Metallized Optical Fiber

• US 20150235742A1
• Filed: 09/05/2013
• Published: 08/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dow Global Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Fu, Lin, Kmiec, Chester J., Flory, Anny, Polanksy, Damien
• Granted Patent: US 10,475,555 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44 Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables cables incorporating electric conductors and optical fibres where features relating to the optical fibres are not of interest H01B11/22
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4402 with one single optical waveguide G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4416 Heterogeneous cables
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/443 Protective covering
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/18 Coaxial cables; Analogous cables having more than one inner conductor within a common outer conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 11/22 Cables including at least one electrical conductor together with optical fibres

Abstract

A metallized optical fiber comprises: A) An optical fiber, and B) A conductive metal over and in contact with the optical fiber and having a thickness that is at least 0.15 times the thickness of the optical fiber. The metallized optical fiber can form a component of a hybrid optical fiber/coaxial cable, and it provides good protection against interference with the data signal traveling along the optical fiber from electrical current from an adjacent or near-by electrical conductor.

Claims

1. A metallized optical fiber comprising:

A) An optical fiber, and

B) A metal over and in contact with the optical fiber, the metallized optical fiber characterized by the metal having a thickness that is at least 0.15 times the thickness of the optical fiber.

2. The fiber of claim 1 in which the metal comprises at least one of copper, aluminum, a metal of the platinum group or metal of the precious metal group.

3. The fiber of claim 2 in which the metal covers the entire surface of the optical fiber.

4. The fiber of claim 2 further characterized by the metal covering less than the entire surface of the optical fiber.

5. The fiber of claim 4 in which the metal is in the form of a strip that runs along the longitudinal axis of the fiber.

6. The fiber of claim 5 in which the metal strip covers at least 10 percent of the surface of the optical fiber.

7. A hybrid fiber optic/coaxial cable comprising:

A) A coaxial cable, and

B) A metallized optical fiber comprising;

1) An optical fiber; and

2) A metal coating over and in contact with the optical fiber, the metallized hybrid fiber optic/coaxial cable characterized by the metal having a thickness that is at least 0.15 times the thickness of the optical fiber.

8. The hybrid fiber optic/coaxial cable of claim 7 connected to a power source.

9. The hybrid optical fiber/coaxial cable of claim 7 in which the metal is copper and it covers the entire, or near entire, surface of the optical fiber.

10. A method of transmitting a data signal through a cable, the method comprising connecting the cable to a power source and a data signal source, the cable comprising the hybrid optical fiber/coaxial cable of claim 7.