Patent Application
20110103575
This application relates to telecommunications modules and chassis, and particularly to modules and chassis for high-density telecommunications patch/splitter systems.
As opposed to directly hard-wiring telecommunications equipment, high-density optical distribution frames allow connected equipment to terminate at one or more central locations. This allows for easier adding, removing or rearranging of optical connections among the equipment. High-density optical distribution frames also offer the ability to test, monitor and repair equipment that is terminated at the telecommunications central location.
A central telecommunications location typically includes one or more telecommunications racks, which are referred to as bays when populated with telecommunications equipment. Racks are designed to hold one or more chassis, panels, terminal strips, terminal blocks and/or test and maintenance equipment. Conventional chassis may be either modular or non-modular. A non-modular chassis is built and delivered fully populated with the maximum number of optical signals the chassis is designed to seat. In a modular chassis, splitter modules may be inserted into and removed from a chassis depending on whether a user wishes to increase or reduce the number of optical signals in the modular chassis. Each splitter module includes a number of optical signals. A modular chassis offers the benefit of greater customization, as individual splitter modules can be purchased when additional optical signals are desired.
Traditional modular chassis have accommodated a relatively small number of modules (and therefore optical signals) due to the size of the conventional modules and the limited width available in standard rack installations.
A high-density telecommunications patch/splitter system is provided to allow for a high-density installation of a plurality of high-density modules in a high-density telecommunications chassis. In one example, each of the modules is coupled to the chassis at the front surface of the modules, and each of the modules includes a pin protruding from the back surface of the modules configured to be engaged by a stabilizer. The stabilizer is coupled to a back of the chassis and engages the pin protruding from the back surface of each module to stabilize the modules in the chassis.
In another example, a high-density telecommunications splitter module may include a module housing with a front surface and a back surface opposite the front surface. The front surface comprises a top edge and a bottom edge located opposite the top edge, and an adapter array disposed vertically on the front surface and offcenter toward either the top edge or the bottom edge. The high-density splitter module may also have front surface couplings for coupling the splitter module front surface to a front surface of a high-density telecommunications chassis.
In another example, a high-density splitter modules may comprise an odd high-density module or an even high-density module. Each odd high-density module is configured to install in the high-density telecommunications chassis and to be securely positioned directly adjacent to an even high-density module in the chassis, which defines a mated pair. When the even high-density module is securely positioned directly adjacent to the odd high-density module in the chassis, adapters on the odd high-density module are offset relative to adapters on the even high-density module, so as to provide clearance to grasp the adapters.
In yet another example, a user may choose to populate a high-density telecommunications chassis with individual even and odd high-density splitter modules, with a mated pair, with an array of mated pairs, and/or with high-density patching modules such that any adapter disposed on any of the modules is accessible to a user by virtue of the adapter positioning. In addition, a new adapter orientation is provided to accommodate a narrow front surface of the modules.
The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanying figures. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items.
This disclosure is directed to techniques for installing modules in a high-density telecommunications chassis. In some implementations, the modules include even high-density splitter modules, odd high-density splitter modules and high-density patching modules.
Traditionally, splitter modules have been configured to accommodate six adapters disposed on a front surface of each module. Traditional modules have been about 1.15 inches wide and, as such, a traditional nineteen inch modular chassis is configured to receive twelve splitter modules. These splitter modules may be secured in position by different techniques, including the use of standard plastic push button fasteners. When a splitter module is secured in position, the module is positioned in the chassis in a secured manner and provides enough support to keep the splitter module secure for the user.
As discussed above, traditional splitter module chassis have accommodated a relatively small number of splitter modules and, therefore, optical signals for a given space. Accordingly, this disclosure describes techniques for providing a substantially greater number of splitter modules, and therefore optical signals, for a given space than was previously possible. To achieve these higher numbers of splitter modules, this application describes high-density splitter modules having a width of at most about 0.6 inches. In some implementations, the splitter modules described herein have a width of about 0.5 inches. Because these high-density splitter modules are relatively narrow, conventional fasteners used to secure splitter modules to the chassis do not securely and stably mount the modules in the chassis. This can be problematic.
The high-density telecommunications chassis of the present disclosure allows a larger number of modules to be installed in a given space than previous low-density chassis, while still allowing sufficient clearance to access multiple adapters. Moreover, the present disclosure describes techniques for securely mounting relatively narrow high-density splitter modules. The techniques are described in the context of a fiber optic connectivity telecommunications environment. However, the described techniques can be implemented in a multitude of other contexts, such as a copper-based connectivity telecommunications environment.
A variety of sites 104(1)-104(N) within infrastructure 102 may maintain various equipment used in the infrastructure 102. As depicted in
Each site 104 may have one or more housings 106 having a plurality of components 108. A housing 106 may be configured in a variety of ways to maintain or hold a plurality of components 108 in infrastructure 102. For example, a housing 106 may be configured as a housing for a cabinet, a terminal block, a panel, a chassis, a digital cross-connect, a switch, a hub, a rack, a frame, a bay, a module, an enclosure, an aisle, or other structure for receiving and holding a plurality of components 108. Hereinafter, the terms housing and cabinet will be used for convenience to refer to the variety of structures in infrastructure 102 that may hold components 108.
Housing 106 may be situated in a variety of locations, such as inside a building or placed outside. Housings 106, for example, may be configured to protect components 108 from environmental influences when inside or outside.
Components 108 are pieces of telecommunications equipment in infrastructure 102 that may be kept or maintained in a housing 106 (e.g. cabinet) within the infrastructure 102. Components, for example, may be cross-connect panels, modules, splitters, combiners, terminal blocks, chassis, backplanes, switches, digital radios, repeaters and so forth. Generally, components 108 may be those devices utilized for processing and distributing signals in infrastructure 102 and which may be maintained in a housing 104. Components 108 may terminate, interconnect or cross-connect a plurality of network elements 110 within infrastructure 102. For example, components 108 may be utilized to distribute telecommunications signals sent to and from infrastructure 102 by one or more end-users 112 using an end-user device 114. The interconnections between telecommunications equipment (e.g. cabinets 106, components 108 and network elements 110) provide signal pathways for telecommunications signals (e.g., optical signals, electrical signals, digital signals, and/or analog signals). Interconnection may be via one or more components 108, such as by adapters on a module, connectors on a module, or may be internal to the components 108, such as via a printed circuit board within a component 108. Representative interconnections are shown by dashed lines in
Network elements 110 may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, network elements 110 may be configured as fiber optic equipment, switches, digital cross connect (DCX) systems, telecommunication panels, terminal blocks, digital radios, network office terminating equipment, and any other telecommunication equipment or devices employed in a telecommunications infrastructure 102. It is noted that one or more of the components 108 within a cabinet 106 may also be a network element 110. In other words, network elements 110 may be found within a cabinet 106 as a component 108 of the cabinet. Thus, in a particular cabinet 106 interconnections may be between network elements 110 externally (e.g., not in the same cabinet) or internally (e.g., within the same cabinet). Naturally, internal and external interconnections may be mixed, such that a single cabinet 106 will have both internal and external interconnections. Further, such connections for a particular cabinet 106 might be made wholly within a particular site 104 and/or between a plurality of sites 104.
The environment 100 depicts a plurality of end users 112(1)-112(M) which may be communicatively coupled, one to another, via a telecommunication network including infrastructure 102. End users 112 may refer to a variety of users, such as consumers, business users, internal users in a private network, and other types of users that use telecommunications signals or transmit and receive telecommunications signals via client devices. Additionally, for purposes of the following discussion clients 112(1)-112(M) may also refer to the client devices and software which are operable to transmit and receive telecommunications signals. Thus, clients 112(1)-112(M) may be implemented as users, software and/or devices.
The environment 100 further depicts a plurality of users 116(1)-116(M) which may be monitoring and testing the telecommunications signals. Users 116 may refer to a variety of provider users, such as engineers, installation technicians, test technicians, maintenance technicians, service technicians, administrators, internal providers in a private network, and other types of provider users that monitor and test telecommunications signals. Additionally, for purposes of the following discussion, users 116(1)-116(M) may also refer to devices and software which are operable to monitor and test telecommunications signals. Thus, users 116(1)-116(M) may be implemented as providers, software and/or devices.
The interconnection of pieces of equipment (e.g. cabinets 106, components 108 and network elements 110, and so forth) provides signal pathways between equipment for signals input to and output from infrastructure 102. For example, end-users 112(1)-112(M) may send signals into the infrastructure 102 and receive signals output from the infrastructure using a variety of end user devices 114. End user 112(1), for instance, may communicate with end user 112(M) via end-user device 114 (e.g., a telephone). Thus, signals sent to and from infrastructure by end-users 112 via an end user device 114 may be routed directed, processed, and distributed in a variety of ways via the equipment and interconnections within infrastructure 102.
Additionally, users 116(1)-116(M) may monitor and test the signal pathways between equipment of the interconnected pieces of equipment (e.g. cabinets 106, components 108 and network elements 110, and so forth). For example, users 116(1)-116(M) may monitor and test the signal pathways between equipment at component 108 of cabinet 106 using a variety of provider devices, such as test device 118 and monitor device 120. The test and monitor devices may include any combination of known optical and/or electrical multi-meters for testing and/or monitoring characteristics of the network (e.g., connectivity, signal strength, bandwidth, etc.). User 116(1), for instance, may monitor and test the signal pathway between housings 106 in site 104(1) via devices 118 and 120. Thus, signals sent to and from infrastructure by end-users 112 via an end user device 114 may be routed directed, processed, and distributed in a variety of ways via the equipment and interconnections within infrastructure 102. Additionally, user 116 may monitor and test the signal pathways between equipment of the interconnected pieces of equipment via devices 118 and 120.
Cables (not shown here) that connect telecommunications equipment run to the bay, and may be coupled to connectors on the front and/or back of the various modules. Telecommunications bay 200 and its accompanying equipment allow for the installation, testing, repairing and monitoring of the connected telecommunications equipment. Often, multiple bays are located in central telephone offices, local exchange offices, or other sites where telecommunications may be routed to and from as discussed in relation to the previous figure. The cables connecting two pieces of equipment are often coupled to one of chassis 202 and 208 so as to allow for one of the inserted modules to connect to the equipment in series. When this configuration is in place, the module may appear “transparent” to the telecommunications network that connects the equipment. That is, data sent between the equipment may pass through the module, but the module will not affect the data signal. With the module in place, however, the module may be used to monitor, test, patch or repair the connected telecommunication equipment. Often, it is common in wireless applications to want to monitor and test signals between telecommunication equipment. For example, a user, or a provider as described above, may want to split a signal from one piece of equipment and test and/or monitor the signal.
High-density modular chassis 304 also includes a housing 316, chassis slots 318, rack attaching plates 320(1) and 320(2), and affords scalability of the quantity of chassis slots 318 via chassis width 320. However, high-density telecommunications chassis 304 is configured to accommodate at least twice as many high-density splitter modules 210 within a given chassis width 320.
As shown in
Stabilizer 326 is further configured to accommodate the scalability of the quantity of chassis slots 318 via chassis width 320. More specifically, chassis 304 may be configured as a nineteen inch (forty-eight centimeter) wide, 4 rack unit (RU) chassis with a narrow module spacing that allows at least about twenty-four high-density modules to be installed to high-density chassis 304 via the chassis slots 318. A “rack unit” is a unit of standard unit of height equal to about 1.75 inches. Likewise, stabilizer 326 would be configured to accommodate the narrow module spacing to allow at least about twenty-four high-density modules to be installed to the nineteen inch (forty-eight centimeter) wide 4RU high-density chassis via stabilizer length 404. Alternatively, chassis 304 may be configured as a twenty-three inch (fifty-eight centimeter) wide, 4RU chassis with a narrow module spacing that allows thirty-two or more high-density modules to be installed to high-density chassis 304 via the chassis slots 318. Likewise, stabilizer 326 would be configured to accommodate the narrow module spacing to allow thirty-two high-density modules to be installed to the twenty-three inch (58 centimeter) wide 4RU high-density chassis via stabilizer length 404. Accordingly, as width 320 of high-density chassis is scaled, stabilizer width 404 is scaled. Furthermore, as stabilizer width 404 is scaled to match chassis width 320 the array of pin slot position(s) 406(1)-406(N) are also scaled to match the quantity of high-density modules to be installed. For example, if chassis 304 is configured as a nineteen inch (forty-eight centimeter) wide, 4RU chassis with a narrow module spacing that allows at least twenty-four high-density modules to be installed, then the stabilizer 326 is scaled to have an array of at least twenty four pin slot positions to accommodate the twenty-four or more high-density modules.
In one embodiment, the chassis 304 may be a standard 19 chassis and may have a useable width of about 17.5 inches and a height of about 4 rack units (RU) (i.e., about 7 inches). Therefore, the chassis has a useable area of about 7*17.5=122 square inches. In that case, the chassis 304 is designed to receive at least about 19 high-density splitter modules 210. Therefore, a ratio of the number of the high-density splitter modules 210 to the usable area (i.e., a “module density”) of at least about 0.15 modules per square inch is achieved. In the example illustrated in
Furthermore, in another embodiment, the chassis 304 may be a standard 23 inch chassis and may have a usable width of 21.5 inches and a height of about 4RU (i.e., about 7 inches). Therefore, the useable area has about 7*21.5=150.5 square inches. In that case, the chassis 304 may have a module density of about 0.22 modules per square inch. In still other embodiments, further increases in module density may be achieved by further decreasing the width of each module.
As shown in
Finally, both arrays comprise a midpoint 616 that is located an equal distance from adapters 510 and adapters 512. As
Referring now back to
Because odd adapter array 606 positions adapters 704(A) and adapters 706(A) closer to top edge 708 and even adapter array 608 positions adapters 704(B) and adapters 706(B) closer to bottom edge 710 is the adapters are staggered with respect to each other when odd and even high-density splitter modules are positioned directly adjacent each other as a mated pair 700. That is, adapter 704(A) does not reside directly next to adapter 704(B) and likewise adapter 706(A) does not reside directly next to adapter 706(B). This array of staggered adapters 702 provides a user with about 0.5 inch (1.3 centimeters) of finger access on both sides of the adapters. Therefore, after the high-density splitter modules are installed in a high-density telecommunications chassis each adapter remains accessible by a user.
While an array of adapters 702 represents one way that high-density modules may be installed in a high-density telecommunications chassis, multiple other installation techniques may be utilized. While the above examples are illustrative, it should be apparent that a wide variety of examples of installation mechanisms are contemplated to secure a high-density module to a high-density telecommunications chassis in an array of positions.
In combination, high-density telecommunications chassis 304, odd high-density splitter module 602, even high-density splitter module 604, high-density patching modules 214 and stabilizer 416 directly operate to secure the high-density modules to the chassis in multiple positions.
Odd high-density splitter module 602 may initially be inserted into chassis 304 via chassis slots 318. Chassis slots 318 may include fastening holes 802(1) and 802(2) configured to fasten to front fasteners 312(1) and 312(2) disposed on the high-density splitter modules and high-density patching modules. The module may also be installed into the appropriate location with the help of a label 804 below chassis slots 318 that indicate a column number (e.g. 1, 2, . . . n, as shown in
Additionally, as shown in
Process 1000 includes installing and securing, at operation 1004, an even high-density splitter module in the high-density telecommunications chassis adjacent to the installed odd high-density splitter module as a matted pair.
Next, operation 1006 represents installing additional mated pairs as an array of mated pairs. For instance, half of the high-density telecommunications chassis may be populated with the array of mated pairs.
At operation 1008, any number of high-density patching modules may be installed in the high-density telecommunications chassis. For example, in this process 1000, the remaining half of the high-density telecommunications chassis may be populated with the array of high-density patching modules adjacent to the array of mated pairs. Finally, operation 1010 represents splitting, monitoring and testing of optical signals of high-density optical distribution equipment of a telecommunications system via the accessible adapters disposed on the high-density modules.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims.
