (i.e., the outer diameter of the wire positioning part) is 4.5 to 20:1. Specifically, the pitch of the optical fiber 1 is 10 to 30 mm, and the diameter of the wire body formed by the core 2 and the wire positioning part is 1.5 to 4 mm. For example, when the diameter of the wire body formed by the core 2 and the wire positioning part is 4 mm, the winding pitch of the optical fiber 1 is approximately 18 mm; when the diameter of the wire body formed by the core 2 and the wire positioning part is 2 mm, the pitch of the optical fiber 1 is approximately 20 mm; and when the diameter of the wire body formed by the core 2 and the wire positioning part is 1.5 mm, the winding pitch of the optical fiber 1 is approximately 30 mm. Thus, this invention ensures that the optical power loss of the optical fiber 1 is minimized in the spiral winding state.
[0029] In this embodiment, the wire positioning part is a positioning sleeve 4 disposed outside the shaft core 2, and the outer surface of the positioning sleeve 4 is provided with the spiral groove 3. Specifically, the positioning sleeve 4 is fitted onto the shaft core 2, and preferably there are multiple positioning sleeves 4. These multiple positioning sleeves 4 are fixedly connected one by one along the length direction of the shaft core 2, and each positioning sleeve 4 is provided with at least one spiral groove 3 on its outer surface. The spiral grooves 3 of adjacent positioning sleeves 4 are joined end to end. When there are several spiral grooves on each positioning sleeve, these spiral grooves are distributed side by side. The adjacent ends of adjacent positioning sleeves 4 can be fixed by adhesive, snap-fit connection, or interlocking. Since the multiple positioning sleeves 4 use the shaft core 2 as a carrier, this utility model has a certain tensile strength. In particular, this utility model can further improve the tensile strength by selecting a material with good tensile strength to make the shaft core 2. The positioning sleeve 4 is made of plastic, rubber, or silicone, and can be formed by injection molding. In other embodiments, the positioning sleeve is directly injection molded outside the shaft core.
[0030] In this embodiment, the present invention further includes a protective layer disposed outside the shaft core 2, the wire positioning part (i.e., the positioning sleeve 4), and the wire (i.e., the optical fiber 1), wherein the outer diameter of the protective layer is 2-10 mm. Specifically, the protective layer is an extruded insulating sheath 5, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the protective layer is any one or a combination of several of the following: metal mesh, fiber mesh, sprayed coating, etc.
[0031] In this embodiment, the shaft core 2 includes a load-bearing wire core 21 and a core sleeve 22 disposed outside the load-bearing wire core 21. The load-bearing wire core 21 can be a metal wire and / or a non-metal wire. Specifically, the load-bearing wire core 21 includes one or more of the following: conductor, nylon filament, cotton thread, bulletproof thread, and fiber filament. When the load-bearing wire core 21 includes several of these materials, they are combined into one strand. The load-bearing wire core 21 can both bear weight and improve the bending resistance of this invention. The core sleeve 22 can be made of metal or non-metal materials. The load-bearing wire core 21 can be a single core or a multi-core type. In other embodiments, the shaft core is a single piece and can be solid or hollow. The shaft core can be a single core or a multi-core type, that is, the number of shaft cores is multiple, and these multiple shaft cores are combined into a bundle.
[0032] The method for manufacturing a flexible optical fiber according to this utility model includes the following steps:
[0033] 1) Make or select the shaft core;
[0034] 2) Make a positioning sleeve with at least one spiral groove on its outer side and fit the positioning sleeve onto the shaft core; or, injection mold a positioning sleeve with at least one spiral groove on its outer side onto the shaft core.
[0035] 3) A wire, including at least an optical fiber, is fitted into the spiral groove to form a spiral shape;
[0036] 4) Make a protective layer, which is located outside the shaft core, positioning sleeve and wire.
[0037] In this embodiment, there are multiple positioning sleeves. In step 2), after each positioning sleeve is manufactured by injection molding, the multiple positioning sleeves are fitted onto the shaft core one by one, and the spiral grooves of adjacent positioning sleeves are aligned end to end. The adjacent ends of adjacent positioning sleeves are fixed by means of bonding, snap-fit connection or interlocking.
[0038] In this embodiment, the protective layer is an insulating sleeve, and in step 4), the insulating sleeve is manufactured using an extrusion molding process.
[0039] In this embodiment, the wire includes only optical fiber, but is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the wire may include not only optical fiber but also conductors stranded with the optical fiber. The optical fiber may be bare fiber or may contain an outer sheath.
[0040] This invention discloses a flexible optical fiber cable that uses a spiral groove 3 to accommodate the optical fiber 1. The spiral groove 3 protects the optical fiber 1, preventing it from protruding outside the flexible cable body, thus reducing the risk of breakage when subjected to lateral pressure and / or axial friction. Therefore, this invention significantly improves the lateral pressure resistance and axial friction resistance of the optical fiber 1. The spiral groove 3 is formed by opening on the outer surface of the positioning sleeve 4, simplifying the formation process. Specifically, the positioning sleeve 4 is fixed to the shaft core 2 in a fitted manner, and multiple positioning sleeves 4 are connected sequentially along the length of the shaft core 2. This reduces the processing difficulty of the positioning sleeve 4 with the spiral groove 3, as optical fibers are generally long, and manufacturing a single, continuous positioning sleeve with a spiral groove is technically challenging.
[0041] Example 2
[0042] Please see Figures 4-6 As shown, the flexible optical fiber of this utility model differs from the first embodiment described above in that: the positioning part of the wire is composed of a long strip spirally wound around the core 2. This long strip forms a spiral pattern through spiral winding, and the interval between adjacent spiral patterns forms the spiral groove 3. The long strip is specifically a flexible strip 6, but is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the long strip is a flexible rope or a flexible tube, etc.
[0043] In this embodiment, the present invention further includes a protective layer disposed outside the core 2, the long strip (i.e., the flexible strip 5), and the wire (i.e., the optical fiber 1). This protective layer not only protects the optical fiber 1 but also positions the helically wound flexible strip 6, preventing it from unraveling. Of course, the positioning method of the flexible strip 6 is not limited to this. Specifically, the protective layer is an extruded insulating sheath 5, but it is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the protective layer is any one or a combination of several of the following: metal mesh, fiber mesh, sprayed coating, etc.
[0044] In this embodiment, the shaft core 2 also includes a load-bearing wire core 21 and a core sleeve 22 disposed outside the load-bearing wire core 21. The load-bearing wire core 21 can be a metal wire and / or a non-metal wire. Specifically, the load-bearing wire core 21 includes one or more of the following: conductor, nylon filament, cotton thread, bulletproof thread, and fiber filament. When the load-bearing wire core 21 includes several of the following, these are combined into one strand. The wire core 21 can both bear weight and improve the bending resistance of this invention. The core sleeve 22 can be made of metal or non-metal materials, and when it is made of non-metal materials, it can be manufactured using an extrusion process. The load-bearing wire core 21 can be a single core or a multi-core type. In other embodiments, the shaft core is a single piece and can be solid or hollow. The shaft core can be a single core or a multi-core type, that is, the number of shaft cores is multiple, and these multiple shaft cores are combined into a bundle.
[0045] The method for manufacturing a flexible optical fiber according to this utility model includes the following steps:
[0046] 1) Make or select the shaft core;
[0047] 2) Make or select a long condition (specifically a flexible strip), and spirally wind the long condition (specifically a flexible strip) around the outside of the shaft core. The long condition (specifically a flexible strip) forms a spiral pattern through spiral winding, and the interval between adjacent spiral patterns forms a spiral groove.
[0048] 3) A wire, including at least an optical fiber, is fitted into the spiral groove to form a spiral shape;
[0049] 4) Fabricate a protective layer, which is located outside the shaft core, the long condition and the wire.
[0050] In this embodiment, the wire includes only optical fiber, but is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the wire may include not only optical fiber but also conductors stranded with the optical fiber. The optical fiber may be bare fiber or may contain an outer sheath.
[0051] In this embodiment, the protective layer is an insulating sleeve, and in step 4), the insulating sleeve is manufactured using an extrusion molding process.
[0052] The present invention provides a flexible optical fiber, which uses a flexible strip or other long material to form the spiral groove by spirally winding it around the core. The process is simple and the cost is low.
[0053] The above embodiments are only used to further illustrate a flexible optical fiber of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and alterations made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of the present invention.
Claims
1. A flexible optical fiber, characterized in that: It includes a long, flexible core and at least one wire. The core has a wire positioning part on its outside, which forms at least one spiral groove. The wire is installed in the spiral groove to form a spiral shape. The wire includes an optical fiber.
2. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wire positioning part is a positioning sleeve disposed outside the shaft core, and the outer side of the positioning sleeve is provided with the spiral groove.
3. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 2, characterized in that: The number of positioning sleeves is multiple, and the multiple positioning sleeves are fixedly connected one by one along the length direction of the shaft core. Each positioning sleeve has at least one spiral groove on its outer side, and the spiral grooves of adjacent positioning sleeves are joined end to end.
4. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The positioning sleeve is fitted outside the shaft core, or the positioning sleeve is injection molded outside the shaft core; the positioning sleeve is made of plastic, rubber, or silicone.
5. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wire positioning part is composed of a long material spirally wound around the shaft core. The long material forms a spiral pattern through spiral winding, and the interval between adjacent spiral patterns forms the spiral groove.
6. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 5, characterized in that: The long condition is a flexible belt, flexible rope, or flexible tube.
7. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a protective layer disposed on the shaft core, the wire positioning part and the wire, the protective layer including any one or more of the following: sheath, metal mesh, fiber mesh and spray coating.
8. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber is a bare fiber, or the optical fiber comprises a bare fiber and an outer sheath that encloses the bare fiber.
9. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wire also includes a conductor.
10. The flexible optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The core includes a load-bearing wire core and a core sleeve disposed outside the load-bearing wire core; the load-bearing wire core includes one or more of nylon filament, cotton thread, bulletproof filament, fiber filament, and conductor.