Optical waveguides – Accessories – Splice box and surplus fiber storage/trays/organizers/ carriers
Patent
1996-03-06
1998-04-14
Lee, John D.
Optical waveguides
Accessories
Splice box and surplus fiber storage/trays/organizers/ carriers
G02B 636
Patent
active
057402981
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to various components for use in an optical fibre network, in particular to components for fibre routing and to modules to be installed with optical fibres.
Optical fibre networks can have a complex architecture involving precise fibre routing and storage between fibre splices and fibre splitters etc. Since splicing and splitting of optical fibres is a complex and lengthy process requiring clean conditions, carrying it out in the field can add considerably to the cost and time for installation of an optical fibre network.
A further problem is that many optical fibre networks have many different points at which fibre organization is required. For example, fibres must be terminated at an exchange, terminated at subscribers, spliced between lengths of optical fibre cable, spliced at spur points from ring networks etc., and splitting must be carried out since each fibre from an exchange carries information for many subscribers.
If organizers and other components were to be tailor-made for each of these points of use their cost would be high. We have therefore designed an essentially modular system, particularly allowing pre-installation or fibres thereby reducing installation work that must be carried out in the field.
We have designed a base which can route fibres from incoming and outgoing cables, and an organizer module which can be removably attached to it.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, the present invention provides a base for an optical fibre organizer, which comprises:
a first passage along one longitudinal edge portion for incoming fibres;
a second passage along an opposite longitudinal edge portion for outgoing fibres;
a plurality of first fibre guides separated from one another along the length of the base and extending from the first passage across the base towards the second passage where fibres in said guides are directed away from the plane of the base; and
a plurality of second fibre guides separated from one another along the length of the base and extending from the second passage across the base towards the first passage where fibres in said guides are directed away from the plane of the base.
The invention also provides an optical fibre organizer module which comprises: organizer trays separated from one another along the length of the plate; fibres from one side portion of the plate at one longitudinal position corresponding to one organizer tray to any of a plurality of longitudinal positions corresponding to those of other organizer trays at an opposite side portion of the base.
The invention further provides a module pre-installed with optical fibres capable of connection between an incoming fibre and a plurality of outgoing fibres, which comprises: splitter; and trays.
Each guide of the base preferably terminates in a ramp having a minimum bend radius at least equal to the critical bend radius of the fibre, and those guides are preferably mutually interdigitated and preferably defined by walls that separate the first guides from the second guides.
The fibres directed by the first and second guides away from the plane of the base will in general be received by optical fibre organizer trays that are positioned above the base. Since it may be desirable that any given tray be able to receive a fibre from either side of the base and since each tray will not in general be individually moveable to achieve this, we prefer that pairs of first and second guides terminate at substantially equal distances along the length of the base. This can be achieved if the first guides curve along the base towards one end thereof, or if the first guides curve along the base towards one end and the second guides curve along the base towards the opposite end, such that pairs of first and second guides direct fibres away from the plane of the base at substantially equal distances along the length of the base.
In order that incoming fibres initially extending parallel to the length of the base are not excessively bent, we prefer that the first and sec
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Daems Daniel
De Coster Pieter
Macken Luk Jozef
Van Noten Lodewijk Cordula Michael
Burkard Herbert G.
Lee John D.
N.V. Raychem S.A.
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