Optical fiber guide structure and optical fiber connecting structure
AssigneeNippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
InventorsKota Shikama, Atsushi Aratake
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical fiber guide structure includes a guide member that is configured to be erected on a connection end surface of an optical waveguide device and forms a space for accommodating a leading end portion of an optical fiber to be connected to the optical waveguide device. The guide member is formed of an elastically deformable material, and in a specific region a longitudinal direction of the guide member, and a diameter of an inscribed circle in contact with an inner wall of the guide member in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is smaller than an outer diameter of the optical fiber.
Claims9
An optical fiber guide structure comprising:
- a guide member configured to provide a space for accommodating a leading end portion of an optical fiber to be connected to a connection end surface of an optical waveguide device,
- wherein the guide member comprises an elastically deformable material,
- wherein a side surface of the elastically deformable material of the guide member is in direct physical contact with the connection end surface of the optical waveguide device, and
- wherein in a first region along a longitudinal direction of the guide member, a diameter of an inscribed circle in contact with an inner wall of the guide member in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is smaller than an outer diameter of the optical fiber,
- wherein the guide member is constituted by N support members, wherein N is an integer equal to or greater than three, wherein each of the N support members includes:
- a beam having a first end connected to another one of the N support members;
- and
- a plate spring extending along a longitudinal direction from a second end of the beam, and
- wherein a respective plate spring of each of the N support members is configured such that a diameter of an inscribed circle in contact with the respective plate spring in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is smaller than the outer diameter of the optical fiber in at least a second region along the longitudinal direction.
An optical fiber connection structure comprising:
- a reinforcement member at a connection end surface of an optical waveguide device and disposed over a first surface of the optical waveguide device;
- and
- an optical fiber guide structure disposed on a surface formed by the connection end surface of the optical waveguide device and a side surface of the reinforcement member, wherein the optical fiber guide structure comprises a guide member configured to provide a space for accommodating a leading end portion of an optical fiber to be connected to the connection end surface of the optical waveguide device,
- wherein the guide member comprises an elastically deformable material,
- wherein a side surface of the elastically deformable material of the guide member is in direct physical contact with the connection end surface of the optical waveguide device and in direct physical contact with the side surface of the reinforcement member, and
- wherein in a first region along a longitudinal direction of the guide member, a diameter of an inscribed circle in contact with an inner wall of the guide member in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is smaller than an outer diameter of the optical fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.