Fiber optic module and system including rear connectors

Abstract

A telecommunications assembly including a housing and a plurality of modules mounted within the housing. The modules includes a rear face in which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector. Within an interior of the housing are positioned at least one fiber optic adapters. Inserting the module through a front opening of the housing at a mounting location positions the connector of the module for insertion into and mating with the adapter of the housing. The adapters within the interior of the housing are mounted to a removable holder. A method of mounting a telecommunications module within a chassis.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A telecommunications assembly comprising:
 a chassis and a module mounted within the chassis;   the chassis including:
 a housing with a top, a bottom, and opposing sides, defining an interior space accessible through an open front, the interior space substantially closed off by a back opposite the open front; 
 at least one mounting location within the interior space; 
 at least one fiber optic adapter corresponding to each of the mounting locations mounted within the interior space, the fiber optic adapters each including a front end directed toward the open front and a back end directed toward the back, each end configured to receive a fiber optic connector; and 
 the fiber optic adapters mounted to a holder adjacent one of the sides of the chassis, the holder removable from the interior through the open front of the chassis to permit access to the back end of the adapters mounted to the holder, the holder positioning the adapters within the interior behind the open front; and 
   the module mounted at one of the mounting locations and including a housing with a rear face to which is mounted at least one fiber optic connector engaging the at least one fiber optic adapter of the chassis.   
     
     
         2 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 1 , the module further comprising:
 a housing enclosing an interior;   at least one optical component within the interior of the housing;   a front face with a cable exit; and   a first optical fiber cable within the interior extending from the connector of the rear face to the optical component, and at least one second optical fiber cable extending from the optical component to the cable exit of the front face.   
     
     
         3 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the rear face of the module is positioned forward of a rear most extension of the housing of the module. 
     
     
         4 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the holder positions the at least one adapter forward of the back of the chassis. 
     
     
         5 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the first optical fiber cable within the module is a multi-fiber cable including a plurality of optical fiber strands, the optical component is a fanout, and a plurality of second optical fiber cables extend from the optical component to the cable exit of the front face, each second optical fiber cable including one of the strands of the first optical fiber cable. 
     
     
         6 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the optical component is an optical splitter, the first optical fiber cable includes a single strand of fiber and a plurality of second optical fiber cables extend from the optical component to the cable exit of the front face. 
     
     
         7 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 1 , wherein each module includes a pair of opposing mounting flanges and each mounting location includes a pair of opposing slots to receive the flanges of the modules, one of the flanges larger than the other and only one of the slots sized to receive the larger flange. 
     
     
         8 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the holder is positioned adjacent one of the sides of the chassis and includes a forward extension along the adjacent side to the front opening, the forward extension releasably held to the chassis by a removable fastener. 
     
     
         9 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 8 , wherein the removable fastener is a thumbscrew captively held by the forward extension of the holder and removably received within a fastener opening of the chassis. 
     
     
         10 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the module includes a pair of fiber optic connectors on the rear face, the holder includes two fiber optic adapters which each receive one of the fiber optic connectors, and the module includes a pair of optical components. 
     
     
         11 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the module includes a pair of cable exits on the front face. 
     
     
         12 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 2 , wherein each of the at least one cable exits includes a bell shaped portion to provide bend radius protection to the second optical fiber cables extending through the cable exit. 
     
     
         13 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 1 , wherein one of the mounting locations of the chassis further includes a fiber optic cable extending to and received within the rear of the at least one of the fiber optic adapters, and removal of the holder through the front opening of the chassis allows access to the fiber optic cable received within the rear of the adapter. 
     
     
         14 . The telecommunications assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the fiber optic cable extending to the rear of the fiber optic adapter may be accessed by removing the holder through the front opening of the chassis, the fiber optic cable may be removed from the rear of the adapter and cleaned, the fiber optic cable may be replaced within the adapter and the holder repositioned within the chassis. 
     
     
         15 . A method of mounting a module within a chassis comprising:
 providing the chassis including a front opening and a module mounting location, a holder positioned within an interior of the chassis at the module mounting location and accessible through the front opening, the holder holding a fiber optic adapter with a connector of a fiber optic cable received in a rear of the adapter, and further providing a module adapted to be mounted at the mounting location, the module including a rear face with a fiber optic connector;   removing the holder and the fiber optic adapter from the interior of the chassis through the front opening;   removing the connector of the fiber optic cable from the rear of the adapter and inspecting an endface of an optical fiber within the fiber optic cable;   replacing the connector with the fiber optic cable within the rear of the adapter;   replacing the holder within the chassis at the mounting location; and   inserting the module within the chassis through the front opening at the mounting location and engaging a front of the adapter with the connector of the rear face of the module.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further providing the mounting location with a pair of opposing slots and the module with a pair flanges, one of the flanges larger than the other and only one of the slots sized to receive the larger flange, the method further comprising aligning the larger flange of the module with the slot of the mounting location sized to receive the larger flange prior to inserting the module through the front opening of the chassis. 
     
     
         17 . A telecommunications module comprising:
 a housing defining an interior and including first and second opposing sides, a front face, a rear face and a back defining a rear-most extension of the housing;   the rear face positioned adjacent one of the sides of the housing in a recess and accessible from a rear of the housing;   a mounting flange extending beyond each of the side of the housing, one flange extending substantially further from the adjacent side than the other flange;   at least one fiber optic connector mounted to the rear face and positioned to inserted into a mating adapter with a rearward movement of the housing;   at least one cable exit positioned in the front face of the housing, each cable exit including a bell shaped outer extension beyond the front face;   a first fiber optic cable within the interior of the housing extending from the at least one fiber optic connector of the rear face to an optical component mounted within the interior of the housing; and   a second fiber optic cable within the housing extending from the optical component to the at least one cable exit in the front face.   
     
     
         18 . A fiber optic telecommunications chassis comprising:
 a housing with a first major side, a second major side, and a pair of opposing transverse sides extending between the major sides defining an interior with an front opening and a back substantially closing off the interior opposite the front opening;   a plurality of mounting locations defined for telecommunications modules inserted through the front opening with the module generally oriented parallel to one of the transverse sides;   each mounting location including an adapter holder positioned adjacent one of the first or second major sides, the adapter holder removably mounted within the interior of the housing and including at least one fiber optic adapter, each fiber optic adapter including a front end and a rear end, each end configured to receive a mating fiber optic connector;   each adapter holder orienting the at least one fiber optic adapter with a front end positioned to receive the mating fiber optic connector inserted through the front opening toward the back and generally parallel to the sides;   the adapter holder positioned to hold the at least one adapter within the interior of the housing at a location behind the front opening and forward of the back, so that a fiber optic cable with a mating fiber connector may be directed to and inserted within the rear end of the adapter; and   the adapter holder removable from the interior of the housing through the front opening so that the rear end of the at least one adapter may be accessed outside of the interior.