Temporary Cable Bend Limiting Device for Optical Fiber Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Optical fiber cables are prone to damage and signal degradation due to excessive bending, which causes breakage and light leakage, especially when routed at sharp corners or edges without sufficient radius protection.
Innovation Solution
A cable guide device with a body portion and guide surface that allows cables to be routed at a radius larger than the minimum bend radius, featuring a truncated cone shape and adhesive attachment options, enabling safe installation without permanent fixtures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cable is routed at sharp corners or edges without protection, then the installation process is simpler and faster, but the cable is subject to breakage or fracture and signal degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cable guide device as an intermediary tool between the cable and the sharp corner/edge. This device provides a protected routing path with adequate bend radius, preventing direct contact between the cable and the harmful corner/edge, thus resolving the contradiction between installation speed and cable integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The cable guide device is positioned and secured at the work area before the cable is routed. This preliminary placement ensures that the cable will follow the correct path with proper bend radius from the start, preventing damage during installation while maintaining efficiency
2Reliability
If a permanent cable protection fixture is installed, then the cable is protected from excessive bending, but the device complexity and installation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cable guide device is designed as a temporary, disposable tool rather than a permanent fixture. It performs its protective function during the critical installation phase and is then removed, eliminating the need for complex permanent mounting structures while still providing adequate cable protection
Solution Approach 2:
The protective function is extracted from the permanent fixture category and implemented as a separate, removable guide device. This allows the protection function to be provided during installation without the complexity and permanence of fixed mounting structures
3Productivity
If the cable is bent at a radius smaller than the minimum bend radius, then the cable can be routed more directly and quickly, but light leakage occurs and signal quality degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The cable guide device incorporates a curved guide surface with a radius of curvature not less than the minimum bend radius of the cable. This curved geometry ensures that the cable follows a path with adequate bend radius, preventing light leakage and signal degradation while maintaining routing efficiency
Data Source
AI summary
A cable guide device operates as a cable bend limiting device that is removed once a cable is routed. The device includes a body portion and a guide surface. The body portion is configured to hold the device at a work area. The guide surface provides a surface along which the cable is routed. The guide surface may have a radius of curvature not less than the minimum bend radius of the cable.