Flexible Optical Fiber Ribbon With Asymmetric Resin Bonding

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing optical fiber ribbons face a trade-off between flexibility and robustness due to improper adhesive trajectory, leading to increased robustness and reduced flexibility, and adhesive application on both sides exacerbates this issue.

Innovation Solution

A flexible optical fiber ribbon design with connecting parts on the front and back surfaces having different viscosities and tensile strengths, where the front surface connecting parts have higher viscosity and tensile strength than the back, and the connecting parts are arranged at uneven intervals and densities to enhance stability and flexibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If the trajectory of the adhesive is set to increase robustness, then the robustness of the optical fiber ribbon is improved, but the flexibility is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproverobustnessVSAvoidflexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different adhesive trajectories and viscosities to different regions of the optical fiber ribbon. The front surface uses adhesive with higher viscosity and higher trajectory for robustness, while the back surface uses adhesive with lower viscosity and lower trajectory for flexibility. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each region's properties according to its functional requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces asymmetric adhesive application where the front and back surfaces have different adhesive trajectories and viscosities. The front surface has higher adhesive viscosity and trajectory than the back surface, creating an asymmetric structure that simultaneously provides robustness where needed and flexibility where needed, thereby resolving the contradiction between these two properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #4Asymmetry

2Stability of the object's composition

If adhesive is provided on both sides of the optical fiber ribbon, then the stability is improved, but the flexibility is reduced due to excessive robustness

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovestabilityVSAvoidflexibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent differentiates adhesive properties between front and back surfaces, with the front surface having higher viscosity and trajectory for stability, while the back surface has lower viscosity and trajectory for flexibility. This local quality differentiation allows the ribbon to maintain stability through front surface bonding while preserving flexibility through the back surface design.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the adhesive parameters (viscosity and trajectory) between the front and back surfaces. By setting the front surface adhesive viscosity and trajectory to higher values and the back surface adhesive viscosity and trajectory to lower values, the patent achieves both stability and flexibility simultaneously, resolving the contradiction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Strength

If the adhesive trajectory is increased to improve bonding strength, then the bonding strength is improved, but the working accuracy requirement for the nozzle increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebonding strengthVSAvoidworking accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different adhesive trajectories to different surfaces: the front surface uses higher trajectory for bonding strength, while the back surface uses lower trajectory for ease of manufacturing. This local differentiation allows the system to achieve strong bonding where critical (front surface) while maintaining manufacturing feasibility where less critical (back surface).

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The design ensures the optical fiber ribbon can be coiled or folded without parts falling off, maintaining stability and flexibility by enhancing bonding forces at the edges and middle fibers, preventing looseness and scattering.

Implementation Method 1

a plurality of optical fibers arranged in parallel adjacent to each other along a longitudinal direction, a curable adhesive is sprayed by a nozzle on an upper surface formed by a longitudinal arrangement of the plurality of optical fibers, a flexible optical fiber ribbon is formed after the adhesive is cured

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdhesion: Adhesive

Data Source

PatentEP4431992B1Flexible optical fiber ribbon and ribbon optical fiber cable
Publication Date: 2026.01.21 JIANGSU ZHONGTIAN TECH CO LTD
  • EP4431992B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2b
  • EP4431992B1 patent drawingFigure 2c~3b
  • EP4431992B1 patent drawingFigure 3c~4

AI summary

The present application relates to the field of optical cables, and specifically provides a flexible optical fiber ribbon and a ribbon optical cable. The flexible optical fiber ribbon includes a plurality of optical fibers arranged in parallel in a same plane to form an optical fiber arrangement, and connecting parts are arranged at an interval in a longitudinal direction of a front arrangement surface and a back arrangement surface of the optical fiber arrangement respectively; the connecting parts are straight shapes with a certain inclined angle and are unevenly distributed on the optical fiber arrangement; materials of a front surface connecting part and a back surface connecting part are a resin; a viscosity of the resin of the front surface connecting part is higher than that of the resin of the back surface connecting part, and a tensile strength of the resin of the front surface connecting part is higher than that of the resin of the back surface connecting part. The resins of the front surface connecting part and the back surface connecting part are different in tensile strength and adhesion degree, which is suitable for the situation that the optical fiber ribbon is coiled or folded to the back, so as to ensure that a bonding point of the optical fiber ribbon does not fall off during a process of coiling to result in optical fiber scattering.