Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

Timothy N Tackett

Kurt L Jennings

Joseph Howard Gladd

Robert E Steele

Frederick H Rider, Jr

James M Cardinal

Paul D Doherty

Lawrence R Gavin

A fiber optic bundle connector includes a hollow cone having a neck ring and a larger inlet ring at opposite ends of a conical body, a divider disposed in the cone that divides the interior of the cone into several compartments and a terminal block having an end fitted into the inlet ring of the cone. The terminal block has a plurality of terminal cavities that extend through the terminal block to communicate with respective ones of the several compartments. A plurality of jacketed fiber optic cables each having a ferrule attached to its jacket, are inserted through the respective terminal cavities so that their jacket stripped core ends extend into the neck ring of the cone. The neck ring of the cone is deformed by a permanently deformed cinch ring to produce a tightly packed bundle of jacket stripped core ends at a connector end of the fiber optic bundle connector. The cables are terminated identically and the ferrules are then positioned in the respective terminal cavities so that each terminal cavity has substantially the same path length to the neck ring irrespective of its location in the terminal block.

Fiber optic bundle connector including a hollow cone and a terminal block

Portable apparatus is provided for terminating a plastic fiber optic cable mounted in a terminal connector by melting the fiber ends to form a smooth, flat end surface on each. The apparatus comprises a housing having a pistol grip, a holder for positioning a connector with the fiber ends protruding therefrom, and a heater. A polished plate is mounted on a trigger-operated holder for movement between a biased position normally engaging the heater and a position engaging the fiber ends. A heater switch energizes the heater; a temperature detector senses when the heater has reached a predetermined high temperature and illuminates an L.E.D. The operator then actuates the trigger to move the plate into engagement with the fiber ends to melt them. When the plate has cooled to a predetermined low temperature, indicating that the fiber ends are solidified, the L.E.D. extinguishes and the trigger can be released. A spring then moves the plate back into contact with the heater and the connector can be removed.

Plastic fiber optic terminator

A fiber optic connector comprises a fiber having a planar end surface formed by hot plate melting. A terminal fitting surrounds the fiber and has a terminal face coplanar with the fiber end surface. A reservoir groove is formed in the terminal face surrounding the aperture and is isolated therefrom by a portion of the terminal face. The groove is preferably dimensioned to completely receive subsurface the excess reflowed fiber material resulting from the hot plate melting. In a preferred embodiment, the exit aperture is circular and the groove has a coaxial inner diameter only sufficiently larger than the aperture diameter to assure isolation of the groove from the aperture.

Optical fiber terminal and termination method

A sealed electrical and pneumatic connector for a hollow piston rod or the like comprises mating connector bodies which provide pneumatic and multiple electrical interfaces. The pneumatic interface includes a hose which carries seals and a slide for sealing the pneumatic interface effectively. The upper connector body houses conductor seals and carries an external seal sleeve for sealing the opening of the hollow piston rod. The upper connector is retained by a retainer which assures proper positioning of the electrical terminals. The retainer is locked by a clamp which assures proper mating of the connector bodies.

Sealed electrical and pneumatic connector

An electrical connector assembly includes a connector body and an electrical terminal and is adapted to receive the cylindrical metal shell of a vehicle cigarette lighter, which makes electrical contact with one side only of the terminal, without applying undesirable forces to the terminal. The connector assembly includes a connector body with a guide means to direct the cigarette lighter shell along a defined path that is substantially parallel to the axis of the shell. A flat wall of the connector body is oriented generally normal to the defined path of the shell. The ground terminal is designed to have a flat compression that does not generate undesired forces to shift it along the connector body wall. The contact portion also includes an integral, stiffening lead-in flange that cooperates in keeping the terminal compression flat.

Electrical connector assembly

A connector assembly includes a connector body with a flexible tolerance compensation member to assure that consistent electrical contact is made between an electrical terminal of the assembly and the cylindrical contact portion of a vehicle cigarette lighter regardles of tolerance variations in the diameter of the contact portion above a minimum diameter. The connector body and tolerance compensation member include partially cylindrical guide and registration surfaces respectively that together provide a guide means with an effective diameter less than, but close to, the minimum diameter of the contact portion. The electrical terminal terminal is joined to the connector body so as to move with it and thereby maintain a constant location relative to the registration surface. The effective diameter of the guide means assures that the registration surface will be always engaged and flexed away by the component contact portion regardless of its actual diameter, thereby assuring that the electrical terminal will make a consistent electrical contact therewith.

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Warren, OH, United States of America

Timothy N Tackett