OPTICAL FIBER / ELECTRICAL COMPOSITE CABLE ASSEMBLY WITH SEALED BREAKOUT KIT

• US 20140140664A1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Andrew LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: ISLAM, Nahid
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,021 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/86
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/36 Mechanical coupling means G02B6/255, G02B6/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4416 Heterogeneous cables
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44265 Fibre-to-antenna cables; Auxiliary devices thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4471 Terminating devices demountable connectors G02B6/3807; Cable clamps
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44715 Fan-out devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4989 with spreading of cable strands

Abstract

A cable breakout kit has a cable portion, an inner wall portion and a furcation portion with at least one fiber port. The cable portion and the furcation portion are dimensioned to couple with one another, enclosing a furcation area. The inner wall portion is coupled to the furcation portion and a fiber bundle of the cable, enclosing a fiber area within the furcation area; the fiber area is coupled to the at least one fiber port. An assembly including a cable with a fiber and an electrical conductor utilizes a transition housing to pass the fiber and conductor to respective furcation tubes, isolated from one another.

Claims

1. A cable breakout kit, comprising:

a cable portion;

a furcation portion with at least one fiber port; and

an inner wall portion;

the cable portion and the furcation portion dimensioned to couple with one another, enclosing a furcation area;

the inner wall portion coupled to the furcation portion and a fiber bundle of the cable, enclosing a fiber area within the furcation area;

the fiber area coupled to the at least one fiber port.

2. The cable breakout kit of claim 1, wherein the inner wall portion couples with the fiber bundle via an end stop seated on an outer diameter of the fiber bundle, the inner wall portion seating against an outer diameter of the end stop.

3. The cable breakout kit of claim 1, wherein the inner wall portion is dimensioned to seat against an outer diameter of the fiber bundle.

4. The cable breakout kit of claim 1, further including at least one fiber furcation tube and at least one conductor furcation tube.

5. The cable breakout kit of claim 4, wherein the at least one conductor furcation tube includes a metallic shield layer.

6. The cable breakout kit of claim 1, further including an adhesive well projecting from a furcation end, surrounding the at least one fiber port.

7. The cable breakout kit of claim 6, wherein the adhesive well surrounds a plurality of the fiber ports.

8. The cable breakout kit of claim 1, further including a furcation shoulder at a furcation end of the at least one fiber port;

the furcation shoulder dimensioned to receive a fiber and strength layer of a fiber furcation tube.

9. The cable breakout kit of claim 1, wherein the at least one fiber port is dimensioned to receive an inner tube of a fiber furcation tube into the fiber area.

10. A method for furcating a cable, comprising steps of:

inserting the cable through a cable port of a cable portion;

inserting at least one fiber of the cable through an inner wall portion and a furcation portion;

inserting the fiber through a fiber furcation tube and seating the fiber furcation tube in at least one fiber port of the furcation portion;

inserting an electrical conductor of the cable through the furcation portion and a conductor furcation tube and seating the conductor furcation tube in a conductor port of the furcation portion; and

coupling the cable portion and the furcation portion to one another, enclosing a furcation area therewithin.

11. The method of claim 10, further including filling the furcation area with an adhesive.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the furcation area is filled with the adhesive via an adhesive port through one of the cable portion and the furcation portion.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the inner wall portion is coupled to the furcation portion and a fiber bundle of the cable, forming a fiber area isolated from the furcation area.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein a metallic shield layer of the conductor furcation tube extends into the furcation area.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein a metallic shield layer is coupled to a shield of the cable.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein there is a plurality of the fibers distributed though a plurality of the fiber ports.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein an adhesive well at a furcation end of the furcation portion surrounds the fiber ports;

and the adhesive well is filled with an adhesive.

18. A furcated cable assembly, comprising

a cable with a fiber and an electrical conductor;

a transition housing coupled to the cable, a fiber furcation tube and a conductor furcation tube;

the fiber passing through the transition housing and into the fiber furcation tube;

the electrical conductor passing through the transition housing and into the conductor furcation tube;

the electrical conductor passing through a furcation area of the transition housing and the fiber passing through a fiber area of the transition housing, which is isolated from the furcation area.

19. The cable assembly of claim 18, wherein the furcation area is filled with an adhesive.

20. The cable assembly of claim 18, wherein the fiber is free floating between the cable and the fiber furcation tube.