Fibre-to-fibre connector for multifibre optical fibre cables
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A fibre-to-fibre connector for multi-fibre optical fibre cables for making multiple fibre-to-fibre connections with a complementary connector, said connector having a "front" surface defining a common connection plane with said complementary connector, said connector further comprising:
- a base having on upper surface thereof a hard, rigid plane base surface for providing a reference plane,at least three hard, rigid cylindrical locating pins on said base surface and extending parallel to and in side-by-side contact with one another, their front ends being located in the vicinity of the front surface of the connector without projecting beyond the front surface and forming fibre-locating grooves between the facing portions of their side surfaces,means for clamping the locating pins against the base surface to maintain contact between the lateral surfaces of said pins and said base surface,an elastic pad for immobilizing the fibres disposed adjacent the front face and overlying at least a portion of said locating pins,means for clamping the elastic pad onto the locating pins with sufficient force to deform the pad where it contacts the pins and/or the fibres so that it presses the fibres into the locating grooves formed between the pins,a rectilinear side support extending perpendicular to said front surface and parallel to and above said base surface,a cylindrical main guide pin located on said base surface parallel to said side support between said side support and said set of locating pins, the front end of said guide pin being offset axially relative to the front edge of the connector to permit plug/socket cooperation of the connector and an associated complementary connector, and for guiding both connectors in relation to each other,means for clamping the guide pin against the base surface, and lateral clamping means for clamping the set of locating pins against the main guide pin and the main guide pin against said side support.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Fibre-retaining grooves are formed in-between a set of fibre locating pins (M) laid side by side. The pins and a base plane (4) on which they are laid are made of hard, rigid material. Guidance for connection and disconnection is provided by guide pins (G1 to G4) of larger diameter which are therefore robust enough to stand up to handling. The guide pins are in direct contact with the locating pins in order to ensure positional accuracy.
56 Citations
17 Claims
-
1. A fibre-to-fibre connector for multi-fibre optical fibre cables for making multiple fibre-to-fibre connections with a complementary connector, said connector having a "front" surface defining a common connection plane with said complementary connector, said connector further comprising:
-
a base having on upper surface thereof a hard, rigid plane base surface for providing a reference plane, at least three hard, rigid cylindrical locating pins on said base surface and extending parallel to and in side-by-side contact with one another, their front ends being located in the vicinity of the front surface of the connector without projecting beyond the front surface and forming fibre-locating grooves between the facing portions of their side surfaces, means for clamping the locating pins against the base surface to maintain contact between the lateral surfaces of said pins and said base surface, an elastic pad for immobilizing the fibres disposed adjacent the front face and overlying at least a portion of said locating pins, means for clamping the elastic pad onto the locating pins with sufficient force to deform the pad where it contacts the pins and/or the fibres so that it presses the fibres into the locating grooves formed between the pins, a rectilinear side support extending perpendicular to said front surface and parallel to and above said base surface, a cylindrical main guide pin located on said base surface parallel to said side support between said side support and said set of locating pins, the front end of said guide pin being offset axially relative to the front edge of the connector to permit plug/socket cooperation of the connector and an associated complementary connector, and for guiding both connectors in relation to each other, means for clamping the guide pin against the base surface, and lateral clamping means for clamping the set of locating pins against the main guide pin and the main guide pin against said side support. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
Specification