Angled Stepped Fiber Optic Module for High Density
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current fiber optic telecommunications systems face challenges in increasing density and capacity while maintaining accessibility, as traditional equipment designs do not efficiently utilize space and adapt to growing demand for higher fiber density.
Innovation Solution
A fiber optic telecommunications module with angled and stepped front plates that house adapters in a stacked arrangement, allowing for higher adapter density and improved cable management, enabling increased fiber optic capacity within a smaller footprint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fiber optic equipment density is increased to meet growing demand for capacity, then transmission capacity is improved, but accessibility and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensional change by transitioning from traditional horizontal adapter arrangements to a vertical stacked configuration. Adapters are arranged in multiple vertical levels (first level, second level, third level) rather than side-by-side, utilizing the vertical dimension to increase density while maintaining front-face accessibility. This allows more adapters to be packed into the same footprint without compromising access to individual adapters.
Solution Approach 2:
The front face is segmented into multiple distinct levels or tiers, with each level containing specific adapters. This segmentation allows for organized arrangement of adapters in vertical groups, making it easier to access and manage individual adapters while maintaining high overall density. The stepped configuration creates distinct accessible zones at different heights.
2Productivity
If adapter density is increased within a fixed footprint, then fiber optic capacity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By moving from a two-dimensional horizontal arrangement to a three-dimensional vertical stack, the patent increases adapter density without proportionally increasing structural complexity. The vertical stacking approach uses the existing height of the equipment housing to accommodate additional adapters, rather than requiring complex reconfiguration of the front face geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter arrangement employs a nested structure where adapters are stacked vertically in levels, with each level containing adapters that are vertically aligned or offset from previous levels. This nested vertical arrangement maximizes space utilization while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure that can be manufactured and assembled using standard techniques.
3Productivity
If traditional copper transmission equipment is replaced with fiber optic equipment, then transmission capacity is improved, but space utilization efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses the space utilization issue by utilizing the vertical dimension to stack adapters. This allows fiber optic equipment to achieve higher capacity in the same horizontal footprint as traditional copper equipment, effectively correcting the previous space utilization inefficiency by adding depth to the equipment architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A telecommunications module includes a plurality of adapters mounted at a front face. The adapters are provided in groups of two and are stacked extending from the top to the bottom of the module. The front face of the module defines a center portion, a right portion, and a left portion. According to one embodiment, the right and the left portions are generally angled forwardly at an acute angle relative to a line that is perpendicular to the sides of the module as they extend from the center toward the right and left sides of the module. Each angled portion defines a slope as it extends from the center portion toward the right and left sides. The angled portions define a stepped configuration as they extend from the center toward the sides. Each step in the stepped configuration defines adapter receptacles that are also angled at an acute angle with respect to a line that generally defines the slope of the angle of the right and left angled portions. According to another aspect of the disclosure, the right and the left portions of the front face are generally angled rearwardly at an acute angle with respect to a line that is perpendicular to the sides of the module as they extend from the center toward the right and left sides. Stacked adapters mounted to the angled portions have longitudinal axes that are perpendicular to slopes defined by the angled portions.