Anti-snag latch assembly for a connector

摘要

A connector (10) terminates an optical cable (30) and includes a cylindrical ferrule (140) installed in a plastic base member (150) to form a fiber-holding structure. This structure includes a small passageway along its central axis for holding an optical fiber, and is mounted within a housing (110) that includes a cable-entrance end for receiving the optical cable and a plug end for insertion into a jack receptacle (40). The housing includes a cantilever latch (120) that is mounted on a side surface of the housing and is used to secure the connector to the receptacle. The fixed end (125) of the cantilever latch is positioned toward the plug end of the connector, and the free end (124) of the cantilever latch extends toward the cable-entrance end of the connector. The housing further includes a cantilever trigger (130) which slidably engages the latch to move it downward and thereby release the connector from the receptacle. The fixed end (135) of the trigger is positioned toward the cable-entrance end of the connector and the free end (134) of the cantilever trigger extends toward the plug end of the connector. The trigger forms an acute angle ( beta ) with the central axis (101) of the housing that points in a direction away from the plug end of the connector toward the cable-entrance end so that when the cable is pulled backward through a concentrated area of cables and wires, the trigger prevents the latch from snagging. The novel anti-snagging feature is also incorporated into an RJ-type electrical connector (800).