초록 ▼

An apparatus that joins ends of fiber optic cables includes a fiber protection sleeve fitted over an area of optical coupling to cover bare optical fibers at the coupling. The sleeve extends from the bare fibers to cover a portion of a buffer section of each cable. The fiber protection sleeve has an

An apparatus that joins ends of fiber optic cables includes a fiber protection sleeve fitted over an area of optical coupling to cover bare optical fibers at the coupling. The sleeve extends from the bare fibers to cover a portion of a buffer section of each cable. The fiber protection sleeve has an inner heat shrinkable tube that overlaps the area of optical coupling, a flexure suppressant rigidity member disposed exteriorly adjacent the inner heat shrinkable tube, and an outer heat shrinkable tube that overlaps the rigidity member and the inner heat shrinkable tube. The inner and outer heat shrinkable tubes are shrink-fitted to strengthen and seal the area of optical coupling. Additionally, a strength member sleeve is fitted over cable strength member sections that are interlayed over the fiber protection sleeve. The strength member sleeve includes a solder impregnated tubular braid and a heat shrinkable tube covering the braid. Heating the strength member sleeve causes solder within the braid to join the braid with the interlayed strength members, and causes the heat shrinkable tube surrounding the tubular braid to shrink the braid and itself upon the interlayed strength members. An encapsulant lined outer protective heat shrinkable sheath overlaps the other elements of the invention and extends onto a portion of the sheath of each cable. The outer protective sheath is heat shrunk to seal the area of optical coupling from the ambient and to distribute the encapsulant throughout the sheath to further seal the area of optical coupling.

대표청구항 ▼

An apparatus for joining the ends of two fiber optic cables, each cable having an optical fiber optically coupled to each other in an optical coupling, a buffer section longitudinally covering the fiber of each cable, a multi-strand metallic strength member covering each buffer section, and a sheath

An apparatus for joining the ends of two fiber optic cables, each cable having an optical fiber optically coupled to each other in an optical coupling, a buffer section longitudinally covering the fiber of each cable, a multi-strand metallic strength member covering each buffer section, and a sheath covering each strength member, the cable ends being stripped and cut to leave a length of bare buffer section terminating in bare optical fiber at the optical coupling, with the strength member of each cable extending longitudinally beyond the optical coupling, the apparatus comprising: an inner, void-filling heat shrinkable tube longitudinally covering the bare optical fibers at the optical coupling and extending therefrom onto at least a portion of the bare buffer sections of each cable, the inner tube being shrink-fitted under sufficient heat so that the area of optical coupling is substantially sealed from the ambient and so that any voids between the inner tube and the area of optical coupling are substantially filled; a flexure-suppressant rigidity member disposed exteriorly adjacent the inner heat shrinkable tube; an outer heat shrinkable tube covering the rigidity member and the inner heat shrinkable tube, the outer tube being shrink-fitted under sufficient heat to bind the rigidity member to the inner heat shrinkable tube and to further substantially seal the area of optical coupling from the ambient; a solder-impregnated tubular braid, the multi-strand metallic strength member of each cable being interlayed over at least the area of optical coupling, the solder-impregnated tubular braid being longitudinally disposed over the interlayed strength members; a heat shrinkable tube covering the solde-rimpregnated tubular braid, sufficient heat being directed upon the heat shrinkable tube to bindingly join the solder within the solder-impregnated tubular braid to the multi-strand strength members and to the braid, and to shrink-fit the heat shrinkable tube and the solder-impregnated tubular braid upon the interlayed strength members; and an encapsulant lined outer protective heat shrinkable sheath overlapping the heat shrinkable tube and extending therefrom onto at least a portion of said sheath of each cable, the encapsulant lined outer protective sheath being shrink-fitted under sufficient heat to substantially seal the area of optical coupling from the ambient and to distribute the encapsulant throughout the sheath to further substantially seal the area of optical coupling from the ambient.