Optical connector with adhesive material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9588303-B2
Application number	US-201514935662-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2015
Priority date	Jun 3, 2013
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

An optical fiber connector preloaded with an adhesive is provided. The optical connector includes a body having a passage with a first section extending inwardly from a first face of the body, a second section extending inwardly from a second face from the body, and a transition section located between the first section and the second section. The first section of the passage has a first width and the second section of the passage has a second width that is less than the first width. An adhesive composition is located within the transition section of the passage and is configured to bind an optical fiber to an inner surface of the second section following melting and solidification of the adhesive composition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An optical fiber connector, comprising:
a body having a first face and a second face;
a passage defined in the body that extends between a first opening formed in the first face and a second opening formed in the second face, the passage configured to receive an optical fiber, the passage comprising:
a first passage section extending inwardly from the first face and having a first width;
a second passage section extending inwardly from the second face and having a second width, wherein the second width is less than the first width; and
a transition section located between the first passage section and the second passage section; and
an adhesive composition located within the transition section, wherein the adhesive composition is a solid powdered adhesive composition coupled to the transition section via compression within the transition section, and further wherein the adhesive composition is configured to bind an optical fiber to an inner surface of the second passage section following melting and solidification of the adhesive composition.

2. The optical fiber connector of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive composition is located within the transition section blocking an inner entrance at an inner end of the second passage section.

3. The optical fiber connector of claim 2 , wherein the transition section has a first end and a second end, wherein an inner end of the first passage section transitions into the first end of the transition section and the second end of the transition section transitions into the inner end of the second passage section.

4. The optical fiber connector of claim 3 , wherein:
the first passage section is a cylindrical bore extending from the first face to the first end of the transition section and the first width is a first diameter;
the second passage section is a cylindrical bore extending from the second face to the second end of the transition section and the second width is a second diameter;
the first diameter is at least twice the second diameter;
an axial length of the first passage section is greater than half an axial length of the body; and
an axial length of the second passage section is greater than an axial length of the transition section and is less than a third of the axial length of the body.

5. The optical fiber connector of claim 4 , wherein the body has an outer diameter and the first diameter is greater than 30% of the outer diameter of the body.

6. The optical fiber connector of claim 3 , wherein at least 95% of the adhesive composition is located between an axial midpoint of the body and the second end of the transition section.

7. The optical fiber connector of claim 1 , wherein the transition section has a variable width that decreases as a distance from the second face decreases.

8. The optical fiber connector of claim 7 , wherein the transition section includes a frustoconical inner surface.

9. The optical fiber connector of claim 8 , wherein the frustoconical inner surface is at an angle between 30° and 80° relative to a longitudinal axis of the body, wherein the frustoconical inner surface extends from a first end of the transition section to a second end of the transition section.

10. The optical fiber connector of claim 8 , wherein the frustoconical inner surface is located between an axial midpoint of the body and the second face.

11. The optical fiber connector of claim 1 , wherein at least 50% of the adhesive composition is located within the transition section.

12. The optical fiber connector of claim 1 , wherein the adhesive composition is a solid material when the temperature of the body is less than 40° C.

13. The optical fiber connector of claim 1 , further comprising an optical fiber extending through the passage from the first face to the second face.

14. The optical fiber connector of claim 1 , wherein the first width is at least four times the second width.

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• Danley Jeffrey Dean
• Elkins Ii Robert Bruce
• Miller Darrin Max
• Morrison Dennis Craig

Classifications

• G02B6/3861 Primary

  Adhesive bonding (adhesives in general C09J) · CPC title

• G02B6/3855

  characterised by the method of anchoring or fixing the fibre within the ferrule (G02B6/3854 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/3833

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