Pivotable Fiber Management Tray for Telecommunications Closures
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Solution Overview
Problem
Telecommunications closures face challenges in efficiently managing and maintaining fiber optic cables due to the difficulty in isolating and replacing individual components without disrupting other fibers and components, especially when subscriber needs change or components fail.
Innovation Solution
The design of telecommunications closures with first and second housing pieces that define a re-enterable closure volume, including a fiber manager with a frame and fiber organizing tray, allows for improved fiber management by providing accessible connector ports and a pivotable tray configuration that maximizes space and minimizes disruption during maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a telecommunications closure manages numerous fibers in a confined space, then the closure volume is maximized to reduce profile and heft, but the ability to isolate and maintain individual components without disrupting others is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The closure is divided into multiple independently accessible compartments or sections, each housing specific fiber bundles or connector groups. This segmentation allows technicians to access and maintain individual components without opening the entire closure, thereby maintaining compact volume while enabling selective component isolation and maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a vertical or multi-layer dimension to fiber organization within the closure, stacking fiber trays or connector arrays in multiple levels. This dimensional arrangement increases the effective capacity for fiber management within the same footprint volume, allowing better component isolation while maintaining compact size.
2Reliability
If connector ports are hardened to provide ruggedness and sealing capabilities, then reliability and environmental protection are improved, but accessibility for installing or removing connectors may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The closure incorporates movable or adjustable components such as sliding trays, rotating access panels, or spring-loaded connector holders that transition between locked and accessible states. These dynamic elements maintain the hardened sealed structure during normal operation but allow easy access to connectors when needed, resolving the conflict between sealing reliability and operational ease.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary access mechanisms such as removable protective caps, snap-on dust plugs, or telescopic access tubes that seal the connector ports when not in use but can be quickly deployed to allow connector installation or removal. These intermediaries maintain the sealed environment while facilitating easy connector access.
Data Source
AI summary
Fiber management assemblies for telecommunications closures. The assembly includes a frame adapted to conform to the wall of a housing piece of a closure. A fiber management tray is pivotally coupled to the frame. The frame supports the tray and spaces the tray away from fiber optic connectors positioned in connector ports defined by the closure. In addition, the pivotability of the tray relative to the frame can provide access to the connectors and/or connector ports without disrupting fiber management on the tray itself.