Flexible Boot With Malleable Repositioning Device
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-density fiber optic connectors in data centers face challenges with reduced space and accessibility, leading to increased stress on cables and connectors, which can cause latent defects and disruptions in network performance due to obstructed access and reduced structural integrity of boots.
Innovation Solution
A flexible boot assembly with a repositioning device that allows the boot to be moved and repositioned without damaging internal fibers, featuring a malleable yet strong material and a secure locking mechanism to maintain the new position, ensuring ease of access and maintaining structural integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the connector size is shrunk to increase panel connector density, then the quantity of connectors per panel increases, but the structural integrity of the boot is compromised leading to cable stress and potential fiber breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The boot is designed with a flexible material that allows it to be dynamically repositioned along the connector body. The boot can be moved to different positions without compromising the structural integrity, as the flexible material adapts to the new position while maintaining protection and support for the internal fibers.
Solution Approach 2:
The boot material is selected to have specific flexibility parameters that allow it to be repositioned without breaking internal fibers. The material properties are optimized to provide both flexibility for repositioning and sufficient structural integrity to protect the fibers, resolving the contradiction between boot strength and repositionability.
2Productivity
If the spacing between adjacent connectors is reduced to increase panel connector density, then more connectors fit in the same panel area, but access to individual release mechanisms becomes obstructed requiring operators to push aside surrounding components
Solution Approach 1:
The boot is designed as a separate, repositionable component that can be independently moved from the connector body. This segmentation allows the boot to be relocated to provide access to the release mechanism without moving the entire connector assembly, making operation easier in high-density configurations.
Solution Approach 2:
The boot's dynamic repositionability allows operators to move it out of the way when needed to access the release mechanism, then return it to its protective position. This dynamic adjustment resolves the conflict between maintaining boot protection and enabling easy access in tightly spaced connector arrangements.
3Strength
If a rigid boot is used to maintain structural integrity, then the boot provides stable protection, but it cannot be repositioned to access blocked portions of the connector
Solution Approach 1:
The boot material is specifically selected to have flexibility parameters that enable repositioning while maintaining sufficient structural integrity. By changing the material parameters from rigid to flexible-but-strong, the boot can be repositioned without breaking internal fibers, simultaneously achieving adaptability and structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The boot is constructed from flexible material that forms a protective shell around the connector. This flexible shell provides the necessary structural integrity to protect internal fibers while allowing the boot to be bent and repositioned to access different portions of the connector, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and repositionability.
4Length of moving object
If the boot is made shorter or reduced in diameter to save space, then the overall connector footprint is reduced, but the boot loses structural integrity leading to fiber cable failure
Solution Approach 1:
The boot material is selected with optimized parameters that provide sufficient structural integrity even at reduced lengths and diameters. The flexibility and strength parameters are tuned to maintain fiber protection in compact configurations, allowing space reduction without compromising structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The boot may utilize composite material structures that provide enhanced strength-to-weight and strength-to-size ratios. This allows the boot to be shorter and more compact while maintaining the structural integrity necessary to protect internal fibers from damage during repositioning and use.
Data Source
AI summary
A boot assembly having a boot body with a passageway molded from a proximal to distal end of the body. The passageway accepts a repositioning device made of a malleable material such as metal that retains its shape under internal forces of the boot assembly. The boot assembly further comprises one or more cables for fiber optics or power. Bending the flexible boot assembly from a first position to a second position, the flexible boot assembly retains the second position without returning to the first position under the resilient material of the boot.