Adjustable Cable Turntable with Pivoting Arms for Rapid Datacenter Installation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The rapid expansion of datacenters requires efficient data transmission infrastructure, but the installation of pre-terminated cables is cumbersome due to the need for handling and termination, necessitating a device that can simplify the payout of cables from spools of varying diameters for rapid installation.
Innovation Solution
A cable turntable device with a frame, pan, and rotatable plate with pivot points and arms, allowing adjustment of the inner diameter to accommodate cables of different sizes, enabling easy payout and installation of pre-terminated or unterminated cables.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pre-terminated cables are used to reduce installation time, then cable installation speed is improved, but cable handling becomes cumbersome without a payout simplification device
Solution Approach 1:
The cable turntable acts as an intermediary device between the cable spool and the installation environment. It provides a controlled payout mechanism that guides the cable smoothly, reducing handling difficulty while maintaining fast installation speeds. The turntable's rotating platform and arms create an intermediate system that manages the cable flow.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable turntable is designed to be adjusted and operated by the installer themselves, allowing quick adaptation to different cable spool sizes. The self-adjusting arms and rotatable plate enable the device to serve itself in accommodating various cable configurations without requiring additional tools or complex setup procedures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed diameter turntable is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate cable spools of varying diameters
Solution Approach 1:
The turntable employs dynamic elements including a rotatable plate that can rotate relative to the pan, and arms that can pivot at their attachment points. These dynamic components allow the turntable to adapt its configuration to different cable spool diameters. The knuckle joints and pivot points enable the structure to change shape while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The turntable is divided into segmented components: a fixed pan, a rotatable plate, and multiple arms with pivot points. This segmentation allows each component to move independently and adjust to different configurations. The arms can be positioned at various angles relative to the plate, enabling the structure to accommodate different spool sizes through coordinated movement of discrete segments.
3Volume of moving object
If cable spools are wound tightly to minimize size, then storage space is reduced, but the cable risk breakage or attenuation
Solution Approach 1:
The turntable changes the effective bend radius parameter by providing a controlled payout path. As the cable unwinds from the spool and passes over the turntable arms, the bend radius is maintained at an optimal value that prevents breakage while keeping the overall spool size compact. The geometric configuration of the arms and plate creates a controlled curvature zone.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution significantly reduces installation time and personnel requirements by allowing rapid payout and installation of cables, facilitating faster construction of datacenters and reducing construction costs.
Implementation Method 1
a knob that is rotatable between a locking position, in which the knob applies a compressive force that presses the plate against the pan to frictionally resist rotation of the plate relative to the pan
Data Source
AI summary
A cable turntable device has a frame, a pan attached to the frame, a plate rotatably attached to the pan, arms pivotably attached to the plate, and a knob for controlling rotational movement of the plate relative to the pan. The plate has pivot points circumferentially around and at an outer circumferential edge of the plate. Each of the arms is attached to the plate at one of the pivot points. The knob is selectively rotatable to control relative rotation between the pan and the plate, which allows the arms to pivot, which in turn changes an inner diameter of the cable turntable device. The inner diameter is a same as, or greater than, a minimum acceptable bend diameter for a cable of a cable spool that the cable turntable device dispenses.