SPLITTER MODULES FOR FIBER DISTRIBUTION HUBS
A splitter module for a fiber distribution hub includes a main body with a first aperture configured to receive an input fiber entering the splitter module, and a second aperture configured for a plurality of distribution fibers exiting the splitter module. The splitter module also includes a fin configured to be received in a slot of a splitter tray of a fiber distribution hub, and a pin configured to engage a hole in the splitter tray. The fin is received in the slot, and the pin is received in the hole of the fiber distribution hub to couple the splitter module to the fiber distribution module.
The principles disclosed herein relate to fiber optic cable systems.
BACKGROUNDPassive optical networks are becoming prevalent in part because service providers want to deliver high bandwidth communication capabilities to customers. Passive optical networks are a desirable choice for delivering high speed communication data because they may not employ active electronic devices, such as amplifiers and repeaters, between a central office and a subscriber termination. The absence of active electronic devices may decrease network complexity and/or cost and may increase network reliability.
The portion of network 100 that is closest to central office 110 is generally referred to as the F1 region, where F1 is the “feeder fiber” from the central office. The F1 portion of the network may include a distribution cable having on the order of 12 to 48 fibers; however, alternative implementations can include fewer or more fibers. The portion of network 100 that includes an FDH 130 and a number of end users 115 can be referred to as an F2 portion of network 100. The network 100 includes a plurality of break-out locations 125 at which branch cables are separated out from main cable lines. Branch cables are often connected to drop terminals 104 that include connector interfaces for facilitating coupling the fibers of the branch cables to a plurality of different subscriber locations.
Splitters used in an FDH 130 can accept a feeder cable having a number of fibers and may split those incoming fibers into, for example, 216 to 432 individual distribution fibers that may be associated with a like number of end user locations. In typical applications, an optical splitter is provided prepackaged in an optical splitter module housing and provided with a splitter output in pigtails that extend from the module. The splitter output pigtails are typically connectorized with, for example, SC, LC, or LX.5 connectors. The optical splitter module provides protective packaging for the optical splitter components in the housing and thus provides for easy handling for otherwise fragile splitter components. This modular approach allows optical splitter modules to be added incrementally to FDHs 130 as required.
SUMMARYCertain aspects of the disclosure relate to fiber optic cable systems.
In example systems, a fiber distribution hub includes one or more optical splitter modules that split an optical signal into two or more signals. The splitter modules are modular, and a plurality of splitter modules can be included in the fiber distribution hub. Splitter modules can be added to or removed from the fiber distribution hub as needed.
A variety of additional inventive aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The inventive aspects can relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive concepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to
FDH 330 includes an example outer enclosure 301 that houses internal components, as described further below. In one embodiment, enclosure 301 includes a top panel 302, a first side panel 304, a second side panel (not shown), a bottom panel 308, a back panel (not shown), a first door 310, and a second door 312. In addition, enclosure 301 can include one or more carry handles 318 for facilitating deployment of enclosure 301 at a desired location. First and second doors 310, 312 are each pivotally mounted to facilitate access to components mounted within enclosure 301.
Enclosure 301 of FDH 330 is typically manufactured from heavy gauge aluminum and is NEMA-4X rated. Enclosure 301 is configured to provide protection against rain, wind, dust, rodents and other environmental contaminants. At the same time, enclosure 301 remains relatively lightweight for easy installation, and breathable to prevent accumulation of moisture in the unit. An aluminum construction with a heavy powder coat finish also provides for corrosion resistance. Other materials can be used.
In accordance with example embodiments, FDH 330 is provided in pole mount or pedestal mount configurations. For example, as shown in
Three sizes of FDH 330 are typically available, for example, to correspond to three different feeder counts including, for example, 144, 216, and 432. Alternative sizes for FDH 330 can be used without limitation. Embodiments of FDH 330 can provide termination, splicing, interconnection, and splitting in one enclosure.
Referring now to
Generally, chassis 322 includes a front bulkhead 335 with a feeder cable connection region 356, a splitter shelf 354, and a distribution cable connection region 352. The chassis 322 also includes parking panels 379.
Referring to
The fibers of the feeder cable 700 can be protected within the chassis by loose buffer tubes. In certain embodiments, the fibers of the feeder cable 700 can include ribbon fibers. Fan-out blocks can be provided at the feeder cable connection region 356 for fanning the ribbon cables into individual separate fibers that may be connected to the splitter input fibers at the feeder cable connection region 356. The individual fibers may be connectorized or unconnectorized.
Splitter shelf 354 of the FDH 330 can serve to protect, organize, and secure splitter modules of FDH 330. Splitter shelf 354 can be constructed in various sizes to accommodate different numbers of splitter modules. Referring to
The splitter input fibers 702 and pigtails 704 are routed laterally through open sides of splitter shelf 354 to access the splitter mounting region 341. Radius limiters 342 (see
In example embodiments, the splitter modules are designed to snap into shelf 354 and therefore can be added incrementally into splitter mounting region 341 as needed. In one embodiment, the splitter modules are incrementally loaded into the splitter mounting region 341 from front to back. To accommodate the splitter modules, shelf 354 includes structure for supporting/securing the splitter modules. For example, vertical wall structure 574 includes a plurality of holes 572 adapted to receive fasteners for securing the splitter modules to splitter shelf 354. Additionally, horizontal shelf member 340 includes a plurality of slots 576 for receiving securing elements (e.g., hooks, tongues, brackets, tabs, fins or other structures) of splitter modules to secure the modules to splitter shelf 354. The securement arrangement is adapted to limit movement of the splitter modules relative to the splitter shelf after installation so that the fibers routed to the splitter modules are not disturbed.
Referring to
The fibers of the distribution cable 708 can include first portions 713 (see
Referring still to
In certain embodiments, panels 345 of the distribution cable connection region 352 can be fully loaded with adapters and pre-terminated in the factory with a stub cable containing 144 fibers, 216 fibers or 432 fibers. At the factory, connectorized ends of the stub cable fibers are inserted to the back sides of the adapters of the termination panel. The other ends of the stub cable fibers can be spliced or otherwise connected in the field to the fibers of a distribution cable routed from the FDH to subscriber locations.
The chassis 322 includes structure for managing the vertical routing of optical fibers within the chassis 322. For example, as shown in
As shown at
Referring now to
In example embodiments, chassis 322 includes a release latch 326 (see
In the embodiment shown, the entire chassis 322 is hinged providing a single point of flex for the fiber cable routed to the chassis. This hinge point is constructed to control the fiber bend. In particular, chassis hinge 389 and cable routing hardware (e.g., cable guides 388) are designed to ensure that manufacture recommended bend radii are maintained when the chassis is opened or closed.
In one embodiment, enclosure 301 can be configured at a factory, or plant, so as to have cable bundles dressed around hinge 389. Preconfiguring enclosure 301 reduces the chance that cabling will be done incorrectly.
Additional details regarding example fiber distribution hubs similar to FDH 330 can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/203,157 filed on Aug. 15, 2005, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
Referring now to
The splitter module 500 includes a housing 502 for enclosing and protecting an optical component such as a conventional optical splitter 525 (see
As shown at
Referring to
Fiber access to the interior of the housing 502 is provided at end wall 503 of housing 502. For example, as shown at
The second pass-through location 529 is also provided at first end wall 503 of housing 502. As depicted at
As shown at
The second pass-through location 529 also includes a fiber separator 516 mounted to major end 548 of strain relief structure 504. The separator 516 includes a portion 517 (shown at
In example embodiments, splitter 525 comprises a conventional passive splitting component configured for splitting a single optical signal into a plurality of optical signals. As depicted in
The module 500 also includes structure for securing the module to splitter shelf 354. For example, module 500 includes a securement hook or fin 834 that projects downwardly from bottom wall 532 of the housing 502. The fin 834 is sized to fit through one of slots 576 defined through horizontal shelf member 340 of splitter shelf 354. Fin 834 includes a catch portion 836 (e.g., a tab or lip) adapted to slide under a portion of horizontal shelf member 340 (as shown at
The module 500 also includes a fastener 507 mounted to top extension 519 of end wall 509 of the housing 502. As described below, fastener 507 is adapted to snap within one of openings 572 of vertical wall 574 to secure second end 509 of module 500 to wall 574. In this way, when fastener 507 is locked in place, fastener 507 and wall 574 cooperate to limit sliding movement of the module 504 in the directions indicated by arrows 906, 908 (see
Referring to
As shown in
To install the module 500, the module 500 is manipulated such that the fin 834 is inserted into one of the slots 576. The module 500 is then slid in the direction indicated by arrow 906 until the second end 509 of the housing 502 abuts against the wall 574. As so positioned, the fastener 507 fits within a corresponding one of the openings 572, and the catch portion 836 of the fin 834 projects beyond the end of the slot 576 so as to hook beneath the under side of the horizontal shelf member 340 (see
When the modules 500 are mounted to the splitter shelf 354, the end walls 503 face toward the sides 372, 374 of the chassis 322. Thus, input fibers 702 and pigtails 704 can be routed directly laterally outwardly from the modules and then downwardly around the radius limiters. This type of routing configuration has a relatively small numbers of bends and allows for the effective use of fiber length to reach both the storage locations and the termination panels 345.
In example embodiments, splitter shelf 354 includes a plurality of holes 572 and slots 576 to accommodate a plurality of splitter modules 500 such as, for example, 16 or 32 modules. Splitter modules 500 can be added and removed from splitter shelf 354 as needed. Alternative designs are possible.
Referring again to
Referring now to
From the forgoing detailed description, it will be evident that modifications and variations can be made in the devices of the disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
Claims
1. A splitter module for a fiber distribution hub, the splitter module comprising:
- a main body extending in a longitudinal direction, the main body defining a first aperture configured to receive an input fiber entering the splitter module, and a second aperture configured for a plurality of distribution fibers exiting the splitter module;
- a fin configured to be received in a slot defined in a splitter tray of a fiber distribution hub, wherein the fin defines a fin body including a first dimension extending in a same direction as the longitudinal direction of the main body, and a second dimension extending perpendicularly to the first dimension, the first dimension being longer than the second dimension, and the second dimension being sized to fit through the slot; and
- a pin configured to engage a hole defined in the splitter tray;
- wherein the fin is received in the slot, and the pin is received in the hole of the fiber distribution hub to couple the splitter module to the fiber distribution module.
2. The splitter module of claim 1, wherein the fin includes a tongue sized to be received in the slot and engage the splitter tray of the fiber distribution hub.
3. The splitter module of claim 1, wherein the pin includes a collet sized to be received in the hole defined in a wall of the splitter tray of the fiber distribution hub.
4. The splitter module of claim 3, wherein the pin further includes a handle coupled to the collet, wherein the collet is configured to decrease a diameter of the collet as the handle is moved relative to the collet.
5. The splitter module of claim 4, wherein the collet is configured to be removed from the hole of the wall of the splitter tray when the handle is moved relative to the collet to decrease the diameter of the collet.
6. The splitter module of claim 1, further comprising a strain relief mechanism surrounding the second aperture, wherein the strain relief mechanism includes a boot sized to allow the distribution fibers to extend therethrough, wherein the boot is flexible to maintain a specified bend radius for the distribution fibers.
7. The splitter module of claim 1, wherein the second aperture is a plurality of second apertures, one of the second apertures for each of the distribution fibers.
8. A fiber distribution hub, comprising:
- an enclosure;
- a splitter tray located at least partially within the enclosure, the splitter tray defining a slot and an aperture, the slot extending longitudinally along a surface of the splitter tray; and
- a splitter module including a main body extending in a longitudinal direction, the main body defining a first aperture configured to receive an input fiber entering the splitter module, and a second aperture configured for a plurality of distribution fibers exiting the splitter module, and the splitter module including a fin and a pin;
- wherein the fin defines a fin body including a first dimension extending in a same direction as the longitudinal direction of the main body, and a second dimension extending perpendicularly to the first dimension, the first dimension being longer than the second dimension, and the second dimension being sized to fit through the slot; and
- wherein the fin of the module is received in the slot of the splitter tray, and the pin is received in the hole of the splitter tray to couple the splitter module to the fiber distribution module.
9. The fiber distribution hub of claim 8, wherein the fin includes a tongue that is received in the slot and engages the splitter tray of the fiber distribution hub to couple the splitter module to the splitter tray.
10. The fiber distribution hub of claim 8, wherein the pin includes a collet sized to be received in the hole defined in a wall of the splitter tray of the fiber distribution hub, wherein the pin further includes a handle coupled to the collet, wherein the collet is configured to decrease and increase a diameter of the collet as the handle is moved relative to the collet.
11. The fiber distribution hub of claim 8, further comprising a strain relief mechanism surrounding the second aperture of the splitter module, wherein the strain relief mechanism includes a boot sized to allow the distribution fibers to extend therethrough, wherein the boot is flexible to maintain a specified bend radius for the distribution fibers.
12. The fiber distribution hub of claim 8, wherein the second aperture of the splitter module is a plurality of second apertures, one of the second apertures for each of the distribution fibers.
13. The fiber distribution hub of claim 8, further comprising a chassis located in the enclosure, wherein the splitter tray is located on the chassis, and wherein the chassis is coupled to the enclosure so that the chassis pivots into and out of the enclosure.
14. The fiber distribution hub of claim 13, wherein the splitter tray is located on the chassis so that the splitter tray is accessible when the chassis is pivoted out of the enclosure.
15. A method of coupling a splitter module to a splitter tray of a fiber distribution hub, the splitter module including a main body having a first member and a second member coupled thereto the method comprising:
- positioning the first member of the splitter module in a slot defined by a planar surface of the splitter tray of the fiber distribution hub;
- sliding the splitter module along the planar surface of the splitter tray relative to the fiber distribution hub until the second member of the splitter module is received in an aperture defined by the splitter tray; and
- actuating the second member to couple the splitter module to the splitter tray of the fiber distribution hub.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
- actuating the second member to uncouple the splitter module from the splitter tray of the fiber distribution hub; and
- moving the splitter module relative to the fiber distribution hub until the second member of the splitter module is removed from the aperture defined by the splitter tray.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein actuating the second member further comprises moving a handle of the member relative to a collet of the member to expand the collet.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein moving the splitter module relative to the fiber distribution hub further comprises moving the splitter module until the first member engages the splitter tray.
19. The method of claim 15, further comprising pivoting the splitter shelf relative to an enclosure of the fiber distribution hub to access the splitter shelf.
20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:
- pivoting the splitter shelf out of an enclosure of the fiber distribution hub to access the splitter shelf to add the splitter module to the splitter shelf; and
- pivoting the splitter shelf into the enclosure once the splitter module is added to the splitter shelf.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 28, 2005
Publication Date: Jun 28, 2007
Inventors: Jeff Gniadek (Northbridge, MA), Tom Leblanc (Fitchburg, MA), Yu Lu (Westborough, MA), Keith Millea (Sutton, MA), Randy Reagan (Clinton, MA)
Application Number: 11/321,696
International Classification: G02B 6/00 (20060101);