Alignment Adapter and Alignment Design for a Connector Therefor

Abstract

An adapter with novel alignment features engages alignment features on a plug, providing general alignment of the ferrule holders and ferrules in the plug. After the plug engages the adapter, the ferrule holders engage a second set of alignment features in the adapter to provide fine alignment for the ferrules.

Claims

1. An adapter for holding fiber optic connectors, the adapter comprising: a main body having a width and a height and an opening extending longitudinally from a first side to an opposing second side, the main body comprising two opposing side walls spaced apart along the width and a first top wall and a first bottom wall spaced apart along the height, each of the first top wall and the first bottom wall extending widthwise between the two opposing side walls; a central portion inside the main body located between the first side and the opposing second side, a first fiber optic connector from the first side mating with a second fiber optic connector from the opposing second side within the central portion, a first internal groove of the first top wall extending from the first side toward the central portion; and a second internal groove of the first bottom wall extending from the opposing second side toward the central portion, wherein the first internal groove has a first width and the second internal groove has a second width, the first width is greater than the second width, wherein the adapter is free of internal walls outwardly of the central portion in a space between the opposing side walls along the width and between the first top wall and the first bottom wall along the height.

2. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the central portion includes a wall extending across the opening in the adapter.

3. The adapter of claim 2, wherein the wall divides the central portion in half.

4. The adapter of claim 2, wherein the wall has passageways sized to allow respective ferrules from the first fiber optic connector and the second fiber optic connector to engage.

5. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the first top wall has a dropped top portion and the first bottom wall has a raised bottom portion for mitigating electromagnetic interference (EMI).

6. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the first top wall and the first bottom wall have a smooth plane structure in the central portion.

7. The adapter of claim 6, further comprising a wall in the central portion extending across the opening in the adapter.

8. The adapter of claim 7, wherein the wall has passageways sized to allow respective ferrules from the first fiber optic connector and the second fiber optic connector to engage.

9. The adapter of claim 1, wherein the main body has a width to receive one fiber optic connector to four fiber optic connectors.

10. An adapter for aligning fiber optic ferrules inserted from opposing sides comprising: a main body having an opening extending between a first side and a second side, the first side and the second side separated by a central portion; and at least one groove in a top surface and a bottom surface of the main body extending longitudinally toward the central portion from each of the first side and the second side, wherein the adapter is configured such that a first fiber optic ferrule is received at the first side and a second fiber optic ferrule is received at the second side of the adapter for alignment by the at least one groove at the top surface and the bottom surface of the main body.

11. The adapter of claim 10, wherein the at least one groove is sized differently on the top surface than on the bottom surface.

12. The adapter of claim 10, wherein the first fiber optic ferrule is disposed partially inside a first ferrule holder, and wherein the at least one groove is sized to match a projection on an outside surface of the first ferrule holder for alignment.

13. The adapter of claim 10, wherein the central portion includes a wall extending across the opening in the adapter.

14. The adapter of claim 13, wherein the wall divides the central portion in half.

15. An adapter for aligning a first fiber optic connector having a first fiber optic ferrule inserted from a first side and a second fiber optic connector having a second fiber optic ferrule inserted from a second side, comprising: a main body having an opening defined by two opposing side walls, a top surface and a bottom surface joining the two opposing side walls, the opening extending between the first side and the second side, the first side configured to receive the first fiber optic connector and the second side configured to receive the second fiber optic connector; a central portion inside the main body located between the first side and the second side, the first fiber optic connector and the second fiber optic connector mating in a region of the central portion; and a first groove disposed on the top surface and a second groove disposed on the bottom surface on each of the first side and the second side, each of the first groove and the second groove extending toward the central portion from each of the first side and the second side, wherein the first groove has a dimension different from the second groove.

16. The adapter of claim 15, wherein the first groove is wider than the second groove.

17. The adapter of claim 15, wherein the dimension of the first groove matches a dimension of a projection of the first fiber optic connector for alignment.

18. An adapter for holding fiber optic connectors, the adapter comprising: a main body having a width and a height and an opening extending longitudinally from a first side to an opposing second side, the main body comprising two opposing side walls spaced apart along the width and a first top wall and a first bottom wall spaced apart along the height, each of the first top wall and the first bottom wall extending widthwise between the two opposing side walls; a central portion inside the main body located between the first side and the opposing second side, a first fiber optic connector from the first side mating with a second fiber optic connector from the opposing second side within the central portion; and a plurality of internal grooves within a space of the adapter, the plurality of internal grooves configured to align the first fiber optic connector and the second fiber optic connector in the main body.

19. The adapter of claim 18, wherein the plurality of internal grooves are sized to receive a respective projection on each of the first fiber optic connector and the second fiber optic connector for alignment.

20. The adapter of claim 18, wherein the plurality of internal grooves extend longitudinally in a direction toward the central portion.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of an adapter assembly according to the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the adapter assembly of FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a cut-away view of the adapter of FIG. 1;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the adapter of FIG. 1.;

[0015] FIG. 5A is a top perspective view of one embodiment of a ferrule holder and ferrule that can be used in the adapter assembly of FIG. 1;

[0016] FIG. 5B is a bottom perspective view of the ferrule holder and ferrule of FIG. 5a;

[0017] FIG. 5C is a front view of the ferrule holder and ferrule of FIG. 5a;

[0018] FIG. 6A is a top perspective view of a plug and ferrule holders according to the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 6B is a bottom perspective view of the plug and ferrule holders of FIG. 6A;

[0020] FIG. 6C is a front elevational view of the plug and ferrule holders of FIG. 6A;

[0021] FIG. 7A is a partial cross sectional view of a portion of a ferrule holder of FIG. 5

[0022] FIG. 7B is a partial cross sectional view of a portion of the center portion of the adapter;

[0023] FIG. 8 is a cross sectional view of the adapter assembly in the center of the adapter assembly; and

[0024] FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the adapter assembly through a ferrule holder and ferrule.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiment(s) of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Whenever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, one embodiment of an adapter assembly 10 is illustrated. The adapter assembly 10 includes an adapter 100, a plug 200 and a ferrule holder 300. The adapter assembly 10 is used to align ferrules 12 to other ferrules in a tightly controlled manner and in a tighter space than has been possible before. The ferrules 12 are typically multi-fiber ferrules, particularly MT type ferrules, but the present invention may include other types of ferrules. The ferrules 12 are disposed within the ferrule holder 300 and have optical fibers 14 secured therein, which may be loose optical fibers, ribbonized optical fibers, or optical fibers in any other configuration. The ferrules 12 are resiliently held in the ferrule holders 300 using a spring push 16 that engages a spring 18. The spring 18 then presses on a pin keeper 20, as is known in the art, to bias the ferrules 12 forward in the ferrule holder 300. As is described in more detail below, the ferrules 12 are held somewhat loosely within the ferrule holder 300 so that they can move relative to the ferrule holder 300 to align with other ferrules 12 that are inserted in the adapter 100 from the other side. Similarly, the ferrule holders 300 are inserted into the plug 200 and they are also loosely held in the plug 200. That is, there is typically more than 100 microns of movement in the x and y directions (See FIG. 4.) available to the ferrule holder 300 in the plug 200, as explained in more detail below.

[0027] As illustrated in FIGS. 5A-C, the ferrule holder 300 has a main body 302 with a central opening 304 that extends from a first end 306 to a second end 308 to house the fiber optic ferrules 12. The first end 306 has an opening 310 therein to allow access to the ferrule 12. The ferrule 12 may or may not exit the main body 302. That is, the ferrule 12 may extend beyond the main body 302 as shown in the figures or it may be flush with the first end 306. second end 308 allows for the optical fibers 14 (shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B to have a boot and a covering) to exit the ferrule holder 300. The ferrule holder 300 has a top surface 312 and a bottom surface 314, with a cantilevered latch 316 to engage the plug 200. The top surface 312 has a projection 320 and the bottom surface 314 has a projection 322. The projections 320,322 are preferably elongated and have a chamfered front end. The projections 320,322 are used to engage grooves in the plug 200 and the adapter 100 to position the ferrule holders 300 with precision in the adapter 100. The projection 320 has a width that is different that the width of projection 322 so as to act as a key in inserting the ferrule holder 300 in the plug 200. While the projection 320 is wider than projection 322, it could be opposite in that projection 320 is more narrow than projection 322. The projections 320,322 are preferably on the top and the bottom surfaces 312,314 of the ferrule holder 300 to allow, as illustrated below, more ferrule holders to be inserted into the adapter 100 and the plug 200. The projections 320,322 are used to position the ferrules 12 in the adapter in the x and y directions, eliminating the need for side walls to position the ferrule holders 300 and the ferrules 12.

[0028] The plug 200 will now be described relative to FIGS. 6A-6C. The plug 200 has an outside surface 202 and an inside surface 204. The inside surface 204 defines an opening 206 therethrough to allow the ferrule holders 300 to be inserted therein. The inside surface 204 has a plurality of grooves 208 on a top side 210 and a corresponding plurality of grooves 212 on the bottom side 214. The grooves 208 and 212 are dimensioned to accept the projections 320,322 from the ferrule holders 300. It should be noted that the ferrule holders 300 are adjacent to one another, that is side-by-side without any material from the plug 200 therebetween. Applicant means that by using the term adjacent herein, there is no structure that comes between the neighboring ferrule holders 300.

[0029] The outside surface 202 also has a projection 220 on the top of the plug 200, seen in FIG. 6A, and also a projection 222 on the bottom of the plug 200, seen in FIG. 6B. Again, as with the projections 320,322, projection 220 has a width that is different that the width of projection 222 so as to act as a key in inserting the plug 200 into the adapter 100. While the projection 220 is narrower than projection 222, it could be opposite in that projection 220 is wider than projection 222.

[0030] The plug 200 also has two cantilevered latches 230 on the sides to engage corresponding structure on the adapter 100. There are also latch receptacles 232 on the top side of the plug 200 to engage the latches 316 of the ferrule holders 300.

[0031] As noted above, the grooves 208 and 212 in plug 200 are dimensioned to accept the projections 320,322 from the ferrule holders 300. There is sufficient movement in the ferrule holders 300 relative to the plug 200 that when the plug 200 and ferrule holders 300 as assembled is inserted into the adapter 100, that the ferrule holders 300 can move to allow the projections 320,322 from the ferrule holders 300 to engage corresponding grooves in the adapter 100 as described below in more detail.

[0032] Returning to FIGS. 3 and 4, the adapter 100 is illustrated in more detail. The adapter 100 has a main body 102 with an opening 104 extending between a first side 106 and a second side 108. The first side 106 and a second side 108 are separated by a central portion 110. The first side 106 has a top surface 112 and a bottom surface 114. The top surface 112 has a groove 116 and the bottom surface 114 has a groove 118. The grooves 116,118 correspond to the projections 220,222 from the plug 200. The location of the wider groove in the adapter 100 will correspond with the wider projection on the plug 200.

[0033] The adapter has the center portion 110. Center portion 110 preferably has a wall 130 that extends across the opening 104 in the adapter 100 and divides the center portion 110 in half. The center portion 110 also has a raised bottom portion 132 and a dropped top portion 134 that narrows the opening 104 in the center portion 110. The wall 130 preferably extends from the raised bottom portion 132 and a dropped top portion 134 or it may be excluded completely if there is no EMI concerns with the adapter 100. The wall 130 has a plurality of openings 136 that are sized to allow the ferrules 12 to pass therethrough to engage a corresponding ferrule 12. As noted above, if the ferrules 12 only extend to the end of the ferrule holder 330, then the openings 136 should be sized to allow the ferrule holders to also extend therethrough. The adapter 100 may also have an elastomeric gasket 150 that encircles an external surface of the adapter 100 to provide EMI shielding.

[0034] The raised bottom portion 132 and a dropped top portion 134 also have a plurality of grooves 140, 142, respectively, that extend completely across the central portion 110. The grooves 140, 142 are like those in the plug 200, in that they are to engage the projections 320,322 from the ferrule holders 300. The grooves 140,142 preferably extend completely across the center portion 110 as they are formed with the same insert in the mold. Therefore, the grooves 140,142 are sure to align the ferrule holders 300 on each side of the adapter 100 as they are inserted into the adapter 100.

[0035] As the plug 200 with the ferrule holders 300 positioned therein are inserted into the adapter 100, the projections 220,222 from the plug 200 engage the grooves 116,118 on the top surface 112 and the bottom surface 114 to roughly align the ferrule holders 300 with the center portion 110 and the plurality of grooves 140 in particular. Then, as the plug 200 is inserted farther into the adapter 100, the projections 320,322 from the ferrule holders 300 engage plurality of grooves 140, 142 to align the ferrule holders 300 with the adapter and the openings 136 in the wall 130. When a plug 200 is inserted on the second side, the ferrules in the ferrule holders on the other side will be in alignment with the first side.

[0036] The position of the ferrule holders 300 on the first side 106 of the adapter relative to the ferrule holders 300 on the second side 108 is what allows the optical ferrules to be aligned with one another. There is no need, as discussed above, to worry about the stacking of tolerances as in the prior art. The positioning of the projections 320,322 on the ferrule holders 300 relative to the plurality of grooves 140, 142 is important. With reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B, the projections 320,322 are used to control the x and y locations of the ferrule holders 300. The surfaces 340 of the projections 320,322 (FIG. 7A) align with the surfaces 150 in the adapter (FIG. 7B) to control the x direction of the ferrule holder 300 relative to the adapter 100. The surfaces 352 of the ferrule holder 300 align with the surfaces 152 of the raised bottom portion 132 and the dropped top portion 134 of the center portion 110 to control the y direction of the ferrule holder 300 relative to the adapter 100. The surfaces of the projections 320,322 could also align in they direction, given that they are parallel to the surfaces 352.

[0037] A cross section of the adapter assembly 10 is illustrated in FIG. 8 through the center of the adapter assembly. This illustrates the projections 220,200 in the openings 116,118 of the adapter 100. FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of the adapter assembly 10 through a ferrule holder and ferrule illustrating the engagement of the projections 320,322 in the openings 140, 142.

[0038] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thus it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.