ANGLE POLISHED MULTI-FIBER CONNECTOR

Abstract

A fiber optic cable assembly a termination assembly attached at the first and second ends of the ribbon. The ferrule has a polished contact surface that exposes ends of the optical fibers, and the contact surface forms an oblique angle relative to a plane normal to axes defined by the fibers. Each contact surface is slightly rotated clockwise or slightly rotated counter-clockwise with respect to the normal of the plane defined by the fiber array, so that when the second end of one cable assembly is mated to the first end of a second cable assembly in Key-Up to Key-Up Method B adapter configuration, the angled ferrule surfaces abut.

Claims

1. A fiber optic cable assembly, comprising: a plurality of substantially parallel optical fibers formed into a ribbon, the ribbon extending in a longitudinal direction and having first and second ends; a termination assembly attached at each of the first and second ends of the ribbon, wherein each of the termination assemblies include a body and a ferrule, the body having a key on an upper surface thereof, and when viewed facing the contact surface with the key projecting upwardly, the outermost one of the fiber positions located on the left side is designated as fiber position 1 and the opposite outermost fiber position is designated position n, and wherein when the contact surface of the first end is viewed with the termination key up, optical fiber 1 is located in position 1, and wherein the contact surface of the second end when viewed with the termination key up, optical fiber 1 is located in position n, and wherein, the ferrule has a polished contact surface that exposes ends of the optical fibers, and the contact surface forms an oblique angle relative to a plane normal to axes defined by the fibers, and wherein either (a) each contact surface is slightly rotated clockwise, or (b) each contact surface is slightly rotated counter-clockwise with respect to the normal of the plane defined by the fiber array, so that when the second end of one cable assembly is mated to the first end of a second cable assembly in Key-Up to Key-Up Method B adapter configuration, the angled ferrule surfaces abut.

2. A fiber optical cable assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the number n of fibers in the ferrule is 4.

3. A fiber optical cable assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the number n of fibers in the ferrule is 8.

4. A fiber optical cable assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the number n of fibers in the ferrule is 12.

5. A fiber optical cable assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the number n of fibers in the ferrule is 16.

6. Wherein the angled surface is between 5 and 15 degrees.

7. The fiber optic cable assembly defined in claim 1, where the oblique angle is about 8 degrees.

8. The fiber optic cable assembly defined in claim 1, wherein the optical fibers are single-mode optical fibers.

9. A fiber optic cable assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the optical fibers are multimode optical fibers.

10. A fiber optic cable assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein only the portion of the surface area containing the optical fibers is angle polished.

11. A fiber optic cable assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the ferrule also includes alignment pins.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0019] FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of an MPO connector system.

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates the difference between a Method A and a Method B alignment system.

[0021] FIG. 3 further illustrates the difference between the Method A and Method B alignment systems.

[0022] FIG. 4 illustrates the typical angle polishing of an MPO connector.

[0023] FIG. 5 illustrates the issue with conventional angle polishing of MPO connectors in a Key-Up to Key-Up configuration.

[0024] FIG. 6 shows one embodiment of a connector system having a novel way to angle polish an MPO connector for a Key-Up to Key-Up configuration.

[0025] FIG. 7 highlights the ferrule of the connector system of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter, in which an examplary embodiment of the invention is shown. This invention may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, this embodiment is provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. The embodiment of the present invention is described using the MPO connector type, however, it is understood that the present invention is applicable to any multi-fiber connector type requiring an angle polished ferrule end face.

[0027] Referring to FIG. 6, fiber optic cables designated broadly as 606 and 615, each comprise 12 optical fibers (not shown) arranged in a parallel relationship in ferrules 603 and 613 respectively to form a row of fiber positions numbered 1 through 12 as shown by 607 and 617. where fiber position 1 is nearest the bottom edge of ferrule 603 and nearest the top edge of ferrule 613. In Method B connectivity, ribbon fiber 1 is terminated in fiber position 1 on the first end of the cable assembly, and terminated in fiber position 12 on the second end, and utilizes Type B adapters have Key-Up to Key-Up alignment.

[0028] In accordance to the present invention, the ferrule 603 has a polished surface 604 rotated 8 degrees around the normal 620 defined by the plane formed by the fiber array. In this example, the surface is rotated clockwise and has an alignment key projecting upwards. Likewise, the ferrule 613 has a polished surface 614 rotated clockwise with respect to the normal 621 defined by the plane formed by the fiber array terminated in connector 610, and also includes an alignment key projected upwards. When the connectors 601 and 610 are mated in a Method B Key-Up to Key-Up adapter 620, polished ferrule surfaces 604 and 614 abut with an angle of about 8 degrees.

[0029] For multi-fiber connectors, it is only necessary to angle polish the ferrule area containing the optical fiber array 707 as illustrated in FIG. 7. In this embodiment, ferrule 701 includes alignment pins 702 and 703, which are recessed with respect to polished surface 704.

[0030] While particular embodiments and applications of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations may be apparent from the foregoing without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described.