Fiber optic connector having an annular-shaped floating seal assembly

A fiber optic cable connector for coupling to a mating fiber optic connector to align terminal ends of optical fibers of two fiber optic cables for transmitting light signals therebetween, the connector comprising:

• termini mounted to and including the terminal end portions of the optical fibers of the fiber optic cables, said termini having longitudinal axes and respective shoulders which extend transverse to said axes;
• a housing having a plurality of interior passages disposed therein for receiving a first set of said termini of the optical fibers associated with a first one of the two fiber optic cables in registration along a mating plane with respective ones of a second set of said termini of the optical fibers associated with a second one of the two fiber optic cables and the mating fiber optic connector;
• said housing having a plurality of shoulders defined to extend inward within respective ones of said interior passages, spaced apart from said mating plane and substantially transverse to longitudinal axes of respective ones of said interior passages;
• said housing further having a plurality of inwardly extending protuberances which extend inwardly within respective ones of said interior passages, spaced apart from said mating plane and respective ones of said shoulders of corresponding ones of said interior passages;
• said protuberances fitting around respective ones of said termini to gimbal said termini within respective ones of said interior passages, wherein the terminal ends of the optical fibers associated with respective ones of said termini may angularly move with respect to respective ones of said longitudinal axes of said interior passages, pivoting about said protuberances;
• alignment members having interior bores which receive associated end portions of said termini over lengths which extend parallel to respective ones of said longitudinal axes of said termini;
• a plurality of floating collars, each of which is annular-shaped and extends around a respective one of said termini with a clearance fit between said respective ones of said floating collars and said termini such that said floating collars are free to move parallel to longitudinal axes of said respective termini;
• said floating collars having seal surfaces which face outward from said floating collars and which extend parallel to said longitudinal axes of said respective termini, spaced apart from respective ones of said interior passages of said housing to define first seal glands therebetween;
• first seal elements disposed in said first seal glands, extending around respective ones of said longitudinal axes of said respective termini, and sealingly engaging between respective ones of said seal surfaces and said interior passages when said termini are angularly displaced about said protuberances;
• said floating collars having seal faces which extend transverse to said seal surface of said floating collar and parallel to said respective shoulders of said termini, said seal faces and said respective shoulders of said termini being facing, opposed surfaces which are spaced apart to define a second seal gland;
• and
• second seal elements disposed within respective ones of second seal glands, and sealingly engaging between said respective shoulders of respective ones of said termini and said seal faces of said floating collars.

A method for joining two multi-channel fiber optic cables for transmitting light signals therebetween, comprising the steps of:

• providing termini having longitudinal axes and which include terminal ends of optical fibers of the fiber optic cables, the termini including shoulders which extend substantially transverse to respective ones of the longitudinal axes;
• providing floating collars which extend around the termini, the floating collars having seal surfaces and seal faces which face in respective directions;
• providing first and second connector housings, each of the connector housings having a plurality of interior passages for receiving respective ones of termini of the optical fiber of the fiber optic cables, with the interior passages of respective ones of the first and second connector housings aligned for registering with respective ones of the interior passages of the other of the first and second connector housings;
• mounting the floating collars around the termini, each of the floating collars mounted to a respective one of the termini, slidable in a longitudinal direction relative to the respective termini;
• disposing first seal elements between the floating collars and the respective ones of the interior passages of the connector housings, sealingly engaging therebetween;
• disposing second seal elements between the floating collars and respective ones of the termini, sealingly engaging between the seal faces of the floating collars and the shoulders of the termini;
• mounting the termini within respective ones of the interior passages of the first and second connector housings, with the termini angularly moveable with respect to a gimbal point which is distally disposed from terminal ends of the respective ones of the termini, and the second seal element sealingly engaging between the floating collars and the interior passages of the housing as the termini are angularly moved within the respective ones of the interior passages;
• slidably disposing respective ones of alignment sleeves within respective ones of the interior passages of the first and second connector housings, with respective ones of the termini disposed in each of the alignment sleeves;
• and
• mating the first connector housing with the second connector housing to slidably engage the termini of respective ones of the first and second connector housings within corresponding ones of the alignment sleeves to align the termini of the first and second connectors for aligning the terminal ends of the optical fibers of the optical conductors for transmitting light signals therebetween.