US 11,703,652 B2
Fiber optic cable assembly with integrated shuffle and fabrication method
Qi Wu, Painted Post, NY (US)
Assigned to Corning Research & Development Corporation, Corning, NY (US)
Filed by CORNING RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, Corning, NY (US)
Filed on Nov. 8, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/521,002.
Application 17/521,002 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2020/030237, filed on Apr. 28, 2020.
Application PCT/US2020/030237 is a continuation of application No. 16/419,571, filed on May 22, 2019, granted, now 10,678,012, issued on Jun. 9, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0057592 A1, Feb. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 6/44 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/4472 (2013.01) [G02B 6/447 (2013.01); G02B 6/4471 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for fabricating a fiber optic cable assembly, the method comprising:
providing M groups of N optical fibers in a first cable assembly section, with each group of the M groups of N optical fibers including ordered optical fibers O1 to OX as members, and wherein M≥4 and X≥4, such that a first group of the M groups of N optical fibers includes ordered optical fibers O1FIRST to OXFIRST, and a last group of the M groups of N optical fibers includes ordered optical fibers O1LAST to OXLAST;
sequentially for each group of the M groups of N optical fibers, inserting a segment of each ordered optical fiber into a different receiving area of a plurality of receiving areas of a fiber sorting fixture to form a plurality of linear arrays of optical fibers including a different linear array of ordered optical fibers within each receiving area, wherein a first receiving area of the plurality of receiving areas receives optical fibers O1FIRST to O1LAST in sequential order to form a first linear array of the plurality of linear arrays of optical fibers, and a last receiving area of the plurality of receiving areas receives optical fibers OXFIRST to OXLAST in sequential order to form a last linear array of the plurality of linear arrays of optical fibers;
for each linear array of the plurality of linear arrays of optical fibers, separately fixing at least one segment of the linear array with an adhesion element to form a rollable fixed array of optical fibers, and arranging the rollable fixed array of optical fibers in a non-linear position, thereby yielding a plurality of rollable, non-linearly positioned fixed arrays of optical fibers from the plurality of linear arrays of optical fibers;
threading the plurality of rollable, non-linearly positioned fixed arrays of optical fibers through a plurality of second tubes as formative elements of a second cable assembly section including N groups of M optical fibers; and
enclosing a transition between the M groups of N optical fibers of the first cable assembly section and the N groups of M optical fibers of the second cable assembly section to form an integral fiber shuffle region of the fiber optic cable assembly.