Fiber optic network architecture with parallel indexed and non-indexed fiber paths

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10887018-B2
Application number	US-201716347043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2017
Priority date	Nov 2, 2016
Publication date	Jan 5, 2021
Grant date	Jan 5, 2021

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a fiber optic network including a plurality of fiber distribution components daisy chained together to form a chain of fiber distribution components, the chain of fiber distribution components having a first set of optical fiber paths that are indexed along a length of the chain and a second set of optical fiber paths that are not indexed along a length of the chain.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber optic network comprising:
a plurality of fiber distribution components daisy chained together to form a chain of fiber distribution components, the chain of fiber distribution components having first and second sets of optical fiber paths extending along a length of the chain from a first of the fiber distribution components of the chain, through at least a second of the fiber distribution components of the chain, to a third of the fiber distribution components of the chain, the first set of optical fiber paths being indexed along the length of the chain and the second set of optical fiber paths being not indexed along the length of the chain.

2. The fiber optic network of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sets of fiber paths each include 12 fiber paths.

3. The fiber optic network of claim 1 , wherein the first set of fiber paths is indexed in a forward direction and a reverse direction, wherein the first set of fiber paths includes forward drop locations dropped from the forward direction and reverse drop locations dropped from the reverse direction, and wherein a loop-back device is used to optically connect optical fiber paths from the second set of optical fiber paths to the reverse drop locations.

4. The fiber optic network of claim 3 , wherein the loop-back device includes patching capabilities for coupling the optical fiber paths from the second set of optical fiber paths to selected ones of the reverse drop locations.

5. The fiber optic network of claim 3 , further comprising a plurality of terminals each coupled to the forward drop location of one of the fiber distribution components.

6. The fiber optic network of claim 5 , wherein each terminal houses a passive optical splitter that splits optical signals received from the respective forward drop location and routes such split optical signals to ruggedized demateable fiber optic connection locations.

7. The fiber optic network of claim 3 , wherein the forward and reverse drop locations each include ruggedized demateable fiber optic connection locations.

8. The fiber optic network of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the forward drop locations is a single fiber connection location.

9. The fiber optic network of claim 3 , wherein at least one of the forward drop locations is a multi-fiber connection location.

10. The fiber optic network of claim 1 , wherein each fiber distribution component includes a plurality of indexing fibers indexed between multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection locations.

11. The fiber optic network of claim 1 , wherein each fiber distribution component also includes plurality of non-indexing fibers routed between other multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection locations.

12. A fiber distribution component comprising:
a first multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection location including a first plurality of sequential fiber positions;
a second multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection location including a second plurality of sequential fiber positions;
a third multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection location including a third plurality of sequential fiber positions;
a fourth multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection location including a fourth plurality of sequential fiber positions;
a plurality of indexing fibers indexed between the first and third pluralities of sequential fiber positions; and
a plurality of non-indexing fibers routed between the second and fourth pluralities of sequential fiber positions; and
at least one of the sequential fiber positions of the first plurality of sequential fiber positions being optically coupled to a drop location of the indexing component, the drop location including a demateable fiber optic connection interface.

13. The distribution device of claim 12 , further comprising at least one of the third sequential fiber positions being routed to a demateable reverse drop location.

14. The distribution device of claim 13 , wherein the demateable reverse drop location is provided by a multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection location.

15. The distribution device of claim 13 , wherein the demateable reverse drop location is provided by one or more single-fiber demateable fiber optic connection locations.

16. The distribution device of claim 12 , wherein the first and second demateable fiber optic connection locations are respectively provided at the end of first and second tethers routed from a cable fan-out, wherein the third and fourth demateable fiber optic connection locations are provided on a terminal, wherein the drop location is provided at the terminal, and wherein a main cable is routed from the cable fan-out to the terminal.

17. The distribution device of claim 16 , wherein the first and second multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection locations are formed by ruggedized multi-fiber optic connectors mounted at the ends of the first and second tethers.

18. The distribution device of claim 16 , wherein the third and fourth multi-fiber demateable fiber optic connection locations include ruggedized fiber optic adapter ports provided on a housing of the terminal.

19. The distribution device of claim 12 , wherein the drop location is one of a plurality of forward drop locations, each forward drop location being optically coupled to a respective one of the sequential fiber positions of the first plurality of sequential fiber positions.

20. The distribution device of claim 19 , wherein each forward drop location including a respective demateable fiber optic connection interface.

21. A fiber optic network comprising:
a plurality of fiber distribution components daisy chained together to form a chain of fiber distribution components, the chain of fiber distribution components having a first set of optical fiber paths that are indexed along a length of the chain and a second set of optical fiber paths that are not indexed along a length of the chain,
wherein the first set of fiber paths is indexed in a forward direction and a reverse direction, wherein the first set of fiber paths includes forward drop locations dropped from the forward direction and reverse drop locations dropped from the reverse direction, and
wherein a loop-back device is used to optically connect optical fiber paths from the second set of optical fiber path to the reverse drop locations.

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc
• Commscpe Tech Llc

Inventors

• Gronvall Erik J

Classifications

• G02B6/44715

  Fan-out devices · CPC title

• H04B10/27 Primary

  Arrangements for networking · CPC title

• G02B6/44529 Primary

  Optical means for identifying patch-cords · CPC title

• G02B6/3885

  Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type (optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448) · CPC title

• H04Q11/06

  Time-space-time switching · CPC title