Optical Fiber Housing Hanger Plate Assembly for Connector Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of smaller optical fiber connectors, such as the LC connector, in communication systems poses challenges due to their compact size, making it difficult for technicians with larger or less dexterous hands to access and manage them effectively, as they require precise handling and often involve affecting multiple connectors simultaneously.
Innovation Solution
A communication system with a hanger plate assembly and hanger plates that are hingedly coupled to the housing, allowing for the support and management of cables in a stacked arrangement, with features like cable retainers and a telescopic configuration to facilitate easier access and organization of connectors, enabling better handling and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If smaller optical fiber connectors (LC) are used to increase connector density, then the number of connectors per unit space is improved, but the ease of accessing and handling the connectors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple compartments, each containing a single connector. This segmentation isolates each small connector within its own compartment, allowing technicians to access and handle individual connectors without interfering with adjacent ones, thus resolving the contradiction between high connector density and ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
A hanger plate assembly serves as an intermediary mechanism between the technician and the connectors. The hanger plate can be pulled out to provide working space and positioned to support cables, mediating the interaction between the technician's hands and the small connectors to improve accessibility without reducing connector density
2Productivity
If more connectors are placed within the same space, then the productivity of the patch panel is improved, but the ease of servicing the connectors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the housing into separate compartments for each connector, the system maintains high connector capacity while making each connector independently serviceable. Technicians can work on one connector without affecting others, improving ease of repair despite high productivity
Solution Approach 2:
The hanger plate assembly is designed to be movable and adjustable. It can be pulled out to create working space and repositioned to support cables during servicing operations. This dynamic mechanism adapts to different servicing scenarios, maintaining ease of repair while supporting high connector density
3Ease of operation
If duplex configuration is used for LC connectors, then the ease of accessing individual connectors is improved, but the complexity of servicing procedures increases due to affecting multiple connectors
Solution Approach 1:
The housing compartments physically separate individual connectors even when they are part of duplex configurations. This segmentation allows technicians to access and service individual connectors independently, reducing the complexity of servicing procedures while maintaining the benefits of duplex configuration for cable management
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~2A
Figure 2B~2C
AI summary
There is provided an optical fiber distribution system (2000, 2000', 2000", 2100, 2100', 2100") comprising: a housing; a patch panel positioned within an inside of the housing and including a plurality of ports configured to receive optical fiber cables (C); a hanger assembly (2021a, 2021b, 2021', 2120a', 2120b', 2120c') coupled to the housing, and having a closed condition in which an inside of the housing is substantially unexposed, and an open condition in which the inside of the housing is exposed; and at least one hanging element (2007, 2007', 2007a, 2007b, 2107a, 2107b) coupled to an outer surface of the housing and configured to engage a wire (W) to suspend the housing from the wire, wherein the hanger assembly is adapted to transition between the closed condition and the open condition while the housing remains suspended from the wire.