Patent Publication Number: US-8113722-B2

Title: Hybrid fiber/copper connector system and method

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 11/606,793, filed Nov. 29, 2006, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,585, which application is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The present invention relates generally to connectors for communications cable. More specifically, the present invention relates to hybrid fiber/copper connector systems and methods. 
     BACKGROUND 
     It is known to provide portable cameras and other data or image gathering devices with cable to provide power to the device and to carry data to and from the device. As these devices have increased in image or data gathering capacity, greater demand for bandwidth to carry data to and from the devices has arisen. One way of providing this increased bandwidth is to use optical fiber for carrying data to and from the devices. 
     However, optical fiber may not be able to provide an adequate power supply for the devices, so it is still desirable to have copper or other metallic wires extending to the devices. Hybrid cables including both copper wires and optical fiber within a single cable have been used to meet the power and data transfer needs of these devices. Since the techniques and devices for terminating and connectorizing copper and fiber cables are quite different, new connectors or methods of connecting such hybrid cables to each have been developed. These known connectors do allow interconnection of cables and devices but require that the entire connector be replaced if any one element of the cable or connector are damaged. Common hybrid cables may include two or more optical fibers and one or more pairs of copper wires. If any of these wires or optical fibers, or the termination of these wires or optical fibers are damaged, the entire connector must be replaced and all of the wires and fibers re-terminated. 
     Improvements to hybrid connectors are desirable. 
     SUMMARY 
     The present invention relates generally to a hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly. The present invention also relates to a hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly which permits repair of damaged fibers or copper conductors carried by a hybrid cable without requiring replacement of the entire hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly or the cable. The present invention also relates to connectors for hybrid fiber/copper cables. The present invention further relates to a method of repairing a hybrid fiber/copper cable and connector. 
     Another aspect of the present invention relates to a hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly provided in the form of a kit that allows conversion of a hybrid fiber/copper connector from one gender to a different gender. 
     Another aspect of the present invention relates to a hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly that allows the hybrid fiber/copper connectors of the assembly to be converted from being hybrid connectors to being only fiber connectors or only copper connectors. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate several aspects of the present invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. A brief description of the drawings is as follows: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly having features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly shown in a fully assembled configuration; 
         FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  2 - 2  of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly of  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the first inner housing half of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a top view of the first inner housing half of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a bottom view of the first inner housing half of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 8  is a side view of the first inner housing half of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 9  is a rear end view of the first inner housing half of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the fiber optic adapter of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 , the fiber optic adapter configured to be placed within the first inner housing half of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 11  is a perspective view of the second inner housing half of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 12  is a side view of the second inner housing half of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 13  is a bottom view of the second inner housing half of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 14  is a rear end view of the second inner housing half of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 15  is a cross-sectional view of the second inner housing half taken along line  15 - 15  of  FIG. 14 ; 
         FIG. 16  is a perspective view of the conductor mount of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 , the conductor mount configured to be placed within the second inner housing half of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 17  is a front view of the conductor mount of  FIG. 16 ; 
         FIG. 18  is a side view of the conductor mount of  FIG. 16  shown with the electrical conductors removed; 
         FIG. 19  is a perspective view of the conductor mount retainer of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 , the conductor mount retainer configured to be placed within the second inner housing half of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 20  is a top view of the conductor mount retainer of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 21  is a bottom view of the conductor mount retainer of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 22  is a side view of the conductor mount retainer of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 23  is a rear end view of the conductor mount retainer of  FIG. 19 ; 
         FIG. 24  is a perspective view of the strength member clamp of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 , the strength member clamp configured to be placed within the second inner housing half of  FIG. 11 ; 
         FIG. 25  is a top view of the strength member clamp of  FIG. 24 ; 
         FIG. 26  is a front end view of the strength member clamp of  FIG. 24 ; 
         FIG. 27  is a side view of the strength member clamp of  FIG. 24 ; 
         FIG. 28  illustrates a top perspective view of the first inner housing half and the second inner housing half of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4  in a partially assembled configuration, the first inner housing half and the second inner housing half configured to be removably mounted together to form an inner connector assembly of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 ; 
         FIG. 29  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the first inner housing half and the second inner housing half of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4  in a partially assembled configuration; 
         FIG. 30  illustrates an outer housing of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 , the outer housing configured to receive the first and second inner housing halves of  FIGS. 28-29 ; 
         FIG. 31  illustrates a rear end view of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 4 , the first hybrid fiber/copper connector shown in a fully assembled configuration; 
         FIG. 32  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  32 - 32  of  FIG. 31 ; 
         FIG. 33  is an exploded perspective view of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly of  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
         FIG. 34  is a perspective view of the first inner housing half of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33 ; 
         FIG. 35  is a top view of the first inner housing half of  FIG. 34 ; 
         FIG. 36  is a bottom view of the first inner housing half of  FIG. 34 ; 
         FIG. 37  is a side view of the first inner housing half of  FIG. 34 ; 
         FIG. 38  is a rear end view of the first inner housing half of  FIG. 34 ; 
         FIG. 39  is a perspective view of the fiber optic connector retainer of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33 , the fiber optic connector retainer configured to be placed within the first inner housing half of  FIG. 34 ; 
         FIG. 40  is a bottom view of the fiber optic connector retainer of  FIG. 39 ; 
         FIG. 41  is a top view of the fiber optic connector retainer of  FIG. 39 ; 
         FIG. 42  is a side view of the fiber optic connector retainer of  FIG. 39 ; 
         FIG. 43  is a perspective view of the second inner housing half of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33 ; 
         FIG. 44  is a side view of the second inner housing half of  FIG. 43 ; 
         FIG. 45  is a bottom view of the second inner housing half of  FIG. 43 ; 
         FIG. 46  is a rear end view of the second inner housing half of  FIG. 43 ; 
         FIG. 47  is a cross-sectional view of the second inner housing half taken along line  47 - 47  of  FIG. 46 ; 
         FIG. 48  is a perspective view of the conductor mount retainer of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33 , the conductor mount retainer configured to be placed within the second inner housing half of  FIG. 43 ; 
         FIG. 49  is a top view of the conductor mount retainer of  FIG. 48 ; 
         FIG. 50  is a side view of the conductor mount retainer of  FIG. 48 ; 
         FIG. 51  is a rear end view of the conductor mount retainer of  FIG. 48 ; 
         FIG. 52  illustrates a top perspective view of the first inner housing half and the second inner housing half of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33  in a partially assembled configuration, the first inner housing half and the second inner housing half configured to be removably mounted together to form an inner connector assembly of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33 ; 
         FIG. 53  illustrates a bottom perspective view of the first inner housing half and the second inner housing half of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33  in a partially assembled configuration; 
         FIG. 54  illustrates an outer housing of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33 , the outer housing configured to receive the first and second inner housing halves of  FIGS. 52-53 ; 
         FIG. 55  illustrates a rear end view of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector of  FIG. 33 , the second hybrid fiber/copper connector shown in a fully assembled configuration; 
         FIG. 56  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  56 - 56  of  FIG. 55 ; 
         FIG. 57  illustrates a first quad fiber connector to be assembled by mounting together two of the first inner housing halves of  FIG. 5 ; and 
         FIG. 58  illustrates a second quad fiber connector to be assembled by mounting together two of the first inner housing halves of  FIG. 34 , the second quad fiber connector configured to mate with the first quad fiber connector of  FIG. 57 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary aspects of the present invention that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. 
     The present disclosure relates to a hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly. Aspects of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly include each connector having fiber and copper connecting components to connect two hybrid fiber/copper cables. 
     One preferred embodiment of a connector assembly permits repair of damaged fibers or copper conductors carried by a hybrid fiber/copper cable without requiring replacement of the entire connector assembly or the cable. Aspects of the present disclosure also allow the hybrid fiber/copper connectors of the assembly to be converted from one gender to a different gender. Further aspects of the present disclosure allow the hybrid fiber/copper connectors of the assembly to be converted from being hybrid connectors to being only fiber connectors or only copper connectors. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1-3 , a hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly  10  having features that are examples of inventive aspects in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure is illustrated. The hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly includes a first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  and a second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  adapted to mate with the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . The first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  may also be referred to herein as a female gender hybrid fiber/copper connector and the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  may be referred to herein as a male gender hybrid fiber/copper connector. 
     Each of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14  includes an inner connector assembly that is received within an outer housing. The inner connector assembly  16  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  is terminated to a segment of hybrid fiber/copper cable carrying both optical fibers and copper wires. Similarly, the inner connector assembly  18  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is terminated to a segment of hybrid fiber/copper cable carrying both optical fibers and copper wires. Once terminated, inner connector assemblies  16 ,  18  are placed within the outer housings  20 ,  22  of the hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14 . 
     Before termination to the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14 , each cable segment is inserted through an end cap/cable clamp  24 ,  26 , respectively, that is threadably mounted to the outer housings  20 ,  22 . The end caps  24 ,  26  are configured to clamp the hybrid fiber/copper cable segments to their respective hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14  and provide a weather tight seal at the cable receiving ends  28 ,  30 , respectively, of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14 . Once the end caps  24 ,  26  have been threaded and the hybrid cable segments connected to the respective hybrid connectors  12 ,  14 , the first and the second hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14  can, then, be mated to each other to establish both optical and electrical connection between the two hybrid cable segments. The outer housings  20 ,  22  of the two connectors  12 ,  14  cooperate to form a secure and generally weather-tight cover about the connections of the fiber strands and copper conductors within the two connectors  12 ,  14 . 
     A hybrid fiber/copper cable might be used in broadcast communications. For example, such a cable might be used to connect a camera to a production facility, such as at a sporting event or other entertainment venue. Certain known prior art assemblies for connecting segments of broadcast cable might require the use of a new assembly in case of failure of any single component within the assembly. Alternatively, the failure of any of the contacts within either connector of a known assembly might necessitate the retermination of one of the cable segments. 
     As will be described in further detail below, the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly  10  of the present disclosure is configured to permit repair or replacement of damaged components of the assembly. Reference herein will also be made to certain examples of hybrid fiber/copper connector assemblies that facilitate repair or replacement of damaged components of the assembly without requiring the use of a new assembly that are disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2006/0056769 A1 and US 2006/0233496 A1, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2006/0056769 A1 and US 2006/0233496 A1 illustrate a schematic cross-section of a hybrid fiber/copper communications cable that may be suitable for use with the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly  10  of the present disclosure. The hybrid cable, illustrated in FIG. 4 of US 2006/0056769 A1 and US 2006/0233496 A1, includes a pair of jacketed optical fibers and four jacketed copper wires, extending adjacent a linearly extending strength member. This is one example configuration of a hybrid cable that might be suitable for use with the hybrid connector assembly  10  of the present disclosure. Other configurations of hybrid cables are also known, with more or fewer optical fibers and/or copper wires, which may also be used with the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly  10  of the present disclosure. 
     When used in the broadcast camera environment described above, one of the optical fibers may be used to transmit video and related audio signals to the camera and the second optical fiber may be used to transmit video and audio captured by the camera to the production facility or some other location. One pair of copper conductors may be used to provide power to operate the camera, while the other pair of copper conductors may be used to provide communications between the production facility and the camera operator. The number of fiber strands and copper conductors extending within the hybrid cable may be varied as required to support the desired usage and communication bandwidth of the camera. 
     According to another aspect of the disclosure, the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly  10  of the present disclosure is configured to allow the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14  of the assembly  10  to be converted from one gender to a different gender. As such, if an existing segment of a hybrid fiber/copper cable segment is terminated, for example, to a first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  (i.e., a female gender connector) and an available second segment of a hybrid cable is also terminated to a first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  (i.e., a female gender connector), the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  may be disassembled and converted into a second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  (i.e., a male gender connector), without retermination of the cable segment. The converted male gender hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  can, then, be mated to the female gender hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . 
     Furthermore, according to another aspect of the disclosure, the modular configuration of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly  10  of the present disclosure allows both the first and the second hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14  of the assembly  10  to be converted from being hybrid connectors to being fiber-only connectors (e.g., quad fiber connectors) or copper-only connectors (e.g., having eight copper conductors). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , an exploded view of the first, female gender, hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  is illustrated. The first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  includes a first inner housing half  32  and a second inner housing half  34 . The first and the second inner housing halves  32 ,  34  detachably mate together to form an inner connector assembly  16  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . Once the first and the second inner housing halves  32 ,  34  are terminated to a hybrid cable and joined together, they are inserted into an outer housing  20  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and as discussed above, before the hybrid cable segments are terminated to the inner connector assemblies  16 ,  18  of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14 , the hybrid cable segments are inserted through end caps  24 ,  26 . The end caps  24 ,  26  are, then, threaded onto the outer housings  20 ,  22  to clamp the hybrid cables and to seal it against the outer housings  20 ,  22 . 
     Referring back to  FIG. 4 , the first inner housing half  32  is configured to hold the fiber components of the connector  12  while the second inner housing half  34  is configured to hold the electrical/copper components of the connector  12 . 
     Now referring to  FIGS. 5-9 , the first inner housing half  32  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  is illustrated. The first inner housing half  32  includes an elongated body  36  defining an interior  38 . The body  36  includes a mating end  40  and a cable receiving end  42 . The first inner housing half  32  defines a pair of alignment pins  44  and a pair of pin openings  46  for cooperatively mating with the second inner housing half  34  (see second inner housing half  34  in  FIGS. 11-15 ). Adjacent the mating end  40  of the first inner housing half  32  is a pocket  48  configured to carry a fiber optic adapter  50 . 
     An adapter  50  configured to be placed within the first inner housing  32  is shown in  FIG. 10 . As depicted, the fiber optic adapter  50  is a duplex adapter including a front end  52  and a rear end  54 . Two fiber optic connectors mounted into the front end  52  of the fiber optic adapter  50  optically mate with two fiber optic connectors mounted into the rear end  54  of the fiber optic adapter  50 . As shown in  FIG. 28 , the fiber optic connectors  56  that are received within the fiber optic adapter  50  are LX.5 format connectors. As depicted, the adapter  50  is configured to receive and optically connect two pairs of LX.5 connectors  56 . LX.5 connectors and mating adapters are available from ADC Telecommunications, Inc. Other connector and adapter formats can also be used. 
     As shown in the end view in  FIG. 31 , the fiber optic adapter  50  includes shutters  58  adjacent the front and rear ends  52 ,  54  that pivot between an open position and a closed position. The shutters  58  are sized such that in the closed position, the shutters  58  block direct visual inspection through an open front end  52  or an open rear end  54 . As a result, in an event a fiber optic connector  56  is connected to one end of the fiber optic adapter  50 , the closed shutter  58  on the opposite end prevents a technician from looking directly at light on the opposite end of the fiber optic adapter  50 . Further details of the fiber optic adapter  50  and the fiber optic connectors  56  that are configured to be inserted into the adapter  50  are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,883,995 and 6,142,676, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     The fiber optic adapter  50  includes a pair of flanges  60  on the sides of the adapter  50 . The flanges  60  are received within recesses  62  defined in the first inner housing half  32 . 
     Referring back to  FIGS. 5-9 , the mating end  40  of the body  36  of the first inner housing half  32 , includes an exterior recessed portion  64  defined on a first side  66  of the body  36 . The recessed portion  64  is configured to act as a keying feature when the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is mated to the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 , as will be discussed in further detail below. In this manner, the correct orientation of the mating ends of the first and second connectors  12 ,  14  are obtained when the two hybrid connectors  12 ,  14  are mated. 
       FIGS. 11-15  illustrate the second inner housing half  34  of the first, female gender, hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . The second inner housing half  34  is configured to house the copper components of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . As shown, the second inner housing half  34  includes an elongated body  68  defining an interior  70 . The body  68  includes a mating end  72  and a cable receiving end  74 . 
     The second inner housing half  34  includes a pair of alignment pins  76  and a pair of pin openings  78  for cooperatively mating with the corresponding pins  44  and openings  46  of the first inner housing half  32 . 
     The second inner housing half  34  includes an integrally formed conductor pin support  80  adjacent the mating end  72 . The conductor pin support  80  defines four channels  82 . The channels  82  include therein four conductive pins  84 . The conductive pins  84  are shown in the cross-sectional view in  FIG. 15  which is taken along line  15 - 15  of  FIG. 14 . As depicted, each of the four conductive pins  84  includes two female ends  86 . The conductive pins  84  are generally permanently mounted within the pin support  80  and form a part of the second inner housing half  34 . 
     As in the first inner housing half  32 , the second inner housing half  34  defines an exterior recessed portion  88  on a first side  90  of the pin support  80 . The recess  88  is configured align with the recess  64  of the first inner housing half  32  when the two housing halves  32 ,  34  are joined to define a big recess. The big recess acts as a keying feature when the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  is mated to the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  such that the correct orientation of the mating ends of the first and second connectors  12 ,  14  are obtained. 
     The body  68  of the second inner housing half  34  includes an exterior circumferential groove  92 . The body  68  also defines opposing slots  94  positioned at each end of the circumferential groove  92 . The circumferential groove  92  and the slots  94  accommodate a strength member that might be a part of a hybrid cable. 
     The interior  70  of the second inner housing half  34  is configured to receive a conductor mount  96 . The conductor mount  96  is shown in  FIGS. 16-18 . The conductor mount  96  includes a generally hemispherical body  98  configured to match the curved shape of the interior  70  of the second inner housing half  34 . The conductor mount  96 , as depicted, includes four forwardly protruding conductive pins  100 . The forward ends  102  of the conductive pins  100  are adapted to be inserted within the channels  82  defined by the pin support  80  at the mating end  72  of the second inner housing half  34 . As shown in  FIG. 29 , the conductor mount  96  is removably inserted into a recess  104  in the interior  70  of the body  68  and slid forwardly toward the pin support  80 . The conductor mount  96  is slid until the conductive pins  100  physically and electrically mate with the rear female ends  86  of the conductive pins  84  in the channels  82  of the pin support  80 . 
     The rear ends  106  of the conductive pins  100  are exposed through openings  108  defined on the conductor mount  96 . The rear ends  106  of the conductive pins  100  are terminated to copper wires of a hybrid fiber/copper cable. Since the conductor mount  96  is a removable piece, the conductor mount  96  can be removed from the second inner housing half  34  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  (i.e., female gender connector) and reinserted into the second inner housing of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  (i.e., male gender connector) as part of the conversion of the genders of the hybrid connectors  12 ,  14 . 
     The conductor mount  96  is retained within the second inner housing half  34  by a conductor mount retainer  110  shown in  FIGS. 19-23 . As shown, the conductor mount retainer  110  includes an elongated body  112  with a front portion  114 , a rear portion  116  and a middle portion  118 . The front portion  114  defines a U-shaped body  120  with a pair of forwardly extending legs  122 ,  123 . Each leg  122 ,  123  defines a pair of flanges  124  on the sides of the legs  122 ,  123 . When the conductor mount retainer  110  is placed into the second inner housing half  34 , a rib  126  defined in the interior  70  of the second inner housing half  34  is received between the flanges  124 . The rib  126  and the flanges  124  help hold the conductor mount retainer  110  within the second inner housing half  34  with a friction fit. 
     The first leg  122  also defines a curved portion  126 . The curved portion  126  accommodates an alignment pin opening  78  defined in the second inner housing half  34  when the conductor mount retainer  110  is slidably inserted into the body  68  of the second inner housing half  34 . 
     The middle portion  118  of the conductor mount retainer  110  includes a recess  130  for receiving a strength member clamp  132 . The strength member clamp  132  is illustrated in  FIGS. 24-27 . The middle portion  118  of the conductor mount retainer  110  defines a slot  134  for receiving a tab  136  of the strength member clamp  132  for properly orientating the clamp  132 . The strength member clamp  132  defines a throughhole  138  extending laterally through its body  140 . The strength member clamp  132  defines a pair of laterally extending arms  142  that define a pocket  144  thereinbetween. The strength member clamp  132  is shown inserted into the recess  130  of the middle portion  118  of the conductor mount retainer  110  in  FIG. 29 . 
     Referring back to  FIGS. 24-27 , a strength member of a cable is to be received from the cable receiving end  28  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . The strength member is inserted through an opening  146  created between the body  68  of the second inner housing half  34  and the rear portion  116  of the conductor mount retainer  110 . The strength member is, then, to be guided downwardly between the arms  142  of the strength member clamp  132  and then upwardly and around the circumferential groove  92 . Once the strength member has been wrapped around the circumferential groove  92 , it is received into the throughhole  138  of the strength member clamp  132  at the opposite side of the arms  142 . The strength member, then, comes out of the throughhole  138  between the arms  142  and is crimped at this location. The crimped end of the strength member is held in the pocket  144  defined between the arms  142 . According to one embodiment, the strength member clamp  132  depicted herein is rated to hold 100 lbs. of force. 
     In  FIGS. 28-29 , the first and second inner housing halves  32 ,  34  are shown with the interior components inserted into the housing halves  32 ,  34 . As shown, the fiber optic adapter  50  in the first inner housing half  32  receives a pair of fiber optic connectors  56  which may be terminated to the optical fibers of a hybrid fiber/copper cable. During a gender conversion, these fiber optic connectors  56 , just like the conductor mount  96  of the second inner housing half  34 , may be removed from the fiber optic adapter  50  and from the first inner housing half  32  and remounted within a first housing half of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  (i.e., male gender connector), to convert the gender of the hybrid fiber/copper connector. Such a male gender connector  14  having two male inner housing halves are shown in  FIG. 33 . The fiber optic connectors  56  and the fiber optic adapters  50  depicted in the present disclosure are described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,995, the entire disclosure of which has been incorporated herein by reference. 
       FIG. 30  illustrates the outer housing  20  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . As discussed before, once the first and the second housing halves  32 ,  34  are joined, the inner connector assembly  16  is slidable inserted into the outer housing  20  from a cable receiving end  28 .  FIGS. 31-32  show the first and second inner housing halves  32 ,  34  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  placed into the outer housing  20  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . 
     The outer circumferential wall  150  of the outer housing  20  includes gripping features  152 . The mating end  154  of the outer housing  20  includes a plurality of circumferentially arranged ball bearings  156 . The ball bearings  156  at the mating end  154  are configured to engage a circumferential recess  158  defined on an intermediate circumferential wall  160  of the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . When the outer housings  20 ,  22  of the two hybrid connectors  12 ,  14  are coupled, a sliding ring  162  of the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is slid over the mating end  154  and the ball bearings  156  of the outer housing  20  of the first hybrid connector  12  to hold the two hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14  in a mated configuration. The sliding locking ring  162  of the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  and the recess  158  for receiving the ball bearings  156  is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  and  54 . In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the sliding ring  162  is shown as having been slid over the ball bearings  156  of the outer housing  20  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . The sliding ring  162  is spring biased toward a locking position to hold the ball bearings  156  against the recess  158  on the intermediate circumferential wall  160  of the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . 
     As discussed previously, before a hybrid cable segment is to be terminated to the inner connector assembly  16  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 , the hybrid cable segment is inserted through an end cap cable clamp  24 . The end cap  24  is threadingly mated to the cable receiving end  28  of the outer housing  20  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . As the end cap  24  is threaded, a collet  164  within the end cap  24  is compressed by a tapered rear seal member  166 . Please refer to  FIG. 2  for a cross-sectional view of the end cap  24  and the collet  164 . As the collet  164  is compressed radially inwardly, it seals the cable jacket to the outer housing  20  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . A similar cable clamp and operation thereof is described in further detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,575,786 and 6,846,988, the entire disclosures of which have been incorporated herein by reference. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 33 , an exploded view of the second, male gender, hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is illustrated. The second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  includes a first inner housing half  170  and a second inner housing half  172 . The first and the second inner housing halves  170 ,  172  detachably mate together to form the inner connector assembly  18  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . Once the first and the second inner housing halves  170 ,  172  are mated and terminated to a hybrid cable, they are inserted into an outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . 
     As in the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 , the first inner housing half  170  is configured to hold the fiber components of the connector  14  while the second inner housing half  172  is configured to hold the electrical/copper components of the connector  14 . 
     Now referring to  FIGS. 34-38 , the first inner housing half  170  of the male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is illustrated. The first inner housing half  170  includes an elongated body  174  defining an interior  176  including a mating end  178  and a cable receiving end  180 . The first inner housing half  170  defines a pair of alignment pins  182  and a pair of pin openings  183  for cooperatively mating with the second inner housing half  172 . 
     Adjacent the mating end  178  of the first inner housing half  170  are a pair of longitudinal slots  184  configured to hold a pair of fiber optic connectors  56 . The fiber optic connectors  56  are inserted in a side-by-side orientation, extending out forwardly from the mating end  178  of the first inner housing half  170 . The longitudinal slots  184  are configured to align the fiber optic connectors  56  with the fiber optic adapter  50  of the first hybrid connector  12  when the two hybrid connectors  12 ,  14  are mated. 
     The first inner housing half  170  defines a forwardly protruding tab  186  at the mating end  178  of the first inner housing half  170 . The tab  186  is located on a first side  188  of the body  174 . The tab  186  is configured to mate with the recess  64  defined on the body  36  of the first inner housing half  32  of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  to act as a keying feature when the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is mated to the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . In this manner, the correct orientation of the mating ends of the first and second connectors  12 ,  14  are obtained when the two hybrid connectors  12 ,  14  are mated. As will be discussed below, the second inner housing half  172  of the male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  also includes a forwardly extending tab  190  that aligns with the tab  186  of the first inner housing half  170 . The two tabs  186 ,  190  together form a large tab that engages the large recess defined on the combined inner housings  32 ,  34  of the female hybrid connector  12 . The two tabs  186 ,  190  also act to protect the fiber optic connectors  56  as the tabs  186 ,  190  extend alongside of the fiber optic connectors  56 . 
     A connector retainer  192  configured to be placed over the fiber optic connectors  56  is shown in  FIGS. 39-42 . The connector retainer  192  includes a generally flat body  194  that is adapted to lie flush with the upper face of the first inner housing half  170 . It should be noted that all of the components of the inner housing halves  32 ,  34 ,  170 ,  172  are configured to lie flush with the upper faces of the inner housing halves  32 ,  34 ,  170 ,  172  so that different inner housing halves such as two first inner housing halves  32 ,  170  (of either the first or the second hybrid fiber/copper connector) or two second inner housing halves  34 ,  172  (of either the first or the second hybrid fiber/copper connector) can be mated to form different kinds of connectors. Two such examples have been shown in  FIGS. 57 and 58 , wherein two first inner housing halves  32  of a female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  have been joined to form the female end of a quad fiber optic connector  200  and two first inner housing halves  170  of a male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  have been mated to form the male end of a quad fiber optic connector  202  that is to mate with the female quad fiber connector  200 . Other combination configurations are certainly possible since all of the inner components are mounted flush with the upper faces of the inner housing halves  32 ,  34 ,  170 ,  172 . 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 39-42 , the connector retainer  192 , as depicted, includes a pair of downwardly extending tabs  196  that are received into recesses  198  formed on the first inner housing half  170  to frictionally hold the connector retainer  192 . The connector retainer  192  includes a longitudinal slot  193  at the front end for accommodating a separator wall  191  that separates the two fiber optic connectors  56 . The longitudinal slot  193  allows the connector retainer  192  to lie flush with the inner housing half upper face. 
     Underneath the connector retainer  192 , on each side of the longitudinal slot  193 , is a pair of ramped tabs  195 . The ramped tabs  195  are configured to hold down the cantilever snap fit structures  197  of the fiber optic connectors  56  such that the fiber optic connectors  56  do not lock into the fiber optic adapters  50  when the male and female hybrid connectors  12 ,  14  are mated. Please refer to U.S. Pat. No. 5,883,995, the entire disclosure of which has been incorporated herein by reference, for further description of the fiber optic connector  56  depicted and the interlocking mechanism of the fiber optic connector  56  and the fiber optic adapter  50 . 
     The fiber optic connectors  56  that are inserted directly into the first inner housing half  170  of the male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  or that are connected to the fiber optic adapter  50  within the first inner housing half  32  of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  are terminated to the optical fibers of a hybrid fiber/copper cable segment. In certain embodiments, the optical fibers of the cable segment may be terminated to the ferrules of the fiber optic connectors  56  as known in the art. 
     In other embodiments, the fiber optic connectors  56  may be field-terminable. As such, the fiber optic connectors  56  may be provided with a preterminated fiber stub that can be heat-spliced in the field using a V-groove for aligning the fiber stub from the connector  56  and the optical fiber coming from the hybrid cable. In certain other embodiments, the fiber optic connectors  56  may be provided as part of an insert that includes the V-groove, wherein optical fibers coming from the hybrid cable may be spliced to the fiber stubs in the field utilizing the V-groove for alignment. An example field termination method is described in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,811,323, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Although heated epoxy may be used, other known techniques for field-splicing the optical fiber ends can be utilized. 
       FIGS. 43-47  illustrate the second inner housing half  172  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . The second inner housing half  172  is configured to house the copper components of the second, male, hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . As shown, the second inner housing half  172  includes an elongated body  204  defining an interior  206 . The body  204  includes a mating end  207  and a cable receiving end  208 . Similar to the first inner housing half  170 , the second inner housing half  172  includes a pair of alignment pins  210  and a pair of pin openings  212  for cooperatively mating with the corresponding pins  182  and openings  183  of the first inner housing half  170 . 
     Adjacent the mating end  207  of the second inner housing half  172  is an integrally formed conductor pin support  214 . The conductor pin support  214  defines four channels  216  for nesting four conductive pins  218 . The conductive pins  218  are shown in the cross-sectional view in  FIG. 47  which is taken along line  47 - 47  of  FIG. 46 . As depicted, each of the four conductive pins  218  includes a female end  220  and a forwardly protruding male end  222 . The conductive pins  218  are generally permanently mounted within the pin support  214  and form a part of the second inner housing half  172 . 
     As in the first inner housing half  170 , at the mating end  206  of the second inner housing half  172 , there is a tab  190  protruding forwardly defined on a first side  226  of the body  204 . The tab  190  is configured to mate with the recess  88  defined on the body  68  of the second inner housing half  34  of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  to act as a keying feature when the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is mated to the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . In this manner, the correct orientation of the mating ends of the first and second connectors  12 ,  14  are obtained when the two hybrid connectors  12 ,  14  are mated. The tab  190  aligns with the tab  186  of the first inner housing half  170  to form a large tab. The large tab engages the large recess defined on the combined inner housings of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . As discussed above, the two tabs  186 ,  190  also act to protect the fiber optic connectors  56  as the tabs  186 ,  190  extend alongside of the fiber optic connectors  56 . 
     It should also be noted that, if two first inner housing halves  170  or if two second inner housing halves  172  of a male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  are mated to form, for example, a quad fiber optic connector  202 , the tabs  186  will be positioned diagonally from each other and not aligned vertically with each other. Please see  FIG. 58 . This provides a keying feature for mating with, for example, a connector formed from two first inner housing halves  32  or two second inner housing halves  34  of a female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . Please see  FIG. 57 . The recesses  64  on the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  also become positioned diagonally such that the tabs  186  of a quad male  202  can only be mated with the recesses  64  of another mating quad female connector  200 . Please see  FIGS. 57 and 58  for the keying feature. 
     Still referring to  FIGS. 43-47 , the body  204  of the second inner housing half  172  includes an exterior circumferential groove  230 . The body  204  also defines opposing slots  232  positioned at each end of the circumferential groove  230 . The circumferential groove  230  and the slots  232 , as discussed above, accommodate a strength member that might be a part of a hybrid cable terminated to the male hybrid connector  14 . 
     The interior  206  of the second inner housing half  172  is configured to receive a conductor mount that is identical to the conductor mount  96  shown in  FIGS. 16-18 . The forward ends  102  of the conductive pins  100  are adapted to be inserted within the channels  216  defined by the pin support  214  at the mating end  207  of the second inner housing half  172 . As shown in  FIG. 49 , the conductor mount  96  is inserted into a recess  234  in the interior  206  of the body  204  and slid forwardly toward the pin support  214  until the conductive pins  100  physically and electrically mate with the female ends  220  of the conductive pins  218  that are in the channels  216  of the pin support  214 . The male ends  222  of the conductive pins  218  protrude out for electrically mating with the female ends  86  of the conductive pins  84  of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . 
     As in the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 , the rear ends  106  of the conductive pins  100  are exposed through openings  108  defined on the conductor mount  96 . The rear ends  106  of the conductive pins  100  are terminated to copper wires of a hybrid fiber/copper cable, just as in the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . And, since the conductor mount  96  can be removed from the second inner housing half  172  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  (i.e., male gender connector) and reinserted into the second inner housing half  34  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  (i.e., female gender connector), the gender of the hybrid connector  14  can be converted. 
     The conductor mount  96  is retained within the second inner housing half  172  by a conductor mount retainer  240  shown in  FIGS. 48-51 . The conductor mount retainer  240  is similar to the conductor mount retainer  110  of  FIGS. 19-23 . However, the conductor mount retainer  240  is shaped for insertion into the male gender hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . As shown, the conductor mount retainer  240  includes an elongated body  242  with a front portion  244 , a rear portion  246  and a middle portion  248 . The front portion  244  defines a U-shaped body  250  with a pair of forwardly extending legs  252 ,  253 . The first leg  252  defines a pair of flanges  254  on the side of the leg  252 . The flanges  252  are configured to receive a rib  256  on the interior  207  of the second inner housing half  172  for holding the conductor mount retainer  240  with a friction fit within the body  204 . The second leg  253  defines a curved portion  258  for accommodating the alignment pin opening  212  defined in the second inner housing half  172 . 
     The middle portion  248  of the conductor mount retainer  240  includes a recess  260  for receiving a strength member clamp. The strength member clamp used in the male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is the same clamp  132  illustrated in  FIGS. 24-27 . The middle portion  248  of the conductor mount retainer  240  defines a slot  262  for receiving the tab  136  of the strength member clamp  132  for proper orientation of the clamp  132 . As shown in  FIG. 53 , the strength member clamp  132  is inserted into the recess  260  of the middle portion  248  of the conductor mount retainer  240  so as to lie flush with the upper face of the second inner housing half  172 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 53 , along with a tab  264  at the rear portion of the conductor mount retainer  240 , the strength member clamp  132  defines a recess  266  for receiving a second rib  268  located in the interior  207  of the body  204  of the second inner housing half  172 . 
     As in the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 , the strength member is inserted through an opening  270  created between the body  204  of the second inner housing half  172  and the rear portion of the conductor mount retainer  240 . The strength member is, then, guided downwardly between the arms  142  of the strength member clamp  132  and then upwardly and around the circumferential groove. Once the strength member has wrapped around the circumferential groove  230 , it is received into the throughhole  138  of the strength member clamp  132  at the opposite side of the arms  142  and comes out of the throughhole  138  of the strength member clamp  132 . It is crimped in the pocket  144  defined between the arms  142 . 
     In  FIGS. 52 and 53 , the first and second inner housing halves  170 ,  172  are shown with the interior components inserted into the first and second inner housing halves  170 ,  172 . As shown, the first inner housing half  170  receives a pair of fiber optic connectors  56  which may be terminated to the optical fibers of a hybrid fiber/copper cable. These fiber optic connectors  56  are retained by the connector retainer  192  and the cantilever snap fit structures  197  are held down to prevent locking of the fiber optic connectors  56  within the fiber optic adapter  50  of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . These fiber optic connectors  56 , just like the conductor mount  96  of the second inner housing half  172 , may be removed from the first inner housing half  170  of the male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  and remounted within a first housing half  32  of a female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  (to the fiber optic adapters therein), to convert the gender of the hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . Such a female gender connector  12  and the two inner housing halves are shown in  FIG. 4 . 
       FIG. 54  illustrates the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . As discussed before, once the first and the second housing halves  170 ,  172  are joined, the inner connector assembly  18  is slidably inserted into the outer housing  22  from a cable receiving end  30 .  FIGS. 55-56  show the first and second inner housing halves  170 ,  172  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  placed into the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . 
     When the outer housings  20 ,  22  of the two hybrid connectors are coupled, a sliding ring  162  of the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  is slid over the mating end  154  and the ball bearings  156  of the outer housing  20  of the first hybrid connector  12  to hold the two hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14  in a mated configuration. The sliding locking ring  162  of the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  and the recess  158  for receiving the ball bearings  156  is illustrated in  FIGS. 1-3  and  54 . In  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the sliding ring  162  is shown as having been slid over the ball bearings  156  of the outer housing  20  of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . The sliding ring  162  is spring biased toward a locking position to hold the ball bearings  156  against the recess  158  on the intermediate circumferential wall  160  of the outer housing  22  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . 
     As discussed previously for the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 , before the hybrid cable is to be terminated to the inner connector assembly  18  of the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 , the hybrid cable is inserted through an end cap cable clamp  26 . As depicted, the cable clamps  24 ,  26  and the cable receiving ends  28 , of the outer housings  20 ,  22  of the hybrid connectors include wrench flat portion with a plurality of opposing wrench flats  280  to aid the assembly of cable clamps  24 ,  26  to outer the housings  20 ,  22 . As shown on  FIGS. 2-3 ,  30 , and  54 , the cable receiving ends  28 ,  30  of the outer housings  20 ,  22  may be threaded to receive and engage the cable clamps  24 ,  26 . 
     In another embodiment of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly, instead of being provided to connect two cable segments, the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  or the second hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  can be provided as part of a bulkhead configuration such as seen in FIGS. 8-11 of U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2006/0056769 A1 and US 2006/0233496 A1, the entire disclosures of which have been incorporated herein by reference. 
     In a bulkhead version of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly, the outer housings of the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors may be provided with mounting flanges such as shown in FIGS. 8-11 of U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. US 2006/0056769 A1 and US 2006/0233496 A1, for mounting the hybrid fiber/copper connectors to a bulkhead. Openings defined through the flanges receive removable fasteners such as screws which engage fastener openings of the bulkhead. 
     The bulkhead may form part of any equipment, such as a camera, an enclosure, a cabinet, a panel, etc. Cables from within, for example, a camera or any other equipment, of which the bulkhead may form part of, enter into the cable receiving end of the hybrid fiber/copper connectors. The hybrid cable, which will have terminated thereto fiber optic connectors  56  and a conductor mount  96 , is coupled to the inner housing halves of the hybrid fiber/copper connectors as described above for the first and second hybrid fiber/copper connectors  12 ,  14 . It should be noted that the connector protruding out from the bulkhead may be a female hybrid fiber/copper connector such as connector  12  or it may be a male hybrid fiber/copper connector such as connector  14 . When a female hybrid fiber/copper connector is used with the bulkhead, the fiber optic connectors  56  terminated to a hybrid cable coming from within the bulkhead equipment will be connected to the fiber optic adapters  50  inside the first inner housing half of the first hybrid fiber/copper connector. The conductor mount  96  that is terminated to the hybrid cable coming from within the bulkhead equipment will be directly inserted into the second inner housing half of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector and will mate with the pins  84  within the pin support  80 . 
     In assembling the bulkhead versions, the same steps can be followed as described above for the non bulkhead versions of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . Once assembled, the female bulkhead hybrid fiber/copper connector will be ready to mate with a male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14  such as shown in  FIG. 33  of the present disclosure. 
     If a male hybrid fiber/copper connector is used with the bulkhead, the fiber optic connectors  56  terminated to a hybrid cable coming from within the bulkhead equipment are directly inserted into the first inner housing half of the second (i.e., male) hybrid fiber/copper connector. The conductor mount  96  that is terminated to the hybrid cable coming from within the bulkhead equipment is directly inserted into the second inner housing half of the female hybrid fiber/copper connector and mates with the pins  218  within the pin support  214 . 
     In assembling the bulkhead version, the same steps can be followed as described above for the non bulkhead versions of the male hybrid fiber/copper connector  14 . Once assembled, the male bulkhead hybrid fiber/copper connector will be ready to mate with a female hybrid fiber/copper connector  12  such as shown in  FIG. 4  of the present disclosure. 
     Since both hybrid connectors  12 ,  14  are constructed in modular form with removable portions, repair or replacement of a damaged component is achieved. It is known for one or more information carrying elements within a hybrid cable or the connectors terminating these elements (such as fiber optic connectors and pin conductors) to be damaged, necessitating repair or replacement of the hybrid fiber/copper connector assembly. While replacement is possible and is the common response to damage, this solution requires a camera operator to carry an entire spare assembly. Alternatively, to repair a damaged termination, either connector of cable segment could be removed and that cable segment could be reterminated. However, retermination is time consuming and is difficult to accomplish in the field, where the damage is likely to occur while using the camera. Assembly of the present invention is constructed to permit individual elements of cable or terminations of these elements to be replaced in the field by a camera operator with simple tools and does not require that the camera operator carry an extensive array of replacement items. 
     For example, if one of the fiber strands within cable in cable segment becomes damaged, and the camera operator can identify the damaged strand, the camera operator may loosen the cable clamp, remove the first and second inner housing halves  32 ,  34  from the outer housing  20  of, for example, the first hybrid fiber/copper connector  12 . With interior of the inner connector assembly  16  exposed, the fiber connector  56  terminating the damaged fiber may be removed from adapter  50  within the first inner housing half  32  and moved to one side. A replacement fiber segment, such as a patch cord including ends terminated with fiber optic connectors  56  may be used. 
     A similar process may be followed to replace a damaged copper pin conductor. 
     The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the inventive aspects of the present disclosure. Since many embodiments of the inventive aspects can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure, the inventive aspects reside in the claims hereinafter appended.