Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
Reexamination Certificate
1999-08-26
2001-05-01
Bovernick, Rodney (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Optical fiber/optical fiber cable termination structure
C385S077000, C385S084000, C385S055000, C385S060000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06224270
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to universal optical fiber connectors and their basic plugs, wherein the optical fiber connectors have some common elements for their connector-functions to permit an installation of optical fiber into one of the different type connectors for establishing their connector to connector connection more easily and to facilitate a tuning operation with positioning key maintaining the same direction between eccentricity of the fiber core and the key.
For the sake of clarity, in general, the technical term “optical fiber connectors” means all of elements where each of them is terminated on an end portion of an optical fiber. Conceptually, the optical fiber connector may be of any shape, such as a plug with a tip formed as a male member, an adapter with a tip formed as a female member, a combination thereof, or the like.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, an optical fiber connector has the configuration in which a ferrule is coupled to a plug flame after fixing an optical fiber into the center of the ferrule to establish a connection between different optical fibers in opposite directions.
A FC-type plug as an example of such conventional optical fiber connector is depicted in FIG.
24
. As shown in the figure, the FC-type plug comprises a ferrule
101
, a frame
102
, and a tightening member
103
, with an integrated configuration of coaxially arranging these elements around a bare optical fiber
99
as the center thereof. Furthermore, there is a key ring
104
oriented along a direction of a displacement of the center of the bare optical fiber
99
fixed in the ferrule
101
.
For coupling the plugs
100
together, it is necessary to provide an adapter
201
for connecting plugs to its ends, respectively. The adapter
201
is comprised of a flange portion
202
and a cylindrical portion
203
in a one-piece design. An outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion
203
has a male screw thread
204
and a depressed portion
205
. Also, a mating slot
206
is concentrically formed in the center of the cylindrical portion
203
. In an inner side of the mating slot
206
, there is a separate sleeve
207
on which the ferrule
101
of the plug
100
is fit and attached in a removable manner.
For coupling the plug
100
with the adapter
201
, a positioning key
104
a
is engaged into the depressed portion
205
in addition to fitting the ferrule
101
of the plug
100
into the separate sleeve
207
of the adapter
201
to adjust their positions so as to be in their right places in a circumferential direction. Then a female thread
105
a
of a coupling nut
105
is screwed to a male screw thread
204
, so that the plug
100
is coupled to the adapter
201
tightly and thus it prevents them from becoming detached.
Up to the present, optical fiber connectors of the FC, SC, ST type, and so on with various connection forms have been commercially used. In this case, the different type optical fiber connectors are grouped together so as to put them to proper use. Under certain circumstances such as the changing of a system configuration, the need for the mutual connection between the different types of optical fiber connectors comes about and thus a converting adopter is required. Therefore, there are several problems including that many different types of converting adapters should be prepared so as to be used in the mutual connection and a quality of signal to be transmitted is decreased as an optical loss in optical transmission path is increased.
Conventionally, furthermore, it is very difficult to detach the key ring when it should be shifted in the right place to adjust eccentricity of the fiber core after the completion of the connector assembly. Depending on the connector type, moreover, the position of the key ring cannot be re-adjusted.
There may be cases where the optical fiber connector is fitted to an end portion of an optical fiber cable or an optical fiber code in installing the necessary wiring in a building, a mechanical system, or the like. In this case, optical fiber connectors of the FC, SC, ST type, and so on with various connection forms should be selected and combined to proper use depending on their applications.
Under certain circumstances, such as the changing of a system configuration, the need for the mutual connection between the different types of optical fiber connectors comes about and thus a converting adapter is required. Therefore, there are several problems including that many different types of converting adapters should be prepared so as to be used in the mutual connection and a quality of signal to be transmitted is decreased as an optical loss in optical transmission path is increased.
In general, an adapter to be provided as a coupling portion of the optical fiber connector has two end portions, one for fixing on a fixing member such as a panel and the other for receiving a plug to be fixed to an optical fiber cable or the like.
There may be cases where a ferrule's tip of the plug fixed through the adapter requires cleaning for preventing a loss in the optical transmission path. However, there is a problem that it is very difficult to clean the ferrule's tip of the plug in a state of being coupled with the adapter.
To solve those problems laid open, Japanese Patent Application No. 122570/1996 discloses a tightening mechanism of plug that allows removal of an adapter from its fixing member.
According to the above document, there is a problem that the method is costly performed because it requires an intricate structure for laterally fixing a standard type plug on a fixing member such as a panel in a special shape.
For using the optical fiber connector in installing the necessary wiring in a building or a mechanical system, as described above, the optical fiber connector should having an excellent strength against bending stress.
For use in various environments, the optical fiber connector should have long term stability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, a first object of the present invention is to provide a basic plug to solve the above problems in the conventional related art and to easily establish connection with an optical fiber without depending on the type of connector to cope with much more sophisticated devices.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a universal optical fiber connector to solve the above problems in the conventional related art and to easily establish connection with an optical fiber without depending on the type of connector to cope with much more sophisticated devices.
A third object of the present invention is to provide a jack-housing to solve the above problems in the conventional related art and to easily establish connection with an optical fiber without depending on the type of connector to cope with much more sophisticated devices.
A fourth object of the present invention is to provide a universal optical fiber connector that enables the user to clean a ferrule's head in spite of being fixed on a panel or the like.
A fifth object of the present invention is to provide a universal optical fiber connector that enables its end portion connecting with an optical fiber or the like to generate an excellent strength against bending stress.
A sixth object of the present invention is to provide a ferrule-holding member and a universal connector to be manufactured at low cost with the properties of rust free and good environmental stability.
In the first aspect of the present invention, a basic plug for connecting separate optical fibers together through a housing member comprises:
a ferrule having at least one common dimensional structure for securing an optical fiber;
a spring element being held so as to exert force against said ferrule in an axial direction; and
a cylindrical tube having a function of securing an optical fiber cable in which said optical fiber is embedded and a function of holding said spring element by sandwiching said spring element between said cylindrical tube and said ferrule,
Koshigoe Tatsuo
Minami Kouji
Nakajima Masahiro
Suzuki Nobuo
Taira Junji
Adams & Wilks
Bovernick Rodney
Kim Ellen E.
Seiko Instruments Inc.
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