TRACEABLE CABLE WITH SIDE-EMITTING OPTICAL FIBER AND METHOD OF FORMING THE SAME

• Main Authors: BAUCO, ANTHONY SEBASTIAN, LEWIS, KEVIN ALTON, BUTLER, DOUGLAS LLEWELLYN, COLLIER, ADAM KENT
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 23.11.2016
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; BLASTING; CABLES; CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GLASSES, GLAZES, OR VITREOUSENAMELS; CHEMISTRY; CONDUCTORS; ELECTRICITY; FUNCTIONAL FEATURES OR DETAILS OF LIGHTING DEVICES OR SYSTEMSTHEREOF; GLASS; HEATING; INSULATORS; JOINING GLASS TO GLASS OR OTHER MATERIALS; LIGHTING; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; METALLURGY; MINERAL OR SLAG WOOL; OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS, OR APPARATUS; OPTICS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; PRODUCING PARTICULAR ARTICLES FROM PLASTICS OR FROM SUBSTANCESIN A PLASTIC STATE; SELECTION OF MATERIALS FOR THEIR CONDUCTIVE, INSULATING ORDIELECTRIC PROPERTIES; STRUCTURAL COMBINATIONS OF LIGHTING DEVICES WITH OTHERARTICLES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; SURFACE TREATMENT OF FIBRES OR FILAMENTS MADE FROM GLASS,MINERALS OR SLAGS; SURFACE TREATMENT OF GLASS; TRANSPORTING; WEAPONS; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

A traceable cable (3) and method of forming the same. The cable includes at least one data transmission element (7), a jacket (10) at least partially surrounding the at least one data transmission element, and a side-emitting optical fiber (20) incorporated with and extending along at least a portion of the length of the cable. The side-emitting optical fiber can have a core (31), spaced apart scattering sites (40) having scattering material (42) disposed on an exterior surface of the core along the length of the optical fiber, and a cladding (35) substantially surrounding the core and the scattering material. The scattering sites are capable of scattering light so that the scattered light is emitted from the side-emitting optical fiber at discrete locations proximate to the scattering sites. When light is transmitted through the core, light scattered from the side-emitting optical fiber allows the cable to be traced along at least a portion of the length thereof.