JP2000075143A - Optical wiring rack - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To provide an optical wiring rack which can more easily connect an optical fiber core to an optical wiring module. SOLUTION: The optical wiring rack of the present invention has a module storage portion 2A for arranging and storing thin optical wiring modules 3A, and a plurality of parallel positioning grooves 20L and 20U for positioning the optical wiring module 3A are provided. The positioning projections 31L and 31U formed on the inner bottom surface and the inner upper surface of the housing portion 2A at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the optical wiring modules 3A and housed in the positioning grooves 20L and 20U are provided with the optical wiring module 3A. The positioning protrusion 31 is formed on the upper surface and the lower surface, respectively.
L, 31U in the direction of arrangement, the positioning groove 20L,
It is characterized in that it is thinner than the groove width of 20U.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical wiring rack arranged on a transmission path of an optical fiber cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a communication equipment center, an optical wiring rack containing various optical wiring modules is arranged on a transmission path of an optical fiber cable to branch an optical fiber core or to control an optical fiber core. The signal is being processed. As an optical wiring module, for example, a so-called FTM (Fiber Termination) that branches a tape-shaped optical fiber core into a single optical fiber core and inputs / extracts test light to / from this optical fiber core. Module). Further, as another optical wiring module, for example, a splitter module that splits a multi-channel signal in one optical fiber core into one optical fiber core,
There is also an optical amplification module for amplifying signal light in an optical fiber.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the above-mentioned optical wiring rack. As shown in FIG. 5, the optical wiring frame 1 has a module storage section 2 in which optical wiring modules 3 are arranged and stored in multiple stages. As shown in FIG. 6, each optical wiring module 3 housed in the module housing section 2
A thin package is used. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each of the optical wiring modules 3 has positioning protrusions 31L, 31U formed in positioning grooves 20L, 20U formed on the inner upper surface and the inner bottom surface of the module housing 2.
Is stored, so that the arrangement state is maintained. (Each of the optical wiring modules 3 includes positioning projections 21L,
It can be said that the arrangement state is maintained by storing the positioning projections 31L and 31U between the 21Us).

A thin package optical wiring module 3
Are arranged in multiple stages in order to improve the mounting density of the optical fiber core wires F and to make the most of the limited space in the communication equipment center. In addition, this optical wiring frame 1
Functions also as a switching unit for connecting each optical fiber core F to a predetermined connection destination.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Each optical wiring module 3
To connect the optical fiber core F to the optical wiring module 3, the optical connector attached to the end of the optical fiber core F is connected to the optical wiring module 3.
This is performed by connecting to the connector portion 30 formed on the side surface exposed at the time of arrangement. However, since the optical wiring modules 3 are thin and arranged in multiple stages, as shown in FIG. 7, the optical connectors are connected to the connector section 30 in a vertically and horizontally dense state. For this reason, it is very difficult to connect the optical connector to the connector unit 30.
Although special countermeasures such as preparing a special insertion / extraction tool are used, even when using such a tool, it is necessary to pay close attention to prevent damage to the adjacent optical fiber core wires. There has been a demand for an improvement that can be performed more easily.

Further, with the recent development of the communication environment, the number of lines and the amount of communication information have been remarkably increased, and further higher integration and higher density of optical equipment have been desired. Connector section 30 of optical wiring module 3 described above
However, the connection work has become more difficult as more optical connectors have been connected, and there is a strong demand for improvements to facilitate the connection work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical wiring rack which makes it easier to connect an optical fiber core to an optical wiring module.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of parallel positioning grooves for positioning an optical wiring module are provided in an optical wiring rack having a module storage section for arraying and storing thin optical wiring modules. The positioning protrusions formed on the inner bottom surface and the inner upper surface of the module housing portion at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the optical wiring modules and housed in the positioning grooves are respectively provided on the upper surface and the lower surface of the optical wiring module. The positioning projections are formed so that the thickness in the arrangement direction is smaller than the groove width of the positioning groove.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical wiring rack having a module storage section for arraying and storing thin optical wiring modules, wherein a plurality of parallel positioning projections for positioning the optical wiring module are provided in the module storage section. It is characterized in that the positioning protrusions are formed on the inner bottom surface and the inner upper surface so as to face each other at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the optical wiring modules, and the positioning protrusions are formed to be elastically deformable.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical wiring rack having a module storage section for arraying and storing thin optical wiring modules, wherein a plurality of parallel positioning projections for positioning the optical wiring module are provided in the module storage section. At least one of the positioning projections formed on the inner bottom surface and the inner upper surface at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the optical wiring modules, and at least one of the positioning protrusions formed on the inner bottom surface or the inner upper surface is directed toward the inside of the module storage portion. And is urged toward the inside of the module storage section by an elastic body.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an optical wiring rack according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. First, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The overall configuration of the optical wiring rack 1 of the present embodiment is the same as the conventional optical wiring rack 1 shown in FIG.
For convenience, the front shown in FIG. 5 is referred to as the front. As shown in FIG. 5, the optical wiring frame 1 includes, as shown in FIG. 5, a right portion in FIG. 5 for branching and arranging the optical fiber core F from the inside of the introduced optical cable, and an optical wiring module (hereinafter also simply referred to as a module). 5) in which a module storage section 2A (2) for storing 3A (3) in multiple stages is provided.

The optical cable C introduced into the optical wiring frame 1 is
After branching into the optical fiber core F at the right side in FIG. 5 to secure an extra length, the connector is connected to each module 3A (3) from the front side. Each optical fiber core F connected to each module 3A (3) is branched as an optical cable (not shown) after being branched by the module 3A (3), and is again assembled into a user-side facility or another office. Connected to equipment.

The module storage section 2A, which is a feature of the present embodiment, will be described in detail. The module storage section 2A
Like the optical wiring frame 1 shown in FIG. 5, the optical wiring frame 1 is arranged in multiple stages in the height direction of the optical wiring frame 1. In this embodiment, five stages are provided. The number of stages is increased or decreased according to the number of optical fiber cores F to be stored. Each module storage section 2A
Is formed in a box-like shape with its front and rear sides open, and has a thin plate-shaped package module 3 inside.
A can be arranged and stored.

On the inner bottom surface of each module storage section 2A,
As shown in FIG. 1, the positioning grooves 20L are formed in parallel at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the modules 3A to be arranged. FIG. 1 shows the module storage section 2A.
FIG. 4 is a view of a part of the module storage unit 2 seen from the front side.
A itself is shown as a cross section. Positioning groove 20L
Are formed with the same groove width over the entire area from the front side to the rear side of the module storage section 2A. The groove width of the positioning groove 20L is slightly smaller than the thickness (ten and several millimeters) of the modules 3A to be arranged. A positioning projection 21L is formed between the plurality of positioning grooves 20L.

On the inner upper surface of each module storage section 2A,
The positioning groove 20U and the positioning protrusion 21 are opposed to the positioning groove 20L and the positioning protrusion 21L described above.
U is formed. The positioning pitch of the positioning grooves 20U is also equal to the pitch of the modules 3A, and is formed with the same groove width over the entire area from the front side to the rear side of the module storage section 2A.

On the other hand, the module 3A housed in the module housing 2A is a thin package.
Various optical function units are housed inside. Module 3
A connector portion 30 for connecting an optical connector to the module 3A is formed on a side surface exposed to the front side when the array A is arranged. Positioning protrusions 31L and 31U are formed at the center of the lower surface and the upper surface (when arranged) of the module 3A, respectively.

The thickness of the positioning projections 31L and 31U in the arrangement direction is smaller than the groove width of the positioning grooves 20L and 20U described above. The positioning projections 31L,
31U is also formed with the same thickness over the entire area from the front side to the rear side of the module 3A. Each module 3A is inserted into the module storage section 2 from the rear side of the optical wiring frame 1.
A, and the positioning protrusions 31L and 31U are housed in the positioning grooves 20L and 20U, thereby being positioned and arranged.

It is to be noted that the modules 3A are arranged in several tens at each stage of the module storage section 2A, and the outer sides of the modules 3A located at both ends of the arranged modules 3A each have at least an arrangement pitch. About half the space is secured.

In the optical wiring frame 1 configured as described above, the other modules 3A on both sides of the module 3A to which the optical fiber core F is connected are moved to both outer sides as shown in FIG. Can be. This allows
On both sides of the target module 3A, a gap X that is approximately half the arrangement pitch of the modules 3A is formed. As a result, the optical connector can be easily connected to the connector section 30 and the optical connector already connected to the connector section 30 can be easily removed. In addition, since the optical connector can be gripped from both sides, it is possible to detach the optical connector without using a dedicated tool. Furthermore, since the gap X is formed, it becomes easy to visually check the target optical fiber core from a dense space.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The optical wiring frame according to the present embodiment has a configuration according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, in the following, components that are particularly different from the above-described embodiment of the first aspect will be described in detail.

The overall configuration of the optical wiring rack of this embodiment is the same as that of the first embodiment of the present invention. The optical wiring frame of the present embodiment has a module storage section 2B and a module 3B different from those of the embodiment of the invention described in claim 1 described above.

The module storage section 2B of the present embodiment is also formed in a box-like form with its front and rear sides opened, and can accommodate thin plate-shaped package modules 3B therein. As shown in FIG. 3, positioning protrusions 21L that can be elastically deformed at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the modules 3B to be arranged are formed in parallel on the inner bottom surface of each module storage section 2B.
The positioning projection 21L is formed with the same groove width over the entire area from the front side to the rear side of the module storage section 2B. A positioning groove 20L is formed between the positioning protrusions 21L.

On the other hand, the above-described positioning groove 20L and positioning protrusion 2
A positioning groove 20U and an elastically deformable positioning protrusion 21U are formed so as to face 1L. The positioning pitch of the positioning protrusion 21U is also equal to the pitch of the modules 3B, and is formed with the same thickness over the entire area from the front side to the rear side of the module storage section 2B.

On the other hand, the module 3B accommodated in the module accommodating portion 2B is substantially the same as that of the module 3A according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The thickness of the positioning protrusions 31L and 31U formed on the side surface (at the time of arrangement) in the arrangement direction is substantially equal to the groove width of the positioning groove portions 20L and 20U. Further, the positioning projections 31L,
The side edges of 31U are each formed in a rounded shape.

The modules 3B are arranged in several tens at each level of the module storage section 2B, and at least two spaces are secured for each level. That is, when there are fifty pairs of the positioning groove portions 20L and 20U in the one-stage module storage portion, forty-eight modules 3B are stored,
Module 3B is provided in two sets of positioning grooves 20L and 20U.
Are not arranged.

In the optical wiring frame constructed as described above, as shown in FIG. 3, each module 3B is moved to a space secured in advance while bending the positioning projections 21L and 21U. Can be. That is, by moving the module 3B in order, the module 3B is connected to both sides of the module 3B to which the optical fiber core F is connected.
A gap X substantially equal to the arrangement pitch of B can be formed. As a result, the optical connector can be easily connected to the connector section 30 and the optical connector already connected to the connector section 30 can be easily removed.

Further, since the optical connector can be gripped from both sides, the optical connector can be detached without using a dedicated tool. Furthermore, since the gap X is formed, it becomes easy to visually check the target optical fiber core from a dense space. Furthermore, the positioning protrusion 31
Since the side edges of L and 31U are rounded, the module 3B can be easily moved to a space reserved in advance.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The optical wiring frame according to the present embodiment has a configuration according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, in the following, components that are particularly different from the above-described embodiment of the first aspect will be described in detail.

The overall configuration of the optical wiring frame of this embodiment is the same as that of the first or second embodiment of the present invention. Further, the module 3B of the present embodiment is the same as the module 3B of the embodiment of the invention described in claim 2 described above. The optical wiring frame of the present embodiment has a module storage section 2C different from that of the embodiment of the invention described in claim 1 or 2 described above.

The module storage section 2C of the present embodiment is also formed in a box-like form with its front and rear sides opened, and can accommodate thin plate-shaped package modules 3B therein. As shown in FIG. 4, positioning protrusions 21L are formed in parallel at the same pitch as the arrangement pitch of the modules 3B to be arranged on the inner bottom surface of each module storage section 2C. Positioning convex part 2
1L has the same groove width over the entire area from the front side to the rear side of the module storage section 2C. A positioning groove 20L is formed between the positioning protrusions 21L.

On the other hand, the above-described positioning groove 20L and positioning protrusion 2
A positioning groove 20U and a positioning protrusion 21U are arranged to face 1L. The positioning pitch of the positioning protrusion 21U is also equal to the pitch of the modules 3B, and is formed with the same thickness over the entire area from the front side to the rear side of the module storage section 2C. Each positioning projection 21U on the inner upper surface side is formed so as to be able to advance and retreat toward the inside of the module storage portion 2C, and is formed by an elastic spring 22U.
It is always biased inward of C.

Also in this embodiment, at the time of arranging the modules 3B, a space for at least two modules 3B is secured for each stage of the module storage section 2C. That is, a pair of positioning grooves 20L are provided in the one-stage module storage section.
If there are fifty sets of 20U, forty-eight modules 3B
Are stored, and the modules 3B are not arranged in the two sets of positioning grooves 20L and 20U.

In the optical wiring rack constructed as described above, as shown in FIG. 4, by lifting each module 3B upward, the upper positioning projection 21U is moved upward, and the lower module 3B is moved downward. Positioning projection 3
1L comes off the positioning groove 20L. After that, the lower positioning projection 31L is moved to the previously secured adjacent space, and then the upper end of the module 3B is lowered into the previously secured space, thereby lowering the upper positioning projection 31L.
U can also be moved to a previously secured space. At this time, the positioning protrusion 21U is moved upward by the roundness formed on the side edge of the positioning protrusion 31U, and the upper positioning protrusion 31U is moved to the adjacent space.

That is, by sequentially moving the modules 3B, a gap X substantially equal to the arrangement pitch of the modules 3B can be formed on both sides of the modules 3B to which the optical fiber cores F are connected. After the module 3B is moved, the upper positioning projection 21U is urged toward the inside of the module storage section 2C by the spring 22U, so that the module 3B is kept in the module storage section 2C without breaking its arrangement state. Is stored in.

The module 3B for performing the connection work as described above
Since the gap X can be secured on both sides of the connector section 30, the optical connector can be easily connected to the connector section 30 and the optical connector already connected to the connector section 30 can be easily removed.
In addition, since the optical connector can be gripped from both sides, it is possible to detach the optical connector without using a dedicated tool. Furthermore, since the gap X is formed, it becomes easy to visually check the target optical fiber core from a dense space. Furthermore, the positioning projections 31L, 31U
Are formed at the side edges, respectively, so that the module 3B can be easily moved to a space reserved in advance.

The optical wiring rack of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. For example, the positioning protrusions 21L and 21U and the positioning protrusions 31L and 31U do not necessarily need to be formed over the entire area from the front side to the rear side. For example, the positioning protrusions 21L and 21U are formed over the entire area from the front side to the rear side, and the positioning protrusions 31L are formed.
L and 31U may be formed at a total of two places, a front side and a rear side. Also, without providing the positioning projections 31L and 31U, the upper end edge and the lower end edge of the optical wiring modules 3A and 3B are positioned in the positioning groove portions 20L. The optical wiring modules 3A and 3B may be arranged by directly storing them in the 20U (or by the positioning protrusions 21L and 21U).

In the second or third aspect of the present invention, two modules 3B are reserved in advance in the above embodiment, but three or more modules may be reserved. It may be a single space. Again,
A work space can be secured adjacent to the target module 3B. Alternatively, some modules 3B may be removed during operation to secure a space. Furthermore, in the invention described in claim 3, in the above-described embodiment, the positioning convex portion 21U which can enter and retreat is formed on the inner upper surface side of the module storage portion 2C. May be formed, or
It may be formed on both the inner upper surface and the inner bottom surface.

[0039]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the other optical wiring modules located on both sides of the optical wiring module for performing the operation can be easily moved to both outer sides. Thereby, on both sides of the target optical wiring module,
It is possible to form a gap that is approximately half the arrangement pitch of the optical wiring modules. As a result, work on the optical wiring module becomes easier. At this time, since there is enough space, there is no possibility that adjacent optical fiber cores are damaged. In addition, since a gap is formed on both sides of the optical wiring module, it becomes easy to visually check the target optical fiber core from a dense space.

According to the second or third aspect of the present invention, the optical wiring module can be moved, and if a space is secured in the module storage section to be moved in advance, the optical wiring module is adjacent to the optical wiring module to be operated. Then, the optical wiring module can be moved so that this space is arranged. That is, by sequentially moving the optical wiring modules, it is possible to form a gap substantially equal to the arrangement pitch of the optical wiring modules adjacent to the target optical wiring module. As a result, work on the optical wiring module becomes easier. At this time, since there is enough space, there is no possibility that adjacent optical fiber cores are damaged. Further, since a gap is formed adjacent to the optical wiring module, it becomes easy to visually check the target optical fiber core from a dense space.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view (normal state) of a cross section of a part showing a module storage section in an embodiment of an optical wiring frame according to the first aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view (at the time of connection work) of a part of a section showing a module storage section in the optical wiring frame according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view, partially in section, showing a module storage section in an embodiment of the optical wiring frame according to the second aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view, partially in section, showing a module storage part in an embodiment of the optical wiring frame according to the third aspect of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an overall front view of a conventional optical wiring rack.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a module storage section in a conventional optical wiring rack.

FIG. 7 is a front view in which a part of a module housing portion of a conventional optical wiring rack is shown in cross section.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... optical wiring frame, 2A, 2B, 2C ... module storage section,
3A, 3B: Optical wiring module (module), 20
L, 20U: positioning groove, 21L, 21U: positioning projection, 22U: spring (elastic body), 30: connector, 31L, 31U: positioning projection, C: optical cable,
F: Optical fiber core.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takashi Murakami 1-chome, Taya-cho, Sakae-ku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa F-term in Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Yokohama Works 2H038 CA38

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An optical wiring rack having a module storage portion for arranging and storing thin optical wiring modules, wherein a plurality of parallel positioning grooves for positioning the optical wiring module are provided on an inner bottom surface and an inner upper surface of the module storage portion. A positioning protrusion formed at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the optical wiring modules, and positioning protrusions housed in the positioning grooves are respectively formed on upper and lower surfaces of the optical wiring module; An optical wiring rack, wherein a thickness in a direction is smaller than a groove width of the positioning groove. 2. An optical wiring rack having a module storage portion for arranging and storing thin optical wiring modules, wherein a plurality of parallel positioning projections for positioning the optical wiring module have an inner bottom surface and an inner upper surface of the module storage portion. The optical wiring frame, wherein the positioning convex portions are formed so as to face each other at a pitch equal to the arrangement pitch of the optical wiring modules, and the positioning convex portions are formed so as to be elastically deformable. 3. An optical wiring rack having a module storage section for arranging and storing thin optical wiring modules, wherein a plurality of parallel positioning projections for positioning the optical wiring module have an inner bottom surface and an inner upper surface of the module storage section. Wherein at least one of the positioning projections formed on the inner bottom surface or the inner upper surface is directed toward the inside of the module housing portion. An optical wiring rack which is attached so as to be able to advance and retreat, and is urged toward the inside of the module storage section by an elastic body.