Optical fibre terminations and connectors
AssigneeInternational Standard Electric Corporation
InventorMartin Chown
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A termination for an optical fibre is formed with an integral lens for producing an expanded parallel light beam. A pair of terminations provide an optical coupler for connecting between a corresponding pair of optical fibres.
Claims11
A graded index expanded beam optical fibre termination, including a socket having a blind hole for accepting the end of an optical fibre, which hole is aligned with the axis of a radially graded index collimating lens whose length is equal to an odd integral number of quarters of the characteristic sinusoidal wavelength of the lens, wherein said socket is formed by collapsing a sleeve of a radially graded index material about the end of a fibre to be terminated, the radially graded index material beyond the end of the fibre end forming the lens.
A graded index expanded beam optical fibre termination, including a socket having a blind hole for accepting the end of an optical fibre, which hole is aligned with the axis of a radially graded index collimating lens whose length is equal to an odd integral number of quarters of the characteristic sinusoidal wavelength of the lens, wherein said socket is formed by collapsing a sleeve of a radially graded index material about a stub of an optical fibre in such manner that the blind hole is left at one end of the stub and axially aligned therewith, and wherein the material of the sleeve at the other end of the stub forms the lens.
A graded index expanded beam optical fibre termination, including a socket having a blind hole for accepting the end of an optical fibre, which hole is aligned with the axis of a radially graded index collimating lens whose length is equal to an odd integral number of quarters of the characteristics sinusoidal wavelength of the lens, wherein said lens is a stub of a radially graded index material where length is equal to an odd integral number of said quarter-wavelength about which there is collapsed a sleeve of a suitable glass, such that a socket is left at one end of the sleeve, which socket is axially aligned with the stub, and wherein the opposite end face of the stub and the associated end of the sleeve are co-planar.
An optical fibre termination comprising:
- a cylindrical body member having a spherical lens formed integral and coaxial therewith, said lens being cleaved by a semi-reflection plane to provide a beam-splitting effect;
- a guide taper coaxial within said body member and terminating in a central bore, whereby light emitted from said fibre end is refracted into a parallel beam upon transmission through said lens.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.