Nested Optical Fibre Splice Tray Assembly for Compact Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical fibre splice tray enclosures have limited accessibility, especially for trays further from reach, requiring additional steps and components to access, which increases cost and time in FTTx deployments.
Innovation Solution
An optical fibre splice tray assembly with a secondary tray that can be nested within a primary tray, allowing for increased capacity without occupying backplane space, by pivoting to expose or cover the primary tray's working surface, enabling efficient access and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If trays are stacked vertically along a linear backplane to minimize space envelope, then the space occupied by the splice closure is reduced, but accessibility to trays further from reach becomes difficult and requires additional steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a nested tray configuration where a second tray is positioned within the first tray, and a third tray within the second tray. Each tray can be independently accessed by pivoting outward from the backplane, allowing operators to reach trays that would otherwise be obscured by trays in front of them. This nesting arrangement maintains the compact vertical stacking along the backplane while enabling individual access to each tray without requiring movement of other trays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pivotable attachments connecting trays to the backplane, allowing each tray to dynamically adjust its position. Trays can be pivoted outward from the vertical stacked position to an accessible position where the working surface is exposed. This dynamic mechanism enables easy access to any tray in the stack without requiring manual manipulation of multiple trays, resolving the accessibility problem while maintaining compact storage.
2Quantity of substance
If the number of splice trays is increased to accommodate more fibres for FTTx deployments, then the capacity of the splice enclosure is increased, but the space envelope of the enclosure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes nested trays where multiple trays are positioned within the footprint of a single tray attachment point on the backplane. Specifically, a first tray is pivotably attached to the backplane, a second tray is nested within the first tray and pivotably attached to it, and a third tray is nested within the second tray. This allows three trays to be accommodated at essentially one attachment location, dramatically increasing fibre capacity without proportionally increasing the enclosure's space envelope.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a traditional linear arrangement where trays are stacked only in one dimension (vertically along the backplane) to a multi-dimensional nested arrangement. By positioning trays both vertically and horizontally within the enclosure space, the patent effectively utilizes three-dimensional space, allowing more trays to be packed into the same footprint area of the backplane attachment region.
3Ease of operation
If trays are attached in a row along the backplane to simplify access, then accessibility is improved, but the space envelope of the enclosure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements nested trays where the second tray is positioned within the first tray, and the third tray within the second tray, all pivotably attached along the backplane. This nested configuration allows each tray to be accessed independently by pivoting outward, maintaining ease of operation while utilizing the vertical stacking space efficiently. The nested arrangement ensures that trays do not occupy additional horizontal space along the backplane compared to a single tray, thus minimizing the space envelope.
Data Source
Figure 1~5
Figure 2~3
AI summary
An optical fibre splice tray assembly ( 10 ) comprising a primary tray ( 12 ) having a splice working surface, which is moveably attached to a backplane, a secondary tray ( 30 ) which is moveably attached to the primary tray, and which in use can be moved between a first position in which the working surface of the primary tray is exposed, and a second position in which the working surface of the primary tray is substantially covered by the secondary tray, characterised in that when the secondary tray is in its first position it is moved to hang away from the first tray. Preferably the secondary tray hangs downwardly from the first tray in its first position under the influence of gravity. The secondary tray preferably nests within the primary tray, thereby utilising dead space and allowing tight stacking.