NETWORKING CABLE WITH TRACER OPTICAL WAVEGUIDE

• US 20110034068A1
• Filed: 08/05/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Reichle & De-Massari AG (Reichle Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Realm Communications Group, Inc. (Reichle Holding AG)
• Inventors: Russell, John B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,314,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 439/488
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3895 identification of connection, e.g. right plug to the right socket or full engagement of the mating parts keying element on the plug or adapter G02B6/3831; keying element on the ferrule G02B6/3851; keying element for electrical connection H01R13/64
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4416 Heterogeneous cables

Abstract

A network cable includes a data cable with cable connectors at opposing ends. A tracer optical waveguide is connected to the data cable, e.g., within the same jacket or by connectors such as heat shrink tubing. The ends of the tracer optical waveguide are physically separate from corresponding ends of the optical waveguide, e.g., the ends of the tracer optical waveguide furcate from the data cable. In use, a light signal is introduced into one end of the tracer optical waveguide, e.g., by Visual Fault Locator, and the light signal is emitted and can be observed from the opposing end, thereby identifying corresponding ends of the tracer optical waveguide, and thus, opposing ends of the connected data cable.

Claims

1. A network cable comprising:

at least one data cable having opposing ends;

cable connectors coupled to the opposing ends of the at least one data cable; and

a tracer optical waveguide coupled to the at least one data cable, the tracer optical waveguide having opposing ends that are physically separated from the cable connectors.

2. The network cable of claim 1, wherein the cable connectors having a length and the opposing ends of the tracer optical waveguide are located a distance greater than the length of the cable connectors from corresponding ends of the at least one data cable.

3. The network cable of claim 1, wherein the at least one data cable is one of an optical waveguide and a conductive cable.

4. The network cable of claim 1, wherein the tracer optical waveguide has a length that is shorter than a length of the at least one data cable.

5. The network cable of claim 1, wherein the opposing ends of the tracer optical waveguide are located more than six inches from corresponding ends of the at least one data cable.

6. The network cable of claim 1, further comprising at least one of a connector and a ferrule connected to at least one of the opposing ends of the tracer optical waveguide.

7. The network cable of claim 1, further comprising an at least partially transparent cap connected to at least one of the opposing ends of the tracer optical waveguide, the cap disperses light that is exiting the tracer optical waveguide.

8. The network cable of claim 1, wherein the tracer optical waveguide has a 180°

bend located at least at one of the opposing ends.

9. The network cable of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of data cables having opposing ends coupled to the tracer optical waveguide.

10. The network cable of claim 9, wherein at least one of the cable connectors is a duplex connector, and two of the data cables one are coupled to the duplex connector.

11. The network cable of claim 1, wherein the tracer optical waveguide is one of plastic and glass.

12. The network cable of claim 1, further comprising a single jacket, wherein at least a portion of the optical waveguide and at least a portion of the tracer optical waveguide are held inside the single jacket.

13. The network cable of claim 12, wherein the tracer optical waveguide furcates from the single jacket.

14. The network cable of claim 13, wherein the tracer optical waveguide has a length of one inch or more after the furcation from the single jacket.

15. The network cable of claim 1, wherein the at least one data cable and the tracer optical waveguide are coupled together with heat shrink tubing.

16. A network cable comprising:

a jacket;

a data cable having a length and opposing ends with cable connectors coupled to the opposing ends, at least a portion of the data cable is held within the jacket; and

a tracer optical waveguide held within the jacket, the tracer optical waveguide having opposing ends that furcate from the jacket and that are separate from the cable connectors.

17. The network cable of claim 16, wherein the opposing ends of the tracer optical waveguide are located along the length of the data cable between the cable connectors.

18. The network cable of claim 16, wherein the data cable is one of an optical waveguide and a conductive cable.

19. The network cable of claim 16, wherein the tracer optical waveguide has a length that is shorter than the length of the data cable.

20. The network cable of claim 16, wherein the opposing ends of the tracer optical waveguide are located more than six inches from the corresponding ends of the data cable.

21. The network cable of claim 16, further comprising at least one of a connector and a ferrule connected to at least one of the opposing ends of the tracer optical waveguide.

22. The network cable of claim 16, further comprising an at least partially transparent cap connected to at least one of the opposing ends of the tracer optical waveguide, the cap disperses light that is exiting the tracer optical waveguide.

23. The network cable of claim 16, wherein the tracer optical waveguide has a 180°

bend located at least at one of the opposing ends.

24. The network cable of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of data cables held within the jacket.

25. The network cable of claim 16, the tracer optical waveguide having a length of one inch or greater after the furcation from the jacket.

26. The network cable of claim 16, wherein the tracer optical waveguide is one of plastic and glass.

27. A method of identifying corresponding ends of a network cable that includes a data cable having opposing ends that are plugged into panels and a tracer optical waveguide having opposing ends, the method comprising:

locating a first end of the tracer optical waveguide that is associated with but separate from a first end of the data cable, the tracer optical waveguide furcates from the data cable, the first end of the data cable being plugged into a first panel;

illuminating the first end of the tracer optical waveguide with a light signal while the first end of the data cable is plugged into the first panel; and

observing the light signal emanating from a second end of the tracer optical waveguide that is associated with but separate from a second end of the data cable while the second end of the data cable is plugged into a second panel thereby identifying corresponding ends of the data cable.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein illuminating the first end of the tracer optical waveguide comprises removing a cap from the first end of the tracer optical waveguide and optically coupling a light source to the first end of the tracer optical waveguide.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein optically coupling a light source to the first end of the tracer optical waveguide comprises coupling a launch cable to the first end of the tracer optical waveguide.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein illuminating the first end of the tracer optical waveguide is performed using a Visual Fault Locator.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising bending the tracer optical waveguide between the first end and the second end to detect the light signal and observing the light signal from the bend.