Movable Rip Cord Optical Fiber Cable for Sheath Stripping
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical fiber cables with embedded rip cords require specialized tools for access, making the stripping process cumbersome and time-consuming due to incomplete removal of the sheath below the rip cord.
Innovation Solution
An optical fiber cable design featuring movable rip cords positioned between a flexible outer layer and a harder inner sheath, allowing for easy access to the core without specialized tools, with the rip cords capable of angular movement and deformation to facilitate complete sheath removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If rip cords are embedded in the sheath, then the sheath structure is simple and strong, but the rip cord access becomes difficult and requires specialized tools
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the rip cord movable within the sheath structure by creating a channel that allows the rip cord to move longitudinally. This dynamic positioning enables the rip cord to be accessed from the end of the cable while maintaining its embedded protective structure, resolving the contradiction between ease of access and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sheath is segmented into an outer sheath and an inner sheath with a channel between them. This segmentation creates a dedicated pathway for the rip cord while maintaining the overall structural strength of the cable, allowing easy access without compromising the cable's mechanical properties.
2Ease of manufacture
If rip cords are placed inside a channel in the sheath, then the rip cord is protected, but complete sheath stripping below the rip cord is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The rip cord is designed to move longitudinally within the channel as the sheath is being stripped. This movement allows the rip cord to track with the stripping process, ensuring that the sheath can be completely removed down to the core without leaving residual sections, while the rip cord remains protected within the channel structure throughout the process.
3Productivity
If specialized tools are used to access the rip cord, then the rip cord can be accessed, but the process becomes time-consuming and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The rip cord is extracted from the traditional fully embedded position and made accessible from the end of the cable through the channel structure. This allows the rip cord to be pulled out or accessed directly without requiring specialized cutting or breaking tools, significantly improving the efficiency and simplicity of the stripping process.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical fiber cable with movable rip cord is provided. The optical fiber cable (100, 200, 300) comprises a core (110) having one or more optical transmission elements (114), a first layer (106) surrounding the core, a second layer (102) surrounding the first layer, wherein the second layer is relatively harder than the first layer and one or more rip cords (108) placed between the first layer and the second layer such that the one or more rip cords have a degree-of-angular movement less than ±d, wherein d is an angular distance between two consecutive rip cords of the optical fiber cable. The first layer is deformed radially towards a central axis (X) of the optical fiber cable in vicinity of the one or more rip cords, wherein deformation (116) of the first layer is equal to or greater than a diameter of the one or more rip cords.