Optical Fiber Ribbon Branching via Pre-formed Slits
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical fiber ribbons face increased transmission loss during intermediate post-branching due to bending, especially when specialized tools are required, which can damage the fibers and disrupt communication.
Innovation Solution
The optical fiber ribbon features concavities with slits that allow for splitting without specialized tools, maintaining a radius of curvature above 30mm to minimize bending-induced loss, using a tool to widen the slits along the concavities to ensure structural separation while preventing excessive force on the fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If specialized tools are used to split the sheath and branch the optical fiber ribbon, then the branching operation can be performed, but transmission loss increases due to bending of the optical fibers
Solution Approach 1:
The optical fiber ribbon is pre-formed with concavities and slits along its length before deployment. These features are created in advance to facilitate future branching operations, eliminating the need for specialized tools during field installation and preventing excessive bending forces that would cause transmission loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical fiber ribbon is divided into separable sections using pre-formed concavities and slits. These segmentation features allow the ribbon to be cleanly divided into multiple branches without requiring forceful separation, thereby maintaining fiber integrity and minimizing transmission loss during branching operations.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the sheath is split to draw out cores for branching, then the optical fiber ribbon can be branched, but bends are given to the optical fiber causing transmission loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The concavities and slits are formed in the optical fiber ribbon during manufacturing, preparing the structure in advance for branching operations. This preliminary preparation ensures that when branching is needed, the ribbon can be separated without creating sharp bends that would compromise transmission quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical structure of the optical fiber ribbon is modified by introducing concavities and slits that change the geometric parameters of the sheath. These structural modifications allow the ribbon to be separated along predetermined paths while maintaining a minimum bend radius, thus preserving transmission quality while enabling branching adaptability.
3Productivity
If conventional branching methods are used requiring specialized tools, then branching can be achieved, but the process becomes complex and requires specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The optical fiber ribbon is designed to be self-sufficient for branching operations through the inclusion of pre-formed concavities and slits. These features enable the ribbon to be branched using simple manual tools or even finger pressure, eliminating the need for specialized branching equipment and simplifying the overall process while maintaining productivity.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
An optical fiber ribbon is capable of branching by means of any tool. The optical fiber ribbon is comprised of a plurality of optical fibers running in parallel, each of the optical fibers having an allowable radius of curvature; a blanket sheath totally covering the plurality of the optical fibers; one or more concavities formed at any one or more intermediates among the optical fibers; and slits respectively arranged in series at a regular interval along the concavities, the slits penetrating the blanket sheath and allowing the tool to be inserted and the blanket sheath to split by means of movement of the tool along theo concavities. The length of each slit prior to insertion of the tool is so determined that flexures of the optical fibers induced by the tool widening the slits do not exceed the allowable radius of curvature.