Patent ID: 8842956
Filing Date: 2014-09-23
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. A non-kink, non-hockling optical cable comprising: an optical fiber having a core having a given index of refraction and a cladding layer surrounding and in contact with said core and having an index of refraction lower than that of said core so that the two in combination are capable of propagating light along the length of said optical fiber; a buffer layer surrounding and in contact with said cladding of said optical fiber made of a soft plastic material; a supplemental layer surrounding and in contact with said buffer layer, said supplemental layer consisting essentially of a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) material to enhance the tensile strength of said optical fiber; and an encasing polymer layer surrounding and in contact with said supplemental layer, said encasing layer having a thickness and breaking strain for increasing the flexibility of said supplemental layer so that loops formed in said optical cable unfold to be converted into twists as the radius of the loops are tightened smaller than a predetermined limit, wherein the thickness and bending strain of said encasing layer are related as follows: D=2d/(2r+d) wherein D is the differential strain, d is the layer thickness, and r is the minimum bending strain radius and wherein the differential strain is 30% and the minimum bending strain radius is 0.25 inches.