JP3246857U - Compact pre-terminated outdoor fiber optic distribution box for 5G access networks - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an outdoor optical fiber distribution box that is easy to install, has an improved protection grade, and has a high performance-to-price ratio. [Solution] The optical fiber distribution box (10) includes a box cover (100), a box base (200), a bottom plate (300), and an optical fiber splice case (400). The box base includes a first base sidewall, and the first base sidewall includes a plurality of grommet receiving holes (204) and a plurality of grommet receiving slots. The bottom plate is fixed inside the box base. The optical fiber splice case is fixed on the bottom plate, and the optical fiber splice case includes a first case sidewall and a second case sidewall. The first case sidewall includes a plurality of first adaptor receiving holes. The second case sidewall includes a plurality of second adaptor receiving holes, and the first case sidewall of the optical fiber splice case faces the first base sidewall. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

Application for application of Article 30, Paragraph 2 of the Patent Act as applied mutatis mutandis under Article 11 of the Utility Model Act filed. November 10, 2022: Disclosure through sales of the "Compact Pre-Terminated Outdoor Optical Fiber Distribution Box" by Corning International Inc. (Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo).

The present invention relates to an optical fiber distribution box, and in particular to a compact, pre-terminated outdoor optical fiber distribution box for 5G access networks.

For 5G access networks, there are many optical fiber distribution boxes on the market, but most of them use a splicing connection method, which takes a lot of time to install. At present, most products are only used indoors, and their protection rating is only IP54.

One embodiment of the present invention relates to an improved optical fiber distribution box, which has the advantages of being easy to install, having an improved protection grade, and being used outdoors. The optical fiber distribution box includes a box cover, a box base, a bottom plate, and an optical fiber splice case. The box base includes a first base sidewall, and the first base sidewall includes a plurality of grommet receiving holes and a plurality of grommet receiving slots. The bottom plate is fixed inside the box base. The optical fiber splice case is fixed to the bottom plate, and the optical fiber splice case includes a first case sidewall and a second case sidewall. The first case sidewall includes a plurality of first adaptor receiving holes. The second case sidewall includes a plurality of second adaptor receiving holes, and the first case sidewall of the optical fiber splice case faces the first base sidewall.

Embodiments may include one or more of the following features:

In one embodiment, the box cover and the box base are molded from engineering plastic.

In one embodiment, the box base further includes a second base sidewall and a third base sidewall, the third base sidewall is disposed opposite the second base sidewall, and the optical fiber connection case and the multiple grommet receiving holes are adjacent to the second base sidewall or the third base sidewall.

In one embodiment, the base plate includes a plurality of cable fixing pieces, the plurality of cable fixing pieces being adjacent to the first base side wall.

In one embodiment, the optical fiber connection case further includes a plurality of optical fiber adapters and a plurality of multi-core optical fiber adapters, each of the plurality of optical fiber adapters being installed in one of the plurality of first adapter receiving holes, and each of the plurality of multi-core optical fiber adapters being installed in one of the plurality of second adapter receiving holes.

In one embodiment, one or more harnesses are included inside the optical fiber connection case, and the one or more harnesses are used to connect the multiple multi-core optical fiber adapters to the multiple optical fiber adapters.

In one embodiment, the optical fiber distribution box further includes a plurality of multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommets and a plurality of jumper cable sealing grommets, each of the plurality of jumper cable sealing grommets being installed in one of the plurality of grommet receiving holes, and each of the plurality of multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommets being installed in one of the plurality of grommet receiving slots.

In one embodiment, each of the plurality of multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommets includes a multi-core optical fiber cable receiving hole, and the multi-core optical fiber cable receiving hole includes a tang.

In one embodiment, each jumper cable sealing grommet of the plurality of jumper cable sealing grommets includes a plurality of jumper cable receiving holes, and the plurality of jumper cable receiving holes include a tang.

In one embodiment, the box cover includes a first latch lock hole, the box base includes a second latch lock hole, and when the box cover and the box base are closed, the first latch lock hole and the second latch lock hole are aligned with each other to form a single latch lock hole.

Additional features and advantages are described in the specific embodiments below and, in part, will be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art from the present invention or may be learned by practicing the embodiments described in the present invention, including the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings.

It should be understood that both the summary of the invention above and the detailed description of specific embodiments below are exemplary only and are intended to provide an overview and framework for understanding the nature and characteristics of the claims. The present invention includes the accompanying drawings, which are provided for a further understanding of the embodiments and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification. The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments and, together with the specification, are used to interpret the principles and operation of the various embodiments.

In the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention are presented by way of example and not of limitation.

1 is a schematic diagram of a fiber optic distribution box according to an embodiment described in the present specification. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a box cover and box base according to an embodiment described in the present specification. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a base plate according to an embodiment described in the present specification. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber splice case according to an embodiment described in the present specification. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a cable arrangement inside a fiber optic splice case according to an embodiment described in the present specification. 1 is a schematic diagram of a jumper cable sealing grommet according to an embodiment described in the present specification. 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommet according to an embodiment described in the present specification. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fiber optic distribution box according to an embodiment described in the present specification. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary cable layout of a fiber optic distribution box according to an embodiment described in the present specification. 1 is a photograph of a prototype fiber optic distribution box according to an embodiment described in the present specification.

To facilitate understanding, the same attached figure numbers are used whenever possible to designate identical parts shared by the attached figures. It is anticipated that elements and features of one embodiment may be incorporated into other embodiments effectively eliminating the need for further illustration.

Several embodiments of the present invention are described in detail herein, and some of the embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the specification and claims have the meanings that are generally accepted in the art, in the context of the present specification, and in the specific context in which each term is used. Certain terms used to describe the present invention may be discussed below or elsewhere in the specification to provide additional clarification regarding the description of the present invention.

Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, as used in this specification, the singular forms "a," "one," "one" and/or "said" include the plural forms.

The term "one embodiment" or "embodiment" as used herein indicates that the particular features, structures, or characteristics depicted in the embodiment are combined and included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the term "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" in various places throughout the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

The term "substantially" as used in the specification indicates conformity to the greatest extent possible with the general connotation of the term.

In addition, the drawings in the attached drawings are not drawn to scale; on the contrary, they are for illustrative purposes only.

With the deployment of 5G networks worldwide, more and more 5G base stations are being built in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. According to relevant studies, within the three-year construction peak period (2022-2025), more than 2 million 5G macro base stations will be newly built each year. Of these, about 20-30% of macro base stations require a compact outdoor distribution box to protect the terminated optical fiber connection and realize long-distance connection from the remote radio unit (RRU) to the central office optical fiber distribution frame (CO ODF). In order to support potential business in the Asia-Pacific region, a cost-competitive compact optical fiber distribution box has been conceived and born.

The present invention provides an outdoor optical fiber distribution box, which has a special sealing structure and termination processing solution, and is a high-performance/cost solution for the application of 5G access networks.

This new solution is easy to operate, has good sealing performance, and can provide protection for optical fiber connections. The optical fiber distribution box supports 1-2 main entrance trunks and 6-12 wiring jumpers. It supports termination of up to 24 optical fibers for 5G access.

Now referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 shows a fiber optic distribution box 10 according to an embodiment described in the specification of the present invention. The fiber optic distribution box 10 may include a box cover 100, a box base 200, a bottom plate 300, an optical fiber splice case 400, a jumper cable sealing grommet 504, and a multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommet 502. The bottom plate 300 may be fixed inside the box base 200. The optical fiber splice case 400 may be fixed on the bottom plate 300.

The jumper cables described herein can be Liquid Crystal Connector (LC) cables or Dual-Luminous Crystal (DLC) cables. The multicore fiber optic cables described herein can be multicore fiber optic terminal push connector (MTP) cables. The jumper cables can have an outer diameter of 4.8 mm to 5.3 mm. The multicore fiber optic cables can have an outer diameter of 6 mm to 7.2 mm. The jumper cables can have 2 cores. The multicore fiber optic cables can have 12 cores.

In one embodiment, the fiber optic distribution box 10 may have dimensions of 295mm x 250mm x 100mm. With a mounting plate, the fiber optic distribution box 10 may have dimensions of 295mm x 250mm x 114mm. The fiber optic distribution box 10 may be mounted to walls, poles, and towers.

2 shows the box cover 100 and the box base 200 according to the embodiment described in the specification of the present invention. The box cover 100 and the box base 200 are mainly used to protect the internal components. In one embodiment, the box cover 100 can include a first latch lock hole 602, and the box base 200 can include a second latch lock hole 604, and when the box cover 100 and the box base 200 are closed, the first latch lock hole 602 and the second latch lock hole 604 are aligned with each other to form a single latch lock hole. The inner diameter of the latch lock holes can be 62 mm. Therefore, the fiber optic distribution box 10 according to the embodiment described in the specification of the present invention can support the use of a latch lock.

In one embodiment, the box cover 100 and the box base 200 can be molded from engineering plastic. The engineering plastic can be white. In particular, the engineering plastic can be UV-resistant plastic. In one embodiment, the box cover 100 can incorporate a sealing gasket. By adding the jumper cable sealing grommet 504 and the multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommet 502 that provide cable sealing to the box cover 100 and the box base 200, the optical fiber distribution box 10 can have a waterproof and dustproof rating of IP65 and is suitable for outdoor applications.

In one embodiment, the box base 200 can include a first base sidewall 202, a second base sidewall 208, and a third base sidewall 210. The first base sidewall 202 can include a plurality of grommet receiving holes 204 and a plurality of grommet receiving slots 206. The third base sidewall 210 can be disposed opposite the second base sidewall 208. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the first base sidewall 202 of the box base 200 includes two grommet receiving holes 204 and two grommet receiving slots 206.

In one embodiment, the box cover 100 and the box base 200 are connected using a hinge, allowing the box cover 100 and the box base 200 to open at an angle of 180 degrees. In one embodiment, the box cover 100 and the box base 200 can have corresponding sliding locking mechanisms that can be used to seal the box cover 100 and the box base 200 when they are closed.

FIG. 3 shows a bottom plate 300 according to an embodiment described in the present specification. The bottom plate 300 can be used to secure a cable and fiber optic splice case 400. In one embodiment, the bottom plate 300 can be secured inside the box base 200 by screws. In one embodiment, the bottom plate 300 can be made from a piece of galvanized metal.

In one embodiment, the bottom plate 300 may include a plurality of cable fixing pieces 302. A user may use a cable tie to tie the cable to the cable fixing piece 302 to fix the cable inside the optical fiber distribution box 10. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the bottom plate 300 includes 14 cable fixing pieces 302, of which 12 cable fixing pieces 302 are used to fix 12 jumper cables and 2 cable fixing pieces 302 are used to fix 2 multi-core optical fiber cables. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, after the bottom plate 300 is mounted on the box base 200, the cable fixing piece 302 is adjacent to the first base side wall 202.

FIG. 4 shows a fiber optic splice case 400 according to an embodiment described in the present specification. The fiber optic splice case 400 is designed to house a harness and secure an adapter, and is specifically used to house an MTP-LC harness and secure an LC adapter and a multi-fiber optic push connector (MPO) adapter or an MTP adapter. In another embodiment, the fiber optic splice case 400 can be used to house an LC-LC harness and secure an LC adapter to provide another LC-LC splice solution.

In one embodiment, the optical fiber splice case 400 can include a first case sidewall 402 and a second case sidewall 404. The first case sidewall 402 can include a plurality of first adaptor receiving holes 406. The second case sidewall 404 can include a plurality of second adaptor receiving holes 408. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber splice case 400 is fixed near the upper left corner of the bottom plate 300, and the first case sidewall 402 faces the first base sidewall 202 and the second case sidewall 404 faces the third base sidewall 210.

In one embodiment, the fiber optic splice case 400 can be made from a galvanized metal piece. In one embodiment, the fiber optic splice case 400 can have a cover locked plastic pin.

Figure 5 shows the cable arrangement inside the optical fiber connection case according to the embodiment described in the present specification.

In one embodiment, the optical fiber connection case 400 further includes a plurality of optical fiber adapters 410 and a plurality of multi-core optical fiber adapters 412, each optical fiber adapter 410 being installed in a corresponding first adapter receiving hole 406, and each multi-core optical fiber adapter 412 being installed in a corresponding second adapter receiving hole 408.

In one embodiment, one or more harnesses 414 can be installed inside the optical fiber connection case 400, and the one or more harnesses 414 can be used to connect the multiple multi-core optical fiber adapters 412 to the multiple optical fiber adapters 410.

In one embodiment, the fiber optic adapter 410 can be an LC adapter or a dual-mode LC (DLC) adapter, and the multi-core fiber optic adapter 412 can be an MPO adapter or an MTP adapter.

In one embodiment, the optical fiber splice case 400 and the plurality of grommet receiving holes 204 can be adjacent to the second base sidewall 208. For example, in FIG. 1, the optical fiber splice case 400 and the plurality of grommet receiving holes 204 are both adjacent to the second base sidewall 208.

In one embodiment, up to two harnesses 414 can be installed inside the optical fiber splice case 400. The harnesses 414 can connect two multi-core optical fiber adapters 412 to up to twelve optical fiber adapters 410. In one embodiment, the harnesses 414 can be installed by a manufacturer. Therefore, there is no need to manually splice optical fibers when using the optical fiber distribution box 10, which improves convenience in terms of use.

6 shows a jumper cable sealing grommet 504 according to an embodiment described in the present specification. The jumper cable sealing grommet 504 can be used to seal a jumper cable. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there are two jumper cable sealing grommets 504, each of which is inserted into one of the two grommet receiving holes 204. In one embodiment, each jumper cable sealing grommet 504 includes multiple jumper cable receiving holes 508. Such jumper cable sealing grommets 504 can be easily reinserted into the grommet receiving holes 204. The jumper cable receiving holes 508 can include tangs to accommodate different cable diameters. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, each jumper cable sealing grommet 504 includes six jumper cable receiving holes 508 with tangs. In one embodiment, multiple jumper cable sealing grommets 504 can be used to seal up to 12 two-conductor jumper cables.

7 shows a multi-core fiber optic cable sealing grommet 502 according to an embodiment described in the present specification. The multi-core fiber optic cable sealing grommet 502 is used to seal a multi-core fiber optic cable, such as an MTP cable. In one embodiment, each multi-core fiber optic cable sealing grommet 502 can include a multi-core fiber optic cable receiving hole 506. The multi-core fiber optic cable receiving hole 506 can include a tang to accommodate different cable diameters. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, each multi-core fiber optic cable sealing grommet 502 includes one multi-core fiber optic cable receiving hole 506. In one embodiment, multiple multi-core fiber optic cable sealing grommets 502 can be used to seal up to two 12-fiber multi-core fiber optic cables.

In one embodiment, each jumper cable sealing grommet 504 of the plurality of jumper cable sealing grommets 504 is installed in one of the plurality of grommet receiving holes 204, and each multi-core fiber optic cable sealing grommet 502 of the plurality of multi-core fiber optic cable sealing grommets 502 is installed in one of the plurality of grommet receiving slots 206.

In one embodiment, the fiber optic distribution box 10 may include a series of accessories, such as fittings, labels, silicone grease, cable ties, etc. (not shown). A schematic diagram of the entire fiber optic distribution box is shown in FIG. 8, and the cable arrangement inside is shown in FIG. 9. As shown in FIG. 9, the arrangement 902 of the multi-core fiber optic cables is concentrated on the right side of the box base 200, and the arrangement 904 of the jumper cables is concentrated on the left side of the box base 200, and the multi-core fiber optic cables and the jumper cables are not crossed or wound around each other. Since the first case side wall 402 faces the first base side wall 202, and the optical fiber connection case 400 and the multiple grommet receiving holes 204 are both adjacent to the second base side wall 208, each jumper cable can be routed from the jumper cable grommet to the corresponding optical fiber adapter 410 in a substantially straight line.

To verify the product design of the fiber optic wiring box 10, an on-site installation test was conducted as shown in Figure 10. The test was very successful and received positive feedback from the customer. The fiber optic wiring box 10 was easy to install, the cable wiring was smooth, and the performance was stable.

In summary, the optical fiber distribution box according to the present invention has the following advantages.
1. A comprehensive outdoor termination solution.
2. It has a new cabling arrangement.
3. It has a unique cable sealing grommet.
4. The box is compact, made of engineering plastic and has an IP65 protection rating.
5. Field installation is convenient and fiber optic splicing is avoided.
6. The box body supports a latch lock.

As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, various modifications or variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Also, features or configurations of one embodiment may be combined or implemented in other embodiments without further description. The above is an embodiment of the present invention, but other and further embodiments of the present invention may be created without departing from the basic scope of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

10 Optical fiber wiring box 100 Box cover 200 Box base 202 First base side wall 204 Grommet receiving hole 206 Grommet receiving slot 208 Second base side wall 210 Third base side wall 300 Bottom plate 302 Cable fixing piece 400 Optical fiber connection case 402 First case side wall 404 Second case side wall 406 First adaptor receiving hole 408 Second adaptor receiving hole 410 Optical fiber adapter 412 Multi-core optical fiber adapter 414 Harness 502 Multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommet 504 Jumper cable sealing grommet 506 Multi-core optical fiber cable receiving hole 508 Jumper cable receiving hole 602 First latch lock hole 604 Second latch lock hole 902 Arrangement of multi-core optical fiber cable 904 Arrangement of jumper cable

Claims (10)

A box cover (100);
A box base (200),
a box base (200) including a first base sidewall (202) including a plurality of grommet receiving holes (204) and a plurality of grommet receiving slots (206);
A bottom plate (300) fixed inside the box base (200);
An optical fiber connection case (400) fixed on the bottom plate (300),
a first case sidewall (402) including a plurality of first adaptor receiving holes (406);
and an optical fiber connection case (400) including a second case sidewall (404) including a plurality of second adaptor receiving holes (408), wherein the first case sidewall (402) of the optical fiber connection case (400) faces the first base sidewall (202). The optical fiber wiring box (10) according to claim 1, wherein the box cover (100) and the box base (200) are made by molding engineering plastic. The box base (200) is
A second base sidewall (208);
2. The optical fiber distribution box (10) of claim 1, further comprising: a third base sidewall (210) arranged opposite the second base sidewall (208); and the optical fiber connection case (400) and the plurality of grommet receiving holes (204) are adjacent to the second base sidewall (208). The bottom plate (300) is
The fiber optic distribution box (10) of claim 1, comprising a plurality of cable securing strips (302) adjacent said first base sidewall (202). The optical fiber connection case (400) includes:
A plurality of fiber optic adapters (410);
2. The fiber optic distribution box (10) of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of multi-core optical fiber adapters (412), each optical fiber adapter (410) of the plurality of optical fiber adapters (410) being installed within a first adapter receiving hole (406) of one of the plurality of first adapter receiving holes (406), and each multi-core optical fiber adapter (412) of the plurality of multi-core optical fiber adapters (412) being installed within a second adapter receiving hole (408) of one of the plurality of second adapter receiving holes (408). The optical fiber wiring box (10) of claim 5, wherein one or more harnesses (414) are installed inside the optical fiber connection case (400), and the one or more harnesses (414) are used to connect the multiple multi-core optical fiber adapters (412) to the multiple optical fiber adapters (410). A plurality of multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommets (502);
2. The optical fiber distribution box (10) of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of jumper cable sealing grommets (504), each of the plurality of jumper cable sealing grommets (504) being installed within one of the plurality of grommet receiving holes (204), and each of the plurality of multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommets (502) being installed within one of the plurality of grommet receiving slots (206). Each of the multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommets (502) of the plurality of multi-core optical fiber cable sealing grommets (502) comprises:
The fiber optic distribution box (10) of claim 7, comprising a multi-core fiber optic cable receiving cavity (506) including a tang. Each jumper cable sealing grommet (504) of the plurality of jumper cable sealing grommets (504) comprises:
The fiber optic distribution box (10) of claim 7, comprising a plurality of jumper cable receiving holes (508) including tangs. The optical fiber distribution box (10) of claim 1, wherein the box cover (100) includes a first latch lock hole (602), the box base (200) includes a second latch lock hole (604), and when the box cover (100) and the box base (200) are closed, the first latch lock hole (602) and the second latch lock hole (604) are aligned with each other to form a single latch lock hole.

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