Patent ID: 11906793
Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 0:
1. An optical connector assembly, comprising:
a housing having a mating end and an opposite cable end, and comprising:
a unitary first housing portion comprising 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 first housing portion and comprising a middle support disposed between the front and rear supports of the first housing portion;

an optical ferrule supported by the front support of the first housing portion and comprising:
an attachment area 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 area; and

a substantially flat optical fiber array comprising a plurality of optical fibers, front ends of the optical fibers received by and fixedly attached to the attachment area of the optical ferrule, the optical fiber array 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 middle support of the second housing portion contacts and bends the optical fiber array about the middle support, the bend causing the optical ferrule to rotate about the front support of the first housing portion.