Multicore Cable with Selective Core Divergence for Power and Fiber Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing telecommunications network infrastructure faces inefficiencies due to the need for separate cables for optical fibre and power connections, which increases installation costs, exposure to tampering, and complexity, especially when dealing with multiple distribution points, where traditional copper pairs are inadequate for power supply and fibre optic requirements.
Innovation Solution
A multicore cable design that integrates optical fibre and electrical power supply cores within a common enclosure, allowing for selective divergence and cutting of cores at distribution points to connect individual distribution points without severing the entire cable, reducing the need for multiple cables and splices, and optimizing power delivery with higher voltages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate cables are used for optical fibre and power connections, then reliability and security against tampering are improved, but device complexity and installation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines optical fibre and power supply cores into a single multicore cable with a common enclosure, eliminating the need for separate cables and reducing infrastructure complexity while maintaining the functional separation and security of each core type
2Device complexity
If a multicore cable with common enclosure is used, then device complexity and installation costs are reduced, but the ability to selectively access and diverge individual cores becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The cable enclosure is designed with segmented access points at distribution points, allowing individual cores to be selectively extracted and diverged while leaving other cores intact within the common enclosure, thus facilitating easy access and installation
Solution Approach 2:
The cable is pre-configured with distribution points and access mechanisms along its length, enabling selective core extraction and divergence to be performed easily at predetermined locations without requiring complex field modifications
3Loss of energy
If higher voltages are used for power delivery, then power transmission efficiency is improved, but safety risks and exposure to hazards increase
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the power supply core with the optical fibre core in a common enclosed structure, the high voltage power transmission is contained within a protected environment, reducing exposure to electrical hazards while maintaining transmission efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The common enclosure acts as an intermediary protective barrier between the high voltage power core and the external environment, allowing efficient power transmission while isolating harmful electrical fields and reducing safety risks
4Reliability
If multiple separate cables are installed for different distribution points, then reliability is improved, but installation time and productivity are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple distribution points are served simultaneously through a single multicore cable containing multiple cores, each accessible at different distribution points, thereby maintaining reliable connections while dramatically reducing installation time and improving productivity
Data Source
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AI summary
A plurality of telecommunications connections are installed in a distribution network by connecting a series of distribution points using a multicore cable comprising a plurality of cores having a common enclosure, some of the cores (63) carrying fibre tubes into which optical fibre may later be introduced, and other cores (64) carrying an electrical l power supply. One or more cores may be diverted from a longer cable run to serve a local distribution point by rupturing a web (73) connecting the core to the rest of the cable (64), thus allowing the remaining cores to be uninterrupted at the point of divergence. An alternative embodiment intended for underground use provides for apertures to be opened in a protective sheath to expose the individual cores required to be diverted to a local distribution point.