GB2594575A - Optical network termination box - Google Patents

Abstract

The box houses and retains a drop cable (CD) and a connection terminal (TC) in which an end connector (CE) of the drop cable (CD) and an end plug (PE) of an optical cable (CO) are clamped. The box comprises: a base (10) having a front face (10a) incorporating a jaw (20) provided with teeth (22), for receiving and retaining a length of the drop cable (CD), and a pair of lateral claws (30) for locking the connection terminal (TC); and a cover (60), having a front wall (61), end walls (62), each provided with a window (62a) surrounding a portion of the jaw (20) and of the connection terminal (TC), respectively, and opposite longitudinal walls (63), the rear edges of the end (62) and longitudinal (63) walls being seated and locked against the front face (10a) of the base (10).

Description

"OPTICAL NETWORK TERMINATION BOX" Field of Innovation [1] The present innovation, in the nature of a utility model, concerns a termination box in the form of a compact, low-cost, robust, and versatile optical rosette for defining a termination point in an internal environment of an FTTx-type telecommunication network, allowing the connection between a drop cable and an optical cable from an optical network terminal or modem, located at a user's premises.

Background of the innovation

[2] The termination box or optical rosette of this present innovation is of a type usually fixed to a wall or other supporting structure, inside a user's premises, to receive a drop cable at the end of which the relevant connector to be attached is incorporated, inside the termination box, to a terminal built to receive the end connector plug of an optical network user's network terminal or modem.

[3] Although commonly used, the well-known optical termination boxes, known as optical rosettes, feature a base, in the form of a tray, with dimensions designed to receive and retain, by winding inside, an extension of one or more drop cables of a given dimensional standard, the end of each drop cable being provided with a respective connector and terminal assembly housed inside the base, which is previously closed by a cover of dimensions compatible with those of the tray base.

[4] The aforementioned type of construction leads to poorly compact termination boxes or optical rosettes that are relatively complex and costly to construct because of the internal base elements required for accommodation and retention of one or more drop cable lengths.

[5] In addition to the aforementioned drawbacks, these well-known rosettes require more time-consuming and careful operations for accommodation and retention of one or more drop cable lengths inside the base-tray, and require specific positioning when mounting the cover against the base, requiring that the latter be fixed to the wall or support structure in a specific condition to prevent the cover, when mounted, from being upside down.

[6] Another deficiency of these well-known optical rosettes results from the fact that they have their tray base designed to match the type of drop cable whose length will be accommodated and retained inside the tray, which limits the versatility of application of these optical rosettes to different patterns and gauges of drop cables.

[7] An example of a termination box of the type considered here can be found in the Brazilian patent document PT] 107334-9 A2. Innovation Summary [8] In view of the aspects discussed above, this innovation aims at providing a termination box or optical rosette of simple and compact construction, relatively small size, low manufacturing cost, allowing easy and safe axial retention of different standards and gauges of drop cables, to define a termination point in an internal environment of a telecom network and its connection to an optical cord of an optical network terminal or modem, arranged at a user's premises.

[9] This innovation also aims to provide a termination box or optical rosette that, in addition to having the aforementioned functional characteristics, allows for proper end positioning for the cover, even in the event that the base is attached to its support structure in an inverted position. Brief description of drawings [0010] Below, the innovation is described on the basis of the attached drawings, given by way of example of an embodiment of the invention and in which: [0011] Figure 1 represents an exploded viewof the termination box or optical rosette in question, illustrating the base, the cover, and also a terminal to be housed inside the rosette to define the connecting element between the end connector of a drop cable and the end connector of an optical cord of a user's network terminal; [0012] Figure 2 represents a perspective view of the rosette of Figure 1, with the cover mounted CM the base and covering the connection terminal and further illustrating, in exploded form, an extension of an optical string provided with an end connector to be hooked to the connection terminal; [0013] Figure 3 represents a top perspective view of the rosette base retaining, on it, the connection terminal and a drop cable length axially retained in a jaw of the base and provided with an end connector already engaged in the connection terminal; [0014] Figure 4 represents a top plan view of the base, scaled up to better illustrate the construction of the drop cable axial retention jaw and the identical shape of the opposite end edges of the rosette base; and [0015] Figure 5 represents a cross-sectional view of the housing, taken along the V-V lines in Figure 1, illustrating the interaction of the retention elements between the cover and the rosette base.

Description of the innovation

[0016] As illustrated in the drawings and mentioned above, the termination box or optical rosette in question is used to house and retain a drop cable (CD) and a connection terminal (TC) to which are attached an end connector (CE) of the "drop" cable (CD) and an extreme plug (PE) of an optical cord from a user's network terminal or modem in the optical network.

[0017] According to the innovation, the optical housing or rosette comprises a base 10 in the form of an elongated rectangular plate, made of a non-electrical conductive material, for example, a polymer, to be subsequently seated and fixed on a wall or any other supporting structure (not shown).

[0018] The base 10 has a first and a second extreme edge 11,12, a pair of longitudinal edges 13, and an anterior face 10a incorporating, adjacent to the first extreme edge 11 and usually in one piece, a jaw 20, in the form of a longitudinal channel C with side walls 21 incorporating teeth 22 projecting radially into the longitudinal channel and inclined toward the second extreme edge 12 of the base 10. Jaw 20 is sized to receive and retain, axially, in its interior and through the teeth 22, a corresponding length of a drop cable (CD) which can be defined by a micro indoor -low friction cable, a low friction compact drop cable, or a 3mm circular drop optical cable.

[0019] The construction of the jaw 20, provided with the teeth 22 acting against the outer cap of the "drop" cable inserted into said longitudinal channel C, allows the retention of these cables in the jaw 20 to support higher axial tensile loads, for example, of the order of 100N for micro indoor low friction, drop compact low friction, and 3mm circular drop cables.

[0020] The anterior face 10a, of the base 10, further incorporates, adjacent to its second extreme edge 12, a pair of lateral claws 30, which are projecting upwardly and elastically deformable from an operative position in which they lock the connecting terminal TC against the anterior face 10a of the base 10, to an inoperative position, in which they release the TC connection terminal.

[0021] The optical housing or rosette further comprises a cover 60, generally formed of electrically non-conductive material and having a front wall 61, end walls 62 opposite each other and longitudinal walls 63, lateral and opposite each other each other.

[0022] Each of the end walls 62 is provided with a window 62a, whereby, with the assembly of the cover 60 against the base 10, one of the windows 62a now encloses a portion (extreme) of the jaw 20, while the other window 62a becomes involved in a terminal portion of the TC connection that, generally projects out of the cover 60, through its window 62a.

[0023] The cover 60 is constructed to have the back edges of the end walls 62 and longitudinal walls 63 seated and releasably locked against the front face 10a of the base 10, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 5.

[0024] In order that the cover 60 may be releasably locked against the front face 10a of the base 10, the longitudinal edges 13 of the latter may each be provided, for example, with a pair of locking tabs 15, incorporated in one piece into the base 10 and spaced longitudinally apart from each other and indented inwards from the respective edge of the base 10, under each of which is fitted and retained a ledge 65 embedded internally in each longitudinal wall 63 of the cover 60, as best illustrated in Figure 5.

[0025] According to the illustrated construction, the portion of the jaw 20, enclosed by window 62a of the respective extreme wall 62 of the cover 60, has a contour like that of the portion of the connecting terminal TC enclosed by window 62a of the respective other extreme wall 62 of the cover 60. This arrangement allows the cover to be mounted in two opposite positions against the base 10, that is, in the most appropriate position for reading its identifying inscriptions, regardless of the inversion of the positioning of the base 10 in the support structure of the box or rosette. For this purpose, the windows 62a of the two end walls 62 of the cover 60 are equal and open at the back edge of said end walls 62a.

[0026] Also according to the illustrated configuration, the front face 10a of the base 10 may incorporate, medially, two ribs 16, parallel to each other, in which the end connector CE of the cable "drop" CD is seated and guided when engaged in the connection terminal TC locked against the front face 10a of the base 10.

[0027] For fixing the base 10 to a wall or supporting structure, the base may be made, for example, by the provision of two through holes 17, sized to receive respective fixing screws not illustrated, or even by the use of a double-sided adhesive tape, also not illustrated.

[0028] With the construction proposed here, the base 10 is initially secured against the supporting structure to then receive and lock, by means of the side claws 30, the connecting terminal TC. Then the "drop" CD cable, already loading the CE extreme connector, has the latter fitted on the extreme face of the connecting terminal TC and a portion of its extension fitted inside the longitudinal channel C of the jaw 20, so that the teeth 22 of the latter interfere with the outer jacket of the cable drop CD, ensuring a robust axial retention of the cable in the box or rosette.

[0029] After the assembly operations of the housing and cable mentioned above, a user can fit the PE end plug of their CO optical cord inside the end of the TC connection terminal accessible through the respective windovv 62a of the cover 60.

[0030] Although only one configuration of the termination box or optical rosette in question has been illustrated here, it should be understood that changes may be made to the shape and arrangement of components, without departing from the constructive concept defined in the claims accompanying this report.

Claims (5)

1. CLAIMS1. Optical network termination box, housing and retaining a drop cable (CD) and a connection terminal (TC) to which are attached an end connector (CE) of the drop cable (CD) and an end plug (PE) of an optical cord from a user's network terminal or modem in the optical network, with the box being characterized in that it comprises: -a basis (10) in the shape of an elongated rectangular plate, having a first and a second extreme edge (11.12) a pair of longitudinal edges (13)and a front face (10a) incorporating, next to the first extreme edge (11), a jaw (20), in the form of a longitudinal channel with side walls (21) incorporating teeth (22) projecting radially inward and inclined toward the second extreme edge (12) the so called jaw (20) receiving and retaining, axially, in its interior, a corresponding drop cable length (CD), being the front face (10a) of the base (10) further provided, next to the second extreme edge (12), with a pair of side claws (30), projected upward, anad elastically deformable from an operating position, in which they lock the connection terminal (TC) against the front face of the base (10), to an inoperative position in which they release the connection terminal (TC); and -one cover (60), having a front wall (61), end walls (62) each provided with a window (62a) involving a portion of the jaw (20) and the connection terminal (TC), respectively, and longitudinal walls (63), opposed to one another, the back edges of the end (62) and longitudinal walls being (63) seated and releasably locked against the anterior face (10a) of the base (10).
2. 2. Box, according to claim 1, characterized in that a portion of the jaw (20), involved by the window (62a) of the respective end wall (62) of the cover (60), has a contour like the one of the portion of the connection terminal (TC) involved by the window (62a) of the respective other extreme wall (62) of the cover (60).
3. 3. Box, according to claim 2, characterized in that the windowsS(62a) of the two extreme walls (62) of the cover (60) are equal and open at the back edge of said end walls (62a).
4. 4. Box, according to either claim 1 to 3, characterized in that the longitudinal edges (13) of the base (10) incorporate, each one, a pair of locking tabs (15), spaced longitudinally from each other and indented inward from the respective edge of the base (10), under each of which is fitted and retained a ledge (65) embedded internally in each longitudinal wall (63) of the cover (60).
5. 5. Box, according to either claim 1 to 4 characterized in that the front face (10a) of the base (10) incorporates, medially, two ribs (16) parallel to each other, on which the end connector is seated and guided (CE) from the drop cable (CD) when engaged in the connection terminal (IC) locked on against the front face (10a) of the base (10).