Fiber optic connector with micro-alignable sensing fiber and associated fabrication method
US6280100A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 30, 1998 |
| Grant date | Aug 28, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 30, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02B6/4225
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A fiber optic connector and an associated fabrication method where the connector has a connector housing having a base side, a and pair of sidewalls upstanding from the base side that are spaced apart in relation to each other, and each of the housing sidewalls define at least one aperture through which optical signals can be transmitted into and out of the housing by an input optical fiber and an output optical fiber, respectively, located in fixed positions outside the housing, a pair of optical lens elements are contained within the housing which collimate optical signals transmitted via the respective optical fibers, and a micro-alignable sensing fiber is arranged between the lens elements. The sensing fiber is precisely aligned with respective lens elements within submicron tolerances using internally-housed micro-aligners. As a result, the fiber optic connector of the present invention can provide efficient coupling between optical fibers, such as optical fibers in two spliced composite parts.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.