Patent Abstract:
A fiber optic cable clamp module is disclosed. The clamp module includes a conductive contact for terminating a tracer wire. The clamp module retains the fiber optic cable and provides a weather tight seal around the cable. A carrier for a fiber optic cable clamp module is also disclosed. The carrier provides a connection to ground for a tracer wire when a clamp module containing the tracer wire is installed in the carrier. The carrier also has a switch for disconnecting the tracer wire from ground without physically removing the tracer wire. A method for installing fiber optic cable using a clamping module is also disclosed.

Full Description:
FIELD 
   The present disclosure relates to cable clamps for fiber optic cable. 
   BACKGROUND 
   The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art. 
   Fiber optic cables are commonly used in the telecommunication industry. A fiber optic cable generally includes a protective outer jacket surrounding a buffer tube. The buffer tube contains a number of optical fibers. The cable often includes one or more flexible strength members that strengthen the cable while still allowing the cable to bend. A fiber optic cable can also include a tracer wire. The tracer wire is a conductive wire generally used for trouble shooting circuits and locating the cable. 
   When a technician is installing fiber cable drops, numerous devices and steps are commonly utilized to secure, protect and connect the cable and tracer wire as needed. The fiber optic cable is brought into the enclosure through a gasket. A portion of the fiber optic cable jacket is stripped and the strength members are attached to a point in the enclosure with various types of clamps, especially clamping washers, to provide strain relief for the cable. The tracer wire is separated from the fiber optic cable and routed to the ground bar of the enclosure. The tracer wire jacket is stripped and the tracer wire is bonded to a ground bar to ground the tracer wire. This is most frequently accomplished by wrapping the tracer wire around a threaded stud on the ground bar. The tracer wire is then held in place by screwing a nut onto the threaded stud. 
   When a technician needs to perform certain operations, such as toning a tracer wire to locate the cable with which it is associated, the technician must disconnect the tracer wire from the ground bar. The technician first needs to locate the correct tracer wire. Then the technician unscrews the nut holding the tracer wire on the threaded stud and removes the tracer wire. Finally, the technician can connect the test equipment to the tracer wire and perform the necessary tests. Once the tests are complete, the technician must reconnect the tracer wire to the threaded stud and screw the nut back onto the stud to hold the tracer wire in place. 
   SUMMARY 
   According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a fiber optic cable clamp module includes an enclosure having an opening and a cover for selectively covering the opening. The enclosure is configured to receive a jacketed portion of a fiber optic cable including a strength member into the enclosure and permit a buffer tube from the fiber optic cable to exit the enclosure when the fiber optic cable is present. 
   According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a fiber optic cable assembly includes a conductive contact for terminating a tracer wire to a grounding point. The assembly also includes a switch for disconnecting the tracer wire from the ground point when the tracer wire is so terminated. 
   According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a carrier for a fiber optic cable clamp assembly includes at least one bay with a first contact. The bay is configured to receive a fiber optic cable clamp module holding a fiber optic cable having a tracer wire terminated to a second contact. The first contact electrically connects the tracer wire, through the second contact, to a grounding point when the clamp module is received in the bay. 
   According to still another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of installing a fiber optic cable includes clamping a cable in a clamping module and inserting the clamping module into a carrier. The carrier is mounted in a telecommunications enclosure. 
   Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 

   
     DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a front isometric view of a fiber optic cable clamp module with a fiber optic cable mounted therein. 
       FIG. 2  is a rear isometric view of the fiber optic cable clamp module shown in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a front view of a carrier for the fiber optic cable clamp module of  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 4  is a rear view of the carrier of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 5  is a front isometric view of the carrier of  FIG. 3 . 
       FIG. 6  is a rear isometric exploded view of the cable clamp assembly including a carrier and a clamp module with a fiber optic cable mounted therein. 
       FIG. 7  is a front isometric view of a cable clamp assembly including a carrier with an installed clamp module with a fiber optic cable mounted therein. 
       FIG. 8  is a front view of a cable clamp assembly including a carrier with an installed clamp module with a fiber optic cable mounted therein. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
   The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the present disclosure, its applications, or uses. 
     FIG. 1  illustrates a fiber optic cable clamp module, generally indicated by reference numeral  100 , according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes, a fiber optic cable  102  is also illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The clamp module  100  includes an enclosure  104  having a cover  106 . A channel  108  in the enclosure  104  and the cover  102  is designed to receive the fiber optic cable  102 . The channel  108  traverses from one end of the enclosure  104  and cover  106  to an opposite end (e.g., from top to bottom in  FIG. 1 ). 
   As can be seen in  FIG. 1 , the channel  108  is not a uniform channel, but includes differently shaped portions  108   a - d  (in the enclosure  104  and the cover  106 ) for receiving different portions of the fiber optic cable  102 . A jacketed portion  110  of the fiber optic cable  102  is received within portion  108   c  of the channel  108 . A portion of the jacket of the fiber optic cable  102  is removed and strength members  112  and a buffer tube  114  are exposed and received within portions  108   a - c  of the channel  108 . Neither the strength members  112  nor the jacketed portion  110  of the fiber optic cable exit the top portion of the enclosure  104 . Instead, these portions enter the channel  108  at one end of the enclosure  104  and terminate before exiting the channel  108  at the other end. The buffer tube  114 , however, does exit the top end of the enclosure  104 . 
   A tracer wire  116  is illustrated attached to the fiber optic cable  102 . One end of the tracer wire  116  is separated from the cable  102  and a portion of the insulation covering the tracer wire  116  is removed. The tracer wire  116  is connected to a conductive contact  118  of the enclosure  104 . The conductive contact  118  includes a portion  118   a  inside the enclosure  104  and a portion  118   b  outside the enclosure  104 . The tracer wire  116  is connected to the inside portion  118   a  of the conductive contact  118  inside the enclosure  104 . The internal portion is illustrated as two v-shaped terminals in  FIG. 1 , however numerous other configurations are possible. 
   The conductive contact  118  may include an insulation displacement connector (IDC), that pierces the insulation of the tracer wire  116 . In such an embodiment, the covering insulation of the tracer wire  116  need not be removed. The external portion  118   b  of the conductive contact is electrically connected to the internal portion  118   a  of the conductive contact  118  and, in the embodiment of  FIG. 1 , are formed from a unitary piece of conductive material. The conductive contact  118  allows an electrical connection to the tracer wire  116  to be made, through the external portion  118   b  of the conductive contact, while the cover  106  is closed and the tracer wire  116  is terminated to the inside portion  118   a  within the enclosure  104 . 
   When the cover  106  is in a closed position, the two halves of the channel  108  (one on the enclosure  104  and one on the cover  106 ) enclose the jacketed portion  110 , the strength members  112  and a portion of the buffer tube  114 . In this closed position, the enclosure  104  clamps the fiber optic cable  102  and holds it securely in place. In particular, it holds the strength members  112  tightly to provide strain relief for the fiber optic cable  102 . The closed position also provides a weather-tight seal around the cable  102  due to the channel  108  being sized to fit the cable closely. 
   The clamp module  100  also includes a retaining rib  120 . The retaining rib  120  is positioned on the cover  106  and aids in retaining the tracer wire  116  in contact with the inside portion  118   a  of the conductive contact. When the cover  106  closes, the retaining rib  120  applies a biasing force against the tracer wire to hold the tracer wire  116  in contact with the inside portion  118   a  of the conductive contact  118 . 
   The clamp module  100  also includes a snap-fit closure. The closure has two components, a male member  122  and a mating female member  124 . Two such closures are illustrated in  FIG. 1 , but more or fewer may be used. When the cover  106  is closing, the resilient female member  124  is forced to bend and travel over the male member. The female member  124  then returns approximately to its original unbent position with the male member  122  retained within the opening of the female member  124 . To open the cover  106 , the female member  124  can be bent upwards over the edge of the male member. Additionally, or alternatively, the clamp module  100  may include a connector (not shown), such as a screw, bolt, etc., for holding the closure in a closed position. If used together with a snap-fit closure, the connector may be engaged after the male member  122  and female member  124  are snapped together. 
   After a fiber optic cable  102  is mounted in the clamp module  100 , the clamp module  100  can be installed in a carrier. One example of a suitable carrier will be discussed in detail below. The clamp module  100  includes a mounting male member  126  on the top of the enclosure  104  for providing a snap-fit installation into the carrier. 
   As shown in  FIG. 2 , the enclosure  104  and the cover  106  are not symmetrical. The cover portion  106  is smaller in depth than the enclosure  104 . The extra depth of the enclosure  104  allows room for the conductive contact  118 . 
     FIGS. 3-5  illustrate one embodiment of a carrier  350  for a fiber optic cable clamp assembly. The carrier  350  has several bays  352  for receiving cable clamp modules  100 . Eight such bays are illustrated, but more or less bays may be included as desired. Each bay  352  in the carrier  350  includes a carrier contact  354 . The carrier contact  354  touches the external portion  118   b  of a clamp module&#39;s conductive contact  118  when the clamp module  100  is mounted in the carrier. The carrier contact  354  is electrically connected to a an associated testing terminal  356  and an associated grounding point  458  (shown in  FIG. 4 ) on the backside of the carrier. The carrier contact  354 , testing terminal  356  and grounding point  458  can be made of a single unitary piece of conductive material or separate, but electrically connected, pieces of conductive material. The conductive material can be any conductive material suitable for such purpose including alloys such as beryllium copper and phosphor bronze. A switch  360  (e.g., a screw in the illustrated embodiment) connects and disconnects an associated grounding point  458  to and from a ground bar  668  (shown in  FIG. 6 ). Mounting tabs  362  are included for mounting the carrier  350  to a suitable support structure (e.g., within an outdoor telecommunications equipment enclosure). Numerous other methods of mounting the carrier are, however, also possible. 
   When the carrier  350  is installed in an enclosure, such as a telecommunications equipment enclosure, it is installed such that each grounding point  458  is adjacent to a ground bar  668 , illustrated in  FIG. 6 . The ground bar  668  rests against insulative dividers  667  positioned between the grounding points  458 . The grounding points  458  are initially spaced from and not in contact with the ground bar  668 . Each switch  360  allows its associated grounding point  458  to be connected to and disconnected from the ground bar  668 . Movement of the switch  360  pushes the grounding point  458  toward the ground bar  668  to connect the grounding point  458  to ground. When the switch  360  connects the grounding point  458  to the ground bar  668 , the testing terminal  356  and the carrier contact  354  are grounded. When a clamp module  100  having a fiber optic cable mounted therein is installed in the carrier  350 , the tracer wire  116  is grounded through the conductive contact  118 , which is electrically connected to the carrier contact  354  via the outside portion  118   b . An installer or technician can then disconnect the tracer wire  116  from ground in order to perform tests using the tracer wire  116 , such as toning the tracer wire  116 , by simply actuating the switch  360  to disconnect the associated grounding point  458  from the ground bar  668 . Doing so leaves the tracer wires  116  of other cables in other bays  352  of the carrier  350  connected to ground and only disconnects the desired tracer wire  116  from the ground bar  668 . Further, the technician can make a connection to the tracer wire  116  through the test terminal  356 . The technician is, therefore, able to disconnect the tracer wire  116  from ground and test the tracer wire  116  without removing the tracer wire  116  from the clamp module  100 , without removing the clamp module  100  from the carrier, and without even opening the clamp module  100 . 
   The carrier includes mounting female members  564  in each bay  352  as illustrated in  FIGS. 5 and 6 . These mounting female members  564  mate with the mounting male members  126  on the cable modules  100 . The male and female members  126 ,  564  form a snap-fit connection between each module  100  and the carrier  350 . The snap-fit connection is formed by sliding the module  100  into a bay until the female member  564  snaps down over the male member  126 . This provides a solid, but removable, connection between each module  100  and the carrier  350 . 
     FIGS. 7 and 8  illustrate the carrier  350  with a clamp module  100  installed in one of the bays  352 . The clamp module  100  has a fiber optic cable  102  mounted in the clamp module  100 . The jacketed fiber optic cable  102  and tracer wire  116  enter the clamp module  100  and only the buffer tube  114  exits on opposite end of the module  100 . The fiber optic cable  102  is held firmly by the module  100 , which is held by the carrier  350 . The buffer tube  114  exits the module  100  to be routed to various locations as needed. 
   When mounted in an enclosure, such as a telecommunications equipment enclosure, the carrier  350  can form a weather tight entrance to the equipment enclosure. The carrier is mounted in an opening of the equipment enclosure such that the portion of the carrier  350  above the line X-X in  FIG. 8  is within internal position the equipment enclosure and the portion of the carrier  350  below the line X-X is positioned on an external surface of the equipment enclosure. Thus, the portion of the cable  102  outside of the equipment enclosure includes the jacket. The cable module  100  creates a weather tight seal around the cable  102 , as discussed above, and the unprotected buffer tube  114  exits the module  100  inside the equipment enclosure. Additionally, this mounting configuration allows a technician to access the testing terminals  356  and the switches  360  from outside the equipment enclosure. Therefore, the technician can disconnect a single tracer wire  116  from ground, perform the needed tests, and reconnect the tracer wire  116  to ground, all from outside the equipment enclosure and without removing the cable  102 , the strength members  112  or the tracer wire  116  from the module  100 , without removing the module  100  from the carrier  350  and without removing the carrier  350  from the equipment enclosure. 
   As best shown in  FIG. 8 , the cable  102  enters the clamp module  100  off center. In addition to providing room for the conductive contact  118  within the clamp module  100 , the offset allows the cable  102  to pass up the carrier  350  and enter the module  100  without interfering with access to the testing terminal  356  or the switch  360 . 
   While the present disclosure has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to such specific embodiments. Specifically, the various elements described in this disclosure may be combined, removed, or included in different combinations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Other modifications and additions may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Technology Classification (CPC): 6