Draka Comteq B.v.

Prysmian S.p.a.

Alcatel Na Cable Systems, Inc.

Alcatel

Jeffrey Scott Barker

Brian G Risch

Clint Nicholaus Anderson

Ehsan Fallahmohammadi

John R Sach

Patrick King Strong

Andrea Terry

Don Parris

Ben H Wells

Ryan Truong

Bob J Overton

Denise Lorraine Collado

William Mark Smartt

Denise Matthews

Olaf Loy Storaasli

Peter Elisson

James D Holder

Richard C Nilsson

Ray Lovie

Gavin Lin

Paul Randall Baird

Thomas Andrew Rasmussen, Iii

John Boyet Stevens

Eric Buckland

Anthony A Griser

Donald Ray Parris

Freddy Eugene Lindsey

An exemplary optical cable includes a first type of ribbon bundles, a second type of ribbon bundles, a third type of ribbon bundles, a plurality of strength rods, and an outer jacket. Each of the first, the second, and third type of ribbon bundles includes a first, a second, a third flexible ribbon with corresponding optical fibers disposed within a ribbon bundle jacket. The first type of ribbon bundles is arranged in an interlocking pattern in a central region of the optical cable. The second type of ribbon bundles and the third type of ribbon bundles are disposed around the first type of ribbon bundles in a peripheral region of the optical cable. The outer jacket is disposed around the second and the third type of ribbon bundles, and the plurality of strength rods being at least partially embedded in the outer jacket, where the cumulative cross-sectional area of all of the strength rods in the cable divided by the cumulative cross-sectional area of all glass parts of the optical fibers in the cable is a first value less than 0.22, and where, at a temperature between −40° C. and 0° C. and at a wavelength of 1550 nm, the attenuation increase of the optical fibers in the cable relative to 25° C. is below 0.15 dB/km.

High fiber density cable with flexible optical fiber ribbons

An optical cable includes a plurality of buffer tubes and an outer jacket surrounding the plurality of buffer tubes. Each of the plurality of buffer tubes includes a buffer tube jacket surrounding a plurality of flexible ribbons. The buffer tube jacket includes a first deformable material that has undergone deformation during formation of the optical cable to conform to an irregular axial cross-sectional shape of each respective plurality of flexible ribbons. Each flexible ribbon includes a plurality of optical fibers and a first longitudinal length. For each flexible ribbon, each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers is attached to an adjacent optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers along a bond region comprising a second longitudinal length that is less than the first longitudinal length. The cable has a fiber density between about 5.0 and about 10 fibers/mm.

High density optical cables

An optical-fiber ribbon having excellent flexibility, strength, and robustness facilitates separation of an optical fiber from the optical-fiber ribbon without damaging the optical fiber's glass core, glass cladding, primary coating, secondary coating, and ink layer, if present.

Flexible optical-fiber ribbon

An optical cable includes a plurality of buffer tubes and an outer jacket surrounding the plurality of buffer tubes. Each of the plurality of buffer tubes includes a buffer tube jacket surrounding a plurality of flexible ribbons. The buffer tube jacket includes a first deformable material that has undergone permanent plastic deformation during formation of the optical cable to conform to an irregular axial cross-sectional shape of each respective plurality of flexible ribbons. Each flexible ribbon includes a plurality of optical fibers and a first longitudinal length. For each flexible ribbon, each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers is attached to an adjacent optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers along a bond region comprising a second longitudinal length that is less than the first longitudinal length.

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. A fluorescent tracer is present in the beads.

Optical fiber ribbon and a method and system of producing the same

An optical cable includes a plurality of deformable buffer tubes and an outer jacket surrounding the plurality of deformable buffer tubes. Each deformable buffer tube of the plurality of deformable buffer tubes includes a single flexible ribbon including a plurality of optical fibers. Each deformable buffer tube further includes an axial cross-section of the deformable buffer tube that includes the single flexible ribbon. The axial cross-section comprises an irregular shape.

An optical-fiber ribbon having excellent flexibility, strength, and robustness includes optical fibers having a sacrificial, outer release layer that facilitates separation of an optical fiber from the optical-fiber ribbon without damaging the optical fiber's glass core, glass cladding, primary coating, secondary coating, and ink layer, if present.

Disclosed is a low-shrink buffer tube having a reduced diameter. The buffer tube provides adequate crush resistance and is suitable for deployments requiring mid-span access.

Low-shrink reduced-diameter dry buffer tubes

Low-shrink reduced-diameter buffer tubes

Disclosed is an improved buffering method for controlling excess fiber length (EFL) and reducing post-extrusion shrinkage in loose buffer tubes. In this way, the method yields first-quality loose buffer tubes not only during steady-state operation but also during ramping, thereby increasing production efficiency and reducing waste.

Process for making loose buffer tubes having controlled excess fiber length and reduced post-extrusion shrinkage

Growing community of inventors

Statesville, NC, United States of America

Jeffrey Scott Barker