Optical fiber unit and optical fiber cable

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10007079-B2
Application number	US-201615571103-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 9, 2016
Priority date	May 26, 2015
Publication date	Jun 26, 2018
Grant date	Jun 26, 2018

Abstract

An optical fiber unit includes: an optical fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of optical fibers; and a plurality of bundling members. Each of the bundling members is wound on an outer circumference of the optical fiber bundle along a length direction of the optical fiber bundle while a winding direction of the bundling member is reversed alternately, and joined with another bundling member at reverse sections where the winding direction of the bundling member is reversed. A region surrounded by a pair of the bundling members to be joined at the reverse sections includes a joining point at one of the reverse sections of another pair of the bundling members.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An optical fiber unit comprising:
an optical fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of optical fibers; and
a plurality of bundling members, wherein:
each of the bundling members is
wound on an outer circumference of the optical fiber bundle along a length direction of the optical fiber bundle while a winding direction of the bundling member is reversed alternately, and
joined with another bundling member at reverse sections where the winding direction of the bundling member is reversed; and

a region surrounded by a pair of the bundling members to be joined at the reverse sections comprises a joining point at one of the reverse sections of another pair of the bundling members.

2. The optical fiber unit according to claim 1 , wherein:
one pair of the bundling members is wound around the entire circumference of the optical fiber bundle; and
another pair of the bundling members is wound around the entire circumference of the optical fiber bundle.

3. The optical fiber unit according to claim 1 , wherein the bundling member is joined with the another bundling member at the reverse sections, and is also joined with a different bundling member at intersection points between the different bundling member and the bundling member.

4. The optical fiber unit according to claim 1 , wherein the joining point at one of the reverse sections of one pair of the bundling members and another joining point at one of the reverse sections of a different pair of the bundling members and in a region surrounded by the one pair of the bundling members joined at the joining point are arranged along the length direction of the optical fiber bundle.

5. The optical fiber unit according to claim 1 , wherein the region comprises a plurality of joining points at the reverse sections of other pairs of the bundling members.

6. An optical fiber cable comprising:
a plurality of optical fiber units; and
an outer sheath that covers the plurality of optical fiber units, wherein:
each of the optical fiber units comprises:
an optical fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of optical fibers; and
a plurality of bundling members;

each of the bundling members is
wound on an outer circumference of the optical fiber bundle along a length direction of the optical fiber bundle while a winding direction of the bundling member is reversed alternately, and
joined with another bundling member at reverse sections where the winding direction of the bundling member is reversed; and

a region surrounded by a pair of the bundling members to be joined at the reverse sections comprises a joining point at one of the reverse sections of another pair of the bundling members.

Assignees

• Fujikura Ltd

Inventors

• Takeda Daiki
• Okada Naoki
• Yamanaka Masayoshi
• Osato Ken
• Kaji Tomoaki

Classifications

• G02B6/4401

  Optical cables (glass fibres with a protective coating G02B6/02395) · CPC title

• G02B6/4413 Primary

  Helical structure · CPC title

• G02B6/4403 Primary

  with ribbon structure (G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/44

  Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables (cables incorporating electric conductors and optical fibres {where features relating to the optical fibres are not of interest} H01B11/22) · CPC title