Zero stress fiber optic fluid connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9279949-B2
Application number	US-201414649584-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 2, 2014
Priority date	Oct 4, 2013
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

A system and method for passing a fiber cable through a fiber connector is presented. A fiber connector includes an outer body and a series of flutes inside the outer body. The outer body forms an interior chamber that has a first opening and a second opening. The first opening allows a coolant to flow into the first opening and the first and second openings allow the fiber cable to pass through the first opening and the second opening and through the fiber connector. A series of flutes are attached to an inner surface of the outer body and extend into the interior chamber. The flutes are spaced apart from each other and extend from the inner surface toward the fiber cable but do not touch the fiber cable when no liquid is flowing in the fiber connector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber connector comprising:
an outer body with an interior chamber, a first opening and a second opening; wherein the first opening allows a coolant to flow into the first opening and the first and second openings allow a fiber cable to pass through the first opening and the second opening; and
a plurality of flutes attached to an inner surface of the outer body and extending into the interior chamber, wherein the plurality of flutes are spaced apart from each other and extend from the inner surface toward the fiber cable but do not touch the fiber cable when no liquid is flowing in the fiber connector.

2. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein the plurality of flutes are conical in shape with curved surfaces with central openings to allow the fiber cable to pass through the plurality of flutes.

3. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein a first flute closest to the first opening has a first flexibility, wherein a second flute between the first flute and the second opening has a second flexibility that has more flexibility than the first flute, and wherein a third flute between the second flute and the second opening has a third flexibility that has more flexibility than the second flute.

4. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein the closer a specific flute is to the second opening the more flexibility the specific flute has as compared to other flutes further away from the second opening.

5. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein the plurality of flutes are concave in shape as viewed from the first opening and are convex in shape as viewed from the second opening.

6. The fiber connector of claim 5 wherein the flute closest to the first opening has a stiffness to prevent the flute closest to first opening from deflecting and touching the fiber cable when a coolant is flowing in the fiber connector.

7. The fiber connector of claim 5 wherein the flute closest to the second opening has a flexibility to allow the flute closest to second opening to deflect and touching the fiber cable when a coolant is flowing in the fiber connector.

8. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein the plurality of flutes have thick side wall thickness where the plurality of flutes are attached to the inner surface of the outer body and have side wall thickness that decreases moving away from the inner surface of the outer body.

9. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein the plurality of flutes are formed out of one or more of the group of: a rubber, a polymer and a plastic.

10. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein the main body is generally cylindrical in shape.

11. The fiber connector of claim 10 wherein the main body further includes:
a cylindrical connector portion that is cylindrical in shape and forms the first opening, wherein the cylindrical connector portion forms a smaller cylindrical shape than the main body.

12. The fiber connector of claim 11 wherein the cylindrical connector portion is shaped so that the fiber connector is attachable to another device by one of the group of: screw on threads, a push-to-connect connector and compression fitting.

13. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein the main body is formed with one or more of the group of: a metal, a polymer and a plastic.

14. The fiber connector of claim 1 further comprising:
an O-ring located adjacent a wall where the second opening is formed; wherein the fiber cable passes through the O-ring, and wherein the O-ring prevents coolant from escaping the wall when coolant is flowing in the fiber connector.

15. The fiber connector of claim 1 wherein the O-ring is formed out of at least one of the group of: a rubber and a polymer.

16. A method comprising:
pulling a fiber cable through a fiber connector so that the fiber cable extends through a first opening in the fiber connector and extends through a second opening in the fiber connector, wherein the cable passes through a plurality of flutes within the fiber connector, wherein the plurality of flutes are located between the first and second openings, wherein the plurality of flutes extend from an inner wall of the fiber connector toward the fiber cable, and wherein the plurality of flutes are concave in shape as viewed from the first opening; and

flowing a coolant into the fiber connector to cool the fiber cable.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
spacing the plurality of flutes apart to allow eddy current to be formed between the flutes when flowing the coolant into the fiber connector to distribute the total energy required to cease flow within the fiber connector.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
selecting a material of at least the flute closest to the second opening so that the at least the flute closest to the second opening deflects to touch the fiber cable when a coolant is flowing in the fiber connector to create an axial seal about an outer-most surface of the fiber cable.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
removing the fiber cable from the fiber connector; and
reusing the fiber cable in a different system.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising:
placing an O-ring around the fiber cable and placing the O-ring adjacent a wall forming the second opening to prevent the coolant from exiting the second opening.

Assignees

• Bae Sys Inf & Elect Sys Integ

Inventors

• Johnson Benjamin R
• Kelly David P
• Shaw Michael J

Classifications

• G02B6/4407 Primary

  with internal fluted support member (G02B6/4429, G02B6/4439, G02B6/4479 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/3814 Primary

  with cooling or heat dissipation means · CPC title

• G02B6/4436

  Heat resistant · CPC title

• G02B6/4296

  coupling with sources of high radiant energy, e.g. high power lasers, high temperature light sources · CPC title

• G02B6/4477

  with means for strain-relieving to interior strengths element · CPC title