Allied Corporation

James V Becher

Tedford H Spaulding

An optoelectronic connector assembly having electrical and optical connector parts include housings which can be resiliently engaged and manually disengaged from each other. The electrical connector part housing has a socket receiving cavity therethrough for receiving an optoelectronic transducer. The transducer can be a light emitting element such as a light emitting diode, or can be a light responsive element such as a photodiode. The two housings are engaged by means of a protuberance having an inclined ramp on one of the housings, the other housing having an interlock recess therein so that, when the two housings mate, the inclined ramp operates upon the interlock recess so as to provide for a resilient but positive and firm engagement of the two housings. The optical connector part housing has a pin contact receiving cavity for receiving a fiber optic light guide. A pin connector means holds the fiber optic light guide within the pin receiving cavity so that the light guide cooperates with the optoelectronic element in the socket receiving cavity of the electrical connector part housing. The pin contact means includes a first crimpable section which is engageable about an outer jacket of the fiber optic light guide while a second crimpable section engages about an inner light conductive fiber of the light guide. The pin contact means engages the interior portions of the pin contact receiving cavity so as to be firmly engaged therein. A terminal end of the fiber optic light guide can have a curved shape: convex, mushroom, or meniscus shape such as that determined by a surface tension effect of the fiber optic material by application of heat applied to its terminal end.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

James V Becher