Shielded Furcation Assembly for Hybrid Electro-Optical Cables
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hybrid electro-optical cable terminations require on-site termination and additional enclosures, increasing installation time and labor, and exposing electrical conductors to lightning strikes and electromagnetic interference due to lack of continuous shielding at the end of the cable.
Innovation Solution
A shielded furcation assembly for electrical conductors in hybrid electro-optical cables, featuring a metallic shielded electrical furcation tube with a polymer inner tube and pull strand, which allows for direct connection without splicing or termination, and a transition housing for environmental sealing, ensuring continuous shielding and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If on-site termination with additional enclosures is used, then electrical conductors can be terminated individually, but installation time and labor requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-terminating all electrical conductors and optical fibers at the factory within the cable assembly before deployment. The cable includes pre-configured electrical conductors with connectors and optical fibers with terminations already in place, eliminating the need for on-site termination work and significantly reducing installation time and labor requirements.
2Ease of operation
If conductors are broken into individual jumpers for termination, then connections can be made to equipment, but signal degradation and environmental fouling opportunities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nested doll principle by placing individual electrical conductor jumpers and optical fiber jumpers inside a protective furcation tube. The furcation tube contains and protects all the broken conductors and fibers from the cable end to their termination points, nesting them together in a single protective structure that prevents environmental fouling and maintains signal integrity while still allowing individual connections to be made.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If standard environmental seals are used with jumpers, then some protection is provided, but positive interlocking is insufficient and damage potential increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies composite materials by using a furcation tube constructed from multiple materials with complementary properties: a para-aramid synthetic fiber sheath providing mechanical strength and tear resistance, and an inner polymer tube providing environmental sealing and smooth conductor passage. This composite structure offers superior protection compared to single-material seals, preventing both environmental fouling and physical damage to the conductors and fibers within.
Data Source
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AI summary
A furcation assembly for electrical conductors of an electro-optical cable with electrical conductors and optical conductors has an inner tube surrounded by a metallic shield layer and a polymer jacket surrounding the metallic shield layer. The inner tube may have a circular or a generally ovaloid cross section inner diameter. A transition housing may be applied over an interconnection between the metallic sield layer and a metallic shield of the electro-optical cable. A pull strand may be provided in the inner tube inner diameter, for ease of insertion of the electrical conductors and/or additional water proofing characteristics.