Optical Fiber Ribbon With Segmented Bead Bonding
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge lies in creating an optical fiber ribbon that balances reduced diameter and increased fiber density, while maintaining flexibility for easy installation and mass fusion splicing, as standard ribbons are rigid due to resin layers.
Innovation Solution
The optical fiber ribbon features a parallel arrangement of units, each comprising a single or group of up to three fibers encapsulated with a matrix material, intermittently connected by elongated beads of bonding material, allowing for flexible rolling or folding and easy separation of individual fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a layer of resin is applied around the optical fiber assembly to keep fibers in a parallel plane, then the optical fiber ribbon maintains structural integrity and parallel alignment, but the ribbon becomes rigid and cannot be easily folded or rolled
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous resin layer is segmented into discrete bonding zones positioned only at specific locations between adjacent optical fiber units. This segmentation allows the ribbon to maintain alignment at bonding points while remaining flexible in unbonded regions, enabling folding and rolling without compromising structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The resin bonding material is applied locally only at specific positions between adjacent optical fiber units rather than as a continuous layer. This local quality approach provides rigidity and alignment where needed (at bonding zones) while preserving flexibility in other areas, resolving the contradiction between structural stability and ease of operation.
2Weight of moving object
If the optical cable diameter is decreased to reduce weight and installation cost, then the cable can use existing underground ducts, but the fiber density must be increased which complicates the ribbon structure
Solution Approach 1:
The optical fiber assembly is segmented into discrete optical fiber units with selective bonding between them. This segmentation allows for compact packing and high fiber density while maintaining a simple, modular structure that is easy to manufacture and install, thereby reducing cable diameter and weight without excessive structural complexity.
3Strength
If multiple optical fiber units are connected with bonding material at every position, then the ribbon maintains strong structural integrity, but the ribbon loses flexibility and becomes difficult to install
Solution Approach 1:
The bonding material is applied in discrete segments only at specific positions between adjacent optical fiber units rather than continuously along the entire length. This creates a structure with localized bonding strength where needed while maintaining overall flexibility for installation, resolving the contradiction between structural integrity and ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bonding material is applied periodically at regular intervals between optical fiber units rather than continuously. This periodic bonding provides sufficient structural integrity to maintain alignment while allowing flexibility between bonding points, enabling easy installation without compromising strength.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an optical fiber ribbon, comprising a plurality of adjacent optical fiber units extending in a longitudinal direction and arranged in parallel forming an optical fiber assembly having a width, each of the optical fiber units comprising either a single fiber or a group of at most three optical fibers, preferably two optical fibers, encapsulated with a matrix material; and a plurality of successive elongated rectilinear beads of a bonding material being arranged along a length of said assembly; each of said plurality of beads being configured to form an elongated bond between two adjacent optical fiber units of the plurality of optical fiber units; wherein a first bead forming a first bond connects a first pair of adjacent optical fiber units while the successive bond formed by the successive bead, connects a further pair of adjacent optical fiber units, wherein at least one optical fiber unit of the further pair differs from the optical fiber units of the first pair;wherein at each longitudinal position of the optical fiber assembly there is at most one bond. The present invention moreover relates to a method of producing such an optical fiber ribbon.