阅读说明：本技术 光学连接器组件 (Optical connector assembly ) 是由 唐成 陈仕文 马常宝 郝冰 李汶璝 于 2019-03-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及一种光学连接器组件(100),该光学连接器组件包括壳体(110)、光学套管(140)和光纤阵列(150)。该壳体(110)具有配合端部(111)和相反的光缆端部(112)并且包括：第一壳体部分(120),该第一壳体部分包括靠近配合端部(111)的前支撑件(122)以及设置在前支撑件(122)和光缆端部(112)之间的后支撑件(124)；以及第二壳体部分(130),该及第二壳体部分组装到第一壳体部分(120)并且包括设置在前支撑件(122)和后支撑件(124)之间的中间支撑件(133)。该套管(140)由前支撑件(122)支撑。该光纤阵列(150)的光纤的前端由套管(140)的附接区域接收并附接到该附接区域。当第二壳体部分(130)组装到第一壳体部分(120)时,第二壳体部分(130)的中间支撑件(133)接触光纤阵列(150)并使其围绕中间支撑件(133)弯曲。弯曲致使光学套管(140)围绕前支撑件(122)旋转。(An optical connector assembly (100) includes a housing (110), an optical ferrule (140), and an optical fiber array (150). The housing (110) has a mating end (111) and an opposite cable end (112) and comprises: a first housing portion (120) including a front support (122) proximate the mating end (111) and a rear support (124) disposed between the front support (122) and the cable end (112); and a second housing portion (130) assembled to the first housing portion (120) and including an intermediate support (133) disposed between the front support (122) and the rear support (124). The sleeve (140) is supported by a front support (122). The leading ends of the optical fibers of the optical fiber array (150) are received by and attached to an attachment region of the ferrule (140). When the second housing portion (130) is assembled to the first housing portion (120), the intermediate support (133) of the second housing portion (130) contacts the optical fiber array (150) and bends it around the intermediate support (133). The bending causes the optical ferrule (140) to rotate about the anterior support (122).)

1. An optical connector assembly, the optical connector assembly comprising:

a housing having a mating end and an opposite cable end, and comprising:

a unitary first housing portion including a front support proximate the mating end and a rear support disposed between the front support and the cable end; and

a unitary second housing portion assembled to the unitary first housing portion and including an intermediate support disposed between the front and rear supports of the unitary first housing portion;

an optical ferrule supported by the front support of the integral first housing portion and comprising:

an attachment region for receiving a plurality of optical fibers; and

a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from an optical fiber received in the attachment region; and

a substantially flat optical fiber array comprising a plurality of optical fibers, leading ends of the optical fibers being received by and fixedly attached to the attachment region of the optical ferrule, the optical fiber array being fixedly attached to the rear support of the unitary first housing portion such that when the unitary second housing portion is assembled to the unitary first housing portion, the intermediate support of the unitary second housing portion contacts the optical fiber array and bends the optical fiber array about the intermediate support, the bending causing the optical ferrule to rotate about the front support of the unitary first housing portion.

2. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating end of the housing is configured to be removably inserted into a multi-fiber push-on (MPO) adapter.

3. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating end of the housing is configured to be removably inserted into a fiber optic connector (FC) adapter.

4. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating end of the housing is configured to be removably inserted into a snap-in connector (SC) adapter.

5. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the mating end of the housing is configured to be removably inserted into an optical backplane adapter.

6. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a second substantially planar array of optical fibers, the second array of optical fibers comprising a plurality of optical fibers; and

a second optical ferrule disposed in the housing proximate the mating end, the second optical ferrule comprising:

an attachment region for receiving a plurality of optical fibers, leading ends of the optical fibers of the second optical fiber array being received by and fixedly attached to the attachment region of the second optical ferrule; and

a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from an optical fiber received in the attachment region of the second optical ferrule.

7. The optical connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the unitary first housing portion further comprises a second front support proximate the mating end and a second rear support disposed between the second front support and the cable end, the second array of optical fibers being fixedly attached to the second rear support of the unitary first housing portion, the unitary second housing portion further comprising a second intermediate support disposed between the second front support and the second rear support of the unitary first housing portion such that when the unitary second housing portion is assembled to the unitary first housing portion, the second intermediate support of the unitary second housing portion contacts and bends the second array of optical fibers about the second intermediate support, the bend in the second array of optical fibers causes the second optical ferrule to rotate about the second front support of the unitary first housing portion.

8. The optical connector assembly of claim 6, wherein the housing further comprises:

a unitary third housing portion including a front support proximate the mating end and a rear support disposed between the front support and the cable end, the second optical ferrule supported by the front support of the unitary third housing portion; and

a unitary fourth housing portion assembled to the unitary third housing portion and including an intermediate support disposed between the front support and the rear support of the third housing portion such that when the unitary fourth housing portion is assembled to the unitary third housing portion, the intermediate support of the unitary fourth housing portion contacts the second optical fiber array and bends the second optical fiber array around the intermediate support of the unitary fourth housing portion, the bending causing the second optical ferrule to rotate about the front support of the unitary third housing portion.

9. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, the unitary first housing portion further comprising a first opening for receiving a mating optical ferrule and a second, different opening facing a light output surface of the optical ferrule.

10. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the array of optical fibers is attached to a collet attached to the rear support of the unitary first housing portion, the collet being substantially centered in the unitary first housing portion both along a first direction orthogonal to a mating direction of the optical connector assembly and along a second direction orthogonal to both the mating direction and the first direction.

11. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the array of optical fibers is attached to a collet attached to the rear support of the unitary first housing portion, the collet holding the portion of the optical fibers in the collet such that the held portion extends in a direction substantially parallel to a mating direction of the optical connector assembly.

12. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the array of optical fibers is attached to a collet attached to the rear support of the unitary first housing portion, the collet holding the portion of the optical fibers in the collet such that the held portion extends in a direction that is at an oblique angle to a mating direction of the optical connector assembly.

13. The optical connector assembly of claim 1, wherein the array of optical fibers is attached to a collet attached to the rear support of the unitary first housing portion, the optical fibers having a length d1 between the optical ferrule and the intermediate support and a length d2 between the intermediate support and the collet, d1 < d 2.

14. An optical connector assembly, the optical connector assembly comprising:

a housing having a mating end and an opposite cable end, and comprising:

a front support proximate the mating end;

a rear support disposed between the front support and the cable end; and

a middle support disposed between the front support and the rear support and configured to move between a first position and a second position;

an optical ferrule adjacent the front support of the housing and comprising:

an attachment region for receiving a plurality of optical fibers; and

a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from an optical fiber received in the attachment region; and

a substantially flat fiber array comprising a plurality of optical fibers, leading ends of the optical fibers being received by and fixedly attached to the attachment region of the optical ferrule, the fiber array being fixedly attached to the rear support of the housing such that when the intermediate support is moved from the first position to the second position, the intermediate support contacts the fiber array and bends the fiber array around the intermediate support, the bending causing the optical ferrule to rotate around the front support of the housing.

15. The optical connector assembly of claim 14, wherein the housing includes a unitary cover portion and a unitary first housing portion, the unitary first housing portion including the front support and the rear support, such that when the intermediate support is in the first position and the unitary cover portion is assembled to the unitary first housing portion, the unitary cover portion moves the intermediate support to the second position.

Background

Multi-fiber optical connectors are known for use in telecommunications and data center applications. Such connectors may use optical ferrules that can receive multiple optical fibers.

Disclosure of Invention

In some aspects of the present description, an optical connector assembly is provided that includes a housing, an optical ferrule, and a substantially planar optical fiber array. The housing has a mating end and an opposite cable end and includes: a unitary first housing portion including a front support proximate the mating end and a rear support disposed between the front support and the cable end; and an integral second housing portion assembled to the first housing portion and including an intermediate support disposed between the front and rear supports of the first housing portion. The optical ferrule is supported by the front support of the first housing portion and includes: an attachment region for receiving a plurality of optical fibers; and a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from the optical fiber received in the attachment area. The substantially flat optical fiber array includes a plurality of optical fibers. The front ends of the optical fibers are received by and fixedly attached to the attachment areas of the optical ferrules, and the optical fiber array is fixedly attached to the rear support of the first housing portion such that when the second housing portion is assembled to the first housing portion, the intermediate support of the second housing portion contacts and bends the optical fiber array around the intermediate support. The bending causes the optical ferrule to rotate about the front support of the first housing portion.

In some aspects of the present description, an optical connector assembly is provided that includes a housing, an optical ferrule, and a substantially planar optical fiber array. The housing has a mating end and an opposite cable end and includes a front support proximate the mating end; a rear support member disposed between the front support member and the end of the optical cable; and an intermediate support disposed between the front support and the rear support and configured to move between a first position and a second position. The optical ferrule is adjacent to the front support of the housing and includes an attachment area for receiving a plurality of optical fibers; and a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from the optical fiber received in the attachment area. The substantially flat optical fiber array includes a plurality of optical fibers. The leading ends of the optical fibers are received by and fixedly attached to the attachment region of the optical ferrule, and the optical fiber array is fixedly attached to the rear support of the housing such that when the intermediate support is moved from the first position to the second position, the intermediate support contacts and bends the optical fiber array around the intermediate support. The bending causes the optical ferrule to rotate about the front support of the housing.

Drawings

FIG. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical connector assembly including a first housing portion and a second housing portion;

FIG. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first housing portion of FIG. 1A prior to assembly of the second housing portion to the first housing portion;

FIGS. 1C and 1D are schematic end and side views, respectively, of the second housing portion of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 1E is a schematic end view of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 1A;

FIGS. 1F-1H are schematic cross-sectional views of other optical connector assemblies;

FIG. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical connector assembly including a first housing portion and a second housing portion and including two optical ferrules;

FIG. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first housing portion of FIG. 2A prior to assembly of the second housing portion to the first housing portion;

fig. 2C and 2D are schematic end and side views, respectively, of the second housing portion of fig. 2A;

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional side perspective view of the optical connector assembly;

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional side perspective view of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 3A with the second housing portion separated from the first housing portion;

FIG. 3C is a cross-sectional bottom perspective view of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional end perspective view of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3E is an exploded perspective view of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3F is a cross-sectional side view of the optical connector assembly and mating connector assembly of FIG. 3A;

4A-4B are front and rear perspective views of an optical connector assembly disposed proximate an optical backplane adapter;

5A-5B are front and rear perspective views of an optical connector assembly disposed adjacent a fiber optic connector (FC) adapter;

6A-6B are front and rear perspective views of an optical connector assembly disposed proximate a snap-in connector (SC) adapter;

FIG. 7A is a top perspective view of an optical ferrule;

FIG. 7B is a bottom view of the optical ferrule of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C is a top perspective view of another optical ferrule;

FIG. 7D is a bottom perspective view of the optical ferrule of FIG. 7C;

FIG. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical connector assembly with an intermediate support in a first position;

FIG. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 8A with the intermediate support in a second position;

FIG. 8C is a schematic cross-sectional view of another optical connector assembly having an intermediate support in a first position;

FIG. 8D is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 8C with the intermediate support in a second position;

FIG. 8E is a schematic cross-sectional view of another optical connector assembly having a different intermediate support in a first position;

FIG. 8F is a schematic cross-sectional view of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 8E with the intermediate support in a second position;

FIG. 9A is a schematic top perspective view of a portion of an optical connector assembly having a first housing portion and a second housing portion, with the second housing portion in a first position;

FIG. 9B is a schematic top perspective view of a portion of the optical connector assembly of FIG. 9A with the second housing portion in a second position;

FIG. 9C is a schematic perspective view of the second housing portion of FIGS. 9A-9B;

FIG. 9D is a schematic perspective view of the cover portion; and is

Fig. 9E is a schematic perspective view of an optical connector assembly including the cover portion of fig. 9D assembled to the first housing portion of fig. 9A-9B.

Detailed Description

In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments. The figures are not necessarily to scale. It is to be understood that other embodiments are contemplated and may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the present description. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

In some embodiments, an optical connector assembly is provided that includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion, wherein an optical fiber array (e.g., optical fibers from a ribbon cable) attached to an optical ferrule and a ferrule are insertable into the first housing portion with substantially no or limited bending of the optical fiber array such that the optical fiber array, ferrule, and ferrule can be easily positioned within the first housing portion. Then, when the second housing portion is assembled to the first housing portion, the intermediate support of the second housing portion contacts the optical fiber array and bends the optical fiber array around the intermediate support such that the bending causes the optical ferrule to rotate around the front support of the first housing portion. According to some embodiments, this results in the optical ferrule being in a desired position with little or substantially no optical loss, e.g., due to sharp bends or stretching of the optical fiber.

Fig. 1A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical connector assembly 100 including a housing 110 having a mating end 111 and an opposite cable end 112. The housing 110 includes a one-piece first housing portion 120 and a one-piece second housing portion 130 assembled to the first housing portion 120. Fig. 1B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first housing portion 120 prior to assembly of the second housing portion 130 to the first housing portion 120. Fig. 1C and 1D are schematic end and side views, respectively, of the second housing portion 130. The one-piece first housing portion 120 includes a front support 122 proximate the mating end 111 and a rear support 124 disposed between the front support 122 and the cable end 112. The integrated second housing portion 130 includes an intermediate support 133 disposed between the front support 122 and the rear support 124 of the first housing portion 120. The optical connector assembly 100 includes an optical ferrule 140 supported by the front support 122 of the first housing portion 120. As further described elsewhere herein, the optical ferrule 140 includes an attachment region for receiving a plurality of optical fibers; and a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from the optical fiber received in the attachment area.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1B, front support 122 and rear support 124 can be configured such that ferrule 140, fiber array 150, and collet 160 can be placed in first housing portion 120 without substantially bending fiber array 150.

The optical connector assembly 100 includes a substantially flat fiber array 150 having a plurality of optical fibers. The leading ends of the optical fibers are received by and fixedly attached (e.g., permanently attached by bonding with an optically clear adhesive) to an attachment region of the optical ferrule 140. The fiber array 150 is fixedly attached to the rear support 124 of the first housing portion 120 (e.g., by bonding to a collet mechanically fixed in the rear support 124). When the second housing portion 130 is assembled to the first housing portion 120, the intermediate support 133 of the second housing portion 130 contacts the fiber array 150 and bends it around the intermediate support 133. The bending causes the optical ferrule 140 to rotate about the front support 122 of the first housing portion 120. Referring to the x-y-z coordinate system shown, fiber array 150 may be described as substantially flat if it is flat or substantially flat along the x-direction. It should be understood that fiber array 150 may be bent and bent along its length, and if there is little or no bend along the x-direction, the fiber array is considered substantially flat. For example, ribbon cables are typically substantially flat. In some embodiments, the radius of curvature of fiber array 150 in the x-y plane is at least 10, 20, 50, or 100 times the width of fiber array 150.

In the illustrated embodiment, the fiber array 150 is fixedly attached to a collet 160 that is fixedly attached to the rear support 124 of the first housing portion 120. In some embodiments, the optical fibers entering the cable assembly are disposed in a round or oval cable, and the collet 160 arranges the optical fibers into the optical fiber array 150. In some embodiments, the optical fibers entering the cable assembly are disposed in a ribbon cable. Fig. 1E is a schematic end view of the optical connector assembly 100, schematically illustrating the position of the collet 160 in the first housing portion 120. In some embodiments, the collet 160 is substantially centered in the first housing portion 120 along a first direction (one of the x-direction and the y-direction) that is orthogonal to the mating direction (z-direction) of the optical connector assembly 100 (e.g., the collet 160 may be centered along the first direction to within 20%, or within 10%, or within 5% of the width of the first housing portion along the first direction). In some such embodiments or in other embodiments, the collet 160 is substantially centered in the first housing portion 120 along a second direction (the other of the x-direction and the y-direction) that is orthogonal to the mating direction and the first direction. In some embodiments, the collet 160 is substantially parallel to the mating direction. Having the collet 160 substantially centered along at least one transverse direction and substantially parallel to the mating direction allows the optical fiber to float in a cable jacket (see, e.g., cable jacket 374 depicted in fig. 3A) and reduce optical losses, e.g., due to fiber stretching or bending.

The geometry of the mating end 111 of the housing 110 may be selected such that the housing can be removably inserted into any suitable adapter or receptacle. For example, in some embodiments, the mating end 111 of the housing 110 is configured to be removably inserted into a multi-fiber push-on (MPO) adapter, or a fiber optic connector (FC) adapter, or a snap-in connector (SC) adapter, or an optical backplane adapter (e.g., an HBMT high density optical backplane mechanical transport (HBMT) type adapter from Molex inc. As another example, in some embodiments, the mating end 111 of the housing 110 is configured to be removably inserted into an MXC receptacle.

In some embodiments, the collet 160 retains a portion of an optical fiber (e.g., the portion of the optical fiber array 150 that is located in the collet 160) in the collet 160 such that the retained portion extends in a direction that is parallel or substantially parallel (e.g., within 15 degrees, or within 10 degrees, or within 5 degrees, or within 3 degrees) to the mating direction (z-direction) of the optical connector assembly 100. For example, in some embodiments, the collet 160 retains a portion of the optical fiber in the collet 160 such that the retained portion extends in a direction that forms an angle of less than 15 degrees, or less than 10 degrees, or less than 5 degrees, or less than 3 degrees with the mating direction of the optical connector assembly 100. This may be preferred in some embodiments so that ferrule 140, fiber array 150, and collet 160 can be inserted into first housing portion 120 without bending fiber array 150 prior to assembling second housing portion 130. In other embodiments, the collet 160 may be inclined relative to the mating direction. Fig. 1F is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical connector assembly 100a corresponding to the optical connector assembly 100, except that the rear support 124a of the first housing portion 120a of the housing 110a positions the collet 160a at an angle relative to the mating direction (z-direction). This reduces bending losses in the fiber array 150 near the collet 160a on the front side of the connector assembly (the side facing the mating end 111). When collet 160a is tilted, there may be additional optical loss due to stretching on the cable end 112 side of collet 160. Such losses may be mitigated by including additional features on the cable end 112 side of the collet 160 proximate the collet 160 to prevent sharp bends in the fiber array 150 proximate the collet 160. However, in some cases, it may be desirable to limit tilt (e.g., less than 30 degrees). In some embodiments, the collet retains a portion of the optical fiber in the collet such that the retained portion extends in a direction that is at an oblique angle θ from a mating direction of the optical connector assembly. In some embodiments, the oblique angle θ is less than 30 degrees, or less than 25 degrees, or less than 20 degrees, or less than 15 degrees, or less than 10 degrees. In some embodiments, the collet 160a is substantially centered along the x-direction and the y-direction. In some embodiments, fiber array 150 is bent prior to assembling second housing portion 130 to first housing portion 120a, and when second housing portion 130 is assembled to first housing portion 120a, intermediate support 133 of second housing portion 130 contacts fiber array 150 and bends it around intermediate support 133, thereby further bending fiber array 150 and causing optical ferrule 140 to rotate around front support 122 of first housing portion 120 a.

Fig. 1G is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical connector assembly 100b corresponding to the optical connector assembly 100, except that the first housing portion 120b of the housing 110b includes a feature 129 adapted to increase the bend radius of the optical fiber array 150 proximate the collet 160 as compared to the bend radius without the additional feature 129. Additional features 129 may be included to reduce bending losses in fiber array 150. In some such embodiments, fiber array 150 is straight or substantially straight prior to assembly of second housing portion 130 to first housing portion 120b, and when second housing portion 130 is assembled to first housing portion 120b, intermediate support 133 of second housing portion 130 contacts fiber array 150 and bends it around intermediate support 133 and also around feature 129. In some embodiments, the additional feature 129 is a portion of the rear support that holds the collet in place. For example, in some embodiments, the rear support 324 depicted in fig. 3A can be described, for example, as including an additional feature (upper front portion 329) adapted to increase the bend radius of the optical fiber array 150. Bending of the fiber array 150 about the intermediate support 133 causes the optical ferrule 140 to rotate about the front support 122 of the first housing portion 120 b. In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly includes additional features 129 with angled collets 160a to further reduce optical losses associated with fiber bends.

Fig. 1H is a schematic view of an optical connector assembly 100c corresponding to the optical connector assembly 100, except that the second housing portion 130 is closer to the mating end 111 of the housing 110c of the connector assembly 100c than is schematically shown for the connector assembly 100. Bringing the second housing portion 130 closer to the mating end provides greater resistance to deflection of the ferrule 140 during mating and reduces bending in the fiber array 150 near the collet 160. In some embodiments, the optical fibers have a length d1 between the optical ferrule 140 and the intermediate support 133 (e.g., the shortest arc length between the point 147 at which the optical fiber array 150 contacts the ferrule 140 and the point 137 on the intermediate support 133 at which the optical fiber array 150 contacts the intermediate support 133) and a length d2 between the intermediate support 133 and the collet 160 (e.g., the shortest arc length between the point 138 at which the optical fiber array 150 on the intermediate support 133 contacts the intermediate support 133 and the point 168 at which the optical fiber array 150 contacts the collet 160), where d1 < d 2. In some embodiments, d1 < 0.8d2, or d1 < 0.7d2, or d1 < 0.6d2, or d1 < 0.5d 2. The collet 160 can hold the fiber substantially parallel to the mating direction as shown, or the collet 160 can be angled as further described elsewhere herein. Additional features may be included to reduce any bending losses, as further described elsewhere herein.

In some embodiments, an optical connector assembly includes a plurality of optical ferrules and an array of optical fibers. For example, in some embodiments, the optical connector assembly further comprises a second substantially flat optical fiber array having a plurality of optical fibers; and a second optical ferrule disposed in the housing proximate the mating end. The second optical ferrule includes an attachment region for receiving a plurality of optical fibers, the leading ends of the optical fibers of the second optical fiber array being received by and fixedly attached to the attachment region of the second optical ferrule; and a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from the optical fiber received in the attachment region of the second optical ferrule. In some such embodiments, the unitary first housing portion further comprises a second front support proximate the mating end and a second rear support disposed between the second front support and the cable end, the second fiber array being fixedly attached to the second rear support of the first housing portion, the unitary second housing portion further comprising a second intermediate support disposed between the second front support and the second rear support of the first housing portion such that when the second housing portion is assembled to the first housing portion, the second intermediate support of the second housing portion contacts the second fiber array and bends the second fiber array about the second intermediate support, the bend in the second fiber array causing the second optical ferrule to rotate about the second front support of the first housing portion. In some embodiments, a third, fourth, fifth, etc. optical ferrule and an optical fiber array are also included. An optical connector assembly comprising two optical ferrules and two arrays of optical fibers is schematically illustrated in fig. 2A-2D.

Fig. 2A is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical connector assembly 200 that includes a housing 210 having a mating end 211 and an opposite cable end 212. The housing 210 includes a one-piece first housing portion 220 and a one-piece second housing portion 230 assembled to the first housing portion 220. Fig. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the first housing portion 220 prior to assembly of the second housing portion 230 to the first housing portion 220. Fig. 2C and 2D are schematic end and side views, respectively, of the second housing portion 230. Integral first housing portion 220 includes first and second front supports 222a and 222b near mating end 211, and respective first and second rear supports 224a and 224b disposed between respective front supports 222a and 222b and cable end 212. The integrated second housing portion 230 includes first and second intermediate supports 233a and 233b disposed between respective front and rear supports 222a and 222b and 224a and 224b of the first housing portion 220. The optical connector assembly 200 includes a first optical ferrule 240a and a second optical ferrule 240b supported by respective front support members 222a and 222b of the first housing portion 220. As further described elsewhere herein, the first optical ferrule 240a and the second optical ferrule 240b each include an attachment region for receiving a plurality of optical fibers; and a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from the optical fiber received in the attachment area.

The optical connector assembly 200 includes a first substantially planar optical fiber array 250a and a second substantially planar optical fiber array 250b, each including a plurality of optical fibers. The leading ends of the optical fibers are received by and fixedly attached to the attachment regions of the respective optical ferrules 240a and 240 b. Fiber array 250a (250 b, respectively) is fixedly attached to rear support 224a (224 b, respectively) of first housing portion 220. When the second housing portion 230 is assembled to the first housing portion 220, the intermediate support 233a (233 b, respectively) of the second housing portion 230 contacts the fiber array 250a (250 b, respectively) and bends it around the intermediate support 233a (233 b, respectively). The bending causes the optical ferrule 240a (240 b, respectively) to rotate about the front support 222a (222 b, respectively) of the first housing portion 220.

In the illustrated embodiment, the fiber arrays 250a and 250b are attached to respective clips 260a and 260b that are attached to respective rear supports 224a and 224b of the first housing portion 220. In some embodiments, the collets 260a and 260b are substantially centered in the first housing portion 220 along a first direction (x-direction) that is orthogonal to the mating direction (z-direction) of the optical connector assembly 200. The grippers 260a and 260b can optionally be angled and/or can include additional features (e.g., 129) to reduce bending of the fiber array near the grippers, as described further elsewhere herein. The intermediate supports 233a and 233b can be disposed closer to the respective sleeves 240a and 240b, as further described elsewhere herein (e.g., the relative values of d1 and d2 can be as described elsewhere herein).

The connector assembly 300 is schematically illustrated in fig. 3A-3F. Fig. 3A is a cutaway side perspective view of a connector assembly 300 that may generally correspond to the connector assembly 100. Elements 310, 311, 312, 320, 322, 324, 330, 350, and 360 correspond to elements 110, 111, 112, 120, 122, 124, 130, 150, and 160. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating end 311 of the housing 310 is configured to be removably inserted into a multi-fiber push on (MPO) adapter 380 (see fig. 3F). Fig. 3B is a cutaway side perspective view of the optical connector assembly 300 with the unitary second housing portion 330 separated from the unitary first housing portion 320. In some embodiments, when the second housing portion 330 is assembled to the first housing portion 320, the intermediate support 333 of the second housing portion 330 contacts the optical fiber array 350 and bends it around the intermediate support 333, wherein the bending causes the optical ferrule 340 to rotate around the front support 322 of the first housing portion 320. Fig. 3C is a cutaway bottom perspective view of the optical connector assembly 300. Fig. 3D is a cutaway end perspective view of the optical connector assembly 300. Fig. 3E is an exploded perspective view of the optical connector assembly 300. Fig. 3F is a cross-sectional side view of the optical connector assembly 300 and mating connector assembly 300' inserted into a multi-fiber push-on (MPO) adapter 380. In the illustrated embodiment, the mating connector assembly 300 'includes an intermediate support 333' corresponding to the intermediate support 333, a mating optical ferrule 340 'corresponding to the optical ferrule 340, and a fiber array 350' corresponding to the fiber array 350. In some embodiments, the connector assembly 300 is non-polar. For example, in some embodiments, the connector assembly 300 and the connector assembly 300' have substantially the same size and shape. In some embodiments, the optical ferrule 340 is non-polar. Other connector assemblies and/or optical ferrules described herein may be non-polar.

Connector assembly 300 also includes a cover 370 that may facilitate initial alignment of ferrule 340 and a mating ferrule and may slide relative to housing 310 when inserted into adapter 380. In some embodiments, a spring 372 is provided that provides resistance to sliding of the cover 370. The connector assembly also includes a cable jacket 374, a shroud 378, and a clamp 376 that assembles the cable jacket 374 and shroud 378 to the housing 310. The portion of the optical fibers extending into the cable jacket 374 is not shown.

In some embodiments, the first housing portion 320 further includes a first opening 342 for receiving a mating optical ferrule 340' and a different second opening 344 facing a light output surface of the optical ferrule 340. In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly 300 is configured such that when the optical connector assembly 300 is unmated with the mating optical connector assembly 300', central light rays 349 emitted by the optical fibers received in the attachment region and redirected by the light redirecting side exit the optical connector assembly 300 through the second opening 344. In some embodiments, a second opening 344 is included to facilitate testing, detection, and/or cleaning of the optical ferrule 340.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4A-4B, the housing includes a plurality of unitary first housing portions and a corresponding plurality of second housing portions, wherein each second housing portion is assembled to a corresponding first housing portion and includes an intermediate support.

Fig. 4A-4B are front and rear perspective views of an optical connector assembly 400 disposed proximate to an optical backplane adapter 480. For example, the adapter 480 may be a high density optical backplane mechanical transport (HBMT) type adapter. In some embodiments, mating end 411 of housing 410 is configured to be removably inserted into optical backplane adapter 480. The connector assembly 400 includes a housing 410 that includes a plurality of first housing portions 420 and a plurality of second housing portions 430. In the illustrated embodiment, four pairs of first housing portion 420 and second housing portion 430 arranged in a row are included. In other embodiments, more or fewer pairs are included. In some embodiments, a plurality of rows is included. In some embodiments, each first housing portion 420 corresponds to a first housing portion 120 or 320, and each second housing portion 430 corresponds to a second housing portion 130 or 330. In the illustrated embodiment, adapter 480 includes a plurality of first housing portions 420 'and second housing portions 430' inserted therein. In some embodiments, each first housing portion 420 ' corresponds to a first housing portion 120 ' or 320 ' and each second housing portion 430 corresponds to a second housing portion 130 ' or 330 '.

In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly 800 includes a housing 810, an optical ferrule 840, and a substantially flat optical fiber array 850. Housing 810 has a mating end 811 and an opposite cable end 812 and includes a front support 822 proximate mating end 811; a rear support 824 disposed between the front support 822 and the cable end 812; and an intermediate support 833 disposed between the front support 822 and the rear support 824 and configured to move between a first position (fig. 8A) and a second position (fig. 8B). The optical ferrule 840 is adjacent the front support 822 of the housing 810 and includes an attachment area for receiving a plurality of optical fibers; and a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from the optical fiber received in the attachment area. The substantially flat optical fiber array 850 includes a plurality of optical fibers. The leading ends of the optical fibers are received by and fixedly attached to the attachment area of the optical ferrule, and the optical fiber array 850 is fixedly attached to the rear support 824 of the housing 810 such that when the intermediate support 833 is moved from the first position to the second position, the intermediate support 833 contacts the optical fiber array 850 and bends it around the intermediate support 833. The bending causes the optical ferrule 840 to rotate about the front support 822 of the housing 810.

In some embodiments, the housing 810 includes a unitary first housing portion 820 including a front support 822 and a rear support 824 and a unitary second housing portion 830 including a middle support 833. In some embodiments, the second housing portion is not attached to the first housing portion when the intermediate support is in the first position and is attached to the first housing portion when the intermediate support is in the second position (e.g., the first position may be a position before the second housing portion is assembled to the first housing portion and the second position may be a position after the second housing portion is assembled to the first housing portion). In some embodiments, second housing portion 830 is attached to first housing portion 820. In some such embodiments, the second housing portion 830 remains attached to the first housing portion 820 as the intermediate support 833 is moved between the first and second positions. For example, the second housing portion 830 may be attached to the first housing portion 820 via, for example, a hinge or rail or retaining groove that allows the second housing portion 830 to move relative to the first housing portion 820 while keeping the first housing portion 820 and the second housing portion 830 attached to each other. In some embodiments, the housing 810 includes a latch or other feature (e.g., disposed in the cover portion) to hold the intermediate support 830 in the second position.

The different first and second positions of the intermediate support may comprise different rotational orientations of the intermediate support and/or different translational positions of the intermediate support (e.g., different positions of the center of mass of the intermediate support along the direction of movement). In some embodiments, the intermediate support 830 is configured to move at least one of translationally (e.g., linearly) or rotationally between the first position and the second position. For example, the intermediate support 830 of the optical connector assembly 800 may be moved substantially linearly from a first position (fig. 8A) to a second position (fig. 8B). As another example, fig. 8C-8D schematically depict an optical connector assembly 800b that corresponds to the optical connector assembly 800, but has a housing 810b that includes a first housing portion 820b and a second housing portion 830b that includes an intermediate support 830b configured to move between a first position (fig. 8C) and a second position (fig. 8D) substantially by rotating about an axis 839b (e.g., along the axis of a rod or shaft that attaches the second housing portion 830b to the first housing portion 820 b). In the embodiment of fig. 8C-8D, the intermediate support 830b has a substantially oval shape. Other shapes may be used. For example, fig. 8E-8F schematically depict an optical connector assembly 800c that corresponds to optical connector assembly 800b, but has a housing 810c that includes a first housing portion 820c and a second housing portion 830c that includes an intermediate support 830c that is configured to move between a first position (fig. 8E) and a second position (fig. 8F) by rotating about an axis 839 c. In the illustrated embodiment, the second housing portion 830c has a substantially rectangular shape with rounded (e.g., spherical cap) ends. The axis 839c is disposed closer to the end of the second housing portion 830c opposite the rounded end. This may allow the second housing portion 830c to more easily fit in the space below the fiber array 850 of fig. 8D when the intermediate support 833c is in the first position, and provide a desired displacement of the fiber array 850 when the intermediate support 833c is in the second position.

The optical connector assembly 800 may include features or elements of any other optical connector assembly described elsewhere herein. For example, when the intermediate support is in the second position, the optical fiber may have a length d1 between the optical ferrule 840 and the intermediate support 833 and a length d2 between the intermediate support 833 and the collet 860, wherein d1 < d2 or within any range described elsewhere herein. The collet 860 may hold the fiber substantially parallel to the mating direction as shown, or may be angled as further described elsewhere herein. Additional features may be included to reduce any bending losses, as further described elsewhere herein.

Fig. 9A-9E are schematic diagrams of portions of an optical connector assembly 900. In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly 900 includes a housing 910 (see fig. 9E), at least one optical ferrule 940a, 940b, and at least one substantially flat optical fiber array 950a, 950 b. The housing 910 has a mating end and an opposite cable end and includes, for each optical ferrule and fiber array, a front support proximate the mating end; a rear support member disposed between the front support member and the end of the optical cable; and intermediate supports 933a, 933B disposed between the front and rear supports and configured to move between a first position (fig. 9A) and a second position (fig. 9B). When the intermediate supports 933a, 933b are moved from the first position to the second position, the intermediate supports 933a, 933b contact the corresponding optical fiber arrays 950a, 950b and cause them to bend around the intermediate supports 933a, 933 b. The bending causes the respective optical sleeves 940a, 940b to rotate about the respective anterior support members. In the illustrated embodiment, a portion of the integral first housing portion 920 of the housing is shown. The first housing portion 920 may further extend toward the cable end of the housing to include a rear support for receiving the collets 960a, 960 b. The integrated second housing part 930 includes intermediate supports 933a and 933 b. The integrated second housing portion 930 is movable between a first position (fig. 9A) and a second position (fig. 9B). The collets 960a, 960b may remain in a fixed position (e.g., within the rear support, as described elsewhere) while moving the second housing portion 930. Fig. 9C is a schematic perspective view of the integrated second housing portion 930. Fig. 9D is a schematic perspective view of the integrated cover portion 990. Fig. 9E is a schematic perspective view of the optical connector assembly 900 including a housing 910 that includes first and second housing portions 920 and 930 and a cover portion 990. In some embodiments, the housing 910 includes a unitary second housing portion 930 and a unitary first housing portion 920 including a front support and a rear support, such that when the intermediate support is in a first position (fig. 9A) and the unitary cover portion 990 is assembled to the unitary first housing portion 920, the unitary cover portion 990 moves the intermediate support to a second position (fig. 9B). For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the cover portion 990 includes a wedge portion 992 (which has a wedge or tapered shape) that urges the second housing portion 930 from the position shown in fig. 9A to the position shown in fig. 9B when the cover portion 990 is assembled to the first housing portion 920, and this moves each of the intermediate supports 933a and 933B from the first position of the intermediate supports to the second position of the intermediate supports. In some embodiments, the cover portion 990 completely or substantially completely covers the first housing portion 920.

The second housing portion 930 may be disposed in a groove or channel 993 in the first housing portion 920, which allows the second housing portion 930 to slide in the groove or channel 993. In some embodiments, when the cover portion 990 is assembled to the first housing portion 920, the cover portion 990 holds the intermediate supports 933a, 933b in the second position. In some embodiments, the cover portion 990 is removably assembled to the first housing portion 920 such that the intermediate supports 933a, 933b can be returned to the respective first positions by: the cover portion 990 is removed and the second housing portion 930 is then slid from the position shown in fig. 9B to the position shown in fig. 9A.

In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly 900 may alternatively be described as including a housing 910 comprising a unitary first housing portion 920 and a unitary second housing portion 930 assembled to the first housing portion 920, wherein the second housing portion 930 is assembled to the first housing portion 920 by a cover portion 990 (which may prevent removal of the second housing portion 930 from the groove or channel 933, and may retain the second housing portion 930 in the position shown in fig. 9B) such that when the second housing portion 930 is assembled to the first housing portion 920 using the cover portion 990, the intermediate supports 933a, 933B of the second housing portion 930 contact the respective optical fiber arrays 950a, 950B and bend them around the respective intermediate supports 933a, 933B, the bending causing the respective optical sleeves 940a, 940B to rotate around the front support of the first housing portion 920.

Although the embodiment schematically illustrated in fig. 9A-9E includes two optical ferrules and two corresponding fiber arrays, any number (e.g., one, or two, or more) of optical ferrules and corresponding fiber arrays may be included. Other features described elsewhere herein (e.g., features to reduce bending losses, relative distances between the ferrule and the intermediate support and between the intermediate support and the collet (e.g., d1 < d2), or tilt of the collet or lack thereof) may also be included in the optical connector assembly 900.

In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly 400 includes a housing 410 that includes a unitary first housing portion (any of the first housing portions 420) and a unitary second housing portion (a second housing portion of the plurality of second housing portions 430 that corresponds to the first housing portion). The optical connector assembly may further include a substantially flat fiber array (an array of fibers of the plurality of fiber optic cables 450 corresponding to the first housing portion) including a plurality of optical fibers, leading ends of the optical fibers being received by and fixedly attached to an attachment region of the optical ferrule, the fiber array being fixedly attached to the rear support of the first housing portion such that when the second housing portion is assembled to the first housing portion, the intermediate support of the second housing portion (corresponding to intermediate supports 133 or 333 or 833 or 933a) contacts and bends the fiber array about the intermediate support, the bending causing the optical ferrule to rotate about the front support of the first housing portion. In some embodiments, the optical connector assembly 400 further includes a second substantially flat optical fiber array (a different optical fiber array of the plurality of optical cables 450) comprising a plurality of optical fibers; and a second optical ferrule (of the plurality of optical ferrules 440 receiving optical ferrules of a second optical fiber array) disposed in the housing proximate the mating end 411, the second optical ferrule including an attachment region for receiving a plurality of optical fibers, the leading ends of the optical fibers of the second optical fiber array being received by and fixedly attached to the attachment region of the second optical ferrule; and a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from the optical fiber received in the attachment region of the second optical ferrule. In some embodiments, housing 410 further includes a unitary third housing portion (corresponding to a first housing portion of plurality of first housing portions 420 corresponding to a second fiber array) including a front support (e.g., corresponding to front support 122 or 322) proximate mating end 411 and a rear support (e.g., corresponding to rear support 124 or 324) disposed between the front support and cable end 412, the second optical ferrule being supported by the front support of the third housing portion; and an integral fourth housing portion (corresponding to a second one of the plurality of second housing portions 430 corresponding to the second optical fiber array) assembled to the third housing portion and including an intermediate support (e.g., corresponding to intermediate support 133 or 333 or 833 or 933a) disposed between the front and rear supports of the third housing portion such that when the fourth housing portion is assembled to the third housing portion, the intermediate support of the fourth housing portion contacts the second optical fiber array and bends the second optical fiber array around the intermediate support of the fourth housing portion, the bending causing the second optical ferrule to rotate around the front support of the third housing portion.

Fig. 5A-5B are front and rear perspective views of the optical connector assembly 500 disposed adjacent to a fiber optic connector (FC) adapter 580. The optical connector assembly 500 may correspond to, for example, the optical connector assembly 100 or 300. In some embodiments, the mating end 511 of the housing 510 of the optical connector assembly 500 is configured to be removably inserted into a fiber optic connector (FC) adapter 580.

Fig. 6A-6B are front and rear perspective views of an optical connector assembly 600 disposed proximate a snap-in connector (SC) adapter 680. The optical connector assembly 600 may correspond to, for example, the optical connector assembly 100 or 300. In some embodiments, the mating end 611 of the housing 610 is configured to removably snap into a connector (SC) adapter 680.

Fig. 7A-7B are top and bottom perspective views, respectively, of an optical ferrule 740, which may correspond to any of the optical ferrules described elsewhere herein. The optical ferrule 740 includes an attachment region 741 for receiving the plurality of optical fibers 743 and includes a light redirecting side 745 for redirecting light 749 received from the optical fibers received in the attachment region 741. The direction of light 749 changes such that light 749 exits light output surface 747 of optical ferrule 740. The fiber array 750 includes a plurality of optical fibers 743. A leading end 777 of optical fiber 743 is received by and fixedly attached to an attachment region 741 of optical ferrule 740.

Other optical ferrules may be used. Fig. 7C-7D are top and bottom perspective views of an optical ferrule 740b that includes an attachment region 741b that includes a plurality of grooves 748 for receiving a plurality of optical fibers and includes a light redirecting side 745b for redirecting light received from the optical fibers received in the attachment region 741 b. The direction of the light changes such that the light exits the light output surface 747b of the optical ferrule 740 b. Other optical ferrules that can be used are described, for example, in the following documents: provisional application No. 62/806146 entitled "Optical ferrules (Optical cables)" filed on day 15/2/2019, provisional application No. 62/691871 entitled "Optical ferrules with composite stoppers" filed on day 29/6/2018, and provisional application No. 62/691477 entitled "Optical Coupling elements and assemblies (Light Coupling elements and assemblies)" filed on day 28/6/2018.

The first and second housing portions of any of the optical assemblies described herein can be made, for example, by molding or machining. In some embodiments, each of the first housing portion and the second housing portion is made by injection molding a thermoplastic material. Any of the optical ferrules of the present description may be similarly made, for example, by molding (e.g., injection molding) or machining. In some embodiments, the optical ferrule is unitary. In some embodiments, the optical ferrule is non-polar.

Optical connectors and optical ferrules are described in, for example, the following documents: U.S. patent application publication Nos. 2015/0247979(Richmond et al), 2018/0128996(Sawicki et al), 2018/0239091(Mathews et al), 2018/0275353(Haase et al), and 2019/0049671(Haase et al).

All cited references, patents, and patent applications cited above are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety in a consistent manner. In the event of inconsistencies or contradictions between the incorporated reference parts and the present application, the information in the preceding description shall prevail.

Unless otherwise indicated, descriptions with respect to elements in the figures should be understood to apply equally to corresponding elements in other figures. Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the specific embodiments discussed herein. Accordingly, the disclosure is intended to be limited only by the claims and the equivalents thereof.