CN107924740B

CN107924740B - Device for distributing hybrid trunk cables

Info

Publication number: CN107924740B
Application number: CN201680046076.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: N·伊斯拉姆; T·S·沃登
Original assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2015-09-04
Filing date: 2016-08-30
Publication date: 2020-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 2036-08-30
Also published as: AU2016317828B2; EP3345196A4; CN107924740A; AU2016317828A1; WO2017040476A1; EP3345196A1

Abstract

A transition assembly for a hybrid trunk cable, comprising: a hybrid trunk cable comprising a plurality of electrical power conductors and a plurality of optical fibers surrounded by a jacket; a transition cup having a cavity, the hybrid trunk cable entering a first end of the transition cup; a plurality of power lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each power line electrically connected to a respective power conductor; a plurality of fiber optic lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each fiber optic line being optically connected to a respective optical fiber; and a weatherable material residing in the cavity of the transition cup to protect the power and fiber optic lines within the cavity.

Description

Device for distributing hybrid trunk cables

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority and benefit from U.S. provisional patent application No.62/214,501, filed on 9/4/2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to communications cables and equipment, and more particularly to the distribution of hybrid cables.

Background

Recent developments in technology for delivering power and data in wireless infrastructures use hybrid cables, where the term "hybrid cable" is intended to mean a cable comprising a power conductor and one or more optical fiber lines or optical fiber cables. An exemplary hybrid cable is an HFF cable available from comscope, Inc. Unlike radio frequency based systems, a single hybrid trunk cable can be used to power multiple sections, thereby eliminating multiple RF cables. However, in order to use a single hybrid trunk cable, the trunk cable must at some point be switched to the jumper cable. Typically, they are distributed inside a housing that converts the trunk conductor format to the jumper conductor format and connects the optical fibers in the trunk to the optical fibers in the jumper cable. Currently, conversion is achieved by making connections inside the enclosure, requiring the enclosure to be opened, cables to be run/mated to the enclosure, and power and fiber connections to be made, all in the field (e.g., on top of a cell site near a Remote Radio Unit (RRU)). This practice can cause a number of problems to the installer, including time, safety, connection errors (such as loose power connections and/or poor fiber cleaning), and a greater likelihood of connector damage.

Disclosure of Invention

As a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a transition assembly for a hybrid trunk cable, comprising: a hybrid trunk cable comprising a plurality of electrical power conductors and a plurality of optical fibers surrounded by a jacket; a transition cup having a cavity, the hybrid trunk cable entering a first end of the transition cup; a plurality of power lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each power line electrically connected to a respective power conductor; a plurality of fiber optic lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each fiber optic line being optically connected to a respective optical fiber; and a weather-resistant material residing in the cavity of the conversion cup to protect the power and fiber optic lines within the cavity.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a transition assembly for a hybrid trunk cable, comprising: a hybrid trunk cable comprising a plurality of electrical power conductors and a plurality of optical fibers surrounded by a jacket; a transition cup having a cavity, the hybrid trunk cable entering a first end of the transition cup; a plurality of power lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each power line electrically connected to a respective power conductor; a plurality of fiber optic lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each fiber optic line being optically connected to a respective optical fiber; and a weather-resistant gasket residing in the cavity of the transition cup to protect the power and fiber optic lines within the cavity.

As a third aspect, embodiments of the present invention are directed to a transition assembly for a hybrid trunk cable, comprising: a hybrid trunk cable comprising a plurality of electrical power conductors and a plurality of optical fibers surrounded by a jacket; a transition cup having a cavity, the hybrid trunk cable entering a first end of the transition cup; a plurality of power lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each power line spliced (splice) to a respective power conductor; a plurality of fiber optic lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each fiber optic line spliced to a respective optical fiber; and a weatherable material residing in the cavity of the transition cup to protect the power and fiber optic lines within the cavity.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conversion assembly according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the cup of the conversion assemblage of fig. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective cut-away view of a cup for a conversion assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a gasket of the conversion assemblage of fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cap of the conversion assemblage of fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a perspective cut-away view of the conversion assembly of fig. 3 with the optical fibers and power cables in place.

Detailed Description

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth and described herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also be appreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein may be combined in any manner and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the following description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when an element (e.g., a device, circuit, etc.) is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intervening elements present.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 a conversion assembly designated broadly as reference numeral 10. Assembly 10 includes hybrid trunk cable 12, transition cup 40, power cord 28 and fiber optic cord 22.

Referring to fig. 2, the transition cup 40 is generally cylindrical and may be formed from any suitable material including metals and polymers. The transition cup 40 includes a body 42 defining a central cavity 44. At one end, the transition cup has a collar 46. At the opposite end, the transition cup 40 is open.

A hybrid trunk cable 12 having a plurality of power conductors 13 and a plurality of optical fibers 14 encased in a jacket 15 enters transition cup 40 through a ferrule 46. A heat shrink sleeve 50 seals the interface between the sheath 15 and the collar 46. Within the cavity 44 of the conversion cup 40, the power conductor 13 of the hybrid trunk cable 12 is spliced to the power line 28 exiting the open opposite end of the conversion cup 40. Similarly, the optical fibers of the hybrid trunk cable 12 are spliced to the fiber optic lines 22 that exit the opposite end of the transition cup 40; they are protected by a furcation tube 24. At their opposite ends, the power and fiber

optic lines

28, 22 are terminated with

suitable connectors

30, 26.

Typically, the power and fiber

optic lines

28, 22 extend from the transition cup 40 for a length of between about 0.5 and 50 meters, and more typically for a length of 0.75 meters. Moreover, those skilled in the art will recognize that a different number of power conductors 13 and optical fibers 14 may be included, as well as a different number of power wires 28 and optical fiber wires 22.

Once the power conductor 13 has been spliced to the power line 28 and the optical fiber 14 has been spliced to the optical fiber line 22, the cavity 44 of the conversion cup 40 is filled (typically from the open end) with a weatherable material 48, such as an adhesive or potting compound. Typical weathering materials include epoxies, polyurethanes, and mixtures thereof, which may be added to the conversion cup 40 in liquid form and allowed to harden/freeze in place. Weathering properties may include water resistance, chemical resistance, and ultraviolet resistance.

The height of the weatherable material 48 should be sufficient to engulf the splice of the power conductor 13/power line 28 and the optical fiber 14/fiber line 22. This material 48 holds the conductors 13, optical fibers 14, power lines 28, and fiber optic lines 22 in place while protecting the splice area from weather and other external factors.

Typically, the hybrid trunk cable 12 is routed from the base of an antenna tower or similar structure to a location adjacent to a piece of equipment (e.g., an RRU) mounted on the structure. The power line 28 is then connected to the device via the connector 30, and the optical fiber 24 is connected to the device via the fiber optic connector 26.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conversion device 10 may take other forms. The transition cup 40 may take on different shapes. In some embodiments, the cavity 44 of the transition cup 40 may be partially filled with a filler (e.g., liquid foam) to reduce the amount of epoxy needed to protect the splice area. The conversion from (a) the power conductor 13 to the power line 28 and/or (b) the optical fiber 14 to the optical fiber line 22 may be accomplished in a manner other than splicing. Other configurations will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Referring now to fig. 3-6, an alternate embodiment of a transition cup, broadly designated as reference numeral 140, is illustrated. The transition cup 140 includes a gasket 150 (see fig. 4) and a cap 160 (see fig. 5) within the cavity 144. The gasket 150 includes an aperture 154 for receiving the fiber optic line 122 and an aperture 156 for receiving the power line 122 (see fig. 4 and 6). Cap 160 includes an aperture 164 for receiving fiber optic line 122 and an aperture 166 for receiving power line 122 (see fig. 5 and 6). The gasket 150 and cap 160 are held in place in the

shoulders

145, 147 on the inner surface of the body 142 of the transition cup 140 (the gasket 150 may be an interference fit and the cap 160 may be held in place via an adhesive). The gasket 150 should be positioned such that the transition region (i.e., the splice) of the power interconnect and the fiber interconnect is between the collar end of the transition cup 140 and the gasket 150.

The gasket 150 and cap 160 may help to maintain the power lines 128 and fiber optic lines 122 in an organized arrangement as they exit the transition cup 140, and may provide a weather-resistant seal. In some embodiments, as described above, the cavity 144 of the transition cup 140 may be filled with a weatherable material. Also, in other embodiments, the washer 150 or cap 160 may be omitted.

The foregoing is illustrative of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting thereof. Although exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the claims. The invention is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

1. A transition assembly for a hybrid trunk cable, comprising:

a hybrid trunk cable comprising a plurality of electrical power conductors and a plurality of optical fibers surrounded by a jacket;

a transition cup having a cavity, a first end of which the hybrid trunk cable enters, the transition cup having a second end opposite the first end that is unsealed;

a plurality of power lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each power line electrically connected to a respective power conductor at an electrical connection;

a plurality of fiber optic lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each fiber optic line optically connected to a respective optical fiber at an optical connection; and

a weatherable material residing in the cavity of the conversion cup to protect the power and fiber optic lines within the cavity, the weatherable material being exposed through the second end of the conversion cup, wherein the weatherable material seals the electrical and optical connections within the cavity, and wherein the weatherable material seals the second end of the conversion cup.

2. The conversion assemblage of claim 1, wherein the weatherable material includes epoxy and/or polyurethane.

3. The conversion assemblage of claim 1, wherein each power line is spliced to its respective power conductor within the cavity.

4. The conversion assemblage of claim 1, wherein each optical fiber is spliced to its respective fiber line within the cavity.

5. The conversion assemblage of claim 1, wherein each optical fiber passes through the conversion cup to meet a respective fiber line.

6. The conversion assemblage of claim 3, wherein the splices of power conductors and power lines are engulfed in a weatherable material.

7. The conversion assemblage of claim 4, wherein the splices of optical fibers and optical fiber lines are engulfed in a weatherable material.

8. A transition assembly for a hybrid trunk cable, comprising:

a plurality of power lines exiting the second end of the conversion cup, each power line spliced to a respective power conductor at an electrical connection;

a plurality of fiber optic lines exiting the second end of the transition cup, each fiber optic line spliced to a respective optical fiber at an optical connection; and

9. The conversion assemblage of claim 8, wherein the weatherable material includes epoxy and/or polyurethane.

10. The conversion assemblage of claim 8, wherein the splices of the power conductors and power lines are engulfed in a weatherable material, and wherein the splices of the optical fibers and optical fiber lines are engulfed in a weatherable material.