Search

EP-4398014-B1 - FIBER OPTIC CONNECTOR WITH ACTUATION ELEMENT AND METHOD OF INSTALLING THE SAME

EP4398014B1EP 4398014 B1EP4398014 B1EP 4398014B1EP-4398014-B1

Inventors

  • MEEK, DAVID WAYNE
  • Webb, Lee Alexander
  • LEYVA, JR., DANIEL

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20240103

Claims (15)

  1. A fiber optic connector (10) for an optical fiber (2), the fiber optic connector comprising: a connector body (14) having a front end (18) and a back end (20); a boot (46) having a rear portion (52) extending beyond the back end (20) of the connector body (14), wherein the boot (46) is configured to move from a rearward position relative to the connector body (14) to a forward position relative to the connector body (14); and an actuation element (100, 200) comprising a base (102, 202) and a lever (104, 204) coupled to the base (102, 202), wherein the base of the actuation element (100, 200) is received over the rear portion (52) of the boot (46) and the back end (20) of the connector body (14) in an installed state, characterized in that the actuation element (100, 200) prevents the boot (46) from moving from the rearward position to the forward position in the installed state, and in that the actuation element (100, 200) is removable from the boot (46) to allow the boot (46) to move from the rearward position to the forward position.
  2. The fiber optic connector of claim 1, further comprising: a sleeve (30) at least partially positioned within the connector body and configured to receive the optical fiber, wherein the sleeve includes at least one clamping member configured to apply a clamping force to the optical fiber upon actuation when the optical fiber is disposed in the sleeve, and further wherein: the boot further includes a front portion (50) received over the sleeve, and the at least one clamping member of the sleeve is configured to be actuated by the boot when the boot moves from the rearward position to the forward position.
  3. The fiber optic connector of claim 2, wherein the front portion of the boot is received over the sleeve within the connector body.
  4. The fiber optic connector of any of claims 1-3, wherein the actuation element received over the back end of the connector body and the rear portion of the boot.
  5. The fiber optic connector of any of claims 1-4, wherein the actuation element includes a bottom side (108) and defines a channel (106) that is open on the bottom side to allow the actuation element to be received over at least the rear portion of the boot.
  6. The fiber optic connector of claim 5, wherein the rear portion of the boot defines a boot back end (54) and includes a flange (120) that is spaced from the boot back end, and further wherein the channel of the actuation element includes a channel opening (118) that is sized to prevent the flange from entering the channel.
  7. The fiber optic connector of any of claims 2-6, wherein the optical fiber is a cable optical fiber that includes a bare glass portion (4) and a buffer portion (8), and wherein fiber optic connector further comprises: a ferrule (16) supported within the connector body, wherein the ferrule extends beyond the front end of the connector body; a stub optical fiber (24) secured to the ferrule; a mechanical splice assembly (28) at least partially received within the connector body, wherein the stub optical fiber extends from a rear of the ferrule and terminates within the mechanical splice assembly, wherein: the sleeve is configured to receive the buffer portion of the cable optical fiber and the at least one clamping member is configured to apply a clamping force to the buffer portion of the cable optical fiber upon actuation when the buffer portion of the cable optical fiber is disposed in the sleeve.
  8. The fiber optic connector of claim 7, wherein: the mechanical splice assembly is configured to receive the bare glass portion of the cable optical fiber so that the bare glass portion can abut an end of the stub optical fiber; and the lever is configured to press against the mechanical splice assembly to cause the mechanical splice assembly to securely grip the stub optical fiber and the bare glass portion of the cable optical fiber when the bare glass portion is received in the mechanical splice assembly and abutted against the end of the stub optical fiber.
  9. The fiber optic connector of claim 8, wherein the lever is configured to pivot relative to the base from a first position where the lever extends over the base to a second position where the lever extends away from the base and over the mechanical splice assembly.
  10. The fiber optic connector of claim 8 or 9, wherein the lever of the actuation element is coupled to the base by a living hinge such that the lever and the base are integrally formed as a unitary structure.
  11. The fiber optic connector of any of claims 1-10, wherein the boot is coupled to the connector body in both the rearward position and the forward position.
  12. A method of installing a fiber optic connector that includes a connector body (14) having a front end (18) and a back end (20), a sleeve (30) at least partially positioned within the connector body (14), a boot (46) having a front portion received over the sleeve (30) and a rear portion (52) extending beyond the back end (20) of the connector body (14), and an actuation element (100, 200) comprising a base (102, 202) and a lever (104, 204) coupled to the base (102, 202), wherein the base of the actuation element (100, 200) is received over the rear portion (52) of the boot (46) and the back end (20) of the connector body (14) in an installed state, and wherein the actuation element (100, 200) prevents the boot (46) from moving from a rearward position relative to the connector body (14) to a forward position relative to the connector body (14) in the installed state, the method comprising: inserting a cable optical fiber (2) through the boot (46) and into the sleeve (30), wherein the sleeve (30) includes at least one clamping member configured to apply a clamping force to the optical fiber (2) upon actuation by the boot (46) moving from a rearward position relative to the connector body (14) to a forward position relative to the connector body (14), and wherein the actuation element (100, 200) prevents the boot (46) from moving from the rearward position to the forward position while inserting the cable optical fiber (2); removing the actuation element (100, 200) from the fiber optic connector (10); and moving the boot (46) from the rearward position to the forward position to cause the at least one clamping member to apply the clamping force to the cable optical fiber.
  13. The method of claim 12, wherein the connector further includes a ferrule (16) supported within the connector body and extending beyond the front end of the connector body, a stub optical fiber (24) secured to the ferrule, and a mechanical splice assembly (28) at least partially received within the connector body, and wherein the stub optical fiber extends from a rear of the ferrule and terminates within the mechanical splice assembly, the method further comprising: inserting the cable optical fiber into the mechanical splice assembly to abut an end of the stub optical fiber; and thereafter, using the actuation element to cause the mechanical splice assembly to securely grip the stub optical fiber and the cable optical fiber and thereby secure a mechanical splice between the end of the stub optical fiber and the cable optical fiber, wherein the actuation element is removed from the fiber optic connector after securing the mechanical splice.
  14. The method of claim 13, wherein: the cable optical fiber comprises a bare glass portion (4) and a buffer portion (8); the bare glass portion is inserted into the mechanical splice assembly to abut the end of the stub optical fiber; and the at least one clamping member applies a clamping force to the buffer portion of the cable optical fiber upon actuation by the boot.
  15. The method of claim 14, wherein: using the actuation element to cause the mechanical splice assembly to securely grip the stub optical fiber and the cable optical fiber comprises pressing the lever against the mechanical splice assembly.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/437,139, filed on January 5, 2023. FIELD This disclosure relates generally to optical connectivity, and more particularly to fiber optic connectors having boots that can be moved to actuate another element of the fiber optic connector. BACKGROUND Optical fibers are useful in a wide variety of applications, including the telecommunications industry for voice, video, and data transmissions. In a telecommunication system that uses optical fibers, there are typically many locations where fiber optic cables that carry the optical fibers connect to equipment or other fiber optic cables. To conveniently provide these connections, fiber optic connectors are often provided on the ends of fiber optic cables. The process of terminating the optical fiber(s) of a fiber optic cable is sometimes referred to as "connectorization." Connectorization can be done in a factory, resulting in a "pre-connectorized" or "pre-terminated" fiber optic cable, or the field (e.g., using a "field-installable" fiber optic connector). Regardless of where termination occurs, a fiber optic connector ("connector") typically includes a ferrule with one or more bores that each receive an optical fibers. The ferrule supports and positions the optical fiber(s) with respect to a body of the connector. When the connector is inserted into an adapter to mate with another connector, a retention mechanism (e.g., latch) associated with the connector body engages the adapter to hold the connector in place. An alignment mechanism, such as a sleeve within the adapter, receives or otherwise positions the ferrule so that the optical fiber(s) in the ferrule can be aligned with the optical fiber(s) supported by a ferrule of the mating connector. The connector body is sufficiently rigid so that the connector can withstand a variety of forces during use without affecting the optical connection that may be or has been established. Because the fiber optic cable on which a connector is installed typically has a much lower stiffness than the connector body, there is a potential for the cable to bend sharply at the back end of the connector body. Such bending may result in the cable having a bend radius less than a minimum bend radius that must be maintained for the optical fiber(s) within the cable to function properly (e.g., avoid excessive attenuation resulting from the bend radius). As a result, connectors typically include a strain-relieving boot that snaps onto the connector body and extends rearwardly over a portion of the cable. The boot is shaped and/or constructed (e.g., from flexible material) to reduce the potential for sharp bending and stress concentrations at the back of the connector body. In some connectors, the boot may serve one or more additional purposes other than providing bending strain relief. For example, in some connectors, the boot may be used to actuate another element of the connector, such as an element that provides strain relief in an axial direction or an element that that serves as a latching feature of the connector. One example of latter is the NPC+ connector offered by Corning Optical Communication, LLC and generally disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2021/0405304 ("the '304 publication"). The NPC+ connector includes a factory-terminated stub optical fiber, and is configured to provide a mechanical splice between the stub optical fiber and an optical fiber from a cable ("cable optical fiber") that is inserted into the connector. The cable optical fiber extends through a boot, which can be slid to a forward position to actuate an element that clamps around a buffer-coated portion of the cable optical fiber. The clamping helps prevent axial forces from the cable optical fiber from being transferred to the stub optical fiber, thereby providing axial strain relief. Although movable boots for actuation purposes may provide advantages, there remains room for improvement. For example, there may be the potential for such boots to move and prematurely actuate other elements during shipping, handling, or the like. Installation personnel may also unintentionally move the boot to prematurely actuate other elements. In field-installable connectors like the NPC+ connector referred to above, such premature actuation can make it impossible to fully insert the cable optical fiber into the connector. Even if the boot is moved back to a non-actuating position, the function of the connector may be compromised due to deformation of clamping members that were designed to only be actuated with a buffered optical fiber present. US2016/018606A1 describes a connector for coupling with an adapter. The connector comprising at least one connector body each having a first end capable of being inserted into the adapter; at least one locking mechanism; and a boot movably engaged with the connector body. Each of the at least one locking mec