Abstract:
A connector assembly is disclosed for mounting through an aperture in a panel. The assembly includes an adapter mountable in the aperture in the panel. The adapter has engagement arms for engaging the panel and restricting relative movement between the adapter and the panel. A connector is insertable into the adapter in an insertion direction. Releases are provided on the connector for disengaging the engagement arms of the adapter from the panel in response to inserting the connector into the adapter and, thereby, remove the restriction on the relative movement between the adapter and the panel.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention generally relates to the art of connector assembly such as fiber optic connector assemblies. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Fiber optic connectors of a wide variety of designs have been employed to terminate optical fiber cables and to facilitate connection of the cables to other cables or other optical fiber transmission devices. A typical fiber optic connector includes a ferrule which mounts and centers an optical fiber or fibers within the connector. The ferrule may be fabricated of such material as ceramic. A ferrule holder or other housing component of the connector embraces the ferrule and may be fabricated of such material as molded plastic. A spring may be disposed within the housing or ferrule holder such that the ferrule is yieldably biased forwardly for engaging another fiber-mounting ferrule of a mating connecting device. 
     A pair of fiber optic connectors or a connector and another optical fiber transmission device often are mated in an adapter which centers the fibers to provide low insertion losses. The adapter couples the connectors together so that their encapsulated fibers connect end-to-end. The adapter may be an in-line component, or the adapter can be designed for mounting in an opening in a panel, backplane, circuit board or the like. The adapter may be mounted on a printed circuit board such as a motherboard, and one of the connectors received by the adapter may be mounted to a daughterboard. 
     The present invention is directed to various improvements in such connector apparatus. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An object, therefore, of the invention is to provide a new and improved connector assembly of the character described. 
     In the exemplary embodiment of the invention, the assembly includes an adapter mountable in an aperture in a panel. The adapter includes engagement means for restricting relative movement between the adapter and the panel. A fiber optic connector is insertable into the adapter in an insertion direction. Release means are provided on the fiber optic connector operatively associated with the engagement means to disengage the engagement means in response to inserting the connector into the adapter. Therefore, the restriction on relative movement between the adapter and the panel is removed when the connector is coupled to the adapter. 
     As disclosed herein, the engagement means is provided by at least one flexible latch arm on the adapter engageable with the panel at the aperture. The release means comprises a detent, such as an angled surface, on the fiber optic connector engageable with the flexible latch arm to move the latch arm out of engagement with the panel. The adapter includes a housing which is larger than the aperture in the panel and which is engageable with one side of the panel. The flexible latch arm is engageable with an opposite side of the panel. The housing has a first receptacle end adapted for receiving the fiber optic connector and a second receptacle end adapted for receiving an associated fiber optic transmission means. The housing is a two-part housing containing at least one shutter member therewithin. 
     Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The features of this invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention, together with its objects and the advantages thereof, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals identify like elements in the figures and in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the motherboard adapter assembly mounted through an aperture in a printed circuit board (motherboard); 
     FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the motherboard adapter assembly in conjunction with the motherboard; 
     FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section through the motherboard adapter assembly mounted in the panel; 
     FIG. 4 is an enlarged horizontal section through the motherboard adapter assembly mounted in the panel; 
     FIGS. 5 and 6 are horizontal sections similar to that of FIG. 4, but taken at different locations to show the mounting of the shutter members within the assembly; 
     FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the daughterboard connector assembly mounted to a second printed circuit board (daughterboard); 
     FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the daughterboard connector assembly in conjunction with the daughterboard; 
     FIG. 9 is a horizontal section taken generally along line  9 — 9  of FIG. 7; and 
     FIG. 10 is a vertical section taken generally along line  10 — 10  of FIG.  7 . 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to the drawings in greater detail, a fiber optic connector assembly incorporating the concepts of the invention includes a motherboard adapter assembly, generally designated  16  and shown in FIGS. 1-6. FIGS. 7-10 show a daughterboard connector assembly, generally designated  18 , which is mateable or capable of being coupled to motherboard adapter assembly  16 . A dust cap  26  (FIG. 2) is insertable into adapter assembly  16  in the direction of arrow “A”. The adapter assembly is insertable into an aperture  32  in a panel  34  in the direction of arrow “B”. In the fiber optic connector assembly herein, panel  34  is a printed circuit board (motherboard). 
     Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2, motherboard adapter assembly  16  generally is a two-part structure including a first or front part  38  and a second or rear part  40 . A single shutter member  42  and a set of dual shutter members  44  are mounted within the adapter assembly. The two parts  38  and  40  of the adapter assembly are interconnected by means of a pair of hooked flexible latch arms  46  projecting from rear adapter part  40  and insertable into the inside of front adapter part  38  for snapping into engagement with a pair of fixed latch shoulders  48  formed by apertures in the side walls of the front adapter part. 
     As stated above, adapter assembly  16  is insertable into aperture  32  in motherboard  34  in the direction of arrow “B” (FIG.  2 ). As seen in FIG. 1, front adapter part  38  is larger than aperture  32  in motherboard  34  and, consequently, abuts against a front side  34   a  of the motherboard. The adapter assembly is secured to the motherboard and within aperture  32  by means of a pair of flexible latch arms  50  having retention shoulder  50   a  near the distal ends thereof. The retention arms move into grooves  51  in rear adapter part  40 , and retention shoulders  50   a  of the latch arms engage a rear side  34   b  of motherboard  34  when the adapter assembly is mounted within aperture  32  in motherboard  34  as seen in FIG.  1 . Latch arms  50  restrict relative movement between the adapter assembly and the motherboard in the insertion direction “B”. 
     Referring to FIG. 3 in conjunction with FIG. 2, motherboard adapter assembly  16  has been inserted into aperture  32  in motherboard  34 . It can be seen that front adapter part  38  engages the front side  34   a  of the motherboard, and retention shoulders  50   a  of flexible latch arms  50  engage rear side  34   b  of the motherboard. Therefore, relative movement between the motherboard adapter assembly and the motherboard in the axial or insertion direction of the assembly is restricted. 
     FIG. 4 shows a pair of coil springs  58  which bias dual shutter members  44  to a closed position. When an associated fiber optic transmission means, such as a fiber optic connector, is inserted into the motherboard adapter assembly in the direction of arrow “C”, shutter members  44  will be biased open, and coil springs  58  will automatically close the shutter members when the associated connector is removed. 
     FIG. 5 shows a coil spring  60  having one end  60   a  locked within the adapter assembly and an opposite end  60   b  engaging the back side of single shutter member  42 . This spring biases the shutter member against a stop  62  in a closed position. When a fiber optic connector (described hereinafter) is inserted into adapter assembly  16  in the direction of arrow “D”, shutter member  42  is biased open against spring  60 . When the connector is removed, the spring biases shutter member  42  back to its closed position shown in FIG.  5 . This depiction also shows that one of the springs  58  includes a fixed end  58   a  locked in the adapter assembly and an opposite end  50   b  for biasing one of the dual shutter members  44  against a stop  64 . FIG. 6 shows the other spring  58  having a fixed end  58   a  and an opposite end  58   b  for biasing the other shutter member  44  against a stop  66  in the closed position. Basically, as best seen in FIG. 4, adapter assembly  16  is an open-ended assembly defining a first receptacle end  68  for receiving daughterboard connector assembly  18  (FIGS. 7-10) and a second receptacle end  70  for receiving an associated fiber optic transmission means such as a second fiber optic connector. 
     Referring to FIGS. 7-10, daughterboard connector assembly  18  includes a daughterboard housing  72  mounting a ferrule  74 , a pin holder  76  and a pair of alignment pins  78 . As seen in FIGS. 9 and 10, the alignment pins have head portions  78   a  captured within recesses or slots  80  at the front end of pin holder  76 , and the alignment pins project through bores  82  in ferrule  74 . The alignment pins project forwardly of a front mating face  74   a  of the ferrule for insertion into appropriate alignment holes in the ferrule of the second connector which is inserted into receptacle end  70  (FIG. 4) of adapter assembly  16 . As best seen in FIG. 9, pin holder  76  has a forwardly cantilevered flexible latch arm  84  with a hook  84   a  at a distal end thereof for engagement behind a latch shoulder  86  on daughterboard housing  72  to hold the pin holder within the housing and to position ferrule  74  through a forward opening  88  of the housing. As seen in FIG. 10, ferrule  74  has a plurality of parallel passages  89  for receiving the fibers of a flat multi-fiber optical cable. 
     The daughterboard housing  72  of daughterboard connector assembly  18  is mounted to a printed circuit board (daughterboard)  90  by means of mounting posts  91  on the daughterboard housing insertable into mounting holes  92  in the daughterboard. The diameters of mounting posts  91  may be smaller than the diameters of mounting holes  92  to provide a degree of floating movement between the daughterboard connector assembly and the daughterboard. 
     Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 in conjunction with FIG. 2, daughterboard housing  72  of daughterboard connector assembly  18  has a cantilevered, flexible latch arm  100  projecting forwardly from and spaced laterally of the front nose portion of the daughterboard housing. The flexible latch arm has an inwardly directed latch hook  100   a  at the distal end of the arm for latching engagement with a fixed latch shoulder  102  (FIG. 2) on the outside of rear part  40  of adapter assembly  16 . Therefore, when daughterboard connector assembly  18  is inserted into receptacle end  68  (FIG. 6) of adapter assembly  16 , the daughterboard connector assembly becomes coupled to the adapter assembly by means of latch arm  100 /latch hook  100   a  and latch shoulder  102 . 
     FIG. 10 best shows that daughterboard housing  72  of daughterboard connector assembly  18  includes detent means in the form of a pair of angled release shoulders  104  at the top and bottom thereof. FIG. 3 best shows that the extreme distal ends of latch arms  50  of the adapter assembly have inwardly angled abutment surfaces  106 , and these abutment surfaces are exposed for engagement by release shoulders  104  of daughterboard connector assembly  18  when the assembly is inserted into motherboard adapter assembly  16  in the direction of arrow “E” (FIG.  3 ). When the daughterboard connector assembly is coupled to the adapter assembly (i.e. flexible latch arm  100  engages fixed latch shoulder  102 ), release shoulders  104  on the motherboard housing engage surfaces  106  on flexible latch arms  50  and bias the latch arms transversely inwardly in the direction of arrows “F” (FIG.  3 ). When the latch arms are biased inwardly, retention shoulders  50   a  on the outsides of the flexible latch arms are disengaged from rear side  34   b  of daughterboard  34 , whereupon outside head portions  108  of flexible latch arms  50  move into aperture  32  in motherboard  34 . It should be understood that the various parts are constructed so that flexible latch arm  100  engages fixed latch shoulder  102  momentarily before head portions  108  of flexible latch arms  50  are released from rear side  34   a  of the motherboard. Adapter assembly  16  (along with daughterboard connector assembly  18 ), thereby, are no longer restricted against axial movement relative to the motherboard. In essence, release shoulders  104  on the daughterboard connector assembly comprise a release means which is effective to release the restrictions on the axial movement of adapter assembly  16  relative to motherboard  34 . Therefore, once daughterboard connector assembly  18  is coupled to adapter assembly  16 , both the connector assembly and the adapter assembly are allowed to float axially relative to the motherboard. In turn, daughterboard  88  can float relative to the motherboard. This eliminates interacting forces between the daughterboard and the motherboard which, otherwise, could cause cracking, deformation, misalignment and/or poor performance of the boards. When daughterboard connector assembly  18  is coupled with adapter assembly  16 , the adapter assembly obviously cannot be pulled forwardly out of the motherboard because the daughterboard connector assembly and/or the daughterboard will abut against the rear side of the motherboard. 
     It will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or central characteristics thereof. The present examples and embodiments, therefore, are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein.