Custom Fabricated Aviation Grade Optical Patchcords for Unmanned Aircraft

Avionic communication system networks, including aircraft control, navigation, displays, sensor monitoring systems, etc., are often interconnected with single transmission medium optical or electronic aviation grade connectorized cable assemblies. An alternative to traditional aviation grade cable is the use of connectorized cable assemblies (i.e., Patch cords) fabricated by manually installing optical fibers into short lengths of specially engineered furcation tubing that offer desirable avionics performance attributes. Patch cords made using this concept offer a high level of design flexibility and can be manufactured with short lead times. Custom designed furcation tubing products can offer specific sizes, strengths, environmental performance qualities, etc., to meet various cable system requirements. Benefits offered by custom made patch cords include flexibility of fiber count and fiber type, and the ability to optimize cable system weight by judiciously employing the desired types of transmission media contained within one patch cord. Optical fibers can be selectively ribbonized at the ends of the tubing, which may offer benefits to a subsequent connector installation process. If fiber ribbonizing is limited to end locations only, then individual fibers present inside the tubing, are free to bend in any direction during the cable installation (i.e., No preferred bend axes). This methodology enables a service provider to fabricate a wide variety of custom patch cords, supported by an inventory of specific optical fibers, and furcation tubes. The same types of connectors employed on standard cables and the same installation processes are also used with these custom furcation tubes.