Patent · US Expired

Fiber optic coupling device and method of constructing such a device

US4730887A · kind A · utility

3Cited by
1References
8Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJan 21, 1986
Grant dateMar 15, 1988
Priority date
Expiry dateJan 21, 2006

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S359/90
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A fiber optic coupler for coupling 2.sup.n inputs and one output, n being an integer, comprising: two halves of a solid part formed with 2.sup.n -1 identical convex grooves parallel to a midplane and to a fractioning plane along which the part was separated into two halves. A plurality of optical fiber lengths are located each in one of the grooves, the halves and fibers are cut along a plane transverse to the midplane and fractioning plane at a depth selected for eliminating half of the cross-section of the fibers in the midplane. An auxiliary part formed with 2.sup.n -1 grooves having the same distribution as the 2.sup.n -1 grooves in the halves is retained in abutment against the halves, end portions of the fiber lengths being located in the grooves for optical coupling each with the end surfaces of two lengths, whereby 2.sup.n -1 elementary 2-to-1 elementary couplings are achieved.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.