Patent Description:
Recently, the use of fiber optics for communications purposes has grown immensely. Data, voice, and other communication networks are increasingly using fiber optics to carry information. An optical fiber is generally a glass fiber configured to carry light. Individual fibers may be grouped into a line capable of carrying large amounts of data simultaneously.

When constructing a fiber optic network, each individual fiber is generally connected to both a source and a destination device. Additionally, along the fiber optic run between the source and the destination, various connections or couplings may be made on the optical fiber to adjust the length of the fiber. Each connection or coupling requires a connector and adapter to align the fibers such that the light can transmit without interruption.

Referring to <FIG>, a connector system for optical fibers and electrical conductors is disclosed in <CIT>. The main feature of the design is that after the coupling nut <NUM> has been twisted into a closed position, it can be locked in place by the lock ring <NUM>. The above-mentioned locking method is to twist the coupling nut <NUM> clockwise and then push the lock ring <NUM> forward to press against the coupling nut <NUM> to prevent the coupling nut <NUM> from rotating. To unlock, the lock ring <NUM> is pulled backward and the coupling nut <NUM> is twisted counterclockwise. It should be noted that if the operator forgets to push up the lock ring <NUM> after locking the coupling nut <NUM>, the coupling nut <NUM> cannot be ensured to remain in the closed position.

Further, the above design has the disadvantage of that the locking and unlocking motions require sufficient clearance for the operator to grip and twist the connector. Since it is necessary to leave space for the operator's hands to manipulate the connector, it is not possible for connectors to be installed side-by-side close to one another. This limits the density of connectors that can be installed in a panel and requires larger spacing between connectors on the panel.

<CIT> discloses a connector shroud comprising a cylindrical inner housing having an alignment key formed on an outer surface, the alignment key extending in a longitudinal direction; a coupling nut sleeved onto the inner housing; and a collar sleeved onto the inner housing. The collar comprises an alignment recess on its inner surface that receives the alignment key, to inhibit the collar from rotating on the inner housing. In addition, the collar comprises several guiding grooves having a triangular shape, and the coupling nut comprises pins that slide in the guiding grooves, such that the coupling nut can be moved between a locked and an unlocked state.

In view of the above, the present invention provides a connector shroud that the locking and unlocking of the connector shroud can be implemented by an operator with only one hand.

The connector shroud of the present invention includes an inner housing, a cam, a coupling nut and a lock nut. The inner housing has a grooved control link formed on an outer surface. The grooved control link extends in a longitudinal direction. The cam is disposed on the inner housing and is rotatable on the inner housing. The coupling nut is sleeved onto the inner housing. The coupling nut is configured to be coupled to an object. The coupling nut includes a tab extending from a rear end. The tab has a control slot formed thereon. The control slot extends in a direction not parallel to the longitudinal direction. The lock nut is sleeved onto the inner housing and includes a first pin and a second pin formed on an inner surface. The first pin is movable in the grooved control link and the second pin is movable in the control slot. When the second pin is in the control slot, a movement of the lock nut causes the coupling nut to rotate. When the first pin moves in the grooved control link in the longitudinal direction, the lock nut contacts the cam to make the cam rotate. The rotating cam applies a force perpendicular to the longitudinal direction to the tab to rotate the coupling nut.

According to the connector shroud of the present invention, a user may move the lock nut longitudinally to rotate the coupling nut without need of directly twisting the coupling nut. In this way there is no need to vacate the space beside the coupling nut for the user to twist the coupling nut. Therefore, the installation density of the connectors can be improved.

Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to <FIG>, which is an exploded view of the connector shroud according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the connector shroud includes a cable gland <NUM>, an inner housing <NUM>, a coupling nut <NUM>, a lock nut <NUM> and a cam <NUM>. The cable gland <NUM>, the inner housing <NUM>, the coupling nut <NUM>, the lock nut <NUM> and the cam <NUM> may be constructed of plastics by an injection molding process.

The cable gland <NUM> may be made from a flexible material and provide strain relief on cable (not shown) using materials and attachment techniques as are known in the art. The cable gland <NUM> has a hollow body whose lengthwise direction is parallel to a longitudinal direction <NUM>. The cable gland <NUM> has a thread formed on inner surfaces of the front end for being coupled to the inner housing <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the inner housing <NUM> is hollow and has a cylindrical body whose lengthwise direction is parallel to the longitudinal direction <NUM>. An annular groove is formed at the front section of the outer surface of the inner housing <NUM> for receiving a sealing ring (not shown). An annular protrusion <NUM> located behind the annular groove is formed on the outer surface of the inner housing <NUM>, the annular surface of which is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction <NUM>. Three notches <NUM> are formed in the protrusion <NUM> and are arranged at equal intervals. Two identical grooved control links <NUM> are arranged on the outer surface of the inner housing <NUM> on two opposite sides and extend in the longitudinal direction <NUM>. Two bumps <NUM>, <NUM> are formed on the bottom of each of the grooved control links <NUM>, wherein the bump <NUM> is located closer to the protrusion <NUM> than the bump <NUM>. In addition, a cam groove <NUM> is formed on the outer surface of the inner housing <NUM>. The cam groove <NUM> is a rectangular groove and a column <NUM> is formed at the bottom of the cam groove <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the coupling nut <NUM> is hollow and has a cylindrical body for being sleeved onto the inner housing <NUM>. A plurality of pins <NUM> arranged at equal intervals is formed on the inner surface of the front end of the coupling nut <NUM>. Two mutually opposite tabs <NUM> with an arc-shaped cross-section protrude from the rear end of the coupling nut <NUM>. Each of the tabs <NUM> has two opposite side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM>, respectively facing the side surfaces <NUM> and <NUM> of the other tab <NUM> across a gap <NUM>. Two identical and mutually opposite control slots <NUM> are respectively formed on the tabs <NUM>. The control slot <NUM> extends from the rear end of the tab <NUM> toward the front end of the coupling nut <NUM> in a direction not parallel and not perpendicular to the longitudinal direction <NUM>. In addition, an inclined surface <NUM> is formed on one of the tabs <NUM> and is adjacent to the side surface <NUM> and the control slot <NUM> on the tab <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the lock nut <NUM> is hollow and has a cylindrical body for being sleeved onto the inner housing <NUM> and covering the tabs <NUM> of the coupling nut <NUM>. Two mutually opposite second pins <NUM> are formed at the front section of the inner surface of the lock nut <NUM>. Two mutually opposite first pins <NUM> are formed on the inner surface of the lock nut <NUM>. In another embodiment, two mutually opposite openings <NUM> are formed on the lateral surface of the lock nut <NUM> and two cantilevers <NUM> are provided respectively in the openings <NUM>. The cantilevers <NUM> extend from the lateral surface of the lock nut <NUM> and have a lengthwise direction parallel to the longitudinal direction <NUM>. The two first pins <NUM> are respectively coupled to the front sections of the two cantilevers <NUM>. In addition, an elongated extension <NUM> extending in the longitudinal direction <NUM> is formed on the inner surface of the lock nut <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the cam <NUM> has a substantially triangular shape and a circular opening <NUM> is formed thereon for accommodating the column <NUM> on the inner housing <NUM>. The center of gravity of the cam <NUM> is designed not to fall within the opening <NUM>. The cam <NUM> is used to be placed in the cam groove <NUM> on the inner housing <NUM> and allows the column <NUM> to be received in the opening <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, which are three elevated perspective views illustrating the connector shroud of the present invention. The rear end of the inner housing <NUM> is coupled to the front end of the cable gland <NUM>. The cam <NUM> is disposed in the cam groove <NUM> on the inner housing <NUM> and the column <NUM> is inserted into the opening <NUM>. The cam <NUM> is pivotally connected to the column <NUM> and the column <NUM> serves as a rotation axis so that the cam <NUM> is able to rotate about the column <NUM>. The coupling nut <NUM> is sleeved onto the front section of the inner housing <NUM>. The lock nut <NUM> is sleeved onto the middle section of the inner casing <NUM> and covers the cam <NUM> and the tabs <NUM> of the coupling nut <NUM>. The two first pins <NUM> on the inner surface of the lock nut <NUM> are respectively located in the two grooved control links <NUM> on the inner housing <NUM>. The two second pins <NUM> on the inner surface of the lock nut <NUM> are respectively arranged in the two control slots <NUM> on the coupling nut <NUM>. The connectors to be shielded are arranged in the inner housing <NUM> (not shown).

<FIG> shows a conventional adapter <NUM>, which is provided on an apparatus so that the connectors provided in the apparatus may be coupled to other connectors. The adapter <NUM> includes a hollow cylinder <NUM> having a thread <NUM> formed thereon so that the adapter <NUM> may be secured to the apparatus with a nut. The adapter <NUM> is further provided with a plurality of grooves <NUM> formed on the cylinder <NUM>, each of which includes a guiding groove portion <NUM> and a retaining groove portion <NUM>. The guiding groove portion <NUM> extends both axially and circumferentially, e.g., generally spirally, about at least a portion of the wall of the cylinder <NUM>, e.g., along and about the longitudinal direction <NUM>, respectively. The guiding groove portion <NUM> has an entrance 841e at its distal end at the rear of the cylinder <NUM> to receive a protruding member, e.g., the pin <NUM>. The retaining groove portion <NUM> joins the guiding groove portion <NUM> for receiving a protruding member, e.g., the pin <NUM>. The retaining groove portion <NUM> extends generally in a circumferential direction about the longitudinal direction <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, the connector shroud of the present invention may be mated with an object, such as the adapter <NUM> of <FIG>, so that the connectors provided in the connector shroud may be coupled with the connectors provided in the adapter <NUM> (not shown). To mate with the adapter <NUM>, the front end of the inner housing <NUM> of the connector shroud is inserted into the cylinder <NUM> of the adapter <NUM> such that the pins <NUM> on the inner surface of the coupling nut <NUM> respectively enter the guiding groove portions <NUM> from the entrances 841e. Afterward the coupling nut <NUM> is twisted to allow the pins <NUM> to slide from the guiding groove portions <NUM> into the retaining groove portions <NUM> respectively. The coupling nut <NUM> is now coupled to the adapter <NUM> and the connector shroud is mated with the adapter <NUM>. During the rotation of the coupling nut <NUM>, the inner housing <NUM> is restricted and therefore cannot be rotated. If it is desired to detach the connector shroud from the adapter <NUM>, the coupling nut <NUM> is twisted in the opposite direction to allow the pins <NUM> to slide out of the grooves <NUM> from the entrances 841e. In other embodiments, the coupling nut <NUM> is not limited to be coupled to the adapter <NUM>, and may be designed to be coupled to other objects.

Referring back to <FIG>, the two first pins <NUM> of the lock nut <NUM> may respectively move forward or backward in the grooved control links <NUM> on the inner housing <NUM>. When a user moves the lock nut <NUM> to cause the first pins <NUM> to pass over the bumps <NUM> respectively, the user will feel a change in resistance. This change in resistance provides the user with tactile feedback.

In the connector shroud of the present invention, the two second pins <NUM> of the lock nut <NUM> may move respectively in the two control slots <NUM> of the coupling nut <NUM>. When the lock nut <NUM> is pushed forward, the coupling nut <NUM> will rotate clockwise to be locked on the adapter <NUM>. If it is desired to unlock the coupling nut <NUM>, pulling the lock nut <NUM> backward causes the coupling nut <NUM> to rotate counterclockwise to be unlocked from the adapter <NUM>.

Referring back to <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, the cam <NUM> is located in the gap <NUM> between the tabs <NUM>. When the lock nut <NUM> is pushed toward the adapter <NUM>, its extension <NUM> will be in contact with the cam <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Afterward the cam <NUM> is pushed to rotate around the column <NUM> on the inner housing <NUM> as shown in <FIG>. Subsequently, the cam <NUM> continues to rotate and press against the inclined surface <NUM> on the tab <NUM>, thus a force perpendicular to the longitudinal direction <NUM> is applied to the coupling nut <NUM>. This force causes the coupling nut <NUM> to rotate clockwise to help it lock on the adapter <NUM> as shown in <FIG>.

In the connector shroud of the present invention, moving the lock nut <NUM> forward causes the cam <NUM> to rotate the coupling nut <NUM> so that the coupling nut <NUM> may be locked more easily. In addition, the cam <NUM> is designed such that its center of gravity does not fall within the column <NUM> and the tilting of the connector shroud allows the cam <NUM> to rotate back to its initial position.

According to the connector shroud of the present invention, a user may move the lock nut <NUM> longitudinally to rotate the coupling nut <NUM> without need of directly twisting the coupling nut <NUM>. In this way there is no need to vacate the space beside the coupling nut <NUM> for the user to twist the coupling nut <NUM>. Therefore, the installation density of the connectors can be improved.

Claim 1:
A connector shroud, comprising:
an inner housing (<NUM>) having a grooved control link (<NUM>) formed on an outer surface, the grooved control link (<NUM>) extending in a longitudinal direction (<NUM>);
a cam (<NUM>) disposed on the inner housing (<NUM>), the cam (<NUM>) being rotatable on the inner housing (<NUM>);
a coupling nut (<NUM>) sleeved onto the inner housing (<NUM>), the coupling nut (<NUM>) being configured to be coupled to an object (<NUM>), the coupling nut (<NUM>) comprising a tab (<NUM>) extending from a rear end, the tab (<NUM>) having a control slot (<NUM>) formed thereon, the control slot (<NUM>) extending in a direction not parallel to the longitudinal direction (<NUM>); and
a lock nut (<NUM>) sleeved onto the inner housing (<NUM>), the lock nut (<NUM>) comprising a first pin (<NUM>) and a second pin (<NUM>) formed on an inner surface, the first pin (<NUM>) being movable in the grooved control link (<NUM>) and the second pin (<NUM>) being movable in the control slot (<NUM>), wherein
when the second pin (<NUM>) is in the control slot (<NUM>), a movement of the lock nut (<NUM>) causes the coupling nut (<NUM>) to rotate,
when the first pin (<NUM>) moves in the grooved control link (<NUM>) in the longitudinal direction (<NUM>), the lock nut (<NUM>) contacts the cam (<NUM>) to make the cam (<NUM>) rotate, and
the rotating cam (<NUM>) applies a force perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (<NUM>) to the tab (<NUM>) to rotate the coupling nut (<NUM>).