Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set

Abstract

Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set, comprising: • a coupler body (1) having a plug-in side (1a) and a mounting side (1b) at each of its two ends, a through-hole (10) between the plug-in side (1a) and the mounting side (1b), a stop opening (12) in the plug-in side (1a), a coupling opening (13) in the mounting side (1b), and a base (15) on the mounting side (1b), wherein the stop opening (12) and the coupling opening (13) are continuously connected to the through-hole (10), while the flank between the mounting side (1b) and the plug-in side (1a) is formed with an outwardly extending stop part (14), wherein the coupler body (1) and the base (15) are arranged integrally, • a set of conical tubes (2) comprising a conical tube (21) which can be inserted into the through hole (10) with the stop opening (12) and a spring element (22), and • a socket (3) which is attached outside the base (15).

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a coupler set, in particular a coupler set for fiber optic connectors.

[0002] To connect a fiber optic cable as a light-conducting medium to various electronic devices so that the transmitted information can be used by the electronic devices, a suitable connector must be provided between the fiber optic cable and the electronic device. In the prior art, a fiber optic connector-specific coupler assembly comprises a hollow body, a core tube assembly, a spring element, a base, and a bushing. If the hexagonal stop part of the core tube assembly and the spring element are inserted into the hexagonal through-hole in the hollow body, the base must be attached and secured to an opening on the side of the hollow body to correctly position the core tube assembly and the spring element. The bushing is then mounted outside the base. This ensures that the hexagonal stop part and the hexagonal through-hole are not clamped against each other, allowing the core tube assembly to rotate smoothly axially.

[0003] The object of the invention is to provide a fiber optic connector-specific coupler set, wherein the coupler body and the base are arranged in one piece and, in addition, a core tube set is provided which is inserted into a through hole with a stop opening in the coupler body.

[0004] To achieve this goal, the fiber optic connector-specific coupler assembly comprises a coupler body, a core tube assembly, and a bushing. The coupler body has a plug-in connection side and a mounting side at each end, a through-hole between the plug-in connection side and the mounting side, a stop opening in the plug-in connection side, a coupling opening in the mounting side, and a base on the mounting side. The stop opening and the coupling opening are continuously connected to the through-hole, while the flank between the mounting side and the plug-in connection side is formed with an outwardly extending stop part. The core tube assembly comprises a core tube that can be inserted into the through-hole with the stop opening, and a spring element. The bushing is mounted outside the base.

[0005] In a further embodiment, the coupler body is formed as a rectangular hollow body, while the base is formed as a hollow sleeve in which the coupling opening is arranged, wherein the aperture of the stop opening in the plug-in connection side is larger than the coupling opening in the mounting side.

[0006] In a further embodiment, the core tube is provided with pins, a stop part, and nozzles, with the pins and nozzles each being attached to the two sides of the stop part. The pins located at one end of the elongated edge of the coupler body are also located at the stop opening, and the nozzles located at the other end of the elongated edge of the coupler body are also located at the coupling opening. The spring element is attached to a nozzle.

[0007] In a further embodiment, the stop opening is formed square, while the through hole is formed square with four contact surfaces and the stop part is formed square with four stop surfaces, wherein each contact surface matches with a stop surface.

[0008] In a further embodiment, one end of the spring element located at the elongated edge of the coupler body contacts the stop part, wherein the coupler body comprises a stop wall in the through hole against which the other end of the spring element located at the elongated edge of the coupler body can rest.

[0009] In a further embodiment, the coupler body comprises a docking part in the through-hole, while the core tube comprises a strap-on part attached to a circumferential nozzle outer surface, which contact the docking part.

[0010] In a further embodiment, the strap-on part has two planes on the opposite sides along a horizontal line and two curved surfaces on the two opposite sides along a vertical line.

[0011] In another embodiment, the base comprises two brackets on either side of a vertical line, projecting in opposite directions. The bushing is formed with a through-hole and an annular groove located in an inner wall of the through-hole, where the brackets are mounted.

[0012] In a further embodiment, the coupler set comprises a flap attached to the stop opening.

[0013] In a further embodiment, the stop part has a fastening end and a free end, with the fastening end being located on the plug-in connection side or at one end of the flank of the coupler body, while the free end is located on the mounting side or at the other end of the flank. Between the fastening end and the free end, an oblique path is directed away from the flank of the coupler body.

[0014] In this type of coupler set, the coupler body and the base are arranged in one piece for structural strength, preventing any possible breakage between the coupler body and the base. The core tube set can be securely mounted in the through-hole by inserting the core tube set into the through-hole with the stop opening in the coupler body.

[0015] Further objects, advantages, features and possible applications of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[0016] The drawing shows: Fig. 1 a view of the coupler set according to the invention Fig. 2 an exploded view of the coupler set according to the invention Fig. 3 an exploded view of the back of the coupler set according to the invention Fig. 4 a three-dimensional sectional view of the coupler body according to the invention Fig. 5 a view of the core tube according to the invention and Fig. 6 a sectional view of the coupler set according to the invention

[0017] As shown in the view of the coupler set 100 from Fig. 1 and in the exploded view of the coupler set 100 from Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the coupler assembly 100 is used for fiber optic connectors and is suitable for high- or low-temperature environments in the telecommunications, indoor cabling, industrial, military, aerospace, and medical device industries. Furthermore, the fiber optic connectors can be used as high-density fiber optic connectors for fast signal transmission in data centers, 5G, or cloud computing devices. The fiber optic connectors used for fiber optic communication are equipped with fiber optic interfaces and can accommodate the fiber optic cable cores (for transmitting and receiving). The coupler assembly 100 comprises a coupler body 1, a core tube assembly 2, and a socket 3.

[0018] With reference to Fig. 2 and the exploded view of the back of the coupler set 100 in Fig. 3, the coupler body 1 has a plug connection side 1a and a mounting side 1b at both ends, with the plug connection side 1a being located to the left of the coupler body 1 according to Fig. 2, while the mounting side 1b is located to the right of the coupler body 1 according to Fig. 2. Furthermore, the coupler body 1 has a through hole 10 between the plug connection side 1a and the mounting side 1b, a stop opening 12 in the plug connection side 1a and a coupling opening 13 in the mounting side 1b, wherein the stop opening 12 and the coupling opening 13 are continuously connected to the through hole 10, while the flank (top side of the coupler body 1 according to Fig. 2) is formed between the mounting side 1b and the plug connection side 1a with an outwardly extending stop part 14. The coupler body 1 further comprises a base 15 on the mounting side 1b, wherein the coupler body 1 and the base 15 are arranged in one piece.

[0019] To illustrate the present embodiment, the first axis X in the schematic representations represents an X-axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system, the second axis Y represents a Y-axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system, and the third axis Z represents a Z-axis of the three-dimensional coordinate system.

[0020] The coupler body 1 is designed as a rectangular hollow body 11 and has four rectangular flanks opposite each other along the third axis Z and two flanks opposite each other along the first axis X according to Fig. 2, where the two flanks along the first axis X are each connected to two sides of the four flanks along the third axis Z, while the two flanks along the first axis X represent the flanks along the shorter edge and the four flanks along the third axis Z represent the flanks along the longer edge. The stop opening 12 is located in the left flank along the shorter edge according to Fig. 2, while the coupling opening 13 in the left flank of the base 15 according to Fig. 3. The base 15 of the coupler body 1 represents a hollow sleeve 151 and protrudes along the third axis Z then from the left flank along the shorter edge according to Fig. 3 stands out.

[0021] In a further embodiment, the stop part 14 has a fastening end 141 and a free end 142, wherein the fastening end 141 is located at one end of the flank of the coupler body 1 (left of the top of the coupler body 1 according to Fig. 2), while the free end 142 is located at the other end of the flank of the coupler body 1 (to the right of the top of the coupler body 1 according to Fig. 2). Between the fastening end 141 and the free end 142, there is an oblique course along the third axis Z- to the second axis Y+, i.e., away from the flank of the coupler body 1. With respect to the outwardly extending stop part 14 on the flank of the coupler body 1, the so-called "outside" is a vertical position perpendicular to the upper side along the elongated edge of the coupler body 1 (second axis Y+), i.e., starting from one end of the coupler body 1 according to Fig. 1 (left of the coupler body 1), and then running along the third axis Z- to the other end of the coupler body 1 (right of the coupler body 1) or along the second axis Y+ upwards, wherein the angle between the stop part 14 and the top of the coupler body 1 is approximately 30 degrees.

[0022] To assemble the core tube set 2 with the coupler body 1, the core tube set 2 is inserted with the stop opening 12 into the through hole 10 in order to correctly position the spring element 22 in the through hole 10 of the coupler body 1. Subsequently, the bushing 3 is placed on top of the base 15 (for the half part, see Fig. 6). Furthermore, a flap 4 can be attached to the coupler body 1, which serves to protect the core tube set 2 from dust and the stop opening 12.

[0023] In a further embodiment, the core tube 21 comprises pins 211, a stop part 212 and nozzles 213, wherein the pins 211 and the nozzles 213 are each arranged along the third axis Z according to Fig. 2 are attached to both sides of the stop part 212. When the spring element 22 of the core tube 21 is inserted in the through hole 10 of the coupler body 1, the pins 211 located at one end of the longer edge of the coupler body 1 are located at the stop opening 12, and the nozzles 213 located at the other end of the longer edge of the coupler body 1 are located at the coupling opening 13. The spring element 22 is placed on a nozzle 213 (see Fig. 6). In another embodiment, the fiber optic cable wires are encapsulated by the pins 211 such that the fiber optic cable wires are cut flush with the core holes of the pins 211.

[0024] The Fig. 2 to 4 show a three-dimensional sectional view of the coupler body 1. In a further embodiment, the stop opening 12 of the coupler body 1 has an aperture that is different from the coupling opening 13. This means that the aperture of the stop opening 12 in the plug-in connection side 1a is larger than the coupling opening 13 in the mounting side 1b. In a further embodiment, the stop opening 12 of the coupler body 1, viewed along the third axis Z, represents Fig. 2 represents a quadrangular shape, and the through-hole 10 in the coupler body 1 is also quadrangular. Formed in the through-hole 10 are four rectangular contact surfaces 101 located opposite one another along the third axis Z, between each of which there is a rounded corner. Furthermore, the coupling opening 13 of the coupler body 1, viewed along the third axis Z+, represents Fig. 3 represents a circular shape.

[0025] In a further embodiment, the stop part 212, viewed along the third axis Z, represents Fig. 2 represents a quadrangular shape. In addition, the stop part 212 has four stop surfaces 2121, of which two opposite stop surfaces 2121 run along the first axis X and two opposite stop surfaces 2121 are designed along the second axis Y. Between each of the four stop surfaces 2121, there is a rounded corner.

[0026] When the core tube 21 is inserted into the through hole 10 of the coupler body 1, each stop surface 2121 on the stop part 212 of the core tube 21 fits together with a contact surface 101 within the through hole 10 so that the four contact surfaces 101 and the four stop surfaces 2121 abut against each other to limit any axial rotation of the core tube 21 in the through hole 10.

[0027] In a further embodiment, an end of the spring element 22 located at the longer edge of the coupler body 1 and inserted in the through-hole 10 of the coupler body 1 contacts the stop part 212, wherein the coupler body 1 comprises a stop wall 16 in the through-hole 10, against which the other end of the spring element 22 located at the longer edge of the coupler body 1 can rest (see Fig. 6).

[0028] In use, the pins 211 move in the core tube 21 along the third axis Z- according to Fig. 6 to the right and presses the stop part 212 against one end of the spring element 22 to compress the spring element 22. Under the elastic feed of the spring element 22, the pins 211 in the core tube 21 will move along the third axis Z+ according to Fig. 6 move to the left.

[0029] See Fig. 4 to Fig. 6, where Fig. 5 shows a view of the core tube 21 and Fig. 6 shows a sectional view of the coupler set 100. In order to prevent the pins 211 in the core tube 21 from jumping out of the stop opening 12, the coupler body 1, in a further embodiment, comprises a docking part 17 in the through-hole 10, which, when viewed along the third axis Z, is approximately represented as a rounded inner hump. The core tube 21 comprises a fastening part 217 attached to a circumferential outer surface of the socket 213, which, when viewed along the third axis Z, is approximately represented as a rounded outer hump. The docking part 17 and the fastening part 217 are arranged in opposite directions to one another in the form of barbs, wherein the 17 and the fastening part 217 each have opposing inclined surfaces and opposing straight surfaces.After the core tube 21 is inserted into the through hole 10 of the coupler body 1, the buckle part 217 attached to the circumferential outer surface of the nozzle 213 hooks onto the docking part 17. That is, the straight surface of the buckle part 217 hooks onto the straight surface of the docking part 17, so that the buckle part 217 is prevented by the docking part 17 and the movement of the core tube 21 in the direction of the stop opening 12 is limited, so that the pins 211 in the core tube 21 are impossible to move along the third axis Z+ according to . Fig. 6 to the left of the stop opening 12.

[0030] With reference to Fig. 2 and Fig. 5, the fastening part 217 has, in a particular embodiment, two planes 2171 on the opposite sides along a horizontal 217a in the first axis X and two arcuate surfaces 2172 on the two opposite sides along a vertical 217b in the second axis Y. After the core tube 21 has been inserted into the through-hole 10 of the coupler body 1, the arcuate surface 2172 promotes the fastening part 217 in contact with the docking part 17 of the coupler body 1, from one side of the docking part 17 along the third axis Z according to Fig. 6 to the other side of the docking part 17.

[0031] In a further embodiment, the base 15 of the coupler body 1 comprises spaced brackets 152 on the two sides of the perpendicular 15a in the second axis Y according to Fig. 3, which protrude in opposite directions, so each bracket 152 protrudes outwardly from the vertical 15a along the second axis Y+ and the second axis Y-. In a further embodiment, the bushing 3 is formed with a through hole 31 and an annular groove 32 located in the inner wall of the through hole 31. After the bushing 3 is formed along the third axis Z according to Fig. 2 is placed on the base 15, each bracket 152 is pressed against the inner wall of the bushing 3, so that all brackets 152 are pressed against one another and thus smoothly attached to the annular groove 32 of the bushing 3. When installing each bracket 152 onto the annular groove 32 of the bushing 3, all brackets 152 can then spring out in opposite directions in the enlarged free space of the annular groove 32 so that each bracket 152 resets and hooks onto the inner wall of the annular groove 32, so that the bushing 3 is delimited outside the base 15.

[0032] In this type of coupler set, the coupler body and the base are arranged in one piece for structural strength, preventing any possible breakage between the coupler body and the base. The core tube set can be securely mounted in the through-hole by inserting the core tube set into the through-hole with the stop opening in the coupler body.

[0033] As explained above, the present invention meets the three most important criteria for protection: novelty, progressiveness, and industrial utility. Only the preferred embodiments are described. It should be noted that the preferred embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention, but serve only to describe the invention. All new individual and combined features disclosed in the description and / or drawings are therefore considered essential to the invention. List of reference symbols 100 coupler sets 1 coupler body 1a Connector side 1b Mounting side 10 through hole 101 mooring area 11 rectangular structure 12 Stop opening 13 coupling opening 14 Stop part 141 fastening end 142 free people 15 Basis 15a Vertical 151 sleeve 152 brackets 16 Notice board 17 Docking part 2 core tube sets 21 core tube 211 pens 212 stop part 2121 Stop surface 213 nozzles 217 Belt part 217a Horizontal 217b Vertical 2171 Level 2172 arch area 22 Spring element 3 socket 31 through hole 32 ring groove 4 flap X first axis Y second axis Z third axis

Claims

[1] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set, comprising: • a coupler body (1) having a plug-in connection side (1a) and an attachment side (1b) at each of the two ends, a through-hole (10) between the plug-in connection side (1a) and the attachment side (1b), a stop opening (12) in the plug-in connection side (1a), a coupling opening (13) in the attachment side (1b), and a base (15) on the attachment side (1b), wherein the stop opening (12) and the coupling opening (13) are continuously connected to the through-hole (10), while the flank between the attachment side (1b) and the plug-in connection side (1a) is formed with an outwardly extending stop part (14), wherein the coupler body (1) and the base (15) are arranged in one piece, • a core tube set (2) which comprises a core tube (21) which can be inserted into the through hole (10) with the stop opening (12) and a spring element (22), and • a bushing (3) which is mounted outside the base (15). [2] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to claim 1, characterized by that the coupler body (1) is designed as a rectangular hollow body, while the base (15) is shaped as a hollow sleeve in which the coupling opening (13) is arranged, wherein the aperture of the stop opening (12) in the plug-in connection side (1a) is larger than the coupling opening (13) in the mounting side (1b). [3] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to claim 1 or 2, characterized byin that the core tube (21) is provided with pins (211), a stop part (212) and nozzles (213), wherein the pins (211) and the nozzles (213) are each attached to the two sides of the stop part (212), wherein the pins (211) located at one end of the longer edge of the coupler body (1) are also located at the stop opening (12) and the nozzles (213) located at the other end of the longer edge of the coupler body (1) are also located at the coupling opening (13), wherein the spring element (22) is attached to a nozzle (213). [4] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to claim 3, characterized by that the stop opening (12) is square, while the through hole (10) is square with four contact surfaces (101) and the stop part (212) is square with four contact surfaces (2121), each contact surface (101) matching a contact surface (2121). [5] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to claim 3 or 4, characterized by that an end of the spring element (22) located on the longer edge of the coupler body (1) touches the stop part (212), wherein the coupler body (1) comprises a stop wall (16) in the through hole (10), against which the other end of the spring element (22) located on the longer edge of the coupler body (1) can rest. [6] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to one of claims 3 to 5, characterized by that the coupler body (1) comprises a docking part (17) in the through-hole (10), while the core tube (21) comprises a fastening part (217) attached to a circumferential outer surface of the nozzle (213) and touching the docking part (217). [7] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to claim 6, characterized bythat the fastening part (217) has two planes (2171) on the opposite sides along a horizontal (217a) and two curved surfaces (2172) on the two opposite sides along a vertical (2172). [8] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized by in that the base (15) comprises on the two sides of a vertical (15a) two brackets (152) which project in opposite directions, the bushing (3) being formed with a through-hole (31) and an annular groove (32) located in an inner wall of the through-hole (31) where the brackets (152) are attached. [9] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by that a flap (4) is also attached to the stop opening (12). [10] Fiber optic connector-specific coupler set according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized bythat the stop part (14) has a fastening end (141) and a free end (142), wherein the fastening end (141) is located on the plug-in connection side (1a) or at one end of the flank of the coupler body (1), while the free end (142) is located on the mounting side (1b) or at the other end of the flank of the coupler body (1), so that between the fastening end (141) and the free end (142) an oblique course is averted from the flank of the coupler body (1).

Images