Fiber optic connector having alignment sleeves of continuous cross sections

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 end portions which extend around the terminal ends of the optical fibers;
• a housing having an insert body with 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 respective longitudinal axes 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 sleeves having cross-sections which are continuous over various sectioning planes and having interior bores which are of a slightly larger size than an exterior size of said end portions of said termini which fit within said interior bores of said alignment sleeves, providing clearance fits between said alignment sleeves and said associated portions said termini over lengths which extend parallel to respective ones of said longitudinal axes of the termini;
• and
• wherein mating ones of said termini fit within opposite ends of respective ones of said alignment sleeves to align said end portions of said mating ones of the termini for aligning the terminal ends of the optical fibers for transmitting light signals therebetween.

A method for joining two multi-channel fiber optic cables with respective optical fibers thereof aligned for transmitting light signals therebetween, comprising the steps of:

• providing termini, alignment sleeves, and first and second connector housings, each of said first and second connector housings having a plurality of interior passages for receiving respective ones of the 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 termini within respective ones of the interior passages of the first and second connector housings, with the termini angularly moveable with respect to respective gimbal points which are distally disposed from terminal ends of the respective ones of the termini;
• slidably disposing respective ones of the alignment sleeves within respective ones of the interior passages of the first and second connector housings, with respective ones of the termini slidably disposed within corresponding ones of the alignment sleeves with a clearance therebetween;
• 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 transmitting light therebetween;
• where the step of providing the alignment sleeves comprises providing the alignment sleeves with continuous cross-sections over various sectioning planes which extend throughout the respective lengths of the alignment sleeves.