Optical fiber connector

• US 4,936,662 A
• Filed: 02/10/1989
• Issued: 06/26/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: 3M Company
• Original Assignee: 3M Company
• Inventors: Griffin, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ullah, Akm E.
• Application Number:
  US07/308,610
• Time in Patent Office: 501 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.20, 350/96.21, 439/447, 439/358
• US Class Current: 385/77
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3839 for a plurality of light guides
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3865 fabricated by using moulding techniques shaping techniques of plastic materials in general B29C; producing plastic optical fiber connectors B29D11/0075
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3869 Mounting ferrules to connector body, i.e. plugs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3885 Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3888 Protection from over-extension or over-compression

Abstract

An optical fiber connector can be assembled without an adhesive using a known combination of a grooved mount and a sleeve that can either grip or release a stripped end of an optical fiber. The mount-sleeve combination is positioned within a housing which is open at one end to receive one or more stripped optical fibers and is formed at its other end with a tiny orifice that is radially aligned with a groove of the mount. After inserting a stripped optical fiber through the mount-sleeve combination and the orifice, the sleeve is allowed to grip the fiber, thus restraining it against longitudinal movement. Because of this restraint, the protruding portion of the fiber can be cleaved or polished along with the adjacent portions of the end cap. The housing preferably is formed by a thermoplastic shroud and a ceramic end cap in which the orifice is formed. The shroud preferably has an external latch by which the connector can be disconnectably fastened to a receptacle in a single motion to make low-loss connections to other optical fibers.

Claims

1. Optical fiber connector comprising

a housing that is open at one end and is formed with a tiny orifice at its opposite end,

means for gripping a stripped end of an optical fiber that has been inserted into said open end of the housing to enter said orifice, and

means for mechanically fastening the housing to a receptacle in a single motion and for releasing the housing from the receptacle in a single motion.

2. Optical fiber connector comprising

a housing that is open at one end and is formed with a tiny orifice at its opposite end,

a combination of a grooved mount and a deformable sleeve positioned within the housing, a groove of which is aligned with said orifice, which sleeve when undeformed can grip a stripped end of an optical fiber against a groove in the mount and releases the stripped end when deformed,

means for deforming the sleeve to permit a stripped end of an optical fiber that is inserted into said open end of the housing to enter a groove of the mount and said orifice, and

means for mechanically fastening the housing to a receptacle in a single motion and for releasing the housing from the receptacle in a single motion.

3. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 2 wherein the housing comprises a shroud that is formed with an opening to provide said open end of the housing and an end cap that is formed with said tiny orifice, and the shroud and end cap are formed with means for interconnecting the shroud and end cap.

4. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 3 wherein said tiny orifice extends through the exterior of the end cap so that said stripped end can protrude through the end cap.

5. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 3 and further comprising an optical lens mounted in the end cap to be optically aligned with said stripped end.

6. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 2, the mount of which has at least two V-grooves, each of which can receive a stripped optical fiber of a duplex cable.

7. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 3 wherein said means for deforming the sleeve is carried by the end cap and is actuable with ones fingers when the shroud and end cap are disconnected.

8. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 7 where each of the shroud and the end cap has a pair of diametrically opposed alignment fingers which become interlocked when the shroud and the end cap are interconnected.

9. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 8 wherein each alignment finger of the end cap is formed with a diametric aperture, and said means for deforming the sleeve comprises an elastomeric plug retained in each aperture.

10. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 9 and further comprising an O-ring to retain each elastomeric plug in each aperture.

11. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 3 wherein said mechanical fastening means is a snap-fitting means.

12. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 11 wherein said snap-fitting means comprises a latch protruding from the shroud, and the latch and shroud are a single piece of plastic.

13. Optical fiber connector as defined in claim 12 wherein the end cap is ceramic.