Rack Routing Guide for Optical Fiber Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for routing optical fibers in fiber optic equipment racks often result in entangled fibers, which can cause damage and complicate installation and maintenance due to loose or tethered arrangements.
Innovation Solution
A rack routing guide system with a body defining a volume to route optical fibers, featuring a mount for attachment to the equipment rack and an opening in the lateral wall to guide and protect the fibers, reducing entanglement and facilitating easier installation and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If optical fibers are left loose or tethered together through wrap or band, then installation and maintenance are simpler, but the optical fibers become entangled and damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary device (fiber management guide or tray) that mediates between the optical fibers and the rack structure. This intermediary component provides a controlled path for fibers, preventing direct entanglement while maintaining ease of installation. The guide acts as a buffer that organizes fibers without requiring complex handling procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the fiber routing path into distinct sections using multiple guides or trays at different locations. By dividing the continuous fiber path into manageable segments, each section can be independently managed and organized, reducing overall entanglement while keeping installation simple through modular deployment.
2Device complexity
If optical fibers are routed without guidance, then device complexity is reduced, but fiber entanglement and damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs simple intermediary structures (guides, trays, or channels) that provide basic fiber routing without complex mechanisms. These intermediaries create defined paths that prevent entanglement through straightforward geometric constraints rather than complex active control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of actively managing fiber movement through complex mechanisms, the patent inverts the approach by creating passive structural constraints that naturally guide fibers along safe paths. The routing structure uses the rack's existing geometry and simple attachments to let fiber organization emerge from the structure itself rather than active control.
3Ease of operation
If adjustable trays are slid to access fiber optic modules, then maintenance access is improved, but optical fibers bend and move causing potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-positioning fiber management guides and trays before fiber installation. These pre-installed structures create predetermined safe zones and routing paths that automatically protect fibers during subsequent tray adjustments and maintenance activities, eliminating the need for reactive fiber management during maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent provides beforehand cushioning by creating buffer zones and slack management mechanisms in advance. Fiber management trays and guides are positioned to accommodate expected tray movements, providing built-in slack and protection zones that cushion fibers against damage during normal maintenance operations without requiring additional protective measures during the actual maintenance.
Data Source
AI summary
A rack routing guide installable in an equipment rack, the rack routing guide comprising: a body defining a volume configured to route one or more optical fibers from fiber optic equipment disposed in the equipment rack, wherein a lateral sidewall of the body includes an opening through which the one or more optical fibers are receivable into the volume; and a mount configured to couple the body to the equipment rack.