Fiber Optic Cable Assembly Pliable Core Wrapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current fiber optic cable assemblies face challenges in minimizing pulling grip length and diameter while protecting cable legs and connectors, especially when being pulled through conduits or ducts, as existing solutions either bundle connectors or use uneven leg lengths, which do not effectively address the need for reduced size and protection.
Innovation Solution
A fiber optic cable assembly design that includes a pliable core with a shorter length than the cable leg, allowing the cable leg to be wrapped around it, along with a convoluted sleeve and expandable mesh, to create a compact and protective structure that minimizes the overall size of the assembly and maintains the recommended bend radius of the optical fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If cable legs are bundled together or made to different lengths, then the diameter of pulling grips can be made smaller, but the pulling grip length cannot be minimized and the connectors are not adequately protected
Solution Approach 1:
The cable legs are wrapped around a central pliable core in a nested configuration, with each leg coiled around the core and adjacent legs. This nesting arrangement compactly packs the connectors and legs within a small volume, minimizing both the diameter and length of the pulling grip while providing protective enclosure.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of arranging cable legs in a linear or planar bundle, the invention wraps them around a central core in a three-dimensional coiled configuration. This dimensional transformation from bundling to coiling around a core enables compact packaging that reduces pulling grip dimensions in all directions while maintaining connector protection.
2Area of stationary object
If connectors are bundled together, then the pulling grip diameter can be reduced, but the connectors and legs are not adequately protected from bending damage
Solution Approach 1:
The pliable core serves as a pre-positioned cushioning element around which cable legs are wrapped. This core provides immediate mechanical support and protection to the connectors and legs, preventing bending damage before the assembly undergoes any stress during pulling or handling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The pliable core acts as a flexible protective shell that conforms to the wrapped cable legs and connectors. This flexible enclosure provides mechanical protection while allowing the assembly to flex without rigid constraint, preventing damage to the optical components during installation.
3Length of stationary object
If the pulling grip length is minimized by folding legs, then the assembly size is reduced, but the bend radius of optical fibers may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The pliable core provides a curved surface around which cable legs are wrapped in a controlled manner. This curvature ensures that the optical fibers maintain a consistent bend radius that meets minimum requirements, while the coiled configuration achieves compact length through geometric arrangement rather than sharp folding.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state and arrangement parameters of the cable legs from straight or loosely bundled configurations to tightly controlled coiled arrangements around a core of specific diameter. This parameter change enables simultaneous achievement of compact length and controlled bend radius through the geometric constraints of the wrapping configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A cable assembly, for example, a pulling grip for pulling a trunk cable assembly having a plurality of cable legs may include at least one pliable core for receiving the cable legs, the cable legs being wrapped at least one time around the at least one pliable core causing distal ends of the cable legs to be a distance from a furcation point, the distance being shorter than the length of the cable legs, the cable assembly further providing protection from exceeding a minimum bend radius and enabling a relatively short pulling grip.