Telecom Chassis Door Hinge Mechanism Full Opening
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fiber optic network expansion requires improved management and accessibility of cables, with existing solutions failing to provide efficient installation and maintenance of fiber optic devices, particularly in telecommunications chassis.
Innovation Solution
A hinge mechanism for telecommunications chassis doors that allows full opening, enabling the extension or removal of 'pull-out' blades or trays, which house fiber optic equipment, and is configured to pivotally and linearly move, allowing trays to be fully pulled out for access to connectors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a conventional hinge mechanism is used, then the door structure is simple, but the door cannot be fully opened to allow tray removal
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge mechanism is divided into multiple segments: a first hinge arm pivotally connected to the chassis, a second hinge arm pivotally connected to the door, and a third hinge arm pivotally connected between the first and second arms. This segmentation allows the door to achieve full opening capability through coordinated rotation of multiple arms, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism transitions from a single-plane rotation to a multi-dimensional motion path. The three-arm configuration enables the door to move through a complex trajectory that combines rotational and translational components, allowing the door to clear the tray path completely when opened, thus achieving full opening capability while managing structural complexity.
2Ease of operation
If the door is designed to open fully, then tray accessibility is improved, but the door may interfere with adjacent chassis in stacked configuration
Solution Approach 1:
The multi-arm hinge mechanism guides the door through a three-dimensional opening path that arcs away from the chassis body. This dimensional change in the door's motion trajectory allows the door to clear the tray extraction path completely while positioning itself to avoid interfering with doors or trays of adjacent chassis in stacked configurations, thus improving tray accessibility without creating harmful interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mechanism is designed with specific pivot point locations and arm length proportions that create a localized motion pattern. The first arm pivots at a point on the chassis, the second arm pivots at a point on the door, and they connect at a specific angle, creating a localized quality of motion that ensures the door clears the tray path only where needed while maintaining compact positioning that avoids adjacent units.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a simple hinge is used, then manufacturing is easier, but the door cannot pivot and translate simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The complex simultaneous pivot and translate motion is achieved by segmenting the hinge into three independent arms that can be manufactured separately using standard fabrication processes. Each arm is a simple structural component that pivots at defined points, making individual manufacturing easier while the assembled mechanism achieves the versatile simultaneous pivot and translate capability required for full door opening and tray accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge mechanism (10) for pivotally coupling a door (12) to a telecommunications chassis (14) includes an outer hinge arm (46) configured to be pivotally attached with respect to the chassis (14) and an inner hinge arm (48) configured to be pivotally attached with respect to both the outer hinge arm (46) and the door (12) of the chassis (14). The hinge mechanism (10) is configured such that when the door (12) is fully closed, the outer and inner hinge arms (46, 48) are generally vertically overlapped, and when the door (12) is fully open, the outer and inner hinge arms (46, 48) are generally at a perpendicular angle with respect to each other.