Patent Publication Number: US-2023139646-A1

Title: Fiber optic connector

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to Taiwanese Utility Model Patent Application No. 110212697, filed on Oct. 28, 2021. 
     FIELD 
     The disclosure relates to a connector, more particularly to a fiber optic connector including a sheath member. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , a conventional fiber optic connector  1  is a device for connecting a fiber optic cable to a fiber optic adapter, and usually has a socketed design. That is, the conventional fiber optic connector  1  has a housing  11  including a latch  12  and an accessory  13  that can be fastened to the socket (port) of the fiber optic adapter. A fiber optic technician may connect the conventional fiber optic connector  1  to the fiber optic adapter so that various devices may be connected in a fiber optic network. When installing conventional fiber optic connectors  1  in a complex environment or when installing fiber optic cables over long distances, the fiber optic technician will very often need to pass the conventional fiber optic connector  1  through a narrow gap or tunnel. At this point, the latch  12  and the accessory  13  that protrude from the conventional fiber optic connecter  1  and that were originally designed as a mechanism for the technician to press, may entangle other wires or catch unto other devices, and since they are protruded, they will have difficulty passing through narrow gaps. This can make it difficult for the technician when installing fiber optic networks and could result in the latch  12  or the accessory  13  breaking off or becoming damaged. 
     SUMMARY 
     Therefore, an object of the disclosure is to provide a fiber optic connector that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacks of the prior art. 
     Accordingly, the fiber optic connector includes a connector head module, a mounting seat, a rear boot, an engaging module and a sheath member. The mounting seat is mounted to a rear end of the connector head module, and includes a seat body portion, and an external threaded portion that protrudes from the seat body portion. The rear boot is connected to a rear end of the seat body portion. The engaging module is removably coupled to the connector head module. The sheath member includes a sheath portion and an internal threaded portion that is formed in an inner surface of the sheath member. When the engaging module is removed from the connector head module, the sheath member is attachable to the mounting seat with the sheath portion sleeved on the connector head module and with the internal threaded portion threadedly engaged with the external threaded portion of the mounting seat. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIG.  1    is a side view of a conventional fiber optic connector; 
         FIG.  2    is a partly exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a fiber optic connector according to the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a perspective view of a connector head module of the embodiment; 
         FIG.  4    is a fragmentary perspective view, illustrating a configuration of an engaging module coupled to the connector head module; 
         FIG.  5    is a fragmentary perspective view of the embodiment taken from another angle; 
         FIG.  6    is a perspective view of a sheath member of the embodiment; and 
         FIG.  7    is a perspective view, illustrating a configuration of the engaging module removed from the connector head module and the sheath member sleeved over the connector head module. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , an embodiment of a fiber optic connector according to the present disclosure includes a connector head module  2 , a mounting seat  3  mounted to a rear end of the connector head module  2 , a rear boot  4  connected to a rear end of the mounting seat  3 , an engaging module  5  removably coupled to the connector head module  2 , a sheath member  6 , and an annular seal  7  sleeved on the mounting seat  3 . 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2  and  3   , the connector head module  2  includes a shell body portion  21  that is formed with a neck groove  211 , two snap-lock portions  22  that protrude downwardly from a bottom of the shell body portion  21 , that are spaced apart in a left-right direction (T), and that are disposed in the neck groove  211 , and two blocking portions  23  that respectively protrude from opposite lateral sides (i.e., left and right sides) of the shell body portion  21  and that are located rearwardly of the snap-lock portions  22 . The shell body portion  21  is also provided with an optical fiber core (A) and a fiber optic cable as needed for the fiber optic connector to function. However, these components are not the focus of the present disclosure, and are not further described herein. In this embodiment, the neck groove  211  is substantially an inverted U-shaped trough, and has two ends that are formed in the bottom the shell body portion  21  but not connected to each other (the neck groove  211  does not fully encircle the shell body portion  21 ). The shell body portion  21  is further formed with a positioning groove  212  that is adjacent to the neck groove  211  and that is located in front of the neck groove  211 . The mounting seat  3  includes a seat body portion  31  that is inserted into a rear end of the shell body portion  21 , and an external threaded portion  32  that protrudes from the seat body portion  31 . The rear boot  4  is connected to a rear end of the seat body portion  31  to be fixed thereon. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2 ,  4 , and  5   , the engaging module  5  includes a support member  51  that is removably engaged to the shell body portion  21  of the connector head module  2 , and a press member  52  that is removably engaged to the shell body portion  21  of the connector head module  2  and that is located rearwardly of the support member  51 . The support member  51  has an external frame portion  511  that is removably disposed in the neck groove  211  and that has opposite lateral ends, a plurality of latch portions  512  that protrude respectively from the two opposite lateral ends of the external frame portion  511  toward each other and that are removably disposed under the shell body portion  21 , a support portion  513  that extends rearwardly and upwardly from the external frame portion  511  to a position under the press member  52 , and an extending portion  514  that extends forwardly from the support portion  513  and that removably engages the positioning groove  212 . The latch portions  512  are respectively and removably disposed in the two ends of the neck groove  211  which are formed in the bottom of the shell body portion  21 , and each latch portion  512  has a restriction hole  515  that extends in an up-down direction (V) and that is engaged separably with a respective one of the snap-lock portions  22 . The press member  52  has an external wall portion  521  that is removably coupled to the shell body portion  21  of the connector head module  2 . The external wall portion  521  is located rearwardly of the external frame portion  511 , and has two opposite lateral ends and a front end that abuts against rear ends of the two blocking portions  23  of the connector head module  2 . 
     The press member  52  further has a plurality of fitting portions  522  that extend from the two opposite lateral ends of the external wall portion  521  toward each other and that are located under the shell body portion  21 , and an operating portion  523  that extends forwardly and upwardly from the external wall portion  521  to a position over the support portion  513  of the support member  51 . In the fiber optic connector according to the present disclosure, the restriction holes  515  are designed to align respectively with the snap-lock portions  22 , the support member  51  supports the press member  52  when the press member  52  is pressed, and the extending portion  514  is designed to be engaged with the positioning groove  212 , thereby allowing a fiber optic technician or user to easily locate and position the support member  51 . If the technician tries to engage the support member  51  from the wrong direction, the protruding portion  514  will be blocked by the shell body portion  21  and cannot be engaged, thereby achieving a poka-yoke (foolproof) design. The press member  52  is also designed to be easier to engage with the connector head module  2  by allowing the technician to feel the engagement of these components. Specifically, the two blocking portions  23  abutting against the front end of the external wall portion  521  allows the technician to sense the positioning haptically, which simplifies installation and reduces error. When the connector head module  2  is inserted forwardly into a fiber optic socket (or a fiber optic port) (not shown), the support portion  513  is pressed downwardly before rebounding due to its own resiliency, and thereby allowing the connector head module  2  to engage the fiber optic socket. To remove the connector head module  2 , the operating portion  523  may be pressed downward. Pressing downward on the operating portion  523  pushes the support portion  513  such that the support portion  513  is disengaged from the fiber optic socket and the connector head module  2  can be removed. 
     Referring to  FIGS.  2 ,  6 , and  7   , the sheath member  6  includes a sheath portion  61 , and an internal threaded portion  62  that is formed in an inner surface of the sheath member  6 . The sheath portion  61  has a front end portion formed with at least one lanyard hole  611 . In this embodiment, there area plurality of lanyard holes  611  as shown in  FIG.  2   , through which a lanyard may be passed though for the technician to carry the fiber optic connector. It should be noted that the threads of the internal threaded portion  62  in this embodiment is non-continuous, but in other embodiments, a continuous threading may be used if required. The annular seal  7  is sleeved tightly on the seat body portion  31  of the mounting seat  3 , and is located rearwardly of the external threaded portion  32  in front of the rear boot  4 . The technician sets-up a fiber optic network by laying a fiber optic cable between various devices and connecting these devices with a fiber optic connector of the fiber optic cable. Before the technician moves between device locations for setting up the fiber optic network, the engaging module  5  needs to be first removed from the connector head module  2 . The sheath member  6  is then attached to the mounting seat  3  with the sheath portion  61  sleeved on the connector head module  2 , and the internal threaded portion  62  threadedly engaged with the external threaded portion  32  of the mounting seat  3  so that the sheath member  6  covers the connector head module  2 . At this time, the annular seal  7  is clamped between the sheath member  6  and the seat body portion  31 , which achieves the effect of preventing dirt or moisture from entering the sheath member  6 . Through the protection of the sheath member  6 , damage to the connector head module  2  is avoided when the fiber optic connector is pulled. Also, because the externally protruding parts (i.e., the support member  51  and the press member  52 ) on the fiber optic connector have been removed, the overall outer diameter can be smaller than that of the conventional fiber optic connector even with the sheath member  6  sleeved on. Moreover, to further increase the convenience of installing the fiber optic connector, the profile of the sheath member  6  maybe made in a shape that is suitable for passing through a narrow environment, such as a bullet shape. The engaging module  5  can also be designed differently according to the type of the connector head module  2 . When the fiber optic connector has been carried to the desired location and is ready to be installed (plugged in) by the technician, the sheath member  6  is threadedly disengaged with the mounting seat  3  and unsleeved from the connector head module  2 , and the engaging module  5  is re-coupled to the connector head module  2  so that the fiber optic connector can be connected with the fiber optic socket. This prevents the support member  51  and the press member  52  from hooking onto other random objects when the fiber optic connector is moving between device locations, thus making the fiber optic connector more portable as well as improving its durability. It should be noted herein that, although the sheath member  6  is connected to the mounting seat  3  by threaded engagement in this embodiment, the threaded configuration may be replaced by a tong-and-groove mechanism or other detachable mechanisms based on user requirements. 
     In summary, when the sheath portion  61  of the sheath member  6  is sleeved on the connector head module  2 , the engaging module  5  is removed from the connector head module  2 . As such, the overall external diameter of the fiber optic connector is smaller than the conventional fiber optic connector, thereby greatly reducing the difficulty of installing the fiber optic connector in complex or narrow environments. Furthermore, when the fiber optic connector according to the present disclosure is carried to the site of installation, the sheath member  6  being threadedly engageable with the mounting seat  3  waterproofs and dustproofs the fiber optic connector, and the removable engaging module  5  being temporarily removed from the connector head module  2  prevents damage when moving through narrow environments. Therefore, the object of the present disclosure can certainly be achieved. 
     In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments maybe practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure. 
     While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is considered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.