Connector assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11300736-B2
Application number	US-202016902646-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2020
Priority date	Jun 17, 2019
Publication date	Apr 12, 2022
Grant date	Apr 12, 2022

Abstract

A connector assembly includes a connector and a fixing device. The connector has a housing, a ferrule mounted in the housing, and a rear body inserted into a rear end of the housing. The fixing device is connected to the rear body of the connector. The fixing device has a fixture formed in a single integrated piece. The fixture includes a connection part located at a front end of the fixture and configured to be connected to the rear body of the connector and a flexible protection part disposed adjacent to the connection part and configured to protect a cable passing therethrough.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A connector assembly, comprising: a connector including a housing, a ferrule mounted in the housing, and a rear body inserted into a rear end of the housing; and a fixing device connected to the rear body of the connector, the fixing device has a fixture formed in a single integrated piece, the fixture includes a connection part located at a front end of the fixture and configured to be connected to the rear body of the connector and a flexible protection part disposed adjacent to the connection part and configured to protect a cable passing therethrough;
wherein the fixture has a fixing seat located at a rear end of outer surface of the fixture and configured to fix a plurality of reinforcing elements of an optical cable.

2. The connector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the connection part is adapted to be connected to the rear body of the connector in a snap-fit manner.

3. The connector assembly according to claim 2 , wherein an insertion chamber is formed in the connection part, and a rear end part of the rear body is adapted to be inserted into the insertion chamber of the connection part, a slot is formed in a side wall of the insertion chamber and a protrusion is formed on the rear end part of the rear body, the protrusion of the rear body is latched into the slot in response to the rear end part of the rear body being inserted into the insertion chamber of the connection part.

4. The connector assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the protrusion on the rear body is a barb preventing the protrusion from separating from the slot.

5. The connector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the fixing seat has a seat body part and a tail pipe part, the seat body part is connected to a rear end of the flexible protection part, the tail pipe part is connected to a rear end of the seat body part, and the reinforcing elements are fixed on the tail pipe part.

6. The connector assembly according to claim 5 , wherein a ring of groove is formed on the seat body part and an elastic sealing ring is arranged in the groove, the connector assembly is adapted to be inserted into an optical fiber adapter and the elastic sealing ring seals between the connector assembly and the optical fiber adapter.

7. The connector assembly according to claim 5 , wherein a plurality of notches are formed on the rear end of the tail pipe part, the notches are evenly distributed around a circumference of the tail pipe part, the reinforcing elements of the optical cable are divided into multiple strands, each strand of reinforcing elements passes through one of the notches of the tail pipe part and is evenly laid on an outer wall of the tail pipe part, the fixture has a fixing sleeve wrapped on the tail pipe part to hold the reinforcing elements on the tail pipe part.

8. The connector assembly according to claim 7 , wherein the fixing sleeve is a molded piece molded on the tail pipe part on which the reinforcing elements have been laid.

9. The connector assembly according to claim 8 , wherein a circumferential groove is formed on the tail pipe part to enhance a jointing force between the fixing sleeve and the tail pipe part.

10. The connector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a tail seat and a spring received in the housing, the tail seat is connected to a rear end of the ferrule, and the spring is compressed between the tail seat and the rear body to apply an axial thrust to the ferrule.

11. The connector assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the connector includes a guide sleeve received in the housing, the guide sleeve is connected to a rear end of the tail seat, a central axis of the guide sleeve is aligned with a central axis of the ferrule to guide the optical fiber of the optical cable which passes through the guide sleeve into an optical fiber jack of the ferrule.

12. The connector assembly according to claim 2 , wherein an elastic latch is provided on the housing, the elastic latch is adapted to be locked to an optical fiber adapter to fix the connector to the optical fiber adapter.

13. The connector assembly according to claim 12 , wherein an unlocking arm is provided on the housing, the elastic latch is separated from the optical fiber adapter by pressing the unlocking arm.

14. The connector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the connector is an LC type optical fiber connector.

15. The connector assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the connector includes a guide sleeve received in the housing, with the rear body inserted into the rear end of the housing, the guide sleeve having a first end extending from a front of the rear body in a direction toward the ferrule and a second end extending into a rear end part of the rear body, the rear end part being inserted into the connection part of the fixture.

16. The connector assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the connector includes a tail seat connected to a rear end of the ferrule, the first end of the guide sleeve connected to a rear end of the tail seat.

17. A connector assembly, comprising:
a connector including a housing, a ferrule mounted in the housing, and a rear body inserted into a rear end of the housing, the rear body includes a tubular main body adapted to be inserted into the housing, a circumferential convex ring is formed on an outer wall of the tubular main body, and a circumferential annular groove is formed on an inner wall of the housing, the circumferential convex ring is engaged with the circumferential annular groove to connect the rear body to the housing when the tubular main body of the rear body is inserted into the housing; and
a fixing device connected to the rear body of the connector, the fixing device has a fixture formed in a single integrated piece, the fixture includes a connection part located at a front end of the fixture and configured to be connected to the rear body of the connector and a flexible protection part disposed adjacent to the connection part and configured to protect a cable passing therethrough.

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd

Inventors

• Zhang Haibo
• Song Zhigang
• Wan Qingquan
• Liu Songhua
• Luo Ji

Classifications

• G02B6/38875 Primary

  Protection from bending or twisting · CPC title

• G02B6/3833

  Details of mounting fibres in ferrules; Assembly methods; Manufacture · CPC title

• G02B6/3869

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

• G02B6/3893

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

• G02B6/3807 Primary

  Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs · CPC title