Strand-Mounted Bracket for CATV Equipment Installation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Mounting large and heavy CATV outdoor equipment, such as nodes, on a strand between telephone poles is challenging due to the weight and size, which requires significant physical effort and can cause stress on the strand and existing cables, potentially damaging them.
Innovation Solution
A bracket with resting hooks that allows the equipment to be temporarily positioned on the strand, reducing the need for the installer to hold the weight, enabling easier and safer attachment with reduced risk of damage, using a clamp and bolt system for secure mounting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heavy CATV equipment is directly mounted on the strand using traditional clamps, then secure mounting is achieved, but significant physical effort is required and stress is applied to the strand and existing cables
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a bracket as an intermediary component between the heavy CATV equipment and the strand. The bracket includes a clamp that attaches to the strand and a mounting interface that secures the equipment. This intermediary structure distributes the weight and mounting forces, reducing the physical effort required during installation while maintaining secure mounting. The bracket acts as a mediator that facilitates the connection without requiring the installer to directly handle the full weight of the equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is pre-assembled with the clamp and mounting components before installation. The clamp is already attached to the bracket, and the mounting interface is prepared in advance. This preliminary preparation allows the installer to simply attach the bracket (with pre-assembled components) to the strand and then secure the equipment, rather than assembling multiple components during the installation process. This reduces the physical effort and time required during the actual mounting operation.
2Ease of manufacture
If heavy equipment is mounted on the strand, then equipment installation is achieved, but stress is applied to existing cables attached to the strand, potentially damaging them
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket serves as an intermediary that isolates the mounting forces from the existing cables. The clamp portion of the bracket attaches to the strand at a location optimized for load bearing, while the equipment mounting interface is positioned to minimize leverage and stress on the strand and attached cables. This intermediary structure allows the equipment weight to be borne by the strand-clamp connection rather than being transmitted to the existing cables.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is designed with different local characteristics: the clamp portion is designed to grip the strand securely and bear the full weight of the equipment, while the equipment mounting interface is designed to secure the equipment without creating excessive leverage. The bracket body is shaped and dimensioned to optimize the distribution of forces, concentrating the load-bearing function at the clamp while minimizing stress transmission to cables at the equipment mounting location.
3Reliability
If traditional mounting methods are used for heavy equipment, then equipment is secured to the strand, but the installation process is complex and requires multiple installers
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket combines multiple functions into a single integrated component: the clamp for attaching to the strand, the mounting interface for securing equipment, and the structural element that distributes forces. This merged design eliminates the need for separate clamps, brackets, and mounting hardware that would otherwise be required. The single bracket component can be attached to the strand and then used to mount the equipment in a straightforward two-step process, reducing installation complexity while maintaining secure mounting.
4Adaptability or versatility
If extension brackets are used to provide distance from the strand, then cable clearance is achieved, but the mounting process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is designed as a universal mounting solution that provides both strand attachment and equipment mounting capabilities in a single component. The bracket's design inherently provides the necessary clearance between the equipment and the strand through its structural geometry, eliminating the need for separate extension brackets. This multi-functional design achieves cable clearance while maintaining a simple two-step mounting process.
Data Source
AI summary
Approaches for bracket for strand mounted CATV outdoor equipment. The bracket comprises a body having a first end and a second end opposing the first end. The first end comprises one or more resting hooks sized to be positioned over a strand. The resting hooks allow for resting the CATV outdoor equipment temporarily onto the strand in a position that readily accommodates the permanent attachment of the CATV outdoor equipment to the strand. The first end of the bracket also comprises a clamp for securing the bracket to the strand, while the second end comprises a securing mechanism for securing the bracket to the CATV outdoor equipment. The bracket may be formed from a single piece of shaped metal.