Attenuator element for use with an optical fiber adapter

摘要

An attenuator element for use within an optical fiber adapter is disclosed. The attenuator element has an elongate block-like head (22), the head having tapered side walls (29,30) and beveled surfaces (35) extending along a portion of the respective side walls and a lower planar surface thereof, a neck (38) extending from the lower surface thereof, and an attenutaor disk (41) extending from the neck. The attenuator element is constructed and arranged so that it may be inclined through an angle of from 90 DEG to 82 DEG with respect to the longitudinal axis of an alignment sleeve used to couple two optical fiber connectors together in order to accommodate the coupling of optical fiber ferrules having end faces which are aligned with one another along the longitudinal axis of the alignment sleeve (44), or where the ferrule end faces may be angled with respect to the longitudinal axis of the alignment sleeve. The attenuator element is also constructed and arranged so that it may also be selectively rotated about a longitudinal axis of the attenuator disk and between the end faces of the opposed ferrules received within the alignment sleeve.