Optical fiber bundle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016266342-A1
Application number	US-201615060864-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 4, 2016
Priority date	Mar 10, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An optical communication cable bundle is provided. The bundle includes a bundle jacket and a plurality of optical fiber subunits surrounded by the bundle jacket. Each optical fiber subunit includes a subunit jacket defining a subunit passage and a plurality of optical fibers located with the subunit passage. The thickness of the bundle jacket may be less than a thickness of each of the subunit jackets. The tensile strength of the bundle jacket may be less than the tensile strength of the subunit jacket, and the tear strength of the outermost bundle layer may be less than the tear strength of the subunit jacket. The subunit jacket may be formed from a fire resistant material that has an oxygen limiting index that is greater than an oxygen limiting index of the material of the bundle jacket.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An optical communication cable bundle comprising:
a bundle jacket including an inner surface defining a bundle passage and an outer surface defining an exterior surface of the cable bundle; and a plurality of optical fiber subunits located within the bundle passage and surrounded by the bundle jacket, each optical fiber subunit comprising:
a subunit jacket defining a subunit passage; and
a plurality of optical fibers located with the subunit passage;
wherein a thickness of the bundle jacket is less than a thickness of each of the subunit jackets.

2 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the bundle jacket is less than 70% of the thickness of the subunit jackets.

3 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the bundle jacket is between 0.05 mm and 0.35 mm, and the thickness of each of the subunit jackets is between 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm.

4 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 1 , wherein each subunit jacket has a tensile strength and a tear strength and the bundle jacket has a tensile strength and a tear strength, wherein the tensile strength of the bundle jacket is less than the tensile strength of the subunit jacket, wherein the tear strength of the bundle jacket is less than the tear strength of the subunit jacket.

5 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 4 , wherein the tensile strength of the bundle jacket is less than 80% of the tensile strength of the subunit jacket.

6 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 4 , wherein the tensile strength of the bundle jacket is less than 2000 psi and the tensile strength of the subunit jacket is greater than 2200 psi.

7 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 1 , wherein each of the subunit jackets is formed from a first extrudable polymer material that includes a fire resistant material having an oxygen limiting index of greater than 40%, wherein the bundle jacket is formed from a second extrudable polymer material having an oxygen limiting index of less than 40%.

8 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 7 , wherein the second extrudable polymer material of the bundle jacket includes a smoke reducing material.

9 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 7 , wherein the second extrudable polymer material of the bundle jacket is a PVC material and the first extrudable polymer material of the subunit jacket is a PVC material.

10 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 1 , further comprising at least four optical fiber subunits, wherein each optical fiber subunit includes at least eight optical fibers.

11 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 10 , wherein each subunit includes the same number of optical fibers.

12 . A bundle of optical fibers comprising:
an outermost bundle layer including an inner surface defining a bundle passage and an outer surface defining an exterior surface of the bundle, the outermost bundle layer formed from a first polymer material; and a plurality of optical fiber subunits located within the bundle passage and surrounded by the outermost bundle layer, each optical fiber subunit comprising:
a subunit jacket defining a subunit passage, the subunit jacket formed from a second polymer material different from the first polymer material; and
a plurality of optical fibers located with the subunit passage;
wherein each subunit jacket has a tensile strength and a tear strength and the outermost bundle layer has a tensile strength and a tear strength, wherein the tensile strength of the outermost bundle layer is less than the tensile strength of the subunit jacket, wherein the tear strength of the outermost bundle layer is less than the tear strength of the subunit jacket.

13 . The bundle of optical fibers of claim 12 , wherein a thickness of the outermost bundle layer is less than 70% of a thickness of the subunit jacket, and wherein the tensile strength of the outermost bundle layer is less than 80% of the tensile strength of the subunit jacket.

14 . The bundle of optical fibers of claim 13 , wherein the thickness of the outermost bundle layer is between 0.05 mm and 0.35 mm, and the thickness of the subunit jacket is between 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm, and further wherein the tensile strength of the outermost bundle layer is less than 2000 psi and the tensile strength of the subunit jacket is greater than 2200 psi.

15 . The bundle of optical fibers of claim 14 , wherein the second polymer material includes a fire resistant material and has an oxygen limiting index of greater than 50%, wherein the first polymer material has an oxygen limiting index of less than 30%.

16 . The bundle of optical fibers of claim 15 , wherein the first polymer material includes a smoke reducing material.

17 . An optical communication cable bundle comprising:
a bundle jacket including an outer surface defining an exterior surface of the cable bundle, the bundle jacket formed from a first extrudable polymer material; and a plurality of optical fiber subunits surrounded by the bundle jacket, each optical fiber subunit comprising:
a subunit jacket formed from a second extrudable polymer material different from the first polymer material; and
at least one optical fiber surrounded by the subunit jacket;
wherein the second polymer material includes a fire resistant material and the first material has an oxygen limiting index less than an oxygen limiting index of the second material.

18 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 17 , wherein the second extrudable polymer material has an oxygen limiting index of greater than 50%, wherein the first extrudable polymer material has an oxygen limiting index of less than 30%, wherein the first polymer material includes a smoke reducing material.

19 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 17 , wherein a thickness of the bundle jacket is less than 70% of a thickness of the subunit jacket, and wherein a tensile strength of the bundle jacket is less than 80% of a tensile strength of the subunit jacket.

20 . The optical communication cable bundle of claim 19 , wherein the thickness of the bundle jacket is between 0.05 mm and 0.35 mm, wherein the thickness of the subunit jacket is between 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm, wherein the tensile strength of the bundle jacket is less than 2000 psi and further wherein the tensile strength of the subunit jacket is greater than 2200 psi.

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• Ellis Terry Lee
• Hudson Ii Harold Edward
• Hurley William Carl
• Nicholson Wesley Brian

Classifications

• G02B6/4431

  with provision in the protective covering, e.g. weak line, for gaining access to one or more fibres, e.g. for branching or tapping (break-out terminations G02B6/4471) · CPC title

• G02B6/443

  Protective covering · CPC title

• G02B6/4436

  Heat resistant · CPC title

• G02B6/441 Primary

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