Patch panel

Abstract

This patch panel comprises: a patch panel housing; and a plurality of adapters to which optical connectors can be connected. The patch panel housing is defined into a first storage area, a second storage area, a third storage area, and a fourth storage area in the left-right direction. The first storage area, the second storage area, the third storage area, and the fourth storage area each have a front wall part. The plurality of adapters are attached to at least some of a plurality of front wall parts, and the front wall parts of the second storage area and the third storage area, which are located on the inner side in the left-right direction, are located forward of the front wall parts of the first storage area and the fourth storage area, which are located on the outer side.

Description

Patch Panel

[0001] The present invention relates to a patch panel. This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-014840, filed February 2, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an optical cabinet for constructing an optical network. Inside the optical cabinet, a patch panel capable of switching the connection destination of an optical fiber is arranged.

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

[0004] In such patch panels, it is necessary to prevent optical fibers from being connected to the wrong destination (crosstalk).

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has as its object to provide a patch panel that can prevent crosstalk.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, a patch panel according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a patch panel housing and a plurality of adapters to which optical connectors can be connected. The patch panel housing is partitioned in a left-right direction into a first storage area, a second storage area, a third storage area, and a fourth storage area, each of which has a front wall, and a plurality of the adapters are attached to at least a portion of the front wall, and the front wall of the second storage area and the third storage area, which are located inside in the left-right direction, are located forward of the front wall of the first storage area and the fourth storage area, which are located outside.

[0007] Aspect 2 of the present invention is a patch panel according to aspect 1, wherein the patch panel housing has a bottom wall and an inner bottom located above the bottom wall, and the first storage area, the second storage area, the third storage area, and the fourth storage area may be located above the inner bottom.

[0008] Aspect 3 of the present invention is a patch panel according to aspect 1 or 2, wherein at least some of the adapters are attached to the front wall of the third storage area and the fourth storage area, a small door that can be opened and closed is arranged in front of the fourth storage area, a hinge is provided at the lower end of the small door, and a routing path for optical fibers connected to the adapters attached to the front wall of the third storage area is provided in the space in front of the small door and below the hinge.

[0009] According to the above aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a patch panel that can prevent crosstalk.

[0010] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an optical wiring system according to the present embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram in which the cabinet door and optical cables of the optical cabinet of FIG. 1 are omitted. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a portion IV of FIG. 3. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrows V-V of FIG. 4. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the connection unit of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a view in which the unit door is opened and one tray is pulled out of the connection unit of FIG. 6. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a single tray of FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion IX of FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrows XI-XI of FIG. 10. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the arrows XII-XII of FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a view of a tray according to a modified example.

[0011] The following describes the optical cabinet, patch panel, connection unit, and optical wiring system including these components of this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the optical wiring system 1 includes an optical cabinet 2 and multiple patch panels 3. An optical cable C1 is introduced into the optical cabinet 2. The optical cabinet 2 and the multiple patch panels 3 are connected by multiple optical cables C2. The optical cabinet 2 and the patch panels 3 do not need to be located in the same room or building.

[0012] <Direction definition> In the diagram, the Z axis represents the up-down direction, the X axis represents the left-right direction, and the Y axis represents the front-to-back direction. The +Z side is the top and the -Z side is the bottom. The +X side is the right and the -X side is the left. The +Y side is the front and the -Y side is the rear. Typically, the user performs operations from the front of the optical cabinet 2 or the front or rear of the patch panel 3. However, the left-to-right direction X and the front-to-back direction Y do not need to coincide between the optical cabinet 2 and the patch panel 3.

[0013] <Optical Cabinet 2> As shown in Fig. 1, the optical cabinet 2 has a cabinet housing 100. The cabinet housing 100 is divided into an upper section 101 and a lower section 102. The lower section 102 is provided with a plurality of inlets 102a. Some of the inlets 102a are blocked by panels 102b. In Fig. 1, an optical cable C1 is introduced through the front inlet 102a, and an optical cable C2 is introduced through the side inlet 102a. However, to introduce the optical cables C1 and C2 into the cabinet housing 100, only the side inlet 102a or only the front inlet 102a may be used, rather than using both the front inlet 102a and the side inlet 102a.

[0014] Two cabinet doors 103 are provided on the upper portion 101. FIG. 2 is a front view of the optical cabinet 2, omitting the cabinet doors 103 and optical cables C1 and C2. As shown in FIG. 2, the interior of the cabinet housing 100 is divided into four areas A1 to A4 by a first imaginary line O1 and a second imaginary line O2. The first imaginary line O1 extends in the up-down direction Z, and the second imaginary line O2 extends in the left-right direction X, perpendicular to the first imaginary line O1. The first imaginary line O1 is located at the center of the cabinet housing 100 in the left-right direction X. The first and second areas A1 and A2 are located to the left of the first imaginary line O1. The third and fourth areas A3 and A4 are located to the right of the first imaginary line O1. The first and third areas A1 and A3 are located above the second imaginary line O2. The second and fourth areas A2 and A4 are located below the second imaginary line O2.

[0015] Two ducts 104 are provided inside the cabinet housing 100. The two ducts 104 extend in the vertical direction Z and overlap the entire areas A2 and A4 in the vertical direction Z. The two ducts 104 are also arranged side by side in the horizontal direction X near the second imaginary line O2 (near the center of the cabinet housing 100).

[0016] The duct 104 is located between the second area A2 and the fourth area A4 in the left-right direction X. Although the optical cables C1 and C2 are not shown in FIG. 2 , the optical cables C1 and C2 may include optical lines of multiple communication carriers. In this embodiment, optical lines of different communication carriers can be assigned to the four areas A1 to A4. For example, the optical line of a communication carrier corresponding to the first area A1 is introduced into the first area A1 from the inlet 102a through the left duct 104. Similarly, the optical line of a communication carrier corresponding to the third area A3 is introduced into the third area A3 from the inlet 102a through the right duct 104. In this way, the use of the duct 104 can prevent crosstalk between different communication carriers.

[0017] Each of the four areas A1 to A4 is provided with an area cover 107. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of area A1 with the area cover 107 removed. As shown in FIG. 3, multiple (four in the figure) connection units 4 are arranged in the first area A1. Although not shown, multiple connection units 4 are also arranged in areas A2 to A4. At least a portion of an optical cable C2 is inserted inside the duct 104. The optical cable C2 includes multiple wirings W. The "wirings W" are, for example, optical cords including multiple optical fibers. In FIG. 3, the paths of some of the wirings W are indicated by dashed lines. A curved guide 105 and a holding member 106 are provided inside the cabinet housing 100 and above the duct 104. Some of the wirings W are held by the curved guide 105 and introduced into the connection units 4. Some of the wirings W are held by the curved guide 105 and the holding member 106 and introduced into the connection units 4.

[0018] Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view of part IV in Figure 3. As shown in Figure 4, the curved guide 105 has an attachment portion 105a, a plate portion 105b, a curved surface 105c, a clamp 105d, and a guide wall 105e. The attachment portion 105a is attached to the cabinet housing 100. The plate portion 105b extends forward from the attachment portion 105a and is plate-shaped and parallel to the front-rear direction Y and the up-down direction Z. The plate portion 105b supports the curved surface 105c and the clamp 105d. The curved surface 105c is convex upward and protrudes from the plate portion 105b in the left-right direction X. The guide wall 105e is plate-shaped and parallel to the plate portion 105b. The curved surface 105c is sandwiched between the guide wall 105e and the plate portion 105b.

[0019] 4, the holding member 106 has an attachment portion 106a, a plate portion 106b, and a holding portion 106c. The attachment portion 106a is a portion that is attached to the cabinet housing 100. The plate portion 106b extends forward from the attachment portion 106a and is a plate-like portion that is parallel to the front-rear direction Y and the up-down direction Z. The plate portion 106b supports the holding portion 106c. The holding portion 106c can hold the wiring W between itself and the plate portion 106b.

[0020] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line V-V in Fig. 4. In Fig. 5, the wiring W supported by the curved guide 105 is indicated by a dashed line. The curved surface 105c supports the wiring W from below. The clamp 105d clamps the wiring W supported by the curved surface 105c. The plate portion 105b and the guide wall 105e can regulate the position of the wiring W in the left-right direction X.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3 , a portion of the wiring W included in the optical cable C1 is introduced into the connection unit 4 via the bending guide 105. For example, the wiring W is passed through the space between the curved surface 105c and the mounting portion 105a (see FIG. 5 ), placed on the curved surface 105c, and hangs down in front of the curved surface 105c due to its own weight. At this time, the bending radius of the wiring W is determined by the curved surface 105c. In other words, the wiring W is restricted from being bent at a radius smaller than that of the curved surface 105c. This makes it possible to suppress local lateral pressure from acting on the optical fiber. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in transmission loss of the optical fiber.

[0022] Furthermore, a portion of the wiring W included in the optical cable C2 is introduced into the connection unit 4 via the holding member 106. At this time, the position of the wiring W in the front-rear direction Y is restricted by the holding portion 106c. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the wiring W from being positioned further forward than a predetermined position and coming into contact with the cabinet door 103, for example.

[0023] <Connection Unit 4> As shown in FIG. 6 , the connection unit 4 includes a unit housing 10 and multiple trays 20. The multiple trays 20 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction Z and are configured to be slidable in the front-rear direction Y. The unit housing 10 includes an upper wall 11, two side walls 12, a lower wall 13, a unit door 14, two unit hinges 15, and two knobs 16. The upper wall 11 and the lower wall 13 are plate-shaped extending in the left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y and are arranged with a gap in the vertical direction Z. The two side walls 12 are arranged with a gap in the left-right direction X. Note that the left side (−X side) side wall 12 is not shown in FIG. 6 . The two side walls 12 slidably support both ends of the tray 20 in the left-right direction X. As will be described in detail later, multiple openings 12b are formed in the front wall (front lateral wall 12a) of the side wall 12. The number of openings 12 b corresponds to the number of trays 20 included in the connection unit 4 .

[0024] The two unit hinges 15 are disposed between the lower end of the unit door 14 and the front end of the bottom wall 13. The unit door 14 is rotatable about the unit hinges 15. FIG. 7 shows the unit door 14 in an open state after being rotated about the unit hinges 15. In FIG. 7, the lowermost tray 20 is pulled out forward. Two insertion holes 14a are formed in the unit door 14. The two insertion holes 14a extend in the up-down direction Z and are spaced apart in the left-right direction X.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 8, a first optical fiber group F1 and a second optical fiber group F2 are introduced into the tray 20. For example, the first optical fiber group F1 is the optical fiber included in the optical cable C1, and the second optical fiber group F2 is the optical fiber included in the optical cable C2 (see Fig. 1). The tray 20 serves to hold the fusion spliced ​​portion of the optical fibers F1 and F2. In other words, the connection unit 4 serves to hold the spliced ​​portion of the optical cables C1 and C2.

[0026] The tray 20 has a first introduction section 21, a second introduction section 22, a tray front wall 23, two rails 24, two restricting pieces 25, two locking pieces 26, a tray bottom wall 27, and a plurality of holding ribs 28. The first introduction section 21 is a section for introducing the first optical fiber group F1 into the tray 20. The second introduction section 22 is a section for introducing the second optical fiber group F2 into the tray 20. The first introduction section 21 and the second introduction section 22 are located at both ends of the tray 20 in the left-right direction X. The first introduction section 21 and the second introduction section 22 are each provided with a plurality of partition walls, and the optical fibers F1, F2 are passed between the partition walls.

[0027] The tray front wall 23 is located in front of the first introduction section 21 and the second introduction section 22 and extends in the left-right direction X. Two tray operation sections 23a are formed on the tray front wall 23. The tray operation sections 23a are spaced apart in the left-right direction X and protrude forward from the tray front wall 23. The tray operation sections 23a are rectangular plates extending in the left-right direction X and the front-rear direction Y. When pulling the tray 20 forward relative to the unit housing 10, the user can pinch and operate the tray operation sections 23a. By employing a tray operation section 23a having such a shape, the thickness of the tray 20 in the up-down direction Z can be reduced, allowing more trays 20 to be included in multiple connection units 4.

[0028] For example, the tray operation unit 23a may be provided with an identification unit for identifying the optical fibers F1, F2. A specific example of the identification unit is the wiring number of the communication carrier to which the optical fibers F1, F2 belong. The identification unit may be engraved on the tray operation unit 23a. Alternatively, a sticker or the like serving as the identification unit may be adhered to the tray operation unit 23a. As shown in FIG. 6 , even when the unit door 14 is closed, the tray operation unit 23a protrudes forward through the insertion hole 14a. Therefore, the user can visually recognize the tray operation unit 23a and the identification unit even when the unit door 14 is closed.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 8 , two rails 24 extend rearward from the first introduction section 21 and the second introduction section 22. Each rail 24 is passed through an opening 12b formed in the lateral front wall 12a (see FIG. 7 ). One restricting piece 25 and one locking piece 26 are formed for each rail 24. The restricting piece 25 is located at the rear end of the rail 24, and the locking piece 26 is located at the front end of the rail 24. A restricting protrusion 25a is formed at the rear end of the restricting piece 25. The restricting piece 25 is elastically deformable in the up-down direction Z, with the front end of the restricting piece 25 as a base point. A locking protrusion 26a is formed at the front end of the locking piece 26. The locking piece 26 is elastically deformable in the up-down direction Z, with the rear end of the locking piece 26 as a base point.

[0030] 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of portion IX in FIG. 7 , taken perpendicular to the left-right direction X. As shown in FIG. 9 , the restricting protrusion 25a has a flat surface (contact surface) that extends in the up-down direction Z and faces forward. When the tray 20 is pulled forward, the contact surface of the restricting protrusion 25a contacts the front lateral wall 12a. This prevents the tray 20 from moving forward beyond a predetermined position. Furthermore, the tray 20 can be removed from the unit housing 10 by elastically deforming the restricting piece 25 downward.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 9 , the locking protrusion 26 a has an upwardly convex curved surface. When the tray 20 is stored in the unit housing 10 ( FIG. 6 ), the locking protrusion 26 a is located behind the lateral front wall 12 a. When the tray 20 is moved forward from this state, the locking protrusion 26 a abuts against the lateral front wall 12 a. This prevents the tray 20 from sliding forward due to vibration or the like. When the tray 20 is pulled forward, a forward force is applied to the tray 20, causing the locking piece 26 to elastically deform downward. This allows the locking protrusion 26 a to climb over the lateral front wall 12 a forward, allowing the tray 20 to be pulled out.

[0032] As shown in Figure 8, the tray bottom wall 27 is plate-shaped and extends in the front-rear direction Y and the left-right direction X. The space above the tray bottom wall 27 is divided into a slack storage area 20a and a splice portion holding area 20b. A plurality of holding ribs 28 are arranged in the splice portion holding area 20b. The plurality of holding ribs 28 protrude upward from the tray bottom wall 27 and are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction Y. The fusion spliced ​​portions of the optical fibers F1, F2 are held between the holding ribs 28. The slack storage area 20a is the portion of the space above the tray bottom wall 27 excluding the splice portion holding area 20b. The slack storage area 20a stores the slack of the optical fibers F1, F2 on the tray 20.

[0033] In this embodiment, the height dimension Lz1 (see FIG. 6) of the unit housing 10 in the vertical direction Z corresponds to 128 mm. The height of the space between the upper wall 11 and the lower wall 13 of the unit housing 10 is 103.3 mm. Ten trays 20 are stored in this space. In order to store such a large number of trays 20, the thickness Lz2 (see FIG. 8) of the tray 20 in the vertical direction Z is set to 7.7 mm or less.

[0034] 10 and 11, the patch panel 3 includes a patch panel housing 30, an optical cable C2, a fusion sleeve holder 40, a plurality of adapters 50, a long cover 60, and a plurality of small doors 70. As shown in Fig. 11, the patch panel 3 is configured to branch an optical fiber F2 included in the optical cable C2 and connect it to an optical fiber F4 via an optical fiber F3. As shown in Fig. 11 and 12, the patch panel housing 30 includes a bottom wall 31, an inner bottom 32, a bottom front wall 33, a plurality of front wall portions 34, and a plurality of rear wall portions 35.

[0035] As shown in Figure 11, the interior of the patch panel housing 30 is partitioned into a first storage area B1, a second storage area B2, a third storage area B3, and a fourth storage area B4. The storage areas B1 to B4 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction X. The first storage area B1 and the fourth storage area B4 are located on the outside in the left-right direction X, and the second storage area B2 and the third storage area B3 are located on the inside in the left-right direction X. In the left-right direction X, each storage area B1 to B4 is partitioned by a partition wall 36. A front wall portion 34 is located at the front end of each storage area B1 to B4. A rear wall portion 35 is located at the rear end of each storage area B1 to B4.

[0036] The front wall 34 of the storage areas B2 and B3 is located further forward than the front wall 34 of the storage areas B1 and B4. In other words, the storage areas B1 and B4 located on the outer sides in the left-right direction X are offset rearward relative to the storage areas B2 and B3 located on the inner sides.

[0037] 11 , the optical cable C2 is introduced into the first storage area B1 through an opening provided in the rear wall 35 of the first storage area B1. The optical fibers F2 included in the optical cable C2 are connected to the optical fibers F3 in the fusion sleeve holder 40. The fusion sleeve holder 40 holds the fusion spliced ​​portions of the optical fibers F2 and F3. The fusion sleeve holder 40 is disposed within the first storage area B1. In other words, the first storage area B1 functions as a so-called breakout kit that branches the optical cable C2.

[0038] The optical fibers F3 extend rearward from the rear wall 35 of the first storage area B1 toward the storage areas B2 to B4. The optical fibers F3 are introduced into the storage areas B2 to B4 through openings provided in the rear wall 35 of each of the storage areas B2 to B4. The optical fibers F3 introduced into the storage areas B2 to B4 constitute a ribbon fiber T. As an example, the ribbon fiber T includes four optical fibers F3, and two ribbon fiber T are introduced into each of the storage areas B2 to B4. In this case, the number of optical fibers F3 introduced into each of the storage areas B2 to B4 is eight, and the total number of optical fibers F2 included in the optical cable C2 is 24.

[0039] A branching section S is disposed within each of the storage areas B2 to B4. A plurality of adapters 50 are attached to the front wall 34 of each of the storage areas B2 to B4. At the branching section S, a plurality of optical fibers F3 included in the ribbon fiber T are branched and individually connected to the adapters 50. In this manner, a so-called fan-out structure for branching the ribbon fiber T is provided within each of the storage areas B2 to B4. An optical fiber F4 is connected to each adapter 50 from the front. In this manner, the patch panel 3 connects the optical fiber F2 (first optical fiber) of the optical cable C2 to the optical fiber F4 (second optical fiber) via the optical fiber F3 (relay fiber).

[0040] As shown in FIG. 10 , the four small doors 70 are arranged in positions corresponding to the four storage areas B1 to B4 (see FIG. 11 ) in the left-right direction X. Because the storage areas B1 and B4 are offset rearward, the small doors 70 corresponding to the storage areas B1 and B4 are also offset rearward. The long cover 60 is located forward of the four small doors 70 and is arranged to straddle these small doors 70 in the left-right direction X. The long cover 60 serves to protect the optical fiber F4 routed in the space forward of the small doors 70. The long cover 60 is rotatably supported by a plurality of hinges 61. The small doors 70 are rotatably supported by a plurality of hinges 72. A knob 71 is provided on the small doors 70.

[0041] When operating the patch panel 3, the user first opens the long cover 60. Next, the user opens the small door 70 corresponding to the storage area B2 to B4 that is the target of the work. The user then switches the connection destination of the optical fiber F4 by inserting or removing the connector attached to the tip of the optical fiber F4 into or from the adapter 50.

[0042] Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view taken along the XII-XII line in Figure 10. Figure 12 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the third storage area B3. However, the other storage areas B1, B2, and B4 also have similar structures, such as the bottom wall 31, inner bottom 32, and bottom front wall 33. The storage areas B1 to B4 are configured with a double-bottom structure. More specifically, the inner bottom 32 is provided above the bottom wall 31 of the patch panel housing 30. The bottoms of the storage areas B1 to B4 are defined by the inner bottom 32. The bottom front wall 33 is located between the bottom wall 31 and the inner bottom 32 in the vertical direction Z. The front wall 34 extends upward from the front end of the inner bottom 32.

[0043] By adopting such a double-bottom structure, a space is secured in front of the front wall 34 for the optical fiber F4 to bend downward. This allows a large bending radius for the optical fiber F4 when the optical fiber F4 is bent in the left-right direction X in front of each of the storage areas B2 to B4, as shown in Figure 11. This makes it possible to suppress local bending stress from occurring in the optical fiber F4 and also to prevent crosstalk between the optical fibers F connected to the storage areas B2 to B4.

[0044] As described above, the patch panel 3 of this embodiment includes a patch panel housing 30 and a plurality of adapters to which optical connectors can be connected. The patch panel housing 30 is partitioned in the left-right direction X into a first storage area B1, a second storage area B2, a third storage area B3, and a fourth storage area B4. Each of the first storage area B1, the second storage area B2, the third storage area B3, and the fourth storage area B4 has a front wall 34. A plurality of adapters 50 are attached to at least a portion of the front wall 34. The front wall 34 of the second storage area B2 and the third storage area B3, which are located on the inside in the left-right direction X, is located forward of the front wall 34 of the first storage area B1 and the fourth storage area B4, which are located on the outside. With this configuration, the positions of the optical fibers F4 routed in front of the front wall 34 can be offset forward and backward between the third storage area B3 and the fourth storage area B4, which are adjacent in the left-right direction X (see FIG. 11 ). This prevents crosstalk.

[0045] The patch panel housing also has a bottom wall 31 and an inner bottom 32 located above the bottom wall, with the first storage area B1, the second storage area B2, the third storage area B3, and the fourth storage area B4 located above the inner bottom 32. This configuration allows for a larger space in front of the front wall 34 to curve the optical fiber F4 downward. This prevents local bending of the optical fiber F4 and increases the degree of freedom in the routing path.

[0046] At least some of the adapters 50 are attached to the front wall 34 of the third storage area B3 and the fourth storage area B4, and an openable small door 70 is disposed in front of the fourth storage area B4, with a hinge 72 provided at the bottom end of the small door 70, and a routing path for the optical fiber F4 connected to the adapter 50 attached to the front wall 34 of the third storage area B3 is provided in the space in front of the small door 70 and below the hinge 72. Furthermore, because space is also created below the adapter 50 attached to the front wall 34, workability is improved, for example, when cleaning the adapter 50 or its vicinity.

[0047] 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.

[0048] For example, in the patch panel 3 of the above embodiment, the first storage area B1 is used as a so-called breakout kit. However, the first storage area B1 may also be used as an area for connecting the optical fiber F3 and the optical fiber F4, similar to the second storage area B2, etc.

[0049] The shape of the tray 20 may also be changed. For example, as shown in Fig. 13, the tray 20 may have multiple lids 81, 82, and 84. The lid 81 is rotatable around a hinge 81a and has a locking portion 81b. The locking portion 81b of the lid 81 is locked to a main body side locking portion 81c provided on the main body of the tray 20, preventing the lid 81 from floating up. In this case, the lid 81 covers the connection portion holding region 20b from above, thereby protecting the connection portion holding region 20b.

[0050] Similarly, the lids 82, 84 are rotatable around hinges 82a, 84a and have locking portions 82b, 84b. The locking portions 82b, 84b are locked to main body side locking portions 82c, 84c provided on the main body of the tray 20, preventing the lids 82, 84 from floating up. At this time, the lids 82, 84 cover part of the slack storage area 20a from above, preventing the optical fiber from floating up from the slack storage area 20a.

[0051] 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.

[0052] According to the above aspect of the present invention, a patch panel capable of preventing crosstalk can be provided.

[0053] 3: Patch panel 30: Patch panel housing 31: Bottom wall 32: Inner bottom 34: Front wall 50: Adapter 70: Small door 72: Hinge B1: First storage area B2: Second storage area B3: Third storage area B4: Fourth storage area B4: Storage area X: Left-right direction

Claims

1. A patch panel comprising: a patch panel housing; and a plurality of adapters to which optical connectors can be connected; the patch panel housing is partitioned in the left-right direction into a first storage area, a second storage area, a third storage area, and a fourth storage area; the first storage area, the second storage area, the third storage area, and the fourth storage area each have a front wall portion; a plurality of the adapters are attached to at least a portion of the front wall portions; and the front wall portions of the second storage area and the third storage area, which are located on the inside in the left-right direction, are located forward of the front wall portions of the first storage area and the fourth storage area, which are located on the outside.

2. The patch panel of claim 1, wherein the patch panel housing has a bottom wall and an inner bottom located above the bottom wall, and the first storage area, the second storage area, the third storage area, and the fourth storage area are located above the inner bottom.

3. A patch panel as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein at least some of the plurality of adapters are attached to the front wall of the third storage area and the fourth storage area, a small door that can be opened and closed is arranged in front of the fourth storage area, a hinge is provided at the lower end of the small door, and a routing path for optical fibers connected to the adapters attached to the front wall of the third storage area is provided in the space in front of the small door and below the hinge.

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