Insulator with fiber optic communication channel

Claim 1

An insulator apparatus comprising a central electrically nonconductive strength member; attachment fitting at opposite ends of said strength member for attaching said member to devices which are to be physically separated from each other and which are at different electrical potentials; first and second housings surrounding and fixedly attached to opposite ends of said strength member between said attachment fittings; a plurality of sheds in end-to-end relationship along said strength member, each said shed surrounding said strength member; means defining a groove extending along an outer surface of said strength member; and at least one optical fiber extending along said strength member in said groove and within said sheds to provide a communication path from one end of the insulator to the other, each of said housing including first and second axially spaced end members fixedly attached to said strength member, a generally cylindrical sleeve surrounding said end members and the space therebetween, thereby forming a closed chamber, and means in the axially outermost one of said end members for sealingly engaging an external optical fiber extending therethrough for introducing said external fiber into the interior of said chamber.