Prysmian S.p.a.

John R Sach

Ehsan Fallahmohammadi

Brian G Risch

Jeffrey Scott Barker

Clint Nicholaus Anderson

Ben H Wells

Andrea Terry

Ryan Truong

Donald Ray Parris

Martin Hanchard

Grant Davidson

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.

The invention relates to an optical fiber ribbon assembly comprising* a plurality of adjacent optical fiber ribbons extending in a longitudinal direction and arranged in a plane, each of the optical fiber ribbons comprising a plurality of optical fibers mutually bonded by a matrix material, the fibers extending in the longitudinal direction and arranged in the plane; said plurality of adjacent ribbons forming at least one set of two adjacent ribbons having an interstice between said two adjacent ribbons and * a bonding material, forming intermittent bonds at the interstice between the two adjacent ribbons of a set, thereby bonding the two adjacent ribbons of the set. The invention also relates to a method of producing such an optical fiber ribbon assembly.

Optical fiber ribbon assembly and a method of producing the same

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.

Growing community of inventors

Chapin, SC, United States of America

John R Sach