US 8,009,959 B2Granted

Optical interconnection methods for high-speed data-rate optical transport systems

AssigneeCorning Cable Systems LLC

InventorsRay S. Barnes, John D. Coleman, Alan W. Ugolini

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Abstract

Optical interconnection methods for high-speed data-rate optical transport systems are disclosed that optically interconnect active assemblies to a fiber optic cable in a polarization-preserving manner. The methods include defining active-assembly-wise connector ports that connect to active assembly transmit and receive ports, and defining or establishing a pairings method between the active-assembly-wise connector ports. In a first optical interconnection assembly, an active-assembly-wise port is optically connected to a cable-wise port. In the second optical interconnection assembly, the cable-wise port that corresponds to the connected cable-wise port in the first optical interconnection assembly is optically connected to a select active-assembly-wise port as defined by the pairings method. The optical connection process is then repeated from the second to the first optical interconnection assembly. The optical interconnection acts are repeated until all of the active-assembly-wise ports are connected.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of configuring first and second optical interconnection assemblies for connecting, in a polarity-preserving manner, first or second multi-fiber active assemblies to a fiber optic cable in a high-speed data-rate optical transport system, the method comprising:

a) defining active-assembly-wise and cable-wise connector ports for the first and second assemblies, wherein the first and second cable-wise ports correspond via the fiber optic cable;
b) determining or establishing a pairing method between the active-assembly-wise ports of the first and second assemblies based on preserving polarity between corresponding transmit ports {0T, 01T, . . . 23T} and receive ports {0R, 01R, . . . 23R} of the first and second assemblies, wherein the pairing method comprises:
determining a group of two or more transmit ports and a group of two or more receive ports for the active-assembly-wise ports,
determining a group of two or more transmit ports and a group of two or more receive ports for the cable-wise-connector ports, and
determining whether a group of active assembly-wise ports is directly facing a group of cable-wise ports;
c) optically connecting in the first assembly one of the groups of active-assembly-wise ports to one of the groups of the cable-wise ports as a first set of connected ports, wherein the fibers in the first set are flipped if the group of active-assembly-wise ports in the first set are not directly facing the group of cable-wise-connector ports in the first set, and wherein the fibers in the first set are not flipped if the group of active-assembly-wise ports in the first set are directly facing the group of cable-wise-connector ports in the first set;
d) optically connecting in the second assembly one of the groups of cable-wise-connector ports to one of the groups of active-assembly-wise ports as a second set of connected ports, wherein the group of cable-wise-connector ports in the first set correspond to the group of assembly-wise ports in the second set, and wherein the fibers in the second set are flipped if the group of active-assembly-wise ports in the second set are not directly facing the group of cable-wise-connector ports in the second set, and wherein the fibers in the second set are not flipped if the group of active-assembly-wise ports in the second set are directly facing the group of cable-wise-connector ports in the second set;
e) performing acts c) and d) in the opposite direction from the second assembly to the first assembly;
and
f) repeating acts c) through e) for the remaining unconnected assembly ports.

7 more elements

A method of connecting first and second transceivers to a fiber optic cable in a high-speed data-rate optical transport system, comprising:

a) providing a first optical interconnection assembly having active-assembly-wise ports 24NPL(xL) for 1≦xL≦24 and cable-wise ports 12PAL(yAL) and 12PBL(yBL) for 1≦yAL, yBL≦12;
b) providing a second optical interconnection assembly having active-assembly-wise ports 24NPR(xR) for 1≦xR≦24 and cable-wise ports 12PAR(yAR) and 12PBR(yBR) for 1≦yAR, yBR≦12, wherein the cable-wise ports of the first and second assemblies correspond to each other via the fiber optic cable;
c) determining or establishing a pairings method between active-assembly-wise ports 24NPL(xL) and 24NPL(xR) based on preserving polarity between corresponding transmit ports {0T, 01T, . . . 23T} and receive ports {0R, 01R, . . . 23R} of the first and second transceivers;
d) forming in the first assembly a first optical connection between one of the active-assembly-wise ports 24NPL(xL) and any of the unconnected cable-wise connector ports 12PAL(yAL) or and 12PBL(yBL);
e) forming in the second assembly a second optical connection between the cable-wise port 12PAR(yAR) or 12PBR(yBR) that corresponds to the connected cable-wise port 24PL(yL) of act c) and active-assembly-wise port 24NPR(xR) as defined by the polarity preserving relationship;
f) repeating the optical connections formed in e) from active-assembly-wise port 24NPR(xR) to active-assembly-wise port 24NPL(xL);
and
g) repeating acts d) through f) for the unconnected active-assembly-wise and cable-wise ports of the first and second assemblies until all active-assembly-wise ports 24NPL(xL) and 24NPR(xR) are optically connected, thereby optically connecting four or more ports without flipping the fibers, and connecting some ports by flipping the fibers,
wherein the fiber optic cable comprises two optical fiber cable sections that carry twelve fibers each and that are each terminated at their respective ends by twelve-fiber (12f) connectors, and including supporting the cable-wise ports 12PAL(yAL) and 12PBL(yBL) with two 12f connectors and the cable-wise ports 12PAR(yAL) and 12PBR(yBL) with two 12f connectors.

6 more elements

A method of forming a fiber optic assembly for a high-speed data-rate optical transport system having active assemblies each with transmit and receive ports, comprising:

providing at least first and second multifiber connectors each having respective pluralities of first and second ports that define respective pluralities of at least first and second groups of at least two ports each, wherein the first and second multifiber connectors are capable of being disposed so that the at least first and second groups of ports are located on respective termination sides of each ferrule;
and
connecting the first and second ports with a plurality of optical fibers according to a pairings method that maintains polarity between the transmit and receive ports of the active assemblies, including optically connecting at least one of the first and second groups of ports without flipping the fibers, and including optically connecting at least one of the first and second groups of ports by flipping the fibers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/486,427Filed 17 Jun 2009
Published: US 2010/0322554 A123 Dec 2010
Granted: 30 Aug 2011
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G02B 6/0365
Having 3 layers only: arranged - - +
G02B 6/3502
Having switching means: involving direct waveguide displacement, e.g. cantilever type waveguide displacement involving waveguide bending, or…
G02B 6/3885
Connectors using guide surfaces for aligning ferrule ends, e.g. tubes, sleeves, V-grooves, rods, pins, balls: multicore or multichannel optical…
G02B 6/44528
Systems or boxes with surplus lengths: patch-cords; Connector arrangements in the system or in the box