2-TO-1 OPTICAL COUPLER THAT UTILIZES D-SHAPED PLASTIC OPTICAL FIBERS (POFs), A BI-DIRECTIONAL OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS LINK THAT EMPLOYS THE 2-TO-1 POF OPTICAL COUPLER, AND A METHOD

An optical communications link comprising:

• a main plastic optical fiber (POF), the main POF having a generally circularly-shaped cross-section, the main POF having first and second end faces;
• and
• a POF 2-to-1 optical coupler comprising:
• a first D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face;
• a second D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face;
• and
• a coupler end face interfaced with the first end face of the main POF, the coupler end face comprising the second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, wherein the second end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs are bonded together to form the coupler such that the coupler end face has a generally circularly-shaped cross section, and wherein the coupler end face has a cross-sectional area that is approximately equal to a cross-sectional area of the first end face of the main POF.

A method for bi-directionally communicating optical signals over an optical communications link, the method comprising:

• providing a main plastic optical fiber (POF), the main POF having a generally circularly-shaped cross-section, the main POF having first and second end faces;
• and
• providing a POF 2-to-1 optical coupler comprising:
• a first D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face;
• a second D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face;
• and
• a coupler end face configured to interface with the first end face of the main POF, the coupler end face comprising the second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, wherein the second end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs are bonded together to form the coupler such that the coupler end face has a generally circularly-shaped cross section;
• interfacing the coupler end face with the first end face of the main POF, wherein the coupler end face has a cross-sectional area that is approximately equal to a cross-sectional area of the first end face of the main POF;
• and
• transmitting and receiving optical signals over the main POF and the POF 2-to-1 optical coupler.