A fiber optic ferrule includes a body extending from a first end to a second opposite end, with the body including an axial passage extending between the first and the second ends. The axial passage includes a first diameter portion having a diameter of at least 125 microns, a second diameter portion having a diameter of at least 250 microns and less than a diameter of a buffer, and a smooth and continuous transition between the first and the second diameter portions. The second diameter portion is positioned between the first diameter portion and the second end. The axial passage further defines a tapered shape at the second end extending inward from the second end toward the second diameter portion. In certain embodiments, another smooth and continuous transition can be provided between the taper shape and the second diameter portion. In certain embodiments, the axial passage is smooth and continuous between the first and the second ends of the body. A hub holds the ferrule. A method of assembling a terminated fiber optic cable is also provided.

A fiber optic adapter is disclosed. The fiber optic adapter includes a main body configured to receive a first fiber optic connector through a first end and a second fiber optic connector through a second end for mating with the first fiber optic connector. The adapter includes a ferrule alignment structure located within an axial cavity of the main body, the ferrule alignment structure including a sleeve mount and a ferrule sleeve, the sleeve mount including an axial bore and at least one latching hook extending from a center portion of the sleeve mount toward the first end of the main body and at least one latching hook extending from the center portion toward the second end of the main body, the latching hooks configured to flex for releasably latching the first and second fiber optic connectors to the fiber optic adapter. The sleeve mount and the main body of the fiber optic adapter are unitarily molded as a single piece and the ferrule sleeve is separately placed within the axial bore of the sleeve mount.

A fiber optic ferrule includes a body extending from a first end to a second opposite end, with the body including an axial passage extending between the first and the second ends. The axial passage includes a first diameter portion having a diameter of at least 125 microns, a second diameter portion having a diameter of at least 250 microns and less than a diameter of a buffer, and a smooth and continuous transition between the first and the second diameter portions. The second diameter portion is positioned between the first diameter portion and the second end. The axial passage further defines a tapered shape at the second end extending inward from the second end toward the second diameter portion. In certain embodiments, another smooth and continuous transition can be provided between the taper shape and the second diameter portion. In certain embodiments, the axial passage is smooth and continuous between the first and the second ends of the body. A hub holds the ferrule. A method of assembling a terminated fiber optic cable is also provided.

A method for making an optical fiber connector includes the following steps: Providing a casting mold having at least one casting cavity, and arranging at least one optical fiber assembly in the at least one casting cavity; Feeding plastic material into the at least one casting cavity; Solidifying the plastic material so as to form a plastic portion which solidifiedly bonds the at least one optical fiber assembly, where an end of the at least one optical fiber assembly emerges from the plastic portion, then removing a lower mold plate of the casting mold; Using a hard grinding disk to grind the end of the at least one optical fiber assembly; and Disposing the casting mold into an atomization facility, and atomizing lens material to the end of the at least one optical fiber assembly, acting with a manner of epicyclic gearing revolving therearound and with their own axes, so as to form a lens on the end of the at least one optical fiber assembly such that the lens is heated and solidified. Thereby, efficacy in producing optical fiber connectors can be improved. Also disclosed is a structure of the optical fiber connector, thus reliability of automated production of optical fiber connectors can be increased.

An expanded beam ferrule includes a first ferrule halve having first reflective surfaces and a second ferrule halve having second reflective surfaces, which together retain optical fibers. The pair of reflective surfaces output collimated light parallel to the mid-plane of the ferrule. An external sleeve aligns the external surface of two similar ferrules, with corresponding second reflective surfaces of the ferrules facing each other. Output light from an optical fiber held in one ferrule is bent twice by the pair of reflective surfaces, with beam divergence after the first bent, and collimation after the second bent. The collimated light is transmitted to the facing second reflective surface in a facing second ferrule aligned by the sleeve, which is subject to optical reshaping in reverse to that undertaken in the first ferrule, so as to converge and focus light to input to the optical fiber held in the other ferrule.

A fiber optic cable and connector assembly is disclosed. In one aspect, the assembly includes a cable optical fiber, an optical fiber stub and a beam expanding fiber segment optically coupled between the cable optical fiber and the optical fiber stub. The optical fiber stub has a constant mode field diameter along its length and has a larger mode field diameter than the cable optical fiber. In another aspect, a fiber optic cable and connector assembly includes a fiber optic connector mounted at the end of a fiber optic cable. The fiber optic connector includes a ferrule assembly including an expanded beam fiber segment supported within the ferrule. The expanded beam fiber segment can be constructed such that the expanded beam fiber segment is polished first and then cleaved to an exact pitch length. The expanded beam fiber segment can be fusion spliced to a single mode optical fiber at a splice location behind the ferrule.

A fiber optic ferrule with rear holes and a guide pin clamp allows for changing guide pins in the field. The guide pin clamp has a forward clamp portion to engage the rear face of the fiber optic ferrule, a rearward clamp portion configured to engage the biasing spring, and a guide pin retaining plate. The guide pin retaining plate is movable from a first position to a second position to allow for the removal or insertion of guide pins.

A fiber optic adapter is disclosed. The fiber optic adapter includes a main body configured to receive a first fiber optic connector through a first end and a second fiber optic connector through a second end for mating with the first fiber optic connector. The adapter includes a ferrule alignment structure located within an axial cavity of the main body, the ferrule alignment structure including a sleeve mount and a ferrule sleeve, the sleeve mount including an axial bore and at least one latching hook extending from a center portion of the sleeve mount toward the first end of the main body and at least one latching hook extending from the center portion toward the second end of the main body, the latching hooks configured to flex for releasably latching the first and second fiber optic connectors to the fiber optic adapter. The sleeve mount and the main body of the fiber optic adapter are unitarily molded as a single piece and the ferrule sleeve is separately placed within the axial bore of the sleeve mount.

An optical fiber array according to one embodiment includes: an optical fiber; and a support member that supports the optical fiber. The support member comprises a mixture material of a base material and a solid material made of a material different from the base material, in which the base material contains at least either of thermoplastic resin or thermosetting resin, a light transmittance for at least one wavelength within a UV light wavelength range greater than or equal to 300 nm and less than or equal to 450 nm with respect to the support member having a thickness of 3 mm is 30% or greater, and an average light transmittance for a wavelength within a visible light wavelength range greater than or equal to 380 nm and less than or equal to 780 nm with respect to the support member having a thickness of 3 mm is 70% or less.

Device for the coaxial connection of fiber-optic cables, comprising a single-piece coupling housing (10) and a single-piece sleeve mount (20), the sleeve mount (20) being designed with at least one latching nose (21) and the coupling housing (10) being designed with at least one latching mount which complements the at least one latching nose (21), wherein the latching mount is designed with at least one latching hook (14) and at least one stop (15).