Tunable optical fiber connector and tuning methods for optical fiber cable assemblies

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9964710-B2
Application number	US-201715455414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 10, 2017
Priority date	Mar 17, 2016
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A tunable optical fiber connector for use with an optical fiber cable that supports an optical fiber is disclosed. The connector includes a ferrule, an inner housing and an outer housing. The ferrule has a diameter dF, an outer surface, and an axial bore configured to operably support a bare fiber portion of the optical fiber. The inner housing has an interior and a front-end section that defines a front end of the inner housing. The interior of the inner housing supports the ferrule so that the ferrule front end extends beyond the inner housing front end by a distance DF, wherein dF≤DF≤4·dF. The outer housing has an interior configured to receive the inner housing in one of at least four possible orientations of the inner housing. Cable assemblies and sub-assemblies, as well as connector sub-assemblies, are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tunable optical fiber connector for use with an optical fiber cable that supports an optical fiber, comprising:
a ferrule having a front end, a back end, a length LF, an outer surface, and an axial bore configured to operably support a bare fiber portion of the optical fiber;
an inner housing having an interior and a front-end section that defines a front end of the inner housing, wherein the interior of the inner housing operably supports the ferrule so that that the front end of the ferrule extends beyond the front end of the inner housing by a distance DF, wherein 0.35·LF≤DF≤0.5·LF; and
an outer housing having interior configured to receive the inner housing in one of at least four possible orientations of the inner housing relative to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber connector.

2. The tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein the front-end section of the inner housing includes at least four sides configured to cooperate with the interior of the outer housing to define the at least four possible orientations.

3. The tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 2 , wherein the at least four sides of the inner housing render the front-end section of the inner housing at least four-fold symmetric relative to the longitudinal axis.

4. The tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 3 , wherein the at least four sides of the inner housing are substantially identical.

5. The tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 2 , wherein each of the at least four sides includes a first alignment feature, and wherein the interior of the outer housing includes second alignment features complimentary to the first alignment features.

6. The tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein the front-end section of the inner housing includes a flange that defines the front end of the inner housing and that is configured to cooperate with the interior of the outer housing to define the at least four possible orientations.

7. The tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 6 , wherein the flange of the inner housing has at least four sides.

8. The tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , wherein the outer housing is axially retractable relative to the inner housing to define [a] retracted and non-retracted positions, and wherein the ferrule extends farther from a front end of the outer housing in the retracted position than in the non-retracted position.

9. The tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 8 , wherein the ferrule extends between 150% and 250% farther from the front end of the outer housing when the outer housing is in the retracted position as compared to the non-retracted position.

10. A cable assembly including the tunable optical fiber connector according to claim 1 , the cable assembly comprising:
an optical fiber cable that supports an optical fiber;
wherein the tunable optical fiber connector is installed on the optical fiber cable, and wherein a bare fiber portion of the optical fiber is supported by the axial bore of the ferrule.

11. A method of tuning an optical fiber connector for use with an optical fiber cable that supports an optical fiber having a core, comprising:
(a) operably supporting a ferrule in an interior of an inner housing, the ferrule having a length LF, an outer surface, and an axial bore that operably supports a bare fiber portion of the optical fiber, wherein a front end of the ferrule extends beyond the inner housing by a distance DF to define a front-end section of the ferrule, and wherein 0.35·LF≤DF≤0.5·LF;
(b) performing a measurement of a position of the core of the optical fiber relative to a center of the ferrule using the front-end section of the ferrule; and
(c) receiving the inner housing in an interior of an outer housing to form the optical fiber connector, wherein the inner housing is received in the interior of the outer housing in one of at least four possible orientations relative to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber connector, and wherein the one orientation is selected such that the position of the core of the optical fiber is closest to a keying feature of the outer housing.

12. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the act (b) of performing the measurement includes performing a non-contact core-ferrule concentricity measurement.

13. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the act (b) of performing the measurement includes performing a contact measurement using a ball array that contacts the outer surface of the ferrule at the front-end section of the ferrule.

14. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the act (b) of performing the measurement includes performing a contact measurement without forming an optical connection between a master connector and the optical fiber connector.

15. An optical fiber connector sub-assembly for use with an optical fiber cable that supports an optical fiber having a core, comprising:
a ferrule having a front end, a back end, a length LF, an outer surface, and an axial bore configured to operably support a bare fiber portion of the optical fiber; and
an inner housing having an interior and a front-end section that defines a front end of the inner housing, wherein the interior of the inner housing operably supports the ferrule so that that the front end of the ferrule extends beyond the front end of the inner housing by a distance DF, wherein 0.35·LF≤DF≤0.5·LF.

16. A cable sub-assembly including the optical fiber connector sub-assembly according to claim 15 , the cable sub-assembly also including an optical fiber cable that supports an optical fiber, wherein
the optical fiber connector sub-assembly is installed on the optical fiber cable; and
a bare fiber portion of the optical fiber is supported by the axial bore of the ferrule.

17. The optical fiber connector sub-assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the front-end section of the inner housing includes at least four sides that render the front-end section of the inner housing at least four-fold symmetric relative to a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber connector sub-assembly.

18. The optical fiber connector sub-assembly according to claim 17 , wherein the at least four sides of the inner housing are substantially identical.

19. A cable assembly including the optical fiber connector sub-assembly according to claim 17 , the cable assembly also including an optical fiber cable that supports an optical fiber, wherein:
the optical fiber connector sub-assembly is installed on the optical fiber cable;
a bare fiber portion of the optical fiber is supported by the axial bore of the ferrule; and
the optical fiber connector sub-assembly further includes an outer housing having interior that receives the front-end section of the inner housing in one of at least four possible orientations.

20. The method according to claim 11 , wherein the outer housing is retractable relative to the inner housing to define a retracted position and a non-retracted position wherein more of the ferrule extends from a front end of the outer housing in the retracted position than in the non-retracted position.

21. The optical fiber connector sub-assembly according to claim 15 , further comprising:
an outer housing operably disposed on the inner housing, wherein the outer housing is retractable relative to the inner housing to define a retracted position and a non-retracted position wherein more of the ferrule extends from a front end of the outer housing in t

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• Rosson Joel Christopher

Classifications

• G02B6/3843

  with auxiliary facilities for movably aligning or adjusting the fibre within its ferrule, e.g. measuring position or eccentricity (testing the alignment of axes, including eccentricity, G01B11/27) · CPC title

• G02B6/385

  Accessories for testing or observation of connectors (means for centering or aligning the light guide within the ferrule with auxiliary facilities for movably aligning or adjusting the fibre within its ferrule, measuring position, eccentricity G02B6/3843; mechanical features associated with the optical testing of optical fibres G01M11/088) · CPC title

• G02B6/3871

  Ferrule rotatable with respect to plug body, e.g. for setting rotational position (adjusting fibre within the ferrule, G02B6/3843); Fixation of ferrules after rotation · CPC title

• G02B6/387

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

• G02B6/3869 Primary

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