Gender selectable fiber optic connector and associated fabricati

Details Gender selectable fiber optic connector and associated fabricati Gender selectable fiber optic connector and associated fabricati

1998-12-31

2000-11-21

Nguyen, Thong

Optical waveguides

With disengagable mechanical connector

Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection

385 53, 385 56, 385 58, G02B 638

Patent

active

061493139

ABSTRACT:
A gender selectable fiber optic connector is provided which can be readily converted between male and female configurations following assembly and polishing of the connector. The gender selectable fiber optic connector includes a housing, a ferrule operably connected to the housing such that a forward portion of the ferrule extends beyond the housing, and a shroud adapted to be mounted upon the forward portion of the ferrule such that the forward portion of the ferrule extends through a passageway defined by the shroud. In order to alter the gender of the fiber optic connector, the shroud has both male and female configurations. In this regard, the male configuration of the shroud includes at least one guide pin extending lengthwise through the passageway defined by the shroud for engaging a lengthwise extending alignment groove defined by the ferrule in order to produce a male fiber optic connector. In contrast, the female configuration of the shroud is free of guide pins such that mounting the female configuration of the shroud upon the ferrule produces a female fiber optic connector. In addition to the gender selectable fiber optic connector and the associated shroud, a method of fabricating the gender selectable fiber optic connector is provided. Moreover, an outlet assembly is also provided for receiving a fiber optic connector having a rectangular shape in lateral cross-section, such as an MT connector or the gender selectable fiber optic connector having a rectangularly-shaped shroud, and for precisely aligning the rectangularly-shaped fiber optic connector with a substantially cylindrical ferrule, such as a DC or QC ferrule, so as to increase the flexibility with which different types of ferrules can be interconnected as well as the precision of the resulting interconnection.

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patent: 5727101 (1998-03-01), Giebel et al.
patent: 5727102 (1998-03-01), Jeong et al.
patent: 5940561 (1999-08-01), Dean, Jr. et al.

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