A new type of AODF based on an imitation of the weft insertion of a rapier loom

Abstract

The main distribution frame (MDF) is an important component between the user and the operator that supplies a telecommunication service and is the only layer in the seven-layer communication architecture that is not fully automated. In this paper, a cross-connect method for simulating the rapier picking of a rapier loom (shuttleless loom) is proposed to imitate the shedding and the picking action to achieve quick switching. Using the designed " shedding device” and " picking device”, a model prototype of the automatic optical distribution frame (AODF) was constructed and tested for verification.