Optical fiber routing mat

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9494763-B2
Application number	US-201514613900-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 4, 2015
Priority date	Feb 4, 2015
Publication date	Nov 15, 2016
Grant date	Nov 15, 2016

Abstract

Aspects of the present invention include an optical fiber routing mat for routing optical fibers. The optical fiber routing mat includes a first layer of material and a second layer of material. A surface of the first layer of material is adhesively coupled to a surface of the second layer of material. The optical fiber routing mat includes one or more optical fibers disposed between the first layer of material and the second layer of material. The one or more optical fibers are bent to a radius at least large enough to prevent damage to the one or more optical fibers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A stacked optical fiber routing mat comprising:
two or more optical fiber routing mats, wherein an optical fiber routing mat comprises:
a first layer of material and a second layer of material, wherein a surface of the first layer of material is adhesively coupled to a surface of the second layer of material; and
one or more optical fibers disposed between the first layer of material and the second layer of material, wherein the one or more optical fibers are bent to a radius at least large enough to prevent damage to the one or more optical fibers, wherein the one or more optical fibers emanate from one or more optical fiber ribbons coupled with one or more optical fiber connectors;
two or more sections of the optical fiber routing mat coupled by a bridge comprised of each of the first layer of material and the second layer of material, wherein a width of the bridge is narrow with respect to a width of the two or more sections of the optical fiber routing mat, and wide enough to accommodate one or more optical fibers;
one or more optical fibers routed through the bridge; and
wherein the two or more optical fiber routing mats are coupled to each other in a stacked manner, and wherein at least one of the two or more optical fiber routing mats is coupled with a plurality of external optical connectors.

2. The stacked optical fiber routing mat of claim 1 , wherein the two or more optical fiber routing mats are adhesively coupled via adhesive disposed between a first side of a first optical fiber routing mat of the two or more optical fiber routing mats and a first side of a second optical fiber routing mat of the two or more optical fiber routing mats, wherein the first side of the first optical fiber routing mat and the first side of the second optical fiber routing mat are surfaces on which the optical fibers are not disposed.

3. The stacked optical fiber routing mat of claim 1 , wherein the first layer of material and the second layer of material are each at least one of a polyimide material and a polyester film.

4. The stacked optical fiber routing mat of claim 1 , wherein the first layer of material is a conformal coating dispensed over the one or more optical fibers and the surface of the second layer of material.

5. The stacked optical fiber routing mat of claim 1 , wherein the one or more optical fiber connectors are coupled with one or more integrated circuit packages on a printed circuit board.

6. The stacked optical fiber routing mat of claim 1 , wherein the two or more optical fiber routing mats are coupled via a clamping mechanism.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Benner Alan F
• Brandon Mark A
• Mckeever Eric J
• Seminaro Edward J

Classifications

• G02B6/3897

  Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards (G02B6/44528 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/4478 Primary

  Bending relief means · CPC title

• G02B6/3608

  Fibre wiring boards, i.e. where fibres are embedded or attached in a pattern on or to a substrate, e.g. flexible sheets (optical ribbon cables in support members G02B6/4401) · CPC title

• G02B6/3829

  Bent or angled connectors (G02B6/3827 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/428

  containing printed circuit boards [PCB] · CPC title