Cast-in-place fiber technology

• US 9,466,966 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Louisiana Tech Research Corporation, CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Louisiana Tech Research Corporation, CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Allouche, Erez N., Cady, Bryan, Elford, Michael L.
• Primary Examiner(s): LAGMAN, FREDERICK LYNDON
• Application Number:
  US14/746,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20150288161A1
• Time in Patent Office: 477 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: E01C 23/09 for forming cuts, grooves, or recesses, e.g. for making joints or channels for markings, for cutting-out sections to be removed; for cleaning, treating, or filling cuts, grooves, recesses, or fissures; for trimming paving edges
• CPC Class Codes: E01F 11/00 Road engineering aspects of Embedding pads or other sensitive devices in paving or other road surfaces , e.g. traffic detectors, vehicle-operated pressure-sensitive actuators, devices for monitoring atmospheric or road conditionspressure-sensitive elements G01L; traffic control systems G08G
• CPC Class Codes: E02F 5/10 with arrangements for reinforcing trenches or ditches; with arrangements for making or assembling conduits or for laying conduits or cables laying pipes per se F16L1/00, making pipes in situ F16L1/038; laying electric cables per se H02G1/06; drainage device- laying apparatus E02B11/02
• CPC Class Codes: F16L 1/028 in the ground F16L1/026 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/504 Installation in solid material, e.g. underground
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 9/00 Installations of electric cables or lines in or on the ground or water

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques for installing lines or cables, including, without limitation, power lines, low voltage lines, telecommunications lines or cables (e.g., telephone cables, network cables, television cables, etc.), and/or the like, and, in particular, installing optical fiber and/or other lines, slightly below ground level in a roadway or other ground surface. In some cases, a method might include creating a channel in the ground surface, placing one or more lines (e.g., power lines, low voltage lines, telecommunications lines, and/or the like) in the channel, and placing a capping material in the channel, thereby encapsulating the lines. In some cases, placing the one or more lines in the channel might include placing a conduit (containing the one or more lines) in the channel, and encapsulating the one or more lines might include encapsulating the conduit. The capping material might include polyurea, thermosetting material, and/or any other suitable material.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

creating a channel in a roadway, wherein a depth of the channel is less than a depth of the roadway and the channel does not compromise a structural integrity of the roadway;

placing one or more cables in the channel; and

filling at least a portion of the channel with one or more capping materials, wherein at least one of the one or more capping materials encapsulates the one or more cables, and wherein the one or more capping materials comprise a plurality of layers of different capping materials, at least one of which comprises polyurea.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the one or more capping materials is substantially coplanar with a top surface of the roadway.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein creating a channel comprises milling a channel.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more capping materials mechanically interlocks with pores in a material of the roadway.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more cables are one or more conduits into which optical fiber can be fed at a later time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more cables comprise at least one conduit.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one conduit has optical fiber disposed within the at least one conduit.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more cables comprise one or more optical fibers.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more cables comprise one or more electrical lines.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more cables comprise one or more television cables.

11. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one cable disposed in a channel in a ground surface in a roadway, wherein a depth of the channel is less than a depth of the roadway and the channel does not compromise a structural integrity of the roadway; and

one or more capping materials filling at least a portion of the channel, wherein at least one of the one or more capping materials encapsulates the one or more cables, and wherein the one or more capping materials comprise a plurality of layers of different capping materials, at least one of which comprises polyurea.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a top surface of the one or more capping materials is substantially coplanar with a top surface of the roadway.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the channel is created by milling a channel in the roadway.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein at least one of the one or more capping materials mechanically interlocks with pores in a material of the roadway.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more cables are one or more conduits into which optical fiber can be fed at a later time.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more cables comprise at least one conduit.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one conduit has optical fiber disposed within the at least one conduit.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more cables comprise one or more optical fibers.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more cables comprise one or more electrical lines.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the one or more cables comprise one or more television cables.