Telecommunications closures are adapted to house and protect telecommunications components such as splices, termination panels, power splitters, and wave division multiplexers. In certain applications, the closures need to be water and contaminant (e.g., dust) proof and/or water-resistant. In particular, water, moisture, cleaning fluids, dust, etc. should be prevented from reaching components within the interior of the closures.
In certain applications, the closures include openings where telecommunications cables enter and exit the closures. During manufacture, these openings are sealed such as by using a shrink wrap tubing. Improvements are needed to increase production speed, the quality of the finished product, and to improve the safety of the working environment.
One aspect relates to a method for sealing a telecommunications product. The telecommunications product defines an interior space and at least one cable extends from the interior space to an exterior through an opening having a tubular body. The method comprises securing the telecommunications product to an apparatus, the apparatus including heat blasters each configured to emit hot air; positioning a shrink wrap tubing of a predetermined length over an outside surface of the cable and an outside surface of the tubular body of the opening; and initiating a heat sealing operation that includes moving the heat blasters along a first plane toward the shrink wrap tubing until the heat blasters surround the shrink wrap tubing; delivering hot air from each heat blaster; and moving the heat blasters along a second plane along a predetermined length of the shrink wrap tubing, the second plane orthogonal to the first plane. In some examples, the heat sealing operation includes delivering the hot air in a 360 degree direction around the shrink wrap tubing.
The method may further comprise delivering the hot air from each heat blaster according to a heat profile that varies the time the hot air is delivered along the second plane. The heat profile can include delivering the hot air at a constant temperature along the predetermined length of the shrink wrap tubing. The heat profile can further include delivering the hot air at about 100° C. to about 140° C. for a variable amount of time along the second plane. In one example, the heat profile includes delivering the hot air to a first section of the shrink wrap tubing before delivering the hot air to a second section of the shrink wrap tubing, the second section being farther away from the interior space of the telecommunications product than the first section. In another example, the heat profile includes delivering the hot air to the distal ends of the shrink wrap tubing for a first predetermined period of time, and delivering the hot air to central sections of the shrink wrap tubing for a second predetermined period of time, the first predetermined period of time being larger than the second predetermined period of time.
The method may further comprise using a clamp to secure the telecommunications product to the apparatus. The method may also further comprise using a clamp to secure the at least one cable to a frame of the apparatus.
The method may further comprise moving the heat blasters away from the shrink wrap tubing along the first plane; initiating a cooling operation; and removing the telecommunications product from the apparatus.
Another aspect relates to an apparatus for sealing a telecommunications product that has a non-activated shrink wrap tubing positioned over a cable and an opening. The apparatus comprises a frame; heat blasters attached to the frame and movable with respect to the frame in both a first plane and a second plane, the second plane being orthogonal to the first plane, each heat blaster having a heat generator at a first end and an air deflector at a second end; and a controller having at least one processing unit, and a system memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the heat blasters to: move along the first plane relative to the telecommunications product; move along the second plane relative to the telecommunications product; and deliver hot air from the heat generator and through the air deflector to activate the shrink wrap tubing and to seal the cable and the opening.
The air deflectors can each have a slit opening. The slit opening can have a center portion and terminal ends, the width of the terminal ends are wider than the center portion. The air deflectors can each have a flat bottom portion and a sloped top portion that direct the flow of hot air through a slit opening. The air deflectors can each have a semi-circular shape and a slit opening that delivers hot air in a 180 degree direction. The heat blasters may be positioned at opposite sides of the frame, such that when moved together along the first plane, the heat blasters deliver hot air in a 360 degree direction around the opening of the telecommunications product.
The instructions may further cause the heat blasters to perform a heat profile that varies the amount of time that the hot air is delivered to sections of the shrink wrap tubing along the second plane. The heat profile can include delivering the hot air to a first section of the shrink wrap tubing before delivering the hot air to a second section of the shrink wrap tubing, the second section being farther away from an interior space of the telecommunications product than the first section The heat profile can include delivering the hot air at a constant temperature of about 100° C. to about 140° C. for a variable amount of time along a predetermined length of the shrink wrap tubing.
The apparatus may further comprise an attachment device having a back plate and side panels configured to at least partially surround the telecommunications product, and wherein the attachment device includes a clamp that secures the telecommunications product to the back plate, and a heat shield that covers a top portion of the telecommunications product.
A variety of additional inventive aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The inventive aspects can relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive concepts upon which the examples disclosed herein are based.
The following drawing figures, which form a part of this application, are illustrative of described technology and are not meant to limit the scope of the disclosure in any manner.
Various embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like parts and assemblies throughout the several views. Reference to various embodiments does not limit the scope of the claims attached hereto. Additionally, any examples set forth in this specification are not intended to be limiting and merely set forth some of the many possible embodiments for the appended claims.
As further shown in
The attachment device 110 has a back plate 112 and side panels 114 that at least partially surround the telecommunications product 10. The attachment device 110 may include a clamp 116 that secures the telecommunications product 10 to the back plate 112. In the example shown, the clamp 116 includes a lever 120 that can be operated by a worker to secure the telecommunications product 10 to the back plate 112. The attachment device 110 may also include bolts 118 that secure the telecommunications product 10 to the side panels 114. The bolts 118 can be twisted in clockwise or counterclockwise directions to secure and release the telecommunications product 10 from the side panels 114. Other configurations are possible.
Still referring to
As shown in
In the examples depicted in the figures, the apparatus 100 includes two heat blasters 138, 140 that are positioned on opposite sides of the attachment device 110. Other configurations are possible. For example, the apparatus 100 may include more than two heat blasters or fewer than two heat blasters. Additionally, the heat blasters may be positioned at different locations in the apparatus 100 with respect to the base 106 and telecommunications product 10.
The first heat blaster 138 is connected to the first rail 142 by a programmable linear actuator 137 such that the first heat blaster 138 is movable in forward and reverse directions (e.g., left and right) with respect to the base 106 in the first plane A-A. The second heat blaster 140 is connected to the second rail 144 by another programmable linear actuator 137 such that the second heat blaster 140 is moveable in forward and reverse directions (e.g., left and right) with respect to the base 106 in the first plane A-A. Additionally, the first heat blaster 138 and the second heat blaster 140 are both connected to the third set of rails 146 such that the first heat blaster 138 and the second heat blaster 140 are moveable in forward and reverse directions (e.g., up and down) with respect to the base 106 in the second plane B-B.
The programmable linear actuators 137 are separately controlled by the controller 200. Thus, the first heat blaster 138 and the second heat blaster 140 are moveable in the first plane A-A and the second plane B-B in accordance the instructions stored in the system memory 204. In some examples, the programmable linear actuators 137 are pneumatic cylinders or hydraulic cylinders. In further examples, the programmable linear actuators 137 are ROBO Cylinders®. In one example, the programmable linear actuator 137 that controls the movement of the first heat blaster 138 and the second heat blaster 140 on the third set of rails 146 is a ROBO Cylinders®.
As shown in
As shown in
As described above, the controller 200 includes at least one processing unit 202 and a system memory 204 storing instructions that, when executed by the processing unit 202, cause the apparatus 100 to perform one or more methods related to the manufacturer of the telecommunications product 10. These methods will now be described with reference to
The method 400 includes a step 402 of securing the telecommunications product 10 to the apparatus 100. As described above, the telecommunications product 10 can be secured to the apparatus 100 using the attachment device 110 (see
Next, the method 400 includes a step 404 of positioning the shrink wrap tubing 18 over an outside surface of the cable 14 and over an outside surface of the tubular body of the opening 16. As shown in
Next, the method 400 includes a step 406 of initiating a heat sealing operation 500. The heat sealing operation 500 may be initiated by a worker utilizing the controls (e.g., the on/off switch) in the housing 128.
After completion of the heat sealing operation 500, the method 400 includes a step 408 of removing the telecommunications product 10 from the apparatus 100. Step 408 may include a worker using the lever 120 to operate the clamp 116 to detach the telecommunications product 10 from the back plate 112 of the attachment device 110. Also, the worker can twist the bolts 118 in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction to detach the telecommunications product 10 from the side panels 114 attachment device 110. Additionally, the worker can use the additional clamps 126 to detach the cable 14 from the frame 102 of the apparatus 100.
As described, the programmable linear actuators 137 are separately controlled by the controller 200 such that the heat blasters 138, 140 move on the first rail 142 and second rail 144, respectively, toward one another.
Next, the heat sealing operation 500 includes a step 504 of delivering hot air from each of the heat blasters 138, 140. As described above, the heat blasters 138, 140 each include a heat generator 150 that generates the hot air, and an air deflector 152 that delivers the hot air to activate the shrink wrap tubing 18. Each air deflector 152 has a semi-circular shape such that the slit opening 158 delivers the hot air in a 180 degree direction. Accordingly, the heat blasters 138, 140 deliver the hot air in a 360 degree direction around the shrink wrap tubing 18.
Next, the heat sealing operation 500 includes a step 506 of moving the heat blasters along the second plane B-B along a predetermined length of the shrink wrap tubing 18. The second plane B-B is orthogonal to the first plane A-A, and a programmable linear actuator 137 controlled by the controller 200 moves the heat blasters 138, 140 on the third set of rails 146.
During step 506, the hot air from each heat blaster 138, 140 is delivered according to a heat profile that varies the time the hot air is delivered along the second plane B-B. The heat profile can be stored in the system memory 204 of the controller 200. The heat profile delivers the hot air at a constant temperature along the predetermined length of the shrink wrap tubing 18. For example, the heat profile may include delivering the hot air at about 100° C. to about 140° C. for a variable amount of time along the second plane. In one example, the heat profile includes delivering the hot air to the distal ends of the shrink wrap tubing 18 for a first predetermined period of time, and delivering the hot air to central sections of the shrink wrap tubing 18 for a second predetermined period of time, the first predetermined period of time being larger than the second predetermined period of time.
In another example, the heat profile may include delivering the hot air to a first section of the shrink wrap tubing 18 before delivering the hot air to a second section of the shrink wrap tubing 18, the second section being farther away from the interior space of the telecommunications product 10 than the first section. Upon delivery of the hot air, the shrink wrap tubing 18 is activated and produces a seal between the opening 16 and the cable 14 that is water and contaminant (e.g., dust) proof and/or water-resistant.
After completion of the heat profile in step 506, the delivery of hot air from the heat blasters 138, 140 is stopped (e.g., the heat blasters 138, 140 are turned off), and the heat sealing operation 500 includes a step 508 of moving the heat blasters 138, 140 away from the shrink wrap tubing 18 along the first plane A-A. In accordance with the above description, the programmable linear actuators separately controlled by the controller 200 move the heat blasters 138, 140 on the first rail 142 and second rail 144, respectively, away from one another.
Thereafter, the heat sealing operation 500 includes a step 510 of initiating a cooling operation. In some examples, the cooling operation in step 506 may include waiting for a predetermined amount of time for the shrink wrap tubing 18 to cool down. Afterwards, the telecommunications product 10 can be removed from the apparatus 100 (see step 408).
In a basic configuration, the controller 200 may include at least one processing unit 202 and a system memory 204. The system memory 204 may include, but is not limited to, volatile storage (e.g., random access memory), non-volatile storage (e.g., read-only memory), flash memory, or any combination of such memories.
The system memory 204 may include an operating system 205 and one or more program modules 206 suitable for running software applications 220. This basic configuration is illustrated in
A number of program modules and data files may be stored in the system memory 204. While executing on the at least one processing unit 202, the program modules 206 may perform various methods and processes including, but not limited to, the methods described with reference to the figures as described herein.
The controller 200 may also have one or more input device(s) 212, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a pen, a sound or voice input device, a touch or swipe input device, etc. Output device(s) 214 such as a display, speakers, a printer, etc. may also be included. The aforementioned devices are examples and others may be used.
The controller 200 may also include one or more communication connections 216 allowing communications with other computing devices 250. Examples of suitable communication connections 216 include, but are not limited to, RF transmitter, receiver, and/or transceiver circuitry; universal serial bus (USB), parallel, and/or serial ports.
The term computer readable media as used herein may include non-transitory computer storage media. Computer storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information, such as computer readable instructions, data structures, or program modules. The system memory 204, the removable storage device 209, and the non-removable storage device 210 are all computer storage media examples (i.e., memory storage.) Computer storage media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other article of manufacture which can be used to store information and which can be accessed by the controller 200. Any such computer storage media may be part of the controller 200. Computer storage media does not include a carrier wave or other propagated or modulated data signal.
The block diagram depicted in
The various embodiments described above are provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed to limit the claims attached hereto. Those skilled in the art will readily recognize various modifications and changes that may be made without following the example embodiments and application illustrated and described herein, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the following claims.
This application is a Continuation of PCT/US2019/064714, filed on Dec. 5, 2019, which claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 62/776,808, filed on Dec. 7, 2018, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. To the extent appropriate, a claim of priority is made to each of the above disclosed applications.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62776808 | Dec 2018 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/US2019/064714 | Dec 2019 | US |
Child | 17341172 | US |