Slidable Tray Termination Unit with Rotatable Cover for Optical Connector Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
In optical fiber racks, high-density arrangement of adapters makes it difficult for operators to insert or remove optical connectors due to limited access.
Innovation Solution
A termination unit with a slidable tray and rotatable cover part, allowing easy access to optical connectors by pinching their upper and lower surfaces, facilitating insertion and removal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If adapters are arranged at high density in the optical fiber rack, then the space utilization is improved, but the ease of operation for inserting and removing optical connectors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adapter array is divided into multiple groups, with each group housed in a separate removable tray. This segmentation allows operators to access specific groups without disturbing others, maintaining high density while improving operational access through selective tray removal and rotation.
Solution Approach 2:
The trays are designed to be slidable and rotatable rather than fixed, creating a dynamic structure. When a tray is pulled out and rotated, the cover part opens downward, transforming the static high-density arrangement into a temporarily accessible configuration that facilitates connector insertion and removal.
2Device complexity
If adapters are arranged in a compact configuration, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ease of operation for connector insertion and removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the compact adapter arrangement into separate trays, the invention maintains structural simplicity at the system level while creating accessible sub-units. Each tray remains compact but becomes independently operable, resolving the contradiction between overall compactness and local accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable cover part acts as an intermediary mechanism between the compact adapter structure and the operator's fingers. When rotated downward, it creates opening space that allows finger access without requiring the entire adapter structure to be complex or expanded.
3Reliability
If the cover part is made stationary to protect adapters, then the reliability of connector protection is improved, but the ease of operation for accessing connectors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cover part transitions from a stationary protective state to a dynamic rotatable state. When the tray is pulled out, the cover rotates downward along with the tray, maintaining its protective function while automatically becoming accessible. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between constant protection and operational accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover part is pre-configured to rotate downward when the tray is pulled out, preparing the protective structure in advance for the intended operation. This preliminary action ensures that protection is maintained during normal operation while accessibility is automatically prepared when needed, without requiring additional manual steps.
Data Source
AI summary
A termination unit includes: a plurality of first optical fibers fusion-connected to a multicore cable; a tray slidable in a first direction, the tray being provided on one end side of the termination unit in the first direction; and a plurality of adapters which are provided in a line on the tray, to which a plurality of second optical fibers are connected from each of one end sides of the adapters, and to which the plurality of first optical fibers are connected from each of the other end sides of the adapters, in which the tray has a cover part for protecting the plurality of adapters, and in which the cover part is rotatable with a shaft that extends along a second direction, and the cover part rotates downward when the tray has slid in a direction toward the one end side from the other end side.