Pivotable Guide Member for Cable Bend Radius Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional telecommunications panels face challenges in managing cable bend radius and preventing cable tangling and buckling due to the changing route length of patch cords when the tray is rotated between installed and access configurations, leading to potential damage and interference with adjacent structures.
Innovation Solution
A telecommunications arrangement featuring a base body, a pivotally coupled termination field, and a guide member that pivots independently to provide bend radius protection by routing cables through channels that adjust their route length, minimizing bending moments and preventing tangling, with the guide member rotating about a separate axis from the termination field and tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the tray is rotated between installed and access configurations, then access to rear portions of termination field is improved, but cable bend radius control deteriorates causing potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The cable management system is segmented into multiple independent guide members (first guide member, second guide member, third guide member) that can move independently. Each guide member is positioned at different locations (front corner, rear corner, and side of the tray) to provide distributed bend radius control throughout the cable routing path, resolving the contradiction by maintaining reliable cable protection while allowing tray rotation for access.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide members are designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing them to dynamically adjust their positions as the tray rotates between installed and access configurations. This dynamic adaptation ensures continuous cable bend radius control throughout the range of motion, enabling both easy access and reliable cable protection.
2Ease of operation
If the tray is rotated to access configuration, then accessibility is improved, but cable route length changes causing tangling and buckling
Solution Approach 1:
The cable routing path is divided into multiple controlled segments by positioning guide members at different locations along the tray (front corner, rear corner, side). Each segment is independently managed by its corresponding guide member, allowing the cable to maintain stable routing through coordinated movement of multiple segments rather than as a single unstable path.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide members act as intermediary elements between the tray structure and the cables. They mediate the cable routing by providing guided paths that accommodate tray rotation while preventing tangling and buckling, thus maintaining routing stability during transitions between configurations.
3Device complexity
If guide member is fixed to tray, then structure is simplified, but cable management deteriorates during tray rotation
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than using a single complex fixed guide structure, the system segments the guidance function across multiple simpler, movable guide members. Each guide member is relatively simple in structure but collectively they provide superior cable protection during tray rotation, resolving the contradiction by distributing complexity across multiple simple components.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide members transition from a static fixed structure to a dynamic movable structure. This dynamic capability allows them to maintain proper cable bend radius protection throughout the tray's range of motion, improving reliability while keeping individual component structures simple.
4Reliability
If multiple guide members are added to different locations, then cable management is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cable management function is segmented into multiple distributed guide members positioned at strategic locations (front corner, rear corner, side). This segmentation provides superior and more reliable cable bend radius control compared to a single guide member, as each location addresses specific cable routing challenges in that area.
Solution Approach 2:
Each guide member is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a structural support element and as a cable guidance mechanism. The guide members also facilitate tray rotation while maintaining cable protection, thus performing multiple functions that reduce the need for additional separate components, offsetting the complexity increase.
Data Source
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AI summary
A termination field and a guide member are independently pivotally coupled to a base body. The termination field pivots relative to the base body along a path of travel. The guide member is coupled to the base body to provide bend radius protection to cables plugged into the termination field. The guide member defines a channel leading the cables from the termination field towards a first side of the base body at an exterior of the base body. In certain examples, the guide member and termination field pivot relative to the base body about different hinge axes. In other examples, the termination field pivots with the guide member for part of the path of travel and relative to the guide member for another part of the path of travel.