Fiber optic transceiver and receptacle having a floating transmitter port

摘要

The invention provides a "floating" port assembly of a receptacle (10) of a transceiver (1). The configuration allows a transmitter port assembly 55 to float conically (e.g., angularly from side to side and up and down) relative to the axial direction of a receptacle sleeve 23 inside of the receptacle when a mechanical load placed on an optical fiber cable connected to the receptacle is transferred to the sleeve of the port assembly. The port assembly has a spring-return mechanism 45 e.g. an O-ring that biases the assembly such that it returns to its original center position when the load is removed. This floating isolates the ferrule 47 of the optical fiber cable and the sleeve of the receptacle from external loadings transmitted via the fiber optic cable. Isolating the ferrule and the sleeve from the external loading reduces the effects of these external wiggle loads on the optical performance of the transmitter of the transceiver.