Patent ID: 9366829
Filing Date: 2016-06-14
CPC Classification: G02B

Claim Text:
1. A multifiber connector structure for terminating a set of multicore fibers, the multifiber connector structure comprising: a ganged connector housing, comprising an aperture shaped to closely fit around a plurality of single-fiber connectors in a stacked array, each connector being removably retainable at a respective location in the connector housing, wherein each single-fiber connector comprises a housing containing a ferrule for receiving and retaining a single multicore fiber, wherein the single-fiber connectors have a high-density packing footprint within the connector housing, and wherein each single-fiber connector and its respective ferrule is configured to enable individual repositioning, tuning, alignment, repair or replacement of a respective multicore fiber terminated therein, independent of other optical fibers within the plurality of single fiber ferrules, and without requiring replacement of the entire set of multicore fibers, wherein the aperture is configured such that in a stacked array of single-fiber connectors, the connector surfaces in a first row abut corresponding connectors surfaces in a second row such that the first and second rows support each other, and wherein the aperture is configured to have upper and lower latching slots to receive resilient latching arms at one side of each of the single-fiber connectors.