Detachable connector for optical fibres
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorsAdrianus J. J. Franken, Franciscus M. Coolen, Giok D. Khoe, Jacob Langerhorst, Henricus W. W. Smulders
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A connector for connecting optical fibers comprises three portions: a. centering means for centering the fiber with respect to a housing in which the fiber has been inserted, b. a profiled edge on each housing for centering housings with respect to each other, and c. fixing means for connecting two housings to each other. The edges of the housings are resilient with respect to the rest of the housing so that reference faces of the connector can be pressed together by springing back the edges.
Claims13
A connector for coupling optical fibers comprising two connector portions, each connector portion comprising:
- a housing, with means for detachably connecting the housing to another housing, said housing having an inner wall, a central axis and a reference face oriented perpendicular to the central axis, said reference face contacting the reference face of another housing when the connector portions are connected, said housing also having an edge having a toothed profile for engaging a toothed edge of another housing when the connector portions are connected, each of the toothed edges having faces along which the housings contact each other, said faces being along lines which radiate from the central axis, the central axes of the connected housings being coaxial;
- and
- centering means, arranged in the housing, for disengageably centering a fiber end with respect to a fiber end in the other connector portion, said centering means comprising at least one centering element having a first side arranged to abut against at least one side of the fiber end and having a second side arranged to abut against the inner wall of the housing;
- characterized in that;
- the inner wall of the housing has as many symmetry planes as there are centering elements, the central axis being situated in each symmetry plane;
- and
- the toothed edge is arranged to be resilient with respect to the reference face in a direction parallel to the central axis.
A connector for coupling optical fibers comprising two connector portions, each connector portion comprising:
- a housing, with means for detachably connecting the housing to another housing, said housing having an inner wall, a central axis and a reference face oriented perpendicular to the central axis, said reference face contacting the reference face of another housing when the connector portions are connected, said housing also having an edge having a toothed profile for engaging a toothed edge of another housing when the connector portions are connected, each of the toothed edges having faces along which the housings contact each other, said faces being along lines which radiate from the central axis, the central axes of the connected housings being coaxial;
- and
- centering means, arranged in the housing, for disengageably centering a fiber end with respect to a fiber end in the other connector portion, said centering means comprising at least one centering element having a first side arranged to abut against at least one side of the fiber end and having a second side arranged to abut against the inner wall of the housing;
- characterized in that;
- the inner wall of the housing has as many symmetry planes as there are centering elements, the central axis being situated in each symmetry plane;
- the toothed edge is arranged to be resilient with respect to the reference face in a direction parallel to the central axis;
- and
- the centering means further comprises:
- a holder having three circular-cylindrical recesses each having a radius of a first length and each having an axis of a second length, the axes of the recesses being parallel to the central axis and equidistant therefrom, the distance between the axes of the recesses and the central axis being a small amount less than the radii of the recesses;
- and
- three substantially circular-cylindrical centering elements, one centering element provided in each recess, each centering element having a flat side disposed toward the central axis, the centering elements forming a channel having a triangular cross-section around the central axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.