Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090285535 | OPTICAL INTERFACE - An optical interface for interfacing a first optical component and a second optical component, said optical interface comprising an optical clear material having at least the following features: (a) a first lens for interfacing with said first optical component; (b) a second lens for interfacing with said second optical component; (c) a reflective surface optically coupling said first and second lenses; and (d) wherein at least said first lens is eccentric, said second lens is eccentric, or said reflective surface is curved. | 11-19-2009 |
20110228259 | OPTICAL FIBER ALIGNMENT MEASUREMENT METHOD AND APPARATUS - A measurement system comprising an analog position sensitive device is provided that can measure the XY position of a plurality of light beams at very high resolution. In accordance with one exemplary associated method, a connector bearing one or more optical fibers is fixedly positioned before a position sensing detector so that light emanating from the ends of the optical fibers will strike the position sensing detector. A light beam is passed through at least one opening in the connector, such as a guide pin hole onto the detecting surface of the PSD to establish the position of the connector. Next, each optical fiber in the connector is individually illuminated sequentially so that the light emanating from the fiber falls on the position sensing detector. The locations of all of these light beams striking the PSD are compared to position of the light beam passed through the guide pins and/or to each other to determine if all the fibers are in the correct positions relative to the connector. In addition, it is possible to simultaneously measure the magnitude of the light emanating from each fiber in order to measure the quality of the light transmission through the connector/cable assembly. | 09-22-2011 |
20120014648 | FERRULE FOR OPTICAL TRANSPORTS - The invention pertains to a ferrule for aligning optical transports within an optical connector for coupling to a mating optical connector for purposes of aligning the optical transports in the first connector with optical transports in the mating connector. The ferrule comprises a main body portion defining a longitudinal cavity running between a front face and the rear face of the main ferrule body. The cavity has an opening to a lateral side of the ferrule main body that permits the installation of optical transports into the cavity from a lateral direction (as well as still permitting longitudinal installation, if desired). A cover may be provided for closing off the lateral opening after the optical transports are installed in the cavity. | 01-19-2012 |
20120014649 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING OPTICAL TRANSPORTS IN A FERRULE - Methods and apparatus for aligning optical transports, such as waveguides and optical fibers, in a ferrule of an optical connector. The ferrule has an open side through which optical transports may be inserted into a transport cavity in the ferrule from a direction transverse the longitudinal direction of the optical transports and ferrule. To assemble the optical transports in the ferrule, the ferrule is positioned with its front face abutting and aligned with a jig that has an opening substantially identical to the ferrule cavity. The jig has grooves in a bottom surface of the cavity into which the optical transports will be inserted for transversely aligning the optical transports. The optical transports are then dropped into the aligned cavities of the ferrule and jig through the open sides of the ferrule and jig so that the front ends of the optical transports sit at least partially in the V-shaped grooves of the jig, thereby aligning the transports in the transverse dimension. A press cures adhesive in the cavity to cure the adhesive and fix the transports in the ferrule. The optical transports are then cleaved or otherwise cut flush with the front face of the ferrule. The process is repeated for each row of optical transports with the height of the bottom of the cavity in the jig adjusted for each subsequent row by an amount equal to the thickness of a row of the optical transports. | 01-19-2012 |
20120014650 | Apparatus and Method for Aligning Optical Transports in a Ferrule - Method and apparatus for aligning optical transports in a ferrule. The ferrule has an open side through which optical transports may be laterally placed in a transport cavity. The transports are aligned in the ferrule by mounting the ferrule on a jig having grooves into which the ends of the optical transports are inserted for transversely aligning the fibers in the ferrule. A row of transports is placed in the ferrule cavity with the front ends of the transports extending past the ferrule and into the grooves of the jig, thereby laterally aligning the transports with the grooves. The fibers are affixed to the ferrule. The ferrule can then be removed from the jig and the front ends of the transports that extended into the grooves of the jig cleaved flush with the front face of the ferrule. Additional rows of transports may be aligned in the ferrule in the same manner using different jigs. C-shaped grooves can be employed to separate the horizontal alignment from the vertical alignment. Specifically, horizontal alignment is effectuated by the opposing edges of the groove at the mouth of the C shape engaging the transports and vertical alignment is effectuated by the cladding layer of the row of transports resting on the tops of the grooves. It also is possible to create effective grooves of a smaller size than might otherwise be manufacturable in a single jig piece by, instead, fabricating two jig pieces, each with larger grooves and longitudinally aligning the two jig pieces with their respective grooves laterally offset from each other so that each jig piece effectively provides half of the groove. | 01-19-2012 |
20120141071 | OPTICAL CONNECTOR - In accordance with the invention, the end faces of polymer optical waveguides are coated with a film that is harder than the waveguides themselves, but still sufficiently compliant to fill in scratches, gouges and other non-planarities in the end faces of the waveguides. Even further, using a single continuous sheet of the film to protect the end faces of a plurality of polymer waveguides in a connector also helps make the effective mating surfaces of all of the waveguides coplanar (i.e., longitudinally coextensive). Furthermore, if the film becomes scratched, it can be stripped off and replaced without the need to replace the waveguides or the entire connector. | 06-07-2012 |
20120201499 | FERRULE WITH ALIGNMENT PIN CHANNELS - An optical ferrule comprising: (a) a body defining an end face; (b) one or more channels extending from said end face through said body, each channel adapted to receive an optical fiber; and (c) first and second alignment pin channels defined in said end face, each alignment pin channel having a center point, said center points being disposed along a first axis, said first alignment pin channel having a first cross section essentially the same as that of an alignment pin and being adapted to receive said alignment pin, said second alignment pin channel having a second cross section elongated along said first axis. | 08-09-2012 |
20150212267 | Optical Assembly - An optical assembly comprising: (a) a substrate having a first planar surface; (b) an optical component connected to the substrate and having a second planar surface parallel to the first surface and at least one first optical axis; (c) a plurality of optical fiber stubs having a certain diameter and being disposed at least partially between the substrate and the optical component; (d) at least one of the substrate or the optical component having one or more grooves on the first or second surfaces, respectively, such that each groove is configured to receive one of the plurality of fiber stubs such that each of the fiber stubs protrudes a first distance from the first or second surface to space the first surface the first distance from the second surface; and (e) a least one optical conduit having a second optical axis, the optical conduit being disposed on the first or second surface such that the second optical axis is optically aligned with the first optical axis. | 07-30-2015 |