Removable Sub-Connector Fiber Optic Assembly for Breakout Cable Elimination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for separating optical channels in fiber optic networks using breakout cables add bulk, complexity, and optical insertion loss, making them inefficient for converting between multi-fiber and duplex applications.
Innovation Solution
A fiber optic connector with a main body and removable sub-connectors, each with a ferrule for retaining a pair of optical fibers, allowing for optical connection and disconnection without the need for breakout cables, enabling flexible reconfiguration and reduced optical insertion loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional breakout cables are used to separate optical channels, then optical channels can be separated into transmit and receive pairs, but the solution adds bulk, complexity, and optical insertion loss
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is divided into a main connector body and multiple removable sub-connectors, where each sub-connector holds a specific optical fiber pair. This segmentation allows the connector to provide multiple optical channels simultaneously while maintaining a compact, integrated structure that eliminates the need for separate breakout cables and reduces overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple optical fiber pairs are integrated into a single connector assembly by combining the main connector body with multiple sub-connectors. This merging approach consolidates what would traditionally require separate cable assemblies into one unified component, reducing bulk and complexity while maintaining the ability to separate optical channels into transmit and receive pairs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If breakout cables are used to convert between multi-fiber and duplex applications, then channel separation is achieved, but optical insertion loss increases due to additional joining points
Solution Approach 1:
The connector uses segmented sub-connectors that can be individually removed or retained in the main connector body. This allows the system to convert between multi-fiber and duplex applications by simply removing or adding sub-connectors rather than using breakout cables with multiple joining points, thereby minimizing optical insertion loss while maintaining conversion capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sub-connectors are designed to be removable and replaceable, providing dynamic reconfiguration capability. This allows the connector to adapt between different connection modes (multi-fiber or duplex) by dynamically adding or removing sub-connectors, eliminating the need for fixed breakout cable configurations that would introduce additional optical joining points and insertion loss.
3Adaptability or versatility
If individual sub-connectors can be removed and replaced, then reconfiguration flexibility is improved, but the connector structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is segmented into a main body and interchangeable sub-connectors, allowing individual modules to be removed or replaced without affecting the entire assembly. This segmentation provides reconfiguration flexibility while actually simplifying the overall structure compared to traditional breakout cable solutions, as the modular design eliminates the need for complex cable harnesses and multiple joining points.
Data Source
AI summary
A fiber optic connector comprising a main connector body having a plurality of removable sub-connectors retained therein is disclosed. Each sub-connector has a ferrule for retaining a pair of optical fibers, such as a transmit/receive pair for example. When the main connector body of the fiber optic connector is inserted into a receptacle, each of the optical fibers retained in each ferrule of the plurality of sub-connectors is optically connected to the fiber optic receptacle. In this manner, the fiber optic connector can connect and disconnect a plurality of optical fibers in the sub-connectors at the same time. Additionally, individual sub-connectors can be removed, rearranged and replaced, without disturbing the optical connections of the other sub-connectors. This arrangement thus eliminates the need for breakout cables or other bulky solutions to convert between different multi-fiber and duplex applications.