Quick unlocking optical fiber plug connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9507103-B2
Application number	US-201615098708-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2016
Priority date	Apr 20, 2015
Publication date	Nov 29, 2016
Grant date	Nov 29, 2016

Abstract

A quick unlocking optical fiber plug connector has a casing, an optical fiber plug module, a pull lever and a cable assembly. The optical fiber plug module is mounted on a front end of the casing and has a module case and an optical fiber shaft assembly. The module case has a locking arm, a resilient linking tab and a connecting member formed on the module case and connected to one another. The pull lever has a drive member formed on a front end of a lever body. The drive member has a connecting slot and a through slot to accommodate the connecting member and part of the resilient linking tab. The drive member and the connecting member are securely connected to prevent the pull lever from being inadvertently disengaged from the resilient linking tab. The pull lever is straight and strap-like to facilitate pulling action for unlocking.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical fiber plug connector comprising:
a casing having
a body having a cavity defined in the body; and
an outer cover mounted on the body, covering the cavity and having a positioning block formed on the outer cover and having a positioning through hole defined through the positioning block;

an optical fiber plug module mounted on a front end of the casing and having
a module case mounted on the front end of the casing and having
a locking arm being flexible and deformable, formed on and protruding obliquely outward from the module case, and having at least one locking element formed on and protruding laterally outward from the locking arm;
a resilient linking tab formed on and protruding from a rear end of the locking arm and slidably extending through the positioning through hole; and
a connecting member formed on a rear end of the resilient linking tab; and

an optical fiber shaft assembly mounted in the module case;

a pull lever being strap-like, mounted slidably on the outer cover and having
a lever body; and
a drive member formed on a front end of the lever body and having a drive tab extending through the positioning through hole of the positioning block and having
a connecting slot formed on a bottom surface of the drive member, facing the outer cover, and accommodating the connecting member such that the connecting member is covered between the outer cover and the drive tab; and
a through slot defined through a front end of the drive tab, communicating with the connecting slot, and partially receiving the resilient linking tab, wherein pulling the pull lever backward drives the drive member and the connecting member to move rearward and stretches the resilient linking tab to be straight; and

a cable assembly mounted on a rear end of the casing.

2. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 1 , wherein
the outer cover has a limiting member being U-shaped, mounted on the outer cover and having a limiting through hole defined through the limiting member and through which the lever body extends; and
a width of the drive member is larger than a width of the limiting through hole.

3. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 2 , wherein
the outer cover has a linear sliding slot defined on an outer surface of the outer cover; and
the connecting member is mounted slidably in the linear sliding slot.

4. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 3 , wherein a width of the connecting member is larger than a width of the resilient linking tab.

5. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 4 , wherein
the outer cover has two hooking holes defined through the outer cover; and
the limiting member has two fork hooks formed on and protruding from the limiting member and respectively hooking in the two hooking holes.

6. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 5 , wherein
the body has a casing assembling slot defined in a front end of the body and communicating with the cavity;
the outer cover has a cover assembling slot defined in the outer cover and combined with the casing assembling slot to form an assembling aperture;
the module case has an assembling protrusion formed on and protruding rearward from a rear end of the module case, mounted detachably in the assembling aperture, and having a stopper ring formed on and protruding radially from the assembling protrusion and hooking in an inner surface of the cavity.

7. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 6 , wherein
the module case is assembled from a cylinder and a rear plug;
the cylinder has a chamber defined through the cylinder;
the locking arm of the module case is formed on the cylinder;
the rear plug is mounted in the chamber through a rear end of the cylinder and has an internal space defined in the rear plug; and
the assembling protrusion of the module case is formed on the rear plug.

8. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the optical fiber shaft assembly has
a movable shaft being hollow and having a stopper flange formed on and protruding radially from the movable shaft;
an optical fiber head pin being hollow and mounted in a front end of the movable shaft; and
a spring mounted around the movable shaft and having two ends respectively pressing against the stopper flange and an inner surface of the internal space of the rear plug.

9. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 8 , wherein
the body has a mounting slot defined in a rear end of the body;
the cable assembly has a bushing mounted on the rear end of the casing and having
a mounting protrusion formed on a front end of the bushing and mounted in the mounting slot of the body; and
a limiting flange formed on and protruding radially from the mounting protrusion and hooking on the inner surface of the cavity.

10. The optical fiber plug connector as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the pull lever has a pull tab formed on a rear end of the lever body.

11. An optical fiber plug connector comprising:
a casing having
a body having a cavity defined in the body; and
an outer cover mounted on the body, covering the cavity, and having a positioning block formed on the outer cover and having two positioning through holes defined through the positioning block;

two optical fiber plug modules corresponding to the positioning through holes, mounted on a front end of the casing and each optical fiber plug module having
a module case mounted on the front end of the casing and having
a locking arm being flexible and deformable, formed on and protruding obliquely outward from the module case and having at least one locking element formed on and protruding laterally outward from the locking arm;
a resilient linking tab formed on and protruding from a rear end of the locking arm and slidably extending through a corresponding positioning through hole; and
a connecting member formed on a rear end of the resilient linking tab; and

an optical fiber shaft assembly mounted in the module case;

a pull lever being strap-like, mounted slidably on the outer cover and having
a lever body; and
a drive member formed on a front end of the lever body and having two drive tabs extending respectively through the two positioning through holes of the positioning block and each drive tab having
a connecting slot formed on a bottom surface of the drive member, facing the outer cover, and accommodating one of the connecting members such that the connecting member is covered between the outer cover and the drive tab; and
a through slot defined through a front end of the drive tab, communicating with the connecting slot, and partially receiving one of the resilient linking tabs, wherein pulling the pull lever backward drives the drive member and the connecting member to move rearward and stretches the resilient linking tab to be straight; and

a cable assembly mounted on a rear end of the casing.

Assignees

• Advanced Connectek Inc

Inventors

• Wu Jun
• Cui Yangyang

Classifications

• G02B6/3893 Primary

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

• G02B6/387

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

• G02B6/3821

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

• G02B6/3887

  Anchoring optical cables to connector housings, e.g. strain relief features · CPC title

• G02B6/3885

  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