Abstract:
An optical fiber connector ( 30 ) includes a housing defining a cavity ( 314 ) and a receiving space ( 364 ) therein, an optical element ( 34 ) received in the cavity and a protecting member received in the receiving space. The protecting member includes a door ( 32 ) defining an aperture ( 322 ) therein and a spring member ( 33 ) assembled to the door. The spring member is deformable in the cavity along a front-to-back direction when a fiber plug ( 40 ) is inserted/withdrawn. The protecting member occupies a small inner space of the optical fiber connector.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention generally relates to an optical fiber connector, and more particular to an optical fiber connector having a protecting member. 
   2. Description of Prior Art 
   Present telecommunication technology develops, to an increasing extent, optical fiber for signal transmission. The use of optical fibers, in turn, requires numerous collateral components especially adapted to handle the light or optical transmission, among which are optical fiber connectors. 
   Optical fiber connector for connecting digital systems mostly use a transmitting rod for alignment and support the fiber. Examples of optical fiber connector that uses a plastic fiber within a ferrule include: i) the F07 Duplex Plastic Fiber System from AMP; ii) the SMI (small Muti-media Interface) Connector from Sony Corporation; and iii) the HFBR series of plastic fiber connector from Hewlett Packard. For assuring performance of the optical connector, it is necessary that a door prevents dust and vapor in the air from entering the optical fiber connectors. 
   As shown in FIG 1, Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-331859 discloses an optical fiber connector, which comprises a housing  1  holding an optical element  11  therein, a rotatable door  13  assembled to the housing  1 . The housing  1  defines a cavity  12  therein for receiving a complementary optical fiber plug  2  with a mating portion  21 . Once the complementary optical fiber plug  2  is inserted into the housing  1 , the rotatable door  13  is rotated to an open position. When the optical fiber plug  2  is withdrawn from the optical fiber connector, the rotatable door  13  is closed to avoid entry of dust into the optical fiber connector. However, the rotatable door  13  is outside the housing  1  when the fiber plug  2  is received in the cavity  12  of the housing  1 , which is easy to be damaged arid increases the space occupied by the optical fiber connector. 
     FIG. 2  shows another optical fiber connector, which is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,152. The optical fiber connector comprises an elastic door  101  and a housing  10 . A fiber  201  is embedded in a fiber plug  20 . The elastic door  101  is elastically pushed inwardly in a cavity  102  of the housing  10  by an external force when insertion a mating portion  202  of the fiber plug  20  and restores back to original state when the fiber plug  20  is withdrawn from the optical fiber connector. However, the cavity  102  has to provide enough space for receiving the inwardly rotated elastic door  101  therein, which is adverse to minimization of the optical fiber connector. Moreover, the elastic door  101  should be opened by a knock of the fiber plug  20 , which consequently leads to abrasion of the fiber  201  after repeated insertion/withdrawal of the fiber plug  20 . 
   Hence, an optical fiber connector having a protecting member is desired to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art. 
   BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
   Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber connector having a protecting member, which is received within and requires a small inner space of the optical fiber connector. 
   In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, an optical fiber connector in accordance with the present invention comprises a housing defining a cavity and a receiving space therein, an optical element received in the cavity and a protecting member received in the receiving space. The protecting member comprises a slidable door defining an aperture therein and a spring member assembled to the door. 
   Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional optical connector and a complementary optical fiber plug; 
       FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of another conventional optical connector and a mated complementary optical fiber plug; 
       FIG. 3  is an exploded, perspective view of an optical fiber connector in accordance with the present invention; 
       FIG. 4  is a view similar to  FIG. 3  while taken from a different angle; 
       FIG. 5  is an assembled, perspective view of  FIG. 3 ; 
       FIG. 6  is a perspective view of a complementary optical fiber plug connector; 
       FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber connector with a complementary fiber plug connector partly inserted therein; and 
       FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber connector with the complementary fiber plug connector completely inserted therein. 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   Reference will now be made to the drawing figures to describe the present invention in detail. 
   With reference to  FIGS. 3–5 , an optical fiber connector  30  comprises a housing, an optical element  34  received in the housing, a protecting member and a holder  35 . 
   The housing of the optical fiber connector  30  is formed with an outer housing  36  and an inner housing  31 . The outer housing  36  defines a room  361  in a front end thereof, and a receiving space  364  in a rear end thereof. A partition wall  365  is formed between the room  361  and the receiving space  364 . The outer housing  36  has a pair of keys  362  formed at opposite inner side walls thereof, and four ribs  363  projecting from the partition wall  365  along the inner side walls. The partition wall  365  defines an opening  366  in a center thereof, which communicates with the receiving space  364  and the room  361 . 
   The inner housing  31  is received in the outer housing  36  with a front end thereof exposed outside the outer housing  36 . The inner housing  31  defines a cavity  314  therethrough, a pair of guiding grooves  313  at opposite inner sides thereof, a pair of recesses  315  at opposite outer sides for engaging with the keys  362  of the outer housing  36 , and a pair of opposite grooves  317  at a top wall thereof. The inner housing  31  comprises a faceplate  312  having a pair of opposite bevels  316  at a bottom thereof. The inner housing  31  is inserted into the room  361  of the outer housing  36  until a rear face thereof contacted with front ends of the ribs  363  and the keys  362  retained in corresponding recesses  315 . 
   The optical element  34  is formed with a base portion  342  and a plurality of legs  341  for connecting with a printed circuit board (not shown). The holder  35  and the optical element  34  are received in the receiving space  364  of the outer housing  36  together, with a body portion  351  and a plurality of protrusions  352  of the holder  35  abutting against the base portion  342  and the legs  341  of the optical element  34 , respectively. 
   The protecting member is vertically and slideably received in the cavity  314  of the inner housing  31  and comprises a door  32  and a tapered spring member  33  assembled to the door  32 . The spring member  33  comprises a first end  331  and a second end  332  having a larger diameter than that of the first end  331 . The door  32  comprises a base plate  321 , a pair of fixing projections  327  projecting upwardly from the base plate  321 , a spring engaging portion  326  ( FIG. 7 ) extending rearwardly from the base plate  321 , an aperture  322  extending through the base plate  321  and the spring engaging portion  326 , a ringed portion  324  protruding outwardly along a periphery edge of the extending portion  326 , and a fixing slit  325  defined between the ringed portion  324  and the base plate  321  for fixing the first end  331  of the spring member  33  therein. A pair of arcuate protrusions  323  is formed at opposite sides of the base plate  321  and is slideably received in the guiding grooves  313  of the inner housing  31  so as to permit horizontal movement of the door  32  in the inner housing  31 . The bevels  316  of the inner housing  31  perform a stopping function as to prevent the door  32  from being pushed out of the inner housing  31  by a spring force exerted by the spring member  33 . The fixing projections  327  of the door  32  are slideably received in the grooves  317  of the inner housing  31 . 
   Referring to  FIG. 6 , a fiber plug  40  comprises a main body  41 , a transmitting rod  43  and a mating portion  42  extending from the main body  41 . The transmitting rod  43  projects from a center of the main body  41  and is surrounded by the mating portion  42  with one end thereof extending beyond a front face  422  of the mating portion  42 . The mating portion  42  is formed with a pair of opposite ribs  424  on a top face and a bottom face thereof, and a pair of guiding bars  423  on opposite side walls  421  for engaging in the guiding grooves  313  of the inner housing  31 . 
   Referring to  FIGS. 7–8 , when the fiber plug  40  is to be inserted into the optical fiber connector  30 , the transmitting rod  43  firstly passes through the aperture  322  of the door  32  and then inserts into the cavity  314  of the inner housing  31  until the front face  422  of the fiber plug  40  presses against the base plate  321  of the door  32 . Whereby a guiding engagement between the guiding bars  423  of the fiber plug  40  and the guiding grooves  313  of the inner housing  31 . When the fiber plug  40  is completely inserted into the optical fiber connector  30 , the spring member  33  is deformed with the second end  332  pressing against an inner face  368  of the partition wall  365 , while the base plate  321  of the door  32  abuts against a forward end of the partition wall  365 . The transmitting rod  43  is inserted into the opening  366  of the partition wall  365  facing the optical element  34 . When the fiber plug  40  is withdrawn from the optical fiber connector  30 , the spring force of the spring member  33  urges the door  32  to return back to the front end of the cavity  314  of the inner housing  31 . Because the door  32  defines the aperture  322  therethrough for allowing the transmitting rod  43  of the fiber plug  40  to pass through, the transmitting rod  43  can avoid being frayed by the door  32  during an insertion. Aside from that, since the protecting member is slideably and vertically received in the housing, the space is effectively saved. Thus, the optical fiber connector  30  can keep a small length and is in favor of minimized view of the connector. 
   It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.