IT201900000915A1 - OUTDOOR OPTICAL JUNCTION BOX - Google Patents

Description

Outdoor optical junction box assembly

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of apparatus for the installation of optical access networks. In particular, the present invention relates to an outdoor optical junction box assembly for housing at least one optical connection between one or more incoming optical cables and one or more outgoing optical cables of an optical access network. The outdoor optical junction box assembly is suitable for mounting on the facade of a building, on a pole and the like.

State of the art

An optical network known as FTTH (Fiber To The Home, "Fiber to the Home") is an optical access network that provides a number of end customers with broadband communication services from operators, i.e. with services that require the transmission of data at very high speeds, for example a few Mbit / s.

An FTTH network comprises a central office that is connected to one or more optical distribution boxes, through an optical cable commonly known as a network cable, which are typically found in the basement of the building where end customers reside.

When the optical distribution box is located in a building having multiple housing units, for example arranged on a plurality of floors, intermediate optical modules are installed at each floor to receive the optical cables, known as riser cables, which come out of the box. optical distribution and pass through the building on all floors of the building. The connection between the intermediate optical modules and each customer's apartment is then done with another cable called a drop cable. Each drop cable is typically terminated in a termination box located inside the apartment or office of the end user.

At each floor of the building, the optical cables (and possibly the electrical and telephone cables) typically pass through boxes or optical junction boxes in order to be connected to the intermediate optical modules and / or to the customer's apartment.

In some circumstances, such as in old buildings that do not have suitable cable trays or where existing cable trays cannot be engaged with additional cables, cable trays for optical cables as well as optical junction boxes are mounted on the external walls of the building, for example on the facade of the building.

For this purpose, external optical junction boxes are provided which are designed to house one up to dozens of fiber connections.

External optical junction boxes are typically made from a special high-strength industrial-grade plastic with a reliable moisture barrier, as they must be waterproof and dustproof and must function adequately at temperatures ranging from minus 40 ° C up to 85 ° C to ensure that joints are not damaged by a hostile environment.

External optical junction boxes can contain one or more fiber splice drawers to provide space and protection for the optical fiber splices, can contain one or more optical connectors, and have sealed entry openings and sealed exit openings for cables opticians.

Summary of the invention

The Applicant has observed that in some circumstances it is not possible to use traditional outdoor optical junction boxes.

In fact, the Applicant has observed that the outdoor optical junction boxes are very often very evident due to both the positioning requirements and the need to use special plastic materials that stand out from the background of the building.

However, in some cases the appearance of the building facades cannot be significantly changed. This is for example the case of old buildings located in urban centers subject to architectural limitation requirements.

Nonetheless, the Applicant has observed that typically it is the ancient buildings that must be equipped with outdoor junction boxes in order to be connected to the optical networks.

Furthermore, although the outdoor junction boxes are made of appropriate plastic material, the waterproof and dustproof properties of the outdoor junction boxes can be altered in the long term, and it is therefore necessary, in some cases, to replace the boxes. of junction from outside.

Again, even if outdoor junction boxes do not need to be replaced, prolonged exposure to sun, rain, snow and other environmental conditions can compromise the appearance of outdoor junction boxes, accentuating thus the problem of altering the appearance of the building.

The Applicant has faced the problem of allowing the use of outdoor junction boxes even in buildings subjected to severe architectural limitation requirements and for a long period.

The Applicant has understood that by providing an assembly of an outdoor optical junction box having a box suitable for being installed on a mounting surface, such as the facade of a building or a pole, and suitable for storing a piece of optical fibers (which, for example, they must be spliced and / or connected with optical connectors) and by providing a cover that is mountable on the cassette once the latter has been installed, it is possible to hide the cassette by providing the cover in suitable colors and / or shapes that resemble to the appearance of the mounting surface.

Furthermore, the Applicant has understood that, in the event that the appearance of the building is changed, for example due to a renovation, or in the event that the lid changes its appearance as a consequence of a very prolonged exposure to agents weather conditions, the appearance of the outdoor optical junction box assembly can be easily restored by simply replacing the cover.

Consistently, the present invention relates to an outdoor optical junction box assembly comprising a box and a lid, wherein the box comprises:

a front wall and a rear wall, where the rear wall is configured to face a mounting surface; an input port and an output port for a first optical cable;

at least a service area configured at least to house a portion of a fiber of the first optical cable, in which it is possible to open the box to access the service area and close it to prevent access to the service area;

sealing elements configured to seal the service area when the box is closed;

wherein the lid includes attachment members configured to removably couple the lid to the box for opening and closing the box, and wherein the lid extends over at least a portion of the front wall of the box when the lid is coupled to the box.

The first optical cable can be a retractable cable for example to route an optical fiber directly to a customer. In this case, the retractable cable enters the junction box at the entry door and leaves the junction box by the exit door. At the junction box, a length of one or more optical fibers of the retractable cable, for example the optical fibers used to connect customers, can be extracted from the retractable cable and routed to a customer in a protective tube. In this case the cassette is equipped with an outlet port to which the protective tube is connected. Alternatively, a length of one or more optical fibers can be stored in the service area for later use.

The service area may also be suitable for connecting one or more optical fibers of the retractable cable to a second optical cable. Again, the cassette has an output port for the second optical cable.

Alternatively, the first optical cable can be a riser cable exiting an optical distribution box. In this case, the service area is suitable for connecting the riser cable to a drop cable to be connected to a termination box and the box can be equipped with an output port for the drop cable. For the purposes of the present invention, the drop cable is called "second optical cable".

Throughout this description and in the following claims, the expression "optical cable" is used to indicate a telecommunication cable or a hybrid cable (ie a cable to transmit both energy and telecommunication signals) including optical fibers. The term "optical fiber" is used to indicate an elongated optical element comprising an optical waveguide, consisting of an optically transmissive core, surrounded by a sheath. The optical waveguide is preferably covered with at least one protective coating layer. Two protective coating layers are preferably provided: a first coating layer (primary coating) is in direct contact with the optical waveguide, while a second coating layer (secondary coating) covers the primary coating. Furthermore, a buffer layer can cover the optical fiber. The buffer layer can be substantially in contact with the secondary coating (tight buffer) or it can consist of a small tube housing one or more optical fibers (loose buffer).

The service area can comprise a splice area in which one or more optical fibers of the first optical cable can be spliced to respective optical fibers of the second optical cable, or in which one or more optical fibers of the first optical cable (which enters in the box from the input port) are spliced to respective pre-connectorized optical fibers which are connected to respective pre-connectorized optical fibers of a second optical cable that leaves the box from the output port. The first optical cable, comprising the optical fibers not connected to the optical fibers of the second optical cable, exits the box from the output port, for example to reach the box of a further outdoor optical junction box assembly.

The lid can be provided in any color, for example a color which corresponds to the color of the mounting wall. Alternatively, the lid can be painted before or after being coupled to the cassette, or it can be provided with an appropriate adhesive layer.

In any case, the cassette remains invisible, since the lid extends at least over a portion of the front wall of the cassette, which is the most visible part of the cassette and which represents the greatest impact on the appearance of the mounting surface.

The cassette can be produced without worrying about its appearance, thus allowing the cassette design to be focused solely on its technical function and durability.

In addition, since the lid is removable from the box, the appearance of the outdoor optical junction box assembly can be changed at any time, for example as soon as the color of the mounting surface changes or in the event of damage to the lid. The new cover or refurbished cover can be easily mounted to replace the no longer appropriate cover, without the need to replace the entire outdoor optical junction box assembly.

In some embodiments, the cassette further comprises an output port for a second optical cable or protective tube.

In some embodiments, the cassette comprises receiving elements configured to receive the attachment elements of the lid.

The attachment elements cooperate with the receiving elements to firmly hold the lid, thereby preventing the lid from accidentally detaching from the cassette.

In some embodiments, the attachment elements of the lid are slidably coupled to the receiving elements of the cassette.

Preferably, the attachment elements of the lid slide on the receiving elements of the cassette along a substantially parallel direction towards the rear wall of the cassette.

This allows the lid to be coupled to the box by engaging the attachment elements to the receiving elements and thus moving the lid parallel to the rear wall of the box.

In some embodiments, the box comprises a first pair of side walls opposite each other and a second pair of side walls opposite each other, in which the first pair of side walls and the second pair of side walls extend between the front wall and the rear wall of the box; the lid in the operating condition extending over at least a portion of a first side wall of the first pair of side walls.

The side walls can be flat or curved. An edge, a corner or a rounded surface can be provided between a side wall of the first pair of side walls and a side wall of the second pair of side walls.

Preferably, the entrance door and the exit door are provided on the side walls of the second pair of side walls.

Preferably, when an exit door is provided, the exit door is provided on the side walls of the second pair of side walls.

In some embodiments, the entrance door and the exit door are preferably provided on opposite side walls of the second pair of side walls, such that the first optical cable enters the box from one side wall and leaves the box from one side. opposite side wall.

The exit door can be provided on the same side wall where the entrance door is provided, on the side wall where the exit door is provided, or on one of the pair of side walls not equipped with an additional door. If a plurality of exit doors is provided, all the exit openings can be provided on the same side wall or on different side walls.

In some embodiments, the lid extends over at least a portion of both side walls of the first pair of side walls. Preferably, in these embodiments all the doors are provided on the second pair of side walls.

In some embodiments, the lid attachment elements comprise at least one straight groove and the receiving elements comprise at least one guide rail; the straight groove sliding on the guide rail.

This allows the lid to be coupled to the box by placing the lid on the side of the box, i.e. by placing the lid close to a side wall of the box, and then sliding the lid over the box so that the straight groove of the lid engages the track. guide of the cassette.

Preferably, the lid attachment elements comprise a first series of rectilinear grooves aligned to a first direction and spaced apart from each other, the receiving elements comprising a first series of guide rails aligned to said first direction and spaced from each other by a first distance , said first distance being equal to or greater than an extension of a straight groove measured along said first direction.

By this embodiment, the extent of a straight groove in the first direction is equal to or less than the distance between two adjacent guide rails. This allows the lid to approach the box from the front, i.e. to partially overlap the lid to the front wall of the box, since the straight grooves can be inserted between adjacent guide rails. By sliding the lid thus positioned, the straight grooves engage the guide rails and the lid is held to the lid.

This is, for example, particularly advantageous when there is no space to position the lid and the box side by side to allow the straight groove to engage the guide rails.

In some embodiments, the lid attachment elements comprise a second set of rectilinear grooves spaced apart and aligned in a direction parallel to the first direction, the receiving elements comprising a second set of guide rails aligned with said first direction and spaced from each other by a distance identical to said first distance.

In some embodiments, the first set of guide rails is provided on the rear wall of the cassette.

In some embodiments, the second set of guide rails is provided on the rear wall of the cassette and is spaced from the first set of guide rails.

In some embodiments, the first set of straight grooves and the second set of straight grooves are respectively provided on opposite edges of the lid.

In some embodiments, stabilizing elements are provided to prevent the straight grooves from moving relative to the guide rails in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and perpendicular to the rear wall of the cassette.

The stabilizing elements prevent the straight grooves from accidentally disengaging from the guide rails.

The straight grooves and the guide rails are preferably formed in such a way that, in a plane substantially parallel to the rear wall of the cassette (i.e. a vertical plane), the guide rails can only translate in the first direction. This first direction coincides with the sliding direction of the straight grooves on the guide rails. The straight grooves and the guide rails are also preferably formed to prevent any movement of the straight grooves towards the front wall of the cassette.

Preferably, the straight grooves and the guide rails are preferably formed such that the rectilinear grooves can move relative to the guide rails along a direction perpendicular to a plane parallel to the rear wall of the cassette (i.e. a vertical plane) and directed by the front wall towards the rear wall of the box.

The stabilizing elements prevent the straight grooves from moving along that direction perpendicular to a plane parallel to the rear wall of the cassette (i.e. a vertical plane) and directed from the front wall towards the rear wall of the cassette.

Preferably, the stabilizing elements comprise a plurality of shoulders on the front wall of the box and corresponding appendages on the lid; the appendages being turned towards the shoulders in such a way as to prevent any movement of the lid towards the rear wall of the box.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention will now be described in greater detail below with reference to the attached drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown.

The drawings illustrating the embodiments are not scale representations.

For purposes of the present description and the appended claims, the use of "a" or "a" is employed to describe elements and components of the invention. This is done for convenience only and to provide a general sense of the invention. This description must be read as including one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural, unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise.

Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of an outdoor optical junction box assembly according to the present invention;

- Figure 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the external optical junction box assembly of Figure 1 in a different condition;

- Figure 3 shows a schematic perspective view of a first component of the outdoor optical junction box assembly of Figure 1;

- Figure 4 shows a schematic perspective view of a second component of the outdoor optical junction box assembly of Figure 1;

- Figure 5 shows a schematic sectional view along the V-V plane of the outdoor optical junction box assembly of Figure 2; And

Figure 6 shows a schematic perspective view of the second component of Figure 4 in a different condition.

Detailed description

An outdoor optical junction box assembly according to the present invention is indicated with the reference numeral 10 in Figure 1.

The external optical junction box assembly 10 includes a box 11 and a lid 12, which are shown in an operating condition in Figure 1.

Cassette 11 is suitable for use in an FTTH network. Preferably, the box 11 is intended to be placed on the facade of a building, on a pole or on any outdoor aerial application, to provide optical access to customers.

As shown for example in Figure 4, the box 11 can have a substantially parallelepiped shape and comprises a rear wall 13 and a front wall 14.

A first pair of side walls 15a, 15b and a second pair of side walls 16a, 16b are provided between the front wall 14 and the rear wall 13. A first side wall 15a of the first pair of side walls is opposite to a second side wall 15b of the first pair of side walls, as well as a first side wall 16a of the second pair of side walls is opposite to the second side wall 16b of the second pair of side walls. side walls, as shown in Figure 4.

The second pair of side walls 16a, 16b comprises an input port 17 for a first optical cable 100 and an output port 18 for the first optical cable 100. In particular, the input port 17 is provided on the first side wall 16a of the second pair of side walls and the exit door 18 is provided on the second side wall 16b of the second pair of side walls, as illustrated in Figures 1 and 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in the accompanying Figures, the box 11 further comprises at least one output port 19 for a second optical cable or protective tube 101. In the illustrated embodiments, there are two output ports 19, so that two second cables 101 can leave the box 11 (as shown in Figure 1). Each exit door 19 is provided on a side wall 16a, 16b of the second pair of side walls. In particular, a first exit door 19 is provided on the first side wall 16a and a second exit door 19 is provided on the second side wall 16b of the second pair of side walls.

In other embodiments not shown, the exit door can be omitted.

The first optical cable 100 can be for example a multi-fiber retractable cable, a riser cable or the like.

If the first optical cable 100 is a multi-fiber retractable cable, some of the optical fibers can be routed directly to a customer, without an optical connection in the cassette. In this case, a length of one or more optical fibers that are pulled out of the retractable multi-fiber cable is pushed or pulled into a tube that is connected to an output port.

In any case, independently of the specific first optical cable 100, some of the optical fibers of the latter can be optically connected to the optical fibers of the second optical cable 100, as in the example illustrated in the attached Figures.

For this purpose, the box 11 comprises a service area 20 included in an internal space 21 of the box 11 delimited by the rear wall 13, by the front wall 14 and by the first and second pair of side walls 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b , as shown in Figure 6.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 6, the service area 20 comprises a panel 22 configured to define a splice area in which one or more optical fibers of the first optical cable 100 are connected to the optical fibers of the second optical cables 101.

The panel 22 can be used for example to house pre-connectorized optical fibers of both the first optical cable 100 and the second optical cable 101. In the illustrated embodiment, the panel 22 is removably coupled to the cassette 11, preferably to the rear wall 13. In other embodiments, the panel 22 can be hinged to the rear wall 13 of the box 11.

In embodiments not shown, the service area 20 can only be provided for storing a length of the first cable 100. In these embodiments, the first cable 100 is a multi-fiber retractable cable that passes through the junction box. The multi-fiber retractable cable enters the junction box at the input port 17 and leaves the junction box at the output port 19. A length of one or more optical fibers of the multi-fiber retractable cable, for example the optical fibers used to connect the customers, it can be pulled out of the retractable cable and stored in the service area 20 so as to leave the available optical fiber lengths in the junction box for later use.

Regardless of the shape and function of the service area 20, the box 11 can be opened (as shown in Figure 6) to access the service area 20, and closed (as shown in Figure 4) in such a way. to prevent access to the service area 20.

For this purpose, the cassette 11 can be opened by moving the front wall 14 relative to the rear wall 13. In the preferred embodiment illustrated in Figure 6, the front wall 14 is hinged to the rear wall 13. The latches 23 allow the front wall 14 to keep the cassette 11 in the closed condition.

In order to ensure that moisture, water, dust or the like cannot enter the service area 20 when the box 11 is closed, the box 11 comprises sealing elements, such as gaskets, which seal the front wall 14 to the rear wall 13 and to the side walls 15a, 15b, 16a, 16b and which seal the entrance door 17, the exit door 18 and, when present, the exit doors 19.

The lid 12 can be coupled to the box 11 when the box 11 is in the closed condition, so as to reach an operating condition.

In the operating condition, the lid 12 extends over the front wall 14 and the first pair of side walls 15a, 15b, so that the lid 12 can mask the appearance of the box 11.

The lid 12 comprises an internal surface 24 facing the box 11 and an external surface 25 opposite the internal surface 24 and exposed to the external environment.

The appearance of the outer surface 25 can be selected on the basis of the mounting surface; for example, if the mounting surface is the facade of a building, the external surface can be provided (or can be painted) in the same color as the facade.

The outer surface 25 of the lid 12 can be smooth, as in the illustrated embodiment, or it can have any pattern suitable for better masking the box 11.

As better illustrated in Figure 3, the lid 12 comprises a front wall 26, a first side wall 27 and a second side wall 28 opposite the first side wall 27.

In other words, the lid 12 has a profile C (Figures 3 and 5) in which the front wall 26 is the central portion and the first side wall 27 and the second side wall 28 are the appendages connected to the central portion.

Preferably, the lid 12 does not comprise any rear wall. Furthermore, preferably the lid 12 does not comprise further side walls other than the first side wall 27 and the second side wall 28.

In order to couple the lid 12 to the box 11, the lid 12 comprises attachment elements 29 configured to engage the receiving elements 30 provided on the box 11.

The attachment elements 29 are configured to slide on the receiving elements 30, in particular to slide in a first direction X1 (see Figure 2) substantially parallel to the first pair of side walls 15a, 15b and to the rear wall 13, as illustrated in Figure 2.

The lid 12 can slide in the first direction X1 both from the first side wall 16a towards the second side wall 16b of the second pair of side walls and from the second side wall 16b towards the first side wall 16a of the second pair of side walls of the box 11.

Preferably, the lid 12 cannot slide in any direction other than the first direction X1 with respect to the cassette 11.

The attachment elements 29 comprise a first series of rectilinear grooves 31 provided at a free edge of the first side wall 27 of the cover 12 (see Figure 3). Each rectilinear groove 31 comprises a central wall 32 substantially parallel to the rear wall 13 of the cassette 11 and two side walls 33 perpendicular to the central wall 32 and opposite each other, so that each rectilinear groove is C-shaped.

The receiving elements 30 of the box 11 comprise a first series of guide rails 34 which extend along the first direction X1 and are provided on the rear wall 13.

The guide rails 34 are configured to be inserted into the rectilinear grooves 31. In particular, each rectilinear groove 31 receives a corresponding guide rail 34 between the two side walls 33, as illustrated in Figure 5.

The guide rails 34 are spaced apart by a first distance D1 (Figure 4) and all the guide rails 34 preferably have the same extension.

All the rectilinear grooves 31 extend for the same extension E 1 which is equal to or less than the first distance D1. The extension of each guide rail 34 is preferably substantially equal to the extension E1 of any straight groove 31.

This allows the straight grooves 31 to be inserted between two successive guide rails 34 without coming into contact with them, so that the lid 12 can be partially superimposed on the box 11 and then made to slide relative to the box 11.

Figure 2 illustrates a possible initial overlap of the lid 12 on the cassette 11 in which the straight grooves 31 are inserted between two successive guide rails 34 and in which the rectilinear grooves 31 are not in engagement with the guide rails 34. Starting from this position, the lid 12 can slide in the first direction X1 so that the straight grooves 31 engage the guide rails 34 and the lid 12 is held over the cassette 11.

Therefore, the lid 12 can be coupled to the box 11 starting from a side-by-side condition, in which the lid 12 and the box 11 are positioned side by side and aligned along the first direction X1, or starting from a condition partially superimposed, in which the lid 12 is partially superimposed on the lid 12 and the straight grooves 31 of the lid 12 are inserted between two successive guide rails 34 of the box 11.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the attachment elements 29 further comprise a second series of rectilinear grooves 35 provided at a free edge of the second side wall 28 of the lid 12 (see Figure 3). Each straight groove 35 of the second series of straight grooves is identical to the straight groove 31 of the second series of straight grooves and is positioned in a portion of the free edge of the second side wall 28 corresponding to a same portion on the free edge of the first side wall 27 where a corresponding straight groove 31 is provided.

In this embodiment, the receiving elements 30 of the cassette 11 further comprise a second set of guide rails 36 which extend along the first direction X1 and are provided on the rear wall 13. The second set of guide rails 36 is spaced apart. with respect to the first set of guide rails 34. Each guide rail 36 of the second set of guide rails is identical to the guide rail 34 of the first set of guide rails and is positioned in a portion of the rear wall 13 of the corresponding cassette 11 to a same portion of the rear wall 13 of the box 11 in which a corresponding guide rail 34 is provided.

By means of the second series of guide rails 36 and the second series of straight grooves 35, the lid 12 can be coupled to the cassette 11 more firmly.

As shown in Figure 5, the first series 31 and second series 35 of straight grooves cooperate with the first series 34 and second series 36 of corresponding guide rails such that the cover 12 cannot move in a second direction X2, perpendicular to the rear wall 13 of the box 11, towards the front wall 13 of the box 11.

In order to prevent any movement of the lid 12 along the second direction X2 towards the rear wall 13 of the box 11, stabilizing elements 37 are provided.

The stabilizing elements 37 comprise a plurality of shoulders 38 provided on the front wall 14 of the box 11 and a corresponding plurality of appendages 39 provided on the lid 12, as illustrated in Figure 5.

Each shoulder 38 emerges from the front wall 14 and has a substantially flat surface 40 facing the lid 12.

Each appendix 39 is provided on the internal surface 24 of the lid 12 and comprises a substantially flat surface 41 facing the box 11.

As illustrated in Figure 5, the flat surface 40 of each shoulder 38 faces the flat surface 41 of a corresponding appendage 39, so that the lid 12 is prevented from moving along the second direction X2 towards the rear wall 14 of the cassette 11.

Claims (15)

CLAIMS 1. Outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) comprising a box (11) and a lid (12), wherein the box (11) comprises: a front wall (14) and a rear wall (13), wherein the rear wall (13) is configured to face a mounting surface; an input port (17) and an output port (18) for a first optical cable (100); at least a service area (20) configured at least to house a length of the first optical cable (100), in which the box (11) can be opened to access the service area (20) and closed to prevent access to the service area (20); sealing elements configured to seal the service area (20) when the box is closed; wherein the lid (12) comprises attachment elements (29) configured to removably couple the lid (12) to the box (11) for opening and closing the box (11), and wherein the lid (12) extends at least over a portion of the front wall (14) of the box (11) when the lid (12) is coupled to the box (11). The outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to claim 1, wherein the box comprises at least one output port (19) for a second optical cable or protective tube (101). Outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the box (11) comprises receiving elements (30) configured to receive the attachment elements (29) of the cover (12). Outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to claim 3, wherein the attachment elements (29) of the lid (12) are slidably coupled to the receiving elements (30) of the cassette (11). Assembly of outdoor optical junction box (10) according to claim 4, wherein the attachment elements (29) of the cover (12) slide on the receiving elements (30) of the cassette (11) along a first direction ( X1) substantially parallel to the rear wall (13) of the box (11). 6. Assembly of outdoor optical junction box (10) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the box (11) comprises a first pair of side walls (15a, 15b) opposite each other and a second pair of side walls (16a, 16b) opposite each other, in which the first pair of side walls (15a, 15b) and the second pair of side walls (16a, 16b) extend between the front wall (14) and the rear wall ( 13) of the box (11); the lid (12) extending over at least a portion of a first side wall (15a) of the first pair of side walls (15a, 15b). The outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to claim 6, wherein the cover (12) extends over at least a portion of both side walls (15a, 15b) of the first pair of side walls (15a, 15b). Outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to any of claims 3 to 7, wherein the attachment elements (29) of the cover (12) comprise at least one straight groove (31) and wherein the receiving (30) comprise at least one guide rail (34); the straight groove (31) sliding on the guide rail (34). Assembly of an outdoor optical junction box (10) according to claim 8, wherein the attachment elements (29) of the cover (12) comprise a first series of straight grooves (31) aligned to a first direction (X1) and spaced apart, the receiving elements (30) comprising a first series of guide rails (34) aligned to said first direction (X1) and spaced from each other by a first distance (D1), said first distance (D1) being equal to or greater than an extension (E1) of a straight groove (31) measured along said first direction (X1). The outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to claim 9, wherein the attachment elements (29) of the cover (12) comprise a second set of straight grooves (35) spaced apart and aligned in one direction parallel to the first direction (X1), the receiving elements (30) comprising a second series of guide rails (36) aligned to said first direction (X1) and spaced from each other by a distance identical to said first distance (D1). Outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the first set of guide rails (34) is provided on the rear wall (13) of the cassette (11). Outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to claims 10 and 11, wherein the second set of guide rails (36) is provided on the rear wall (13) of the cassette (11) and is spaced from the first set of guide rails (31). Assembly of an outdoor optical junction box (10) according to claim 10, wherein the first set of straight grooves (31) and the second set of straight grooves (35) are respectively provided on opposite edges of the cover (12) . An outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to any of claims 9 to 13, comprising stabilizing elements (37) to prevent the straight grooves (31) from moving relative to the guide rails (34) along a second direction (X2) perpendicular to the first direction (X1) and perpendicular to the rear wall (13) of the box (11). Outdoor optical junction box assembly (10) according to claim 14, wherein the stabilizing elements (37) comprise a plurality of shoulders (38) on the front wall (14) of the box (11) and corresponding appendages ( 39) on the cover (12); the appendages (39) facing towards the shoulders (38) so as to prevent any movement of the cover (12) towards the rear wall (13) of the box (11).