Patent · US Expired

Injection molded star-couplers and methods of making same

US5109448A · kind A · utility

8Cited by
9References
22Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 23, 1991
Grant dateApr 28, 1992
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 23, 2011

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02B6/2804
  • WIPO fieldOther special machines
  • WIPO sectorMechanical engineering

Abstract

A star-coupler and a method for constructing the star-coupler employing injection molding technology are disclosed. The star-coupler may be constructed from a single injection molded block or a plurality of mating sections, and is supplied with a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports. Each input port as well as each output port is connected to at least one channel. The channels are filled with a fiber optical core material and the single block or mating sections are fabricated from fiber optical core material. Alternatively, a separate cladding material may be coated on the surfaces of the block or mating sections which define the channels. Optical signals are guided and confined by the core and cladding material from input ports to output ports along the channels.

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