Connector for fiber optic member including polishing fixture and method of terminating same

A connector for terminating a fiber optic member, comprising an insert member having a bore means extending therethrough, a ferrule member including a front section and a rear section and having an opening extending therethrough including front and rear bores in said front and rear sections respectively, and a crimping ferrule around said rear section of the ferrule member, said insert member receiving a fiber optic member insertably therethrough such that an end portion of said fiber optic member is spaced forwardly from said insert member with said fiber optic member therethrough being insertable into said opening of said ferrule member such that said end portion of said fiber optic member is disposable in said front bore of said ferrule member and said insert member is disposable in said rear bore in said rear section such that said fiber-engaging means of said insert member is positionable under said crimping ferrule, and said crimping ferrule is adapted to be controllably crimped to said rear section of said ferrule member simultaneously crimping said fiber-engaging means to said fiber optic member and crimping said ferrule member to said insert member thus terminating said fiber optic member, characterized in that:

• said bore means of said insert member is a rod-receiving bore means,
• said fiber-engaging means comprises a plurality of rod members contained in said rod-receiving bore means of said insert member and having a fiber-receiving opening therebetween, and at least central portions of said rod members are crimpable into securing engagement with said fiber optic member extending through said fiber-receiving opening.

A connector for terminating a fiber optic cable means comprising:

• ferrule means having a front section and a rear section, said ferrule means having an opening extending therethrough including a front bore extending through said front section and a rear bore extending through said rear section;
• insert means having a rod-receiving bore means extending therethrough in which a plurality of rod means are positioned, said plurality of rod means having a fiber-receiving opening therebetween to enable a fiber optic member of a fiber optic cable means to be inserted between said rod means such that an end portion of said fiber optic member is spaced forwardly from said insert means, said insert means with a section of the fiber optic member therewithin being positionable in said opening of said ferrule means with said end portion of said fiber optic member being disposed along said front bore and said insert means being disposed along said rear bore in said rear section of said ferrule means;
• and
• crimping ferrule means on said rear section being controllably crimpable thereonto thereby reducing said rear section under said crimping ferrule means and moving at least central portions of said rod means in said insert means thereunder into securing engagement with the section of the fiber optic member thereunder thereby securing the insert means to the fiber optic member and the ferrule means to the insert means.

A method of terminating a connector onto an end of fiber optic cable means, characterized by the steps of:

• placing an insert member having rod members there in and a fiber-receiving opening between said rod members onto a section of a fiber optic member of the fiber optic cable means with an end portion of the fiber optic member spaced forwardly therefrom;
• inserting said insert member with the section of the fiber optic member therein into an opening of a ferrule member with the end portion of the fiber optic member disposed in a front section of said opening and said insert member disposed in a rear section of said ferrule member;
• and
• controllably crimping a crimping ferrule on said rear section of said ferrule member thereby reducing said rear section and moving the rod members in said insert member thereunder into securing engagement with the section of the fiber optic member which secures the fiber optic member in said insert member and said insert member in said ferrule member.