Method for accessing optical fibres included in an optical module of an optical fibre transmission cable

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9452573-B2
Application number	US-201313892729-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 13, 2013
Priority date	Jul 31, 2012
Publication date	Sep 27, 2016
Grant date	Sep 27, 2016

Abstract

A method is proposed for access to optical fibers contained in an optical module, with a flexible structure for example, of an optical fiber transmission cable. The optical module includes a protective sheath in which the optical fibers are housed. Such a method includes: extracting the optical module from the transmission cable; degrading a portion to be stripped of the sheath of the optical module by heating to a specific temperature, for a predetermined duration; and accessing the optical fibers by stripping the portion to be stripped that has been degraded.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
accessing at least one optical fibre contained in an optical module of an optical fibre transmission cable, the optical module comprising a protective sheath made from polymeric material, belonging to the family of thermoplastic polymers, in which said at least one optical fibre is housed, wherein accessing comprises:
extracting said optical module from said transmission cable;
irreversibly degrading the polymeric material over a portion to be stripped of the sheath of said optical module by heating to a predetermined temperature comprised between 100° C. and 140° C., for a predetermined period;
accessing said at least one optical fibre by stripping said portion that has been degraded by heating; and
cleaning said at least one optical fibre made accessible.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined temperature is substantially equal to 130° C.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined duration is less than 5 seconds.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein degrading the polymeric material is performed by a heating body.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein degrading the polymeric material comprises moving said optical module over a heated surface of the heating body all along the portion to be stripped.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein degrading the polymeric material comprises moving the heating body over the optical module all along the portion to be stripped.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the protective sheath of said optical module has a thickness of between 0.03 mm and 0.25 mm.

8. A method comprising:
extracting an optical module from an optical fibre transmission cable, the optical module comprising a protective sheath made from polymeric material, belonging to the family of thermoplastic polymers, in which at least one optical fibre is housed;
using a heating body to irreversibly degrade the polymeric material over a portion to be stripped of the sheath by heating the polymeric material to a predetermined temperature comprised between 100° C. and 140° C., for a predetermined period;
accessing said at least one optical fibre by stripping said portion that has been degraded by heating; and
cleaning said at least one optical fibre made accessible.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material of the sheath of the optical module is a material belonging to the family of thermoplastic polyolefins.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the polymeric material of the sheath of the optical module is a material belonging to the family of polyethylenes.

Assignees

• Draka Comteq Bv

Inventors

• Tatat Olivier
• Lavenne Alain
• Bonicel Jean-Pierre

Classifications

• B29D11/00663 Primary

  Production of light guides · CPC title

• G02B6/245

  Removing protective coverings of light guides before coupling · CPC title

• B29D11/0075

  Connectors for light guides · CPC title

• G02B6/4497

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02B6/4495

  Physics · mapped topic