CA1131057A - Crimped connector assembly for fiber optic cables or the like - Google Patents
Crimped connector assembly for fiber optic cables or the likeInfo
- Publication number
- CA1131057A CA1131057A CA334,816A CA334816A CA1131057A CA 1131057 A CA1131057 A CA 1131057A CA 334816 A CA334816 A CA 334816A CA 1131057 A CA1131057 A CA 1131057A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- connector body
- cable
- jacket
- crimping
- fiber optic
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
- G02B6/40—Mechanical coupling means having fibre bundle mating means
- G02B6/403—Mechanical coupling means having fibre bundle mating means of the ferrule type, connecting a pair of ferrules
Abstract
ABSTRACT
The present invention relates generally to fiber optics and, more particularly, to a fiber optic connec-tor assembly for a fiber optic cable having one or more single optical fibers therein. It is highly desirable to provide for crimping of fiber optic cables for termination to contacts or connector assemblies as is commonly done with electrical cables. However, if an optic cable is crimped like an electrical cable, the one or more single fibers in the cable will be over-stressed and damaged. In a fiber optic cable, the crimping must be done to the strength members which surround the optical fibers. According to the present invention, a connector body is provided for receiving the optical fibers of the cable and has a rear end portion over which the strength member of the cable is positionable The rear end portion of the connector body is provided with one or more annular crimp receiving grooves. A ferrule member is positionable over the grooved rear end portion of the connector body for crimping the strength member between the ferrule member and the connector body. The ferrule member is crimped to have one or more crimping ribs which are nested in the grooves of the connector body clamping the strength member therebetween. The included grooves of the connector body are smaller than the ribs of the ferrule member so as to increase the number of crimping areas between the connector body and the ferrule member.
The present invention relates generally to fiber optics and, more particularly, to a fiber optic connec-tor assembly for a fiber optic cable having one or more single optical fibers therein. It is highly desirable to provide for crimping of fiber optic cables for termination to contacts or connector assemblies as is commonly done with electrical cables. However, if an optic cable is crimped like an electrical cable, the one or more single fibers in the cable will be over-stressed and damaged. In a fiber optic cable, the crimping must be done to the strength members which surround the optical fibers. According to the present invention, a connector body is provided for receiving the optical fibers of the cable and has a rear end portion over which the strength member of the cable is positionable The rear end portion of the connector body is provided with one or more annular crimp receiving grooves. A ferrule member is positionable over the grooved rear end portion of the connector body for crimping the strength member between the ferrule member and the connector body. The ferrule member is crimped to have one or more crimping ribs which are nested in the grooves of the connector body clamping the strength member therebetween. The included grooves of the connector body are smaller than the ribs of the ferrule member so as to increase the number of crimping areas between the connector body and the ferrule member.
Description
1~ 3~ ~5~
CHIMPED CONI~CTO~ ASSEMBLY FOR
FI~ER OPTIC CABLES OR ~HE LIKE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to ~iber optics and~ more particularly, to a fiber optic connector a~sembly for a fiber optlc cable havlng one or more single optical fiber~ thereln, BACKGROO~ OF ART
Fiber ~tlc cables generally include one or more 10 s~ngle optical fibers and are generally ~raglle in na~ure ln contrast to electrical cables. Crimplng has been widel~ accepted a~ one method o~ terminatln~ an electrical cable to a contact or to a connector assembly becaùse o~ the rel~abillty of this type o~ termlnat~on 15 as well a~ the lnexpensive nature o~ the ~rimping opera~
tlon itsel~. For these reasons, it is hlghly de irable to provide ~or cr~mping o~ ~iber optic cables for term-ination to contacts or conr.ector assemblies. The differ~
ence, with regards to crimping, between flber optic 20 cables and electrical cables is that in an electrlcal cable the contact or the connector assembly 1~ directly crimped to the conductor itself. In a fiber optic cable, the crimplng is done to one or mora strength members which usually surro~nd the optical flbers on the 25 inside or outside o~ a ~aaket o~ the cable. This re-qulre3 the addition of a separate component, namely a crlmp~ng ferrule, ~or crimp~ng the strength member between the ~errule and a body member of the co~tact or connector as~embly ~o that the one or more single opti~
30 cal ~ibers o~ the fiber opt~a cable are not over-stressed or damaged durlng termîn~tlon or during handllng o~ the ~lber optic cable a~ter it has been ~ssembled ~o the connector. This in~ention provides an improved crlmping means in the ~orm o~ a connector assemhly which increases 35 the crimping diameters between the ~errule member and the connector body while also accommodating the add~t~onal thickne~s or the ~errulP member permittlng sealing and enhancing fleld termination ~RIEF SUMMARY OF THE IN~ENTION
Accord~ngly, a princ~pal ob~ect o~ the present '~
~ 3~
invention is to provide a new and improved connector ;Issem~ly for one or more single optical fibers of a fiber optic cable or the like which has one or more strength members therein.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new ; and improved connector assembly for fixing ~he relationship between the strength members of a fiber optic cable and the fiLer optic contacts terminated to the fibers thereof so that the ter-minated fibers can be readily assembled to the connector assembly without over-stressing the fibers.
A further object of the invention is to provide a connector assembly of the character described which increases the number of crimping diameters between the connector body of the connector assembly and the ferrule member without increasing the dimensions thereof.
` Still another object of the invention is to provide a connector assembly of the character described which accommodates the additional thickness of the ferrule member to provide a uni-formly dimensioned assembly for field termination.
ln the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, a connector assembly is disclosed for one or more single optical fibers of a fiber optic cable or the like which has a strength ; member therein. A connector body is provided for receiving the one or more single optical fibers of the fiber optic cable. The connector body has a rear end portion over which the strengtll member of the fiber optic cable is positionable. The rear end portion of the connector body is provided with one or more annular crimp receiving grooves. A ferrule member is position-- able over the grooved rear end portion of the connector body for crimping the strength member between the ferrule member alld thc grooved rear end portion of the connector body. The err-l1e member is crimped to have one OT more ribs nested in the grooves ~ ~ of the connector bodyO Each of the grooves cooperates with OIIC
~3~1~)S~
of the ribs to provide a plurality of crimping di~meters there-between.
The grooves on the connector body are generally V-shaped as are the ribs on the ferrule member. The included anglc of each of the V-shaped grooves is smaller than that of the V~
shaped ribs of the ferrule member so as to increase or double the number of crimping diameters between the connector body and -the ferrule member, namely along the edges of the grooves.
The connector body has a larger diameter portion adjacent a smaller diameter rear end portion, the latter being provided with the generally V-shaped grooves. The outside diameter of the ferrule member is substantially the same as that of the larger diameter portion of the connector body so as to be generally flush therewith.
In one form of the invention, the fiber optic cable has an inner jacket surro~nding the one or more single optical fibers, with the strength member surrounding the inner jacket and extending beyond the jacket. The rear end portion of the con-nector body has a transverse abutment surface for engaging the end of the jacket providing an interface between the cable and the connector body. The ferrule member has a second crimping portion for crimping onto the outside of the strength member rearwardly of the interface between the-inner jacket and the connector body. The cable has a second or outer jacket surroun~-ing the strength member, and the rear end of the ferrule membcr is provided with a transverse abutment surface for engaging thc end of the outer jacket of the cable providing a second inter-face between the cable and the connector assembly.
In another embodiment of the invention, the fiber optic cable has a jacket surrounding both the strength membcr and the one or more single optical fibers of the fiber optic cable, and the ferrule member has a second crimping portion for , ~t -3~ ~
~ Li:~
crimping onto the outside of the jacket of the cable.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invcn-tion will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
:',; ' `' ' " ~
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~ 20~
;~
.
. -3a-S~
~RIEF D~SCRIPTION 0~ THE DRAWIN~S
Figure 1 is a ~ragmented perspective vie~ o~
the connector assembly o~ the present lnvention ter-minated to a ~iber opt~c cableg Figure 2 is a ~ragmented vertical sectional view~
on an enlarged scale, o~ the connector assembly of the present inventlon, terminated to the end of one form o~
a ~iber optlc cable~
Figure 3 ~s a view slmilar to that of Flgure 2 wlth the connector assembl~ o~ th0 present lnvention terminated to the end o~ another ~orm o~ fiber optic cable;
Flgure ~ is an enlarged, somewhat schematic sectlonal view through a single crimp receiving groove o~ the connec~or body and an al~gned crimping rlb o~ the ferrule member of the connector assembly o~ the present inventlon; ancl Figure 5 ls a vertical sectlonal view of a split die set ~or crlmping the connector assembly o~ the present lnvention onto a flber optic cable.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
. .
Referring to the drawll~gs in greater deta~l, a connector assembly ~n accordance with the present inven-tion is generally deslgnated 10 and is provlded ~or ~se wlth a ~iber optlc cable or the like whlch has one or more single optical ~lbers and a strength memberg as de~cribed in greater detail hereina~ter The connector assembly o~ the present invention is d~signed ~or crlmping the strength member o~ the ~iber optic cable SQ as to concentrate any stresses on the cable to the strength member rather than the fragile optlcal ~ibers durlng termlnation o~ the fibers or durlng ~ssembly and ~ield handll~g o~ the cable. More particularly, the connector assembly 10 of the present invention includes a connector body, generally designated 12~ ~or re-ceiving one or more single optical fibers of the fiber optic cable (de~cribed in gxeater detail hereina~ter~, and a ~erxule member, generally designa~ed 14 Re~erring specifically to Figure 23 the fiber . ~
'~ 3~
optic cable shown thereln -lncludes a fiber bundle 16 ~ormed of a pluralit~ of ~ingle optical fibers. The fiber bundle 16 is surrounded by an inner jacket 18, and the inner ~acket 18 is surrounded by a ~trength member 20 which extends beyond the end of the inner ~acket. The cable further includes an outer Jacket 22 whlch surrounds the strength member 20g but the cable is cut so khat the strength member 20 as well as the inn~r ~acket 18 extend beyond the outer jacket 22g as shownO
The connector body 12 shown in ~igure 2 includes a larger diameter portion 24 and a smaller dlameter rear end portion 26 over which the strength member 20 of the fiber optic cable ls positioned. The rear end portion ~6 o~ the connector body 12 is provided with a plur-ality of annular crimp receiv~ng~ generally V-shaped peripheral grooves 28. The rear end portion 26 o~ the connector body 12 further is provided w~th a transverse abutment surface 30 ~or engaging the end 32 of ~he inner ~acket 18 of the cable providing an inter~ace bekween the cable and the connector body when the cable ls terminated thereto.
The ferrule member 14 of the connector assembly 10 shown in ~igure 2 has a first crimping portion which i8 de~lned b~ a plurality o~ generally V-shaped crlmplng ribs 34 wh~ch are alignable with the grooves 28 of the connector body 12. The strength member 20 of the fiber optic cable is crimped or clamped between the connector body 12 and the ferrule member 14 in the area o~ the grooves 28 and the ribs 34 o~ the body and ferrule, respectively. The ~errule member 14 ~urther includes a second crimping portion de~ined by a plurality of ribs 36 formed on the ~errule member rearwardl~ o~ the crimplng rib~ 34 and sep~rated there~ram by a straight ~ntermediate portion 38 of the ferrule member. The rlbs 36 of the ferrule member 14 are provided ~or crimp-ing onto the outside of the strengt~l member 20 of the fiber optic cable rearwardly of the inter~ace as at 30, 32 between the connector body 1~ and the inner ~acket 18 of the cable.
~3~57 ~6 -The outslde diameter of the ferrule memher 14 is the same as that of the larger diameter portion 24 of the connector body 12 so as to avo~d any irregularit~es and facllltate use of the connector assembly with standard rear release insertlon/withdrawal field opera~
tion tools Furthermore, the outslde d~ameter of the ferrule member 1~ adjacent the outer jacket 22 of the flber optic cable preferably is the same as khe outside diameter o~ the cable so as to avoid any lrregularikies 10 at the juncture of the outer ~acket 22 and the rerrule member 140 Rei~erring to Figure 49 an enlarged, somewhat schematic sectional view -ls presented which is taken through a s~ngle crimp rece~ving groove 28 o~ the rear 15 end portion 26 of the connector body 1~. me groove 28 is shown allgned wlth a single rib 34 o~ the ferrule member 14 with the strength member 20 of the fiber optic cable removed to facilitate the illustratlonO In accor-dance with the present invent~on, the lncluded angle o~ each of the grooves 28 ~s smaller than that of the corresponding rib 34 so as to .Lncrease the number of crimp~ng diameters between the connector body 12 and the ferrule member 1~. More spec~iaically, by so dimension-ing the grooves ~8 and the ribs 34, the crimping areas of contact between the connector body 12 and the ferrule member 14 is along ~he edges Q~ the grooves 28~ as at 40 ln ~igure 4, so that this dlmensioning ls e~ective to double the crimping diameters between the connector body and the ~errule member~ Not only are the crimping 30 diameters ~ncreased, but sllppage of the s'crength member 20 is practically eliminated It further should be pointed out that although the crlmp receivlng grooYes 28 of the connector body 12 and the crimping rlbs 34 of the ~errule member 14 are described at various times herein 35 as being generally V~shaped) such descriptlons in the speclficatlon and claims hereof are intended to include any such concave grooves and convex ribs which are so dimensioned as to provide the multlple areas O.r crimping cont~cts or dlameters along the edges o~ the grooves, as ~3~57 facllitated by the dimensioning described above. ~he use of the term "V-shaped" in the ~pecificatlon and claims herein is to facili~ate the illustratLon but ~n no way to limit the description and claims.
Re~errlng to Figure 5~ a crimping dieg generally deslgnated 42, is shown to include a split dle set com-prislng an upper die 44 and a lower die 46. The connector body 12 is provided wlth an annular, generally rectangular rib 48 (Figures 2 and 3) which is posit-lonable within a complementary generally rectangularly shaped groove 50 o~ the die set to facllitate pos~tionlng of the con-nector body wlthin the die~ Each of the dies 44 and 46 is provided wlth an lnterior caVity, generally designated 52, which is provided with grooves and ribs so as to ~orm the crimplng ribs 34 ~nd 36 of the ferrule member 1~
durlng a crimplng operation to termlnate the flber optic cable to the connector assembly 10. The ferrule member~
prior to positioning into the crLmping die~ is tubular ln the area o~ the crlmping ribs 34 and 369 and the ribs are ~ormed or c~imped into the grooves 28 of the connec-tor body during crlmplng operation of the dle 42.
Referring to Figure 3, the f-lber optlc cable shown thereln -lncludes a single optical fiber 5~ surroun-ded by an inner ~acket 56 which is surrounded by a strength member 58 which, in turnJ is surrounded by an outer Jacket 60. Like numerals are applied to the con-nector bod~ l2 and the ferrule member 14 in Figure 3 which correspond to similar components thereo~ as described in relation to Figures 2 and 4. However, the connector body shown in F~gure 3 has a smaller diameter bore portion 52 for receiving a single optical fiber 5 and a larger diameter bore portion 64 for receiving the inner jacket 56 of the fiber optic c~ble.
The connector body 12 shown in Figure 3 does not include the transverse abutment surface 30 as described in relat-lon to ~he connector body shown in Figure 2~
As with the ~Lber opkic cable shown ~n Figure 2~ the strength member 58 o~ the cable shown ln Figure 3 is posltioned over the rear end 26 o~ the connector body 12 overlylng the crimping grooves 28 ~ormed thereln. ~he rlbs 34 of the ferrule mem~er 14 are crlmped so as to be nested ln the grooves 28 and are dimen~loned as described above ln relation to Figure 4.
W~th the fiber optic cable shown in Figure 3, the strength member ~ flares radially outwardly adjacent ~ the en~ of the outer ~ckek 60 o~ the cable and pro-trudes rorwardly there~rom so as to be sandwiched-be-tween the rear end portlon 26 o~ the connector body 12 and the ~errule mernber 14 and is crimped therebetween.
~he larger diameker portlon ~4 of khe connector body 12 and the adjacenk outslde diameter o~ the f'errule member 14 are generally the same so as to avold any lrregular-ities as described above. The ~errule member 14 is crimped to the outside of the outer jacket 60 o~ the cable by the crimping ribs 36 rearwardl~ of the connector body 12. Preferably9 the extreme rear or inner end of the ~errule member 14 ls crlmped as at 68~ so as to bear inwardly in gripping or bitlng engagement agalnst the outside o~ the ~iber optic cable.
While ln the foregolng specl~lcation a detailed descrlption o~ khe invention has been set forth ~or purposes of illustratlon, variations o~ the detalls herein given may be made by those skilled in the art without departln~ ~rom the splrit and scope o~ the tnvention as ~et ~orth in the appended claln~s, .
CHIMPED CONI~CTO~ ASSEMBLY FOR
FI~ER OPTIC CABLES OR ~HE LIKE
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates generally to ~iber optics and~ more particularly, to a fiber optic connector a~sembly for a fiber optlc cable havlng one or more single optical fiber~ thereln, BACKGROO~ OF ART
Fiber ~tlc cables generally include one or more 10 s~ngle optical fibers and are generally ~raglle in na~ure ln contrast to electrical cables. Crimplng has been widel~ accepted a~ one method o~ terminatln~ an electrical cable to a contact or to a connector assembly becaùse o~ the rel~abillty of this type o~ termlnat~on 15 as well a~ the lnexpensive nature o~ the ~rimping opera~
tlon itsel~. For these reasons, it is hlghly de irable to provide ~or cr~mping o~ ~iber optic cables for term-ination to contacts or conr.ector assemblies. The differ~
ence, with regards to crimping, between flber optic 20 cables and electrical cables is that in an electrlcal cable the contact or the connector assembly 1~ directly crimped to the conductor itself. In a fiber optic cable, the crimplng is done to one or mora strength members which usually surro~nd the optical flbers on the 25 inside or outside o~ a ~aaket o~ the cable. This re-qulre3 the addition of a separate component, namely a crlmp~ng ferrule, ~or crimp~ng the strength member between the ~errule and a body member of the co~tact or connector as~embly ~o that the one or more single opti~
30 cal ~ibers o~ the fiber opt~a cable are not over-stressed or damaged durlng termîn~tlon or during handllng o~ the ~lber optic cable a~ter it has been ~ssembled ~o the connector. This in~ention provides an improved crlmping means in the ~orm o~ a connector assemhly which increases 35 the crimping diameters between the ~errule member and the connector body while also accommodating the add~t~onal thickne~s or the ~errulP member permittlng sealing and enhancing fleld termination ~RIEF SUMMARY OF THE IN~ENTION
Accord~ngly, a princ~pal ob~ect o~ the present '~
~ 3~
invention is to provide a new and improved connector ;Issem~ly for one or more single optical fibers of a fiber optic cable or the like which has one or more strength members therein.
Another object of the invention is to provide a new ; and improved connector assembly for fixing ~he relationship between the strength members of a fiber optic cable and the fiLer optic contacts terminated to the fibers thereof so that the ter-minated fibers can be readily assembled to the connector assembly without over-stressing the fibers.
A further object of the invention is to provide a connector assembly of the character described which increases the number of crimping diameters between the connector body of the connector assembly and the ferrule member without increasing the dimensions thereof.
` Still another object of the invention is to provide a connector assembly of the character described which accommodates the additional thickness of the ferrule member to provide a uni-formly dimensioned assembly for field termination.
ln the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein, a connector assembly is disclosed for one or more single optical fibers of a fiber optic cable or the like which has a strength ; member therein. A connector body is provided for receiving the one or more single optical fibers of the fiber optic cable. The connector body has a rear end portion over which the strengtll member of the fiber optic cable is positionable. The rear end portion of the connector body is provided with one or more annular crimp receiving grooves. A ferrule member is position-- able over the grooved rear end portion of the connector body for crimping the strength member between the ferrule member alld thc grooved rear end portion of the connector body. The err-l1e member is crimped to have one OT more ribs nested in the grooves ~ ~ of the connector bodyO Each of the grooves cooperates with OIIC
~3~1~)S~
of the ribs to provide a plurality of crimping di~meters there-between.
The grooves on the connector body are generally V-shaped as are the ribs on the ferrule member. The included anglc of each of the V-shaped grooves is smaller than that of the V~
shaped ribs of the ferrule member so as to increase or double the number of crimping diameters between the connector body and -the ferrule member, namely along the edges of the grooves.
The connector body has a larger diameter portion adjacent a smaller diameter rear end portion, the latter being provided with the generally V-shaped grooves. The outside diameter of the ferrule member is substantially the same as that of the larger diameter portion of the connector body so as to be generally flush therewith.
In one form of the invention, the fiber optic cable has an inner jacket surro~nding the one or more single optical fibers, with the strength member surrounding the inner jacket and extending beyond the jacket. The rear end portion of the con-nector body has a transverse abutment surface for engaging the end of the jacket providing an interface between the cable and the connector body. The ferrule member has a second crimping portion for crimping onto the outside of the strength member rearwardly of the interface between the-inner jacket and the connector body. The cable has a second or outer jacket surroun~-ing the strength member, and the rear end of the ferrule membcr is provided with a transverse abutment surface for engaging thc end of the outer jacket of the cable providing a second inter-face between the cable and the connector assembly.
In another embodiment of the invention, the fiber optic cable has a jacket surrounding both the strength membcr and the one or more single optical fibers of the fiber optic cable, and the ferrule member has a second crimping portion for , ~t -3~ ~
~ Li:~
crimping onto the outside of the jacket of the cable.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invcn-tion will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
:',; ' `' ' " ~
~, ~:
~ 20~
;~
.
. -3a-S~
~RIEF D~SCRIPTION 0~ THE DRAWIN~S
Figure 1 is a ~ragmented perspective vie~ o~
the connector assembly o~ the present lnvention ter-minated to a ~iber opt~c cableg Figure 2 is a ~ragmented vertical sectional view~
on an enlarged scale, o~ the connector assembly of the present inventlon, terminated to the end of one form o~
a ~iber optlc cable~
Figure 3 ~s a view slmilar to that of Flgure 2 wlth the connector assembl~ o~ th0 present lnvention terminated to the end o~ another ~orm o~ fiber optic cable;
Flgure ~ is an enlarged, somewhat schematic sectlonal view through a single crimp receiving groove o~ the connec~or body and an al~gned crimping rlb o~ the ferrule member of the connector assembly o~ the present inventlon; ancl Figure 5 ls a vertical sectlonal view of a split die set ~or crlmping the connector assembly o~ the present lnvention onto a flber optic cable.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
. .
Referring to the drawll~gs in greater deta~l, a connector assembly ~n accordance with the present inven-tion is generally deslgnated 10 and is provlded ~or ~se wlth a ~iber optlc cable or the like whlch has one or more single optical ~lbers and a strength memberg as de~cribed in greater detail hereina~ter The connector assembly o~ the present invention is d~signed ~or crlmping the strength member o~ the ~iber optic cable SQ as to concentrate any stresses on the cable to the strength member rather than the fragile optlcal ~ibers durlng termlnation o~ the fibers or durlng ~ssembly and ~ield handll~g o~ the cable. More particularly, the connector assembly 10 of the present invention includes a connector body, generally designated 12~ ~or re-ceiving one or more single optical fibers of the fiber optic cable (de~cribed in gxeater detail hereina~ter~, and a ~erxule member, generally designa~ed 14 Re~erring specifically to Figure 23 the fiber . ~
'~ 3~
optic cable shown thereln -lncludes a fiber bundle 16 ~ormed of a pluralit~ of ~ingle optical fibers. The fiber bundle 16 is surrounded by an inner jacket 18, and the inner ~acket 18 is surrounded by a ~trength member 20 which extends beyond the end of the inner ~acket. The cable further includes an outer Jacket 22 whlch surrounds the strength member 20g but the cable is cut so khat the strength member 20 as well as the inn~r ~acket 18 extend beyond the outer jacket 22g as shownO
The connector body 12 shown in ~igure 2 includes a larger diameter portion 24 and a smaller dlameter rear end portion 26 over which the strength member 20 of the fiber optic cable ls positioned. The rear end portion ~6 o~ the connector body 12 is provided with a plur-ality of annular crimp receiv~ng~ generally V-shaped peripheral grooves 28. The rear end portion 26 o~ the connector body 12 further is provided w~th a transverse abutment surface 30 ~or engaging the end 32 of ~he inner ~acket 18 of the cable providing an inter~ace bekween the cable and the connector body when the cable ls terminated thereto.
The ferrule member 14 of the connector assembly 10 shown in ~igure 2 has a first crimping portion which i8 de~lned b~ a plurality o~ generally V-shaped crlmplng ribs 34 wh~ch are alignable with the grooves 28 of the connector body 12. The strength member 20 of the fiber optic cable is crimped or clamped between the connector body 12 and the ferrule member 14 in the area o~ the grooves 28 and the ribs 34 o~ the body and ferrule, respectively. The ~errule member 14 ~urther includes a second crimping portion de~ined by a plurality of ribs 36 formed on the ~errule member rearwardl~ o~ the crimplng rib~ 34 and sep~rated there~ram by a straight ~ntermediate portion 38 of the ferrule member. The rlbs 36 of the ferrule member 14 are provided ~or crimp-ing onto the outside of the strengt~l member 20 of the fiber optic cable rearwardly of the inter~ace as at 30, 32 between the connector body 1~ and the inner ~acket 18 of the cable.
~3~57 ~6 -The outslde diameter of the ferrule memher 14 is the same as that of the larger diameter portion 24 of the connector body 12 so as to avo~d any irregularit~es and facllltate use of the connector assembly with standard rear release insertlon/withdrawal field opera~
tion tools Furthermore, the outslde d~ameter of the ferrule member 1~ adjacent the outer jacket 22 of the flber optic cable preferably is the same as khe outside diameter o~ the cable so as to avoid any lrregularikies 10 at the juncture of the outer ~acket 22 and the rerrule member 140 Rei~erring to Figure 49 an enlarged, somewhat schematic sectional view -ls presented which is taken through a s~ngle crimp rece~ving groove 28 o~ the rear 15 end portion 26 of the connector body 1~. me groove 28 is shown allgned wlth a single rib 34 o~ the ferrule member 14 with the strength member 20 of the fiber optic cable removed to facilitate the illustratlonO In accor-dance with the present invent~on, the lncluded angle o~ each of the grooves 28 ~s smaller than that of the corresponding rib 34 so as to .Lncrease the number of crimp~ng diameters between the connector body 12 and the ferrule member 1~. More spec~iaically, by so dimension-ing the grooves ~8 and the ribs 34, the crimping areas of contact between the connector body 12 and the ferrule member 14 is along ~he edges Q~ the grooves 28~ as at 40 ln ~igure 4, so that this dlmensioning ls e~ective to double the crimping diameters between the connector body and the ~errule member~ Not only are the crimping 30 diameters ~ncreased, but sllppage of the s'crength member 20 is practically eliminated It further should be pointed out that although the crlmp receivlng grooYes 28 of the connector body 12 and the crimping rlbs 34 of the ~errule member 14 are described at various times herein 35 as being generally V~shaped) such descriptlons in the speclficatlon and claims hereof are intended to include any such concave grooves and convex ribs which are so dimensioned as to provide the multlple areas O.r crimping cont~cts or dlameters along the edges o~ the grooves, as ~3~57 facllitated by the dimensioning described above. ~he use of the term "V-shaped" in the ~pecificatlon and claims herein is to facili~ate the illustratLon but ~n no way to limit the description and claims.
Re~errlng to Figure 5~ a crimping dieg generally deslgnated 42, is shown to include a split dle set com-prislng an upper die 44 and a lower die 46. The connector body 12 is provided wlth an annular, generally rectangular rib 48 (Figures 2 and 3) which is posit-lonable within a complementary generally rectangularly shaped groove 50 o~ the die set to facllitate pos~tionlng of the con-nector body wlthin the die~ Each of the dies 44 and 46 is provided wlth an lnterior caVity, generally designated 52, which is provided with grooves and ribs so as to ~orm the crimplng ribs 34 ~nd 36 of the ferrule member 1~
durlng a crimplng operation to termlnate the flber optic cable to the connector assembly 10. The ferrule member~
prior to positioning into the crLmping die~ is tubular ln the area o~ the crlmping ribs 34 and 369 and the ribs are ~ormed or c~imped into the grooves 28 of the connec-tor body during crlmplng operation of the dle 42.
Referring to Figure 3, the f-lber optlc cable shown thereln -lncludes a single optical fiber 5~ surroun-ded by an inner ~acket 56 which is surrounded by a strength member 58 which, in turnJ is surrounded by an outer Jacket 60. Like numerals are applied to the con-nector bod~ l2 and the ferrule member 14 in Figure 3 which correspond to similar components thereo~ as described in relation to Figures 2 and 4. However, the connector body shown in F~gure 3 has a smaller diameter bore portion 52 for receiving a single optical fiber 5 and a larger diameter bore portion 64 for receiving the inner jacket 56 of the fiber optic c~ble.
The connector body 12 shown in Figure 3 does not include the transverse abutment surface 30 as described in relat-lon to ~he connector body shown in Figure 2~
As with the ~Lber opkic cable shown ~n Figure 2~ the strength member 58 o~ the cable shown ln Figure 3 is posltioned over the rear end 26 o~ the connector body 12 overlylng the crimping grooves 28 ~ormed thereln. ~he rlbs 34 of the ferrule mem~er 14 are crlmped so as to be nested ln the grooves 28 and are dimen~loned as described above ln relation to Figure 4.
W~th the fiber optic cable shown in Figure 3, the strength member ~ flares radially outwardly adjacent ~ the en~ of the outer ~ckek 60 o~ the cable and pro-trudes rorwardly there~rom so as to be sandwiched-be-tween the rear end portlon 26 o~ the connector body 12 and the ~errule mernber 14 and is crimped therebetween.
~he larger diameker portlon ~4 of khe connector body 12 and the adjacenk outslde diameter o~ the f'errule member 14 are generally the same so as to avold any lrregular-ities as described above. The ~errule member 14 is crimped to the outside of the outer jacket 60 o~ the cable by the crimping ribs 36 rearwardl~ of the connector body 12. Preferably9 the extreme rear or inner end of the ~errule member 14 ls crlmped as at 68~ so as to bear inwardly in gripping or bitlng engagement agalnst the outside o~ the ~iber optic cable.
While ln the foregolng specl~lcation a detailed descrlption o~ khe invention has been set forth ~or purposes of illustratlon, variations o~ the detalls herein given may be made by those skilled in the art without departln~ ~rom the splrit and scope o~ the tnvention as ~et ~orth in the appended claln~s, .
Claims (14)
1. A connector assembly for one or more single optical fibers of a fiber optic cable or the like which has a strength member therein, comprising: a connector body for receiving said one or more single optical fibers of the fiber optic cable, said connector body having a rear end portion over which the strength member of said fiber optic cable is position-able, said rear end portion being provided with one or more annular crimp receiving grooves; a ferrule member positionable over the grooved rear end portion of said connector body for crimping said strength member between the ferrule member and the grooved rear end portion of said connector body, said ferrule member having one or more ribs nested in the grooves of said connector body after crimping, and wherein each of said grooves cooperates with one of said ribs to provide a plurality of crimping diameters therebetween.
2. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein each said groove is a circumferential generally V-shaped groove, and wherein each said rib is generally V-shaped, the included angle of each said V-shaped groove being smaller than the included angle of each said V-shaped rib.
3. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1 for use with a fiber optic cable having a jacket surrounding said one or more single optical fibers, wherein the rear end portion of said connector body has a transverse abutment sur-face for engaging the end of said jacket, said surface pro-viding an interface between the cable and the connector body.
4. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 3, wherein said ferrule member is of a length so as to extend over said cable.
5. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 4, wherein said ferrule member has a crimping portion for crimping onto said cable rearwardly of said grooves.
6. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 5, wherein said ferrule member has a first portion defining said crimping ribs after crimping, a second portion defining said crimping portion after crimping, and an intermediate portion between said first and second portions overlying said interface.
7. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1 for use with a fiber optic cable having a jacket surrounding said one or more single optical fibers, wherein said ferrule member is of a length so as to extend over said jacket.
8. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said connector body has a larger diameter portion and a smaller diameter rear end portion provided with said grooves, the outside diameter of said ferrule member being substantially the same as the outside diameter of said larger diameter portion of said connector body.
9. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1 for use with a fiber optic cable having a jacket surrounding said one or more single optical fibers and said strength member with the cable cut so that the strength member extends beyond the jacket, wherein said ferrule member has a rear end portion defining a transverse abutment surface for engaging the end of said jacket providing an interlace between the cable and the connector body.
10. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1 for use with a fiber optic cable having a jacket surrounding said one or more single optical fibers with the cable cut so that the strength member extends beyond the jacket, wherein the outside diameter of said ferrule member is substantially the same as the outside diameter of said jacket.
11. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 1 for use with a fiber optic cable having a jacket between the strength member and the one or more single optical fibers and with the strength member extending beyond the jacket, wherein the rear end portion of said connector body has a transverse abutment surface for engaging the end of said jacket to provide an interface between the cable and the connector body.
12. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 11, wherein said ferrule member includes a crimping portion for crimping onto the outside of said strength member rearwardly of said connector body.
13. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 11 for use with a fiber optic cable having a second jacket surroun-ding said strength member, with the strength member extending beyond the jacket, said ferrule member having a transverse rear abutment surface for engaging the end of said second jacket providing an interface between the cable and the ferrule member.
14. The connector assembly as claimed in Claim 13, wherein the outside diameter of said ferrule member adjacent the end of the second jacket of said fiber optic cable is sub-stantially the same as the outside diameter of the jacket.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| US93951978A | 1978-09-05 | 1978-09-05 | |
| US939,519 | 1978-09-05 |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1131057A true CA1131057A (en) | 1982-09-07 |
Family
ID=25473313
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA334,816A Expired CA1131057A (en) | 1978-09-05 | 1979-08-30 | Crimped connector assembly for fiber optic cables or the like |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS5557811A (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1131057A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE2935538A1 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2435734A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2031605B (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPS5891416A (en) * | 1981-11-27 | 1983-05-31 | Dai Ichi Seiko Co Ltd | Optical connector |
| US4589727A (en) * | 1983-08-29 | 1986-05-20 | Thomas & Betts Corporation | Optical fiber retainer |
| US4708428A (en) * | 1985-04-18 | 1987-11-24 | Siemens Aktiengesellschaft | Light waveguide connector |
| US10935733B2 (en) | 2019-01-30 | 2021-03-02 | Intri-Plex Technologies Inc. | Retention apparatus and method for terminating a jacketed cable |
Family Cites Families (13)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US2555232A (en) * | 1949-03-07 | 1951-05-29 | Guice Edgar Pipes | Method of preparing a shrimp product |
| GB1152135A (en) * | 1966-12-30 | 1969-05-14 | Amp Inc | Fibre Optic Assembly |
| US3655275A (en) * | 1970-11-18 | 1972-04-11 | Gen Motors Corp | Method for making fiber optic assembly with crimped end connector |
| JPS5710405B2 (en) * | 1974-06-05 | 1982-02-26 | ||
| FR2313687A1 (en) * | 1975-03-28 | 1976-12-31 | Thomson Csf | CONNECTOR FOR OPTICAL FIBER HARNESS |
| DE2531994C3 (en) * | 1975-07-17 | 1981-07-09 | Siemens AG, 1000 Berlin und 8000 München | Crimp connector for connecting single fiber optic cables |
| US4193665A (en) * | 1976-03-01 | 1980-03-18 | International Telephone And Telegraph Corporation | Fiber optic contact alignment device |
| DE2616876C3 (en) * | 1976-04-15 | 1979-06-13 | Siemens Ag, 1000 Berlin Und 8000 Muenchen | Connector arrangement for fiber optic cables |
| US4097129A (en) * | 1976-05-25 | 1978-06-27 | Gte Laboratories Incorporated | Coupling device for protectively jacketed fibers |
| US4047797A (en) * | 1976-06-09 | 1977-09-13 | International Telephone And Telegraph Corporation | Fiber optic connector |
| US4027938A (en) * | 1976-07-01 | 1977-06-07 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy | Fiber optic cable connector |
| US4073050A (en) * | 1976-08-31 | 1978-02-14 | Applied Fiberoptics, Inc. | Method of making fiberoptic cable assembly |
| DE2743562C3 (en) * | 1976-10-08 | 1981-12-03 | Hewlett-Packard Co., 94304 Palo Alto, Calif. | Device for connecting two coated individual optical fibers |
-
1979
- 1979-08-30 CA CA334,816A patent/CA1131057A/en not_active Expired
- 1979-09-03 DE DE19792935538 patent/DE2935538A1/en not_active Ceased
- 1979-09-04 FR FR7922606A patent/FR2435734A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1979-09-04 GB GB7930636A patent/GB2031605B/en not_active Expired
- 1979-09-05 JP JP11305879A patent/JPS5557811A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS5557811A (en) | 1980-04-30 |
| FR2435734A1 (en) | 1980-04-04 |
| DE2935538A1 (en) | 1980-03-20 |
| GB2031605B (en) | 1983-03-30 |
| GB2031605A (en) | 1980-04-23 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |