Pre-compressed Spring Ferrule Sub-assembly for Fiber Optic Connectors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional fiber optic connectors compress the spring during insertion, causing bunching and bending of optical fibers, which can damage them and lead to transmission losses.
Innovation Solution
A fiber optic ferrule sub-assembly with a pre-compressed spring mechanism, where the spring is compressed before insertion into the outer housing, preventing fiber bunching and bending by securing the fiber optic cable to the back post after the ferrule assembly is connected to the back housing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the spring is compressed during insertion of the ferrule sub-assembly into the outer housing, then the ferrule can be securely positioned, but the optical fibers become bunched and bent causing damage and transmission losses
Solution Approach 1:
The spring is pre-compressed during assembly of the ferrule sub-assembly components (ferrule, back housing, and cable) before the entire sub-assembly is inserted into the outer housing. This preliminary compression prevents fiber damage during the final insertion step while still achieving secure positioning when the sub-assembly is properly installed.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector is divided into two separate assembly stages: first assembling the ferrule sub-assembly with pre-compressed spring, then inserting the complete sub-assembly into the outer housing. This segmentation allows the spring compression to occur at the optimal time (during sub-assembly formation) rather than during final insertion, eliminating the harmful effect on fibers.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the spring is pre-compressed during ferrule assembly, then fiber damage is prevented, but the assembly process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The spring compression step is merged with the existing ferrule sub-assembly formation process. The back housing is designed with integrated features (such as spring retention structures and alignment elements) that allow the spring to be compressed and secured as part of the normal assembly sequence, rather than requiring separate complex compression mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design ensures that the optical fibers are not damaged during assembly, maintaining their integrity and reducing transmission losses by compressing the spring before insertion, thus preventing fiber bunching and bending.
Implementation Method 1
A spring is operatively disposed between the ferrule assembly and the back housing. A linkage connects the ferrule assembly to the back housing such that the spring is compressed and biases the ferrule away from the back housing
Data Source
AI summary
A fiber optic ferrule sub-assembly for insertion into an outer housing of a fiber optic connector includes a ferrule assembly having a ferrule that forms an optical communication connection with another fiber optic device. A back housing includes a back post to be attached to a fiber optic cable. A spring is operatively disposed between the ferrule assembly and the back housing. A linkage connects the ferrule assembly to the back housing such that the spring is compressed and biases the ferrule away from the back housing prior to insertion of the fiber optic ferrule sub-assembly into the outer housing.