WO2020197958A1

WO2020197958A1 - Fiber enclosure for remote radio units

Info

Publication number: WO2020197958A1
Application number: PCT/US2020/023753
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jose A. T. RABELLO; Nahid Islam; Marcus J. ASH; Bhavin KADAKIA
Original assignee: Commscope Technologies Llc
Priority date: 2019-03-28
Filing date: 2020-03-20
Publication date: 2020-10-01

Abstract

The present disclosure describes a fiber enclosure. The fiber enclosure may include a body having a plurality of walls defining an interior cavity, a cover pivotally coupled to the body to move between an opened position and a closed position, a plurality of cable glands located on one of the walls, the plurality of cable glands defining at least one input port and at least one output port, an optical component panel residing within the interior cavity of the body, the optical component panel including at least one optical component arrangement configured to connect an incoming cable and an outgoing cable, the optical component panel slidably coupled to a frame such that the optical component panel is moveable between an unengaged position and an engaged position; and an electrical component panel residing within the interior cavity of the body.

Description

FIBER ENCLOSURE FOR REMOTE RADIO UNITS

RELATED APPLICATIONS!

[0001] The present application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62/825,146, filed March 28, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety.

FIELD

[0002] The present application is directed generally toward telecommunications equipment and more particularly, a fiber enclosure for remote radio units.

BACKGROUND

[0003] In telecommunications infrastructure installations, various devices for switching, cross-connecting and inter-connecting a variety of devices ( e.g ., junction boxes) are used. Many of these devices are installed on or near an antenna tower to permit organized, high- density installations to be achieved in the limited space available for equipment. Due to the increasing demand for telecommunications system capacity, it is desirable to increase the density of connections that can be achieved within a given space. Commensurate with the demand for increased capacity from the same installation footprint is a desire to improve the organization and handling of the cables used to link the equipment within the installation.

SUMMARY

[0004] An aspect of the present invention is directed to a fiber enclosure for a plurality of remote radio units. The enclosure may comprise a body including a rear wall extending between opposite side walls and between a top wall and a bottom wall, the walls of the body defining an interior cavity, the body defining an open front that provides access to the interior cavity, the rear wall of the body being configured and adapted to be secured to a mounting structure; a cover pivotally coupled to the body to move between an opened position and a closed position; a plurality of cable glands located on the bottom wall, the plurality of cable glands defining at least one input port and at least one output port; an optical component panel residing within the interior cavity of the body, the optical component panel including at least one optical component arrangement configured to connect an incoming cable and an outgoing cable, the optical component panel slidably coupled to a frame such that the optical component panel is moveable between an unengaged position and an engaged position; and an electrical component panel residing within the interior cavity of the body, the electrical component panel including at least one electrical component arrangement configured to connect a plurality of power connections.

[0005] It is noted that aspects of the invention described with respect to one embodiment, may be incorporated in a different embodiment although not specifically described relative thereto. That is, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment can be combined in any way and/or combination. Applicant reserves the right to change any originally filed claim and/or file any new claim accordingly, including the right to be able to amend any originally filed claim to depend from and/or incorporate any feature of any other claim or claims although not originally claimed in that manner. These and other objects and/or aspects of the present invention are explained in detail in the specification set forth below. Further features, advantages and details of the present invention will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art from a reading of the figures and the detailed description of the preferred embodiments that follow, such description being merely illustrative of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0006] FIG. 1 is a bottom perspective view of a fiber enclosure (without a cover) according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0007] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0008] FIG. 3 is a front view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0009] FIG. 4 is a rear view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0010] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0011] FIG. 6 is a top view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0012] FIG. 7 is a side view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 8 is an opposite side view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1.

[0014] FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1 (with a cover) according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 10A is a side view of an optical component panel within the fiber enclosure of FIG. 1 according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of an engagement mechanism of the optical component panel of FIG. 10A according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0017] FIG. 11A is a photograph of an optical component panel engaged with a frame according to embodiments of the present invention. [0018] FIG. 1 IB is a photograph of the optical component panel of FIG. 11A unengaged with a frame according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 12A is a photograph of a fiber enclosure (without fiber connections) according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0020] FIG. 12B is a photograph of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 12A with the cover.

[0021] FIG. 13A is a photograph of a fiber enclosure (with fiber connections) according to embodiments of the present invention.

[0022] FIG. 13B is an enlarged photograph of the fiber enclosure of FIG. 13A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The present invention now is described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 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 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.

[0024] The present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown.

[0025] In the figures, certain layers, components or features may be exaggerated for clarity, and broken lines illustrate optional features or operations unless specified otherwise. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth 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.

[0026] It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention. The sequence of operations (or steps) is not limited to the order presented in the claims or figures unless specifically indicated otherwise. [0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including 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. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

[0028] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising", when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0029] As used herein, phrases such as "between X and Y" and "between about X and Y" should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrases such as "between about X and Y" mean "between about X and about Y." As used herein, phrases such as "from about X to Y" mean "from about X to about Y."

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention will now be discussed in greater detail with reference to the drawings. In some cases, two-part reference numerals are used in the drawings. Herein, elements having such two-part reference numerals may be referred to individually by their full reference numeral ( e.g ., cable gland 130-2) and may be referred to collectively by the first part of their reference numerals (e.g., the cable glands 130).

[0031] Referring to FIGS. 1-13B, a fiber enclosure 100 for a plurality of remote radio units (RRUs) is illustrated. The fiber enclosure 100 of the present invention may be configured and adapted for one to eight RRUs. In some embodiments, the fiber enclosure 100 of the present invention may be used in combination with two to eight RRUs.

[0032] As shown in FIGS. 1-9, in some embodiments, the fiber enclosure 100 of the present invention comprises a body 110. The body 110 of the enclosure 100 includes a rear wall 112r that extends between opposite side walls 112s and between a top wall 112t and a bottom wall 112b. The walls of the body 110 (i.e., the rear, side, top, and bottom walls 112r, 112s, 112t, and 112b) define an interior cavity 120. The body 110 of the enclosure 100 further defines an open front 112f that provides access to the interior cavity 120 of the fiber enclosure 100. In some embodiments, the rear wall 112r of the body 110 is configured and adapted to be secured to a mounting structure (not shown). For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the fiber enclosure 100 may be secured to a mounting structure by bolts or screws through one or more apertures 115 in the rear wall 112r of the body 110. Other known methods of securing the fiber enclosure 100 to a mounting structure, such as latches, straps, zip-ties, and the like, may be used.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the body 110 of the fiber enclosure 100 has a height (H), a width (W), and a depth (D). In some embodiments, the body 110 may have a height (H) in the range of about 12 inches to about 13 inches. In some embodiments, the body 110 may have a width (W) in the range of about 10 inches to about 11 inches. In some embodiments, the body 110 may have a depth (D) in the range of about 5 inches to about 7 inches. For example, in some embodiments, the body 110 of the fiber enclosure 100 of the present invention may have a height (H) of 12.5 inches, a width (W) of 10.5 inches, and a depth (D) of 6 inches.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 9, FIG. 12B and FIG. 13A, the fiber enclosure 100 of the present invention further comprises a cover 114 that is removably attached to the body 110. The cover 114 selectively provides and inhibits access to the interior cavity 120 through the open front 112f of the fiber enclosure 100. In some embodiments, the cover 114 may be pivotally coupled to the body 110 such that the cover 114 may be moved between an opened position (see, e.g., FIG. 13A) and a closed position (see, e.g., FIG. 9 and FIG. 12B).

[0035] As shown in FIG. 9, in some embodiments, the fiber enclosure 100 may comprise one or more latches 118 (or clasps) that help to prevent the cover 114 from being opened. In some embodiments, the latches 118 may comprise a plurality of apertures 118a configured to receive a locking mechanism (not shown), such as, for example, a combination lock or the like, which may be used to further prohibit access to the interior cavity 120 of the fiber enclosure 100. In some embodiments, the body 110 and cover 114 of the fiber enclosure 100 are formed from a polymeric material, such as, for example, polycarbonate.

[0036] The fiber enclosure 100 of the present invention further comprises a plurality of cable glands 130. In some embodiments, the cable glands 130 define at least one input port 132 and at least one output port 134. In some embodiments, the bottom wall 112b of the body 110 of the fiber enclosure 100 may comprise one or more cable glands 130. For example, in some embodiments, the bottom wall 112b of the body 110 of the fiber enclosure 100 may comprise eleven cable glands 130 (e.g., 130-1 through 130-11). In some embodiments, the cable glands 130 are configured and adapted to receive hybrid trunk cables, power trunk cables, discrete fiber trunk cables, and/or hybrid jumper cables. For example, in some embodiments, the cable glands 130 of the fiber enclosure 100 consist of two cable glands for hybrid and/or power trunk cables, one cable gland for a discrete fiber trunk cable, and eight cable glands for hybrid jumper cables.

[0037] In some embodiments, the arrangement of the cable glands 130 in the bottom wall 112b may be limited based on the dimensions of the fiber enclosure 100. For example, in some embodiments, in order for eleven cable glands 130 to fit in the bottom wall 112b of a fiber enclosure 100 having a height (H) of 12.5 inches, a width (W) of 10.5 inches, and a depth (D) of 6 inches, the cable glands 130-1 through 130-11 may be arranged as shown in FIG. 5

[0038] As shown in FIG. 5, bottom wall 112b of the enclosure 110 may include eight output ports 134 and three input ports 132. When viewed from the bottom of the fiber enclosure 110, in some embodiments, the fiber enclosure 110 may include output ports 134 for six hybrid jumper cables (i.e., cable glands 130-1 through 130-6) evenly spaced in line across the bottom wall 112b and residing adjacent to the open front 112f of the fiber enclosure 110. The fiber enclosure 100 may include an input port 132 for a hybrid trunk cable (i.e., cable gland 130-9) under the output ports 134 for the six hybrid jumper cables (i.e., cable glands 130-1 through 130-6) and residing adjacent a side wall 112s. The fiber enclosure 100 may include an input port 132 for a power trunk cable (i.e., cable gland 130-10) under the output ports 134 for the six hybrid jumper cables (i.e., cable glands 130-1 through 130-6) and residing adjacent the opposite side wall 112s from the input port 132 for the hybrid trunk cable (i.e., cable gland 130-9). The fiber enclosure 100 may include an input port 132 for a discrete fiber trunk cable (i.e., cable gland 130-11) adjacent to the input port 132 for the power trunk cable (i.e., cable gland 130-10). The two remaining output ports 134 for the hybrid jumper cables (i.e., cable glands 130-7 and 130-8) reside under the output ports 134 for the six hybrid jumper cables (i.e., cable glands 130-1 through 130-6) and between the input port 132 for the hybrid trunk cable (i.e., cable gland 130-9) and the input port 132 for the discrete fiber trunk cable (i.e., cable gland 130-11). Due to their size, the input ports 132 for the hybrid trunk cable and the power trunk cable (i.e., cable glands 130-9 and 130-10, respectively) reside on opposite sides from each other with the remaining output ports 134 for the hybrid jumper cables (i.e., cable glands 130-7 and 130-8) and the input port 132 for the discrete fiber trunk cable (i.e., cable gland 130-11) residing between the hybrid trunk cable and power trunk cable (i.e., cable glands 130-9 and 130-10) input ports 132.

[0039] Referring now to FIGS. 10A-11B, in some embodiments, the fiber enclosure 100 of the present invention may comprise an optical component panel 140. The optical component panel 140 resides within the interior cavity 120 of the body 110. The optical component panel 140 may comprise a connection wall 140a and a base 140b. In some embodiments, the connection wall 140a of the optical component panel 140 may be substantially perpendicular to the base 140b and may include at least one optical component arrangement 142. In some embodiments, the at least one optical component arrangement 142 may be configured to connect an incoming cable 146 and an outgoing cable 148 (see, e.g., FIGS. 13A-13B).

[0040] In some embodiments, the optical component panel 140 may further comprise an engagement member 160 that is coupled to or integral with the base 140b of the optical component panel 140. The engagement member 160 may be configured such that the optical component panel 140 is removably coupled to a frame 144 within the interior cavity 120 of the fiber enclosure 100. In some embodiments, the frame 144 is coupled to or integral with a floor 122 of the fiber enclosure 100. For example, in some embodiments the optical component panel 140 may be removably coupled to the frame 144 such that the optical component panel 140 is moveable between an engaged position (see, e.g., FIG. 11A) and an unengaged position (see, e.g., FIG. 11B) with the frame 144.

[0041] In some embodiments, the frame 144 may comprise two flanges 144a that extend outwardly from the frame 144. In some embodiments, the engagement member 160 may comprise a spring-loaded mechanism 145 that cooperates with a plurality of protrusions 160a, 162a (or hooks) to engage the flanges 144a of the frame 144. In some embodiments, when the hooks 160a, 162a are engaged with the flanges 144a of the frame 144, the spring-loaded mechanism 145 of the engagement member 160 exerts a biasing force F_b that holds the optical component panel 140 engaged with the frame 144, and thereby secures the optical component panel 140 within the interior cavity 120 of the fiber enclosure 100.

[0042] To remove the optical component panel 140 from the frame 144, a force F_r may be applied to the engagement member 160 to compress the spring-loaded mechanism 145. Compressing the spring-loaded mechanism 145 allows the hook 160a to disengage from the flange 144a of the frame 144. Once disengaged, the optical component panel 140 may be removed from the frame 144 (and the interior cavity 120 of the fiber enclosure 100). In some embodiments, the optical component panel 140 being removably coupled to the frame 144 may provide for easier installation and connection of the incoming and outgoing cables 146, 148 by a technician.

[0043] In some embodiments, the optical component panel 140 may be configured to connect two pairs of fibers. In some embodiments, the pairs of fibers comprise single-mode optical fibers and/or multi-mode optical fibers. In some embodiments, the arrangement of cable glands 130 may correspond to the single-mode optical fibers and/or multi-mode optical fibers. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in some embodiments, the cable glands 130 within the dashed line (i.e., cable glands 130-1, 130-2, 130-3, 130-7, 130-8, and 130-9) may correspond to multi-mode optical fibers and the cable glands 130 outside of the dashed line (i.e., cable glands 130-4, 130-5, 130-6, 130-10, and 130-11) may correspond to single-mode optical fibers. See also the schematic on the cover 114 of the fiber enclosure shown in FIG. 11A which illustrates the black-colored cable glands 130 corresponding to multi-mode optical fibers and the white-colored cable glands 130 corresponding to single-mode optical fibers.

[0044] In some embodiments, the fiber enclosure 100 of the present invention comprises an electrical component panel 150. The electrical component panel 150 resides within the interior cavity 120 of the body 110. In some embodiments, the electrical component panel 150 may include at least one electrical component arrangement 152. The electrical component panel 150 may be configured to connect a plurality of power connections 156.

[0045] In some embodiments, the electrical component panel 150 may be configured and adapted to receive a pair of power cables from each remote radio unit. In some embodiments, each power cable has a gauge in the range of about 6 AWG to about 14 AWG.

[0046] 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

That which is claimed is:

1. A fiber enclosure for a plurality of remote radio units, the enclosure comprising:

a body including a rear wall extending between opposite side walls and between a top wall and a bottom wall, the walls of the body defining an interior cavity, the body defining an open front that provides access to the interior cavity, the rear wall of the body being configured and adapted to be secured to a mounting structure;

a cover pivotally coupled to the body to move between an opened position and a closed position;

a plurality of cable glands located on the bottom wall, the plurality of cable glands defining at least one input port and at least one output port;

an optical component panel residing within the interior cavity of the body, the optical component panel including at least one optical component arrangement configured to connect an incoming cable and an outgoing cable, the optical component panel removably coupled to a frame such that the optical component panel is moveable between an engaged position and an unengaged position with the frame; and

an electrical component panel residing within the interior cavity of the body, the electrical component panel including at least one electrical component arrangement configured to connect a plurality of power connections.

2. The fiber enclosure of Claim 1, wherein the optical component panel comprises an engagement member having a plurality of hooks that are configured to engage a plurality of flanges extending outwardly from the frame to secure the optical component panel within the interior cavity.

3. The fiber enclosure of Claim 2, wherein the engagement member comprises a spring-loaded mechanism.

4. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, in combination with two to eight remote radio units.

5. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the plurality of cable glands are configured and adapted to receive hybrid trunk cables, power trunk cables, discrete fiber trunk cables, and/or hybrid jumper cables.

6. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the bottom wall of the enclosure comprises eleven cable glands.

7. The fiber enclosure of Claim 6, wherein the cable glands consist of two cable glands for hybrid and/or power trunk cables, one cable gland for a discrete fiber trunk cable, and eight cable glands for hybrid jumper cables.

8. The fiber enclosure of Claim 7, wherein the cable glands are arranged such that six of the eight hybrid jumper cable glands reside evenly spaced in a line across the bottom wall and residing adjacent to the open front, a hybrid trunk cable gland and a power trunk cable gland reside under the line of six hybrid jumper cable glands on opposite sides from each other, and the discrete fiber trunk cable gland and the remaining two hybrid jump cable glands reside between the hybrid trunk cable gland and the power trunk cable gland.

9. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body has a height in the range of about 12 inches to about 13 inches, a width in the range of about 10 inches to about 11 inches, and a depth in the range of about 5 inches to about 7 inches.

10. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body has a height of 12.5 inches, a width of 10.5 inches, and a depth of 6 inches.

11. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical component panel is configured to connect up to 16 power connections.

12. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the electrical component panel is configured and adapted to receive a pair of power cables, each cable having a gauge in the range of about 6 AWG to about 14 AWG from each remote radio unit.

13. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the optical component panel is configured to connect two pairs of fibers.

14. The fiber enclosure of Claim 12, wherein the pairs of fibers comprise single mode optical fibers and/or multi-mode optical fibers.

15. The fiber enclosure of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body and cover of the enclosure are formed of polycarbonate.