Amp LLC

Paul B Derr

Clair W Snyder, Jr

Frederic H Abendschein

Randy Marshall Manning

John H Huber

Thomas H Wycheck

Clarence L Paullus

Howard R Shaffer

A connector for an optical fiber cable includes a strain relief structure provided with a first annular retention member (16) having a first bearing surface (51c) cooperating with a jacket retention portion (63) of an annular retention sleeve (18) for retaining the outer jacket (33) of the cable (25), and a second bearing surface (44) of an annular retention member (17) cooperating with a strengthening layer retention portion (61) of an annular retention sleeve (18) for retaining the inner strengthening layer (33) of the cable.

Strain relief assembly for optical fiber connector

A polishing bushing for polishing the end face of an optical fiber supported within a rigid sleeve includes a bushing base (31, 131) having a front surface (36, 136). The rigid sleeve (21, 21a) normally protrudes from beyond the front surface (36, 136) to permit the end face (14, 14a) of the optical fiber (12, 12a) carried therein to be polished. The bushing includes resilient portion (34) for permitting the rigid sleeve (21, 21a) to move longitudinally in passageway (38) to limit the force applied to the end face (14, 14a) of the fiber (12, 12a) by the polishing medium. The front surface (36, 136) of the bushing base (31, 131) is of spherical shape to produce a polished fiber end face (14) which is convex and which protrudes from the rigid sleeve (21) by less than about one micron, or is of flat shape to consistently produce a polished end face (14a) which is recessed within the sleeve ( 21a) by less than about one micron.

Fiber optic polishing bushing

Two optical fiber cables are joined by a connector operative as a switch. The switch includes a snap-action shutter which delivers precise movement with piece parts which can be molded or electromachined. The snap-action is provided by any one of a number of inexpensive implementations which need not be precise because of the constraints on shutter movement imposed by the piece parts.

Fiber optic cable connector with snap-action shutter

A pair of zero insertion force terminals having a wiping action include a first terminal having a blade with a pair of oppositely directed embossments and a second terminal with a pair of cantilever arms. The terminals are normally mated with their planes thereof perpendicular to each other and then are relatively rotated about their longitudinal axes to bring the arms into a loaded engagement with said embossments causing a loaded sliding action towards an unmating condition to effect relative wiping action therebetween.

Zero mating force terminal having wiping action

An electrical connector part is disclosed of the type comprising a cylindrical housing having contact terminals therein which are mated with complementary terminals in a complementary connector part when the two parts are coupled. A cylindrical coupling ring is rotatably mounted on the housing and has on its internal surface coupling means, such as helical slots, for cooperation with a pin on the complementary connector part. The coupling ring is a composite member comprising an outer metallic cylindrical portion and a relatively thick inner metallic cylindrical portion adjacent to the leading edge of the coupling ring. The slots are provided in the inner cylindrical portion of the coupling ring and are produced by stamping slots in a flat blank, forming the blank into a cylindrical shape, and then assembling it to the outer cylindrical portion of the coupling ring. The invention eliminates the need for a separate metallic shell in surrounding relationship to the housing.

Electrical connector having improved coupling ring

An improved environmentally sealed connector is disclosed. The connector includes mating members having bodies of semi-rigid dielectric material with a plurality of contact receiving cavities therein. A like plurality of seals are provided each inserted into a recessed rear end portion of a respective contact receiving cavity to effect seating engagement with both the member and the wires connected to the terminals mounted therein. A plurality of seals are preferably molded in a single sheet and are so spaced therein that they can be punched therefrom and inserted directly into the rear of the connector member contact receiving cavities. The seals allow easy replacement of the contacts without destroying the sealing characteristics. The connector members also include radially deformable locking means and sealing means at the mating faces.

Environmentally sealed connector

A contact retention device is disclosed for positively retaining a contact within a housing in such manner that no special insertion or extraction tools are required to respectively mount and dismount the contact and which will provide an audible indication when the contact is positively latched properly. The subject retention device includes a spring member having one end mounted fixedly in a connector housing and the other end spring biased against a free end of a blade contact with a portion of the spring member projecting beyond the end of the contact to form a contact release tab. The retention device not only serves to secure the contact within the housing but it adds to the resilience of the contact to bias it into engagement with a mating contact.

Contact retention device

Environmentally sealed electrical connector assembly

A sealed electrical connector is disclosed in which both the plug and receptacle portions are completely sealed from the normal atmospheric environment in both the connected and disconnected conditions. Each of the plug and receptacle members is provided with a normally closed sealing diaphragm extending across the mating ends thereof to protect the contacts enclosed thereby from moisture, dirt, etc. The diaphragms are opened, when the connectors are mated, by the male pin contact which extends through both sealing diaphragms to engage in the female receptacle contact. The subject connector obviates the need for a cover, which must be removed prior to mating the plug into the receptacle, and thus mating of the plug into the receptacle can be accomplished using one hand only.

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Middletown, PA, United States of America

Paul B Derr