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US-12619045-B2 - Efficient alignment structure for multiple connectors branching from a single optical cable

US12619045B2US 12619045 B2US12619045 B2US 12619045B2US-12619045-B2

Abstract

A housing structure includes: an optical cable including optical fibers; connector units branching off from the optical cable; and a housing body that houses the connector units. Each of the connector units includes: a first tube through which the optical fibers pass; second tubes through each of which the optical fibers branching off from the first tube pass; and a connector group constituted by optical connectors that are each disposed at an end part of each of the second tubes. The connector group of each of the connector units is disposed at a different position in a length direction from the connector group of any other one of the connector units. The first tube of each of the connector units other than a first connector unit that is shortest among the connector units overlaps in the length direction the connector group of the first connector unit.

Inventors

  • Ryoichi Mitobe
  • Kansei Shindo

Assignees

  • FUJIKURA LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20210215
Priority Date
20200402

Claims (4)

  1. 1 . A housing structure comprising: an optical cable comprising optical fibers; connector units branching off from the optical cable; and a housing body that houses the connector units, wherein each of the connector units comprises: a first tube through which the optical fibers pass; second tubes through each of which the optical fibers branching off from the first tube pass; and a connector group constituted by optical connectors that are each disposed at an end part of each of the second tubes, in a length direction, none of the connector groups overlap one another, an outer diameter of each of the second tubes is smaller than an outer diameter of the first tube, a total of cross-sectional areas of the second tubes in one of the connector units is larger than a cross-sectional area of the first tube in the one of the connector units, the connector units are divided into at least a first unit group and a second unit group, the connector units in the second unit group are all disposed closer to a leading end of the optical cable than any of the connector units in the first unit group, in the length direction, none of the connector groups of the connector units in the first unit group overlaps the second tubes of any of the other connector units, and in the length direction, the connector groups of the connector units in the second unit group other than a longest one of the connector units overlaps the second tubes of at least one of the connector units in the second unit group.
  2. 2 . A pulling-end-equipped optical cable comprising: an optical cable comprising optical fibers; connector units branching off from the optical cable; and a housing body that houses the connector units, wherein each of the connector units comprises: a first tube through which the optical fibers pass; second tubes through each of which the optical fibers branching off from the first tube pass; and a connector group constituted by optical connectors that are each disposed at an end part of each of the second tubes, in a length direction, none of the connector groups overlap one another, an outer diameter of each of the second tubes is smaller than an outer diameter of the first tube, a total of cross-sectional areas of the second tubes in one of the connector units is larger than a cross-sectional area of the first tube in the one of the connector units, the connector units are divided into at least a first unit group and a second unit group, the connector units in the second unit group are all disposed closer to a leading end of the pulling-end-equipped optical cable than any of the connector units in the first unit group, in the length direction, none of the connector groups of the connector units in the first unit group overlaps the second tubes of any of the other connector units, and in the length direction, the connector group of the connector units in the second unit group other than a longest one of the connector units overlaps the second tubes of at least one of the connector units in the second unit group.
  3. 3 . The pulling-end-equipped optical cable according to claim 2 , further comprising a braided tube that houses the housing body, wherein a pulling part is disposed at a first end part of the braided tube, and a second end part of the braided tube that is on an opposite side from the second end part is fixed to the optical cable.
  4. 4 . A method for manufacturing a housing structure, the method comprising: creating connector units that: branch off from an optical cable, and each include: a first tube; second tubes; and a connector group constituted by optical connectors that are each disposed at an end part of each of the second tubes, by passing optical fibers that branch off from the optical cable through the first tube, passing the optical fibers that branch off from the first tube through the second tubes, and providing each of the optical connectors at an end part of each of the optical fibers that have been passed through the second tubes; and housing the connector units in a housing body such that the connector units are divided into at least a first unit group and a second unit group, the connector units in the second unit group are all disposed closer to a leading end of the optical cable than any of the connector units in the first unit group, in a length direction, none of the connector groups of the connector units in the first unit group overlaps the second tubes of any of the other connector units, and in the length direction, the connector groups of the connector units in the second unit group other than a longest one of the connector units overlaps the second tubes of at least one of the connector units in the second unit group, wherein an outer diameter of each of the second tubes is smaller than an outer diameter of the first tube, and a total of cross-sectional areas of the second tubes in one of the connector units is larger than a cross-sectional area of the first tube in the one of the connector units.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to a housing structure, a pulling-end-equipped optical cable, and a method for manufacturing a housing structure. BACKGROUND Patent Literature 1 discloses a cable pulling terminal structure used at the time of pulling an optical cable with a pulling device. PATENT LITERATURE Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2010-217316 An optical cable can be laid from outside a station building to inside thereof by pulling a pulling part of a pulling-end-equipped optical cable. The laying task inside the station building after pulling-in the optical cable can be facilitated by attaching optical connectors in advance to respective end parts of optical fibers of the optical cable and by housing the optical connectors inside a pulling terminal structure. However, in cases of housing a multitude of optical connectors, the housing may become large. It should be noted that there are demands to reduce the size not only of housings for pulling-end-equipped optical cables, but also of housings configured to house a multitude of optical connectors provided to an end part of an optical cable. SUMMARY One or more embodiments of the present invention reduce the size of a housing body configured to house a multitude of optical connectors. One or more embodiments of the invention relate to a housing structure including: an optical cable including optical fibers; connector units branching off from the optical cable; and a housing body configured to house the connector units. Each of the connector units includes: a first tube configured such that a plurality of the optical fibers are passed therethrough; second tubes, each configured such that a plurality of the optical fibers branching off from the first tube are passed therethrough; and a connector group constituted by optical connectors provided respectively at an end part of the respective second tubes. The respective connector groups of the connector units are located at different positions from one another in a length direction. In case where the shortest connector unit is defined as a first connector unit, the respective first tubes of the connector units other than the first connector unit are present in a region occupied in the length direction by the connector group of the first connector unit. In relation to at least one of the connector units whose connector group is located on a leading-end side with respect to the connector group of the first connector unit, the second tubes of the connector unit that is next longer than the at least one connector unit are present in a region occupied in the length direction by the connector group of the at least one connector unit. One or more embodiments of the invention relate to a pulling-end-equipped optical cable including: an optical cable including optical fibers; connector units branching off from the optical cable; and a housing body configured to house the connector units. Each of the connector units includes: a first tube configured such that a plurality of the optical fibers are passed therethrough; second tubes, each configured such that a plurality of the optical fibers branching off from the first tube are passed therethrough; and a connector group constituted by optical connectors provided respectively at an end part of the respective second tubes. The respective connector groups of the connector units are located at different positions from one another in a length direction. In case where the shortest connector unit is defined as a first connector unit, the respective first tubes of the connector units other than the first connector unit are present in a region occupied in the length direction by the connector group of the first connector unit. In relation to at least one of the connector units whose connector group is located on a leading-end side with respect to the connector group of the first connector unit, the second tubes of the connector unit that is next longer than the at least one connector unit are present in a region occupied in the length direction by the connector group of the at least one connector unit. One or more embodiments of the invention relate to a method for manufacturing a housing structure, the method involving: creating connector units that branch off from an optical cable and that each include a first tube, second tubes, and a connector group constituted by optical connectors provided respectively at an end part of the respective second tubes, by passing a plurality of optical fibers that branch off from the optical cable through the respective first tube, passing a plurality of the optical fibers that branch off from the first tube through the respective second tubes, and providing the optical connectors at an end part of the optical fibers that have been passed through the respective second tubes; and housing the connector units in a housing body in such a manner that: in case where the shortest connector u