Modular fiber optic cable splitter

• US 10,429,604 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2018
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raycap S.A.
• Original Assignee: Raycap S.A.
• Inventors: Bakatsias, Konstantinos, Gonalakis, Elias, Coletti, Charis, Dimou, Eleni
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Eric
• Application Number:
  US15/952,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20180231731A1
• Time in Patent Office: 537 Days
• Field of Search: 385135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4452 Distribution frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44526 Panels or rackmounts covering a whole width of the frame or rack
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44528 Patch-cords; Connector arrangements in the system or in the box routing arrangements H04Q1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4455 characterised by the way of extraction or insertion of the cassette in the distribution frame, e.g. pivoting, sliding, rotating or gliding
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4472 Manifolds
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/077 using a supervisory or additional signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/07953 Monitoring or measuring OSNR, BER or Q
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/801 using optical interconnects, e.g. light coupled isolators, circuit board interconnections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/085 Access point devices with remote components

Abstract

An optical interface includes a rack mountable enclosure that includes multiple slots for retaining multiple insertable fiber optic (FO) modules. The FO modules include a first set of interconnection ports that connect to remote radio units (RRUs), a second set of interconnection ports that connect to a baseband unit (BBU), and a third set of monitoring ports that connect to monitoring/text equipment. The FO modules contain fiber splitters that split off uplink/receive and downlink/transmit signals carried on optical fibers to the third set of monitoring ports. The FO modules may insert in different orientations and directions into different rack mountable enclosure configurations for higher density and more configurable connectivity. A splitter holder is located within the FO module and provides improved optical fiber routing for more integrated module port interconnectivity.

Claims

1. A fiber optic interface, comprising:

fiber splitters for splitting signals transmitted

between remote radio units (RRUs) and a baseband unit (BBU);

a first set of interconnection ports for connecting the fiber splitters to remote radio units,

a second set of interconnection ports for connecting the fiber splitters to the BBU;

a third set of monitoring ports for connecting the fiber splitters to monitoring equipment;

optical fibers attached to the interconnection ports, monitoring ports, and fiber splitters; and

a splitter holder located between at some of the interconnection ports and retaining at least some of the fiber splitters and at least some of the fibers, the splitter holder including substantially flat top and bottom sections with curved end sections extending between the top and bottom sections, wherein at least some of the ports and the holder are in the same axis.

2. The fiber optic interface of claim 1, wherein the splitter holder retains:

a first set of the fiber splitters configured to split the signals received over the first set of interconnection ports into duplicate uplink signals for outputting on the second set of interconnection ports and the third set of monitoring ports; and

a second set of the fiber splitters configured to split the signals received over the second set of interconnection ports into duplicate downlink signals for outputting on the first set of interconnection ports and the third set of monitoring ports.

3. The fiber optic interface of claim 1, wherein the splitter holder includes an oval shaped profile with flat top and bottom sections and round ends sections extending between the top and bottom sections.

4. The fiber optic interface of claim 3, including:

a first set of optical uplink fibers extending from the first set of interconnection ports, over the flat top section of the splitter holder, and to first ends of an upper set of the fiber splitters located on the flat top section of the splitter holder;

a second set of optical uplink fibers extending from second ends of the upper set of fiber splitters, around one of the round end sections and along the bottom section of the splitter holder, and connecting to one of the second set of interconnection ports; and

a third set of optical uplink fibers extending from the second ends of the upper set of fiber splitters, along the top section of the splitter holder and connecting to the third set of monitoring ports.

5. The fiber optic interface of claim 4, including:

a first set of optical downlink fibers extending from the second set of interconnection ports, along the bottom section of the splitter holder, and to first ends of a lower set of the fiber splitters located on the bottom section of the splitter holder;

a second set of optical downlink fibers extending from second ends of the lower set of fiber splitters, around one of the round end sections and along the top section of the splitter holder, and connecting to one of the first set of interconnection ports; and

a third set of optical uplink fibers extending from the second ends of the lower set of fiber splitters, along the bottom section of the splitter holder and connecting to the third set of monitoring ports.

6. The fiber optic interface of claim 1, including walls extending out from an outside perimeter of the splitter holder forming channels, each channel retaining:

a first set of uplink optical fibers connected to a first one of the first set of interconnection ports, a first one of the second set of interconnection ports, and a first one of the third set of monitoring ports;

a first one of the fiber splitters coupled to the first set of uplink optical fibers for splitting uplink signals received from an associated one of the RRUs;

a second set of downlink optical fibers connected to a second one of the first set of interconnection ports, a second one of the second set of interconnection ports, and a second one of the third set of monitoring ports; and

a second one of the fiber splitters coupled to the second set of downlink optical fibers for splitting downlink signals received from the BBU.

7. The fiber optic interface of claim 6, including caps attaching across top ends of the walls for retaining the first set of uplink optical fibers and retaining the second set of downlink optical fibers in the channels.

8. The fiber optic interface of claim 1, including an enclosure having a first end and a second opposite end, wherein the first and second set of interconnection ports extend out of the first end of the enclosure and the third set of monitoring ports extend out of the second end of the enclosure.

9. The fiber optic interface of claim 1, wherein the fiber splitters are configured to split the signals received from the RRUs and the BBU into duplicate signals.

10. The fiber optic interface of claim 9, wherein:

the first and the third set of interconnection ports receive the duplicate signals from the BBU; and

the second and third interconnection ports receive the duplicate signals from the RRUs.

12. The optical fiber device of claim 10, wherein:

the first set of interconnection ports include both uplink ports for connecting to optical fibers carrying uplink signals received from the RRUs and downlink ports for connecting to optical fibers carrying downlink signals transmitted to the RRUs;

the second set of interconnection ports include both uplink ports for connecting to optical fibers carrying the uplink signals to the BBU and downlink ports for connecting to the optical fibers carrying the downlink signals received from the BBU; and

the third set of interconnection ports include both uplink ports for connecting to optical fibers carrying one of the duplicate optical signals received from the RRUs and downlink ports for connecting to optical fibers carrying one of the duplicate optical signals received from the BBU.

11. An optical fiber device, comprising:

a first set of interconnection ports configured to connect to remote radio units (RRUs);

a second set of interconnection ports configured to connect to a baseband unit (BBU);

fiber splitters configured to split optical signals received on the first set of interconnection ports from the RRUs into duplicate optical signals and split optical signals received on the second set of interconnection ports from the BBU into duplicate optical signals; and

a third set of one or more interconnection ports configured to connect to one of the duplicate optical signals split from the first set of interconnection ports and one of the duplicate optical signals split from the second set of interconnection ports.

13. The optical fiber device of claim 11, wherein the fiber splitters and interconnection ports are contained in an optical fiber module.

14. The optical fiber device of claim 13, wherein the first and second set of interconnection ports extend from a first end of the optical fiber module and the third set of interconnection ports extend from a second opposite end of the optical fiber module.

15. The optical fiber device of claim 13, including:

a rack enclosure including;

top and bottom walls,

side walls extending between sides of the top and bottom walls, and

dividers extending between the side walls forming slots, wherein the optical fiber module is configured to insert into one of the slots formed in the enclosure.

16. The optical fiber device of claim 15, wherein the enclosure is a U1 or U3 enclosure.

17. The optical fiber device of claim 15, wherein the optical fiber module is configured to insert into one of the slots either through a front end or a back end of the enclosure.

18. The fiber optic device of claim 11, including a splitter holder includes an oval shaped profile with flat top and bottom sections and round ends sections extending between the top and bottom sections.

19. The fiber optic device of claim 18, including:

a first set of optical uplink fibers extending from the first set of interconnection ports, over the flat top section of the splitter holder, and to first ends of an upper set of the fiber splitters located on the flat top section of the splitter holder;

a second set of optical uplink fibers extending from second ends of the upper set of fiber splitters, around one of the round end sections and along the bottom section of the splitter holder, and connecting to one of the second set of interconnection ports; and

a third set of optical uplink fibers extending from the second ends of the upper set of fiber splitters, along the top section of the splitter holder and connecting to the third set of monitoring ports.

20. The fiber optic device of claim 19, including:

a first set of optical downlink fibers extending from the second set of interconnection ports, along the bottom section of the splitter holder, and to first ends of a lower set of the fiber splitters located on the bottom section of the splitter holder;

a second set of optical downlink fibers extending from second ends of the lower set of fiber splitters, around one of the round end sections and along the top section of the splitter holder, and connecting to one of the first set of interconnection ports; and

a third set of optical uplink fibers extending from the second ends of the lower set of fiber splitters, along the bottom section of the splitter holder and connecting to the third set of monitoring ports.