Abstract:
An apparatus for managing optical cabling in a telecommunications storage unit. The storage unit includes an interior and an access opening. In its most preferred form the apparatus includes a rigid member having means for mounting in the telecommunications storage unit. The rigid member has a faceplate. The faceplate has a front face and a rear face. The front and rear faces face the access opening and interior of the telecommunications storage unit, respectively, when the rigid member is mounted therein. The faceplate has at least one opening formed therein for receiving through the front face at least one optical module. At least one cable management member is mounted on the front face of the faceplate for receiving optical cabling routed to the at least one optical module.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to telecommunication networks and specifically to an apparatus and method for the organization of optical fiber cables in telecommunications storage units including but not limited to cabinets and racks with high levels of integration involving a diverse number of optical technologies.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     In telecommunications systems, some equipment may be located in a remote location where cabinets or racks are used to house hardened electronics. These electronics are typically dedicated to deliver a particular type of service. Thus, the cabinet contains a multiplicity of circuit boards delivering a similar service that connect to wires or optical fibers. These wires or optical fibers go outside the cabinet further downstream to consumers&#39; electronics at their premises. The cabinet also contains some common equipment for aggregating the data from the multiplicity of circuit boards and communicating upstream toward the service provider head end of the network.  
         [0003]     For cabinets that deliver services on optical fibers, additional telecommunication storage units including cabinets, cross-connect boxes, pole or wall mounted boxes are located further downstream on the optical fibers towards customer premises. These additional telecommunication storage units house additional optical components including splitters and wavelength division multiplexer (WDM) blocks to combine the services from several different types of optical sources. In this regard, it is noted: (i) that optical services to numerous consumers are often shared on a single optical fiber; (ii) the fiber has such large information capacity; and (iii) that fewer fibers are sourced by service providers than in traditional copper or cable services. The use of a distributed model for optical cable management has evolved as new equipment is added to these networks from various vendors, and when new services are enabled by technological innovation and demanded by customers.  
         [0004]     Traditional methods of cable management become particularly unsuitable as the optical equipment becomes smaller in size and lower in power, and as the regulatory rules allow equipment from various vendors to co-locate in one cabinet, and as the range of optical services demanded by individual customers becomes more varied, and as the optical fibers delivering these optical services to the customers are shared. The unsuitability of traditional methods of cable management in the aforementioned circumstances is due in part to the fact that traditional methods require numerous discrete cabinets, multiple cross-connect boxes, and splitters that are physically separated from each other and are thus expensive to access and maintain.  
       OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0005]     It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages of traditional methods and devices employed to manage cables.  
         [0006]     In accordance with several aspects of the preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided an optical fiber cable management unit located within a telecommunications storage unit. The telecommunications storage unit may house a diversity of optical service equipment providing service to customers from one or more different service providers, involving a diversity of physical optical fibers and connectors, that may span numerous optical wavelengths, where the optical fibers leaving the storage unit may be shared among many customers. The optical fiber cable management unit includes one or more slots that house one or more optical cable management modules. The optical fiber cable management unit further includes a cable management member that serves to route cables while accommodating the cables&#39; limitation regarding minimum bend radius. The cable management member also serves to manage optical fiber cable slack and heat droop management. The optical fiber cable management unit formed in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes at least the following advantages: (i) allows storage unit integration in short periods of time; (ii) offers the flexibility of using different types of cable management modules that insert in slots on the faceplate of the optical fiber cable management unit; (iii) enables effective optical fiber management of the optical fibers within the storage unit; and, (iv) permits the configuration of the optical components in the storage unit to be readily changed as new equipment and customer services are delivered from the service equipment in the storage unit.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0007]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a distribution network for optical fiber cables in accordance with the prior art;  
         [0008]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram illustrating a typical cabinet for housing a diversity of optical equipment and optical connection banks, splitters, and WDM optical blocks;  
         [0009]      FIG. 3  is a front perspective view illustrating an apparatus for the management of optical fibers cables formed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention; and,  
         [0010]      FIG. 4  contains side and front views illustrating a circular rigid protrusion for the apparatus formed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0011]     For convenience, like numerals in the description refer to like structure in the drawings. The preferred forms of the invention will be described with reference to  FIGS. 2-4 . The appended claims are not limited to the preferred forms and no term and/or phrase used herein is to be given a meaning other than its ordinary meaning unless it is expressly stated that the term and/or phrase shall have a special meaning. The environment of an existing, i.e., prior art, optical fiber cable network  200  will be described with reference to  FIG. 1 .  
         [0012]     Referring to  FIG. 1 , optical fiber cable network includes a cabinet  205  housing a multiplicity of similar circuit boards  210  delivering a similar service. The circuit boards  210  connect to wires or optical fibers  230  that extend outside the cabinet further downstream to consumers&#39; electronics at their premises  250 . The circuit boards  210  are also connected to some common equipment  220 . Equipment  220  aggregates the data from the multiplicity of circuit boards  210  and communicates upstream on shared optical fiber  240  toward the service provider head end  260  of the network. The network also includes external third party cabinets  280 , cross-connect boxes  271 , splitters  272 , and WDM blocks  273 . The aforementioned components of the network cooperate to allow the network  200  to connect a multiplicity of service providers with a multiplicity of customers where the services are carried on a network of optical fiber cables and optical combining equipment.  
         [0013]     Referring to  FIG. 2 , an alternative distribution network  300  is illustrated. Cabinet  310 , unlike cabinet  205 , houses a plurality of optical network components formerly organized in a physically distributed fashion. The optical network components disposed in cabinet  310  may include: (i) equipment  320  from several different vendors as allowed by regulatory bodies, safety, heat, and space restrictions; (ii) equipment that delivers diverse services as defined by technology innovation, standards, and customer service demand; and, (iii) optical coupling equipment, for example connector banks  331  to provide connectivity of individual optical fiber cables leaving the cabinet to optical fiber cables connected to various pieces of optical equipment within the cabinet, splitters  332  for dividing an optical fiber to provide the light information to several customers, and WDM blocks  333  for combining multiple spectrum of light on a single fiber as allowed by the optical equipment and subscriber services demands. Splitters  340 , as well as other optical network components, may continue to reside outside the cabinet  310 . Splitter  340 , as is common practice, allows a single fiber to serve a multiplicity of customers.  
         [0014]     When integrating cabinet  310 , the optical equipment is typically rack mounted, but may be mounted in any other suitable fashion. Due to the numerous additional components in cabinet  310 , space inside the cabinet  310  is at a premium. For example, connector banks  331 , splitters  332 , and WDM blocks  333  are often shoehorned in where they can fit, and the cables routed and strapped down. This method of managing components of the network is inefficient, slow to integrate, slow to rework, prone to mechanical damage, and potentially damaging to the optical fibers, which would lead to low reliability.  
         [0015]     Thus, according to the most preferred form of the present invention, there is provided an optical cable management unit  400  as illustrated in  FIG. 3 . Optical cable management unit  400  combines multiple optical fiber technologies for delivery of services to multiple customers with diverse service needs.  
         [0016]     In the most preferred form, the optical cable management unit  400  includes a rigid box  410  having protrusions  420 . Protrusions  420  facilitate rack mounting as a shelf. The unit  400  may also be mounted using any other suitable means. It will be readily appreciated that the unit  400  need not have a back of any kind. In addition, the unit  400  may take the form of a panel having means for rack mounting among many other forms.  
         [0017]     According to one aspect of the preferred form of the present invention, the faceplate  411  of the rigid box  410  has formed therein a plurality of openings  440  generally spaced evenly and regularly across the faceplate  411 . Openings  440  are adapted to receive a variety of optical modules  500  which provide optical connectivity from the front panel of the optical modules  500  and hence the front of unit  400 .  
         [0018]     According to another aspect of the preferred form of the present invention, the rigid box  410  includes a number of generally circular rigid protrusions  430  extending outwardly from the front of faceplate  411 . Preferably, protrusions  430  are generally spaced evenly between the openings  440  and in a vertical line slightly offset from a vertical line passing through openings  440 . Preferably, protrusions  430  have a diameter sufficiently large to allow the fiber with the lowest allowable bending radius to be routed around the circular protrusions  430  and connected into connectors on the faceplates of the optical modules  500 . Bending radius as used herein refers to a bending radius that will allow the fiber to function as intended.  
         [0019]     Further, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , relative to the faceplate  411  of the optical fiber cable management box  410 , the circular rigid protrusions  430  have a lip  432  at the open end  431  of the cylinder  430 . For example, the protrusions  430  may be hollow metal cylinders, 1 inch in radius and 3 inches in length, and with a quarter inch lip  432  at the open end  431  of the cylinder  430 . By providing a set of such cylinders  430  and their relative spacing and distance to the optical modules  500 , the cable slack can be managed to reduce damage and improve reliability, and to accommodate heat droop of the optical fiber cables due to heating that may occur in the environment in which the equipment resides. The lip  432  on the open end  431  of the circular rigid protrusions  430  prevents fibers from slipping or otherwise falling off of the protrusions  430  during installation and throughout the life cycle of the unit  400 . Thus, the invention provides an apparatus that allows service personnel to complete the quick, tidy and safe routing of optical fibers from various directions throughout the cabinet  310 , to allow the integration of the cabinet  310  and management of the optical fiber cables extending between a diversity of optical fiber equipment.  
         [0020]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the optical modules  500  may include a mounting means  510  for mounting the optical modules  500  to the faceplate  411  of the rigid box  410 . The mounting means  510  may take many forms including but not limited to holes formed in protrusions extending outwardly from the optical module  500 . The module  500  can be removably detached to the faceplate  411  with screws inserted into the openings formed in the optical module and corresponding openings formed in faceplate  411 . It will be readily appreciated that any other mounting means may be employed including but not limited: (i) clips or latches, which may be quick-connect and disconnect in nature; (ii) tracks around the edges of the holes  440  extending backward behind the faceplate  411  of the rigid box  410  along which the optical modules  500  would be guided into position; or, (iii) other mechanical means to provide quick mounting and un-mounting of the optical modules  500 .  
         [0021]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the optical modules  500  may consist of a pair or sets of pairs of connector pairs  520  for the connection of two optical fiber cables, one of which may leave the cabinet, and one or both of which may connect to optical equipment in the cabinet  310 . In this way, the invention provides connector functionality.  
         [0022]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the optical modules  500  may consist of a set of connectors  520  for the optical connection of multiple fibers to a single fiber at the same wavelength with the use of an optical splitter located behind the faceplate of the optical module  500 . In this way, the invention provides splitter functionality.  
         [0023]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the optical modules  500  may consist of a variety of connectors  520  for the optical connection of single or multiple fibers to a single fiber, where different connectors are required for the first single or multiple fibers and for the second single fiber. In this way, the invention provides adapter functionality.  
         [0024]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the optical modules  500  may consist of a variety of connectors  520  for the optical connection of multiple fibers to a harness  530  of optical fibers that extends out of the faceplate of the optical module  500  and includes a particular length of optical fiber cable and a specific connector or connectors  540  as are appropriate for the particular optical connectivity desired. In this way, the invention provides cabling to connector functionality.  
         [0025]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the optical modules  500  may consist of a set of connectors  520  for the optical connection of multiple fibers to a single fiber where the multiple fibers operate at different wavelengths and are mixed using a WDM block that resides behind the faceplate of the optical module  500 . In this way, the invention provides WDM functionality.  
         [0026]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the functionality of individual optical modules can be combined to provide new functionality, such as combining the splitter module functionality with the adapter module functionality in one module, or combining the WDM functionality with the cabling out of the front panel of the module functionality in one module.  
         [0027]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the optical modules  500  may be easily removed and replaced with other optical modules  500  that perform a different function or for replacement of a module due to failure or maintenance, to enable ease of improvement, refinement, alteration, and upgrade of the equipment and the optical fiber cables connected to that equipment within the cabinet  310 .  
         [0028]     According to another aspect of the invention, the optical fiber cable management unit  400  may be utilized in applications other than remote cabinets  310 , such as central offices, and rack mounted equipment, for example.  
         [0029]     According to another aspect of the most preferred form of the present invention, the optical modules  500  may include passive components, active components, or a combination of passive and active components.  
         [0030]     Advantageously, the unit  400  allows for the insertion and removal of modules  500  and cables  230  from the front of a cabinet  310  or other storage device in which it is installed. Access to the rear of the unit  400  is not generally required. This allows for rapid development and maintenance of fiber optic equipment installed in the unit  400  and cabinet  310  or other storage device.  
         [0031]     While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, it is understood that the preferred design can be further modified or adapted following in general the principles of the invention and including but not limited to such departures from the present invention as come within the known or customary practice in the art to which the invention pertains. The claims are not limited to the preferred embodiment and have been written to preclude such a narrow construction using the principles of claim differentiation.