Coupling assembly for coupling glass optical fiber leads to plastic optical fiber leads of a hybrid fiber optic lighting distribution system

摘要

A coupling assembly (400) for a hybrid fiber optic lighting distribution system including a first coupling member (406) having first cavities (408) for individually receiving first ferrules (410) of glass optical fiber (GOF) leads (402), a slidably interfitting second coupling member (412) having second cavities (414) for individually receiving second ferrules (416) of plastic optical fiber (POF) leads (404), and an alignment body (418) which is interfaced between the first and second coupling members (406, 412) so that mating cavities (420) thereof are each respectively aligned with respective pairs of aligned first and second cavities (408, 414) for providing a precisely aligned optical interface between the GOF downstream face (422) of the GOF leads and the POF upstream face of the POF leads. The coupling member (412) further includes a ferrule position assurance member (426) which is affixed to the rear of the second coupling member (412) so as to compress cylindrical springs (465) associated with each second ferrule (416), whereupon the POF upstream faces (424) are caused to biasably abut the GOF downstream faces (422).