Wave division multiplexer arrangement for small cell networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11733470-B2
Application number	US-202217671366-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 14, 2022
Priority date	Aug 26, 2013
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

A passive optical network includes a central office providing subscriber signals; a fiber distribution hub including an optical power splitter and a termination field; and a drop terminal. Distribution fibers have first ends coupled to output ports of a drop terminal and second ends coupled to the termination field. A remote unit of a DAS is retrofitted to the network by routing a second feeder cable from a base station to the hub and coupling one the distribution fibers to the second feeder cable. The remote unit is plugged into the corresponding drop terminal port, for example, with a cable arrangement having a sealed wave division multiplexer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A cable arrangement comprising:
a protective enclosure extending along a length between opposite first and second ends, the protective enclosure being elongate along the length, the protective enclosure defining an environmentally sealed interior;
a wave division multiplexer disposed within the environmentally sealed interior of the protective enclosure, wherein a majority of the environmentally sealed interior of the protective enclosure is the wave division multiplexer;
a plurality of single-fiber optical connectors disposed external of the protective enclosure;
a plurality of optical fibers optically coupled to the wave division multiplexer, the plurality of optical fibers extending outwardly through the second end of the protective enclosure to respective ones of the plurality of single-fiber optical connectors;
an input single-fiber optical connector disposed external of the protective enclosure; and
an input fiber extending from the input single-fiber optical connector to the first end of the protective enclosure, the input fiber also being optically coupled to the wave division multiplexer so that optical signals carried over the input fiber are divided onto the plurality of the optical fibers.

2. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of single-fiber optical connectors includes at least four single-fiber optical connectors.

3. The cable arrangement of claim 2 , wherein the plurality of single-fiber optical connectors includes at least eight single-fiber optical connectors.

4. The cable arrangement of claim 3 , wherein the plurality of single-fiber optical connectors includes at least sixteen single-fiber optical connectors.

5. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers carries an optical signal having a different wavelength from optical signals carried on the other optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers.

6. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein each optical fiber of the plurality of optical fibers carries an optical signal having a different wavelength band from optical signals carried on the other optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers.

7. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the wave division multiplexer is a coarse wave division multiplexer.

8. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the wave division multiplexer is overmolded to provide the protective enclosure.

9. The cable arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the overmold extends over portions of the plurality of optical fibers.

10. The cable arrangement of claim 8 , wherein the overmold extends over a portion of the input fiber.

11. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the input fiber extends into the protective enclosure through the first end of the protective enclosure.

12. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the input single-fiber optical connector is a hardened fiber connector.

13. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of single-fiber optical connectors includes hardened single-fiber optical connectors.

14. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the wave division multiplexer is a passive wave division multiplexer.

15. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the protective enclosure has a constant cross-dimension along the length.

16. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the cable arrangement is disposed on a pole.

17. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of single-fiber optical connectors are routed to remote radio heads.

18. The cable arrangement of claim 17 , wherein the input single-fiber optical connector is plugged into a port of a drop terminal.

19. The cable arrangement of claim 18 , wherein the drop terminal and the remote radio heads are disposed on a common pole.

20. The cable arrangement of claim 1 , wherein the input single-fiber optical connector and the plurality of single-fiber optical connectors are LC connectors.

21. A cable arrangement comprising:
a protective enclosure having a first end and an opposite second end, the protective enclosure defining an interior that is sealed from an outside environment;
a wave division multiplexer disposed within the protective enclosure and between the first end and the second end;
a single optical fiber at least partially extending within the protective enclosure from the first end of the protective enclosure towards the wave division multiplexer, the single optical fiber optically coupled to the wave division multiplexer; and
a plurality of optical fibers extending through the second end of the protective enclosure such that each of the plurality of optical fibers have a proximal portion disposed within the protective enclosure and a distal portion disposed outside of the protective enclosure, wherein the proximal portion of each of the plurality of optical fibers are optically coupled to the wave division multiplexer and the distal portion of each of the plurality of optical fibers include ruggedized connectors, and wherein the distal portion of each of the plurality of optical fibers between the protective enclosure and the ruggedized connector is ruggedized.

22. A cable arrangement comprising:
a protective enclosure having a first end and an opposite second end defining a longitudinal axis, the protective enclosure defining an interior that is sealed from an outside environment;
a wave division multiplexer disposed within the protective enclosure and between the first end and the second end;
a single optical fiber at least partially extending within the protective enclosure from the first end of the protective enclosure towards the wave division multiplexer, the single optical fiber optically coupled to the wave division multiplexer; and
a plurality of optical fibers extending through the second end of the protective enclosure, a proximal end of each of the plurality of optical fibers optically coupled to the wave division multiplexer and a distal end of each of the plurality of optical fibers include a connector disposed outside of the protective enclosure, wherein a fiber routing pattern within the protective enclosure is linear along the longitudinal axis such that the single optical fiber, the wave division multiplexer, and the plurality of optical fibers are aligned along the longitudinal axis within the protective enclosure and are the only components with the protective enclosure.

Assignees

• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Gronvall Erik J
• Smith Trevor D
• Badar Timothy G
• Lefebvre Anthony L

Classifications

• G02B6/4248 Primary

  Feed-through connections for the hermetical passage of fibres through a package wall (see provisionally also G02B6/4428) · CPC title

• G02B6/44465

  Seals · CPC title

• G02B6/44265

  Fibre-to-antenna cables; Auxiliary devices thereof · CPC title

• G02B6/44528

  Patch-cords; Connector arrangements in the system or in the box (routing arrangements H04Q1/00) · CPC title

• H04B10/25754 Primary

  Star network topology · CPC title