Optical waveguides – Optical transmission cable – With electrical conductor in the same cable
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-24
2004-08-10
Prasad, Chandrika (Department: 2839)
Optical waveguides
Optical transmission cable
With electrical conductor in the same cable
C385S147000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06775442
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an internal unit and a submarine apparatus having the internal unit and, more particularly, to an internal unit in a submarine apparatus, and a submarine apparatus provided along a submarine cable together laid on a seafloor.
The “submarine apparatus” means an apparatus laid on a seafloor, such as a submarine repeater, a submarine branching unit, or a gain equalizer.
Currently, in a market of submarine-apparatus, it has been required that a submarine apparatus is delivered to a customer in a shorter period since making a contract with the customer. Therefore, a submarine apparatus is required to be manufactured in a shorter period.
FIG. 1
shows a structure of a general submarine repeater
10
. The submarine repeater
10
comprises a cylindrical airtight body
11
that can endure a water pressure on a seafloor, and a cylindrical internal unit
12
incorporated therein. The airtight body
11
comprises a cylindrical outer body
13
and end-surface plates
14
and
15
covering both ends of the outer body
13
. The internal unit
12
is incorporated within the outer body
13
with a buffering member
16
formed of a mesh plate being placed therebetween. The buffering member
16
has a function of conducting heat generated by the internal unit
12
to the airtight body
11
, and also has a function of keeping the internal unit
12
from suffering vibrations and impacts caused during the laying of the submarine repeater
10
.
The submarine repeater
10
is connected with a submarine cable
20
. The submarine cable
20
includes an optical fiber
21
transmitting information, and an electric-supply line
22
supplying electric power. The optical fiber
21
and the electric-supply line
22
are drawn into the airtight body
11
via a hole formed in the end-surface plate
14
or
15
so as to be connected with the internal unit
12
.
In manufacturing the submarine repeater
10
, it takes a lot of steps to assemble the internal unit
12
.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 2
to
FIG. 6
show a conventional internal unit
30
of a submarine repeater. In
FIG. 2
to
FIG. 6
, circuit units are stacked in a horizontal direction. X indicates a horizontal direction, Z indicates a vertical direction, and Y indicates a depth direction (a longitudinal direction of the internal unit
30
).
FIG. 2
shows a disassembled state of roughly a front half (in a direction Y
2
) of the internal unit
30
.
FIG. 3
is a front view of the internal unit
30
, as seen from Y
2
.
FIG. 4
is a plan view of the internal unit
30
, as seen from Z
1
.
FIG. 5
is a bottom view of the internal unit
30
, as seen from Z
2
.
FIG. 6
is a side view of the internal unit
30
, as seen from X
1
.
The internal unit
30
mainly comprises a plurality (for example, four) of system units
31
-
1
,
31
-
2
,
31
-
3
and
31
-
4
, four coupling bars
32
-
1
,
32
-
2
,
32
-
3
and
32
-
4
, covers
34
-
1
and
34
-
2
, an insulating cylinder
35
, and end-surface covers
36
.
The system unit
31
-
1
comprises an optical circuit unit
40
having an optical circuit component, a monitor/power-supply circuit unit
42
including a printed board
41
for address-setting, a control circuit unit
44
including a printed board
43
for adjusting, and a lid member
45
made of metal. The optical circuit unit
40
, the monitor/power-supply circuit unit
42
and the control circuit unit
44
are stacked in this order in a direction X
2
-X
1
, and the lid member
45
covers the outer surface of the control circuit unit
44
. Each of the circuit units
40
,
42
and
44
is made of metal, and has a box shape with the outer surface being open. The other system units
31
-
2
to
31
-
4
have the same or symmetrical structure as the above-described system unit
31
-
1
.
The first system unit
31
-
1
and the second system unit
31
-
2
are fixed to each other by insulating coupling plates
46
and screws with an insulating sheet
47
therebetween so that the optical circuit units
40
of the first system unit
31
-
1
and the second system unit
31
-
2
face each other in a direction X
1
-X
2
. Likewise, the third system unit
31
-
3
and the fourth system unit
31
-
4
are fixed to each other so that the optical circuit units
40
of the third system unit
31
-
3
and the fourth system unit
31
-
4
face each other in the direction X
1
-X
2
. The first system unit
31
-
1
and the third system unit
31
-
3
are aligned in a direction Y
2
-Y
1
, and the second system unit
31
-
2
and the fourth system unit
31
-
4
are aligned in the direction Y
2
-Y
1
.
A plane
50
and a plane
51
are formed in directions Z
1
and Z
2
, respectively, by side surfaces of the optical circuit units
40
facing each other as described above. As shown in
FIG. 4
, the optical fiber
21
is wired along a groove
50
a
in the plane
50
, and is contained in the groove
50
a
with an excess length thereof being processed. As shown in
FIG. 5
, the electric-supply line
22
is wired along the plane
51
.
The coupling bars
32
-
1
,
32
-
2
,
32
-
3
and
32
-
4
are narrow boards arranged at every 90 degrees so as to couple and fix the system units
31
-
1
,
31
-
2
,
31
-
3
and
31
-
4
, and to conduct heat outwardly from the system units
31
-
1
,
31
-
2
,
31
-
3
and
31
-
4
.
The first coupling bar
32
-
1
extends along the lid members
45
of the first and third system units
31
-
1
and
31
-
3
, and is fixed to the lid members
45
by screws
52
with an insulating sheet
56
therebetween. The second coupling bar
32
-
2
extends along the lid members
45
of the second and fourth system units
31
-
2
and
31
-
4
, and is fixed to the lid members
45
by screws
53
. The third coupling bar
32
-
3
extends along the plane
50
, and is fixed to the side surfaces (in the direction Z
1
) of the optical circuit units
40
of the system units
31
-
1
,
31
-
2
,
31
-
3
and
31
-
4
by screws
54
. The third coupling bar
32
-
3
covers the optical fiber
21
contained in the groove
50
a
. The fourth coupling bar
32
-
4
extends along the plane
51
, and is fixed to the side surfaces (in the direction Z
2
) of the optical circuit units
40
of the system units
31
-
1
,
31
-
2
,
31
-
3
and
31
-
4
by screws
55
. The fourth coupling bar
32
-
4
covers the electric-supply line
22
wired on the plane
51
.
By the coupling bars
32
-
1
,
32
-
2
,
32
-
3
and
32
-
4
and the screws
52
to
55
, the four system units
31
-
1
,
31
-
2
,
31
-
3
and
31
-
4
are fixed at predetermined positions. Each of the screws
52
to
55
is fastened via an insulating bush
57
. Heads of the screws
52
to
55
are covered with insulating caps
58
to
61
, respectively. The insulating caps
58
to
61
are inserted into holes
62
for screwing formed in the coupling bars
32
-
1
,
32
-
2
,
32
-
3
and
32
-
4
.
Each of the covers
34
-
1
and
34
-
2
is semi-cylindrical, and the covers
34
-
1
and
34
-
2
cover the system units
31
-
1
to
31
-
4
from the side Z
1
and the side Z
2
, respectively. The covers
34
-
1
and
34
-
2
are fixed to the coupling bars
32
-
1
to
32
-
4
by screws
63
and
64
. Fixing the covers
34
-
1
and
34
-
2
as above gives a cylindrical shape to the internal unit
30
in the course of being assembled.
The insulating cylinder
35
covers the covers
34
-
1
and
34
-
2
mounted on the internal unit
30
in the course of being assembled. The insulating cylinder
35
insulates the internal unit
30
from the outer body
13
in a state that the internal unit
30
is incorporated in the outer body
13
.
Next, the internal unit
30
having the above-described structure is assembled as shown in FIG.
7
and FIG.
8
. The assembling is performed while being verified by an inspector who is another person from an assembling operator so that reliability thereof is secured.
First, after making a contract with a customer and deciding on details of system parameters, assembling of the system units
31
-
1
,
31
-
2
,
3
Kaeriyama Yasushi
Nakashima Hiroshi
Takeda Taiichi
Fujitsu Limited
Prasad Chandrika
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