US 12,248,182 B2
Fiber optic connector with shutter
Danny Willy August Verheyden, Gelrode (BE)
Assigned to CommScope Technologies LLC, Hickory, NC (US)
Appl. No. 17/799,168
Filed by COMMSCOPE TECHNOLOGIES LLC, Hickory, NC (US)
PCT Filed Feb. 9, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/017267
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 11, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/163063, PCT Pub. Date Aug. 19, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/037,306, filed on Jun. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/037,317, filed on Jun. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/972,776, filed on Feb. 11, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0089214 A1, Mar. 23, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 6/38 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/3825 (2013.01) [G02B 6/3847 (2013.01)] 29 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A fiber optic connector comprising:
a connector plug body having a front end and an opposite back end;
a nose-piece mounted at the front end of the connector plug body, the nose-piece defining a plurality of nose-piece fiber openings defined by a front section of the nose-piece, the nose-piece fiber openings extending through the front section of the nose-piece in a front-to-back orientation, the nose-piece being moveable relative to the connector plug body along the front-to-back orientation between a forward position and a rearward position, the nose-piece defining a receptacle behind the front section including connector shutter guide surfaces;
a nose-piece spring for biasing the nose-piece toward the forward position;
a connector shutter that mounts in the receptacle of the nose-piece behind the front section of the nose-piece, the connector shutter being linearly moveable relative the nose-piece between a first position in which the connector shutter blocks the nose-piece fiber openings and a second position in which the nose-piece fiber openings are not blocked, the connector shutter being guided between the first and second positions by the connector shutter guide surfaces of the nose-piece;
a connector shutter spring that biases the connector shutter toward the first position; and
a plurality of optical fibers that extend through the connector plug body, the plurality of optical fibers having forward free end portions that are co-axially aligned with the nose-piece fiber openings, wherein when the nose-piece is in the forward position and the connector shutter is in the first position the forward free end portions of the optical fibers are protected behind the connector shutter, and wherein when the nose-piece is in the rearward position and the connector shutter is in the second position, the optical fibers extend forwardly past the connector shutter, through the nose-piece fiber openings of the front section of the nose-piece and forwardly beyond the front section of the nose-piece.