Optical Interconnect Trays for Error-Resistant Rack Patching
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Solution Overview
Problem
The chaotic and time-consuming process of routing fiber optic cables in data center equipment racks leads to frequent patching errors, increasing installation time and costs due to the complexity of connecting network equipment with distribution cables.
Innovation Solution
An optical interconnect system with cable harnesses, installation trays, and furcation management devices that organize fiber optic cables and connectors, ensuring alignment with equipment patch panel patterns to minimize patching errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If fiber optic cables are routed manually without organizational structures, then installation flexibility is maintained, but patching errors increase and installation time extends
Solution Approach 1:
Installation trays serve as intermediary structures between cable routing paths and equipment patch panels. These trays organize cables in predetermined patterns that correspond to patch panel layouts, acting as a mediating element that reduces patching errors without requiring complex manual management. The trays provide a structured intermediate layer that simplifies the connection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable management system performs preliminary organization of fiber optic cables before they reach the patch panels. By pre-arranging cables in installation trays according to the final connection pattern, the system eliminates the need for complex real-time routing decisions during patching, thereby reducing errors and installation time.
2Reliability
If cable routing follows a predetermined scheme, then patching errors are reduced, but installation time increases due to the complexity of routing
Solution Approach 1:
The cable management system divides the installation process into segments: cable routing is organized in predetermined patterns within installation trays, while patching becomes a simple connector insertion task. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, reducing overall installation time despite the predetermined routing scheme.
Solution Approach 2:
Installation trays act as intermediaries that pre-organize cables according to the final desired configuration. This intermediary structure eliminates the need for complex real-time routing decisions during patching, reducing errors and installation time by separating the routing planning phase from the connection execution phase.
3Productivity
If multiple technicians perform cable routing, then installation speed increases, but error detection and troubleshooting become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Installation trays provide a standardized intermediary structure that all technicians work with according to the same predetermined patterns. This standardization ensures that regardless of which technician performs the routing, the cable organization follows a consistent scheme, making error detection and troubleshooting straightforward by comparing against the known pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The cable management system enforces homogeneous organization of cables across all installation locations using standardized trays and predetermined patterns. This homogeneity ensures that all technicians work with the same organizational logic, making it easier to detect and identify errors by comparing actual installations against the standard pattern.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical interconnect system for installing fiber optic cables in an equipment rack having an equipment patch panel with a plurality of coupling port locations is disclosed. The optical interconnect system includes a plurality of cable harnesses configured for installation in the equipment rack and at least one installation tray having a plurality of coupling locations. The plurality of coupling locations receives a connector from the plurality of cable harnesses. The plurality of coupling locations on the installation tray has an arrangement that corresponds to the plurality of port locations on the at least one equipment patch panel, thereby allowing a technician to visually realize that a patching error has occurred during the installation. A method of installing fiber optic cables in an equipment rack using the optical interconnect system is also disclosed.