Tunable optical fiber connector

• US 20020131722A1
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Furukawa Electric North America Incorporated (Furukawa Electric Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Furukawa Electric North America Incorporated (Furukawa Electric Company Limited)
• Inventors: Lewis, Wayne Lloyd, Lampert, Norman R.
• Granted Patent: US 6,663,293 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/78
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3821 with axial spring biasing or loading means G02B6/3847 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3843 with auxiliary facilities for movably aligning or adjusting the fibre within its ferrule, e.g. measuring position or eccentricity testing the alignment of axes, including eccentricity, G01B11/27
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3893 Push-pull type, e.g. snap-in, push-on

Abstract

A tunable optical fiber connector has a barrel assembly within a housing in which a tubular member has mounted thereon a nut in a light press fit. The tubular member has a ferrule extending from the front thereof and, in a preferred embodiment, notches in its end for use with a tuning wrench. The outer dimensions of the nut are chosen to minimize float between the nut and the cavity that contains the nut within the housing. The connector is first roughly turned by rotation of the nut and tubular member together, and then precisely tuned by rotation of the tubular member relative to the nut.

Claims

1. For use in an optical fiber connector, a barrel assembly comprising:

a tubular member having a cable receiving end and a connector end, and a first bore extending therethrough from one of said ends to the other;

a ferrule mounted in said bore at said connector end having a fiber bore extending therethrough approximately axially aligned with said first bore; and

a tuning member having a bore therein dimensioned to make said tuning member a light press fit on said tubular member, said tubular member being rotatable with respect to said tuning member.

2. The barrel assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubular member has a flange thereon spaced from said connector end and defining a surface on said tubular member upon which said tuning member fits.

3. A barrel assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tubular member has a first notch in the connector end of said tubular member.

4. A barrel assembly as claimed in claim 3 wherein said connector end of said tubular member, said first and second notches being on opposite sides of said ferrule.

5. A barrel assembly as claimed in claim 1 wherein said tuning member comprises a nut having a periphery on which is arrayed a plurality of flats.

6. A barrel assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein said nut has six flats symmetrically arrayed about the periphery

7. A barrel assembly as claimed in claim 5 wherein said nut has a rear surface which bears against said flange and a tapered front surface.

8. A tunable optical fiber connector comprising:

a housing member having a cable receiving end and a connector end and having a bore extending axially therethrough from one of said ends to the other;

a barrel assembly comprising an elongated tubular member axially positioned within said bore and having a ferrule holding portion at a first end thereof adjacent said connector end;

said housing member having a cavity with a portion having a non-cylindrical surface;

a ferrule mounted in said holding portion and extending from said connector end of said housing;

said tubular member having a flange member spaced from said first end and defining a mounting surface;

a tuning nut having a non-cylindrical surface on the periphery thereof and a mounting bore for mounting said nut on said mounting surface, said mounting bore diameter and said mounting surface diameter being such as to make the nut a light press fit on said mounting surface sufficient to hold said nut in place on said tubular member and to allow rotation of said tubular member relative to said nut upon application of torque thereto;

said nut having the non-cylindrical outer surface restrained in an axial direction within the housing member, and having a rear surface bearing against said flange and a tapered front surface;

the non-cylindrical surface of the cavity in said bore in said housing having a nut containing portion corresponding to said non-cylindrical surface on said nut; and

spring means for maintaining said barrel assembly seated within said housing during use.

9. An optical fiber connector as claimed in claim 8 wherein said tuning nut has six flats on the periphery thereon and said nut containing portion has six flats therein.

10. An optical fiber connector as claimed in claim 8 wherein said flats on said nut are symmetrical about the axis of said barrel assembly.

11. An optical fiber connector as claimed in claim 10 wherein the distance from the axis of said tubular member to the center of one of the flats on said nut differs from the corresponding distance to the center of one of said flats in said bore in said housing by less than 0.001 inches.

12. An optical fiber connector as claimed in claim 8 wherein said nut has a tapered front surface.

13. An optical fiber connector as claimed in claim 8 wherein said bore in said housing has a tapered seating portion for receiving the tapered front surface of said nut.

14. An optical fiber connector as claimed in claim 8 wherein said tubular member has a tuning element at the said first end thereof.

15. An optical fiber connector as claimed in claim 14 wherein said tuning element is a tuning notch.

16. An optical fiber connector as claimed in claim 14 wherein said tubular member has first and second tuning notches at the said front end thereof located on opposite sides of said ferrule.