Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4439—Auxiliary devices
  • G02B6/4471—Terminating devices ; Cable clamps
  • G02B6/4472—Manifolds
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4439—Auxiliary devices
  • G02B6/444—Systems or boxes with surplus lengths
  • G02B6/4441—Boxes
  • G02B6/44515—Fibre drop terminals with surplus length
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G02—OPTICS
  • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
  • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
  • G02B6/44—Mechanical structures for providing tensile strength and external protection for fibres, e.g. optical transmission cables
  • G02B6/4439—Auxiliary devices
  • G02B6/444—Systems or boxes with surplus lengths
  • G02B6/44528—Patch-cords; Connector arrangements in the system or in the box

Definitions

• ISDN integrated services digital network
• DSL digital subscriber line
• ASDL asynchronous digital subscriber line
• cable television co ⁇ axial cable technologies such as these may provide broadband capabilities to an extent. For example, some DSL services may provide up to approximately 5 Mbits/sec of data. Users may, however, demand even higher bandwidths. The above technologies may have inadequate bandwidth for some users and/or these technologies may be relatively expensive to deploy and/or maintain.
• Fiber drop terminals When fiber drop terminals are deployed in the field, they may need to be tested prior to connecting subscribers to communication services delivered via the fiber drop terminals. Testing may be required to confirm that optical fibers coupled to the fiber drop terminal are operating properly and that connectors and/or receptacles associated with the fiber drop terminal are installed and/or operating correctly. Testing may be performed by injecting a signal onto a fiber at a central office and measuring the signal with a detector at a fiber drop terminal. A linesman may inject a signal onto a fiber at a central office and then drive to a location having a fiber drop terminal. The linesman may climb a pole and connect a detector to an output receptacle on the fiber drop terminal. The linesman may determine if the signal has a desired signal-to-noise ratio.
• a method for configuring a multi-strand fiber optic cable having a plurality of optical fibers and further capable of having a plurality of breakouts at determined locations may include receiving information associating a geographic position with a first location on the cable and establishing a first breakout at the first location, where the first breakout comprises a first subset of the plurality of optical fibers, and where the first subset is for use in conjunction with a first fiber drop terminal having angular coil storage therein.
• the method may include terminating the first breakout.
• FIG. 1OA illustrates an exemplary implementation of an enclosure mating surface utilizing a gasket device to facilitate a weatherproof seal between a housing and a base, consistent with the principles of the invention
• FIG. 12A illustrates a first exemplary implementation of a fiber drop terminal that may include pry tabs for facilitating removal of an enclosure housing from a base, consistent with the principles of the invention
• FIG. 19 illustrates a flow chart showing an exemplary method for installing a fiber drop terminal using a bracket, consistent with the principles of the invention.
• POS 112 may be located in both indoor and outdoor environments. For example, POS 112 may be located in a central office/head end, environmentally secure cabinets, and/or in outdoor enclosures such as fiber drop terminals. In one implementation, POS 112 may include optical splitters that are prepackaged in optical splitter module housings. Packaging POS 112 in an optical splitter cassette, or housing, may provide protective packaging to facilitate easy handling of otherwise fragile splitter components by linesmen.
• An optical splitter cassette may include any device capable of housing one or more assemblies used for splicing an incoming fiber into two or more outgoing fibers.
• Network 100 may include passive components that are located outside the plant, i.e., outside the service provider's building, and require minimal maintenance, since active components, such as amplifiers, may not be required.
• Terminal 300 may be deployed in a number of installed environments including aerial (such as near the top of a utility pole), pedestal (such as cabinets accessible when standing on grade), and/or below grade (such as in below grade vaults and/or sealed enclosures).
• Terminal 300 may consist of two molded plastic enclosure parts separated by a flexible sealing interface that operates to seal an internal cavity against the elements.
• terminal may consist of base 302 and housing, or body, 306.
• Terminal 300 may include an enlarged fiber management portion 308.
• Use of an enlarged fiber management portion 308 ensures that fibers are not adversely impinged by the interior walls of the enclosure.
• the enlarged fiber management portion 308 allows at least one path for a fiber which meets a manufacturer's minimum recommended bend radius for the fiber.
• a manufacturer's minimum recommended, or specified, bend radius refers to a parameter disseminated to the industry for particular types of optical fibers. This parameter identifies a recommended minimum bend radius for a given fiber. If a minimum bend radius is exceeded, excess signal loss may occur resulting in a reduced signal-to-noise ratio at a receiving device.
• depth 320 of terminal 300 By increasing the depth 320 of terminal 300, a path exists within the enclosure for a coil to be installed at an angle that meets the minimum bend radius criteria and therefore eliminates the risk of increased signal attenuation due to excessive fiber bending.
• fiber retaining mechanisms such as hooks (shown in FIG. 6)
• the coil can be organized and retained at a proper radius without losing the organization of the coils.
• Depth 320 may be altered as needed to achieve a desired bend radius for fiber coils arranged therein.
• Second inside angle 342 may operate with second stepped face 336 and second transition region 338 to establish the predetermined orientation for an output receptacle 310 installed therein.
• the predetermined orientation for receptacles in first stepped face 332 and second stepped face 336 may be substantially similar or they may be different.
• housing 306 may be associated with base 302 and mounted to a utility pole. It may be determined that linesmen will approach housing 306 via a ladder.
• First stepped face 332 and second stepped face 336 may be configured so that receptacles mounted therein are aligned to provide a linesman with an ergonomic and/or readily visible access to output receptacle 310 when attaching an output connector 312 and/or output fiber 314.
• low elevation retainer 408 may operate with one or more high elevation retainers 412and/or 414 to retain fiber coils 410 at an angled orientation 506 relative to storage cavity 502 and/or a housing face 508.
• the use of angled orientation 506 may facilitate storage of fiber coils 410 without violating a manufacturer recommended bend radius.
• Implementations may employ angular orientations having a wide range of angles with respect to a reference location, such as housing face 508. In one implementation angular orientation 506 with respect to housing face 508 may be on the order of 20° to 60° and in another implementation may be on the order of 35° to 45°.
• angle of approach may broadly refer to an anticipated direction and/or angle from which a linesman will approach and/or access terminal 300, a mounting bracket, output receptacle 310, and/or output connector 312 when being connected to output receptacle 310 and/or removed from output receptacle 310.
• An angle of approach may vary based on a mounting location of terminal 300 (e.g., on a utility pole, pedestal, building, etc.), the orientation of terminal 300 (e.g., horizontal mounting vs.
• FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary implementation of a fiber drop terminal 700 that may include a fiber input channel located in a lower portion 703 of terminal 700, consistent with the principles of the invention.
• terminal 700 may include a lower input channel 702 for receiving an incoming fiber bundle 318.
• Incoming fiber bundle 318 may be sealed to lower input channel 702 to form a weather tight interface using, for example, potting, over-molding, sealant, and/or weather tight feed-throughs.
• Terminal 700 may facilitate shedding water away from lower input channel 702 by placing input channel 702 proximate to a lower portion 703 of terminal 700 when mounted to, for example, a utility pole. If incoming fiber bundle 318 is received from a suspended strand, incoming fiber bundle 318 may have to be run alongside terminal 700 and looped upwards, while maintaining a determined bend radius, to pass fiber bundle 318 into lower input channel 702.
• Input receptacle 802 may be capped using a dummy input plug when input connector 804 is not present.
• Terminal 800 may include input receptacle 802 located at a lower portion of terminal 800.
• Input receptacle 802 may be adapted to facilitate shedding of water from a mating area of input receptacle 802 and input connector 804 using, for example, o-ring seals.
• Implementations may be installed in outdoor environments for extended periods of time and may be exposed to high and low temperature extremes. Over time, housing 1004 and/or base 1002 may stick to gasket 1006 in such a way that it may be difficult for a linesman to remove the housing from the base 1002 without using a prying device, such as a coin, knife, screw driver, pliers, putty knife, wrench, etc. Implementations may be configured to facilitate separating the housing from a base using a prying device without risking damage to optical fibers within a fiber drop terminal.
• a prying device such as a coin, knife, screw driver, pliers, putty knife, wrench, etc.
• First output section 1606 may include a first mating surface 1622A and a second mating surface 1622B.
• First mating surface 1622 A may be configured and dimensioned to mate with input end cap mating surface 1616.
• a weather tight seal may be produced when input end cap 1602 and first output section 1606 are mated together.
• First output section 1606 may be shaped so as to have an inner volume for housing optical fibers received from input end cap 1602 and for housing fibers passing through first output section 1606 en route to second output section 1610.
• First output section 1606 may include one or more output receptacles 1608A, 1608B arranged in receptacle pockets 1620.
• First and second mating surfaces 1622 A, 1622B may be substantially symmetrical and may be configured and dimensioned to form weather tight seals with adjacent sections.
• an input cable may be terminated with an input connector and coupled to an input receptacle on the housing in place of the input channel.
• Optical fibers associated with the input cable may be run inside the housing and secured using, for example, central management retainers (act 1840).
• a central management retainer may be located between two output receptacles substantially along the centerline of the housing.
• One or more ends, such as distal ends, of the optical fibers may be connected to one or more output receptacles (step 1850).
• Optical fibers may be fused to an output receptacle and/or may be terminated with a connector configured and arranged to mate with a connector/receptacle associated with an output receptacle mounted in the housing.
• Excess optical fiber may be formed into one or more coils and maintained as an angled management coil within housing 1306 using a combination of low elevation retainers and/or high elevation retainers (step 1860).
• the angled management coil may be configured so as to maintain a manufacturer recommended bend radius of, for example, 1.2 inches and/or 1.5 inches.
• Another implementation of a fiber drop terminal may include output connectors installed in a housing associated with a fiber drop terminal. Output connectors may be used in place of, or in addition to, output receptacles.
• a fiber drop terminal may include provisions, such as connectors, receptacles, pigtails, etc., for conveying communication signals over copper wires in addition to conveying optical signals over output fibers.
• output receptacles may include both an optical fiber and one or more copper conductors.
• Output connectors mating with the receptacles may convey optical signals and/or electrical signals to a destination.
• fiber drop terminals may be equipped to receive removable rain shields for preventing precipitation from coming into contact with connectors and receptacles when fiber drop terminals are serviced.
• a linesman can remove the rain shield.
• the rain shield may be configured to be re-useable so that it can be used when servicing other fiber drop terminals.

Landscapes

• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Light Guides In General And Applications Therefor (AREA)
• Mechanical Coupling Of Light Guides (AREA)
• Packaging Of Annular Or Rod-Shaped Articles, Wearing Apparel, Cassettes, Or The Like (AREA)
• Optical Couplings Of Light Guides (AREA)

Priority Applications (6)

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Related Child Applications (3)

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Citations (6)

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• 2005
  • 2005-11-02 ES ES10184055T patent/ES2572371T3/es active Active
  • 2005-11-02 MX MX2007005303A patent/MX2007005303A/es active IP Right Grant
  • 2005-11-02 KR KR1020077012511A patent/KR20070085684A/ko not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2005-11-02 PL PL10178297T patent/PL2259115T3/pl unknown
  • 2005-11-02 EP EP15197695.8A patent/EP3009870B1/de active Active
  • 2005-11-02 BR BRPI0517936-0A patent/BRPI0517936A/pt not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2005-11-02 EP EP10178311.6A patent/EP2259116B1/de active Active
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  • 2005-11-02 DK DK10184055.1T patent/DK2261714T3/da active
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  • 2005-11-02 CN CN2010102659439A patent/CN101943781A/zh active Pending
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  • 2005-11-02 ES ES10178311.6T patent/ES2574994T3/es active Active
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  • 2005-11-02 EP EP05817587A patent/EP1815284A1/de not_active Withdrawn
• 2010
  • 2010-09-16 AU AU2010221805A patent/AU2010221805B2/en not_active Ceased

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