CN114764167A

CN114764167A - Optical fiber connector and assembly thereof

Info

Publication number: CN114764167A
Application number: CN202110046214.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王友松; 张玉俊; 雷岗平; 吴建平
Original assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Current assignee: Commscope Technologies LLC
Priority date: 2021-01-14
Filing date: 2021-01-14
Publication date: 2022-07-19
Also published as: WO2022155041A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an optical fiber connector and an assembly thereof. The optical fiber connector includes a connection portion including: a connector body having a cylindrical shape and including a through cavity; and a ferrule assembly disposed within the cavity of the connector body, the ferrule assembly including one or more ferrules adapted to terminate one or more optical fibers of an optical cable and a ferrule receiving member adapted to receive the one or more ferrules. The ferrule receiving member includes two halves having substantially identical configurations, each half being configured in a semi-cylindrical shape and including a substantially flat surface portion and a semi-circular outer peripheral surface portion. The substantially planar surface portion of each half is provided with one or more grooves adapted to receive at least a portion of the one or more ferrules.

Description

Optical fiber connector and assembly thereof

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an optical fiber connector and assembly thereof.

Background

Fiber optic networks are becoming increasingly popular in telecommunications applications due to their larger bandwidth and remote capabilities than copper wire networks. In fiber optic networks, optical fiber cables are commonly used to transmit data. Common fiber optic cables typically include: the optical fiber cable comprises an optical fiber for transmitting an optical signal, a reinforcing layer (usually aramid fiber) disposed around the optical fiber for resisting tensile force, and an outer sheath disposed outside the reinforcing member for protecting the inner optical fiber. In fiber optic networks, fiber optic connectors are also commonly used to connect two fiber optic cables. In particular, with the development of 5G network communication technology, optical fiber connectors are increasingly applied in FTTA (fiber to the antenna) and related fields.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide an optical fiber connector and assembly thereof that overcomes at least some of the problems of the prior art.

In a first aspect of the present disclosure, an optical fiber connector is provided. The optical fiber connector includes a connection portion including: a connector body having a cylindrical shape and including a through cavity; and a ferrule assembly disposed within the cavity of the connector body, the ferrule assembly including one or more ferrules adapted to terminate one or more optical fibers of an optical cable and a ferrule receiving member adapted to receive the one or more ferrules. The ferrule receiving member includes two halves having substantially identical configurations, each half being configured in a semi-cylindrical shape and including a substantially flat surface portion and a semi-circular outer peripheral surface portion. The substantially planar surface portion of each half is provided with one or more grooves adapted to receive at least a portion of the one or more ferrules.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more ferrules are axially floatably received in the one or more grooves.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the one or more ferrules includes a ferrule spring configured to apply an axial resilient force to the respective ferrule when the connection is made.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the one or more grooves includes a stop against which one end of the mortise spring abuts.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the stop is arranged at an intermediate position of the respective groove in the axial direction.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least a portion of each of the one or more optical fibers is received in a respective groove.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the substantially flat surface portion of each half is provided with a protrusion and a recess adapted to cooperate with the protrusion, such that the protrusion of one half can be received in the recess of the other half.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the protruding portion of the one half can form a tight or interference fit with the recessed portion of the other half.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a semi-circular outer circumferential surface portion of each half is provided with a positioning element configured to prevent rotation of the ferrule holding member within the cavity of the connector body when the two halves of the ferrule holding member are installed in the cavity of the connector body.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the positioning element is at least one of a rib extending along an axial direction, a slot extending along an axial direction, or a protrusion extending along a radial direction.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each half is injection molded from a PC, PE or PEI material.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical fiber connector further comprises an optical fiber fixing portion including a fixing body having a cylindrical shape and including a through cavity, the one or more optical fibers of the optical cable being extendable through the cavity of the fixing body, and the reinforcement layer of the optical cable being crimpable on an outer circumferential surface of the fixing body.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a portion of the securing body extends into the cavity of the connector body and is threadedly connected with the connector body.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, an end face of the portion of the fixing body abuts the ferrule holding element to axially fixedly press the ferrule holding element against the cavity of the connector body.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a seal is disposed between the connector body and the fixing body.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an outer circumferential surface of the fixing body for crimping the reinforcing layer of the optical cable is configured as a non-smooth outer circumferential surface.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical fiber fixing portion further comprises a heat shrink tube and/or a jacket enclosing at least a portion of the fixing body and at least a portion of the optical cable.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical fiber connector further comprises a locking portion comprising a locking element axially fixedly arranged on an outer circumference of the connector body and adapted to be connected and locked with another connecting device in a push-pull manner.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the locking element is configured as a locking sleeve, the inner surface of which is provided with a projection or groove extending in the circumferential direction, which projection or groove is adapted to cooperate with a groove or projection on the further connecting device for effecting the connection and locking.

According to an embodiment of the disclosure, the locking portion further comprises an unlocking element axially movably arranged around the locking element outside the locking element, wherein the unlocking element comprises an unlocking portion configured to enable the locking element to be deformed radially outwards for unlocking when the unlocking element is moved in the axial direction.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the locking element is made of phosphor copper.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the connector body is provided with an alignment indicator to facilitate alignment of the fiber optic connector with another connection device when connected.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the alignment indicator is at least one of a hemispherical protrusion, a cylindrical protrusion, or a rib extending along an axial direction.

In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a fiber optic connector assembly is provided. The fiber optic connector assembly includes at least one fiber optic connector according to the present disclosure and an adapter. The adapter includes: an adapter body having a cylindrical shape and including a cavity therethrough; and a ferrule receiving assembly disposed within the cavity of the adapter body, the ferrule receiving assembly adapted to receive a ferrule of the fiber optic connector.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ferrule receiving assembly includes a ferrule receiving member and one or more ferrules disposed within the ferrule receiving member.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the ferrule receiving member includes two halves having substantially identical configurations, each half of the ferrule receiving member being configured in a semi-cylindrical shape and including a substantially flat surface portion and a semi-circular outer peripheral surface portion; and wherein the substantially planar surface portion of each half of the ferrule receiving member is provided with one or more grooves adapted to receive the one or more ferrules.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the substantially planar surface portion of each half of the ferrule receiving member is provided with a projection and a recess such that the projection of one half of the ferrule receiving member can be received in the recess of the other half of the ferrule receiving member.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the raised portion of the one half of the ferrule receiving member can form a tight or interference fit with the recessed portion of the other half of the ferrule receiving member.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a locating element is provided on a semi-circular outer circumferential surface portion of each half of the ferrule receiving element such that the ferrule receiving element is prevented from rotating within the cavity of the adapter body when the two halves of the ferrule receiving element are installed in the cavity of the adapter body.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the positioning element of the ferrule receiving element is at least one of a rib extending along an axial direction, a slot extending along an axial direction, or a protrusion extending along a radial direction.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, each half of the ferrule receiving element is injection molded from a PC, PE or PEI material.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the bushing is a ceramic bushing.

According to one embodiment of the disclosure, the sleeve includes a slit extending through a body of the sleeve in an axial direction such that the sleeve is deformable upon insertion of the ferrule therein.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the adapter body is provided on an outer peripheral surface thereof with a groove or a protrusion adapted to mate with a protrusion or a groove of a locking element of the fiber optic connector.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical fiber connector assembly includes two optical fiber connectors that are inserted into the cavity of the adapter body from both ends of the adapter, respectively, for connection.

It is noted that aspects of the present disclosure that are described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated into other different embodiments, although not specifically described with respect to those other different embodiments. In other words, all embodiments and/or features of any embodiment may be combined in any way and/or combination as long as they are not mutually inconsistent.

Drawings

Various aspects of the disclosure will be better understood upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical fiber connector according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the fiber optic connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a ferrule holding member of the fiber optic connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the fixing body of the fiber optic connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6a is a perspective view of one embodiment of a locking element of the fiber optic connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6b is a perspective view of another embodiment of a locking element of the fiber optic connector shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial view of the locking and unlocking elements of the fiber optic connector shown in FIG. 1;

fig. 8a to 8g illustrate an assembly process of the optical fiber connector shown in fig. 1;

fig. 9 and 10 are exploded and assembled perspective views, respectively, of an adapter for a fiber optic connector according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a ferrule receiving member of the adapter shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a fiber optic connector assembly formed by connecting two fiber optic connectors using the adapter shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the fiber optic connector assembly shown in FIG. 12;

fig. 14 is an enlarged partial view of the fiber optic connector assembly shown in fig. 12.

It should be understood that like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the several views. In the drawings, the size of some of the features may vary and are not drawn to scale for clarity.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the disclosure. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, the embodiments described below are intended to provide a more complete disclosure of the present disclosure, and to fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. It is also to be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide further additional embodiments.

It is to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. All terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in the specification have the meaning commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art unless otherwise defined. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

As used in this specification, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprising," "including," and "containing" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features. The term "and/or" as used in this specification is inclusive of any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In the description, when an element is referred to as being "on," "attached to," connected to, "coupled to," or "contacting" another element, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled to, or contacting the other element, or intervening elements may be present.

In the specification, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are used for convenience of description only and are not intended to be limiting. Any technical features denoted by "first", "second", "third", etc. are interchangeable.

In the description, spatial relationships such as "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", and the like may be used to describe one feature's relationship to another feature in the drawings. It will be understood that the spatial relationship terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, features originally described as "below" other features may be described as "above" other features when the device in the figures is inverted. The device may also be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the relative spatial relationships may be interpreted accordingly.

Referring to fig. 1-3, a fiber optic connector 10 is shown according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The optical fiber connector 10 may include a connection portion 11. The connecting portion 11 may include a connector body 110, which may be generally cylindrical and include a cavity therethrough. A ferrule assembly 111 may be disposed within the cavity of the connector body 110. The ferrule assembly 111 can include one or more ferrules 112 adapted to terminate one or more optical fibers 311 of the fiber optic cable 31 and a ferrule receiving member 113 adapted to receive the one or more ferrules 112. Each ferrule 112 may include a ferrule spring 114 (shown in fig. 8 b) configured to apply an axial spring force to the ferrule 112 when making a connection to ensure reliable contact between the ferrule 112 of the fiber optic connector 10 and a mating ferrule of another connection device (e.g., another fiber optic connector 10 or other type of fiber optic connector). The ferrule 112 may be a standard ferrule or any other form of ferrule. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the ferrule 112 may be a zirconia ferrule.

As shown more clearly in fig. 4, in one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the ferrule holding member 113 can be constructed of two halves 115 having substantially identical configurations. Each half body 115 may be configured in a semi-cylindrical shape and include a substantially flat surface portion 116 and a semi-circular outer peripheral surface portion 117. One or more grooves 118 adapted to receive at least a portion of the one or more ferrules 112 are disposed on the substantially planar surface portion 116 of each half 115. Each groove 118 can be semi-circular in shape, thereby enabling a circular groove to be formed in the ferrule holding member to receive the ferrule 112 when the two halves 115 are joined together to form the ferrule holding member 113. The split ferrule holding member 113 can greatly simplify assembly of the ferrule 112 therein and help protect the optical fiber 311 from damage during assembly, which is important for fragile optical fibers 311.

The one or more ferrules 112 can be axially floatably received in the one or more grooves 118 of each half 115 of the ferrule receiving member 113. For this purpose, a stop 119 may be provided in each recess 118. One end of the ferrule spring 114 may abut on the stopper 119 to prevent the ferrule spring 114 from moving axially in a direction toward the stopper 119 without being compressed and thus without applying an axial elastic force to the ferrule 112 when connection is made. The stopper 119 may be provided at one end of each groove 118, or may be provided at an intermediate position of each groove 118 in the axial direction (as shown in fig. 4). When the stop portion 119 is disposed at the intermediate position of each groove 118 in the axial direction, the portion of each groove 118 located behind the stop portion 119 can accommodate at least a portion of the corresponding optical fiber 311 of the optical cable 31, which is advantageous in the case where the ferrule accommodating member 113 includes a plurality of grooves 118 to accommodate the plurality of ferrules 112, because it can be ensured that the portions of the plurality of optical fibers 311 connected to the plurality of ferrules 112 are disposed substantially parallel to the plurality of ferrules 112 within the plurality of grooves 118 and well protected within the grooves 118, so that it is possible to prevent the plurality of optical fibers from being damaged by being separated at a large inclination angle after coming out of the optical cable 31.

To facilitate joining the two halves 115 to form the ferrule holding member 113, a protrusion 120 and a recess 121 adapted to mate with the protrusion 120 may also be provided on the substantially planar surface portion 116 of each half 115. In this way, the projection 120 of one half 115 can be received in the recess 121 of the other half 115, thereby enabling the two halves 115 to be easily joined together. To prevent the two halves 115 from disengaging from each other after being joined together, the dimensions of the protrusion 120 and the recess 121 may be selected to form a tight or interference fit.

A positioning member 122 may be provided on the semicircular outer circumferential surface portion 117 of each half body 115. The positioning member 122 serves to position the ferrule receiving member 113 against rotation within the cavity of the connector body 110 when the two halves 115 of the ferrule receiving member 113 are installed in the cavity of the connector body 110. The positioning element 122 is critical to the fiber optic connector in that any degree of twisting or rotation may cause damage to or even break the optical fiber 311, given the vulnerability of the optical fiber 311. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the positioning element 122 is configured as a rib extending in the axial direction, and correspondingly a slot for receiving the rib is provided in the cavity of the connector body 110. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the positioning element 122 may also be configured as a slot extending in the axial direction, and a rib that can be received in the slot may be provided within the cavity of the connector body 110. In addition, the positioning member 122 may have other configurations, for example, the positioning member 122 may be a protrusion (a hemispherical protrusion, a cylindrical protrusion, a polygonal protrusion, or the like) extending in a radial direction of the half body 115.

Each half 115 of the ferrule holding member 113 can be injection molded from a material having high hardness and low thermal deformation rate to sufficiently protect the ferrule 112 and the optical fiber 311 within the ferrule holding member 113. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, each half 115 of the ferrule holding member 113 can be made of a PEI (polyetherimide) material. PEI has excellent properties such as high hardness, low thermal deformation rate, or low expansion rate, and is therefore particularly suitable for manufacturing ferrule holding members. In other embodiments, each half 115 of the ferrule holding member 113 can also be made of PE (polyethylene) or PC (polycarbonate) or the like.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the optical fiber connector 10 may further include an optical fiber fixing portion 21. The fiber securing portion 21 may include a securing body 211, which may be generally cylindrical and include a cavity therethrough. The outer circumference of the fixing body 211 may be provided with a flange 212 that divides the fixing body 211 into a left portion 213 and a right portion 214. The left portion 213 of the fixing body 211 may extend into the cavity of the connector body 110 of the connection part 11 and be threadedly connected with the connector body 110. When the left portion 213 of the fixing body 211 extends into the cavity of the connector body 110 of the connecting portion 11, the end face of the left portion 213 of the fixing body 211 may abut the ferrule holding member 113, thereby axially fixedly pressing the ferrule holding member 113 into the cavity of the connector body 110 (as shown in fig. 2). A groove for receiving a sealing member (as shown in fig. 2) may be provided at a side of the flange 212 of the fixing body 211 facing the left portion 213. The sealing member 215 may be accommodated in the groove to prevent water or dust, etc. from entering the inside of the optical fiber connector 10 through the gap between the fixing body 211 and the connector body 110.

The optical fiber 311 of the optical cable 31 may extend through the cavity of the fixing body 211 so that the ferrule 112 terminated thereto can be received in the ferrule receiving member 113 of the connecting portion 11. The length of the cavity of the fixing body 211 may be designed to further increase the transition length of the plurality of optical fibers 311 stripped from the fiber optic cable 31 before the predetermined separation distance is reached, thereby helping to separate the plurality of optical fibers 311 at a smaller angle of inclination to avoid damaging the optical fibers. To prevent the optical fibers 311 from being pulled or twisted, the reinforcing layer (typically aramid) of the optical cable 31 may be crimped onto the outer circumferential surface of the right portion 214 of the fixing body 211 by means of a crimp sleeve 216. For this reason, the outer circumferential surface of the right portion 214 of the fixing body 211 may be configured as a non-smooth outer circumferential surface so as to firmly hold the reinforcing layer of the optical cable 31 crimped thereto. One or more slots, serrations, or other structures that help increase friction may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the right portion 214 of the fixing body 211 to form a non-smooth outer peripheral surface.

The optical fiber fixing part 21 may further include a heat shrinkage tube 217. The heat shrinkable tube 217 may enclose the right portion 214 of the fixing body 211 and at least a portion of the optical cable 31 to strengthen the connection between the optical cable 31 and the fixing body 211 and prevent water, dust, or the like from entering the inside of the optical fiber connector 10 from the right portion 214 of the fixing body 211. A sheath 218 may be further provided outside the heat shrinkable tube 217. A jacket 218 may cover the heat shrink tubing 217 and at least a portion of the fiber optic cable 31 to further prevent water or dust, etc. from entering the fiber optic connector from the right portion 214 of the fixing body 211. In addition, jacket 218 may further protect fiber optic cable 31 from being pulled or twisted, thereby protecting optical fibers 311 within fiber optic cable 31.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the fiber optic connector 10 may further include a locking portion 41 to facilitate locking the connection of the fiber optic connector 10 with another connection device (e.g., another fiber optic connector 10, another other type of fiber optic connector, or an adapter, etc.). The locking portion 41 may include a locking element 411. The locking element 411 may be axially fixedly disposed on the outer circumference of the connector body 110 of the connection portion 11 of the optical fiber connector 10 and configured to be connected and locked with the other connection device in a push-pull manner. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the locking element 411 may be configured as a locking sleeve, as shown in fig. 6a and 6 b. The inner surface of the locking sleeve is provided with a circumferentially extending protrusion 412 which can be received in a corresponding groove of the further connection device to enable connection and locking of the optical fiber connector 10 with the further connection device. To facilitate the projections 412 of the locking sleeve to be received in or removed from the corresponding grooves of the further connecting device, the locking sleeve may be configured to be elastically deformable in a radial direction to expand or contract, thereby enabling the projections 412 of the locking sleeve to be moved in a radial direction into or out of the corresponding grooves. In the embodiment shown in fig. 6a, the locking sleeve comprises a gap 413 extending through the entire body of the locking sleeve in the axial direction, so that the locking sleeve is elastically deformable in the radial direction. In the embodiment shown in fig. 6b, the locking sleeve further comprises a plurality of slits 414 partly extending through the body of the locking sleeve in the axial direction, thereby forming a plurality of fingers 415 on the locking sleeve. A projection 412 may be located on each finger 415 and near the free end of the finger 415 so as to be more easily deformable in the radial direction.

In other embodiments according to the present disclosure, the locking element 411 may have other different configurations. For example, the locking element 411 may be configured as a locking sleeve, the inner surface of which may be provided with a groove extending in the circumferential direction, while a protrusion adapted to be received in the groove may be provided at a corresponding position on the further connecting device.

The locking member 411 may be made of a material having good elasticity. In an embodiment according to the present disclosure, the locking element 411 may be made of phosphor copper. The locking element 411 made of phosphor copper can maintain good elasticity without deformation after a plurality of uses, and thus can maintain good locking performance after a plurality of uses.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the locking portion 41 may further include an unlocking element 416 to facilitate unlocking the locking element 411. Referring to fig. 2 and 7, the unlocking element 416 may be configured as an unlocking sleeve. The unlocking sleeve may be disposed outside the locking member 411 around the locking member 411, and an inner surface of one end of the unlocking sleeve is provided with a hook portion 417 having an inclined surface 418. The free end of the locking element 411 may contact the inclined surface 418 of the hook 417 of the unlocking sleeve. The unlocking sleeve is configured to be partially movable in the axial direction, and when the unlocking sleeve is moved in the axial direction towards the free end of the locking element 411, the inclined surface 418 of the hook 417 may move the free end of the locking element 411 radially outwards, so that the protrusion 412 or groove of the locking element 411 and the corresponding groove or protrusion of the other connecting means are unlocked away from each other.

Next, an assembly process of the optical fiber connector 10 including the connection part 11, the optical fiber fixing part 21, and the locking part 41 is described with reference to fig. 8a to 8 g. In the step shown in fig. 8a, the locking element 411 and the unlocking element 416 of the locking part 41 may be first mounted on the outer circumference of the connector body 110 in sequence to form a connection assembly, wherein the locking element 411 is axially fixedly mounted on the outer circumference of the connector body 110, while the unlocking element 416 is mounted on the outer circumference of the connector body 110 in a partially movable manner in the axial direction and surrounds the locking element 411. A sealing member 123 may be further installed on the outer circumference of the connector body 110 so as to seal a gap between the optical fiber connector 10 and another connecting device when the two are connected. In the step shown in fig. 8b, the optical cable 31 may be sequentially extended through the fixing body 211 of the optical fiber fixing part 21, the crimp sleeve 216, the heat shrinkable tube 217, and the sheath 218, and one or more optical fibers 311 of the optical cable 31 are respectively connected to the one or more ferrules 112. In the step shown in figure 8c, the ferrule 112 can be secured in the formed ferrule holding member 113 by placing the one or more ferrules 112 into the one or more grooves 118 of one half 115 of the ferrule holding member 113, respectively, and then engaging the other half 115 against the one half 115. In the step shown in fig. 8d, the assembled ferrule holding member 113 can be inserted into the inner cavity of the connector body 110 of the connection assembly formed in the step shown in fig. 8 a. In the step shown in fig. 8e, the left portion 213 of the fixing body 211 may be screwed into the inner cavity of the connector body 110 of the connection assembly formed in the step shown in fig. 8a and the end face of the left portion 213 is brought into abutment against the ferrule holding member 113 to fix it in the inner cavity of the connector body 110. In the step shown in fig. 8f, the reinforcing layer of the optical cable 31 may be placed and crimped on the outer peripheral surface of the right portion 214 of the fixing body 211 by means of a crimping sleeve 216. In fig. 8g, the optical fiber connector 10 can be assembled by first heat-sealing the heat shrinkable tube 217 to at least a portion of the fixing body 211 and a portion of the optical cable 31, and then sheathing the sheath 218 over at least a portion of the fixing body 211, the heat shrinkable tube 217, and a portion of the optical cable 31. It is noted that the steps described in connection with fig. 8 a-8 f are merely illustrative of an exemplary assembly process of the fiber optic connector 10, and that the steps may be performed in any suitable order without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

The optical fiber connector 10 according to the present disclosure may be directly connected with another connection device or connected with another connection device via an adapter. In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, one optical fiber connector 10 may be connected with another optical fiber connector 10 or other types of optical fiber connectors (such as panel-type optical fiber connectors) by means of an adapter 50.

Fig. 9 and 10 show a specific structure of the adapter 50 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in fig. 9 and 10, the adaptor 50 may include an adaptor body 51, which may be generally cylindrical and include a cavity therethrough. A ferrule receiving assembly 52 is disposed within the cavity of the adapter body 51. The ferrule receiving assembly 52 may include a ferrule receiving member 521 and one or more ferrules 522 disposed within the ferrule receiving member 521 for receiving ferrules of the fiber optic connector 10 and other connection devices.

Similar to the ferrule holding member 113, the ferrule receiving member 521 of the adapter 50 can be formed of two halves 523 (shown in FIG. 11) having substantially identical halves. Each half 523 may be configured in a semi-cylindrical shape and include a substantially flat surface portion 524 and a semi-circular peripheral surface portion 525. One or more recesses 526 are provided on the substantially planar surface portion 524 of each half 523 for receiving the one or more bushings 522. Each groove 526 can be semi-circular in shape, such that when the two halves 523 are joined together to form the ferrule receiving member 521, a circular groove can be formed in the ferrule receiving member 521 to accommodate the sleeve 522.

To facilitate joining the two halves 523 to form the ferrule receiving member 521, a raised portion 527 and a recessed portion 528 adapted to mate with the raised portion 527 may also be provided on the substantially planar surface portion 524 of each half 523. The raised portion 527 of one half 523 can be received in the recessed portion 528 of the other half 523, thereby enabling the two halves 523 to be easily joined together. To prevent the halves 523 from disengaging from each other after they are joined together, the protrusion 527 and the recess 528 can be sized to form a tight or interference fit.

A positioning member 529 may be provided on the semicircular outer peripheral surface portion 525 of each half body 523. The locating member 529 functions to locate the ferrule receiving member 521 against rotation within the cavity of the adapter body 51 when the two halves 523 of the ferrule receiving member 521 are installed in the cavity of the adapter body 51. In the embodiment shown in fig. 10, the positioning elements 529 are configured as ribs extending in the axial direction, and correspondingly slots 511 for receiving said ribs are provided in the cavity of the adapter body 51. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the positioning element 529 may also be configured as a slot extending in the axial direction, and a rib that can be received in the slot may be provided in the cavity of the adaptor body 51. In addition, the positioning element 529 may have other configurations, for example, the positioning element 529 may be a protrusion (a hemispherical protrusion, a cylindrical protrusion, a polygonal protrusion, etc.) extending in a radial direction of the half body 523.

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, each half 523 of the ferrule receiving member 521 can be injection molded from a material having high stiffness and low thermal deformation rate. For example, each half 523 of the ferrule receiving member 521 can be made of a material such as PEI (polyetherimide), PE (polyethylene), or PC (polycarbonate).

In one embodiment according to the present disclosure, the ferrule 522 may be a ceramic ferrule, and the ferrule of the optical fiber connector 10 and the ferrule of another connecting device may be connected to each other within the ceramic ferrule to ensure high-precision signal transmission. The sleeve 522 may include a slit through its body in the axial direction that enables the sleeve 522 to deform when the ferrule is inserted therein to facilitate insertion of the ferrule.

To facilitate insertion of the ferrule 112 of the fiber optic connector 10 into the ferrule 522 of the adapter 50, an alignment indicator 124 (shown in fig. 1 or 8 a) may be provided on the connector body 110 of the fiber optic connector 10. The alignment indicator 124 of the fiber optic connector 10 can be configured such that the ferrule 112 of the fiber optic connector 10 can be inserted into the ferrule 522 of the adapter 50 when it is received in the slot 511 of the adapter 50. The alignment indicator 124 may have different configurations. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 or 8a, the alignment indicator 124 is configured as a hemispherical protrusion. In other embodiments according to the present disclosure, the alignment indicator 124 may also be a cylindrical protrusion, a rib extending along the axial direction, or the like.

In order to enable the optical fiber connector 10 and the adapter 50 to be connected and locked in a push-pull manner, a groove 512 or a protrusion that is fitted with the protrusion 412 or the groove of the locking element 411 of the optical fiber connector 10 may be provided on an outer circumferential surface of the adapter body 51 of the adapter 50. When the adapter body 51 of the adapter 50 is inserted between the connector body 110 of the fiber optic connector 10 and the locking member 411, the protrusion 412 of the locking member 411 may be received in the recess 512 of the adapter body 51 or the recess of the locking member 411 may receive the protrusion of the adapter body 51.

In another embodiment according to the present disclosure, the outer periphery of adapter body 51 of adapter 50 may also be provided with flange 513 and threads 514. The adapter 50 may be secured to a mounting panel by means of a nut 515. For example, the adapter 50 may be secured to the mounting panel in a manner that sandwiches the mounting panel between the flange 513 and the nut 515. To more securely secure the adapter 50 to the mounting panel, a resilient washer 516 may also be provided between the mounting panel and the nut 515.

Fig. 12-14 illustrate a fiber optic connector assembly formed by connecting two fiber optic connectors 10 using an adapter 50. The two fiber optic connectors 10 can be connected by inserting them into the cavity of the adapter body 51 from both ends of the adapter 50, respectively, wherein the ferrule 112 of each fiber optic connector 10 extends into the ferrule 522 of the ferrule receiving assembly 52 of the adapter 50 and abuts the ferrule 112 of the other fiber optic connector 10 within the ferrule 522 (as shown more clearly in fig. 14). In addition, by means of the adapter 50, two fiber optic connectors having the same structure can be quickly connected or disconnected in a push-pull manner, which avoids the need to provide different locking structures on the two fiber optic connectors, thereby contributing to the simplification of the structure of each fiber optic connector.

In addition, although not shown, the adapter 50 may be utilized to connect one optical fiber connector 10 according to the present disclosure with one other type of optical fiber connector (e.g., a panel-type optical fiber connector, etc.) to form an optical fiber connector assembly, as long as the ferrule of the other type of optical fiber connector can be inserted into the ferrule 522 of the ferrule receiving assembly 52 of the adapter 50.

Exemplary embodiments according to the present disclosure are described above with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. All such variations and modifications are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The disclosure is defined by the following claims, with equivalents of the claims to be included therein.

Claims

1. An optical fiber connector, wherein the optical fiber connector comprises a connection portion comprising:

a connector body having a cylindrical shape and including a cavity therethrough; and

a ferrule assembly disposed within the cavity of the connector body, the ferrule assembly including one or more ferrules adapted to terminate one or more optical fibers of an optical cable and a ferrule receiving member adapted to receive the one or more ferrules;

wherein the ferrule receiving member comprises two halves having substantially identical configuration, each half being configured in a semi-cylindrical shape and comprising a substantially flat surface portion and a semi-circular outer peripheral surface portion; and is

Wherein the substantially planar surface portion of each half is provided with one or more grooves adapted to receive at least a portion of the one or more ferrules.

2. The fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein the one or more ferrules are axially floatably received in the one or more grooves; and/or

Each of the one or more ferrules includes a ferrule spring configured to apply an axial resilient force to the respective ferrule when connected; and/or

Each of the one or more grooves includes a stop against which one end of the mortise spring abuts; and/or

The stopper portions are provided at intermediate positions of the respective grooves in the axial direction; and/or

At least a portion of each of the one or more optical fibers is received in a respective groove.

3. The fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein the substantially flat surface portion of each half is provided with a projection and a recess adapted to mate with the projection such that the projection of one half can be received in the recess of the other half; and/or

The convex part of one half body can form tight fit or interference fit with the concave part of the other half body; and/or

A semi-circular outer peripheral surface portion of each half is provided with a positioning element configured to prevent rotation of the ferrule holding member within the cavity of the connector body when the two halves of the ferrule holding member are installed in the cavity of the connector body; and/or

The positioning element is at least one of a rib extending along an axial direction, a slot extending along an axial direction, or a protrusion extending along a radial direction.

4. The fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein each half is injection molded from a PC, PE, or PEI material; and/or

The optical fiber connector further comprises an optical fiber fixing part comprising a fixing body having a cylindrical shape and including a through cavity, the one or more optical fibers of the optical cable being extendable through the cavity of the fixing body, and the reinforcing layer of the optical cable being capable of being crimped on an outer circumferential surface of the fixing body; and/or

A portion of the securing body extending into the cavity of the connector body and threadedly connected with the connector body; and/or

An end face of the portion of the fixed body abuts the ferrule receiving member to axially fixedly press the ferrule receiving member against a cavity of the connector body; and/or

A seal is disposed between the connector body and the securing body; and/or

An outer circumferential surface of a reinforcing layer of the fixing body for crimping the optical cable is configured as a non-smooth outer circumferential surface; and/or

The optical fiber securing portion further includes a heat shrink tube and/or a jacket that encapsulates at least a portion of the securing body and at least a portion of the fiber optic cable.

5. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber connector further comprises a locking portion comprising a locking element axially fixedly disposed on an outer circumference of the connector body and adapted to connect and lock with another connecting device in a push-pull manner; and/or

The locking element is configured as a locking sleeve, the inner surface of which is provided with a projection or groove extending in the circumferential direction, which projection or groove is adapted to cooperate with a groove or projection on the further connecting device for connection and locking; and/or

The locking portion further comprises an unlocking element axially movably arranged around the locking element outside the locking element, wherein the unlocking element comprises an unlocking portion configured to be capable of deforming the locking element radially outwards to unlock when the unlocking element is moved in the axial direction; and/or

The locking element is made of phosphor copper.

6. The fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein the connector body is provided with an alignment indicator to facilitate alignment of the fiber optic connector with another connection device when connected; and/or

The alignment indicator is at least one of a hemispherical protrusion, a cylindrical protrusion, or a rib extending along an axial direction.

7. A fiber optic connector assembly comprising:

at least one fiber optic connector according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and

an adapter, the adapter comprising:

an adapter body having a cylindrical shape and including a cavity therethrough; and

a ferrule receiving assembly disposed within the cavity of the adapter body, the ferrule receiving assembly adapted to receive a ferrule of the fiber optic connector.

8. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 7, wherein the ferrule receiving assembly includes a ferrule receiving member and one or more ferrules disposed within the ferrule receiving member; and/or

The ferrule receiving member includes two halves having substantially identical configurations, each half of the ferrule receiving member being configured in a semi-cylindrical shape and including a substantially flat surface portion and a semi-circular outer peripheral surface portion; and wherein the substantially planar surface portion of each half of the ferrule receiving member is provided with one or more grooves adapted to receive the one or more ferrules; and/or

The substantially planar surface portion of each half of the ferrule receiving member is provided with a projection and a recess such that the projection of one half of the ferrule receiving member can be received in the recess of the other half of the ferrule receiving member; and/or

The raised portion of the one half of the ferrule receiving member can form a tight or interference fit with the recessed portion of the other half of the ferrule receiving member.

9. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 8, wherein a semi-circular outer circumferential surface portion of each half of the ferrule receiving member is provided with a positioning member such that the ferrule receiving member is prevented from rotating within the cavity of the adapter body when the two halves of the ferrule receiving member are installed in the cavity of the adapter body; and/or

The locating element of the ferrule receiving element is at least one of a rib extending along an axial direction, a slot extending along an axial direction, or a protrusion extending along a radial direction; and/or

Each half body of the inserting core receiving element is formed by injection molding of PC, PE or PEI materials; and/or

The sleeve is a ceramic sleeve.

10. The fiber optic connector assembly of claim 8, wherein the sleeve includes a slit extending through a body of the sleeve in an axial direction such that the sleeve is deformable upon insertion of the ferrule therein; and/or

The outer peripheral surface of the adapter body is provided with a groove or a protrusion which is suitable for being matched with the protrusion or the groove of the locking element of the optical fiber connector; and/or

The optical fiber connector assembly comprises two optical fiber connectors which are inserted into the cavity of the adapter body from two ends of the adapter respectively for connection.