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US 6,599,026 B1Granted
Optical fiber termination featuring ultrasonic retention of a plastic optical fiber end
AssigneesBayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, AMP Deutschland GmbH
InventorsBernhard Fahrnbauer, Patrick Weigert, Hannes Jahn Wendling, Klaus Wiese
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An optical fiber termination that includes fastening a plastic optical fiber end in a plastic contact tube, wherein the optical fiber end is introduced into the contact tube to a defined position, and the contact tube is subjected to ultrasonic energy whereby the contact tube and optical fiber end are joined together.
Claims17
A method of forming an optical fiber termination comprising the steps of:
- forming a contact tube from plastic material with an inner bore having structure and an outer surface for locating the contact tube where the inner bore is concentric to the outer surface, the contact tube being formed as two longitudinally split halves, each including a portion of the inner bore;
- positioning a plastic optical fiber end in the inner bore by seating the plastic optical fiber end in one of the split halves such that the plastic optical fiber engages the structure, fitting the other split half thereto, and joining the split halves together;
- and exposing the contact tube with the plastic optical fiber end therein to ultrasonic energy so that the structure fuses to the plastic optical fiber at defined points and the split halves and plastic optical fiber are bonded together.
An optical fiber termination comprising:
- a contact tube formed of a plastic material and having an inner bore and an outer surface for locating the contact tube, the inner bore being concentric with respect to the outside surface the contact having two half shells split longitudinally along the inner bore where each include a portion thereof, the half shells being joined together to form the tube;
- structure along the inner bore that defines fusion points;
- and
- a plastic optical fiber end positioned in the inner bore retained therein by ultrasonic welding that fuses the inner bore to the optical fiber.
1 more element
A plastic optical fiber termination comprising:
- a plastic contact tube having a fiber receiving inner bore dimensioned smaller than a plastic optical fiber end, the tube being formed of two half shells;
- and,
- the plastic optical fiber end positioned in the inner bore such that the plastic optical fiber end is clamped between the two shells and bonded thereto by ultrasonic welding.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.