Distributed tap architecture incorporating hardened connectivity

Abstract

Distributed optical tapping architectures include two or more optical tap terminals daisy-chained together. Each optical tap terminal includes an environmentally sealed enclosure; an optical tapping circuit positioned within an interior of the enclosure, the optical tapping circuit including a tap input, a tap pass-through output, and a tap drop output; and hardened interface locations (e.g., de-mateable fiber optic connection locations, cable-pass through glands, etc.) corresponding to the tap input, the tap pass-through output and the tap drop output.

1 . An optical tap terminal comprising:
 an environmentally sealed enclosure sealed for use in an outdoor environment, the enclosure defining an interior;   an optical tapping circuit positioned within the interior of the enclosure, the optical tapping circuit including an tap input, a tap pass-through output, and a tap drop output; and   hardened de-mateable fiber optic connection locations corresponding to the tap input, the tap pass-through output and the tap drop output.   
     
     
         2 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , wherein the hardened de-mateable fiber optic connection locations include hardened adapter ports provided at a wall of the enclosure. 
     
     
         3 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , wherein the enclosure is re-enterable. 
     
     
         4 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , wherein the enclosure defines gel-sealed cable ports for allowing drop cables and/or pass-through cables to be routed into the enclosure. 
     
     
         5 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , wherein the enclosure is seal-rated for underground applications. 
     
     
         6 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , wherein the enclosure includes brackets, tabs or other structures for permitting pole mounting, strand mounting or hand-hole mounting. 
     
     
         7 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , further comprising one or more splice trays positioned within the interior of the enclosure. 
     
     
         8 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , further comprising a passive optical power splitter or a wavelength division multiplexer positioned within the interior of the enclosure. 
     
     
         9 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , further comprising additional hardened de-mateable fiber optic connection locations carried with the enclosure that are not optically connected to the optical tapping circuit. 
     
     
         10 . The optical tap terminal of any of  claim 9 , wherein the additional hardened de-mateable fiber optic connection locations include hardened adapter ports provided at a wall of the enclosure. 
     
     
         11 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , wherein the optical tap terminal includes only one tap drop output. 
     
     
         12 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , wherein the optical tap terminal includes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 or more tap drop outputs. 
     
     
         13 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the hardened de-mateable fiber optic connection locations is provided as a hardened connector at a free end of a fiber optic cable tether having a base end coupled to the enclosure. 
     
     
         14 . A fiber distribution architecture including a plurality of the optical tap terminals of  claim 1  daisy chained together along one fiber line with the tap input of a downstream one of the optical tap terminals coupled to the tap pass-through output of an immediately upstream one of the optical tap terminals. 
     
     
         15 . An optical tap terminal comprising:
 an environmentally sealed enclosure sealed for use in an outdoor environment, the enclosure defining an interior;   an optical tapping circuit positioned within the interior of the enclosure, the optical tapping circuit including an tap input, a tap pass-through output, and a tap drop output; and   a gel sealant unit that mounts within the enclosure, the gel sealant unit defining cable ports for sealing fiber optic cables optically coupled to the tap input, the tap pass-through output, and the tap drop output, the gel sealing unit including a volume of gel defining the cable ports, the volume of gel being positioned between first and second pressurization structures, the gel sealant unit also including an actuator for forcing the first and second pressurization structures together to pressurize the volume of gel, the actuator including at least one spring for applying spring load to the volume of gel to maintain the gel under spring pressure.   
     
     
         16 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 15 , wherein the enclosure includes a base and a removable dome, and wherein the volume of gel mounts and seals within the base. 
     
     
         17 . The optical tap terminal of  claim 15 , wherein the optical tapping circuit includes only one tap drop output. 
     
     
         18 . A fiber distribution architecture comprising:
 a tap terminal including an environmentally sealed enclosure sealed for use in an outdoor environment, the enclosure defining an interior;   an optical tapping circuit positioned within the interior of the enclosure, the optical tapping circuit including an tap input, a tap pass-through output, and a tap drop output;   a fiber distribution device positioned outside the enclosure of the tap terminal, the fiber distribution device including a passive optical power splitter having an input optically coupled to the tap drop output, the fiber distribution device also including hardened de-mateable fiber optic connection locations optically couple to outputs of the passive optical power splitter.   
     
     
         19 . The fiber distribution architecture of  claim 18 , wherein a plurality of the optical tap terminals are daisy chained together along one fiber line with the tap input of a downstream one of the optical tap terminals coupled to the tap pass-through output of an immediately upstream one of the optical tap terminals. 
     
     
         20 . The fiber distribution architecture of  claim 18 , wherein the optical tapping circuits each include only one tap drop output.