Field installable optical fiber connector

An optical fiber connector comprising;

• a housing having an inner surface defining a cavity extending longitudinally therethrough and a spring element seat disposed therein, the housing also defining a forward opening in communication with the cavity and a rearward opening in communication with the cavity;
• a spring element inserted into the cavity through the forward opening of the housing;
• a ferrule holder inserted into the cavity through the rearward opening of the housing;
• a ferrule disposed within the ferrule holder and having an optical fiber stub disposed within the ferrule;
• and
• a view port for providing a visual indication of the quality of a splice between the optical fiber stub and a field fiber.

An optical fiber connector comprising;

• a housing having an inner surface defining a cavity extending longitudinally therethrough and a spring element seat disposed therein, the housing also defining a forward opening in communication with the cavity and a rearward opening in communication with the cavity;
• a spring element inserted into the cavity through the forward opening of the housing;
• a ferrule holder inserted into the cavity through the rearward opening of the housing;
• and
• a cam member disposed about the ferrule holder.

An optical fiber connector comprising;

• a housing having an inner surface defining a cavity extending longitudinally and a spring element seat therein, the housing also defining a rearward opening in communication with the cavity and a forward opening in communication with the cavity;
• a ferrule having first and second ends and a passageway disposed axially therebetween;
• an optical fiber stub disposed within the ferrule passageway;
• a ferrule holder extending longitudinally between opposing first an second ends and defining a passageway extending longitudinally therebetween, the ferrule holder first end inserted through the housing rearward opening and extending beyond the spring element seat and configured to hold the ferrule, the ferrule holder being slidable longitudinally within the housing;
• a spring element retainer disposed at the first end of the ferrule holder;
• a first and second opposed splice member disposed within the ferrule holder, each splice member extending longitudinally from a first end proximate the second end of the ferrule to an opposite second end, one of the splice members including a longitudinal fiber aligning groove wherein the optical fiber stub extends between the opposed splice member in the groove and terminates at a position intermediate the first and second ends of the splice members;
• a cam member disposed about the ferrule holder, the cam member having a first end and a second end and a passageway extending longitudinally therebetween;
• and
• a spring element disposed between the spring element seat and the spring element retainer, wherein to spring element urges the ferrule holder forward with a predetermined spring force.

A method of determining the quality of a splice between first and second optical fibers within an optical fiber connector comprising:

• providing the optical fiber connector with a housing having an inner surface defining a cavity extending on longitudinally therethrough, a ferrule holder disposed at least partially within the cavity, a ferrule disposed at least partially within the ferrule holder within the first optical fiber disposed at least partially within the ferrule, and a cam member disposed about the ferrule holder;
• passing a visible light through at least one of the optical fibers;
• and
• viewing a view port on the connector for a visual indication of the quality of a splice between the first and second optical fibers.