Optical adaptor for mounting to a receptacle to optically couple connectorized optical cables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10120137-B2
Application number	US-201715435520-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2017
Priority date	Sep 4, 2014
Publication date	Nov 6, 2018
Grant date	Nov 6, 2018

Abstract

An optical adaptor for mounting to a receptacle to optically couple connectorized optical cables comprises an assembly of an optical interface to provide an optical path between a first and a second one of the connectorized optical cables to optically couple the first and the second connectorized optical cable. The optical adaptor further comprises a mounting element formed as a hollow body to mount the assembly of the optical interface. The assembly of the optical interface is configured to be insertable in the hollow body of the mounting element. The mounting element is configured to mechanically couple the first connectorized optical cable to the mounting element so that the first connectorized optical cable is optically coupled to the optical path.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical adaptor for mounting to a receptacle to optically couple connectorized optical cables, comprising:
an assembly of an optical interface to provide an optical path between a first and a second one of the connectorized optical cables to optically couple the first and the second connectorized optical cable wherein the assembly of the optical interface has a first side to optically couple the first connectorized optical cable to the optical path and a second side to optically couple the second connectorized optical cable to the optical path;
a mounting element formed as a hollow body to mount the assembly of the optical interface, the mounting element having a longitudinal axis; and
wherein the assembly of the optical interface is configured to be insertable in the hollow body of the mounting element;
wherein the assembly of the optical interface is configured such that the assembly of the optical interface is moveably arranged inside the hollow body of the mounting element in a direction along the longitudinal axis of the mounting element and is fixed inside the hollow body of the mounting element in relation to a rotation around the longitudinal axis of the mounting element;
wherein the mounting element is configured to mechanically couple the first connectorized optical cable to the mounting element so that the first connectorized optical cable is optically coupled to the optical path;
wherein the assembly of the optical interface comprises at least one ferrule to provide the optical path and a connector interface to receive the at least one ferrule;
wherein the assembly of the optical interface comprises a sleeve and a sleeve holder to hold the sleeve, and the sleeve is configured to receive an end of the at least one ferrule and a ferrule of the first connectorized optical cable; and
wherein the connector interface and the sleeve holder are mechanically coupled to each other.

2. The optical adaptor of claim 1 , further comprising a ferrule holder for holding the at least one ferrule.

3. The optical adaptor of claim 1 , wherein the assembly of the optical interface comprises two ferrules and an optical fiber having a first and a second section, the two ferrules and the optical fiber providing the optical path;
wherein the first section of the optical fiber is encapsulated by the first ferrule and the second section of the optical fiber is encapsulated by the second ferrule;
wherein a first end of the optical fiber terminates at an end of the first ferrule and a second end of the optical fiber opposite to the first end terminates at an end of the second ferrule;
wherein the end of the first ferrule and the first end of the optical fiber are configured to optically couple light between the optical fiber and the first connectorized optical cable; and
wherein the end of the second ferrule and the second end of the optical fiber are configured to optically couple light between the optical fiber and the second connectorized optical cable.

4. The optical adaptor of claim 1 , wherein the mounting element has a first side with an opening extending in the hollow body of the mounting element to receive the first optical connector in the hollow body;
wherein the mounting element comprises a first alignment element extending from the opening at the first side of the mounting element in the hollow body of the mounting element; and
wherein the first alignment element of the mounting element is configured to engage in an alignment element of the first optical connector to direct the insertion of the first optical connector to the mounting element.

5. The optical adaptor of claim 4 , wherein each of the connector interface and the sleeve holder comprises an alignment element;
wherein the hollow body of the mounting element has a second side with an opening to receive the connector interface and the sleeve holder in the hollow body of the mounting element;
wherein the mounting element comprises a second alignment element extending from the opening at the second side of the mounting element in the hollow body of the mounting element; and
wherein the second alignment element of the mounting element and each of the alignment element of the connector interface and the sleeve holder are formed in a complementary manner to direct the insertion of the connector interface and the sleeve holder into the mounting element.

6. The optical adaptor of claim 5 , wherein the optical adaptor is configured to be mechanically mountable to a fixture of the receptacle to hold the optical adaptor;
wherein the mounting element comprises a third alignment element being disposed on an outer surface of the mounting element; and
wherein the third alignment element is configured to direct the insertion of the mounting element into the fixture.

7. The optical adaptor of claim 6 , comprising:
a hollow screw to mount the optical adaptor to the fixture; and
wherein the mounting element and the hollow screw are configured such that the hollow screw is slideable on the mounting element from the second side of the mounting element and is rotatable on the outer surface of the mounting element.

8. The optical adaptor of claim 7 , wherein the hollow screw has flexible sections being configured to be pressed to the mounting element when the optical adaptor is mounted to the fixture.

9. The optical adaptor of claim 1 , wherein the mounting element comprises a securing means being configured to mount the first optical connector to the mounting element.

10. An optical assembly to optically couple connectorized optical cables, comprising:
the optical adaptor of claim 1 ,
wherein the receptacle comprises a coupling element being configured to mechanically couple the second optical connector to the coupling element and to optically couple the second connectorized optical cable to the assembly of the optical interface of the optical adaptor.

11. The optical assembly of claim 10 , wherein the receptacle comprises a fixture formed as a hollow body to receive the coupling element; and
wherein the receptacle comprises at least one spring element of the receptacle being configured to push the coupling element to the connector interface of the optical adaptor.

12. The optical assembly of claim 11 , wherein the receptacle comprises a fixation adapter being configured to be fixable to the fixture; and
wherein the hollow screw of the optical adaptor is configured to be screwed to the fixation adapter to fix the mounting element of the optical adaptor to the fixture.

13. The optical assembly of claim 12 , wherein the fixation adapter comprises at least one snap hook to fix the fixation adapter to the fixture; and
wherein the mounting element of the optical adaptor comprises an abutment element arranged on the outer surface of the mounting element and being configured to engage the at least one snap hook to the fixture to fix the fixation adapter to the fixture when inserting the mounting element in the fixation adapter being inserted in the fixture.

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• Beier Joachim Rudolf
• Kluwe Wolf Peter
• Matthies Jürgen
• Mueller-Schlomka Gordon
• Schulte Martin
• Wimmer Michael

Classifications

• G02B6/387

  Connector plugs comprising two complementary members, e.g. shells, caps, covers, locked together · CPC title

• G02B6/3893

  Push-pull type, e.g. snap-in, push-on · CPC title

• G02B6/3825 Primary

  with an intermediate part, e.g. adapter, receptacle, linking two plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/3821

  with axial spring biasing or loading means (G02B6/3847 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/3874

  using tubes, sleeves to align ferrules · CPC title