Interconnect system and methods of installing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11474307-B2
Application number	US-202117227750-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 12, 2021
Priority date	Apr 15, 2020
Publication date	Oct 18, 2022
Grant date	Oct 18, 2022

Abstract

An interconnect system is provided that involves pre-installing a connector housing an optical connector in an adapter and a ferrule of the same optical connector on a cable. The ferrule terminates one or more groups of optical fibers, and a ferrule push component is also pre-installed on the same group(s) of optical fibers. The connector housing is configured to receive and retain the ferrule and ferrule push component without being removed from the adapter to simultaneously form the optical connector and install the optical connector in the adapter. Embodiments such an interconnect system involving high fiber-count cables and related installation methods involving many optical connections are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An interconnect system, comprising:
a pre-terminated cable assembly, comprising:
a cable jacket;
different groups of optical fibers carried within the cable jacket and extending beyond an end of the cable jacket;
a plurality of ferrules each terminating one or more respective groups of the different groups of optical fibers; and
a plurality of ferrule push components corresponding to the plurality of ferrules, wherein each ferrule push component of the plurality of ferrule push components is installed on the one or more respective groups of the optical fibers that are terminated by the corresponding ferrule;

at least one adapter panel for managing interconnections, wherein each adapter panel includes a plurality of adapters; and
a plurality of connector housings each coupled to a respective adapter of the plurality of adapters, wherein the plurality of connector housings are configured to receive and retain the plurality of ferrules and the plurality of ferrule push components without being removed from the plurality of adapters.

2. The interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein:
each ferrule of the plurality of ferrules includes a front end that defines an end face where the respective one or more groups of the different groups of optical fibers terminate, a back end opposite the front end, and a shoulder between the front end and the back end that defines a maximum height and a maximum width of the ferrule in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the ferrule; and
each ferrule push component of the plurality of ferrule push components has a maximum height and maximum width in a cross-sectional plane perpendicular to a longitudinal axis of the ferrule push that is substantially the same or less than the maximum height and maximum width of the corresponding ferrule.

3. The interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein on each adapter panel of the at least one adapter panel, the plurality of adapters are arranged in a plurality of adapter rows, a plurality of adapter columns, or both a plurality of adapter rows and a plurality of adapter columns.

4. The interconnect system of claim 3 , wherein the pre-terminated cable assembly further comprises:
a plurality of subunits within the cable jacket, wherein each subunit includes several of the different groups of optical fibers and several of the ferrules, and wherein each row of the plurality of adapter rows or each column of the plurality of adapter columns includes a sufficient number of the adapters to correspond to the ferrules associated with any of the subunits.

5. The interconnect system of claim 4 , wherein the at least one adapter panel comprises a plurality of adapter panels for the plurality of subunits.

6. The interconnect system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a cabinet that includes a plurality of walls defining an interior volume, wherein each adapter panel of the at least one adapter panel has a storage position within the interior volume and is movable relative to the plurality of walls to a position at least partially outside the interior volume.

7. The interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of connector housings and the plurality of ferrule push components are shaped so that each connector housing is only configured to receive each ferrule push in a single orientation of the ferrule push relative to the connector housing.

8. The interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein each group of the different groups of optical fibers includes the optical fibers arranged side-by-side in a predefined order, and wherein each ferrule push component of the plurality of ferrule push components includes a polarity key configured to orient the ferrule push component relative to the predefined order of the one or more groups of optical fibers upon which the ferrule push component is installed.

9. The interconnect system of claim 8 , wherein each ferrule push component of the plurality of ferrule push components includes at least one opening in at least one side of the ferrule push, and wherein the predefined order of the one or more groups of optical fibers upon which the ferrule push component is installed can be confirmed by viewing the optical fibers through the at least one opening.

10. The interconnect system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of dust covers corresponding the plurality of connector housings, wherein each dust cover is received in an end of the corresponding connector housing that is outside the respective adapter.

11. The interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein each ferrule of the plurality of ferrules is an MT-type ferrule, and wherein an end of the pre-terminated cable assembly that includes the plurality of ferrules does not include optical connectors according to any intermatability standard for MPO-type optical connectors.

12. The interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of connector housings and the plurality of ferrules are configured to define a plurality of optical connectors when the plurality of connector housings receive and retain the plurality of ferrules and the plurality of ferrule push components.

13. The interconnect system of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of connector housings and the plurality of ferrules are configured to define a plurality of optical connectors according to IEC 61754-7-2: 2019 or TIA/EIA 604-5-F: 2019 when the plurality of connector housings receive and retain the plurality of ferrules and the plurality of ferrule push components.

14. The interconnect system of claim 1 , wherein each connector housing of the plurality of connector housings is releasable from the adapters without a tool.

15. An interconnect system for a building, comprising:
a pre-terminated trunk cable assembly configured to extend into the building, the pre-terminated trunk cable assembly comprising:
a cable jacket;
a plurality of subunits within the cable jacket, wherein each subunit includes a subunit jacket and different groups of optical fibers carried within the subunit jacket;
a furcation body associated with a first end of the cable jacket, wherein each subunit of the plurality of subunits includes an end section extending from the furcation body and the first end of the cable jacket, and wherein each of the end sections includes the different groups of optical fibers of the associated subunit extending from the associated subunit jacket;
a plurality of ferrules each terminating one or more respective groups of the different groups of optical fibers; and
a plurality of ferrule push components corresponding to the plurality of ferrules, wherein each ferrule push component of the plurality of ferrule push components is installed on the one or more respective groups of the optical fibers that are terminated by the corresponding ferrule;

at least one adapter panel for managing interconnections within the building, wherein each adapter panel includes a plurality of adapters each having a first opening on a first side of the adapter and a second opening on a second side of the adapter; and
a plurality of connector housings each coupled to a respective adapter of the plurality of adapters on the first side of the adapter, wherein the plurality of connector housings are configured to receive and retain the plurality of ferrules and the plurality of ferrule push components without being removed from the plurality of adapters.

16. A method of installing an interconnect system, comprising:
extending a pre-terminated cable assembly into a building, wherein the pre-terminated cable assembly comprises:
a cable jacket;
different gr

Assignees

• Corning Res & Dev Corp
• Us Conec Ltd

Inventors

• Childers Darrell
• Cloud Mitchell
• Conrad Craig
• Cooke Terry Lee
• Higley Jason
• Reinhardt Sherrh Clint

Classifications

• 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

• G02B6/4453

  Cassettes · CPC title

• G02B6/3893

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

• G02B6/3825

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

• G02B6/3897

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