OUTDOOR HOUSING FOR ACCOMMODATING TELECOMMUNICATIONS DEVICES AND METHOD FOR SUPPORTING OUTDOOR HOUSING

ABRI EXTERIEUR D'INSTRUMENTS DE TELECOMMUNICATION ET METHODE DE MISE EN PLACE D'UN TEL ABRI

English Abstract

An outdoor housing accommodates telecommunications devices,
comprising a frame for accommodating telecommunications devices, a base and a
base lower part which is arranged under-ground. At least one further frame is
arranged on the first frame, the frames being housed jointly by means of
detachably-constructed side walls, doors and at least one roof structure. A method
is also disclosed for converting existing outdoor housings by re-using the frame, the
base and the base lower part of the outdoor housing for the new outdoor housing.

French Abstract

Abri extérieur pour instruments de télécommunication. Cet abri est constitué d'un cadre servant à loger les instruments de télécommunication, d'une base et d'une partie inférieure de la base qui est installée dans le sol. Un autre cadre au moins est disposé sur le premier, ces cadres étant encastrés les uns dans les autres grâce à des parois latérales construites de façon amovible; des portes et au moins une structure de toit font également partie de cet abri. On présente en outre une méthode expliquant comment convertir les abris extérieurs déjà installés en réutilisant leur cadre, leur base et la partie inférieure de leur base pour en constituer un nouveau.

Claims

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A method for increasing the size of an outdoor housing
that is accommodating telecommunications devices, which outdoor housing
initially comprises a base lower part, a base on the base lower part, a frame
on the base, and a cover on the frame, the method comprising the steps of:
removing the cover from the outdoor housing to expose the
frame;
connecting to the base and frame further bases and further
frames to form an enlarged structure; and,
attaching side walls, doors and a roof structure to the enlarged
structure.
2. A method as in claim 1, wherein at least one of the further
bases has a base lower part connected thereto.
3. A method as in claim 1 or 2, wherein the side walls are
constructed with at least one cavity.
4. A method as in claim 1 or 2, wherein the doors are
constructed with at least one cavity.
5. A method as in claim 1 or 2, wherein the roof structure is
constructed with at least one cavity.
6. A method as in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein
the frame and each further frame are each fitted with a new cover.

7. A method as in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, and
also comprising the step of adding base cladding to the base and the further
bases.
8. A method as in any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7,
wherein connections between telecommunications devices in the initial outdoor
housing and in the enlarged structure are made so as to extend above ground
level.
9. An outdoor housing for accommodating
telecommunications devices, comprising a first frame for accommodating the
telecommunications devices, a base and a base lower part which is arranged
underground, wherein at least one further frame and further base are arranged
with the base and the first frame to form an enlarged structure, the first frameand the at least one further frame being housed jointly by means of
detachably-constructed side walls, doors, and at least one roof structure.
10. The outdoor housing as in claim 9, wherein the bases are
surrounded by separate base cladding which is detachably connected to the
side walls.
11. The outdoor housing as in claim 9, wherein the bases are
surrounded by separate base cladding which is detachably connected to the
bases.
12. The outdoor housing as in claim 9, 10 or 11, wherein at
least one of the further bases has a base lower part.
13. The outdoor housing as in claim 9, 10, 11 or 12, wherein
the first frame and each further frame each has a new cover.

14. The outdoor housing as in claim 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13,
wherein the side walls are constructed with at least one cavity.
15. The outdoor housing as in claim 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13,
wherein the doors are constructed with at least one cavity.
16. The outdoor housing as in claim 9, 10, 11, 12 or 13,
wherein each roof structure is constructed with at least one cavity.
17. The outdoor housing as in claim 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15
or 16, wherein connections between telecommunications devices in the initial
outdoor housing and in the enlarged structure are made so as to extend above
ground level.

Description

CA 02222822 1997-11-28
OUTDOOR HOUSING FOR ACCOMMODATING TELECOMMUNICATIONS
DEVICES AND METHOD FOR CONVERTING OUTDOOR HOUSINGS
The invention relates to an outdoor housing for accommodating
telecommunications devices, comprising a frame for accommodating the
telecommunications devices, a base, a base plate and a base lower part which
is arranged underground, as well as a method for converting outdoor housings.
Outdoor housings in which cable junctions are arranged in a
frame are known. The frame is connected to a base plate, under which a base
is arranged. The base is connected to a base lower part, or the two are
constructed integrally together, the base lower part being buried in the ground.The base lower part is used on the one hand for mechanical stabilization of
10 the outdoor housing and, on the other hand, the underground telecommuni-
cations cables are passed into the interior of the outdoor housing through the
base lower part. A disadvantage of the standardized outdoor housings is their
limited acco""~odation capacity.
In order to meet the continuously growing information require-
15 ment, it is necessary in subscriber connecting areas of telecommunications
networks, in particular, to install new telecommunications or data networks, or
to increase the transmission capacity of existing networks. In this case,
existing double copper wires are preferably upgraded by multiple use
(multiplexing) or by new transmission techniques (HDSL, ADSL, VDSL), or
20 alternatively new routes are produced by means of glass fibers (FTTC) or radio
techniques (WLL). All these techniques result in it being necessary to move
more electrical components out of the exchanges or telecommunications
buildings to decentralized, local points. This means that outdoor housings are
required to an increasing extent for accommodating electrical components,
25 cable terminations and, where necessary, power supply units.
The invention is thus based on the technical problem of providing
an outdoor housing for accommodating telecommunications devices, and a

CA 02222822 1997-11-28
method for equipping outdoor housings, such that additional electronic
components and power supply units can be acco",modated.
The technical problem is solved by a method for increasing the
size of an outdoor housing that is accommodating telecommunications devices.
5 The outdoor housing initially comprises a base lower part, a base on the base
lower part, a frame on the base, and a cover on the frame. The method
comprises a first step of removing the cover from the outdoor housing to
expose the frame, a second step of connecting to the base and frame further
bases and further frames to form an enlarged structure, and a third step of
10 attaching side walls, doors and a roof structure to the enlarged structure.
At least one of the further bases may have a base lower part
connected thereto. The side walls and/or the doors and/or the roof structure
may be constructed with at least one cavity. The frame and each further
frame may each be htted with a new cover. The method may also comprise
15 the step of adding base cladding to the base and the further bases.
Connections between telecommunications devices in the initial outdoor housing
and in the enlarged structure may be made so as to extend above ground
level.
In another form, the invention is an outdoor housing for
20 accommodating telecommunications devices that comprises a first frame for
accommodating the devices, and also comprises a base and a base lower part
which is arranged underground. At least one further frame and further base
are arranged with the base and the first frame to form an enlarged structure.
The first frame and the at least one further frame are housed jointly by means
25 of detachably-constructed side walls, doors, and at least one roof structure.The bases may be surrounded by separate base cladding which
is detachably connected to the bases or side walls. At least one of the further
bases may have a base lower part. The first frame and each further frame
may each have a new cover. The side walls and/or the doors and/or each roof
30 structure may be constructed with at least one cavity. Connections between

CA 02222822 1997-11-28
telecommunications devices in the initial outdoor housing and in the enlarged
structure may be made so as to extend above ground level.
The parallel arrangement of at least one further frame with a
base and the common housing of the frames with side walls, doors and at
least one roof structure means that the existing outdoor housing is integrated
into the new outdoor housing. In contrast to a separate, new outdoor housing,
no additional grounding and splicing work is in consequence required for
removing the old outdoor housing, fitting a splice, and laying the main cable
into the separate new outdoor housing. Re-using most of the components of
10 the original outdoor housing results in quicker and thus more economic
installation, as well as saving materials. Above-ground connections between
the individual telecommunications devices means that no further digging work
is required for connecting the electronics. As a result of the modular
construction, the outdoor housing can be produced in any desired design
15 variance. The problems involved with constructing an autonomous housing for
the electronics in the immediate vicinity of a cable junction, such as the
digging work required for cable connection, and the disfigurement of the
landscape by a number of housings of different appearance and possibly tilted
with respect to one another, can thus likewise be avoided.
The invention will be explained in more detail in the following text
with reference to a preferred exemplary embodiment. In the figures:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a frame, module housing, base
and base lower part;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of an assembly of modules in the
25 installed state, with base cladding;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the assembly of Figure 2, with
side walls and doors fitted; and,
Figure 4 is a perspective view of a completed outdoor housing.
In Figure 1, a module 1 with a base 2 and a base lower part 3
30 are illustrated in perspective. The module 1 comprises a module cover 4 and
a frame 5, to which the corresponding telecommunications devices are

CA 02222822 1997-11-28
attached. The module cover 4 is constructed such that it can be pushed onto
the frame 5. The frame 5 is connected to a base plate 6 which is in turn
connected to the base 2 arranged underneath it. The pushed-on module cover
4 can, if required, be detachably connected either to the frame 5 and/or to the
5 base plate 6. The base lower part 3 is connected to the base 2, or is
manufactured integrally together with it. The base lower part 3 is buried
underground and is used as a type of foundation for the outdoor housing.
Furthermore, cables laid underground can be passed into the interior of the
outdoor housing through a chute 7. If it is intended to convert an existing
10 outdoor housing, then only the housing is removed from it. The frame 5 with
the telecommunications devices, the base plate 6, the base 2 and the base
lower part 3 are used again, and the new module cover 4 is just pushed onto
the frame 5, as described above.
A perspective illustration of an assembly of modules 1 with base
15 lower parts 3 buried in the ground is illustrated in Figure 2. Depending on the
requirements, further modules 1 with bases 2 and, if required, a base lower
part 3 are arranged parallel to the first module 1. The use of separate module
covers 4 allows the individual modules 1 to be designed to be accessP le
independently of one another. Thus, for example, the cable-conneding area
20 can be accommodated in a first module 1, the electronics in a second module
1, and the local power supply in a third module 1. The individual modules 1
may in this case have completely different geometric dimensions. However,
they preferably differ only in width, since this makes it easier to achieve the
housing described later, and a closed overall visual impression is achieved.
25 The individual module covers 4 make it possible to ensure that, for example,
a maintenance technician working on the local power supply does not have
access to the cable termination area or the electronics. In a configuration
described above, the module 1 used for the local power supply is preferably
constructed with a base lower part 3 in order, on the one hand, to stabilize the30 overall structure statically and, on the other hand, to pass power cables laid
underground into the interior. The base 2 of the module 1 used for the

CA 02222822 1997-11-28
electronics can preferably be used as a battery compartment which can be
ventilated. The cable connections required between the end junction and the
electronics are made directly between individual modules 1, without any
circuitous paths through the ground.
Figure 3 illustrates the assembled modules 1 with the side walls
8 and the doors 9 fitted. The doors 9 are in this case hinged on the module
covers 4. The side walls 8 in this case have cavities, which are not illustrated,
for adequate ventilation. The side walls 8 can be screwed or latched to
module covers 4.
Figure 4 illusl,ates the complete outdoor housing 10 with an
integral roof structure 11. The problems involved with setting up an
autonomous housing for the electronics in the immediate vicinity of an existing
cable junction, such as the digging work required for cable connection, and the
disfigurement of the landscape by housings of different appearance and
15 possibly tilted with respect to one another, can be avoided with the described
outdoor housing 10 and the method for converting existing outdoor housings.
If there is no need to control access to the individual modules 1, the separate
module covers 4 may be dispensed with. The outdoor housing 10 offers
climatic and EMC protection in addition to mechanical protection.

Representative Drawing