Segmented Drop Cable Box for Watertight Service Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-cable terminals for managing signal distribution in electronic and fiber optic networks lack an optimized combination of ease-of-use and component protection, particularly in terms of watertight sealing and accessibility for maintenance and replacement of cables.
Innovation Solution
A multi-cable terminal design featuring a frame that secures multiple sub-structures, each with an openable sub-enclosure to accommodate internal and service cables, along with cable connection elements, creating a watertight seal when closed, and allowing independent access to each sub-structure for easy maintenance and replacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a multi-cable terminal uses a sealed enclosure to protect cables and connection elements, then protection from environmental factors is improved, but accessibility for maintenance and replacement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is divided into multiple independently openable sub-structures (first sub-structure, second sub-structure, etc.), each containing specific cable connection elements. This segmentation allows technicians to open only the specific sub-structure that needs maintenance while keeping other sub-structures sealed and protected, thus resolving the contradiction between overall sealing and localized accessibility.
2Ease of repair
If a multi-cable terminal provides easy access to all components for maintenance, then ease of repair is improved, but protection from environmental factors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Each sub-structure can be opened independently to access specific cable connections. When maintenance is needed, only the relevant sub-structure is opened while others remain sealed, providing easy access to specific components without exposing the entire terminal interior to environmental factors.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sub-structures have different access characteristics tailored to their specific functions. Each sub-structure is designed with its own sealing and opening mechanisms, allowing localized access to specific cable connections while maintaining protective sealing in other areas, thus optimizing both maintenance ease and environmental protection locally.
3Device complexity
If a multi-cable terminal uses a single large enclosure, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal is segmented into multiple sub-structures, each dedicated to specific cable connections. This segmentation improves ease of operation by allowing technicians to quickly locate and access specific cable connections without navigating through a large, undifferentiated enclosure, while the modular design keeps overall structural complexity manageable.
Solution Approach 2:
The terminal organization moves from a single large three-dimensional space to multiple smaller, organized sub-enclosures. This dimensional reorganization improves cable management by grouping related connections together in separate accessible compartments, making operations easier while maintaining reasonable structural complexity through systematic arrangement.
Data Source
AI summary
A multi-cable terminal including a plurality of sub-structures, each of the sub-structures defining a sub-enclosure and being openable independent of the other sub-structures to provide access to the sub-enclosure, and a frame that secures the plurality of sub-structures such that the frame and sub-structures define a main enclosure. Each of the sub-enclosures is configured to accommodate a multiple of cable connection elements such that a watertight seal is created around the cable connection elements when the corresponding sub-structure is closed.