Hollow core fiber air-gap connector

US12276840B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Panduit Corp. · US

Inventors

• Bulent Kose · Burr Ridge, US
• Jose M. Castro · Naperville, US
• Yu Huang · Yuanli, TW
• Richard J. Pimpinella · Frankfort, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Nov 7, 2022
• Grant date: Apr 15, 2025
• Expiry date: May 1, 2043

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G02B6/3833
• WIPO field: Optics
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

An air-gap HCF connector termination method and connector assembly for factory and field connector assembly termination for patch cables and trunk cables made from HCF, where in multitude of mechanisms can facilitate air-gap between the first and second HCF fiber end-faces, comprising preparing the HCF end-faces using appropriate cleaving methods including mechanical, ultrasonic and laser cleaving, such that the air-gap separation between first and second HCF's can be anywhere between 0.5-100 microns, where reflection at the connector interface is low with RL>35 dB, due to HCF propagation mode effective index matching with index of air.