Upstream fiber optic couplers and methods for power splitting passive optical networks

A fiber optic coupler comprising:

• a housing that is configured to receive a respective plurality of upstream optical signals from a respective plurality of drop optical fibers that are optically coupled to a respective plurality of optical network units in a power splitting passive optical network and to provide an aggregate upstream optical signal to a trunk optical fiber that is optically coupled to an optical line terminal in the power splitting passive optical network;
• at least one reflector and/or refractor in the housing that is oriented to reflect and/or refract at least one of the plurality of upstream optical signals from at least one of the plurality of drop optical fibers so as to produce the aggregate upstream optical signal that is provided to the trunk optical fiber;
• wherein the housing further comprises an optical filter and a power splitter;
• wherein the optical filter is optically coupled between the trunk optical fiber and the power splitter and is configured to direct a downstream optical signal from the trunk fiber to the power splitter and to direct the aggregate upstream optical signal from the at least one reflector to the trunk optical fiber;
• and wherein the power splitter is configured to split the downstream optical signal that is received from the optical filter and to direct a respective one of the split downstream optical signals to a respective one of the drop optical fibers.