Patent Publication Number: US-2021185840-A1

Title: Node pedestal

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/949,371, filed Dec. 17, 2019, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     The present disclosure relates to node pedestals and, in particular, to above-ground fiber node pedestals. Conventionally, underground utility enclosures are characterized by underground installations in which a sealed pedestal housing with splice connections is stored in a grade level enclosure. Alternatively, conventional above-ground pedestals are characterized by installations with access for connections to be made when adding a new service, for example. 
     SUMMARY 
     According to various aspects of the disclosure, a node pedestal includes a box configured to house communication system components, a housing configured to be removably coupled with the box and having opposite end walls, a pair of supports extending from the box at opposite ends of the box, and a locking mechanism configured to latch the housing with the box. The locking mechanism includes a latch rotatingly mounted to a first one of the end walls and a catch extending from a first one of the supports in a direction toward a second one of the supports, and the latch is configured to engage the catch to secure the housing to the box. 
     In some aspects, the pedestal housing includes a lower hood and an upper hood configured to be coupled to one another. 
     In some aspects, the lower hood includes an upper wall having at least one opening that dissipates heat toward the upper hood, a peripheral opening between the upper hood and the lower hood exhausts heat out of the node pedestal. 
     In various aspects, the lower hood includes side walls having openings that allow air to flow into the housing to dissipate heat generated by an electrical component enclosed in the node pedestal. 
     In some aspects, the side walls include vanes that define the openings, the vanes extending inward from an outer surface of the lower hood such that when airflow hits the vanes, the airflow is already inside the housing, and the airflow is further directed into an interior of the housing. 
     In various aspects, the crossbeam has an elongated slot extended along a length of the crossbeam. In some aspects, the electrical component includes a hook portion configured to receive and be placed over the crossbeam. In some aspects, the hook portion includes a through hole configured to be aligned with the slot and to receive a carriage bolt, and the bolt is configured to be threadedly coupled with a nut to secure the electrical component to the box at a desired position along the length of the crossbeam. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Features and advantages of the present disclosure are described in, and will be apparent from, the following Brief Description of the Drawings and Detailed Description. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary node pedestal in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the box of the exemplary node pedestal of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a bottom perspective view of the housing of the exemplary node pedestal of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the exemplary node pedestal of  FIG. 1  in a partially open configuration. 
         FIGS. 5A-5E  are perspective view of an exemplary locking mechanism of the exemplary pedestal of  FIG. 1 ; and  FIG. 5F  is a front view of the exemplary locking mechanism of the exemplary pedestal of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 6A-6E  are perspective views of the housing being pivoted relative to the box of the exemplary pedestal of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 7A-7D  are perspective views of the housing being coupled with and removed from the box of the exemplary pedestal of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 8  is an end cross-sectional view of the exemplary pedestal of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate airflow and heat dissipation of the exemplary pedestal of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 11 and 12  are a side view and a top view, respectively, of the interior of the exemplary node pedestal of  FIG. 1  with the housing removed. 
         FIGS. 13 and 14  are enlarged perspective views of a connection between an electrical component and a crossbeam of the box of the node pedestal of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIGS. 15A-15C  are perspective cross-sectional views that illustrate the locking mechanism as the housing is being pivoted relative to the box of the exemplary pedestal of  FIG. 1  from the position shown in  FIG. 6A  to the position shown in  FIG. 6B . 
         FIG. 16  is a side cross-sectional view that illustrates the locking mechanism when the housing is pivoted relative to the box of the exemplary pedestal of  FIG. 1  to the position shown in  FIG. 6B . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Throughout the description, like reference numerals will refer to like parts in the various drawing figures. As a preface to the detailed description, it should be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an,” and “the” include plural referents, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-10 , an exemplary node pedestal  100 , for example, a fiber node pedestal is illustrated. The pedestal  100  includes a grade level box  110  and a pedestal housing  130 . The grade level box  110  can have various embodiments, typically buried below-ground with an open bottom to receive wiring attached to electrical components stored within the pedestal housing  130 . The pedestal housing  130  protects the underground utility connections when they are brought above-ground for connecting to service lines from the customer, for example. The grade level box  110  itself, being placed below-ground, can contain electrical connections such as utility cables or conduits, data transmission lines, service lines, optical fiber cables and other underground utility devices, lines or cables. One use is for containing fiber optic tubes having optical fibers for splice connections when providing residential fiber optic service connections. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the box  110  includes side walls  112  and end walls  114 . The side walls  112  have hexagonal strength structures  122 , which provide a higher strength to weight ratio than conventional grid ribbing structures. The end walls  114  include laterally-extending platforms  124  that extend from one of the side walls  112  to the other one of the side walls  112 . A top edge  116  of the box  110  is sized and shaped to receive the pedestal housing  130  (see  FIG. 8 ). The box  110  also includes a pair of vertical supports  118  adjacent the end walls  114  and a horizontal crossbeam  119  that extends in a longitudinal direction from one of the vertical supports  118  to the other one of the vertical supports  118 . The horizontal crossbeam  119  is capable of supporting optical fiber network components, as described in more detail below with respect to  FIGS. 11-14 . 
     The pedestal housing  130  includes a lower hood  132  and an upper hood  134 . The lower hood  132  and the upper hood  134  may be securely coupled to one another. As shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the lower hood  132  has inner end walls  144  that include tapered grooves  146  that are structured and arranged to align with the vertical supports  118  of the box  110  when the housing  130  is coupled with the box  110 . The tapered grooves  146  are wider at a bottom edge  136  of the housing  130  so as to assist with alignment of the housing  130  relative to the vertical supports  118  of the box  110  when coupling the housing  130  with the box  110 . The bottom edge  136  has a shingled design such that the bottom edge  136  of the housing  130  is sized and arranged to overlap the top edge  116  of the box  110  when the housing  130  is coupled with the box  110  (see  FIG. 8 ). 
     Referring to  FIGS. 5A-5G , each of the end walls  144  of the lower hood  132  includes a locking mechanism  148 , for example, a quarter-turn slam-lock mechanism. When facing each inner end wall  144 , the respective locking mechanism  148  may be on the same side of the groove  146  so that the housing  130  can be coupled with the box  110  in two orientations of the housing  130  rotated by 180° relative to the box  110 . 
     Each of the locking mechanisms  148  includes a latch  164  and a catch  166 . Each latch  164  is coupled to a respective end wall  114  by a fastener  179  such that the latch  164  is rotatable relative to the end wall  114  about a rotation axis  169  that extends through the fastener  179 . The locking mechanism  148  includes a rotating torsion spring  165  operably coupled with the latch  164  and configured to urge the latch  164  in a counter-clockwise direction about the rotation axis  169  to a rest position shown in  FIG. 5A . The catches  166  extend inward from the vertical supports  118  toward a middle of the box  110 . 
     The latch  164  includes a first arm portion  174  that extends away from the fastener  179  in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis  169 . A curved shoulder portion  172  of the latch  164  extends from an end of the first arm portion  174  distal from the rotation axis  169 . The curved shoulder portion  172  extends from the first arm portion  174  in a counter-clockwise direction relative to the rotation axis  169 . The latch  164  includes a second arm portion  168  that extends from an elbow  170  at a second end of the curved shoulder portion  172  that is opposite to a first end of the curved shoulder portion  172  that meets the first arm portion  174 . The second arm portion  168  extends from the curved shoulder portion  172  that generally extends away from the fastener  179  in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis  169 . 
     In some aspects, the inner end wall  144  may be configured to form an angle with respect to a vertical direction relative to the ground where the box  110  is disposed. In such aspects, the inner end wall  144  may include a vertical portion where the latch  166  is coupled with the end wall  144  so as to align the latch  164  relative to the catch  166  in the vertical direction. 
     The locking mechanism  148  may include a keyed lock  162  accessible from the outside of the end walls  144  (see  FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 ). The lock  162  is operably coupled with the latch  164  and may be keyed based on the service provider such that any technician from a particular service provider can access all node pedestals of that service provider. Alternatively, the lock  162  may be varied to restrict access to the node pedestal to certain authorized technicians. 
     As shown in  FIG. 5A , in an open configuration of the housing  130  relative to the box  110 , prior to the housing  130  being attached to the box  110 , a distal arm  168  of the latch  164  is disposed above an arm  167  of the catch  166 . As the housing  130  is pushed downward toward the box  110 , an engagement surface  168 ′ of the distal arm  168  engages the catch  166 , and the catch  166  urges the distal arm  168  in a clockwise direction until the elbow  170  of the latch  164  engages the catch  166 , as shown in  FIGS. 5B-5D . As the housing  130  is pushed further downward toward the box  110 , the elbow  170  moves in the clockwise direction beyond the arm  167  of the catch  166  such that the elbow  170  can be moved past the catch  166  (e.g., below the catch  166  when the housing is moved downward in a vertical direction). After the elbow  170  is moved past the arm  167  of the catch  167 , the torsion spring  165  urges the latch  164  back in the counter-clockwise direction to the rest position shown in  FIGS. 5E and 5F , which now also functions as a latched position. When the latch  164  is in the position relative to the catch  166  illustrated in  FIGS. 5E and 5F , the shoulder portion  172  of the latch  164  is disposed below the catch  166  and the torsion spring  165  prevents the latch  164  from being pivoted in the clockwise direction relative to the catch  166  such that the latch  164  is configured to engage the catch  166  to prevent the housing  130  from being removed from the box  110 . In order for the latch  164  to be removed from the catch  166 , and thus for the housing  130  to be removed from the box  110 , a technician can insert a key (not shown) into the lock  162  to turn the latch  164  clockwise, for example, by a quarter-turn. 
     As will be described in more detail below with, the pedestal  100  according to the present disclosure permits the housing  130  to be removed from the box  110  by unlatching one of the locking mechanisms  148  and pivoting the housing  130  relative to the box  110  or by unlatching both of the locking mechanisms, which may require a second technician, and lifting the housing  130  vertically relative to the box  110 . As described in more detail below, when unlatching the locking mechanism  148  at one of the end walls  144   a  and pivoting the housing  130  relative to the box  110 , the latch  164  of the locking mechanism  148  at the opposite one of the end walls  144   b  moves outward away from the middle of the box  110  until the latch  164  is no longer disposed beneath the catch  166  so that the housing  130  can be removed from the box  110 . 
     Providing the locking mechanism  148  on both end walls  144  and on opposite sides of the tapered grooves  146  permits installation of the housing  130  on the box  110  in either of two 180° rotated orientations. Also, only one of the quarter-turn slam-lock mechanisms  148  needs to be operated to open the pedestal  100  for access to an interior  102  of the pedestal  100  by pivoting the housing  130  relative to the box  110  about the quarter-turn slam-lock mechanism  148  that is not operated. For example, the quarter-turn slam-lock mechanism  148  can be rotated by a quarter-turn to allow the housing  130  to be lifted from one of the end walls  144  to pivot the housing  130  relative to the box  110 , as shown in  FIGS. 6A-6E . Similarly, the pedestal  100  can be closed by pivoting the housing  130  relative to the box  110  from one of the end walls  144  in a reverse direction, starting with the configuration shown in  FIG. 6E , where the latch  164  of one of the locking mechanisms  148  is coupled with one of the catches  166 , and proceeding to the configuration shown in  FIG. 6A , where the latch  164  of the second of the locking mechanisms  148  is coupled with the other one of the catches  166 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 15A-15C , a technician can remove the housing  130  from the box  110  by first unlatching the locking mechanism  148  at one of the end walls  144   a  and pivoting the housing  130  relative to the box  110  about an axis that extends transverse to the longitudinal direction near the bottom of the housing. In the closed position of the pedestal shown in  FIG. 6A  and the latched position of the locking mechanisms  148 , the shoulders  172  of the latches  164  may be spaced from a bottom of the catch  166  in the vertical direction, as shown in  FIG. 5F , so that the latch  164  of the locking mechanism  148  at the opposite one of the end walls  144   b  can begin to pivot relative to the catch  166  as the unlatched locking mechanism  148  at the end wall  144   a  begins to pivot. As the end wall  144   a  pivots upwardly away from the box  110 , the latch  164  of the locking mechanism  148  at the opposite one of the end walls  144   b  moves outwardly relative to the catch  166  in a direction L away from the middle of the box  110 , as shown in  FIG. 15B . After the housing  130  is pivoted by a predetermined angle or greater relative to the box  110 , the latch  164  is no longer disposed beneath the catch  166 , as shown in  FIGS. 15C and 16 , so that the end wall  144   b  of the housing  130  can be removed from the box  110 . 
     Alternatively, the pedestal  100  can be opened and closed by moving the housing  130  in an upward and downward direction relative to the box  110 , as shown in  FIGS. 7A-7D . As discussed above, removing the housing  130  by vertical movement relative to the box  110  requires both of the locking mechanism  148  to be unlocked, which may require two technicians. Closing the housing  130  by moving the housing  130  vertically relative to the box  110  causes both of the locking mechanisms  148  to be latched at similar timing. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 8 , the lower hood  132  includes side walls  142  having openings  150  that allow air to flow into the housing  110  to dissipate heat generated by an electrical component  160 , for example, a node, enclosed in the pedestal  100 . According to various aspects, the electrical component may comprise an HFC node, a fiber node, a splitter, an amplifier, or the like. The side walls  142  include vanes  152  that define the opening  150 . Rather than extending from the side walls  142  of the housing  130  like awnings, the vanes  152  extend inward from an outer surface  154  of the lower hood  132  such that when airflow hits the vanes  152 , the airflow is already inside the housing  130 , and the airflow is further directed into the interior  102  of the housing  130  rather than be deflected outward from the housing. 
       FIGS. 9 and 10  illustrate the flow of air through the pedestal  100 . As shown, the air flows into the housing  130  from one or both side walls  142 . Heat from the electrical component(s)  160  is dissipated by rising with airflow through an opening  156  in the lower hood  132  into the upper hood  134 . The heated airflow is then directed laterally by the upper hood  134  to a peripheral opening  138  between the upper hood  134  and the lower hood  132 . 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 11-14 , the electrical component  160  is shown coupled with the horizontal crossbeam  119  of the box  110 . As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the crossbeam  119  has an elongated slot  180  extended along a majority of a length of the crossbeam  119 . As best illustrated in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the electrical component  160  includes a hook portion  182  having a substantially U-shaped configuration that is configured to receive and be placed over the crossbeam  119 . The hook portion  182  includes a through hole (not shown) that is configured to receive a carriage bolt  184 , and a nut  186  can be threadedly coupled with the bolt  184  to secure the electrical component  160  to the box  110  at a desired position along the length of the crossbeam  119 . In some aspects, the electrical component  160  may have two hook portions  182  coupled with the crossbeam  119 . 
     The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the embodiments described herein to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the embodiments. 
     Although the invention has been described in detail above, it is expressly understood that it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that the invention may be modified without departing from the spirit of the invention. Various changes of form, design, or arrangement may be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the above mentioned description is to be considered exemplary, rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that defined in the following claims. 
     No element, act, or instruction used in the description of the present application should be construed as critical or essential to the invention unless explicitly described as such. Also, as used herein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item is intended, the term “one” or similar language is used. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.