Optical connector arrangements terminate at least seventy-two optical fibers. The optical connector arrangements include multiple optical ferrules that each terminates multiple optical fibers. Some example optical connectors can terminate about 144 optical fibers. Each optical connector includes a fiber take-up arrangement and a flange extending outwardly from a connector housing arrangement. The fiber take-up arrangement manages excess length of the optical fibers. A threadable coupling nut can be disposed on the connector housing arrangement to engage the outwardly extending flange. Certain types of optical connector arrangements include furcation cables spacing the connector housing arrangement form the fiber take-up arrangement.

A fiber optic connector and cable assembly includes a cable with one or more strength members secured to a connector that is connectable to both a hardened and a non-hardened fiber optic adapter. The cable can include multiple cable types with various shapes and strength member configurations. The connector includes a connector housing having a one-piece main body and a cover piece mounted thereon. The one-piece main body defines a plug portion compatible with the adapters. A ferrule assembly is mounted in the plug portion and biased outwardly by a spring. An insert within the connector housing includes a spring stop for holding the spring and a cable retention portion for securing the strength members of the cable. The spring stop and the cable retention portion can be included on a one-piece insert or they can separately be included on separate inserts. The cable retention portion of the insert and the cover piece can take various forms suited for a particular cable of a given fiber optic connector and cable assembly.

Optical fiber connector assembly for a fiber optic cable includes an optical fiber having an end portion terminated with a ferrule and rod members. The optical fiber connector assembly includes: a ferrule holder configured to hold the end portion of the optical fiber, the ferrule and the rod members; a connector having an internal passageway for housing the ferrule holder; a locking member extending lengthwise and having an internal passageway for the end portion of the fiber optic cable. A pre-connectorized fiber optic cable includes a fiber optic cable and the optical fiber connector assembly mounted upon an end portion of the fiber optic cable.

A fiber optic cable assembly includes a fiber optic cable and a fiber optic connector. The cable includes a jacket having an elongated transverse cross-sectional profile that defines a major axis and a minor axis. Strength components of the cable are anchored to the connector. The fiber optic connector includes a multi-fiber ferrule defining a major axis that is generally perpendicular to the major axis of the jacket and a minor axis that is generally perpendicular to the minor axis of the jacket. Certain types of connectors include a connector body defining a side opening that extends along a length of the connector body; a multi-fiber ferrule configured for lateral insertion into the connector body through the side opening; and a cover that mounts over the side opening after the multi-fiber ferrule has been inserted into the connector body through the side opening.

An optical fiber securing structure includes: an optical fiber including a coating, and a coating-removed section in which a partial section of the coating is removed from the optical fiber; a reinforcement member including main surfaces and a groove formed from one of the main surfaces toward an inside of the reinforcement member, where the groove has a pair of side walls and a bottom wall; and a resin member that secures the coating-removed section to the pair of side walls and the bottom wall. A bottom part of the groove that includes the bottom wall has a widthwise cross-sectional shape where the bottom wall constitutes a trapezoidal shape such that a distance between the pair of side walls becomes greater in a direction away from the bottom wall.

The present invention relates to a universal optical fiber connector including a hot-melt end connector assembly, a heat-shrinkable sleeve and a protective shell for the heat-shrinkable sleeve. The assembly further comprises the main body of the hot-melt end, and a ceramic ferrule, a wedge for the ceramic ferrule and a pre-embedded optical fiber passing through the main body. The tail end of the protective shell for the heat-shrinkable sleeve is connected with an optical fiber locking device for the locking of the optical fiber; the locking device and the protective shell for the heat-shrinkable sleeve are separately configured. The present invention is applicable to optical fibers of different sizes and can improve the tensile properties of the optical fiber connector, and the protective shell for the heat-shrinkable sleeve can be volume-produced with the same mould instead of being produced independently for each type, so as to improve the production efficiency.

Multi-fiber, fiber optic cable assemblies may be configured so that the terminal ends of the cables have pre-assembled back-post assemblies that include pre-assembled ferrules, such as MPO ferrules that meet the requisite tolerances needed for fiber optic transmissions. To protect the pre-assembled components from damage prior to and during installation, pre-assembled components may be enclosed within a protective housing. The housing with pre-assembled components may be of a size smaller than fully assembled connectors so as to be sized to fit through a conduit. The remaining connector housing components for the multi-fiber connectors may be provided separately and may be configured to be attached to the back-post assembly after installation of the cable.

Hardened fiber optic connectors having a mechanical splice assembly are disclosed. The mechanical splice assembly is attached to a first end of an optical waveguide such as an optical fiber of a fiber optic cable by way of a stub optical fiber, thereby connectorizing the hardened connector. In one embodiment, the hardened connector includes an inner housing having two shells for securing a tensile element of the cable and securing the mechanical splice assembly so that a ferrule assembly may translate. Further assembly of the hardened connector has the inner housing fitting into a shroud of the hardened connector. The shroud aides in mating the hardened connector with a complimentary device and the shroud may have any suitable configuration. The hardened connector may also include features for fiber buckling, sealing, cable strain relief or a pre-assembly for ease of installation.

Fiber optic cable demarcations inhibiting movements of optical fibers relative to strength members, and related cable assemblies and methods, are disclosed. By bonding optical fibers to strength members with a bonding agent received into at least one cavity, a demarcation may be formed inside the cable jacket at a cable jacket interface. The at least one cavity may be disposed within a cable jacket of a fiber optic cable and at the cable jacket interface. The demarcation may bond at least one optical fiber and at least one strength member together to inhibit longitudinal movement of the at least one optical fiber relative to the at least one strength member. In this manner, the demarcation may inhibit optical fiber movement within the fiber optic connector, which may cause tensile forces and/or buckling of the optical fiber resulting in optical fiber damage and/or optical attenuation.

A fiber optic cable sub-assembly comprises a fiber optic cable including at least one optical fiber, a cable jacket that houses the optical fiber and at least one metal strength member. A collar is attached to an end portion of the metal strength member, wherein the optical fiber extends beyond an outer axial end of the collar. In another example a fiber optic cable assembly is fabricated from the fiber optic cable sub-assembly wherein a connector housing is attached to the collar, and an interface operably connects an end portion of the optical fiber to an active optical component within the connector housing. In further examples, methods of assembly for a fiber optic cable sub-assembly are provided along with using the sub-assembly for making a fiber optic cable assembly.