Optical fiber clamping apparatus to hold fiber cable while providing retractable distance across module unit

• US 6,741,784 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2001
• Issued: 05/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: II-VI Delaware, Inc. (Coherent Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Avanex Corporation (Oclaro (North America), Inc.)
• Inventors: Guan, William Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Son V.
• Application Number:
  US09/888,301
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• Field of Search: 385/134-139, 439/942
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4453 Cassettes
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4471 Terminating devices demountable connectors G02B6/3807; Cable clamps

Abstract

A fiber routing tray to hold, organize, and route fiber cables from external sources to other optical modules and optical components. The fiber routing tray mechanical device comprises a fiber entry block, fiber channel slot, retention bar with fiber clamps, fiber clamping slots, curved fiber routing fence, and a fiber exit opening. A retention bar with a contoured fiber retention clamps is used to hold fiber cables in place, provide a strain relief to a fiber cable, and distribute uniform clamping force on the fiber cable preventing insertion and return losses. Curved fiber channel slots with a preferable width help route fiber cables and prevent them from overbending. In addition, these fiber channel slots control the extension and retraction distance of the fiber cables during external fiber cable assembly. A curved fiber routing fence help route fiber cables and help prevent them from over-bending and tangling inside of the fiber reel tray. An exit opening allows fiber cables to drop below the fiber tray before the fiber cables are attached to the optical devices and optical modules.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a fiber routing tray having one or more deep fiber clamping slots, the fiber routing tray having a first outside routing wall and a first inside routing wall associated with a first fiber channel;

a retention bar having a horizontal bar and one or more apertures formed therein, and one or more protruding fiber retention clamps, perpendicularly extended from the horizontal bar each retention clamp having a face with an arch contour for holding a fiber cable, the retention bar serving as a top side lid for placing over the one or more deep fiber clamping slots in the fiber routing tray, wherein each retention clamp corresponds and extends into each fiber clamping slot;

one or more screws being inserted through the one or more apertures to fasten the retention bar for holding the fiber cable into the fiber clamping slots;

a fiber entry block; and

a first fiber connector for connecting to a first fiber cable, the first fiber cable passing through a first pass through hole in the fiber entry block for pulling or retracting the length of the first fiber cable away from the fiber entry block, the distance in the amount of pulling or retracting being dictated by the outside routing wall and the inside routing wall associated with the first fiber channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fiber routing tray having a second outside routing wall and a second inside routing wall associated with a second fiber channel, further comprising a second fiber cable for passing through a second pass through hole in the fiber entry block for pulling or retracting the length of the fiber cable away from the fiber entry block, the distance in the amount of pulling or retracting being dictated by the second outside routing wall and the second inside routing wall associated with the second fiber channel.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the fiber entry block is used for organizing and separating the fiber cable from tangling.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a fiber connector, the fiber cable attached to the fiber connector and extending through the fiber entry block and extending into the fiber routing tray, the fiber connector having a first position and a second position, the first position of the fiber connector for extending the fiber cable against the inner routing wall of one of the fiber channel slots, the second position of the fiber connector for retracting the fiber cable against the outer routing wall of one of the fiber channel slots.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising one or more fiber routing fence, the fiber cable extending from the fiber connector, through the fiber entry block, through the fiber channel slot, through the fiber clamping slot, and through the fiber routing fence.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fiber retention clamp and the fiber clamping slots have a contoured clamp surface which distributes uniform clamping pressure around on the fiber cable to prevent insertion losses and return losses when holding the fiber cable in place.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the routing fence guides and routes the fiber cable along the inside of the fiber routing tray preventing fiber cables from tangling and over-bending.

8. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the first and second fiber channel slots having a width and radius that prevents incoming fiber cables from overbending.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first inside routing wall provides a maximum slack when the first fiber cable is pulled to be connected at an external connector interface.