Fiber Optic Cable Assemblies With Medial Height Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fiber optic cables face challenges in maintaining optical performance and reliability during installations, especially when subjected to tensile forces and pressure clamps, which can cause damage and optical attenuation, and they require extensive storage space for slack lengths, leading to complexity in inventory management.
Innovation Solution
A fiber optic cable design with a smaller cross-sectional footprint, featuring strength members aligned on either side of the optical fiber and a cable jacket with a medial height less than the end height, allowing for robustness and reduced optical attenuation under clamping forces, while also enabling efficient slack storage and reduced weight, allowing for longer lengths to be stored in smaller spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional fiber optic cables are used with pressure clamps, then the cable can be secured under tension, but the cable suffers damage and optical attenuation due to clamping forces
Solution Approach 1:
The cable is segmented into distinct functional zones: a clamping zone with height-reduced jacket section that absorbs clamping forces, and a protected zone where the full-height cable structure maintains optical fiber integrity. This segmentation allows the cable to withstand clamping without transmitting damaging forces to the optical fibers.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable jacket acts as an intermediary element between the pressure clamp and the optical fiber. By reducing the jacket height in the clamping region, the design creates a buffer zone that absorbs clamping forces before they reach the optical fiber, preventing direct contact between the clamp and the fiber.
2Adaptability or versatility
If longer fiber optic cables are provided to accommodate varying installation distances, then more slack storage capacity is needed, but this increases storage space requirements and inventory complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The cable design optimizes the cross-sectional dimensions, particularly reducing the height dimension in the clamping region. This dimensional optimization allows the cable to be stored in more compact configurations and reduces the volume required for slack storage while maintaining the necessary length for various installation scenarios.
3Volume of stationary object
If the cable jacket height is reduced in the medial region, then the cable becomes more compact for storage, but the structural integrity may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The cable jacket exhibits local quality variations along its length. The medial section has a reduced height optimized for compact storage and clamping, while the end sections maintain full height for strength and connector integration. This localized modification preserves overall structural integrity while achieving compactness where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable jacket introduces asymmetry in its height profile along the longitudinal axis, with the medial portion having a different height than the end portions. This asymmetric design allows the cable to be optimized for different functional requirements at different locations: compactness in the middle and strength at the ends.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are fiber optic cables and assemblies for routing optical networks closer to the subscriber. The fiber optic cables have a robust design that is versatile by allowing use in aerial application with a pressure clamp along with use in buried and/or duct applications. Additionally, the fiber optic cables and assemblies have a relatively large slack storage capacity for excess length. Assemblies include hardened connectors and/or optical connectors such as plugs and/or receptacles suitable for outdoor plant applications attached to one or more ends of the fiber optic cables for plug and play connectivity.