Fiber optic guide pin changer and field tool with adapter
AssigneeUS Conec Ltd.
InventorsCraig M. Conrad, Jason Higley
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pin exchanger has protrusions from gripping elements that engage fiber optic guide pins. Guide beams on the pin exchanger provide a reference for aligning the guide pins and the pin exchanger with a fiber optic connector and a fiber optic ferrule. An adapter is also provided that has openings to receive the guide beams. The adapter is preferably installed in a field tool and together they engage the fiber optic connector, align the pin exchanger and move the guide pin holder to allow guide pins to be inserted or removed.
Claims20
A combination of a field tool and a pin exchanger to change a gender of a fiber optic connector, comprising:
- a field tool further comprising:
- a main body with an opening to receive an adapter,
- two handles movable towards each other, and
- a pair of plungers in relatively offset positions within the main body and each having a pin configured to engage a pin keeper in the fiber optic connector when the two handles are moved towards each other via corresponding offset openings in the fiber optic connector;
- and
- a pin exchanger engageable with the field tool at the adapter, the pin exchanger further comprising:
- a pair of gripping elements having a space between each gripping element of the pair of gripping elements, a pair of guide pins being receivable in the space, and
- a guide beam attached to each gripping element of the pair of gripping elements,
- wherein the adapter of the field tool includes two guide beam openings to respectively receive the guide beam attached to the each gripping element during a gender change operation of the fiber optic connector.
A combination of a field tool, a pin exchanger and an adapter to change a gender of a fiber optic connector comprising:
- a field tool having a main body with two handles positioned on opposite sides of the main body, the two handles angularly movable towards each other about respective pivot points on the main body;
- an adapter positioned inside an opening of the main body;
- and
- a pin exchanger engageable with the field tool at the adapter and having a pair of gripping elements with a space therebetween to receive a pair of guide pins for insertion into or for removal from the fiber optic connector, the pin exchanger also having a first guide beam and a second guide beam on opposite sides thereof,
- wherein the adapter is configured to engage both the pair of guide beams and the fiber optic connector during a gender change operation when at least a portion of the fiber optic connector is received inside the adapter, and
- wherein the field tool further comprises a pair of plungers with pins in relatively offset positions within the main body to engage a pin keeper of the fiber optic connector received at least partially inside the adapter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.