CABLE FIXATION ASSEMBLY AND METHOD WITH
FLOATING CABLE SUPPORT
Cross-Reference to Related Application
This application is being filed on July 10, 2020 as a PCT International Patent Application and claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application Serial No. 62/873,297, filed on July 12, 2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to fixing a portion of a telecommunications cable. In some examples, the telecommunications cable is fixed within an interior volume of a telecommunications closure.
Background
Telecommunications systems typically employ a network of telecommunications cables capable of transmitting large volumes of data and voice signals over relatively long distances. Telecommunications cables can include fiber optic cables, electrical cables, or combinations of electrical and fiber optic cables. A typical telecommunications network also includes a plurality of telecommunications enclosures integrated throughout the network of telecommunications cables. The telecommunications enclosures or“closures” are adapted to house and protect telecommunications components such as splices, termination panels, power splitters, wave division multiplexers, fiber management trays, cable organizing and routing components, etc.
In certain applications, the enclosure/housing is water and contaminant (e.g., dust) proof or water-resistant. In particular, water, moisture, cleaning fluids, dust, etc., present at the exterior of the housing/enclosure should be prevented by the housing/enclosure from reaching components within the interior of the enclosure/housing. To provide such protection, enclosures can include a seal (e.g., a gel seal) around the perimeter of the enclosure or portions of the perimeter of the enclosure. To accommodate cables entering the enclosure through ports in the enclosure wall, sealing members positioned at the port locations of the enclosure can define cable passages such that the sealing blocks form seals around the cables. Typically, cables entering telecommunications enclosures must be fixed in place inside the enclosure. Within the closure, and depending on the type of cable, protective components of the cable, such as a jacket, a buffer tube, strength members, etc., are stripped, truncated, or removed, allowing the optical fibers held by the cable to be managed within the closure. One or more of these cable components may be fixed in place using a cable fixation assembly.
Fixing cables in telecommunications closures can be important to minimize damage to, or over-bending, of the exposed fibers. The contents of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/795,316 filed January 22, 2019 are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Summary
In general terms, the present disclosure is directed to improvements in the fixation of cables.
More particularly, the present disclosure is directed to improvements in axially aligning fixed cables with cable ports of a telecommunications closure.
A typical telecommunications closure includes one or more ports through which cables enter the interior volume of the closure. Within the closure, optical fibers from the cable are managed, e.g., spliced, split, indexed, stored, connected via connectors to fibers of other cables entering the closure, etc. The ports include seals that seal around the cable. The same closure can support multiple cables of different diameters. Centering the cable within the port is important to maximize the quality of the seal around the cable. Thus, for a given height of a cable fixed within the closure, the quality of the seal around the cable at the port can depend on the diameter of the cable. Features of the present disclosure can alleviate this variability.
As used herein, terms such as“vertical,”“horizontal,”“vertically,”“horizontally,” “up,”“down,”“top,”“bottom,”“upper,”“lower,”“front,”“back,”“rear,”“proximal,” “distal,” etc., are used only for ease of description in relating the position or orientation of one component relative to another and regardless of how the overall apparatus (e.g., the closure) may be used, positioned, or oriented in practice. For example, vertically spaced apart components as described herein may be horizontally or otherwise spaced apart in practice depending on how the telecommunications closure is oriented in the field or while it is being serviced. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, a cable fixation assembly comprises: a first piece configured to be mounted to a telecommunications closure and including a first piece body that defines a vertical guide; and a second piece coupled to the first piece and slidingly vertically cooperative with the vertical guide of the first piece, the second piece including: a cable support defining a platform, the platform having a non vertical surface configured to support a cable; and a cable anchoring portion configured to support a cable anchor.
According to further aspects of the present disclosure, a telecommunications system comprises a closure defining an interior volume including structures for supporting fiber management, the closure defining a cable port; a cable extending through the cable port into the interior volume; and a cable fixation assembly secured to the closure within the interior volume, the cable being fixed to the cable fixation assembly, the cable fixation assembly including: a first piece mounted to the closure and including a first piece body that defines a vertical guide; and a second piece coupled to the first piece and slidingly vertically cooperative with the vertical guide of the first piece, the second piece including: a cable support defining a platform, the platform having a non-vertical surface supporting the cable; and a cable anchoring portion; and a cable anchor supported by the cable anchoring portion and wrapped around an outer jacket of the cable to anchor the cable to the second piece.
According to further aspects of the present disclosure, a method comprises:
providing a cable fixation assembly including: a first piece configured to be mounted to a telecommunications closure and including a first piece body that defines a vertical guide; and a second piece coupled to the first piece and slidingly vertically cooperative with the vertical guide of the first piece, the second piece including: a cable support defining a platform, the platform having a non-vertical surface configured to support a cable; and a cable anchoring portion configured to support a cable anchor; positioning a cable on the platform; and anchoring, subsequent to the moving, the cable to the cable anchoring portion with a cable anchor such that the cable and the second piece can vertically slide together relative to the first piece.
According to further aspects of the present disclosure, a cable fixation assembly comprises: a first piece configured to be mounted to a telecommunications closure and including a first piece body that defines a vertical guide; and a second piece coupled to the first piece and slidingly vertically cooperative with the vertical guide of the first piece, the second piece including at least one cable anchoring portion configured to support a cable anchor.
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 foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive concepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based.
Brief Description of the Drawings
The following drawings are illustrative of particular embodiments of the present disclosure and therefore do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. The drawings are not to scale and are intended for use in conjunction with the explanations in the following detailed description. Embodiments of the present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the appended drawings, wherein like numerals denote like elements.
FIG. l is a perspective view of an example telecommunications system including a telecommunications closure and cables in accordance with the present disclosure, the closure being in a closed configuration.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the cables and a portion of the closure of FIG. 1, the closure being in an open configuration, and showing three embodiments of cable fixation assemblies in accordance with the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a cable fixation assembly and cable in accordance the present disclosure.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a further perspective view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 3.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 3.
FIG. 7 is a distal end view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 3.
FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 3.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a cable fixation assembly and cable in accordance with the present disclosure.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a further perspective view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 9.
FIG. 12 is a further perspective view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 9.
FIG. 13 is a side view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 9.
FIG. 14 is a proximal end view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 9. FIG. 15 is a top view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 9.
FIG. 16 is a further perspective view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 9.
FIG. 17 is an exploded view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 9, and including a strength member clamp.
FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a cable fixation assembly and cable in accordance with the present disclosure.
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 17.
FIG. 20 is a further perspective view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 17.
FIG. 21 is a side view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 17.
FIG. 22 is a proximal end view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 17.
FIG. 23 is a top view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 17.
FIG. 24 is an exploded view of the cable fixation assembly of FIG. 17.
Detailed Description
Various embodiments of the present invention 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 invention, which is limited only by 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 claimed invention.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a telecommunications system 10 includes a closure 11. The closure 11 can be a node in a telecommunications network, providing connectivity between network side cables (e.g., feeder cables) and subscribers side cables (e.g., drop cables). The closure 11 extends between a top 12 and a bottom 14 along a vertical dimension and between a proximal end 16 and a distal end 18 along a horizontal dimension. The closure 11 includes a first housing piece 20 and a second housing piece 22 that cooperate (e.g., with one or more latches) to form a re-openable and re-closable sealed closure defining an interior volume 34. One or more seal blocks can be positioned in seal block receptacles 46, 48 to provide a seal for the closure and around cables entering the closure when the first and second housing pieces 20, 22 are coupled together. The first and second housing pieces 20, 22 together define cable ports 24, 26 at the proximal end of the closure 11. The cable ports include sealing members or blocks 28 (not shown in FIG. 2) that can seal around cables 30, 32 entering the interior volume 34 of the closure 11. For an unused port, e.g., a port through which no cable or other component (e.g., a grounding stud) enters the closure, the sealing members can be plugged to seal off that port.
The cables 30, 32, have outer jackets 50, 52 that provide insulation and protection to optical fibers 36, 38 carried by the cables. Within the interior volume 34, the outer jackets and other interior components of the cables (e.g., buffer tubes, conductive shields), are stripped and the optical fibers 36, 38 are managed on managing equipment within the interior volume. Such fiber management can include, for example, splicing, splitting, wave division multiplexing, indexing, and fiber loop storage. Management structures such as splice and splitter holders 54 and fiber loop retainers 56 can be used to manage the fibers 36, 38 within the closure.
Each of the cables 30, 32 is fixed within the interior volume 34 to a cable fixation assembly 100, 200, 300. Fixation of the cables can minimize damage to the delicate fibers 36, 38 due to external loads or stresses, and can also help to maintain a seal of the interior volume 34. The type of cable fixation assembly 100, 200, 300 used for a given cable can depend on the characteristics of that cable, such as its diameter, and whether it has a strength member and, if so, the configuration of such a strength member. In addition, certain cables may need to be electrically grounded through their cable fixation assembly while other cables are not grounded through their cable fixation assembly. Thus, the cable fixation assemblies 100, 200, 300 can be made from electrically conductive materials (e.g., metal) or non-electrically conductive material (such as a polymer).
The cable fixation assemblies 100, 200, 300 are mounted to a base plate 39 that is secured to the housing piece 22. The base plate 39 includes a top surface 41 and an opposite bottom surface with rows of openings 40 extending through the vertical thickness of the base plate 39 and through the top and bottom surfaces. The openings are elongated in the proximal to distal direction, each opening having a proximal end 42 and a distal end 44. Legs and feet of the cable fixation assemblies 100, 200, 300 engage the openings to mount the cable fixation assemblies to the base plate 39. As will be described in greater detail below, the cable fixation assemblies 100, 200, 300 include a vertically slidable component that supports the cable 30, 32. The vertical slidability allows the cable to “float” in the vertical dimension, such that the seal at the cable port naturally centralizes the cable in the port. That is, the resilience of the seal biases the cable such that the central axis 60, 62 of the cable 30, 32 aligns or substantially aligns (e.g., within a predefined maximum radial distance from the center) with the center 64, 66 of the corresponding port. Allowing the cable 30, 32 to naturally center itself in the corresponding port, regardless of the transverse diameter (transverse to the central axis 60, 62) can improve the seal about the cable at the port.
Referring now to FIGS. 3-8, the cable fixation assembly 100 extends from a proximal end 102 to a distal end 104. The cable fixation assembly 100 includes a first piece 106 and a second piece 108. The second piece 108 is coupled to the first piece 106 such that it can slide up and down relative to the first piece 106 along the vertical dimension 110.
The first piece 106 includes a first piece body 112 that defines a vertical guide 114. Adjacent the distal end 104 and extending distally from the first piece body 112, the second piece 108 includes a cable support 116 that defines a platform 118. The platform has a non-vertical surface 120 supporting the outer jacket 50 of the cable 30. In this example, the surface 120 is horizontal. The first piece 106 includes a cable anchoring portion 122 positioned adjacent the proximal end 102 of the assembly 100. The cable anchoring portion 122 includes an upper notch 124 and oppositely facing lower notch 125. The cable anchoring portion 122 also includes a through hole 126. One or more cable anchors, such as the strap 117 can be wrapped around the outer jacket 50 and around and/or through the notches 124, 125 and/or the hole 126 to hold the cable 30 tightly against the second piece 108 while the support surface 120 provides additional support to the cable 30. Optionally, as shown, the cable 30 includes a strength member 70. An exposed portion of the strength member 70 is truncated and positioned within the telecommunications closure. In some examples, such a strength member 70 is anchored to a cable fixation assembly according to the present disclosure. In some examples, the strength member is one or more rigid rods, such as rod(s) made from fiberglass or metal.
In other examples, the strength member is made from a fibrous material, such as aramid yarn.
The second piece 108 defines a retainer 130 that engages a seat 128 defined by the first piece 106. The seat 128 thus functions as a downward stop, preventing further downward vertical movement of the second piece 108 relative to the first piece 106. The seat 128 is downwardly recessed relative to a top 119 of the first piece 106.
The first piece 106 includes legs 132 extending from a vertical plate 133 of the first piece body 112 and feet 134 extending horizontally from the legs. One of the legs is horizontally offset from the others to enhance stability against rotation. The other legs are vertically aligned with the vertical plate 133. The legs and the feet are configured to cooperate with the base plate 39 (FIG. 2) such that each of the legs is partially positioned within one of the openings 40 and the foot 134 of each of the legs proximally extends beyond the proximal end 42 of the corresponding opening. In this position (shown in FIG. 2) an opening-insertable portion of a locking member (such as the locking member 280 described below) is urged into one of the openings 40 of the base plate 39 to prevent the feet 134 from moving distally beyond the proximal end of the corresponding openings. In some examples, the locking member is positioned such that the opening-insertable portion is inserted in the same opening as one of the legs 132. Releasing the locking member permits distal sliding relative to the openings 40 followed by vertical removal of the feet 134 from the base plate 39 to de-mount the assembly 100 from the base plate 39.
The second piece 108 includes a first piece cooperating portion 136 that defines a slot 138 that receives the vertical guide 114. In some examples, the slot 138 is a fully enclosed slot. In this example, the slot 138 is not fully enclosed and includes a
discontinuity 140.
To secure the cable 30, the assembly 100 is locked to the base plate 39 (FIG. 2).
The cable 30 is positioned such that the outer jacket is on top of and supported by the platform 118, and the retainer 130 rests on the seat 128. At this point, the cable anchor 117 is positioned and tightened around the cable anchoring portion 122 and the outer jacket 50. Optionally, the strength member 70 is also anchored to the assembly 100. At this point, the fibers 36 can be managed within the interior volume of the closure. In addition, the cable is provided with a degree of vertical float defined by the vertical slidability of the second piece 108 relative to the first piece 106, facilitating centralization of the central
longitudinal axis 60 of the cable 30 relative to the cable port through which the cable 30 is entering the closure.
In some examples, the position of the seat 128 when the assembly 100 is mounted in the closure 11 as shown in FIG. 2 is lower than the center 64, 66 of the corresponding port 24, 26. In some examples, the vertical distance between the seat 128 and the center 64, 66 of the corresponding port 24, 26 when the assembly 100 is mounted in the closure 11 as shown in FIG. 2 is at least as large as half the transverse outer diameter of the largest transverse diameter cable that can be accommodated by the corresponding port 24, 26. These vertical spacings between the seat 128 and the center of the corresponding port can help ensure that a given cable entering the closure can be centered (and not positioned above center) using the floating capability of the assembly 100. In addition, engagement of the seat and retainer can be helpful to prevent unwanted sliding of the second piece 108 while anchoring the cable to the assembly 100. Referring now to FIGS. 9-17, the cable fixation assembly 200 extends from a proximal end 202 to a distal end 204. The cable fixation assembly 200 includes a first piece 206 and a second piece 208. The second piece 208 is coupled to the first piece 206 such that it can slide up and down relative to the first piece 206 along the vertical dimension 110.
The first piece 206 includes a first piece body 212 that defines a vertical guide 214. Adjacent the distal end 204 and extending distally from the first piece body 212, the second piece 208 includes a cable support 216 that defines a platform 218. The platform has a non-vertical surface 220 supporting the outer jacket 50 of the cable 30. In this example, the surface 220 is horizontal. The first piece 206 includes a cable anchoring portion 222 positioned adjacent the proximal end 202 of the assembly 200. The cable anchoring portion 222 includes an upper notch 224 and oppositely facing lower notch 225. The cable anchoring portion 222 also includes a through hole 226. One or more cable anchors, such as the strap 117 can be wrapped around the outer jacket 50 and around and/or through the notches 224, 225 and/or the hole 226 to hold the cable 30 tightly against the second piece 208 while the support surface 220 provides further support to the cable 30. The cable 30 includes a strength member 71. In this example, the strength member 71 is aramid yarn (schematically represented). An exposed portion of the yam 71 is truncated and positioned within the telecommunications closure (FIG. 1). The strength member 71 can be anchored to the assembly 200, e.g., by tying the yarn 71 about the T- shaped strength member anchor 227 positioned at the distal end of the platform 218. Once tied down, excess yam can be cut off. Alternatively, the strength member can be a rigid (e.g., fiberglass or metal) rod that is clamped to the T-shaped strength member anchor using a strength member clamp 290 (FIG. 17).
Unlike the assembly 100, the assembly 200 does not include a retainer and complementary seat for preventing further downward sliding of the second piece relative to the first piece. Rather, the second piece 208 includes a through hole 250 aligned with a side 254 of the vertical guide 214. The through hole 250 can be threaded and configured to receive a set screw 252, shown schematically. The set screw can be screwed into the through hole 250 such that the tip of the screw 252 holds the second piece 208 in a set vertical position relative to the first piece 206. With the pieces 206 and 208 held together in this manner, the assembly 200 can be stabilized while the cable 30 is anchored to it. Once the cable is anchored, the set screw 252 can be loosened or removed, allowing the second piece 208 to float relative to the first piece as described herein. Alternatively, the set screw 252 is not loosened such that the vertical position of the cable relative to the assembly 100 remains fixed, i.e., such that the second piece cannot float relative to the first piece as described herein.
The first piece 206 includes legs 232 extending from a vertical plate 233 of the first piece body 212 and feet 234 extending horizontally from the legs 232. One of the legs is horizontally offset from the others to enhance stability of the assembly 200 against rotation. The other legs are vertically aligned with the vertical plate 233. The legs and the feet are configured to cooperate with the base plate 39 (FIG. 2) such that each of the legs is partially positioned within one of the openings 40 and the foot 234 of each of the legs proximally extends beyond the proximal end 42 of the corresponding opening. In this position (shown in FIG. 2) an opening-insertable portion 282 of a locking member 280 is urged by the biasing force of an elastic tail 284 of the locking member 280 into one of the openings 40 of the base plate 39 to prevent the feet 234 from moving distally beyond the proximal end of the corresponding openings. In some examples, the locking member 280 is positioned such that the opening-insertable portion 282 is inserted in the same opening as one of the legs 232. Releasing the locking member 280 (e.g., by pushing down on the locking member 280 to flex the elastic tail 284 towards the base plate 39 against a bottom facing surface of the first piece 206) permits distal sliding relative to the openings 40 followed by vertical removal of the feet 234 from the base plate 39 to de-mount the assembly 200 from the base plate 39. The locking member 280 defines an opening 286 that receives the vertical plate 233 of the first piece body 212. In particular, the first piece body 212 includes a notch 260 recessed from the top 262 of the vertical plate 233. The notch 260 defines a seat that receives the recess 286 of the locking member 280.
The second piece 208 defines a first piece cooperating portion 236 that defines a pair of opposing slots 264, 266 that receive opposite ends of the vertical guide 214. The second piece 208 also defines a horizontal gap 268 between the pair of slots 264, 266, the gap 268 receiving a wall portion 288 of the locking member 280.
To secure the cable 30, the assembly 200 is locked to the base plate 39 (FIG. 2) using the locking member 280. The cable 30 is positioned such that the outer jacket 50 is on top of and supported by the platform 218. The set screw 252 is screwed into the through hole 250 to hold the second piece 208 in a fixed vertical position relative to the first piece 206. At this point, the cable anchor 117 is positioned and tightened around the cable anchoring portion 222 and the outer jacket 50. The strength member 70 is anchored to the strength member anchor 227, optionally using the clamp 290. The set screw 252 is then loosened and/or removed, providing the cable 30 with a degree of vertical float defined by the vertical slidability of the second piece 208 relative to the first piece 206, facilitating centralization of the central longitudinal axis 60 of the cable 30 relative to the cable port through which the cable 30 is entering the closure 11 (FIG. 1). At this point, the fibers 36 can be managed within the interior volume of the closure 11 (FIG. 1).
Referring now to FIGS. 18-24, the cable fixation assembly 300 is largely identical in construction and use to the assembly 200. In the interest of brevity, only differences between the cable fixation assembly 300 and the assembly 200 will be described below.
The second piece 308 of the assembly 300 (which slidingly cooperates with the first piece 206) includes a cable support 316 having a platform 318 and a non-vertical surface 320. A strength member anchor assembly 340 includes a stud 326, a nut 324 and a press plate 322. A vertically extending through hole 328 receives the stud 326. Using the stud 326 and the nut 324, the press plate 322 can be pressed against one or more strength member rods 73 of the cable 32 to squeeze the one or more rods 73 (in this example, there are two rods) between a bottom surface of the press plate 322 and the surface 320, thereby anchoring the rod(s) 73 to the assembly 300. In some examples, the rods 73 are metallic and the strength member anchor assembly 340 is electrically conductive, allowing the strength member rod(s) to be connected to a ground and thereby electrically grounded. In some of these examples, the first piece 206 and the second piece 308 are made from electrically conductive material to further facilitate cable grounding. In some of these examples, the base plate 39 is made from electrically conductive material to further facilitate cable grounding.
From the foregoing detailed description, it will be evident that modifications and variations can be made in the devices of the disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.