Granted Patent B2

US 7,470,068 · App. 10/513,243 · Granted Dec 30, 2008

Abstract

Claims (32)

1. A coupling for accommodating at least two plug-in connectors which are connected to fiber-optic cables, comprising:

a coupling housing including a sleeve having a sleeve opening;

a connection piece configured to couple to the coupling housing, the connection piece having an inner surface; and

at least one moveable covering, which is assigned to the sleeve opening, wherein the covering, in a first position, covers the sleeve opening and, by the introduction of a plug-in connector, can be moved into a second position, in which the covering releases the sleeve opening, the covering comprising a bent metallic leaf spring, the leaf spring biased into the first position until subjected to loading,

wherein a ferrule of the plug-in connector does not come into contact with the leaf spring at any point in time as the covering is moved to the second position, and

wherein the covering includes wings that extend from the covering over an inner surface of the connection piece to secure the covering to the connection piece, the covering being planar when the covering is moved into the second position, and

wherein the wings include tabs that are coplanar therewith and that extend toward the coupling housing, and wherein the wings define cutouts between the covering and the tabs such that the tabs are coupled to the covering by reduced width planar extensions.

2. The coupling as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising centering pins configured to form a connection between the connection piece and the coupling housing.

3. The coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the covering is fastened on the connection piece by hot stamping.

4. The coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connection piece is designed as a plastic part, and the covering can be connected to the connection piece by injection-molding encapsulation.

5. The coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connection piece is fonned from sheet-metal.

6. The coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the leaf spring, in the second position, rests in a depression of the housing wall.

7. The coupling as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the connection piece includes latching means and can be monnted onto the coupling housing via the latch.

8. The coupling as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the latching means of the connection piece includes through-passages in latching tongues and latching means of the coupling housing includes latching noses.

9. A coupling arrangement comprising:

a coupling housing configured to accommodate a first plug-in connector at a first end of the coupling housing and a second plug-in connector at a second, opposite end of the coupling housing, each plug-in connector including a ferrule through which light can be emitted; and

a first connection piece configured to couple to the second end of the coupling housing, the first connection piece having an inner surface from which a first portion of a covering curves upwardly in a first position and along which a second portion of the covering extends from a first distal end to a second distal end to secure the covering to the first connection piece, the second portion of the covering being pianar from the first distal end to the second distal end, the first portion of the covering being moveable from the first position, in which the first portion inhibits light emitted from the first plug-in connector from reaching the second end of the coupling housing, to a second position, in which the first portion of the covering does not inhibit light emitted from the first plug-in connector from reaching the second end of the coupling housing, the second portion of the covering including a first reduced width planar section coupling a first tab to the first portion of the covering, the first tab extending coplanar with the second portion from the first distal end of the second portion toward the coupling housing, and the second portion of the covering including a second reduced width planar section coupling a second tab to the first portion of the covering, the second tab extending coplanar with the second portion from the second distal end of the second portion toward the coupling housing;

wherein the covering moves from the first position to the second position by insertion of the second plug-in connector at the second end of the coupling housing, and

wherein a ferrule of the second plug-in connector does not contact the first portion of the covering when the second plug-in connector is inserted.

10. The coupling arrangement of claim 9 , wherein the covering, in the second position, rests within a depression in an inner surface of the coupling housing.

11. The coupling arrangement of claim 9 , further comprising: a second connection piece configured to couple to the first end of the coupling housing, the second connection piece having an inner wall;

a second covering curving upwardly from the inner surface of the second connection piece, the second covering being moveable from a first position, in which the second covering inhibits light emitted from the ferrule of the second plug-in connector from reaching the first end of the coupling housing, to a second position, in which the second covering does not inhibit light emitted from the ferrule of the second plug-in connector from reaching the first end of the coupling housing.

12. The coupling arrangement of claim 9 , wherein the covering comprises a metallic leaf spring.

13. A connection piece for coupling to a coupling housing, the coupling housing configured to accommodate a first plug-in connector at a first end of the coupling housing and to accommodate a second plug-in connector at a second, opposite end of the coupling housing, the connection piece comprising:

a body including two spaced-apart sides interconnected by a base, the base having an inner surface and an opposite outer surface, the body defining an open front and an open rear, the open rear of the body being configured to couple to a first end of the coupling housing;

a covering coupled to the body, a first portion of the covering extending along the inner surface of the base between the two spaced-apart sides of the body, and a second portion of the covering curving upwardly from the inner surface of the base and towards the open rear, the second portion, when in a first position, being configured to inhibit light emitted from the second plug-in connector from exiting the adapter, wherein inserting the first plug-in connector moves the covering to a second position enabling optical communication between the second plug-in connector and the first plug-in connector; and

first and second wings coupled to the inner surface of the body, the first and second wings being coplanar with the first portion of the covering, the first wing extending from the first portion of the covering along the inner surface of the body to a first of the spaced-apart sides, the second wing extending from the first portion of the covering along the inner surface of the body to a second of the spaced apart sides, the first and second wings including tabs projecting along the inner surface of the body towards the open rear of the body, the tabs being coplanar with the first portion of the covering, the first and second wings defining cutouts between the tabs and the first portion of the covering.

14. The connection piece of claim 13 , wherein the body is formed from plastic, and the covering couples to the body through injection-molding encapsulation.

15. The connection piece of claim 13 , wherein the covering is coupled to the body by hot stamping.

16. The connection piece of claim 13 , wherein the covering comprises a metallic leaf spring.

17. The connection piece of claim 13 , wherein the covering is formed integrally with the body.

18. The connection piece of claim 13 , wherein the connection piece is formed from sheet-metal.

Assignments (12)