Telecommunications assembly

• US 8,938,147 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2013
• Issued: 01/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CommScope Technologies, LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ADC Telecommunications Incorporated (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Krampotich, Dennis, Coan, Jonathan Walter
• Primary Examiner(s): RAHLL, JERRY T
• Application Number:
  US14/060,223
• Publication Number:
  US 20140178025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 455 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4446 Cable boxes, e.g. splicing boxes with two or more multi fibre cables
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4448 Electro-optic
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4452 Distribution frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4453 Cassettes
• 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 6/4457 Bobbins; Reels
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/46 Processes or apparatus adapted for installing or repairing optical fibres or optical cables installation of cables containing electric conductors and optical fibres H02G

Abstract

A telecommunications assembly includes a chassis defining an interior region and a tray assembly disposed in the interior region. The tray assembly includes a tray and a cable spool assembly. The cable spool assembly is engaged to a base panel of the tray. The cable spool assembly is adapted to rotate relative to the tray. The cable spool assembly includes a hub, a flange engaged to the hub and an adapter module. The flange defines a termination area. The adapter module is engaged to the termination module of the flange. The adapter module is adapted to slide relative to the flange in a direction that is generally parallel to the flange between an extended position and a retracted position.

Claims

1. A telecommunications apparatus comprising:

a housing adapted for connection to a telecommunications rack, the housing including a housing body defining a cross-dimension, a height and a depth, the cross-dimension being measured in a direction perpendicular relative to the height and the depth, the housing also including flanges for fastening the housing body to the telecommunications rack, the flanges being separated from one another by the cross-dimension of the housing body, the housing body including front and back ends separated by the depth of the housing body;

a tray that mounts to the housing body, the tray being slidably movable relative to the housing body, the tray carrying at least one fiber optic adapter;

a first spool mounted to the tray, the first spool being rotatable relative to the tray about an axis of rotation, the first spool including first and second flanges that are spaced apart along the axis of rotation, the first spool also including a core aligned along the axis of rotation and positioned between the first and second flanges of the first spool; and

a fiber optic cable spooled about the core, wherein the first spool rotates about the axis of rotation relative to the tray when the fiber optic cable is paid out from the first spool.

2. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the tray is slidable in a front-to-back orientation.

3. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 2, wherein the tray slides out the front end.

4. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cable bend radius protector disposed adjacent the back end of the housing body, wherein the fiber optic cable is paid out through the cable bend radius protector adjacent the back end of the housing body.

5. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a manual spool lock that is adapted for engagement with the first spool to prevent rotation of the first spool relative to the tray.

6. The telecommunications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one fiber optic adapter can be located at a first position in which the at least one fiber optic adapter is accessible from the front end of the housing body.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a rack mount structure including a major side that extends between two-spaced-apart minor sides, the rack mount structure also including a front and a rear, the major side and the spaced-apart minor sides extending in a front-to rear orientation between the front and the rear of the rack mount structure, the rack mount structure including flanges for attaching the rack mount structure to a rack, wherein the major side is a top side of the rack mount structure when the rack mount structure is attached to the rack;

a tray that mounts between the spaced-apart minor sides, the tray being slidably movable along the front-to-rear orientation relative to the rack mount structure;

a cable spool mounted to the tray, the cable spool being rotatable relative to the tray;

a plurality of fiber optic adapters carried with the tray, each of the fiber optic adapters including a first connector port and a second connector port; and

a length of multi-fiber optical cable disposed about the cable spool;

fiber optic connectors attached to optical fibers of the multi-fiber optical cable, the fiber optic connectors being received in the first connector ports of the fiber optic adapters, wherein the fiber optic connectors and the fiber optic adapters rotate in unison with the cable spool relative to the tray when the multi-fiber optical cable is paid out from the cable spool.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a manual spool lock that is adapted for engagement with the cable spool to prevent rotation of the cable spool relative to the tray.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a cable bend radius protector disposed at the rear of the rack mount structure, wherein the multi-fiber optical cable is paid out from the cable spool through the cable bend radius protector at the rear of the rack mount structure.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein after the multi-fiber optical cable has been paid out from the cable spool, the fiber optic adapters are positioned at the front of the rack mount structure with the second connector ports of the fiber optic adapters being accessible from the front of the rack mount structure.

11. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the fiber optic connectors are coupled to first ends of the optical fibers of the multi-fiber optical cable, wherein a multi-fiber connector is coupled to second ends of the optical fibers of the multi-fiber optical cable, and wherein the multi-fiber optical cable is paid out from the cable spool by moving the multi-fiber connector away from the rack mount structure.

12. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a fan-out member that separates the optical fibers of the multi-fiber optical cable into separate pigtails each connectorized by one of the fiber optic connectors, wherein the fan-out member is attached to the cable spool.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a port labeling region positioned at the front of the rack mount structure.

14. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the tray slides out the front of the rack mount structure.

15. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising cable guides positioned at the front of the rack mount structure adjacent the spaced-apart minor sides of the rack mount structure.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a rack mount structure including a major side that extends between two-spaced-apart minor sides, the rack mount structure also including a front and a rear, the major side and the spaced-apart minor sides extending in a front-to rear orientation between the front and the rear of the rack mount structure, the rack mount structure including flanges for attaching the rack mount structure to a rack, wherein the major side is a top side of the rack mount structure when the rack mount structure is attached to the rack;

a tray that mounts to the rack mount structure, the tray being slidably movable in a front-to-back orientation relative to the rack mount structure;

a cable spool carried with the tray as the tray is slid relative to the rack mount structure, the cable spool being rotatably mounted to the tray so as to be rotatable relative to the tray;

a multi-fiber optical cable wrapped about the cable spool, the multi-fiber optical cable including a jacketed main cable portion having a plurality of optical fibers contained within a cable jacket, the multi-fiber optical cable also including a plurality of optical pigtails each including one of the optical fibers, the optical pigtails being connectorized with fiber optic connectors, wherein the optical pigtails and their corresponding fiber optic connectors rotate in unison with the cable spool relative to the tray when the multi-fiber optical cable is paid out from the cable spool; and

fiber optic adapters that are carried with the tray as the tray is slid relative to the rack mount structure, the fiber optic adapters being positionable at a forward location that is forwardly offset from the cable spool.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the fiber optic adapters include ports for receiving the fiber optic connectors that connectorize the ends of the optical pigtails.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising fan-out member for providing a transition between the jacketed main cable portion and the optical pigtails, the fan-out member being coupled to the cable spool.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising cable guides positioned at the front of the rack mount structure adjacent the spaced-apart minor sides of the rack mount structure.