Optical Fiber Cable Having Reinforcing Layer of Tape Heat-Bonded to Jacket

• US 20140064669A1
• Filed: 08/23/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Kachmar, Wayne M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,316,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/78
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/381 of the ferrule type, e.g. fibre ends embedded in ferrules, connecting a pair of fibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3888 Protection from over-extension or over-compression
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3889 using encapsulation for protection, e.g. adhesive, molding or casting resin
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/443 Protective covering
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4486 Protective covering
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1052 with cutting, punching, tearing or severing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49826 Assembling or joining

Abstract

An optical fiber cable includes an optical fiber; a sheet of reinforcing tape rolled around a majority of an annular sidewall of the optical fiber; and a jacket surrounding the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape. The sheet has parallel longitudinal edges that are circumferentially spaced from each other to form a longitudinal slit along a length of the sheet of reinforcing tape. The reinforcing tape is formed of a polymeric material having uni-directionally oriented molecules along the length of the sheet. The jacket is heat-bonded to the sheet of reinforcing tape.

Claims

1. An optical fiber cable comprising:

(a) an optical fiber;

(b) a sheet of reinforcing tape rolled around the optical fiber, the sheet having longitudinal edges that extend along a length of the sheet between axial ends, wherein the reinforcing tape is formed of a polymeric material; and

(c) a jacket surrounding the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape, wherein the jacket is heat-bonded to the sheet of reinforcing tape.

2. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the polymeric material has uni-directionally oriented molecules along the length of the sheet of reinforcing tape.

3. The optical fiber cable of claim 2, wherein the uni-directionally oriented molecules include polyethylene molecules.

4. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is a buffered optical fiber.

5. The optical fiber cable of claim 4, wherein the buffered optical fiber includes a tight buffer.

6. The optical fiber cable of claim 4, wherein the buffered optical fiber includes a loose buffer.

7. The optical fiber cable of claim 4, wherein the buffered optical fiber has a cross-dimension of 900 μ

m.

8. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the jacket is formed from PVC.

9. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the jacket is formed from a low smoke zero halogen material.

10. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the reinforcing tape has a lower melt temperature than the jacket.

11. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber cable is plenum rated.

12. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber cable is riser rated.

13. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber cable does not include a separate reinforcing layer between the fiber and the jacket.

14. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, further comprising an optical fiber connector that terminates a first end of the optical fiber cable to form a connectorized optical fiber cable.

15. The optical fiber cable of claim 14, wherein the optical fiber connector includes a connector body having a rear housing portion, and wherein a first of the axial ends of the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape is configured to mount over the rear portion of the connector body.

16. The optical fiber cable of claim 15, wherein the first axial end of the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape is heat-bonded to the rear housing portion of the connector body.

17. The optical fiber cable of claim 14, wherein the optical fiber connector includes a connector body holding a ferrule hub that is spring-biased within the connector body, and wherein a first of the axial ends of the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape is configured to mount over a rear of the ferrule hub.

18. The optical fiber cable of claim 17, wherein the first axial end of the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape is heat-bonded to the rear of the ferrule hub.

19. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the first axial end of the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape is bonded to the jacket.

20. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the jacket has been stripped from the first axial end of the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape.

21. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, the longitudinal edges of the sheet being parallel to each other and circumferentially spaced from each other to form a longitudinal slit along the length of the sheet of reinforcing tape

22. The optical fiber cable of claim 21, wherein a first axial end of the jacket has a longitudinal slit that is disposed in alignment with the longitudinal slit between the longitudinal edges of the rolled sheet to facilitate mounting of the first axial end of the rolled sheet.

23. The optical fiber cable of claim 22, wherein the first axial ends of the jacket and the rolled sheet each define a second longitudinal slit at a position circumferentially spaced from the longitudinal slits of the jacket and rolled sheet.

24. The optical fiber cable of claim 14, wherein the pull-out force required to disengage the connector assembly from the fiber optic cable would be at least about 26 lbs.

25. The optical fiber cable of claim 14, wherein the connectorized optical fiber cable has a tensile-load strength of at least 250 Newtons.

26. The optical cable of claim 25, wherein the connectorized optical fiber cable has a tensile-load strength of at least 280 Newtons.

27. The optical cable of claim 25, wherein the connectorized optical fiber cable has a tensile-load strength ranging between about 270 Newtons and 310 Newtons.

28. The optical cable of claim 25, wherein the connectorized optical fiber cable has a tensile-load strength ranging between about 280 Newtons and 300 Newtons.

29. The optical fiber cable of claim 1, wherein the tape does not include any reinforcement yarns or fibers.

30. A method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable having at least a first optical fiber, the method comprising:

wrapping a sheet of reinforcing tape around the first optical fiber so that longitudinal edges of the sheet extend parallel to each other along a length of the first optical fiber to form a rolled sheet of reinforcing tape; and

extruding a jacket around the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape so that heat from extrusion partially melts the reinforcing tape to heat-bond the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape to the jacket.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the reinforcing tape including polyethylene molecules uni-directionally oriented along the length of the sheet.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein wrapping the sheet of reinforcing tape comprises wrapping the sheet so that the longitudinal edges are circumferentially spaced from each other to form a longitudinal slit.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein wrapping the sheet of reinforcing tape comprises:

wrapping a first sheet of reinforcing tape around a circumferential portion of the first optical fiber so that longitudinal edges of the first sheet extend parallel to each other along the length of the first optical fiber; and

wrapping a second sheet of reinforcing tape around another circumferential portion of the first optical fiber so that longitudinal edges of the second sheet extend parallel to each other along the length of the first optical fiber.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein one of the longitudinal edges of the first sheet faces but is circumferentially spaced from one of the longitudinal edges of the second sheet;

and wherein another of the longitudinal edges of the first sheet faces but is circumferentially spaced from another of the longitudinal edges of the second sheet to form the rolled sheet with two longitudinal slits extending along a length of the rolled sheet.

35. A method of connectorizing a first axial end of an optical cable including a jacket surrounding reinforcing tape wrapped around an optical fiber, the method comprising:

spreading out reinforcing tape at the first axial end of the optical cable to provide an enlarged cross-dimension of the first axial end;

axially sliding a portion of an optical connector rearwardly into the first axial end of the optical cable through the enlarged cross-dimension; and

applying heat to the first axial end of the optical cable to heat-bond the first axial end of the optical cable to the portion of the optical connector.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising stripping a portion of the jacket from the first axial end of the optical cable before spreading out the reinforcing tape.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising cutting the jacket at the first axial end of the optical cable to form a slit;

wherein spreading out the reinforcing tape also comprises spreading out the jacket at the slit.

38. The method of claim 37, further comprising cutting the jacket and the reinforcing tape at the first axial end of the optical cable at a location circumferentially spaced from the slit to form a second slit;

wherein spreading out the reinforcing tape also comprises spreading out the jacket at the slit and the second slit.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the second slit is located opposite the slit.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein spreading out reinforcing tape at the first axial end of the optical cable comprises inserting a spread tool into a longitudinal slit defined in the reinforcing tape at the first axial end of the cable;

and sliding the spreader tool along the longitudinal slit.

41. The method of claim 35, wherein the portion of the optical connector includes a rear housing portion of a connector body.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

threading the optical cable through a boot;

sliding the boot over the first axial end of the optical cable and over the rear housing portion of the optical connector; and

securing the boot to the optical connector so that the boot encloses the first axial end of the optical cable.

43. The method of claim 35, wherein the portion of the optical connector includes a ferrule hub.

44. The method of claim 43, further comprising:

threading the optical cable through an inner connector body, an outer connector body, and a boot;

sliding the ferrule hub through the outer connector body from a rear of the outer connector body after the optical cable is heat-bonded to the ferrule hub;

sliding the inner connector body partially into the outer connector body from the rear of the outer connector body; and

mounting the boot to the optical connector.

45. An optical fiber cable comprising:

(a) an optical fiber;

(b) a sheet of reinforcing tape rolled around the optical fiber, the sheet having longitudinal edges that extend along a length of the sheet between axial ends, wherein the reinforcing tape is formed of a polymeric material having uni-directionally oriented molecules along the length of the sheet of reinforcing tape; and

(c) a jacket surrounding the rolled sheet of reinforcing tape.

46. The optical fiber cable of claim 45, wherein the sheet of reinforcing tape is rolled around a majority of a circumference of the optical fiber.

47. The optical fiber cable of claim 45, wherein the tape does not include any reinforcement yarns or fibers.