Precise self-aligning split-sleeve fiber-optic bulkhead connector

Abstract

A bulkhead-style connector incorporates a fixed, split sleeve to accurately and repeatably position a fiber-optic ferrule with respect to a housing. The split sleeve, which may be made of metal or ceramic, is attached in a manner allowing the sleeve to slightly expand. This allows the sleeve to locate the ferrule precisely, while still providing a controlled insertion and extraction force in the presence of a low level of contaminants. The split sleeve may be accurately located either by bonding it tangentially in a manner that enables the sleeve to expand, or by surrounding the sleeve with a material having a low modulus of elasticity enables the sleeve to expand. As a further option the sleeve may be bonded in a localized area and surrounded with low-modulus material elsewhere to provide a bonded and sealed configuration. The sleeve may optionally incorporate raised sections on its internal diameter, to better locate the fiber optic ferrule, and to provide increased clearance between the majority of the sleeve's inner diameter and the outer diameter of the ferrule. Such a configuration may further help to minimize the introduction of contaminants. The housing may also incorporate a window to isolate the fiber optic ferrule from the opposite side of the housing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.