Reconfigurable optical ferrule carrier mating system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11036009-B2
Application number	US-202016948676-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2020
Priority date	Mar 22, 2019
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier mating system is provided. The ROF carrier mating system comprising a reconfigurable carrier adapter comprising an adapter mid-wall comprising a plurality of ferrule mating sleeves, with a first carrier receptacle on a first side of the adapter mid-wall and a second carrier receptacle on a second side of the adapter mid-wall. Each ROF carrier can take on either a serial orientation or a parallel orientation based on the alignment of a plurality of duplex ferrule connectors disposed within each ROF carrier. The plurality of ferrules of the ROF carriers inserted into the first carrier receptacle are configured to mate with the plurality of ferrules of the ROF carriers inserted into the second ferrule carrier receptacle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier, comprising:
a base comprising a plurality of ferrule bays, each ferrule bay being configured to hold a duplex ferrule connector; and
the ferrule bays comprising a first alignment feature configured to position the duplex ferrule connector in a parallel orientation and a second alignment feature configured to position the duplex ferrule connector in a serial orientation,
wherein a configuration type of the ROF carrier is determined based on an orientation of a plurality of duplex ferrule connectors within the plurality of ferrule bays of the base.

2. The ROF carrier of claim 1 , comprising a lid coupled to a first wall of the base by a hinge, the hinge configured to enable the lid to pivot into a closed position to secure the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors within the base.

3. The ROF carrier of claim 1 , comprising a plurality of carrier spring clip pairs, each carrier spring clip pair associated with a ferrule bay of the plurality of ferrule bays and configured to allow the duplex ferrule connector within the ferrule bay to independently float in a z-direction from each other duplex ferrule connector.

4. The ROF carrier of claim 1 , each duplex ferrule connector of the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors comprises:
a transmit ferrule with a first optical fiber attached and a receive ferrule with a second optical fiber attached;
a housing having a front opening, the transmit ferrule and the receive ferrule being disposed within the housing; and
at least one connector alignment feature disposed on a surface of the housing and configured to mate with the first alignment feature when the ROF carrier is in a parallel orientation and the second alignment feature when the ROF carrier is in a serial orientation.

5. The ROF carrier of claim 1 , wherein the hinge is configured to mate with a carrier keying feature of an adapter.

6. The ROF carrier of claim 1 , wherein the configuration type is changed by rotating each duplex ferrule connector of the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors from a first orientation corresponding to the first alignment feature of the base to a second orientation corresponding to the second alignment feature of the base.

Assignees

• Hewlett Packard Entpr Dev Lp

Inventors

• Leigh Kevin B
• Norton John

Classifications

• G02B6/3897

  Connectors fixed to housings, casing, frames or circuit boards (G02B6/44528 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/3825 Primary

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

• G02B6/3879 Primary

  Linking of individual connector plugs to an overconnector, e.g. using clamps, clips, common housings comprising several individual connector plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/3869

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

• G02B6/3878

  comprising a plurality of ferrules, branching and break-out means · CPC title