Optical star coupler for plastic optical fibers
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsDennis Gary Koshinz, Eric Y. Chan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for assembling an optical coupler system. A first plurality of optical fibers is connected to a first receptacle using an alignment system to align the first plurality of optical fibers in the first receptacle. A second plurality of optical fibers is connected to a second receptacle using the alignment system to align the second plurality of optical fibers in the second receptacle. The first receptacle is connected to a star coupler. The first plurality of optical fibers is optically connected to a mixing channel in the star coupler. The second receptacle is connected to the star coupler. The second plurality of optical fibers is optically connected to the mixing channel in the star coupler.
Claims20
An optical coupler system comprising:
- a coupler housing having a first end and a second end;
- a mixing channel extending from the first end of the coupler housing to the second end of the coupler housing, wherein the mixing channel is configured to receive an input optical signal from a first optical fiber at the first end and split the input optical signal into a plurality of output optical signals at the second end;
- a first receptacle configured to be connected to the first end of the coupler housing, wherein the first receptacle has a main housing and a funneling structure, wherein the main housing of the first receptacle is configured to receive a first plurality of optical fibers in a channel in the main housing, and wherein a portion of the first plurality of optical fibers is unjacketed and the funneling structure of the first receptacle reduces a size of the channel of the first receptacle to receive the portion of the first plurality of optical fibers that is unjacketed;
- and
- a second receptacle configured to be connected to the second end of the coupler housing, wherein the second receptacle has a main housing and a funneling structure, wherein the main housing for the second receptacle is configured to receive a second plurality of optical fibers in a channel in the main housing of the second receptacle, and wherein a portion of the second plurality of optical fibers is unjacketed and the funneling structure of the second receptacle reduces a size of the channel of the second receptacle to receive the portion of the second plurality of optical fibers that is unjacketed.
An alignment system for aligning a plurality of optical fibers in a receptacle, the alignment system comprising:
- a first alignment fixture having a first plurality of holes configured to receive the plurality of optical fibers;
- and
- a second alignment fixture having a second plurality of holes configured to receive an unjacketed portion of the plurality of optical fibers, wherein the first alignment fixture is configured to be placed relative to a first end of the receptacle and comprises removable sections and the second alignment fixture is configured to be placed relative to a second end of the receptacle.
A method for assembling an optical coupler system, the method comprising:
- connecting a first plurality of optical fibers to a first receptacle using an alignment system to align the first plurality of optical fibers in the first receptacle;
- connecting a second plurality of optical fibers to a second receptacle using the alignment system to align the second plurality of optical fibers in the second receptacle;
- connecting the first receptacle to a star coupler, wherein the first plurality of optical fibers is optically connected to a mixing channel in the star coupler;
- and
- connecting the second receptacle to the star coupler, wherein the second plurality of optical fibers is optically connected to the mixing channel in the star coupler.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.