Offset Fiber Splice Storage Tray Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fiber-optic storage trays have limitations in space efficiency and accessibility, leading to increased time for engineers to perform splicing and maintenance, with a risk of damaging optical fibers due to their large size and complex layout.
Innovation Solution
A fiber-optic storage tray design with a housing that offsets adjacent optical fiber splices in both length and depth directions, utilizing retaining members to secure and organize splices, allowing for double the storage capacity without increasing volume and improving access, featuring a cuboid shape with leverage and support portions for secure retention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional fiber-optic storage trays are used to house optical fiber splices, then the splices can be stored securely, but the trays become relatively large requiring multiple trays to be stacked, which reduces accessibility and increases the risk of accidental damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dimensionality change by offsetting adjacent optical fiber splices in both the length direction and the depth direction, creating a three-dimensional staggered arrangement. This allows splices to be organized in multiple layers within a single tray, effectively doubling the storage capacity while maintaining a compact footprint that eliminates the need for stacking multiple trays, thereby improving accessibility.
2Reliability
If traditional fiber-optic storage trays are used, then splices can be retained, but the trays require large volume which increases space consumption and complicates the layout
Solution Approach 1:
By implementing offset positions for adjacent splices in both length and depth directions, the patent creates an efficient three-dimensional space utilization pattern. This allows the tray to retain splices securely through the retaining members while minimizing the overall tray volume, achieving double the storage density without compromising retention reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the tray into multiple retention regions with retaining members positioned at different locations. Each retaining member independently secures individual splices or groups of splices, allowing for modular organization that maximizes space efficiency while maintaining secure retention of each splice.
3Quantity of substance
If multiple fiber-optic storage trays are stacked to accommodate required splices, then storage capacity increases, but access difficulty increases and the risk of mistaken disturbance or damage increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple trays into a single tray by utilizing three-dimensional offset positioning of splices in both length and depth directions. This eliminates the need to stack multiple trays, providing all splices in one accessible location, thereby reducing the risk of accidental damage while maintaining high splice capacity.
Data Source
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AI summary
A fiber-optic storage tray is disclosed, comprising a fiber splicing portion; wherein the fiber splicing portion is configured to retain a plurality of optical fiber splices, such that adjacent optical fiber splices are offset with respect to one another in the direction of the depth of the tray and the adjacent optical fiber splices are also offset with respect to one another in the direction of their length.