U.S. patent application number 16/362464 was filed with the patent office on 2020-09-24 for reconfigurable optical ferrule carrier mating system.
The applicant listed for this patent is Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP. Invention is credited to KEVIN B. LEIGH, JOHN NORTON.
Application Number | 20200301077 16/362464 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004017883 |
Filed Date | 2020-09-24 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200301077 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
LEIGH; KEVIN B. ; et
al. |
September 24, 2020 |
RECONFIGURABLE OPTICAL FERRULE CARRIER MATING SYSTEM
Abstract
A reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier mating system is
provided. The ROF carrier mating system comprising a reconfigurable
carrier adapter comprising an adapter mid-wall comprising a
plurality of ferrule mating sleeves, with a first carrier
receptacle on a first side of the adapter mid-wall and a second
carrier receptacle on a second side of the adapter mid-wall. Each
ROF carrier can take on either a serial orientation or a parallel
orientation based on the alignment of a plurality of duplex ferrule
connectors disposed within each ROF carrier. The plurality of
ferrules of the ROF carriers inserted into the first carrier
receptacle are configured to mate with the plurality of ferrules of
the ROF carriers inserted into the second ferrule carrier
receptacle.
Inventors: |
LEIGH; KEVIN B.; (Houston,
TX) ; NORTON; JOHN; (Houston, TX) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP |
Houston |
TX |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004017883 |
Appl. No.: |
16/362464 |
Filed: |
March 22, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G02B 6/3869 20130101;
G02B 6/3831 20130101; G02B 6/3897 20130101; G02B 6/3825
20130101 |
International
Class: |
G02B 6/38 20060101
G02B006/38 |
Claims
1.-6. (canceled)
7. A reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier adapter,
comprising: an adapter mid-wall comprising a plurality of ferrule
mating sleeves; a first carrier receptacle on a first side of the
adapter mid-wall and a second carrier receptacle on a second side
of the adapter mid-wall; and the first carrier receptacle and the
second carrier receptacle configured to secure a plurality of
ferrule carriers in a vertical position or a horizontal position,
wherein a plurality of ferrules of the plurality of ferrule
carriers in the first carrier receptacle and configured to mate
with a plurality of ferrules of the plurality of ferrule carriers
in the second carrier receptacle through the plurality of ferrule
mating sleeves of the adapter mid-wall, a plurality of carrier
keying features disposed on an interior surface of the first
carrier receptacle and the second carrier receptacle; and a
plurality of carrier retention features disposed on the interior
surface of the first carrier receptacle and the second carrier
receptacle, wherein the plurality of carrier keying features are
configured to assist in properly aligning each ferrule carrier, and
the plurality of carrier retention features are configured to mate
with at least one connector securing feature of each ferrule
carrier, an adapter mating surface disposed on an exterior of the
ROF carrier adapter, wherein the adapter mating surface comprises
one or more mounting structures, each mounting structure configured
to mate with a corresponding mounting structure on another ROF
carrier adapter.
8. (canceled)
9. The ROF carrier adapter of claim 7, wherein the vertical
position corresponds to a parallel orientation and the horizontal
position corresponds to a serial orientation.
10. (canceled)
11. (canceled)
12. (canceled)
13. A reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier adapter,
comprising: an adapter mid-wall comprising a plurality of ferrule
mating sleeves; a first carrier receptacle on a first side of the
adapter mid-wall and a second carrier receptacle on a second side
of the adapter mid-wall; and the first carrier receptacle and the
second carrier receptacle configured to secure a plurality of
ferrule carriers in a vertical position or a horizontal position,
wherein a plurality of ferrules of the plurality of ferrule
carriers in the first carrier receptacle and configured to mate
with a plurality of ferrules of the plurality of ferrule carriers
in the second carrier receptacle through the plurality of ferrule
mating sleeves of the adapter mid-wall, wherein each carrier keying
feature of the plurality of keying features is configured to mate
with a hinge of each ferrule carrier.
14. A reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier mating system,
comprising: an ROF carrier adapter comprising: an adapter mid-wall
comprising a plurality of ferrule mating sleeves; a first carrier
receptacle on a first side of the adapter mid-wall and a second
carrier receptacle on a second side of the adapter mid-wall; and
the first carrier receptacle and the second carrier receptacle
configured to secure a plurality of ferrule carriers in a vertical
position or a horizontal position; a plurality of first ferrule
carriers comprising a plurality of duplex ferrule connectors in a
first orientation; and a plurality of second ferrule carriers
comprising a plurality of duplex ferrule connectors in a second
orientation, wherein the plurality of first ferrule carriers are
inserted into the first carrier receptacle, the plurality of second
ferrule carriers are inserted into the second carrier receptacle,
and a plurality of ferrules of the plurality of first ferrule
carriers are configured to mate with a plurality of ferrules of the
plurality of second ferrule carriers through the plurality of
ferrule mating sleeves disposed in the adapter mid-wall, wherein
the first orientation is a parallel orientation, the second
orientation is a serial orientation, and the plurality of first
ferrule carriers and the plurality of second ferrule carriers are
configured in an orthogonal configuration.
15. (canceled)
16. The ROF carrier mating system of claim 14, wherein the
plurality of first ferrule carriers are inserted into the first
carrier receptacle in the horizontal position and the plurality of
second ferrule carriers are inserted into the second carrier
receptacle in the vertical position.
17. The ROF carrier mating system of claim 14, wherein each of the
plurality of first ferrule carriers and each of the plurality of
second ferrule carriers comprise: a base comprising a plurality of
ferrule bays, each ferrule bay being configured to hold a duplex
ferrule connector of the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors;
and the ferrule bays comprising a first alignment feature
configured to position the duplex ferrule connector of the
plurality of duplex ferrule connectors in a parallel orientation
and a second alignment feature configured to position the duplex
ferrule connector of the plurality of duplex connectors in a serial
orientation.
18. The ROF carrier mating system of claim 14, comprising a
plurality of ROF carrier adapters connected to form a cascading ROF
carrier structure.
19. The ROF carrier mating system of claim 14, comprising an ROF
carrier adapter bracket configured to connect the ROF carrier
adapter to a network device.
20. The ROF carrier mating system of claim 14, wherein the first
orientation and the second orientation are the same, and the
plurality of first ferrule carriers and the plurality of second
ferrule carriers are configured in an parallel configuration.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Fiber optic transmission and photonic systems are utilized
in data communication architectures for connecting different
systems. The interconnections between different systems generally
utilized active optical cables, which have built in
electrical-to-optical conversion (i.e., transceivers) to extend the
transmission distance of data over traditional electrical
cables.
[0002] For mesh networking (or all-to-all connectivity), every node
within the system is directly connected to all other nodes within
the system. A node has multiple ports to connect to other nodes
within the system. Traditionally, each connection within the mesh
network comprise individual connections. As the mesh network
scales, the number of individual connections required increases
tremendously. To provide the all-to-all connectivity, optical fiber
shuffles or interconnects are used to separate out the optical
fibers of each connector so that each connector may be coupled to
multiple optical connectors of different systems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0003] The present disclosure, in accordance with one or more
various embodiments, is described in detail with reference to the
following figures. The figures are provided for purposes of
illustration only and merely depict typical or example
embodiments.
[0004] Some of the figures included herein illustrate various
embodiments of the invention from different viewing angles.
Although the accompanying descriptive text may refer to elements
depicted therein as being on the "top," "bottom" or "side" of an
apparatus, such references are merely descriptive and do not imply
or require that the invention be implemented or used in a
particular spatial orientation unless explicitly stated
otherwise.
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of reconfigurable optical
ferrule (ROF) carrier mating system in accordance with embodiments
of the technology disclosed herein.
[0006] FIG. 2A is an example serial ferrule carrier (SFC) in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0007] FIG. 2B is the example SFC of FIG. 2A in a closed position
in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed
herein.
[0008] FIG. 2C is an example expanded view of ferrule bays of the
SFC of FIG. 2A in accordance with embodiments of the technology
disclosed herein.
[0009] FIG. 2D is an example expanded view of ferrule bays of an
example parallel ferrule carrier (PFC) in accordance with
embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0010] FIG. 3A is an example duplex ferrule connector in a serial
orientation in accordance with embodiments of the technology
disclosed herein.
[0011] FIG. 3B is an example duplex ferrule connector in a parallel
orientation in accordance with embodiments of the technology
disclosed herein.
[0012] FIG. 4 illustrates an example PFC in accordance with
embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0013] FIG. 5A is an example PFC-PFC configuration in accordance
with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0014] FIG. 5B is an example SFC-PFC configuration in accordance
with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0015] FIG. 5C is an example SFC-SFC configuration in accordance
with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0016] FIG. 6A is a front view of an example ROF carrier adapter in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0017] FIG. 6B is an expanded view of the interior of the example
ROF carrier adapter of FIG. 6A in accordance with embodiments of
the technology disclosed herein.
[0018] FIG. 6C is a cross-sectional view of the ROF carrier adapter
of FIG. 6A showing a ferrule retention feature in accordance with
embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0019] FIG. 6D is another cross-sectional view of the ROF carrier
adapter of FIG. 6A showing the adapter mid-wall in accordance with
embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0020] FIG. 7A illustrates an example ROF carrier adapter bracket
in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed
herein.
[0021] FIG. 7B illustrates an example 2.times.2 matrix of ROF
carrier adapters within a cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0022] FIG. 8A is an example receptacle ROF blind-mate connector in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0023] FIG. 8B is an example plug ROF blind-mate connector in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0024] FIG. 9 illustrates an example ROF blind-mate connector pair
in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed
herein.
[0025] FIG. 10 illustrates an example intra-system implementation
in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed
herein.
[0026] FIG. 11 illustrates an example method in accordance with
embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
[0027] The figures are not exhaustive and do not limit the present
disclosure to the precise form disclosed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0028] The need for individual connections to provide all-to-all
connectivity in a mesh network hinder scalability. Active optical
cables are expensive and bulky, having optical transceivers on each
end of the cable, and also increase power consumption of the system
as each cable draws power to operate the optical transceivers. As
more nodes are added to the network, an even greater number of
individual connections are required. One method of providing
all-to-all connectivity is to convert parallel fiber ferrule cables
(e.g., mechanical transfer (MT) connectors) to multiple duplex
ferrule cables (e.g., Lucent Connector (LC) Duplex) within a fiber
converter box. However, multiple fiber converter boxes are required
to connect a large number of nodes, necessitating patch panels to
be installed within a rack, or even one or more entire racks of
boxes, all requiring multiple cable connections.
[0029] Additional optical fiber shuffles may also be required. An
optical fiber shuffle is an assembly comprising multiple optical
connectors on each end to provide many-to-many connectivity. Each
optical fiber from an optical connector goes to multiple other
optical connectors within the shuffle. Optical fiber shuffles may
be manually constructed, requiring each fiber to be individually
strung between the connectors. Other methods of constructing
optical fiber shuffles include using a machine to perform the
individual, one-by-one stringing method, programmatically laying
down each fiber on an adhesive backing material to form an optical
circuit assembly. Some implementations go so far as to provide
robotic reconfiguration of connections.
[0030] All of these approaches, however, become less practical as
the size of the network increases. Construction of the converter
boxes, optical shuffles, or robotic management systems takes a long
time to construct, requiring laying out fibers, cleaving ends,
installing connectors, and other manufacturing steps. Moreover,
each shuffle or converter box must be designed specifically for a
given architecture. Not only does this add to the design process,
but also results in large delays to the extent the configuration
needs to change after the construction process has already begun.
Converter boxes, optical fiber shuffles, and robotic management
systems are all bulky, requiring a large amount of area. As
discussed above, in some cases entire racks are required just to
hold the connections required between the various converter boxes.
Finally, each of these solutions are expensive. In some cases, an
optical fiber shuffle may cost more than a node (e.g., network
switch).
[0031] In addition to the scaling issues, requiring individual
connections between components makes installation and maintenance
costly and inefficient. Each separate connection requires its own
cable, which (as mentioned above) are bulky. Not only is making all
the connections time-consuming, but the size of the connectors can
make installation difficult. This reduces the density capable
within the system, requiring more racks and a greater physical area
to implement the systems.
[0032] To address these issues, optical transceivers are
increasingly being integrated into the systems themselves. Rather
than requiring transceivers on the ends of each cable, the
electrical-to-optical conversion is performed internally. However,
this integration requires the passive fiber cables and optical
fiber shuffles to also be integrated within the systems. Current
internal cabling and fiber shuffles are relatively large, requiring
several shuffle stages in order to connect properly with one or
more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or other
processing components of the system. These internal cabling
solutions may be rather complex and expensive, increasing the cost
of such implementations. Moreover, the current solutions get more
complex when addressing inter-system connections (e.g., between
rackmount devices), which require external, bulky optical fiber
shuffles in additional boxes and rack cabinets, severely limiting
density, as well as increasing the difficulty to install, service
and reconfigure. Furthermore, additional connector stages may
introduce degradation to overall system connection reliability and
may limit high-speed optical signal performance.
[0033] Embodiments of the present disclosure address many of the
drawbacks of current optical interconnection solutions. As
discussed in detail below, embodiments of the technology disclosed
herein provide a reconfigurable optical ferrule (ROF) carrier
mating system which may be used as building blocks to implement
both inter- and intra-system all-to-all connectivity. A duplex
ferrule carrier is provided that can be configured in a "serial" or
a "parallel" ferrule orientation. Using an ROF carrier adapter, a
plurality of duplex ferrule carriers can be coupled in a number of
different configurations, allowing for in-line or orthogonal mating
of ROF carriers to provide intra-system all-to-all connectivity.
Use of ROF carrier connectors in accordance with embodiments of the
technology disclosed herein enable modular installations providing
easier all-to-all connectivity within data centers without the need
for expensive, implementation-specific fiber shuffle
assemblies.
[0034] FIG. 1 is an example of ROF carrier mating system 100 in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. ROF
carrier mating system 100 is one example configuration of various
embodiments of the present disclosure, and is presenting to provide
an overview of the technology disclosed herein, including
identifying the general components of ROF carrier mating system
100. Various different configurations and embodiments are discussed
in greater detail below, and FIG. 1 should not be interpreted as
limiting the scope of the subject matter to only the illustrated
example.
[0035] As illustrated in FIG. 1, ROF carrier mating system 100
comprises an ROF carrier adapter 110, which may be utilized with
parallel ferrule carriers (PFCs) 120 and/or serial ferrule carriers
(SFCs) 130 in various configurations. Each side of ROF carrier
adapter 100 may be carrier-type independent, meaning that each side
of ROF carrier adapter 100 may accept either PFCs 120 or SFCs 130.
In the illustrated example, ROF carrier adapter 110 is used to mate
a plurality of SFCs 130 with a plurality of PFCs 120. Although
illustrated in an SFC-PFC configuration, various embodiments may be
in an SFC-SFC configuration, a PFC-SFC configuration, or a PFC-PFC
configuration. Each carrier, PFC 120 or SFC 130, may be configured
to house a plurality of duplex ferrule connectors 140 in respective
orientations. The following description shall provide details about
the different components of ROF carrier mating system 100.
[0036] FIG. 2A illustrates an example SFC 130 in a cover-open state
in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. Although
discussed with respect to SFC 130, the different components of the
carrier discussed with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C apply equally to
PFC 120. ROF carrier mating system 100 is designed to make
reconfiguration easier, enabling high-density, low-cost, low-loss
all-to-all "perfect shuffle" connectivity for both inter- and
intra-system implementations. As explained in greater detail below,
the difference between SFC 130 and PFC 120 depends on how duplex
ferrule connectors 140 are installed within the carrier. That is,
in various embodiments the same carrier can be reconfigured to act
as either SFC 130 or PFC 120 by rotating each of the duplex ferrule
connectors 140 included therein. Therefore, unless otherwise noted,
the description of FIGS. 2A-2C should also be applied to PFC
120.
[0037] As illustrated, SFC 130 comprises a base 202 and a lid 204.
Base 202 comprises four sides 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d defining an
interior of SFC 130. In various embodiments, sides 202a, 202b,
202c, 202d may be extend upward from base 202 to a height equal to
a height of duplex ferrule connector 140. In various embodiments,
base 202 may comprise a plurality of ferrule bays 208. Ferrule bays
208 are configured to hold one duplex ferrule connector 140. In
various embodiments, each ferrule bay 208 may include a bay opening
208a in front wall 202a of the base 202. A plurality of separators
208b may extend upwards from base 202 to separate each ferrule bay
208. In various embodiments, two separators 208b may define an
interior of each ferrule bay 208, while side wall 202b may work
with a separator to define the interior of the ferrule bay abutting
side wall 202b and side wall 202d may work with a separator to
define the interior of the ferrule bay abutting side wall 202d.
[0038] In various embodiments, one or more separators 208b may
extend upward from base 202 to a height equal to the height of
sides 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d or a height equal to the height of
duplex ferrule connector 140. In other embodiments, one or more
separators 208b may extend to height less than the height of sides
202a, 202b, 202c, 202d or a height less than to the height of
duplex ferrule connector 140. As a non-limiting example, one or
more separators 208b may extend to a height above base 202 that is
equal to half the height of sides 202a, 202b, 202c, 202d or half
the height of duplex ferrule connector 140. As another non-limiting
example, one or more separators 208b may extend to a height above
base 202 between 25%-75% of the height of sides 202a, 202b, 202c,
202d or the height of duplex ferrule connector 140. As illustrated
in FIG. 2A, one or more separators 208b may extend from front wall
202a to a position less than the width of base 202. In other
embodiments, one or more separators 208b may extend the width of
base 202, from front wall 202a to back wall 202c.
[0039] SFC 130 further may include a plurality of carrier spring
clips 210 disposed on back wall 202c. Each ferrule bay 208 may have
a corresponding rear opening 208c in back wall 202c configured to
provide clearance for optical cable 142 of duplex ferrule connector
140. Each carrier spring clip 210 on back wall 202c may provide a
retention force to, a positive mating force for, and independent
z-direction float for a duplex ferrule connector 140 within a
ferrule bay 208. In various embodiments, each carrier spring clip
210 may be a separate component, two such carrier spring clips 210
associated with one ferrule bay 208. In other embodiments, one or
more of carrier spring clips 210 may be connected to form a carrier
spring clip pair 210.sub.pair. In some embodiments, each carrier
spring clip pair 210.sub.pair may be a separate component, in some
embodiments two or more carrier spring clip pairs 210.sub.pair may
be combined as a single component, while in still other embodiments
all the carrier spring clip pairs 210.sub.pair may be combined as a
spring clip pairs component stretching across the width of SFC 130
from side wall 202b to side wall 202d. Carrier spring clips 210 may
be made of various materials, including but not limited to copper,
aluminum, sheet metal, plastic, or other suitable retention
material.
[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 2A, SFC 130 includes a lid 204
disposed on side wall 202d. Lid 204, when closed, serves to hold
duplex ferrule connectors 140 within the interior of each ferrule
bay 208, preventing movement in the y-direction. In various
embodiments, lid 204 may include a carrier latch 204a configured to
mate with a latch socket 202e disposed on side wall 202b. In other
embodiments, lid 204 may be disposed on side wall 202b and latch
socket 202e may be disposed on side wall 202d. Lid 204 may also
include tab 206 dispatched on an edge corresponding to back wall
202c of base 202. In various embodiments, tab 206 may be a carrier
securing feature configured to secure SFC 130 when installed in a
socket. As illustrated in FIG. 2A, tab 206 is a push-pull tab style
latch utilized in the field. In other embodiments, tab 206 may be
any low-profile latching device used for securing communication
cables within a communication port currently known, or any
developed now or in the future, for use in high-density cabling
installations. In some embodiments, tab 206 may be disposed on back
wall 202c of base 202.
[0041] In various embodiments, lid 204 may have the same width and
length of base 202. Although shown as a rectangle, in other
embodiments, lid 204 may be have a different design. As a
non-limiting example, in various embodiments lid 204 may include
one or more cutouts on one or more edges and/or disposed on the
surface of lid 204. Lid 204 may take on any design providing
sufficient coverage of duplex ferrule connectors 140, and in some
embodiments providing sufficient area for a tab 206 to be disposed.
In various embodiments, lid 204 may include notations identifying
one or more of ferrule bays 208 within SFC 130. As a non-limiting
example, lid 204 may include a numeral (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.)
identifying each of the eight (8) ferrule bays 208 of the example
SFC 130. In some embodiments, the notations may include one or more
symbols indicating one or more characteristics of the optical fiber
and/or duplex ferrule connector 140 within each ferrule bay 208
(e.g., identifying duplex ferrule connectors 140 associated with
different systems).
[0042] FIG. 2B illustrates the example SFC 130 of FIG. 2A in a
closed position, in accordance with various embodiments of the
present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2B, hinge 212 may be disposed
on side wall 202d, coupling lid 204 to base 202 and allows lid 204
to pivot opened and closed. In the closed position, carrier latch
204a mates with the latch socket 202e disposed on side wall 202b.
In some embodiments, side wall 202b may also include a slot rail
202f configured to assist in installing SFC 130 into a slot of ROF
carrier adapter 110. A corresponding slot rail may also be disposed
on side wall 202d in various embodiments. As illustrated in FIG.
2B, each ferrule 144a.sub.1, 144b.sub.1, 144a.sub.2, 144b.sub.2 of
duplex ferrule connectors 140.sub..alpha., 140.sub..beta. extend
out from each bay opening 208a.sub.1, 208a.sub.2 when SFC 130 is
populated and lid 204 is closed. In some embodiments, ferrules
144a.sub.1, 144b.sub.1, 144a.sub.2, 144b.sub.2 may be independently
floated along the z-axis within each duplex ferrule connector
140.sub..alpha., 140.sub..beta..
[0043] FIG. 2C is an expanded view of ferrule bays 208 of SFC 130
in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
As discussed earlier, each ferrule bay 208 is defined by bay
opening 208a, separators 208b (and side walls 202b, 202d in some
cases), and rear opening 208c. In various embodiments, each ferrule
bay 208 may include one or more ferrule bay alignment features
214a, 214b. As discussed above, the difference between an SFC 130
and a PFC 120 is how each the duplex ferrule connectors 140 are
installed within the carrier housing. Ferrule bay alignment
features 214a, 214b may assist in ensuring that duplex ferrule
connectors 140 are correctly installed for proper alignment for the
intended nature of ferrules 144a, 144b (i.e., parallel or serial).
In various embodiments, ferrule bay alignment features 214a, 214b
may be configured to mate with one or more connector alignment
feature 146 (as shown in FIG. 2D) of each duplex ferrule connector
140.
[0044] As illustrated in FIG. 2C, ferrule bay alignment feature
214a may be configured to mate with at least one connector
alignment feature 146 such that ferrules 144a, 144b are arranged in
a serial arrangement and parallel to base 202 (i.e., creating an
SFC 130 as illustrated in FIG. 2C), while ferrule bay alignment
feature 214b may be configured to mate with the same or one or more
different connector alignment features 146 such that ferrules 144a,
144b are arranged in a parallel alignment and perpendicular to base
202 (i.e., creating a PFC 120 as illustrated in FIG. 2D). In
various embodiments, serial ferrule bay alignment feature 214a may
be configured to mate with a different one or more connector
alignment features 146 of duplex ferrule connectors 140 than
parallel ferrule bay alignment feature 214b. Ferrule bay alignment
features 214a, 214b may be disposed anywhere within ferrule bays
208, such as (but not limited to) the opposite separator 208b, the
length extending from bay opening 208a and rear opening 208c,
across the width of ferrule bay 208, among others. In some
embodiments connector alignment feature 146 may be a protruding rib
and ferrule bay alignment features 214a, 214b may be recesses
complimentarily shaped to accept connector alignment feature
146.
[0045] In various embodiments, ferrule bay alignment features 214a,
214b and/or connector alignment features 146 may be configured to
maintain polarity during reconfiguration. When two ferrule carriers
are mated (as discussed below with respect to FIGS. 5A-5C), it is
important that the transmit ferrule of each duplex ferrule
connector 140 in a first ferrule carrier mates with the receive
ferrule of the corresponding duplex ferrule connector 140 in a
second ferrule carrier. That is, the polarity of ferrules 144a,
144b in the first ferrule carrier is complementary to the polarity
of ferrules 144a, 144b in the second ferrule carrier (e.g., ferrule
144a is transmit, ferrule 144b is receive). In various embodiments,
ferrule bay alignment feature 214a may be configured to ensure
duplex ferrule connectors 140 are inserted to create an SFC 130 and
that ferrules 144a, 144b of each duplex ferrule connector 140 are
oriented consistently, and ferrule bay alignment feature 214b may
be configured to ensure duplex ferrule connectors 140 are inserted
to create an PFC 120 and that ferrules 144a, 144b of each duplex
ferrule connector 140 are oriented consistently. In other
embodiments, the nature of each ferrule bay alignment feature 214a,
214b may be switched (i.e., ferrule bay alignment feature 214a
associated with PFC 120, ferrule bay alignment feature 214b
associated with SFC 130). As illustrated in greater detail with
respect to FIGS. 5A-5C, in this way the proper polarity is
maintained when two ferrule carriers are mated. As a non-limiting
example, a single ferrule bay alignment feature 214a, and a single
ferrule bay alignment feature 214b, may be disposed within each
ferrule bay 208.
[0046] FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrates the reconfiguration of a duplex
ferrule connector 140 in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure. As shown, duplex ferrule connector 140 is configured
such that, by simply rotating duplex ferrule connector 140 by
90.degree. (as illustrated by dashed line 300, and by moving from a
serial orientation (FIG. 3A) to a parallel orientation (FIG. 3B))
the same duplex ferrule connector 140 may be placed in a serial or
a parallel configuration. Although illustrated as having a single
connector alignment feature 146, in other embodiments a plurality
of connector alignment features 146 may be disposed on the surface
of the housing 148 of duplex ferrule connector 140. In some
embodiments, duplex ferrule connector 140 may have a plurality of
connector alignment features 146 disclosed on the same surface. As
a non-limiting example, two connector alignment features 146 may be
disposed on the same side of duplex ferrule connector 140, one
connector alignment feature 146 to mate with a first ferrule bay
alignment feature 214b, and the other connector alignment feature
146 to mate with a second ferrule bay alignment feature 214c.
Similarly, ferrule bar alignment feature 214a may comprise two
sections, each section configured to make with one of the two
connector alignment features 146 of the prior non-limiting
example.
[0047] Connector alignment feature 146 may be configured to ensure
that polarity is maintained during reconfiguration. In various
embodiments, connector alignment feature 146 may be disposed only
on one side of duplex ferrule connector 140. As discussed above,
ferrule bay alignment features 214a, 214b may be configured as
complementary to connector alignment feature 146. Where connector
alignment feature 146 is disposed on only one side surface of
duplex ferrule connector 140, each duple ferrule connector 140 may
only be installed in one position for a polarity for SFC or PFC
configuration. In this way, the polarity orientation of each duplex
ferrule connector 140 is consistent.
[0048] In various embodiments, each duplex ferrule connector 140
may comprise a housing 148 having a front opening 150 disposed on a
front 152 of duplex ferrule connector 140. Two ferrules 144 may
extend out through the front opening 150 in a serial orientation
(FIG. 3A) of a parallel orientation (FIG. 3B). Although described
with reference to the example duplex ferrule connector 140
illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the scope of the present disclosure
is not limited to the specific construction illustrated. A person
of ordinary skill in the art would understand that the technology
of the present disclosure is applicable with any type of compact
duplex ferrule designed to fit with ferrule bays 208.
[0049] FIG. 4 illustrates an example PFC 120 in accordance with
embodiments of the present disclosure. As discussed above, in
various embodiments PFC 120 differs from SFC 130 based on the
orientation of duplex ferrule connectors 140 within a ferrule
carrier. As illustrated SFC 130 in FIG. 2B, ferrules 144a.sub.1,
144b.sub.1, 144a.sub.2, 144b.sub.2 for each duplex ferrule
connector 140.sub..alpha., 140.sub..beta. are arranged in a serial
manner (i.e., all the ferrules are arranged in a straight line from
side wall 202b to side wall 202d along axis XX). Each ferrule
144a.sub.1, 144b.sub.1, 144a.sub.2, 144b.sub.2 for each duplex
ferrule connector 140.sub..alpha., 140.sub..beta. has a particular
polarity, either configured to transmit an optical signal (i.e., a
transmit ferrule) or receive an optical signal (i.e., a receive
ferrule). As a non-limiting example, ferrules 144a.sub.1,
144a.sub.2 of each duplex ferrule connector 140.sub..alpha.,
140.sub..beta. may be set as a transmit ferrule and ferrules
144b.sub.1, 144b.sub.2 of each duplex ferrule connector
140.sub..alpha., 140.sub..beta. may be set as a receive ferrule.
When installed in an SFC 130, the straight line of ferrules 144a,
144b along axis XX comprises an alternating arrangement (e.g.,
transmit ferrule 144a.sub.1, receive ferrule 144b.sub.1, transmit
ferrule 144a.sub.2, receive ferrule 144b.sub.2, etc.).
[0050] For PFC 120 in FIG. 4, ferrules 144a.sub.1, 144b.sub.1,
144a.sub.2, 144b.sub.2 for each duplex ferrule connector
140.sub..gamma., 140,.sub..delta. in PFC 120 are arranged in a
parallel manner (i.e., the ferrules are arranged such that the
polarity of all ferrules within a column along the direction of
axis YY are the same). As illustrated in FIG. 4, each ferrule
144a.sub.1, 144b.sub.1, 144a.sub.2, 144b.sub.2 for each duplex
ferrule connector 140.sub..gamma., 140.sub..delta. extends out from
ferrule bay opening 208a.sub.1, 208a.sub.2 in a stacked orientation
(i.e. ferrule 144a.sub.1 is positioned in line with ferrule
144b.sub.1 along axis XX). Continuing the same non-limiting example
discussed above with respect to FIG. 2B, the example PFC 120 of
FIG. 4 illustrates that transmit ferrules 144a.sub.1, 144a.sub.2 of
duplex ferrule connector 140.sub..gamma., 140.sub..delta. are
arranged in a transmit polarity column 401, and the receive
ferrules 144a.sub.2, 144b.sub.2 of duplex ferrule connector
140.sub..gamma., 140.sub..delta. are arranged in a receiver
polarity column 402.
[0051] The arrangement of ferrules 144a, 144b allow for easy
configuration of SFCs 130 and/or PFCs 120 to meet implementation
requirements. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be arranged
in a number of different configurations, as illustrated in FIGS.
5A-5C. FIG. 5A illustrates an example PFC-PFC configuration in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As
illustrated, when two PFCs 120a, 120b are connected, a first duplex
ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_a1 of first PFC 120a is configured to
mate with a first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_b1 of the
second PFC 120b. In this way, transmit ferrule 144a of first duplex
ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_a1 mates with a receive ferrule 144b
of first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_b1, and receive
ferrule 144b of first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_a1 mates
with a transmit ferrule 144a of first duplex ferrule connector
140.sub.PFC_b1. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, embodiments of the
present disclosure implemented in a PFC-PFC configuration does not
provide all-to-all connectivity. Rather, the PFC-PFC configuration
results in in-line connectivity of each PFC 120. In this way,
embodiments in the PFC-PFC configuration provides a flexible system
configuration to extend fiber connection points, while allowing
some-to-some connectivity.
[0052] FIG. 5B illustrates an example SFC-PFC configuration in
accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, where an SFC
130 is connected to a PFC 120. Although illustrated as an SFC-PFC
configuration, the following description applies equally in a
PFC-SFC configuration. As illustrated in FIG. 5B, in an SFC-PFC
configuration, a first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.SFC_1 of
SFC 130 is arranged to mate with a first duplex ferrule connector
140.sub.PFC_1 of PFC 120. In this way, transmit ferrule 144a of
first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.SFC_1 mates with a receive
ferrule 144b of first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_1, and
receive ferrule 144b of first duplex ferrule connector
140.sub.SFC_1 mates with a transmit ferrule 144a of first duplex
ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_1. As illustrated in FIG. 5B,
embodiments of the present disclosure implemented in an SFC-PFC
configuration provides all-to-all connectivity.
[0053] FIG. 5C illustrates an example SFC-SFC configuration in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As
illustrated, when two PFCs 120a, 120b are connected, a first duplex
ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_a1 of first PFC 120a is configured to
mate with a first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.PFC_b1 of the
second PFC 120b. In this way, transmit ferrule 144a of first duplex
ferrule connector 140.sub.SFC_a1 mates with a receive ferrule 144b
of first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.SFC_b1, and receive
ferrule 144b of first duplex ferrule connector 140.sub.SFC_a1 mates
with a transmit ferrule 144a of first duplex ferrule connector
140.sub.SFC_b1. As illustrated in FIG. 5C, embodiments of the
present disclosure implemented in a SFC-SFC configuration does not
provide all-to-all connectivity. Rather, the SFC-SFC configuration
results in in-line connectivity of each SFC 130. In this way,
embodiments in the SFC-SFC configuration provides a flexible system
configuration to extend fiber connection points, while allowing
some-to-some connectivity
[0054] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the ferrule carriers (i.e., PFC
120 and SFC 130) may be connected through ROF carrier adapter 110.
FIG. 6A is a front view of an example ROF carrier adapter 110 in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As
illustrated, ROF carrier adapter 110 may comprise a plurality of
carrier keying features 602 along an interior of ROF carrier
adapter 110. In various embodiments, carrier keying features 602
may be configured to mate with a corresponding carrier alignment
feature of PFC 120 and/or SFC 130. Hinge 212 of PFC 120 and/or SFC
130 (discussed with respect to FIG. 2A) may comprise the
corresponding carrier alignment feature configured to mate with a
carrier keying feature 602 in some embodiments. In other
embodiments, the carriers may include a separate carrier alignment
feature (not shown in FIGS. 2A-2D) configured to mate with one or
more carrier keying features 602 of ROF carrier adapter 110.
[0055] In various embodiments, carrier keying features 602a, 602b
may be disposed on both sides of an adapter mid-wall 612. Adapter
mid-wall 612 may serve to divide ROF carrier adapter 110 into two
sides, each side comprising a carrier receptacle configured to
accept a plurality of PFC 120 and/or SFC 130. In various
embodiments, adapter mid-wall 612 may comprise a 2D array of
ferrule mating sleeves 604. Each ferrule mating sleeve 604 may be
configured to accept a ferrule, enabling a final alignment feature
for the ferrules from duplex ferrule connectors on either side of
adapter mid-wall 612 to mate. In various embodiments, a pair of
ferrule mating sleeves 604 may be configured to align with ferrules
extending out from a ferrule bay opening of an ROF carrier (either
SFC or PFC) such that, when the ROF carrier is inserted into ROF
carrier adapter 110, each ferrule is inserted into one of ferrule
mating sleeves 604. In some embodiments, individual simplex ferrule
144 may be floated within ferrule connector 140. Individual simplex
ferrules 144 in ferrule connectors 140, installed in PFCs 120
and/or SFCs 130 with positive mating force provided by carrier
spring clips 210 (FIG. 2A), mated with tight tolerances within
ferrule mating sleeves 604 in ROF carrier adapter 110 enables low
optical signal loss.
[0056] As illustrated in FIG. 6D, adapter mid-wall 612 separates
ROF carrier adapter 110 into two sides, a first carrier receptacle
618a and a second carrier receptacle 618b. In various embodiments,
first carrier receptacle 618a and second carrier receptacle 618b
may be configured such as the carrier receptacle discussed above
with respect to FIG. 6A. As illustrated in FIG. 6D, each carrier
receptacle 618a, 618b is configured to accept a plurality of
carriers (SFC or PFC) in one of two orientations. The front wall of
each carrier couples to adapter mid-wall 612 such that the ferrules
of the duplex ferrule connectors within the first carrier
receptacle 618a are inserted within ferrule mating sleeves to mate
with ferrules of duplex ferrule connectors within the second
carrier receptacle 618b. In various embodiments, adapter mid-wall
612 may have a width such that, when the ferrules are mated through
the plurality of ferrule mating sleeves, a front wall of the
carrier (SFC or PFC) and/or the front of each duplex ferrule
connector abuts the adapter mid-wall 612. In other embodiments,
adapter mid-wall 612 may have a smaller width with one or more
projections configured to abut the front wall of each carrier.
[0057] To facilitate reconfigurability, the interior (interior 616
illustrated in FIG. 6B) of ROF carrier adapter 110 may be open,
lacking dividers between rows or columns of ferrule mating sleeves
604. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, a carrier (SFC or PFC) may be
inserted into ROF carrier adapter 110 in a horizontal orientation
606a or a vertical orientation 606b. In various embodiments,
orthogonal mating between an SFC and a PFC is facilitated by
inserting the SFCs in a horizontal orientation 606a on one side of
ROF carrier adapter 110, and inserting the PFCs in a vertical
orientation 606b on the opposite side of ROF carrier adapter 110.
In this way, each PFC may have a connection with each of the SFCs
in ROF carrier adapter 110. Although illustrated as an 8.times.8
matrix (i.e., having eight horizontal orientation 606a slots or
eight vertical orientation 606b slots), in other embodiments ROF
carrier adapter 110 may include fewer slots configured to accept a
carrier (i.e., PFC 120, SFC 130) with accordingly fewer number of
duplex ferrules. In some other embodiments, a greater number of
slots may be included with accordingly greater number of duplex
ferrules. As a non-limiting example, ROF carrier adapter 110 may
comprise a 6.times.6 matrix, meaning that each side of ROF carrier
adapter 110 may accept six carriers (in either PFC or SFC
configuration) where each PFC 120 or SFC 130 holding six duplex
connectors 140. A person of ordinary skill in the art would
appreciate that the subject matter is not limited to a particular
size, but ROF carrier adapter 110 may be sized as required for a
given implementation.
[0058] As illustrated in FIG. 6B, a plurality of carrier retention
features 610 disposed within the interior 616 of ROF carrier
adapter 110. Carrier retention features 610 may be configured to
secure each ROF carrier (e.g., SFC 130 or PFC 120 discussed with
respect to FIGS. 1 and 2A-D). An example of how carrier retention
feature 610 interacts with an example carrier (i.e., PFC 130) is
illustrated in FIG. 6C. FIG. 6C is a cross sectional view of ROF
carrier adapter 110. As shown, carrier retention feature 610 is
configured to mate with a carrier securing feature220 of PFC 120.
In various embodiments, carrier securing feature 220 may be
disposed on base 202 and/or lid 204 of PFC 120. Carrier retention
features 610 may be disposed such that each carrier retention
feature 610 is configured to mate with a carrier securing feature
220 on base 202 or lid 204 of PFC 120. In various embodiments,
carrier retention feature 610 may be a latch and carrier securing
feature 220 may be an opening (as illustrated in FIG. 6D) such
that, when installed into ROF carrier adapter 110, carrier
retention feature 610 couples to carrier securing feature 220.
Carrier retention features 610 may be configured to provide
sufficient bias on PFC 120 to maintain PFC 120 properly installed
within ROF carrier adapter 110. In various embodiments, ROF carrier
adapter 110 may include a carrier release (not shown in FIG. 6C)
configured to uncouple carrier retention feature 610 from carrier
securing feature 220 of PFC 120. In some embodiments, a separate
carrier release may be provided for each carrier retention feature
610 such that each carrier (e.g., PFC 120) may be decoupled from
ROF carrier adapter 110 individually, while in other embodiments a
carrier release may be configured to control one or more carrier
retention features 610. In some embodiments, tab 206 (not shown in
FIG. 6C) may be configured to decouple carrier securing feature 220
of PFC 120 from carrier retention feature 610.
[0059] As mentioned above, embodiments of the technology disclosed
herein provides for modular installation for "perfect shuffle"
providing "all-to-all" connectivity in a low-cost, low-loss, high
density manner. In various embodiments, ROF carrier adapters 110
may be connected together, enabling more optical fibers to be
communicatively coupled together in an easier to reconfigure
arrangement. As illustrated in FIG. 6A, ROF carrier adapter 110 may
include an adapter mating surface 608 for mounting ROF carrier
adapters 110 in the system. In various embodiments, adapter mating
surface 608 may comprise a raised rim along the exterior of each
ROF carrier adapter 110 (as illustrated by adapter mating surface
608 in FIG. 6D). Adapter mating surface 608 may include one or more
gendered mounting structures, such as female mounting structure
608a and male mounting structure 608b. Each gendered mounting
structure may be configured to couple with a corresponding gendered
mounting structure of an ROF carrier adapter bracket, such as
example ROF carrier adapter bracket 702 illustrated in FIG. 7A.
When an ROF carrier adapter 110 is mounted using ROF carrier
adapter bracket 702, female mounting structure 608a of ROF carrier
adapter 110 mates with male mounting structure 702b of ROF carrier
adapter bracket 702, and male mounting structure 608b of ROF
carrier adapter 110 mates with female mounting structure 702a of
ROF carrier adapter bracket 702. In various embodiments, each ROF
carrier adapter 110 may be mounted within a system using a separate
ROF carrier adapter bracket 702.
[0060] In various embodiments, ROF carrier adapter bracket 702 may
include one or more system mounts 704, configured to connect ROF
carrier adapter bracket 702 to one or more structures of a system
in which the ROF carrier mating system of the present disclosure
may be implemented. Although illustrated in FIG. 7A as system
mounts 704 being disposed on a base of ROF carrier adapter bracket
702, the position of system mounts 704 should not be interpreted as
being limited to only such an arrangement. A person of ordinary
skill in the art would understand that the location of system
mounts 704 would be determined based on the particular system in
which the bracket 702 is to be connected. As a non-limiting
example, one or more system mounts 704 may be disposed on a base of
ROF carrier adapter bracket 702 (as illustrated in FIG. 7A) as well
as on a side of ROF carrier adapter bracket 702. Moreover, although
ROF carrier adapter bracket 702 is illustrated in a square shape,
other embodiments may take on different exterior shapes based on
the form of the system to which ROF carrier adapter bracket 702 is
to be connected.
[0061] The modular nature of embodiments of the technology
disclosed herein enables multiple ROF carrier adapters 110 to be
connected together to form a connection wall in a variety of
different configurations. Each ROF carrier adapter 110 may be
connected together in a similar manner as connecting an ROF carrier
adapter 110 to ROF carrier adapter bracket 702, with one or more
mounting structures 608a, 608b of a first ROF carrier adapter 110
mating with corresponding one or more mounting structure 608a, 608b
of a second ROF carrier adapter 110. As a non-limiting example,
four ROF carrier adapters 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d connected together
to form a cascading ROF carrier structure in a 2.times.2 matrix is
illustrated in FIG. 7B. As illustrated, the four ROF carrier
adapters, 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d essentially form a larger version
of ROF carrier adapter 110, providing four times the number of
optical fiber connections in four all-to-all connected groups. By
nodes having multiple ports, and each port connected to an
all-to-all connected group, the number of node count can be
multiplied for overarching all-to-all connected. In various
embodiments, a cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket 706 may be
used to mount the 2.times.2 matrix of ROF carrier adapters 110a,
110b, 110c, 110d within the system. In various embodiments,
cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket 706 may include system mounts
704, similar to the system mounts 704 discussed with respect to
FIG. 7A. The size and shape of cascading ROF carrier adapter
bracket 706 may vary depending on the number of ROF carrier
adapters 110 connected together and the shape of the arrangement.
As a non-limiting example, ROF carrier adapters 110a, 110b, 110c,
110d may be arranged in an L-shape (e.g., ROF carrier adapter 110c
may be connected to the right side of ROF carrier adapter 110b, and
ROF carrier adapter 110d may be connected to the bottom of ROF
carrier 110c), and cascading ROF carrier adapter bracket 706 may
have a similar shape to support ROF carrier adapters 110a, 110b,
110c, 110d.
[0062] ROF carrier adapter 110 provide intra-system or inter-system
"all-to-all" connectivity by using duplex optical cables, but the
technology disclosed herein is applicable for inter-system direct
connectivity as well by using blind-mate connectors.
[0063] FIG. 8A illustrates an example ROF blind-mate receptacle 802
in accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein.
Receptacle ROF blind-mate connector 802 has two sides--a mating
side and a ferrule carrier side, separated by a dividing wall
similar to the adapter mid-wall 612 discussed with respect to FIGS.
6A and 6B. The ferrule carrier side is not presented to the viewer
in the perspective view of FIG. 8A. As illustrated, a plurality of
ferrule carriers 850 are inserted into the ferrule carrier side
(i.e., ferrule carriers 850 are connected in a manner similar to
the connection method discussed with respect to FIGS. 6A and 6B).
Ferrule carriers 850 may comprise a plurality of PFCs or a
plurality of SFCs, depending on the design of the particular
implementation. In various embodiments, the interior of the ferrule
carrier side may be configured similar to the interior of 616 of
ROF carrier adapter 110 discussed above with respect to FIGS.
6A-6D.
[0064] Mating side of a ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 comprises a
receptacle opening 802a. In various embodiments, receptacle opening
802a may include one or more lead-in features (not shown in FIG.
8A), configured to accept a protrusion on a complementary plug
(e.g., ROF blind-mate plug 804 discussed below with respect to
FIGS. 8C and 8D). In various embodiments, the one or more lead-in
features may be disposed along an interior surface of receptacle
opening 802a. In various embodiments, the lead-in features may be
one or more lead-in features commonly used in the field.
[0065] In some embodiments, receptacle opening 802a may include a
receptacle keying feature 802e, disposed at a corner of receptacle
opening 802a. Receptacle keying feature 802e may be a feature on an
inside surface of receptacle opening 802a configured to mate with a
corresponding feature on a protrusion of the complementary plug,
ensuring that the intended configuration is maintained, regardless
of the rotational position of ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 and its
complementary plug (to be discussed with respect to FIG. 8B). In
some embodiments, guide features 802f may be configured to assist
in aligning the blind-mate connectors during installation (as
illustrated in FIG. 9). As illustrated, guide features 802f
comprise two guide rods, each extending outward from face 802a. In
various embodiments, guide features may extend outward from another
surface of ROF blind-mate receptacle 802.
[0066] As illustrated, ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 may comprise a
face 802b recessed within the receptacle opening 802a. Receptacle
opening 802a extends outward from face 802b, forming an interior
cavity 802c. In various embodiments, face 802b may have a plurality
of openings 802d configured to allow ferrules of the plurality of
ferrule connectors (not shown in FIG. 8A) in ferrule carriers 850
to sit within sleeves 604. Essentially, face 802b may be configured
to in a manner similar to adapter mid-wall 612 discussed with
respect to FIGS. 6A-6D. Like adapter mid-wall 612, face 802a may
have a width W (not shown in FIG. 8A), allowing each ferrule of the
inserted ferrule carriers 850 to sit recessed within face 802b and
in a position for mating with the respective ferrules of the
complementary plug (e.g., ROF blind-mate plug 804).
[0067] ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 may further include one or
more mounting brackets 802g configured for securing ROF blind-mate
receptacle 802 to a bulkhead of a system device. In various
embodiments, mounting brackets 802g may be configured to allow
various rotational positions for ROF blind-mate receptacle 802
within the system. By allowing rotational position changes,
mounting brackets 802g enable alternate reconfiguration from a
parallel orientation (e.g., SFC-SFC configuration, PFC-PFC
configuration) to an orthogonal orientation (e.g., SFC-PFC
configuration, PFC-SFC configuration).
[0068] As mentioned above, ROF blind-mate plug 804, illustrated in
FIG. 8B, is configured to mate with ROF blind-mate receptacle 802.
Like ROF blind-mate receptacle 802, ROF blind-mate plug 804 also as
two sides--the mating side and the ferrule carrier side. The
ferrule carrier side is not presented to the viewer in the
perspective view of FIG. 8B. As illustrated, a plurality of ferrule
carriers 860 are inserted into the ferrule carrier side (i.e.,
ferrule carriers 860 are connected in a manner similar to the
connection method discussed with respect to FIGS. 6A and 6B).
Ferrule carriers 860 may comprise a plurality of PFCs or a
plurality of SFCs, depending on the design of the particular
implementation. In various embodiments, the interior of the ferrule
carrier side may be configured similar to the interior of 616 of
ROF carrier adapter 110 discussed above with respect to FIGS.
6A-6D.
[0069] As shown in FIG. 8B, ROF blind-mate plug 804 may include a
protrusion 804a extending outward from the plug housing 804b.
Protrusion 804a may be configured to mate with receptacle opening
802a of ROF blind-mate receptacle 802. In various embodiments,
protrusion 804a may interact with the lead-in features discussed
above with respect to ROF blind-mate receptacle 802. In various
embodiments, protrusion 804a may have a depth equal to or more than
the depth of the interior of ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 formed
by receptacle opening 802a and face 802b, for protrusion 804a to
bottom-out within cavity 802c, i.e., face 802b of ROF blind-mate
receptacle can be viewed as a motion stop feature for protrusion
804a of ROF blind-mate plug 804.
[0070] As illustrated in FIG. 8B, protrusion 804a has a plug
opening 804c. Plug opening 804c is configured to expose the ends of
each ferrule carrier 860. When inserted into ROF blind-mate plug
804, the ferrules 804d contained within the duplex ferrule
connectors inside each ferrule carrier 860 extends a distance past
the protrusion 804a, as illustrated in FIG. 9. In some embodiments,
protrusion 804a may include a plug keying feature 804e, disposed on
a corner of protrusion 804a. Plug keying feature 804e may be
configured to complement receptacle keying feature 802e of ROF
blind-mate receptacle 802, to assist in ensuring that the intended
configuration is maintained, regardless of the rotational position
of ROF blind-mate plug 804 and ROF blind-mate receptacle 802. A
plug keying feature 804e may be disposed at a corner of protrusion
804a that will allow ROF blind-mate plug 804 and ROF blind-mate
receptacle 802 to be mated in one rotational position. When there
is only one rotational position, SFC and PFC ferrule carriers can
be populated in orthogonal orientations to allow SFC-PFC
configuration for all-to-all connectivity within mated ROF
blind-mate plug 804 and ROF blind-mate receptacle 802.
[0071] In other embodiments, two receptacle keying features 802e
may be disposed at two corners of receptacle opening 802a that will
allow ROF blind-mate plug 804 and ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 to
be mated in two rotational positions. As a non-limited example, a
first receptacle keying feature 802e may be disposed as illustrated
in FIG. 8A, and a second receptacle keying feature may be disposed
on an adjacent corner of receptacle opening 802a (e.g., the corner
to the left of receptacle keying feature 802e, or the corner below
of receptacle keying feature 802e). In this way, either first or
second receptacle keying feature 802e may mate with the plug keying
feature 804e in a first rotational position or a second rotational
position (where ROF blind-mate plug 804 is rotated 90.degree. from
the first rotational position). ROF blind-mate plug 804 may include
four cavities 804g disposed at each corner of plug housing 804b,
enabling two perpendicular cavities 804g are configured to mate
with guide features 802f in the first rotational position, and the
other two perpendicular cavities 804g are configured to mate with
guide features 802f in the second rotational position. When there
are two rotational positions, SFC and PFC ferrule carriers can be
populated in an in-line orientation to allow SFC-SFC or PFC-PFC
configurations for some-to-some connectivity within a mated ROF
blind-mate plug 804 and ROF blind-mate receptacle 802.
[0072] In various embodiments, ROF blind-mate plug 804 may include
mounting brackets 804f, similar to mounting brackets 802g of ROF
blind-mate receptacle 802. One or more cavities 804g configured to
mate with corresponding guide features, such as guide features 802f
on ROF blind-mate receptacle 802, discussed with respect to FIG.
8A. In various embodiments, mounting brackets 804f may be disposed
on plug housing 804b to assist in aligning both blind-mate
connectors 802, 804. In various embodiments, cavity 804g may be a
recess etched into plug housing 804b.
[0073] FIG. 9 shows an ROF blind-mate connector pair 802, 804 in
accordance with embodiments of the technology disclosed herein. As
illustrated, ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 is installed within a
first device 902, secured to first device 902 by a plurality of
mounting brackets 802g. As illustrated, mounting brackets 802g mate
with an exterior face 902a of first device 902, while in other
embodiments mounting brackets 802g may be configured to mate with
an interior face 902b of first device 902. In various embodiments,
first device 902 may be one of a variety of networking modules
(e.g., fabric switches) or resource modules (e.g., computing,
storage, memory). In various embodiments, when installed in first
device 902, a front portion 802c of ROF blind-mate receptacle 802
may extend outward from front face 902a. ROF blind-mate plug 804
may be installed in a second device 904 in a similar manner as that
discussed with respect to ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 in various
embodiments. As illustrated in FIG. 9, guide feature 802f and
cavity 804 are arranged such that, when ROF blind-mate plug 804 is
coupled to ROF blind-mate receptacle 802, guide feature 802f and
cavity 804g are coupled first, receptacle keying feature 802e and
plug keying feature 804e are coupled second, followed by protrusion
804a coupling with face 802b within the cavity of receptacle
opening 802a, and finally ferrules 804d of ROF blind-mate plug 804
are coupled to ferrules of ROF blind-mate receptacle 802 (not shown
in FIG. 8B). In some embodiments, the length of guide feature 802f
is shorter than the depth of cavity 804g, to allow face 804c of ROF
blind-mate plug 804 to bottom-out on cavity 802b of ROF blind-mate
receptacle 802.When bottomed-out, the mated duplex ferrules are
over-driven, i.e., pushed against each other, supported by the
reactive force of carrier spring clips against duplex ferrule
connectors within each ferrule carrier, as discussed above with
respect to FIGS. 2A-2D. In various other embodiments, each ferrule
may have an independent reactive spring within ferrule connector
140. The over-drive condition of ROF blind-mate plug 804 and ROF
blind-mate receptacle 802 provides a positive mating force between
the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors in ROF blind-mate plug
804 against the plurality of duplex ferrule connectors in ROF
blind-mate plug 804, for reliable optical signal coupling at
minimum optical signal losses.
[0074] As discussed above, the technology disclosed herein provides
a system for high-density, low-cost, low-loss "all-to-all" "perfect
shuffle" connections between ASICs and other chips/components
(i.e., intra-system connectivity), as well as between rack-mount
devices, such as blades and other network devices (i.e.,
inter-system connectivity). FIG. 10 is an example intra-system
implementation 1000 in accordance with embodiments of the present
disclosure. Intra-system implementation 1000 is provided for
illustrative purposes only and should not be interpreted as
limiting the scope of the present disclosure to only the
illustrated implementation.
[0075] As shown in FIG. 10, intra-system implementation 1000
includes three chips 1010, 1020, 1030. In various embodiments,
chips 1010, 1020, 1030 may comprise one or more type of processing
devices and/or hard-wired circuitry. For ease of discussion, chips
1010, 1020, 1030 will be considered ASICs as a non-limiting
example. As illustrated, each chip 1010, 1020, 1030 may include a
fan-out cable assembly 1040. Fan-out cable assemblies 1040 are
optical fiber cables containing several simplex optical fibers,
packaged together within a larger cable. Each fan-out cable
assembly 1040 comprises multiple duplex ferrule connectors 140. The
various duplex ferrule connectors 140 may be distributed throughout
the system. Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein enable
optical fibers from different chips 1010, 1020, 1030 to be combined
within a carrier (e.g., SFC 130 illustrated in FIG. 10). SFC 130
may be connected into one side of ROF carrier adapter 110, with
each duplex ferrule connector 140 being aligned with a pair of
ferrule mating sleeves 604 disposed within adapter mid-wall 612.
For the orthogonal configuration illustrated in FIG. 10, a
plurality of PFCs 120 may be inserted into the other side of ROF
carrier adapter 110. PFCs 120 may be connected to additional chips
(not shown in FIG. 10). Plurality of SFCs 130 on one side of an
adapter 110 mating to plurality of PFCs 120 on the other side of
the adapter 110 results in all-to-all connectivity among the chips.
In other words, plurality of PFCs orthogonally mating to plurality
of SFCs within an ROF carrier adapter 110 results in a perfect
shuffle. The end result of all-to-all connections is like a
traditional fiber shuffle assembly.
[0076] Unlike traditional approaches, the example implementation
1000 is not fixed, as it would be with current fiber shuffles. As
discussed above, fiber shuffles are designed and built specifically
for a given architecture, therefore requiring redesign when a
change is desired. However, using the embodiments of the present
disclosure allow for much easier reconfiguration. As opposed to
being fixed, the plurality of PFCs 120 may be changed by assembling
different sets of duplex ferrule connectors 140, and the plurality
of SFCs 120 may be changed by assembling another different sets of
duplex ferrule connectors 140, providing different PFC-SFC
configuration without the need for building new, expensive, and
bulky fiber shuffles. Moreover, the higher density of connections,
compared to traditional fiber shuffles, enable by ROF carrier
adapter 110 within the system reduces the number of stages through
which optical signals need be routed.
[0077] FIG. 11 illustrated an example method 1100 in accordance
with embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1100 illustrates
an example for reconfiguring a plurality of ferrule carriers from
one configuration to another to change the orientation of an ROF
carrier mating system, like the ROF carrier adapter 110 and/or the
blind-mate connector system comprising ROF blind-mate receptacle
802 and ROF blind-mate plug 804, discussed above with respect to
FIGS. 1-10. Method 1100 is provided for illustrative purposes only
and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the subject
matter to only the illustrated method.
[0078] At operation 1110, a plurality of ferrule carriers in a
first slot position are removed from a ferrule carrier receptacle.
In various embodiments, the plurality of ferrule carriers may be a
PFC 120 or an SFC 130. The first slot position within the ferrule
carrier may be a horizontal orientation, like horizontal
orientation 606b discussed above with respect to FIG. 6A, while in
other embodiments the first slot position may be a vertical
orientation such as vertical orientation 606a discussed with
respect to FIG. 6A. In various embodiments, the ferrule carrier
receptacle may be one of the two sides of an ROF carrier adapter,
such as ROF carrier adapter 110. In other embodiments, the ferrule
carrier receptacle may be part of an ROF blind-mate receptacle
(e.g., ROF blind-mate receptacle 802) or an ROF blind-mate plug
(e.g., ROF blind-mate plug 804).
[0079] At operation 1120, each of the removed ferrule carriers are
opened. In various embodiments, the ferrule carriers may be similar
to the ferrule carriers PFC 120 and SFC 130 discussed above with
respect to FIGS. 1-5. At operation 1130, each of the plurality of
duplex ferrule connectors of each removed ferrule carrier is
rotated from its original orientation (i.e., a first orientation)
to a new orientation (i.e., a second orientation). In various
embodiments, the rotation of duplex ferrule carriers may be done in
a manner similar to that discussed with respect to FIGS. 2A-2D,
3A-3B, and 4. In this way, the nature of the ferrule carrier (i.e.,
its configuration as either an SFC or a PFC) may be changed without
the need to dissemble the duplex ferrule connectors. In various
embodiments, the first orientation may be associated with a
parallel configuration (i.e., when inserted, the duplex ferrule
connectors result in a PFC), and the second orientation may be
associated with a serial configuration (i.e., when inserted, the
duplex ferrule connectors result in an SFC). In other embodiments,
the first orientation may be associated with a serial
configuration, and the second orientation may be associated with a
parallel configuration.
[0080] At operation 1140, each of the newly-configured ferrule
carriers are closed, and at operation 1150 the plurality of
newly-configured ferrule carriers are inserted into a second slot
position in the ferrule carrier receptacle. In various embodiments,
the second slot position may be similar to the vertical orientation
606a or the horizontal orientation 606b discussed with respect to
FIG. 6A.
[0081] Implementations of method 1100 enables easier
reconfiguration of an optical interconnect without the need for an
expensive and time consuming redesign of the duplex ferrule
connectors, of any necessary optical fiber shuffles, or both.
Rather, if an interconnect needs to be changed from providing
all-to-all connectivity (i.e., SFC-PFC configuration) to providing
some-to-some connectivity (e.g., PFC-PFC inline configuration), a
data center administrator need only remove the ferrule carriers and
rotate the duplex ferrule connectors within 90.degree..
[0082] As discussed above, example method 1100 is applicable for
reconfiguring both intra- and inter-system optical interconnects. A
person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that other
method operations may be performed to implement the different
configuration aspects discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1-10.
As a non-limiting example, a person of ordinary skill in the art
would know that the rotational keying discussed with respect to
FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 9 may include an operation to identify a
rotational position of ROF blind-mate receptacle and/or ROF
blind-mate plug.
[0083] In common usage, the term "or" should always be construed in
the inclusive sense unless the exclusive sense is specifically
indicated or logically necessary. The exclusive sense of "or" is
specifically indicated when, for example, the term "or" is paired
with the term "either," as in "either A or B." As another example,
the exclusive sense may also be specifically indicated by appending
"exclusive" or "but not both" after the list of items, as in "A or
B, exclusively" and "A and B, but not both." Moreover, the
description of resources, operations, or structures in the singular
shall not be read to exclude the plural. Conditional language, such
as, among others, "can," "could," "might," or "may," unless
specifically stated otherwise, or otherwise understood within the
context as used, is generally intended to convey that certain
embodiments include, while other embodiments do not include,
certain features, elements and/or steps.
[0084] Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations
thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as
open ended as opposed to limiting. Adjectives such as
"conventional," "traditional," "normal," "standard," "known," and
terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the
item described to a given time period or to an item available as of
a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional,
traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available
or known now or at any time in the future. The presence of
broadening words and phrases such as "one or more," "at least,"
"but not limited to" or other like phrases in some instances shall
not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required
in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent.
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