Connector for optical fibers

A connector for optical fibers comprising a pressing assembly including three rollers and a flexible sheath surrounding said rollers and applying perssure thereto for pressing said rollers against a pair of optical fibers placed end to end in the interior of the rollers, said rollers extending parallel to one another in equally spaced relation to define a bore with a central longitudinal axis in which the optical fibers can be aligned and held in alignment, said rollers having tapered ends to form flared openings at the respective ends of the assembly of rollers, first and second cones disposed at the respective ends of the assembly of rollers and engaged in said flared openings, each cone having a central bore for the passage of a respective fiber therethrough and into the bore of the assembly of rollers, and means for relatively moving one of said cones with respect to the other in a longitudinal direction to selectively cause (a) the cones to advance into the flared openings and displace the rollers radially against the opposition of said flexible sheath whereby to enlarge the bore in the roller assembly and permit free insertion and removal of said optical fibers and (b) the cones to retract in the flared openings and permit the rollers to be displaced inwardly under the action of the flexible sheath to clamp the rollers against the optical fibers in the bore of the roller assembly.