Optical cabinet

Abstract

An optical cabinet (1) comprises: a housing (2) which has an insertion hole (2a1) for inserting an optical cable (C); and a plurality of support / routing parts (5) which support and route a plurality of optical fiber bundles (B) of an optical cable (C) that has been inserted into the housing (2) through the insertion hole (2a1). The plurality of support / routing parts (5) each have a tray unit (3) that includes a plurality of trays (40) to which the plurality of optical fiber bundles (B) are connected, and a support shelf (4) that is disposed below the tray unit (3) in the vertical direction and that supports the optical fiber bundles (B).

Description

Optical Cabinet

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical cabinet. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-017358, filed on February 8, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] In data centers serving as optical communication facilities, optical cabinets are used to connect a large number of optical fiber bundles. Optical fiber bundles generally have excess lengths of different lengths. For example, the optical cabinet disclosed in Patent Document 1 has multiple spools for supporting such excess lengths. Each spool is positioned at a position away from the connection destination (e.g., a patch panel) of the optical fiber bundle in the left-right direction.

[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 1,086,6378

[0004] In the configuration of Patent Document 1, the spool is positioned at a position separated in the left-right direction from the patch panel, etc. This poses a problem in that the size of the entire optical cabinet network in the left-right direction becomes large. The larger the size of the optical cabinet, the lower the optical fiber wiring density in the data center.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical cabinet that is capable of supporting the excess length of an optical fiber bundle and is more compact.

[0006] In order to solve the above problem, an optical cabinet according to aspect 1 of the present invention comprises a housing having an introduction hole for introducing an optical cable, and a plurality of support wiring sections for supporting and wiring a plurality of optical fiber bundles of the optical cable introduced into the housing through the introduction hole, each of the plurality of support wiring sections having a tray unit including a plurality of trays to which the plurality of optical fiber bundles are connected, and a support shelf arranged vertically below the tray unit and supporting the optical fiber bundles.

[0007] Aspect 2 of the present invention is an optical cabinet according to aspect 1, wherein the tray unit has a unit housing that supports the plurality of trays slidably in a first direction, and the dimensions of the support shelf in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction are larger than the dimensions of the trays in the second direction.

[0008] Aspect 3 of the present invention is an optical cabinet according to aspect 1 or 2, further comprising a fixture for fixing the plurality of optical fiber bundles to the housing, the introduction hole being located at the top of the housing in the vertical direction, and the fixture being located above the corresponding support shelf in the vertical direction.

[0009] A fourth aspect of the present invention is the optical cabinet according to the third aspect, wherein the fixtures are positioned higher in the vertical direction than the corresponding tray units.

[0010] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the optical cabinet according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein in at least one of the support wiring sections, the spacing in the vertical direction between the tray unit and the support shelf is 80 mm or more.

[0011] Aspect 6 of the present invention is an optical cabinet according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein in at least one of the support wiring sections, the tray unit has a lid, each of the plurality of trays is supported slidably in a first direction relative to the housing, the lid is movable between a restricting position that restricts the sliding of the plurality of trays and an allowing position that allows the sliding of the plurality of trays, and when the lid is in the allowing position, the lid overlaps the support shelf when viewed from the first direction.

[0012] According to the above aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide an optical cabinet that is capable of supporting the excess length of the optical fiber bundle and is more compact.

[0013] 5 is an overall view of an optical cabinet according to the present embodiment; FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tray unit of FIG. 1; FIG. 7 is a view showing the state in which the lid of the tray unit of FIG. 2 is open; FIG. 8 is a view showing the state in which a tray is pulled out from the tray unit; FIG. 9 is a view showing the upper part of the optical cabinet of FIG. 1, with some of the components omitted; FIG. 10 is a view of the fixture of FIG. 5 from a vertical direction; FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the fixed unit of FIG. 6; FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the movable unit of FIG. 6;

[0014] The optical cabinet of this embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in Fig. 1, the optical cabinet 1 includes a housing 2 and a plurality of support wiring members 5. The housing 2 includes an introduction hole 2a1 for introducing a plurality of optical cables C into the inside of the housing 2. The optical cables C include a plurality of optical fiber bundles B. Each optical fiber bundle B includes a plurality of optical fibers.

[0015] 1, when the optical cabinet 1 is used, another cable to be connected to the optical cable C (hereinafter referred to as the connection target cable C') is also introduced into the housing 2. The optical cabinet 1 is capable of connecting multiple optical fibers included in the optical cable C to multiple optical fibers included in the connection target cable C'. The number of optical cables C introduced into the optical cabinet 1 may be one or more. Similarly, the number of connection target cables C' introduced into the optical cabinet 1 may be one or more.

[0016] (Direction definition) The vertical direction (the direction in which gravity acts) is represented by the Z axis in the drawings and is referred to as the vertical direction Z in this specification. The +Z side is the upper side in the vertical direction Z, and the -Z side is the lower side in the vertical direction Z. A direction perpendicular to the vertical direction Z is represented by the X axis and is referred to as the left-right direction X. A direction perpendicular to both the vertical direction Z and the left-right direction X is represented by the Y axis and is referred to as the front-to-back direction Y. One side (+Y side) in the front-to-back direction Y is referred to as the front, and the opposite side (-Y side) is referred to as the rear. One side (+X side) in the left-to-right direction X is referred to as the right, and the opposite side (-X side) is referred to as the left. The front-to-back direction Y may be referred to as the first direction, and the left-to-right direction X may be referred to as the second direction.

[0017] As shown in Figure 1, the optical cabinet 1 of this embodiment has five support wiring sections 5. However, the number of support wiring sections 5 included in the optical cabinet 1 may be changed. Each support wiring section 5 has a tray unit 3 and a support shelf 4. In each support wiring section 5, the support shelf 4 is located below the tray unit 3. The support shelf 4 supports part of the weight of the optical fiber bundle B connected to the tray unit 3. In this specification, the dimension of the support shelf 4 in the left-right direction X is represented as L1.

[0018] 2 and 3 , the tray unit 3 has a unit housing 30 and a plurality of trays 40. The unit housing 30 is fixed to the housing 2. The unit housing 30 has a first side plate 31, a second side plate 32, an upper plate 33, a lower plate 34, and a lid 35. The first side plate 31, the second side plate 32, the upper plate 33, and the lower plate 34 are fixed to the housing 2. The lid 35 is connected to the lower plate 34 by two hinges 36. Therefore, the lid 35 is rotatable with respect to the lower plate 34.

[0019] The first side plate 31 and the second side plate 32 are arranged with a gap in the left-right direction X. The upper plate 33 covers the space between the first side plate 31 and the second side plate 32 from above. The lower plate 34 covers the space between the first side plate 31 and the second side plate 32 from below. A plurality of trays 40 are housed inside the space formed by the first side plate 31, the second side plate 32, the upper plate 33, and the lower plate 34.

[0020] The lid 35 is movable between a restricting position shown in Fig. 2 and a releasing position shown in Fig. 3. The restricting position is a position where the lid 35 restricts the forward sliding of each tray 40. The releasing position is a position where the lid 35 allows the forward sliding of each tray 40. For example, under normal circumstances, the lid 35 is disposed in the restricting position. Then, when work (connector connection work, maintenance, etc.) is to be performed on the optical cabinet 1, the worker moves the lid 35 to the allowing position. This allows the tray 40 to slide forward to perform the work.

[0021] FIG. 4 shows one tray 40 pulled forward from the state shown in FIG. 3 . As such, each tray 40 is slidable in the front-to-rear direction Y relative to the unit housing 30. In other words, the unit housing 30 slidably supports multiple trays 40. As shown in FIG. 4 , each tray 40 is equipped with multiple adapters A. A connector CN1 on the optical cable C side and a connector CN2 on the target cable C′ side are connected to these adapters A. This optical fiber of the optical cable C and the optical fiber of the target cable C′ are optically connected. The optical fiber bundle B included in the optical cable C is introduced into the inside of the tray 40 from an end of the tray 40 in the left-to-right direction X. In this specification, the dimension of the tray 40 in the left-to-right direction X is represented as L2.

[0022] FIG. 5 shows the upper part of the optical cabinet 1, with some of the components omitted. As shown in FIG. 5, the housing 2 has a top wall 2a, a first side wall 2b, a back wall 2c, and a second side wall 2d. Also, as shown in FIG. 1, the housing 2 has a pair of doors 2e and a bottom wall 2f. The top wall 2a is located at the top of the housing 2. The aforementioned introduction hole 2a1 is also formed in the top wall 2a. That is, the introduction hole 2a1 is located at the top of the housing 2. The bottom wall 2f is located at the bottom of the housing 2. Each door 2e is rotatable with respect to the first side wall 2b and the second side wall 2d (see FIG. 1).

[0023] The first side wall 2b and the second side wall 2d are spaced apart in the left-right direction X. The tray unit 3, support shelf 4, etc. are arranged in the space between the first side wall 2b and the second side wall 2d. The back wall 2c is located at the rear end of the housing 2 and extends in the left-right direction X and the vertical direction Z. The first side plate 31, the second side plate 32, the upper plate 33, and the lower plate 34 of each tray unit 3 are fixed to the back wall 2c. Each support shelf 4 is also fixed to the back wall 2c.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 5 , the optical cabinet 1 includes a plurality of fixtures 6. Each fixture 6 serves to fix one optical cable C to the housing 2. The fixtures 6 are spaced apart in the vertical direction Z. In the example of FIG. 5 , two fixtures 6 are arranged side by side in the front-to-back direction Y at the same location in the vertical direction Z. The fixtures 6 and the support wiring units 5 correspond one-to-one. In this specification, "corresponding" means that the optical fiber bundle B in question is the same. For example, of the two uppermost fixtures 6, the fixture 6 on the rear (-Y side) corresponds to the uppermost support wiring unit 5. In other words, the optical fiber bundle B of the optical cable C fixed by the rear fixture 6 is supported and wired by the uppermost support wiring unit 5. In addition, of the two uppermost fixtures 6, the fixture 6 on the front (+Y side) corresponds to the second-highest support wiring unit 5. That is, the optical fiber bundle B of the optical cable C fixed by the front fixture 6 is supported and wired by the second supporting wiring part 5 from the top.

[0025] However, the fixing devices 6 and the support wiring units 5 do not necessarily have to correspond one-to-one. For example, one optical cable C fixed by the fixing device 6 may be branched and connected to two tray units 3. In this case, two support wiring units 5 correspond to one fixing device 6. Furthermore, multiple optical cables C may be fixed to the housing 2 by one fixing device 6. Alternatively, the optical cabinet 1 may not be provided with a fixing device 6.

[0026] Fig. 6 is a view of the fixture 6 as viewed from the vertical direction Z. As shown in Fig. 6, the fixture 6 has a fixed unit 10 and a movable unit 20. When the fixture 6 is attached to the housing 2, the fixed unit 10 is fixed to the housing 2, and the movable unit 20 is movable relative to the fixed unit 10. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the fixed unit 10. The fixed unit 10 is fixed to the housing 2 with screws 13 or the like. The fixed unit 10 has a fixed-side main body 11 and two fixed-side pressing members 12. The fixed-side pressing members 12 have multiple protrusions and are fixed to the fixed-side main body 11.

[0027] Figure 8 is a perspective view of the movable unit 20. The movable unit 20 has a movable-side main body 21, two movable-side pressing members 22 (see Figure 6), a shaft 23, a handle 24, a nut 25, and a connecting member 26. The movable-side pressing member 22 has multiple protrusions. When an operator turns the handle 24, the male thread of the shaft 23 screws into the female thread of the nut 25. This causes the movable-side main body 21 attached to the tip of the shaft 23 to move toward or away from the fixed-side main body 11. The connecting member 26 functions to connect the movable unit 20 to the fixed unit 10.

[0028] When the optical cable C is fixed by the fixture 6, the optical cable C is pressed by the two fixed-side pressing members 12 and the two movable-side pressing members 22 (see FIG. 6 ). At this time, at least the portion of the optical cable C fixed by the fixture 6 is extended in the vertical direction Z. The multiple protrusions of the fixed-side pressing member 12 and the movable-side pressing member 22 dig into the outer sheath of the optical cable C. This suppresses slippage between the fixed-side pressing member 12 and the movable-side pressing member 22 and the optical cable C. With this fixture 6, the fixing work can be easily performed even if the diameter of the optical cable C changes. It is also possible to perform the work in the following order: attaching the fixture 6 to the optical cable C in advance, and then fixing the fixture 6 to the housing 2.

[0029] It is preferable that the dimension L1 (FIG. 1) of the support shelf 4 in the left-right direction X is larger than the dimension L2 (FIG. 4) of the tray 40 in the left-right direction X. In other words, it is preferable that a portion of the support shelf 4 protrudes in the left-right direction X relative to the tray 40 when viewed from the vertical direction Z. Furthermore, in the support wiring section 5, the gap G (see FIG. 1) between the tray unit 3 and the support shelf 4 in the vertical direction Z is preferably 80 mm or more. In this embodiment, the gap G is set to 100 mm. The operation of the optical cabinet 1 will now be described.

[0030] In this embodiment, the introduction hole 2a1 is located at the top of the housing 2. Furthermore, the fixture 6 is located higher than the corresponding support wiring section 5 (tray unit 3 and support shelf 4). Therefore, the optical cable C introduced into the housing 2 from the introduction hole 2a1 is fixed by the fixture 6 above the support wiring section 5. As shown in FIG. 5 , the optical cable C fixed by the fixture 6 branches into multiple optical fiber bundles B below the fixture 6. The branched optical fiber bundles B are partially wound and placed on the support shelf 4. In other words, part of the weight of the optical fiber bundles B is supported by the support shelf 4. As shown in FIG. 4 , a connector CN1 is attached to the end of each optical fiber bundle B. These connectors CN1 are connected to adapters A of the tray 40.

[0031] In order to smoothly connect the connector CN1 to the adapter A, the optical fiber bundle B is provided with an excess length. The length of this excess length varies depending on the optical fiber bundle B. The support shelf 4 is used to place such excess length of the optical fiber bundle B. The presence of the support shelf 4 makes it possible to support the excess length of the optical fiber bundle B near the tray unit 3. Therefore, when connecting or disconnecting the connector CN1 to the adapter A, the length of the excess length of the optical fiber bundle B can be increased or decreased, making it easy to adjust the slack of the optical fiber bundle B near the connector CN1. This improves the efficiency of the connection or disconnection operation.

[0032] Furthermore, if the introduction hole 2a1 were provided at the bottom of the housing 2, the worker would need to lift the optical cable C when performing the connection work. The optical cable C may be heavy, and there is a possibility that local bending or the like may occur in the optical fiber when lifting it. Bending of the optical fiber leads to an increase in the transmission loss of light. In contrast, in this embodiment, the optical cable C is introduced from the top of the housing 2. Therefore, the need for the worker to lift the optical cable C can be reduced. This reduces the workload and also prevents the optical fiber from bending.

[0033] When connecting or disconnecting the connector CN1, to adjust the length of the excess portion, the worker may need to insert his or her fingers between the support shelf 4 and the tray unit 3. Here, by setting the aforementioned gap G to 80 mm or more, it becomes easier to insert his or her fingers between the support shelf 4 and the tray unit 3 to perform the work.

[0034] As described above, the optical cabinet 1 includes the housing 2 having the introduction hole 2a1 for introducing the optical cable C, and multiple support wiring units 5 for supporting and wiring the multiple optical fiber bundles B of the optical cable C introduced into the housing 2 through the introduction hole 2a1. Each of the multiple support wiring units 5 includes a tray unit 3 including multiple trays 40 to which the multiple optical fiber bundles B are connected, and a support shelf 4 disposed below the tray unit 3 in the vertical direction Z and supporting the optical fiber bundles B. With this configuration, the optical fiber bundles B can be connected to each tray 40 while the optical fiber bundles B are supported by the support shelf 4. Furthermore, because the support shelf 4 is located below the tray unit 3, the overall dimension of the optical cabinet 1 in the left-right direction X can be reduced. Therefore, a compact optical cabinet 1 can be provided that can support the excess length of the optical fiber bundles B.

[0035] The tray unit 3 has a unit housing 30 that supports multiple trays 40 slidably in a first direction (front-rear direction Y). A dimension L1 of the support shelf 4 in a second direction (left-right direction X) perpendicular to the first direction is larger than a dimension L2 of the tray 40 in the second direction. With this configuration, the optical fiber bundle B supported by the support shelf 4 can be easily introduced from the outside of the tray 40 to the inside of the tray 40 in the left-right direction X. This facilitates the task of connecting the optical fiber bundle B to the adapter A of the tray 40.

[0036] The optical cabinet 1 includes a fixture 6 that fixes a plurality of optical fiber bundles B (optical cables C) to the housing 2. The introduction hole 2a1 is located at the top of the housing 2 in the vertical direction Z, and the fixture 6 is located higher in the vertical direction Z than the corresponding support shelf 4. This configuration makes it less likely that local stress will be generated in the optical fibers, and also reduces the burden on the worker.

[0037] The fixtures 6 are positioned higher in the vertical direction Z than the corresponding tray units 3. With this configuration, the distance that the optical fiber bundles B travel from the fixtures 6, through the support shelves 4, and to the tray units 3 can be increased. This makes it less likely that local bending will occur in the optical fiber bundles B. Furthermore, the multiple optical fiber bundles B hanging down from the fixtures 6 can be smoothly placed on the support shelves 4. This also improves workability.

[0038] In at least one support wiring section 5, the vertical distance G (see FIG. 1) between the tray unit 3 and the support shelf 4 may be 80 mm or more. This configuration makes it easier for an operator to insert his or her fingers between the support shelf 4 and the tray unit 3. This makes it easier to place the optical fiber bundle B on the support shelf 4 and to remove the optical fiber bundle B from the support shelf 4.

[0039] In at least one support wiring section 5, the tray unit 3 may have a lid 35, and each of the multiple trays 40 may be supported slidably in a first direction relative to the housing 2. The lid 35 may be movable between a restricting position ( FIG. 2 ) that restricts the sliding of the multiple trays 40 and an allowing position ( FIG. 3 ) that allows the sliding of the multiple trays 40. When the lid 35 is in the allowing position, the lid 35 may overlap the support shelf 4 when viewed from the first direction. In other words, the lid 35 may cover the support shelf 4 from the front (+Y side). With this configuration, when connecting the optical fiber bundle B to the adapter A of the tray 40, the optical fiber bundle B is less likely to fall off the support shelf 4 forward. This improves workability.

[0040] The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0041] For example, in the above embodiment, the lid 35 rotates around the hinge 36. However, the lid 35 may be configured to slide up and down, for example. In this case, too, a configuration can be realized in which the lid 35 moves between a restricting position that restricts the sliding of the multiple trays 40 and an allowing position that allows the sliding of the multiple trays 40.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the introduction hole 2a1 is located at the top of the housing 2. However, the introduction hole 2a1 may be located at a position other than the top of the housing 2. For example, the introduction hole 2a1 may be formed in the first side wall 2b, the second side wall 2d, or the bottom wall 2f. In this case, if multiple support wiring portions 5 are provided, the excess length of the optical fiber bundle B can be supported, and the optical cabinet 1 can be made compact.

[0043] In addition, in the above embodiment, the unit housing 30 that supports the tray 40 is separate from the housing 2. However, the unit housing 30 may be integrated with the housing 2. In other words, the housing 2 itself may slidably support the tray 40.

[0044] In addition, it is possible to replace the components in the above-described embodiments with well-known components as appropriate, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate, without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0045] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...optical cabinet 2...housing 2a1...introduction hole 3...tray unit 4...support shelf 5...support wiring section 6...fixing tool 30...unit housing 35...lid 40...tray B...optical fiber bundle C...optical cable G...gap Z...vertical direction

Claims

1. a housing having an introduction hole for introducing an optical cable; a plurality of support wiring sections that support and wire the plurality of optical fiber bundles of the optical cable that are introduced into the housing through the introduction hole; Each of the plurality of support wiring portions is a tray unit including a plurality of trays to which the plurality of optical fiber bundles are connected; an optical cabinet having a support shelf disposed below the tray unit in the vertical direction and supporting the optical fiber bundle;

2. the tray unit has a unit housing that supports the plurality of trays slidably in a first direction; The light cabinet of claim 1 , wherein a dimension of the support shelf in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction is greater than a dimension of the tray in the second direction.

3. a fixture for fixing the plurality of optical fiber bundles to the housing; the introduction hole is located at the top of the housing in the vertical direction, The optical cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the fixtures are positioned higher in the vertical direction than the corresponding support shelves.

4. The optical cabinet according to claim 3 , wherein the fixtures are positioned higher in the vertical direction than the corresponding tray units.

5. 3. The optical cabinet according to claim 1, wherein in at least one of the support wiring sections, the distance between the tray unit and the support shelf in the vertical direction is 80 mm or more.

6. In at least one of the support wiring sections, the tray unit has a lid, and each of the plurality of trays is supported slidably in a first direction relative to the housing; the lid is movable between a restricting position that restricts sliding of the plurality of trays and an allowing position that allows sliding of the plurality of trays, The light cabinet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein when the lid is in the allowable position, the lid overlaps the support shelf when viewed from the first direction.