AU5151499A - Protection of telecommunication glass fibers with air-space paper-insulated core - Google Patents

Description

Protection of glass fibers for telecommunication with hollow leads The invention relates to a protection for glass fibers for 5 telecommunication with hollow leads in distribution fields of cassette arrays in cable sleeves. Up to now, glass fibers are generally fed into glass fiber cable bundle leads for splicing up to the commercial splicing 10 cassettes and from there, are then fed further via the cables, own bundle leads into the exiting cable. If however more glass fibers are fed into a bundle lead than are to be spliced within a splice cassette, these glass fibers must be correspondingly split, i.e. they have to be removed from the 15 bundle lead and, as the case may be, be fed within other suitable protective tubes. In one such splitting, a splitting adapter to which, for example, the tubes are individually attached is commonly used. In another exemplary technique a corresponding number of tubes lead directly out of the 20 cassette. It is however sensible to protect the glass fibers which are fed out of the cassettes or out of the bundle lead against mechanical influences. It is also generally known to route glass fibers in thin 25 tubes, or so-called hollow leads, in the distribution field. However, this requires varying diameters and varying lengths of hollow leads. In addition, the hollow leads must be attached on both sides of the cassettes as well as at the end of the cable. In this sense, cassettes comprising clamp 30 grooves for holding individual hollow leads are known. This then requires the installer at the construction site to, for example, group hollow leads belonging together into bundles and to attach these with cable connectors to the respective appropriate cassette. This procedure, however, entails a high 35 degree of effort during assembly, since the hollow leads must first be cut to length from a supply roll, layed and individually attached. This is the general prior as it is STF' rently applied in distribution fields. 01 The goal of the present invention is to provide a protection for glass fibers for telecommunication with which the degree of assembly complexity in making the distribution fields can be reduced. The posed goal is met with a protection for glass 5 fibers for telecommunication with hollow leads of the type mentioned at the outset, in which multiple hollow leads are gathered together lengthwise to a composite element at at least their first ends, and in which the ends of the hollow leads can be individually cut off to the required length. 10 The embodiments according to the invention for the protection of glass fibers for telecommunication result in considerable work for the assembler, since connection elements which have already been gather for him are provided, which, as the case 15 may be, are also individually cut to the required lengths. Gathering the individual hollow leads also results in a considerable simplification during the fixing of these composite elements since they can exit from a splitting point and can then be easily routed to the corresponding 20 distribution points. These composite elements of gathered individual hollow leads can be designed as a round bundle or as a flat band. The composite or the gathering of the individual hollow leads can extend over the entire length required so that a continual composite exists. The assembler 25 then opens the individual hollow leads at the end point or close to the end point of the composite, so that the hollow leads are routed starting from the opening point individually, for example, to different cassettes. Such a composite element can either be offered in endless form or can be cut to a 30 particular length. However, according to the invention, composite elements are also provided in which the individual hollow leads are held together only at one point or discontinuously at multiple points with connection pieces or by gluing. For a given distributor sleeve, it is therefore 35 basically possible to provide a composite element system exactly tailored to the laying requirements. For the assembler, a ready-made composite element system of this sort results in a considerable savings in assembly time, since the cutting to size, laying and fixing of individual hollow leads 40 is eliminated.

The connection of the individual hollow leads along the surface lines can for example be accomplished by melting the outer covering layer followed by compression. Mutual gluing 5 with thermal glues or with UV-curing glues, two-component glues or instant glues is also possible, wherein not only a discontinuous, but also a continuous composite can be produced. By co-extruding multiple hollow leads, it is possible even here to produce a corresponding composite. 10 A special material combination is required in the hollow leads suitable for such an application. A hard but elastic plastic such as for example polycarbonate (PC) in the inner area of the hollow lead is especially suitable for this, so that the 15 hollow lead does not crimp and possibly damage the glass fibers. In the outer area, a soft, weakly adhesive layer, for example made of polyurethane, is applied by which the mutual adhesion of the hollow leads is enhanced. 20 The invention is now described in more detail by means of nine figures. Figure 1 shows the application of the protection according to the invention within a cable sleeve. 25 Figure 2 shows a continuously adhering composite element in the shape of a band. Figure 3 shows the front view of the composite element of 30 Figure 2. Figure 4 shows a discontinuous composite element with a connection piece. 35 Figure 5 shows a composite element with hollow leads already cut to length. Figure 6 shows the composite element of Figure 5 in frontal 40 r4 Figure 7 shows a composite element with a connection piece and hollow leads cut to length. Figure 8 shows a frontal view of the composite element of 5 Figure 7. Figure 9 shows a composite element of round bundle shape. Figure 1 shows the use of the protection for glass fibers for 10 telecommunication with hollow leads as an embodiment. Shown here is a hood sleeve whose hood has, however, been removed, with a sealing body DK on which a cassette stand KG is mounted. Individual splice cassettes for splices of light wave conductors are hung in a hinged manner in this cassette stand 15 KG. On the back side of the cassette stand KG is now located the distribution field for the glass fibers F and the bundle leads BA, wherein the latter are routed from the cable entrances KE to the individual splice cassettes. The individual glass fibers F which are routed between the 20 individual splice cassettes SK as well as for example the bundle leads BA should be routed in a protected manner in order to avoid damage. According to the invention, the glass fibers F and/or the bundle leads BA are now provided with a protection made of composite elements according to the 25 invention. Even this sketched representation makes clear that, relative to the use of individual hollow leads, the use of composite elements according to the invention allows the realization of considerable assembly savings. The designs of such composite elements are now described in more detail by 30 means of the following figures. Figure 2 shows a band-shaped composite element VEl according to the invention, in which individual hollow leads H1 to Hn are connected to one another over their entire length, wherein 35 for each one the possibility exists to open the mutual connection of the hollow leads hi to Hn at least at the ends. By means of the arrangement of the hollow leads in a composite element of this sort, it is possible that the attachment to at east the point of origin only takes place once for all 41_ individual elements, and that on the second end a splitting of the individual elements in different directions is possible. Figure 3 shows a front view onto the composite element VEl of 5 Figure 2 with the hollow leads H1 to Hn. Here, it becomes clear that this picture is concerned with a band-like composite element VEl in which connection between the individual hollow leads H1 to Hn takes place via lengthwise or elongated connections V. A necessary splitting of this 10 composite element takes place along the connections V. Figure 4 imparts the construction of a composite element VE2 as a discontinuously gathered element with hollow leads H1 to Hn. Here, two variants are represented which can be used both 15 in combination as well as individually. In this way, the mutual connection of the hollow leads H1 to Hn can be conducted at the first ends in a terminal fixing area FBl. In this way, the common starting point for an attachment is created. In the corresponding distance from this first fixing 20 area, which is determined for example by a branching point, a connection piece VF1 is provided here in a second fixing area FB2, with which connection piece VFi a further composite point is created. This connection piece VF1 can be made for example of a thermal glue which, under certain conditions, can first 25 be displaced and then can be fixed by the influence of heat. In this case, a splitting of the composite element VE2 into the individual hollow leads H1 to Hn takes place after this connection piece VF1 so that, from here, a distribution to the corresponding part points can take place. If the length has 30 not already been factory-determined, the hollow leads H1 to Hn can now be manually cut to length. A composite element with hollow leads H1 to Hn is represented in Figure 5 wherein for example the longest hollow lead length 35 has already been factory-determined. By means of corresponding cut-off lengths, corresponding adaption lengths are cut off, once again for example in the factory. The individual hollow leads H1 to Hn are connected to one another in a connection 0 ' d ' VB located in the fixing area FB3 of the first ends so that afterwards, a broad fanning out of the hollow leads H1 to Hn of the composite element VE3 can take place. Figure 6 shows the composite element VE3 according to Figure 5 5 in frontal view with its hollow leads H1 to Hn arranged in a bandwise manner. Two variants are shown here as connection elements which can be alternatively used. It is possible to connect the respective individual hollow leads H1 to Hn to one another along surface lines with a connection element, for 10 example with a glue. But it is also possible to connect the individual hollow leads H1 to Hn on one or both sides to one another with the help of an adhesive strip. Figure 7 shows a similar composite element VE4, in which the 15 individual Hi to Hn are held together with the help of a piece VF2 close to the first end in the fixing area FB4. This piece can be composed of plastic comprising corresponding grooves or recesses or holes into which the hollow leads Hi to Hn can be routed and fixed. In addition, the connection piece VF2 is 20 provided with attachment means B, for example with hooks, with which the composite element can be fixed to a predetermined attachment point. Figure 8 shows the embodiment of Figure 7 in front view, from 25 which one can see that the individual hollow leads H1 to Hn are held in a band-shaped manner in openings of the connection piece VF2. In addition, the attachment means B of the composite element VE4 can be seen. 30 A composite element VE5 is shown in Figure 9 in which the hollow leads H are gathered in such a way that a round cross sectional shape results with an encompassing connection piece VF3. Apart from that, all embodiments shown with regard to the attachments and the continuous as well as discontinuous 35 connections can be applied to this composite element VE5, so that a further description is superfluous. 6

Claims (16)

1. Protection of glass fibers for telecommunication with hollow leads in distribution fields of cassette arrays in 5 cable cleeves, characterized in that multiple hollow leads (H1 to Hn) are gathered lengthwise to a composite element (VEl to VE5) at at least their first ends, and that the ends of the hollow leads (Hi to Hn) can be 10 individually cut off to the required length (HL).

2. Protection of claim 1, characterized in that the hollow leads (Hl to Hn) are connected to one another over 15 their entire length by means of longitudinally running connections (v), wherein the mutual connections are openable at their ends.

3. Protection of claim 1, 20 characterized in that the hollow leads (Hi to Hn) are connected to one another only at their first ends in a short fixing area (FB) by means of connections (V, KS, VF) and are available at their second ends as individual, cut-off hollow leads (HAl to HAn). 25

4. Protection of claim 1, characterized in that the hollow leads (H1 to Hn) are discontinuously connected to one another only in partial areas by connection pieces (VF). 30

5. Protection of claim 1, characterized in that the hollow leads (HI to Hn) are connected to one another by at least one elongated connection (V) and at least one connection 35 piece (VF).

6. Protection of one of the previous claims, characterized in that 7 the elongated connections (V) are performed by gluing, preferably with thermal glue, along touching surface lines of the hollow leads (HI to Hn). 5

7. Protection according to one of the claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the elongated connection (V) are performed by welding along touching surface lines of the hollow leads (H1 to Hn). 10

8. Protection according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the elongated connections (V) are coherently produced by coextrusion of multiple hollow leads (H1 to Hn). 15

9. Protection according to claim 4, characterized in that the connection piece (VF) encompasses the hollow leads (H1 to Hn) laying next to each other in a positively locking fashion. 20

10. Protection according to claim 9, characterized in that the connection piece (VF) is composed of thermal glue.

11. Protection according to claim 4, 25 characterized in that the connection piece is a flexible strip of adhesive tape (KS).

12. Protection according to one of the previous claims, 30 characterized in that at least one attachment element (BE) is arranged in the fixing area (FB1 to FB4) of the hollow leads (H1 to Hn) or on the connection piece (VF1, VF2). 35

13. Protection according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the hollow leads (HI to Hn) of a composite element (VE3, VE4) has already been factory cut on their second ends to the required length by removal of cut length (AL). 40 8

14. Protection according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that the composite element (VE5) of hollow leads (H) is fashioned as a round bundle. 5

15. Protection according to one of claims 1-13, characterized in that the composite element (VE1 to VE4) is fashioned as a flat band. 10

16. Protection according to one of the previous claims, characterized in that every hollow lead (H) is composed of a concentrically running material combination wherein the inner area is made of hard 15 and elastic such as polycarbonate and the outer area is made of a soft, weakly adhesive layer of polyurethane. 9