Fiber optic cable with large-diameter optical fibers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015268427-A1
Application number	US-201514658731-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 16, 2015
Priority date	Mar 19, 2014
Publication date	Sep 24, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A large and small diameter optical fiber carrying cable is provided. The cable includes a cable body including an inner surface defining a channel within the cable body, a first group of optical fibers comprising a plurality of first optical fibers located within the channel and a second group of optical fibers comprising a plurality of second optical fibers located within the channel. The optical core diameter of the first optical fibers is larger than the optical core diameter of the second optical fibers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A large and small diameter optical fiber carrying cable comprising:
a cable body including an inner surface defining a channel within the cable body; a first group of optical fibers comprising a plurality of first optical fibers located within the channel, wherein each of the first optical fibers has an optical core having a first core diameter; and a second group of optical fibers comprising a plurality of second optical fibers located within the channel, wherein each of the second optical fibers has an optical core having a second core diameter; wherein the first core diameter is larger than the second core diameter; wherein the first group of optical fibers and the second group of optical fibers form a pattern within the channel such that each of the first optical fibers is next to at least one of the second optical fibers in at least one direction within the cable.

2 . The cable of claim 1 wherein the first group of optical fibers is located in an interior region of the channel and the second group of optical fibers is located in an outer region of the channel, wherein the pattern is one in which one of the first optical fibers is located between one of the second optical fibers and a central axis of the channel and one of the second optical fibers is located between the one first optical fiber and the inner surface of the cable body.

3 . The cable of claim 2 wherein the channel has a height and a width greater than the height, wherein the first group of optical fibers is arranged in at least one row extending in the direction of the width, and the second group of optical fibers is arranged in at least one row extending in the direction of the width.

4 . The cable of claim 2 further comprising an elongate central strength member, wherein the first group of optical fibers is wrapped around the central strength member and the second group of optical fibers is wrapped around and located outside of the first group of optical fibers, wherein the pattern is one in which the one second optical fiber is located between the one first optical fiber and the inner surface of the cable body in the radial direction.

5 . The cable of claim 4 wherein the first group of optical fibers is a radially innermost group of optical fibers such that an outer surface of each first optical fiber is contacting the central strength member.

6 . The cable of claim 4 further comprising a third group of optical fibers comprising a second plurality of first optical fibers located within the channel, wherein the third group of optical fibers is wrapped around the central strength member such that the third group of optical fibers is a radially innermost group of optical fibers such that an outer surface of each first optical fiber of the third group is contacting the central strength member, and further wherein the first group of optical fibers is wrapped around and located outside of the third group of optical fibers.

7 . The cable of claim 1 further comprising an elongate central strength member, wherein the first group of optical fibers and the second group of optical fibers are wrapped around the central strength member, wherein the pattern is an alternating pattern in which each one of the first optical fiber is located between a pair of adjacent second optical fibers in the circumferential direction.

8 . The cable of claim 7 further comprising a plurality of polymer ribbon bodies, wherein at least one first optical fiber and at least one circumferentially adjacent second optical fiber are supported within each of the polymer ribbon bodies.

9 . The cable of claim 8 wherein each of the first optical fibers includes a first cladding layer located around the optical core of each first optical fiber, a first polymer fiber coating layer located around the first cladding layer and a first outer diameter measured between opposing outer surfaces of the first polymer fiber coating layer, wherein each of the second optical fibers includes a second cladding layer located around the optical core of each second optical fiber, a second polymer fiber coating layer located around the second cladding layer and a second outer diameter measured between opposing outer surfaces of the second polymer fiber coating layer, wherein the difference between first outer diameter and the second outer diameter is less than 10%.

10 . The cable of claim 1 in which the first core diameter is at least twice the second core diameter.

11 . The cable of claim 10 wherein the first core diameter is greater than 400 micrometers and the second core diameter is less than 400 micrometers.

12 . The cable of claim 11 wherein first optical fibers are at least one of multicore optical fibers and a step index optical fibers.

13 . A large and small diameter optical fiber containing cable comprising:
a cable body including an inner surface defining a channel within the cable body; a first group of optical transmission elements comprising a plurality of first optical transmission elements located within the channel, wherein each of the first optical transmission elements has an optical core having a first diameter; and a second group of optical transmission elements comprising a plurality of second optical transmission elements located within the channel, wherein each of the second optical transmission elements has an optical core having a second diameter; wherein the first diameter is greater than the second diameter, wherein the first diameter is between 125 micrometers and 1000 micrometers and the second diameter is between 125 micrometers and 1000 micrometers; wherein the first group of optical transmission elements and the second group of optical transmission elements form a pattern within the channel such that each of the first optical transmission elements is next to at least one of the second optical transmission elements in at least one of a circumferential direction within the channel and a direction along a radial line extending from a center axis of the channel to the inner surface of the cable body.

14 . The cable of claim 13 further comprising a central strength member located in the channel, wherein the first group of optical transmission elements and the second group of optical transmissions elements are wrapped around the central strength member, wherein the pattern is at least one of a pattern of alternating first and second optical transmission elements in the circumferential direction and a pattern in which the first optical transmission elements form an inner layer of optical transmission elements and the second optical transmission elements form an outer layer of optical transmission elements surrounding the inner layer of optical transmission elements.

15 . A fiber optic cable, comprising:
optical fibers comprising a glass core, a glass cladding, and a polymeric coating directly overlaying the glass cladding, wherein the optical fibers comprise large-diameter optical fibers having outer diameters of at least 400 micrometers, wherein the cladding of the large-diameter optical fibers is at least 175 micrometers in diameter, wherein the optical fibers further comprise smaller-diameter optical fibers having outer diameters of about 250 micrometers or less, and wherein the cladding of the smaller-diameter optical fibers is less than 150 micrometers; tubes supporting the optical fibers, wherein the tubes have about the same diameter as one another, wherein the large-diameter optical fibers are supported in some of the tubes and the smaller-diameter optical fibers are supported in others of the tubes, wherein the tubes

Assignees

• Corning Optical Comm Llc

Inventors

• Register Iii James Arthur

Classifications

• G02B6/4413

  Helical structure · CPC title

• G02B6/441 Primary

  built up from sub-bundles (G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/4404 Primary

  Multi-podded · CPC title

• G02B6/02042

  Multicore optical fibres · CPC title

• G02B6/4434

  Central member to take up tensile loads · CPC title