US20160124175A1 - Apparatus for fiber-to-the-premises and network system thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Splitter housings suitable for a rapid deployment of an FTTX network system are disclosed. For some embodiments, a splitter housing splits one of many input optical fibers to a plurality of output optical fibers and keeps the rest of input optical fibers for future network expansion. For other embodiments, a splitter housing splits one of many input optical fibers to a plurality of output optical fibers and terminates the rest of input optical fibers at an output multi-fiber connector port. For network system embodiments, two or more splitter housings are optically connected in series to deploy a FTTX network system.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This application is a continuation of co-pending patent application Ser. No. 14/633,191, filed 2015 Feb. 27, having the title “PLUG-AND-PLAY OPTICAL FIBER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM,” which is owned by the assignee of this application, and which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The co-pending patent application Ser. No. 14/633,191 claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/024,582, filed 2014 Jul. 15, having the title “Outside Plant Cable Distribution System”; U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/026,847, filed 2014 Jul. 21, having the title “Outside Plant Cable Distribution System”; U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/041,249, filed 2014 Aug. 25, having the title “Duraline Future Path Aerial With Pulling Tape”; U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/043,016, filed 2014 Aug. 28, having the title “Duraline Future Path Aerial With Pulling Tape”; and U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/056,805, filed 2014 Sep. 29, having the title “Plug and Play FTTX Route”, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND
• 1. Field of the Disclosure
• The present disclosure relates generally to cable distribution and, more particularly, to fiber-optic cable distribution system.
• 2. Description of Related Art
• Optical fiber-based systems are playing a larger role in data communications as customer demand for data capacity increases. For example, fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) systems permit direct optical connections to the home or other premises, thereby providing greater access to data at the premises. Consequently, there are ongoing efforts to improve FTTX systems as customer demands for data continue to increase.
SUMMARY
• The present disclosure provides a splitter housing for FTTX network systems that offer fiber-optic connections to customer premises. For some embodiments, a splitter housing splits one of many input optical fibers to a plurality of output optical fibers and keep the rest of input optical fibers for future network expansion. For other embodiments, a splitter housing splits one of many input optical fibers to a plurality of output optical fibers and terminates the rest of input optical fibers at an output multi-fiber connector port. For network system embodiments, two or more splitter housings are optically connected in series to deploy an FTTX network system. Other systems, devices, methods, features, and advantages will be or become apparent to one with skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
• FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a typical fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) optical fiber distribution system.
• FIG. 2 is a diagram showing one embodiment of an invented optical fiber distribution system, which has a cable combiner and two splitter housings.
• FIG. 3 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the cable combiner.
• FIG. 4 is a diagram showing one embodiment of the splitter module without a cover.
• FIG. 5a-care diagrams showing another embodiments of the splitter module.
• FIG. 6 is a diagram showing one embodiment of a splitter housing.
• FIG. 7a-bare diagrams showing another embodiment of the splitter housing.
• FIG. 8a-bare diagrams showing yet another embodiment of the splitter housing.
• FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a typical cable TV distribution system for transmitting cable TV signals.
• FIG. 10 is a diagram showing one embodiment of an invented cable TV distribution system, which is substantially free from copper cables.
• FIG. 11 is a diagram showing yet another embodiment of the splitter housing.
• FIG. 12 is a diagram showing one embodiment of inventive FTTX network system using the splitter housing show inFIG. 11.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
• Fiber-optic networks are playing a larger role in data communications as customer demand for data capacity increases. Lately, there have been increasing demands for fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) systems, which permit direct optical connections to the home or other premises.
• FIG. 1 illustrates a typical FTTX optical fiber distribution system of an optical fiber network. Such network generally utilizes electronics and lasers located in the Central Office (CO)100 to provide service to multiple customers over one or more optical fibers. Afeeder cable101 extending from theCO100 has at least one optical fiber. Thefeeder cable101 leaving theCO100 is routed to asplitter cabinet102 at a geographically convenient location. Typically, the location is near the customer service area. However, because thesplitter cabinet102 is bulky and takes large space, such geographically convenient locations are very limited, and therefore, thesplitter cabinet102 is usually placed near the entrance of a subdivision or in the basement of a commercial building or multi-dwelling units.
• The optical signal reaching thesplitter cabinet102 is often subsequently routed through an optical splitter (not shown) within thesplitter cabinet102. The optical splitter splits input signal carried by one fiber into “n” output signals carried by “n” fibers. Splitters are typically referred to as 1×n where “n” represents the number of output optical fibers or “ports” that come out from the optical splitter. Each output port of the splitter may be terminated with a connector and can provide full service to a subscriber (i.e. a customer or a potential customer who has signed up for service from a provider). A typical splitter cabinet is capable of serving anything from 144 to 576 premises. However, such splitter cabinets are expensive and require a large space to accommodate and to manage connection points for the premises they serve. Also, because each input optical fiber of a splitter is typically spliced, a high skilled technician is required to make necessary optical fiber splicing at the splitter cabinet. Such demand results in significant labor and time during the deployment of a fiber-optic network.
• Various embodiments address these and other shortcomings associated with a conventional optical fiber distribution system by providing plug-and-play optical fiber distribution systems having a cable combiner and a splitter housing. Because all optical fibers are connectorized for plug-and-play and because the functionality of a traditional splitter cabinet is replaced by much smaller and cheaper units of cable combiner and splitter housing, a faster, more flexible and more affordable FTTX deployment is possible. In other words, unlike traditional FTTX deployment processes that require labor intense and costly splitter cabinets, the disclosed embodiments provide a plug-and-play FTTX deployment system that requires no splitter cabinet. Having provided a general description of the disclosure, a detailed description of the innovation is discussed in the narrative of the invention embodiments as illustrated in the drawings that follow. While several embodiments are described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit the disclosure to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.
• FIG. 2 is a diagram showing one embodiment of an invented opticalfiber distribution system200. The opticalfiber distribution system200 comprises aCO100, afeeder cable205 extending from theCO100, acable combiner201 that terminates thefeeder cable205, twoextension cables206 optically connected to thecable combiner201, twosplitter housings600 that terminate theextension cable206 and splits each input optical fiber into a plurality of output optical fibers,distribution cables203 optically connected to at least one of the output optical fibers, and a plurality ofterminals204 optically connected to thedistribution cable203 throughtether cables207. Theterminals204 are configured to act as customer optical fiber connection access points once a customer subscribes to an optical fiber network provider.
• To provide an internet connection to customer's premises, the terminal204 is connected to a drop cable through a connector assembly (not shown). The connector assembly can include many different types of connectors, such as, for example, multi-fiber MPO types connectors, SC and LC single-fiber connectors, in line adapters of different types and other known fiber-optic connectors (e.g., conventional connectors used in drop cable assemblies). If the connector assembly is exposed to an outside environment, the connector assembly should be outside plant (OSP) rated. In this specification, optical components (e.g. closures, connector ports, cables etc. . . . ) are said to be “outside plant (OSP) rated” when they protect inner components from an outside environment (e.g. moisture, ultraviolet (UV) radiation, pests and vermin, etc.).
• Furthermore, the opticalfiber distribution system200 is a plug-and-play system. It means that the opticalfiber distribution system200 is deployed without any splicing in the field. It also means that thecable combiner201 and thesplitter housings600 are factory manufactured. Therefore, there is no need for a high skilled technician to splice fibers in the field, which is typically required for a conventional FTTX deployment using splitter cabinets. Eliminating the need for hiring high skilled technicians to perform a field work results in a significant labor cost saving of the FTTX network deployment.
• Another advantage of the opticalfiber distribution system200 is a set ofcable combiner201 andsplitter housing600 that replace the functionality of a traditional splitter cabinet. Because bothcable combiner201 andsplitter housing600 are OSP rated and substantially smaller than a traditional splitter cabinet, thecable combiner201 and thesplitter housing600 can be placed effectively anywhere independent of each other, instead of a fixed predetermined location. Furthermore, bothcable combiner201 andsplitter housing600 are small, light and durable enough to be used for both aerial and buried deployments. Such features of thecable combiner201 andsplitter housing600 provide flexibility in a FTTX deployment.
• With this FTTX environment in mind, attention is turned toFIG. 3, which shows one embodiment of acable combiner201. Thecombiner cable assembly201 comprises aclosure301 having acable port302 and a plurality ofconnector ports303. Thecable port302 receives thefeeder cable205 extending from a central office and takes thefeeder cable205 inside of theclosure301. The number of optical fibers in thefeeder cable205 may vary depending on a scale of an FTTX deployment. For example, feeder cables having 144 optical fibers are typical used to serve a few thousands premises.
• Thecable combiner201 is OSP rated such that the optical fibers inside thefeeder cable205 are protected from an outside environment when the fibers are divided into sub-units and terminated by theconnector ports303 within theclosure301. Quantity of optical fibers inside thefeeder cable205, quantity of sub-units, and quantity of optical fibers per sub-unit may vary depend on the scale of an FTTX deployment and other factors. For example, 144 fibers in a feeder cable can be divided into 18 sub-units of 8 fibers each. If sub-units contain plurality of optical fibers, then theconnector ports303 are configured to receive a multi-fiber connection. Furthermore, if theconnector ports303 are on the exterior surface of theclosure301 as shown inFIG. 3, then theconnector ports303 should be OSP rated. However, theconnector ports303 may be placed inside of theclosure301 and theconnector ports303 may not be OSP rated. Finally, thefeeder cable205 is preferably integrated with thecable combiner201 and pre-fabricated in a factory. For example, thefeeder cable205 may be spliced directly to theconnector ports302. Alternatively, the sub-units of thefeeder cable205 may be pre-connectorized in a factory, and assembled with thecable combiner201 in the factory or in the field.
• Thecable combiner201 also acts as an aggregation point of a plurality of extension cables. Referring back toFIG. 2,extension cables206 are optically connected to corresponding sub-unites of thefeeder cable205 at one of the connector ports of thecable combiner201. Theextension cable206 is connectorized and terminated at the connector port of thecable combiner201. Preferably, the connectorized ends of the extendingcables206 and the cables themselves are OSP rated.
• Next,FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of asplitter module202 without a cover. A plurality of thesplitter modules202 are incorporated into thesplitter housing600 shown inFIG. 2. Thesplitter module202 is OSP rated such that the optical fibers and other components inside theclosure401 are protected. Thesplitter module202 splits one input optical fiber into a plurality of output optical fibers to serve multiple premises using a single optical fiber. Thesplitter module202 comprises aclosure401 having aconnection port402, asplitter404 and a plurality ofconnector ports405.
• Theconnection port402 receives anoptical fiber connection409 extending from anextension cable206 shown inFIG. 2. Preferably, theconnection port402 is a connector port that configured to receive a connectorized end of theoptical fiber connection409.
• Inside theclosure401, thesplitter404 is optically connected to an inputoptical fiber406 extending from theoptical fiber connection409 and splits the inputoptical fiber406 into a plurality of outputoptical fibers407. Preferably, the inputoptical fiber406 is connectorized and optically connected to theoptical fiber connection409 at theconnector port402. Thesplitter404 is any suitable optical device that allows a single optical fiber network interface to be shared among many subscribers. Such optical device converts each input optical fiber into “n” number of output optical fibers. Preferably, thesplitter404 splits one input optical fiber into 32 output optical fibers. Furthermore, thesplitter404 preferably is a planer light circuit (PLC). Number of ways the signal is split and the method of split may vary depend on a scale of a FTTX deployment and other factors.
• The plurality of outputoptical fibers407 are terminated by theconnector ports405, and the outputoptical fibers407 are optically connected to the connectorized ends408 of the distribution cables in the field. The outputoptical fibers407 are connectorized and configured to be mated with theconnectorized end408 of the distribution cable. If output optical fibers are grouped into sub-units before termination (like ribbonized fiber or other groupings), then theconnector ports405 are configured to receive a multi-fiber connection. Furthermore, if theconnector ports405 are on the exterior surface of theclosure401 as shown inFIG. 4, then theconnector ports405 should be OSP rated. However, theconnector ports405 may be placed inside of theclosure401 and theconnector ports405 may not be OSP rated.
• Finally, thesplitter module202 is pre-fabricated in a factory. For example, the optical components of thesplitter module404 are spliced and assembled in a factory. Alternatively, thesplitter module404 may be pre-connectorized in a factory, and assembled with other components of the combiner in the factory or in the field.
• Furthermore, the splitter module can take different shapes.FIG. 5a-care the diagrams showing another embodiments of a splitter module.FIG. 5ashows a partial cut-out view of a rectangular-shapedsplitter module510. Aconnection port512 is located at on the first surface of theclosure511, thesplitter513 is located inside theclosure511 and theconnector ports514 are located on the second surface of the closure711 opposite to the first surface.
• FIG. 5bshows a round-shapedsplitter housing520. Aconnection port522 is located on the first surface of theclosure521, asplitter523 is located inside theclosure521 and theconnector ports524 are located on the opposite wall of theclosure521. Furthermore, the round-shapedsplitter housing520 has analignment device525 on the exterior surface of theclosure521, which can be used to align it inside a larger system with other splitter modules or another device with a similar alignment device.
• FIG. 5cshows a splitter module withintegrated latch system530. Aconnection port532 is allocated on the first surface of aclosure531, asplitter533 is located inside theclosure531 and theconnector ports534 are located on the second and opposed surface of theclosure531. Furthermore, thesplitter module530 has analignment device535 on the exterior surface of theclosure531, which can be used to align it in a larger system with other splitter modules or another device with a similar alignment device. Anintegrated latch system536 of thesplitter module530 allows quick incorporation and removal of the splitter module from a splitter housing. The embodiments shown inFIG. 5a-care mere example of different embodiments of splitter modules; other shapes of splitter modules are also within the scope of the present invention. Preferably, any of the embodiments shown inFIG. 5a-care OSP rated.
• To use the splitter modules in an optical fiber distribution system, a plurality of splitter modules are grouped together and incorporated into a larger splitter housing.FIG. 6 shows one embodiment ofsuch splitter housing600. In particular,FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of asplitter housing600 that stacks a plurality ofsplitter modules202 side by side. As shown in the embodiment ofFIG. 6, thesplitter housing600 comprise a container601, a cable port602 that receives anextension cable206 extending from one of the connector ports of the cable combiner, and openings603. Preferably, thesplitter housing600 is OSP rated, at least when thesplitter modules202 are installed.
• InFIG. 6, the cable port602 is a connector port that is configured to receive a multi-fiber connector. Preferably, the connector port is configured to receive a multiple of optical fiber connections conforming to the number ofsplitter modules202 inside the container601. For example, thesplitter housing600 is designed to hold eightsplitter modules202. Therefore, the connector port at the cable port602 should be designed to receive eight optical fiber connections to serve the eightsplitter modules202 inside the container601. Inside the closure601, a plurality of optical fiber connections (shown as409 inFIG. 4) are extended from the cable port602. Although not shown inFIG. 6, one can appreciate that theextension cable206 may be terminated by a plurality of single fiber connectors configured to be connected to the connection port of thesplitter modules202 inside the container601 through the cable port602 of thesplitter housing600. In this configuration, a connector port at the extending cable port602 can be eliminated and replaced by a simple pass through opening.
• The container601 has a sufficient space inside to accommodate desired number ofsplitter modules202 and to accommodate and manage optical fibers necessary to optically connect the optical fibers inside theextension cable206 tocorresponding splitter modules202. Furthermore, the openings603 provide sufficient space to expose theconnector ports405 of thesplitter modules202. Although not shown inFIG. 6, one can appreciate that the openings603 may be much smaller than what was shown inFIG. 6. The size of the opening is adequate if a sufficient portion ofconnector ports405 are exposed to the exterior of thesplitter housing600 to make a connection withcorresponding connectors408. Theconnector ports405 are configured to be connected to amating connector408 of a distribution cable.
• Because thesplitter housing600 splits input optical fibers to many output optical fibers, thesplitter housing600 can act as a pivot point to design a well-organized FTTX deployment scheme. Referring back toFIG. 2,distribution cables203 are optically connected to corresponding sub-unites of the output optical fibers at one of the connector ports of thesplitter module202. Thedistribution cable203 is connectorized and terminated at the connector port of thesplitter module202. Preferably, the connectorized ends408 of thedistribution cables203 and the cables themselves are OSP rated. Thesplitter housing600 is a small, modular and functionally stand-alone sub-unit of a conventional splitter cabinet; therefore, the proposed FTTX deployment is much more flexible than the conventional deployment using a bulky splitter cabinet. Such flexibility in deployment may allow off-the-shelf optical fiber cables to be used as feeder cables and extension cables.
• Furthermore, the shape and size of the splitter housing can be different depending on the shape of the splitter module and number of splitter modules to be incorporated into the splitter housing. For example,FIGS. 7a-bshow another embodiment of asplitter housing700 that accommodates a plurality of rectangular-shaped splitter modules like the ones shown inFIGS. 5aand 5c.FIG. 7ashows a perspective view of thesplitter housing700, which accommodates a plurality ofsplitter modules510 or530 (shown inFIG. 7aas510/530). Preferably, thestructure700 has amechanism701 that accepts an optional alignment device of thesplitter modules510 or530. Furthermore, thesplitter housing700 may have a latching mechanism (not shown) compatible with the optional latching mechanism of thesplitter modules510 or530.FIG. 7bshows a plain view of one surface of thesplitter housing700. The surface represents the backplane of thesplitter housing700 and the connection port side of thesplitter modules510 or530.
• Next,FIGS. 8a-bshow a yet another embodiment of asplitter housing800 that accommodates a plurality of round-shaped splitter housings like the ones shown inFIG. 5b.FIG. 8a-bshow asplitter housing800 that accommodatessuch splitter modules520.FIG. 8ashows a top view of thesplitter housing800, which accommodates a plurality of round-shapedsplitter modules520. Theconnection port side801 of thesplitter modules520 is placed inside of thesplitter housing800.FIG. 8bshows a plan view of one side of thesplitter housing800 that exposes connection ports ofsplitter modules520. Preferably, thesplitter housing800 has a mechanism (not shown) allowing its alignment inside of thesplitter modules520. Furthermore, thesplitter housing700 may have a latching mechanism (not shown) to correspond with an optional latching mechanism of thesplitter modules520.
• Referring back toFIG. 2, thedistribution cables203 are optically connected to connector ports of thesplitter module202 in order to provide a mid-span access to the fibers inside thedistribution cable203 throughtether cables207. The end of atether cable207 may be connectorized to mate with a corresponding connector port or ports of the terminal204. Alternatively, thedistribution cable203 is prefabricated and integrated with appropriate number ofterminals204 in a factory. Theterminals204 serve as a customer optical fiber connection access points. Once a customer subscribes to an optical fiber network provider, a drop cable from the customer's premise will be optically connected with an appropriate port of the terminal204.
• Furthermore, the splitter housings can be used in series. To use splitter housings in series, splitter housings are modified as shown inFIG. 11. Thesplitter housing1100 onFIG. 11 has an OSP ratedhousing1101, an OSP rated inputmulti-fiber connector port1102 on thehousing1101 to receive a connectorized optical fiber cable (not shown) with a plurality of input optical fibers. Inside thehousing1101, there is at least one splitter (not shown). The splitter is configured to optically connect to one of the input optical fibers when the connectorized optical fiber cable is received. The splitter splits the optically connected input optical fiber into a plurality of output optical fibers to serve multiple premises using a single optical fiber. The plurality of output optical fibers that are extended from the splitter are terminated by one or more of theoutput connector ports1105, which are OSP rated. The rest of input optical fibers that are not optically connected to the splitter is received and terminated by an OSP rated outputmulti-fiber connector port1103. Preferably, the inputmulti-fiber connector port1102 and the outputmulti-fiber connector port1103 are on the opposite sides of thehousing1101. However, thosemulti-fiber connector ports1101 and1103 can be placed anywhere on thesplitter housing1100.
• Next, inFIG. 12, the splitter housings shown inFIG. 11 are connected in series. In this example, afirst splitter housing1200 and asecond splitter housing1300 are optically connected in series. Each splitter housing has the components shown inFIG. 11 such as an OSP rated inputmulti-fiber connector port1202,1302, splitter (not shown) inside the splitter housing, a plurality of OSP ratedoutput connector ports1205,1305 and an OSP rated outputmulti-fiber connector port1203,1303.
• To create an FTTX network system, the inputmulti-fiber connector port1202 of thefirst splitter housing1200 is optically connected to amulti-fiber cable1206 that is extended from a cable combiner (e.g. a fiber hub) (not shown). The cable combiner is a central network distribution point to deploy an FTTX network, and the cable combiner is optically connected to the central office (CO) to provide service to multiple customers within the network.
• Inside thefirst splitter housing1200, one of the multi-fiber connections from themulti-fiber cable1206 is split into a plurality of output optical fibers by a splitter, and the output optical fibers are terminated by the OSP ratedoutput connector ports1205. The rest of the multi-fiber connections are received and terminated by the OSP rated outputmulti-fiber connector port1203. Then, another multi-fiberoptical fiber cable1207, which is connectorized on both ends, optically connects the outputmulti-fiber connector port1203 of thefirst splitter housing1200 and the inputmulti-fiber connector port1302 of thesecond splitter housing1300. Thesecond splitter housing1300 works the same way as thefirst splitter housing1200 except lesser optical connections are available since thefirst splitter housing1200 used one of the multi-fiber connection available in the network. Furthermore, similar to thefirst splitter housing1200, the outputmulti-fiber connector port1303 of thesecond splitter housing1300 may be optically connected with yet another multi-fiberoptical fiber cable1208 for further network expansion. Depending on the network structure and available optical fiber connections, the FTTX network system may have more than two splitter housings connected in series. The series of splitter housing connection may continue until desired premises are served or until the last of the input optical fiber is optically connected to a splitter (i.e. until there is no longer a multi-fiber connection is available to split).
• Similarly, a cable TV distribution system may utilize a similar structure to transmit cable TV signals to subscribed customers.FIG. 9 shows a typical cableTV distribution system900 for transmitting cable TV signals. As shown inFIG. 9, the cableTV distribution system900 comprises aheadend901, afeeder cable902, anode903 and a copper-baseddistribution cable904. Usually, a network between theheadend901 and thenode903 is fiber-optic-based network and thefeeder cable902 typically contains 4 to 12 optical fibers inside the cable.
• Thenode903 converts the downstream optically modulated signal coming from theheadend901 to an electrical signal and the signal travels to the subscribed customers through the copper-baseddistribution cable904. Typically, downstream signal is an RF modulated signal that begins at 50 MHz and ranges from 550-1000 MHz on the upper end. Thenode903 also can send communication from the subscribed customers back to theheadend901. Typically, the reverse signal is a modulated RF ranging from 5-65 MHz.
• However, because of the increasing demand for a high bandwidth for TV signals especially for high definition (HD) programs, the existing copper based network is becoming the bottleneck of existing cable TV distribution system. The existing copper based network may not be able to allocate sufficient amount of bandwidth for each subscribed customers per node. Also, adding a new node requires a power source to the node, which adds cost and complexity to the new construction of nodes, and for some locations, adding a new node may not be technically possible.
• Instead of having a mixed fiber-optic/copper-based distribution system, cable TV distribution systems can utilize all fiber plug-and-play structures disclosed above.FIG. 10 shows one embodiment of an invented cableTV distribution system1000, which is substantially free from copper cables. As shown inFIG. 10, the cableTV distribution system1000, for transmitting cable TV signals to subscribed customers, comprises aheadend1001 for providing cable TV signals, afeeder cable1002 extending from theheadend1001, thefeeder cable1002 has at least one optical fiber, an OSP ratedsplitter housing1003 optically connected to thefeeder cable1002, and an optical fiber-baseddistribution cables1004 optically connected to thesplitter housing1003.
• Thesplitter housing1003 has a plurality of splitter modules. Each splitter module has a closure having a connection port, a splitter, and a plurality of connector ports. Thefeeder cable1002 is received by a cable port of the splitter module. The optical fibers inside thefeeder cable1002 are optically connected to corresponding splitter modules through optical fiber connections between the cable port of thesplitter housing1003 and the connection port of the splitter module. Inside the splitter module, the splitter splits an input optical fiber extending from the connection port into a plurality of output optical fibers. Then, the connector ports terminate the output optical fibers.
• The optical fiber-baseddistribution cables1004 are optically connected to at least one of the output optical fibers at one of the connector ports of the splitter module. Furthermore, a plurality ofterminals1005 are optically connected to thedistribution cable1004. Theterminals1005 are configured to act as a customer cable TV connection access point once a customer subscribes to a cable TV provider. Preferably, the splitter modules are factory manufactured and the cableTV distribution system1000 is deployed without any splicing in the field.
• The cableTV distribution system1000 is substantially free from copper-based cables all the way from theheadend1001 to the customer cable TV connection access points. Because the cableTV distribution system1000 is copper cable free, there is no node that convers optical signals to electric signals, which means that the cableTV distribution system1000 can be deployed without any power source between theheadend1001 and theterminals1005. Also, because thesplitter housing1003 can be designed to fit in a space for a node used in a traditional copper-based cable TV distribution system, the cableTV distribution system1000 can be deployed using the existing cable TV distribution system by replacing the nodes and copper-based distribution cables. Furthermore, the deployment of the cableTV distribution system1000 is much quicker than conventional copper-based distribution because the cableTV distribution system1000 is plug-and-play and there is no need to fusion-splice any portion of the optical fibers throughout the network.
• Although exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it will be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art that a number of changes, modifications, or alterations to the disclosure as described may be made. For example, althoughFIGS. 11 and 12, only show the same number ofoutput connector ports1105,1205 and1305 in eachsplitter housing1100,1200,1300, number of output connector ports can vary between different splitter housings and output connector ports may offer multi-fiber connection, and thecable1206 and/orcable1207 may be combined with thesplitter housing1100 and pre-fabricated as a single assembly in a factory. Also, it should be appreciated that all optical fiber cables disclosed in the application are OSP rated and the cable jacket can be manufactured using polyethylene, polyvinylchloride (PVC), low-smoke zero halogen (LSZH), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or other materials. All such changes, modifications, and alterations should therefore be seen as within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims (17)

What is claimed is:

1. A splitter housing for fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) comprising:

an outside plant (OSP) rated housing;

an OSP rated input multi-fiber connector port on the housing to receive a connectorized optical fiber cable with a plurality of input optical fibers;

at least one splitter inside the housing, the splitter is optically connected to one of the input optical fibers, wherein the splitter splits the input optical fiber into a plurality of output optical fibers to serve multiple premises using a single optical fiber; and

a plurality of OSP rated output connector ports, wherein each output connector port terminates at least one output optical fiber extending from the splitter; wherein the rest of input optical fibers not optically connected to the splitter are available for future network expansion.

2. The splitter housing ofclaim 1, wherein the splitter housing is pre-fabricated.

3. The splitter housing ofclaim 1, wherein the splitter splits the input optical fiber into n output optical fibers, wherein n is a natural number.

4. The splitter housing ofclaim 3, wherein n is 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 or 24.

5. The splitter housing ofclaim 1, wherein the splitter is a planar light circuit (PLC).

6. The splitter housing ofclaim 1, wherein the output connector ports are receptacles for receiving a connectorized drop cable that extends to a predetermined premise.

7. The splitter housing ofclaim 1, wherein the output connector ports are on the exterior surface of the housing.

8. A splitter housing for fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) comprising:

an outside plant (OSP) rated housing;

an OSP rated input multi-fiber connector port on the housing to receive a connectorized optical fiber cable with a plurality of input optical fibers;

at least one splitter inside the housing, the splitter is optically connected to one of the input optical fibers, wherein the splitter splits the input optical fiber into a plurality of output optical fibers to serve multiple premises using a single optical fiber;

a plurality of OSP rated output connector ports, wherein each output connector port terminates at least one output optical fiber extending from the splitter; and

an OSP rated output multi-fiber connector port on the housing to receive the rest of input optical fibers not optically connected to the splitter.

9. The splitter housing ofclaim 8, wherein the splitter housing is pre-fabricated.

10. The splitter housing ofclaim 8, wherein the splitter splits the input optical fiber into n output optical fibers, wherein n is a natural number.

11. The splitter housing ofclaim 10, wherein n is 4, 8, 12, 16, 20 or 24.

12. The splitter housing ofclaim 8, wherein the splitter is a planar light circuit (PLC).

13. The splitter housing ofclaim 8, wherein the output connector ports are receptacles for receiving a connectorized drop cable that extends to a predetermined premise.

14. The splitter housing ofclaim 8, wherein the output connector ports are on the exterior surface of the housing.

15. A fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) network system comprising:

a central office;

a cable combiner optically connected to the central office;

a first splitter housing optically connected to the cable combiner; and

a second splitter housing optically connected to the first splitter housing,

wherein the first and second splitter housings, each comprising:

an outside plant (OSP) rated housing;

an OSP rated input multi-fiber connector port on the housing to receive a connectorized optical fiber cable with a plurality of input optical fibers;

at least one splitter inside the housing, the splitter is optically connected to one of the input optical fibers, wherein the splitter splits the input optical fiber into a plurality of output optical fibers to serve multiple premises using a single optical fiber;

a plurality of OSP rated output connector ports, wherein each output connector port terminates at least one output optical fiber extending from the splitter; and

an OSP rated output multi-fiber connector port on the housing to receive the rest of input optical fibers not optically connected to the splitter; and

a connectorized multi-fiber optical fiber cable optically connects the OSP rated output multi-fiber connector port of the first splitter housing and the OSP rated input multi-fiber connector port of the second splitter housing.

16. The fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) network system ofclaim 15, wherein the FTTX network system comprises a plurality of splitter housings and each splitter housing is optically connected to other splitter housings in series.

17. The fiber-to-the-premises (FTTX) network system ofclaim 16, wherein the splitter housings are optically connected in series until the last of the input optical fiber is optically connected to a splitter.

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