Optical Cable Pulling Carrier With Sealed Connector Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pre-terminated optical connectors face challenges during pulling operations due to mechanical stress, misalignment, and environmental exposure, with current solutions failing to provide standardized, reusable carriers that ensure proper alignment, environmental sealing, and smooth conduit traversal.
Innovation Solution
A tubular housing with a non-uniform cross-section and a releasable carriage assembly, featuring a tapered end and super-elliptic profile, which securely holds and seals the connector, reducing resistance and protecting it during installation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pre-terminated optical connectors are pulled through ducts and conduits, then installation can be performed, but mechanical stress and misalignment can damage the connectors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a carrier as an intermediary protective device between the optical connector and the harsh pulling environment. The carrier includes a housing that encloses the connector, a carriage that provides structural support and alignment, and a pull element for applying force. This intermediary structure protects the connector from direct mechanical stress and misalignment during pulling operations, resolving the contradiction between installation speed and connector integrity.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If improvised housings are used to protect connectors during pulling, then some shielding is provided, but proper alignment and environmental sealing cannot be ensured
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the protective system into distinct functional components: a housing for environmental sealing, a carriage for precise alignment and structural support, and a pull element for applying force. The carriage specifically includes features like a cavity with a bottom surface that contacts the connector and side surfaces that guide axial alignment. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function, ensuring both mechanical protection and precise alignment that improvised housings cannot achieve.
3Adaptability or versatility
If standardized carriers are not used, then field technicians can adapt to different scenarios, but installation time increases and protective performance becomes inconsistent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a universal carrier system that can protect various types of optical connectors (single-mode, multi-mode, angled) through a standardized housing and carriage assembly. The carrier includes a pull element that can be attached to different connector types, and the housing can accommodate different connector geometries. This universal design provides field flexibility while maintaining consistent protective performance and reducing installation time, as the same basic carrier structure can be used across different application scenarios without requiring custom solutions for each case.
Data Source
AI summary
A carrier system for pulling a cable includes a tubular housing having an elongate body with a non-uniform cross-section, a tapered first end, and an open second end. A carriage is releasably secured to the second end and includes a plug configured to seal the housing during pulling. The plug may be a clamshell structure with an aperture sized to receive a cable of an optical connector, enabling axial retention and environmental sealing. The apparatus further includes an optical connector with a cable extending through the plug. A method for using the carrier includes securing the optical connector within the tubular housing, attaching the carriage to the open end, and pulling the carrier through a conduit. The housing geometry is modulated along its length for improved conduit navigation and strain distribution. The carriage assembly provides protection and sealing for the connector and supports deployment of pre-terminated cables in buried environments.