Optical fiber connector and method of assembling the same on site

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10473867-B2
Application number	US-201816058460-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 8, 2018
Priority date	Jul 9, 2014
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an optical fiber connector, comprising an integrated ferrule assembly and an integrated outer housing assembly, the ferrule assembly being adapted to be fitted into the housing assembly. The ferrule assembly at least comprises an inner housing, a spring, a multi-hole ferrule, a multi-fiber optical cable, a sleeve and a thermal shrinkable tube. The housing assembly at least comprises an outer housing, an outer tail tube and an outer protection cap. In the present disclosure, a plurality of components such as the inner housing, the spring, the multi-hole ferrule, multi-fiber optical cable, the sleeve, the thermal shrinkable tube and the like can be preassembled into an integrated ferrule assembly, and a plurality of components such as the outer housing, the outer tail tube, the outer protection cap and the like can be preassembled into an integrated outer housing assembly; then, a worker only needs to insert the integrated ferrule assembly into the integrated outer housing assembly on site, thereby completing assembling operation of the whole optical fiber connector conveniently and quickly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical fiber connector, comprising:
an integrated ferrule assembly including
an inner housing;
a spring mounted in the inner housing; and
a ferrule positioned forward of the spring and compressing the spring; and

an integrated outer housing assembly including:
an outer housing;
an outer tail tube connected to a rear end of the outer housing; and
an outer protection cap hermetically connected to a front end of the outer housing,

wherein the integrated outer housing assembly is adapted to be rearwardly sleeved over the integrated ferrule assembly such that a portion of the outer housing abuts a front end of the inner housing.

2. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical fiber connector is a female connector.

3. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical fiber connector is a male connector.

4. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1 ,
further comprising an annular seal ring positioned to be pressed by the outer housing of the optical fiber connector when the integrated outer housing assembly is rearwardly sleeved over the integrated ferrule assembly, thereby sealing an interface between the outer housing of the optical fiber connector and the ferrule assembly.

5. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein the ferrule is a multi-hole male ferrule having alignment pins.

6. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein the ferrule is a multi-hole female ferrule having alignment holes for receiving alignment pins of a multi-hole male ferrule.

7. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein the inner housing includes a first half-housing and a second half-housing which are separated from each other and are capable of being assembled together.

8. The optical fiber connector according to claim 7 , wherein the first half-housing and the second half-housing are adapted to be assembled together through a first snapping mechanism.

9. The optical fiber connector according to claim 8 , wherein the first snapping mechanism comprises:
a first elastic snapping buckle formed on one of the first half-housing and the second half-housing; and
a first snapping recess formed in the other one of the first half-housing and the second half-housing.

10. The optical fiber connector according to claim 9 , wherein the first half-housing and the second half-housing include, respectively, two first positioning features which cooperate with each other for preventing the first half-housing and the second half-housing from being assembled together in a misaligned state.

11. The optical fiber connector according to claim 10 , wherein the first positioning features include:
a first positioning protrusion formed on one of the first half-housing and the second half-housing; and
a first positioning recess formed on the other one of the first half-housing and the second half-housing.

12. The optical fiber connector according to claim 11 , wherein the inner housing and the outer housing are adapted to be assembled together with a second snapping mechanism.

13. The optical fiber connector according to claim 12 , wherein the second snapping mechanism comprises:
a second elastic snapping buckle disposed on one of an outer wall of the inner housing and an inner wall of the outer housing; and
a second snapping recess disposed in the other one of the outer wall of the inner housing and the inner wall of the outer housing.

14. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein the ferrule assembly further comprises:
a ferrule protection cap adapted to be fitted over a front end surface of the ferrule.

15. The optical fiber connector according to claim 14 , wherein the ferrule protection cap comprises:
a body portion including a mating end surface for mating with the front end surface of the ferrule and
an elastic tail portion connected to a side of the body portion facing the mating end surface and extending forwardly by a predetermined length.

16. The optical fiber connector according to claim 15 , wherein
the front end surface of the ferrule is formed at a predetermined angle, and
the mating end surface of the ferrule protection cap is formed at an angle complementary to that of the front end surface of the ferrule.

17. The optical fiber connector according to claim 15 , wherein
when the outer housing of the optical fiber connector is rearwardly sleeved over the ferrule assembly, the elastic tail portion of the ferrule protection cap extends out of the outer housing so as to facilitate removal of the ferrule protection cap after the outer housing is rearwardly sleeved over the ferrule assembly.

18. The optical fiber connector according to claim 17 , wherein
the elastic tail portion of the ferrule protection cap is a corrugated elastic component.

Assignees

• Commscope Telecommunications Shanghai Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tong Zhaoyang
• Cheng Xingjun
• Liu Lei
• Qi longzhou

Classifications

• G02B6/387

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

• G02B6/3885 Primary

  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 title

• G02B6/3849

  using mechanical protective elements, e.g. caps, hoods, sealing membranes (G02B6/3816 takes precedence; provisionally see H01R13/44) · CPC title

• G02B6/3869

  Mounting ferrules to connector body, i.e. plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/3821

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