Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
Patent
1991-06-11
1993-07-20
Healy, Brian
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection
385 56, 385 78, 385 81, 385 84, 385139, G02B 626
Patent
active
052300323
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One common way to connect a pair of optical fibers is to hold their ends in substantial abutment and in precise alignment. Precise alignment can be achieved by providing a sleeve with an accurate internal cylindrical surface that closely receives ferrules attached to the ends of the two fibers, to guide one ferrule in slidable movement along the sleeve until the tips of the fibers substantially abut. U.S. Pat. No. 4,140,367 by Makuch describes a connector system of this type. The alignment sleeve must be accurately formed, as by machining, and is not conducive to manufacture by injection molding of plastic. Another approach, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,964,690 by Lappohn describes an arrangement where an alignment sleeve that slidably receives ferrules attached to the ends of the two fibers that are to abut, has a middle sleeve portion with slits, with the areas between the slits being compressed inwardly against the two ferrules to align them. The slitted sleeve portion must be of considerable length to enable its inner surface between the slits, to remain substantially cylindrical despite being inwardly bowed to press against the ferrules. The ferrules are biased against one another by springs which require one of the optical fibers to be slidable into and out of the rear end of the ferrule, which prevents fixing the rear end of the ferrule relative to the connector housing.
While prior optical fibers used glass cores which were very thin, such as three thousandth inch in diameter, a more recent approach is to use plastic fibers with a much larger light-transmitting core of a diameter such as one millimeter (about 39 thousandths inch). Such plastic fibers enable the use of low cost connectors with important parts formed by plastic molding injection. However, plastic injection molding generally results in parts of less precision than those obtained by machining of metal. A fiber optic connector system which was relatively compact, which assured accurate alignment of substantially abutting optical fibers despite substantial tolerances in the manufacture of connector parts, and which avoided the need for the rear ends of the optical fibers to slide relative to the connectors, would be of considerable value.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, an optical fiber connector system is provided, which enables precision alignment of substantially abutting optical fibers in connectors of moderate cost and which enables the optical fiber portions extending rearward of the connectors to lie stationary with respect to the connector housings. Each connector includes an optical fiber assembly that can include a ferrule held around the front end of the fiber as by crimping. A first connector housing has an alignment sleeve with slots dividing the front portion of the sleeve into tines that have free front ends. The second connector housing forms a tine deflector that deflects the free ends of the tines radially inwardly against the outside of both ferrules to thereby accurately align the ferrules. The inner surfaces of the tine preferably initially extend at a slight taper, and each tine preferably has an elongated projection that engages the ferrules in substantially line contact.
The optical fiber assembly of one of the connectors includes a rearward ferrule fixed to the optical fiber at a location spaced rearward of the forward ferrule, to leave a considerable length of optical fiber between them that can bow slightly. The rear ferrule is held against rearward deflection, but the forward ferrule can slide rearwardly when the optical fiber tips abut each other, with the shortening of distance between the ferrules taken up by bowing of the optical fiber. A coil spring can surround the optical fiber portion lying between ferrules to bias the ferrules apart.
The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention will be best understood from the following description when read in conjunction
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Healy Brian
ITT Corporation
Peterson Thomas L.
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