Power/fiber hybrid cable

• US 9,837,186 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2016
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kachmar, Wayne M., Fahd, Aly, Nardone, Kenneth Christopher, Aguiar, Wagner da Silva, Jacobsen, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Ellen
• Application Number:
  US15/097,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20160300643A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• 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 6/4431 with provision in the protective covering, e.g. weak line, for gaining access to one or more fibres, e.g. for branching or tapping break-out terminations G02B6/4471
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4434 Central member to take up tensile loads
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4479 Manufacturing methods of optical cables
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 1/026 Alloys based on copper
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 13/14 by extrusion extrusion in general B29C48/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 7/009 Cables with built-in connecting points or with predetermined areas for making deviations
• CPC Class Codes: H01B 9/005 including optical transmission elements

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a hybrid cable having a jacket with a central portion positioned between left and right portions. The central portion contains at least one optical fiber and the left and right portions contain electrical conductors. The left and right portions can be manually torn from the central portion.

Claims

1. A hybrid cable comprising:

an outer jacket having a transverse cross-sectional profile that defines a major axis and a minor axis, the outer jacket having a height measured along the minor axis and a width measured along the major axis, the width being greater than the height such that the transverse cross-sectional profile of the outer jacket is elongated along the major axis;

the outer jacket including a top side and an opposite bottom side separated by the height, the top and bottom sides of the outer jacket each having a constant thickness such that the top and bottom sides are flat and generally parallel to one another;

the outer jacket including a left portion, a right portion and a central portion, the left, right and central portions being positioned along the major axis with the central portion being disposed between the left and right portions;

the central portion of the outer jacket defining a central passage having at least one optical fiber positioned therein;

a left pre-defined tear location positioned between the central portion and the left portion of the outer jacket, the left pre-defined tear location being weakened such that the left portion of the outer jacket can be manually torn from the central portion of the outer jacket; and

a right pre-defined tear location positioned between the central portion and the right portion of the outer jacket, the right pre-defined tear location being weakened such that the right portion of the outer jacket can be manually torn from the central portion of the outer jacket;

the left and right pre-defined tear locations each being uninterrupted and each running continuously along a length of the hybrid cable;

the left and right pre-defined tear locations each intersecting the major axis of the hybrid cable at a location outwardly offset from the central passage such that the left and right pre-defined tear locations do not intersect the central passage when the left and right portions are torn from the central portion of the outer jacket; and

the left and right pre-defined tear locations being configured such that the at least one optical fiber positioned within the central passage of the central portion remains fully insulated and protected by the central portion of the outer jacket after the left and right portions of the outer jacket have been torn from the central portion of the outer jacket.

2. The hybrid cable of claim 1, wherein the central portion of the outer jacket has a rectangular transverse cross-sectional shape after the left and right portions of the outer jacket have been torn away from the central portion of the outer jacket.

3. The hybrid cable of claim 1, wherein the left and right pre-defined tear locations each include an upper slit that extends downwardly from the top side, a lower slit that extends upwardly from the bottom side, and a non-slitted portion positioned between the upper and lower slits.

4. The hybrid cable of claim 3, wherein jacket weakening members are embedded in the non-slitted portions.

5. The hybrid cable of claim 3, wherein the upper and lower slits of the left pre-defined tear location are aligned along a left tearing plane, and wherein the upper and lower slits of the right pre-defined tear location are aligned along a right tearing plane, wherein the left and right tearing planes are positioned laterally outside lateral-most extents of the central passage such that the left and right tearing planes do not intersect the central passage.

6. The hybrid cable of claim 5, wherein the left and right pre-defined tear locations each include a jacket weakening member embedded in the non-slitted portions of the outer jacket.

7. The hybrid cable of claim 6, wherein the jacket weakening members are positioned along the major axis.

8. The hybrid cable of claim 1, wherein the left portion defines a left passage having a first electrical conductor positioned therein, and the right portion defines a right passage having a second electrical conductor positioned therein.

9. The hybrid cable of claim 8, wherein the first and second electrical conductors are solid metal or braided metal.

10. The hybrid cable of claim 8, wherein the first and second electrical conductors are solid copper or braided copper.

11. The hybrid cable of claim 8, further comprising a tensile strength structure positioned within the central passage.

12. The hybrid cable of claim 11, wherein the tensile strength structure is anchored to structure to limit the transfer of tensile load to the at least one optical fiber.

13. The hybrid cable of claim 12, wherein the structure is a fiber optic connector.

14. The hybrid cable of claim 11, wherein the tensile strength structure includes a reinforcing tape.

15. The hybrid cable of claim 14, wherein the reinforcing tape is bonded to the outer jacket and include aramid yarns.

16. The hybrid cable of claim 11, further comprising first and second reinforcing tapes positioned within the central passage, the first and second reinforcing tapes having longitudinal portions that overlap one another.

17. The hybrid cable of claim 8, wherein a plurality of optical fibers are positioned within the central passage.

18. The hybrid cable of claim 17, wherein no buffer tube is provided in the central passage, and wherein the optical fibers are coated optical fibers without buffer layers and the coated optical fibers have outer diameters less than 300 microns.

19. A method of making a hybrid cable, the method comprising:

receiving polymeric material from an extruder into a cross head;

feeding at least one optical fiber, a tensile strength structure, electrical conductors, and jacket weakening members into the cross head;

shaping the tensile strength structure into a generally cylindrical shape for surrounding the at least one optical fiber prior to entering the cross head;

extruding a material about the tensile strength structure, the electrical conductors, and the jacket weakening members to form an outer jacket of the hybrid cable, the outer jacket including a left portion, a right portion, and a central portion, the central portion of the outer jacket defining a central passage with the at least one optical fiber positioned therein, the at least one optical fiber positioned within the central passage of the central portion being fully insulated and protected by the central portion of the outer jacket;

the outer jacket including top and bottom sides that each have a constant thickness, the top and bottom sides each being flat and generally parallel to one another;

cutting a left pre-defined tear location positioned between the central portion and the left portion of the outer jacket, the left pre-defined tear location being uninterrupted and running continuously along a length of the hybrid cable, the left pre-defined tear location intersecting a major axis of the hybrid cable at a location outwardly offset from the central passage such that the left pre-defined tear location does not intersect the central passage when the left portion is torn from the central portion of the outer jacket;

cutting a right pre-defined tear location positioned between the central portion and the right portion of the outer jacket, the right pre-defined tear location being uninterrupted and running continuously along the length of the hybrid cable, the right pre-defined tear location intersecting the major axis of the hybrid cable at a location outwardly offset from the central passage such that the right pre-defined tear location does not intersect the central passage when the right portion is torn from the central portion of the outer jacket; and

cooling the hybrid cable.