CHARACTERISTICS OF AN SC-TYPE OPTICAL-FIBER CONNECTOR WITH A NEWLY DEVELOPED PRE-ASSEMBLED FERRULE

A new pre-assembled (PRE-ASSE) ferrule has been developed for use in S C connectors that simplifies and automates SC connector assembly. The PRE-ASSE ferrule consists of a zirconia ferrule, a rear outer shell, a coil spring, and a newly developed plate spring. The features are as follows: 1) The tolerance of the loss increment caused by fiber-cable pulling and bending is almost the same as that of a conventional SC co nnector. 2) It is possible to orient the fiber-core eccentricity. 3) T he SC connector can be easily assembled manually. These features are a chieved by the loosely coupling mechanism using the newly developed pl ate spring. The characteristics of this SC-type optical fiber connecto r are almost the same as those of a conventional one.