Optical waveguides – Accessories – Splice box and surplus fiber storage/trays/organizers/ carriers
Patent
1996-03-28
1998-07-07
Palmer, Phan T. H.
Optical waveguides
Accessories
Splice box and surplus fiber storage/trays/organizers/ carriers
385137, G02B 600
Patent
active
057781311
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the connection of optical fibres and in particular to an assembly provided with a plurality of housings for housing associated optical fibre connections.
Such assemblies are known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,766, and EP 0370819A in each of which such housings are disposed in an aligned bank with each housing being movable out of alignment with the other housings to provide access to the optical fibre connection or connections therein.
The assemblies disclosed in the above-mentioned specifications (i) are inefficient in their use of space, which is a disadvantage when the assembly needs to be accommodated in locations where space is limited, and (ii) have a construction which restricts the number of housings they can incorporate, which is a disadvantage when assemblies with different numbers of housings are required.
An object of the present invention is to enable at least one of the above-mentioned disadvantages to be overcome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention includes an assembly for use in connecting optical fibres to at least one optical device having input and output tails, comprising first housings for housing connections between the optical fibres and tails, a further housing having means for locating therein said at least one optical device, and routing means for guiding said optical fibre tails from said further housing to said first housings, said routing means including a manifold device providing tracks for routing said tails between said further housing and said first housings over predetermined paths, said first housings being arranged in an aligned bank adjacent said manifold device with each first housing being moveable out of such alignment with the others for providing access thereto.
Preferably each of said first housings is mounted to a respective routing member having passage means for routing thereto fibre tails from said manifold device and optical fibres to be connected to said tails in said first housing.
It will be appreciated that since each first housing is mounted to, and supported by, its associated routing member, the number of first housings in the assembly may be varied to suit requirements. Also, since the routing members are connected together such that the first housings are arranged in an aligned bank, the space occupied by the first housings in an assembly may be minimised for the number of first housings in that assembly.
Each first housing may be pivotally mounted to its respective routing member for movement into and out of alignment with the other first housings in said aligned bank, a respective flexible conduit means being provided between each said routing member and associated first housing for routing optical fibres and optical fibre tails therebetween and having a predetermined minimum bend radius during such pivotal movement.
It will be appreciated that by arranging for each flexible conduit means to have a minimum bend radius during pivotal movement of the first housing associated with it, the bend radius of the optical fibres in the flexible conduit can be maintained above a predetermined value.
The pivotal mounting of each first housing to its respective routing member may be by a pivoting device which is connected for movement relative to said routing member and said first housing by first and second connections respectively, at least one of said connections being a pivotal connection, and in the embodiment described hereinafter both connections are pivotal with the axis of the first pivotal connection being parallel to the axis of the second pivotal connection.
The use of these pivoting devices enables access to be gained to each first housing by pivoting through a smaller angle than would be required if each first housing were pivoted to a routing member about a single axis. This is advantageous when space around the assembly is limited and/or when assemblies have to be located next to each other.
The routing members may be rigidly connected one to another such that said first ho
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patent: 4373776 (1983-02-01), Purdy
patent: 4752110 (1988-06-01), Blanchet et al.
patent: 5187766 (1993-02-01), Finzel et al.
patent: 5548678 (1996-08-01), Frost et al.
International Search Report for PCT/GB 94/02112 dated Feb. 8, 1995.
U.K. Search Report for GB 9320101.0 dated Feb. 3, 1994.
Benton Simon Charles Tristan
Graveston Mark George
Hale Peter George
Jenkins Peter David
Kandasamy Ispran Sharma
Palmer Phan T. H.
Pirelli General plc
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