This invention relates to a system for connecting a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) and a station protection unit that together comprise a carrier field unit, the system enabling a field technician to replace the RTU quickly and efficiently.
A station protection unit, also known as a customer terminal unit because it is the point at which service to a particular telecommunications customer or customers terminates, generally comprises either four or eight station protection modules. Present practice is for an RTU, which is the point of interface between a customer location and a telecommunications system, to be connected to the station protection modules by means of a wiring harness wherein wires from the RTU are connected by hand to each of the station protection modules. The process of connecting the wiring harness to the station protection modules is time consuming and error-prone.
Presently, when a field technician is required to replace an RTU, the technician must remove all of the wiring from the station protection modules in the station protection unit. Then, after removing the old RTU, the field technician must install a new RTU by connecting wires running from the new RTU to each of the station protection modules in the station protection unit. In addition to connecting the wires running from the new RTU, which can take thirty minutes or more, the field technician must test the new connections. Testing the new connections may require traveling to up to eight separate customer locations that may be separated by a distance measured in miles. If a connection is not properly established, then the field technician must repeat this time-consuming process.
Accordingly, a system that enables a field technician to replace an RTU in less than a minute, without having to test any of the connections to the RTU, would present significant advantages over present practice. In particular, the present invention offers the advantage of saving significant amounts of a field technician's time, and consequently also allows telecommunications providers to save significant amounts of repair and maintenance costs.
A plug is inserted into the afore-mentioned connection between a Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) and a station protection unit. Thus, when a field technician is required to replace the RTU, the replacement can be accomplished without the field technician having to hand-wire the connection of the RTU to each of the station protection modules in the station protection unit.
The RTU comprises a first plug end connected to the RTU by at least one first wire and at least one station protection module having a second plug end connected to the at least one station protection module by at least one second wire, wherein the first plug end and the second plug end are capable of being connected to each other. A first housing contains at least the RTU and a second housing contains the at least one station protection module, wherein the first housing and the second housing are capable of being attached to each other.
A first RTU may be replaced by disconnecting from a first plug end a second plug end that is connected to the first plug end, wherein the first plug end is connected to at least one first wire and the at least one first wire is connected to the first RTU, and further wherein the second plug is connected to at least one second wire and the at least one second wire is connected to at least one station protection module. A third plug end may be connected to the second plug end wherein the third plug end is connected to a second RTU by at least one third wire. A first housing may be detached from a second housing wherein the first RTU is contained in the first housing and the at least one station protection module is contained in the second housing. A third housing may be attached to the second housing, wherein the third housing contains the second RTU.
With reference to
With reference to
Station protection unit housing 4 contains station protection unit 18. Those skilled in the art will recognize that station protection unit 18 may also be referred to as a customer unit or as a customer terminal unit. Station protection unit 18 comprises station protection modules 20. Those skilled in the art will recognize that each of station protection modules 20 serves as a terminal point for one of the customer locations 8 that are depicted in
Lid mounted carrier unit 6 generally comprises hooks 24 that grasp bars 26 attached to station protection unit housing 4, thereby forming a hinge allowing lid mounted carrier unit 6 to be opened and closed over station protection unit housing 4. By inserting screws, bolts, or other fasteners through openings 28, carrier field unit 2 can be securely closed and easily opened. Accordingly, when RTU 10 fails, lid mounted carrier unit 6 can be easily opened and removed from station protection unit housing 4 after plug end 14 is detached from plug end 16. Replacing RTU 10 requires simply connecting plug end 14 to plug end 16, and putting the new lid mounted carrier unit 6 in place atop station protection unit housing 4.
Certain advantages of the present invention can be seen by noting that the present invention obviates the need for the time intensive and error-prone process of hand-wiring each of station protection wires 22 to respective station protection modules 20. Advantages of the present invention can further be seen by noting that the present invention obviates the need for the time intensive process of visiting each of customer locations 8 in order to test the connection of RTU 10 to each of station protection modules.
The above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many embodiments and applications other than the examples provided would be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description. The scope of the invention should be determined, not with reference to the above description, but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is anticipated and intended that future developments will occur in the field of connecting RTUs to station protection units and that the disclosed apparatus, systems and methods will be incorporated into such future embodiments. Accordingly, it will be understood that the invention is capable of modification and variation and is limited only by the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4741032 | Hampton | Apr 1988 | A |
4853960 | Smith | Aug 1989 | A |
4979209 | Collins et al. | Dec 1990 | A |
5207583 | DeBalko et al. | May 1993 | A |
5404401 | Bliven et al. | Apr 1995 | A |
5416837 | Cote et al. | May 1995 | A |
5469282 | Ishioka | Nov 1995 | A |
5479505 | Butler et al. | Dec 1995 | A |
D366456 | Rodriguez et al. | Jan 1996 | S |
5623542 | Schneider et al. | Apr 1997 | A |
5832078 | Tuvy et al. | Nov 1998 | A |
5883941 | Akers | Mar 1999 | A |
5903698 | Poremba et al. | May 1999 | A |
5917814 | Balatoni | Jun 1999 | A |
6026160 | Staber et al. | Feb 2000 | A |
6078661 | Arnett et al. | Jun 2000 | A |
6118766 | Akers | Sep 2000 | A |
6141330 | Akers | Oct 2000 | A |
6556638 | Blackburn | Apr 2003 | B1 |
6567522 | Blackburn | May 2003 | B1 |
6628992 | Osburn, III | Sep 2003 | B2 |
6654460 | Rodgers | Nov 2003 | B1 |
6683950 | Harwood et al. | Jan 2004 | B1 |
20020147503 | Osburn, III | Oct 2002 | A1 |
20020196739 | Corrado et al. | Dec 2002 | A1 |
20030210747 | Gundrum | Nov 2003 | A1 |