Optical fiber connector assembly

An optical fiber connector assembly, comprising:

• a first unit having a first housing with a through bore and a first ferrule movably mounted in the through bore for movement between an advanced and retracted position, the ferrule having a forward end face having a plurality of optical contacts and a rear end;
• a first group of optical fibers extending through the through bore and first ferrule and terminated at the respective optical contacts;
• a second unit for releasable mating engagement with the first unit, the second unit having a housing with a through bore and a second ferrule mounted in the through bore and having a forward end face for face to face engagement with the forward end face of the first ferrule when the units are mated together, the forward end face having a plurality of optical contacts for optical contact with respective contacts in the first ferrule end face when the units are mated together;
• a second group of optical fibers extending through the through bore in the second unit and through the second ferrule, each fiber of the second group being terminated at a respective one of the optical contacts;
• a biasing device mounted in the through bore of the first unit behind the ferrule and bearing against the rear end face of the ferrule to bias it towards its advanced position, the biasing device comprising a spring having a rear fixed end and a forward end spaced from the rear end of the ferrule, and a spacer between the forward end of the spring and the rear end of the ferrule, the spacer having a flat forward end face for face-to-face engagement with the rear end of the ferrule;
• and
• the spacer comprising an elongate bushing having a rear end engaging the forward end of the spring and a forward end comprising a seat, and a ball member mounted in the through bore between the bushing seat and the ferrule rear end, the ball member having a spherical face engaging the bushing seat and a flat forward face comprising said forward end face.