Jacketless Trunk Cable for Data Center Fiber Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional data center architectures face challenges with cable congestion, labor-intensive setup and maintenance, and increased space and energy requirements due to the use of individual jumper cables for optical fiber connections.
Innovation Solution
A bi-directional data center architecture utilizing a jacketless trunk cable with sub-units carrying multiple optical fibers, where each sub-unit is configured to establish optical connections between coupling panels and sub-racks, eliminating the need for individual jumpers and optimizing fiber usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If individual jumper cables are used to connect sub-racks to coupling panels, then flexibility in connecting individual devices is improved, but cable congestion and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trunk cable is segmented into multiple sub-units, each carrying one or more optical fibers. These sub-units can be independently connected to different sub-racks, providing flexibility while maintaining organized cable management. The segmentation allows the system to adapt to different connection requirements without creating cable congestion.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple optical fibers are combined into a single trunk cable structure with multiple sub-units. This merging approach reduces the overall number of separate cables needed in the data center, decreasing cable congestion while maintaining the ability to connect multiple sub-racks through the unified trunk cable system.
2Ease of operation
If individual jumper cables are used for each connection, then ease of individual connection is improved, but installation time and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The trunk cable is pre-configured with multiple sub-units, each containing one or more optical fibers ready for connection. This preliminary organization of fibers into structured sub-units within the trunk cable reduces the time and labor required during installation, as the cable structure is already prepared for multiple connections rather than requiring individual jumper assembly.
3Strength
If conventional trunk cables with jackets are used, then cable protection is improved, but space requirements and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective jacket is extracted or removed from the trunk cable structure, creating a jacketless design. The individual sub-units within the trunk cable provide their own protection, eliminating the need for an outer jacket. This extraction reduces the overall volume and space requirements of the cable while maintaining adequate protection through the sub-unit structure.
4Adaptability or versatility
If more optical fibers are included in trunk cables to future-proof the network, then adaptability is improved, but unused fibers become wasted space and increase complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The trunk cable system is designed to be dynamic and configurable, allowing sub-units to be connected or disconnected as needed. This dynamic structure enables the network to adapt to future requirements by activating additional sub-units or fibers without permanently installing complex cabling for all possible future scenarios, thus avoiding wasted space and reduced complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Bi-directional data center architectures employing a jacketless trunk cable are disclosed. The bi-directional data center architecture includes first and second coupling panels respectively having first adapters and second adapters. The architecture also includes a plurality of sub-racks having sub-rack adapters, and a jacketless trunk cable that includes a plurality of sub-unit sections, with each sub-unit section carrying one or more optical fibers. The plurality of sub-unit sections are configured to optically connect corresponding first and second adapters of the first and second coupling panels to the sub-rack adapters such that every optical fiber in each sub-unit section is used to establish an optical connection.