Optical adaptor for mounting to a receptacle to optically couple connectorized optical cables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10025038-B2
Application number	US-201715666661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 2, 2017
Priority date	Feb 5, 2015
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

An optical adaptor for mounting to a receptacle to optically couple connectorized optical cables comprises an assembly of an optical extension comprising an optical lens to provide an optical bridging path between a first and a second one of the connectorized optical cables to optically couple the first and the second connectorized optical cable. The assembly of the optical extension has a first side to optically couple the first connectorized optical cable to the optical lens and a second side to optically couple the second connectorized optical cable to the optical lens. A mounting element is configured to receive the assembly of the optical extension and to mount the optical adaptor to the receptacle.

First claim

We claim:

1. An optical adaptor for mounting to a receptacle to optically couple connectorized optical cables, the optical adaptor comprising:
an assembly of an optical extension comprising:
an optical lens to provide an optical bridging path between a first and a second one of the connectorized optical cables to optically couple the first and the second connectorized optical cable, wherein the assembly of the optical extension has a first side to optically couple the first connectorized optical cable to the optical lens and a second side to optically couple the second connectorized optical cable to the optical lens; and
a connector interface having a first hollow area to receive a middle portion of the lens, wherein:
the lens is arranged in the first hollow area of the connector interface such that a first end portion of the lens protrudes at a first side of the connector interface from the first hollow area of the connector interface; and
the connector interface has a second hollow area to receive a second end portion of the lens, the second hollow area having a larger diameter than the first hollow area;

a mounting element to mount the assembly of the optical extension to the receptacle; and
wherein the mounting element is configured to receive the assembly of the optical extension and to mechanically couple the first connectorized optical cable to the mounting element so that the first connectorized optical cable is optically coupled to the first side of the assembly of the optical extension.

2. The optical adaptor of claim 1 , wherein the lens of the assembly of the optical extension is configured as a gradient index lens.

3. The optical adaptor of claim 2 , wherein the lens has a length of an integral multiple of a pitch of 0.5 of the lens.

4. The optical adaptor of claim 1 , wherein the lens has a first end face being configured to be optically coupled to a ferrule of the first connectorized optical cable and a second end face being configured to be optically coupled to a ferrule of the second connectorized optical cable, each of the first and the second end face being slanted by an angle between 8° and 9° in relation to a longitudinal axis of the lens.

5. The optical adaptor of claim 1 ,
wherein the connector interface comprises at least one alignment element to direct the insertion of the connector interface to the receptacle, and
wherein the at least one alignment element of the connector interface is configured to inhibit any excess rotation of the connector interface in the receptacle.

6. The optical adaptor of claim 1 ,
wherein the assembly of the optical extension further comprises a sleeve and a sleeve holder to hold the sleeve,
wherein the sleeve is configured to receive the first end portion of the lens, and
wherein the sleeve holder is arranged at the first side of the connector interface.

7. The optical adaptor of claim 1 , further comprising:
a ferrule encapsulating the lens,
wherein at least a portion of the ferrule is arranged in the first hollow area of the connector interface.

8. The optical adaptor of claim 1 ,
wherein the mounting element is formed as a hollow body having a first side with an opening to receive the first connectorized optical cable in the hollow body and having a second side with an opening to receive the assembly of the optical extension,
wherein the connector interface has a shoulder, and
wherein the connector interface and the mounting element are configured so that the assembly of the optical extension is insertable in the opening of the hollow body at the second side of the mounting element until the shoulder impacts to the mounting element at the second side of the mounting element.

9. The optical adaptor of claim 8 ,
wherein a section of an outer surface of the mounting element is formed as a shoulder located between the first side and the second side of the mounting element,
wherein the outer surface of the mounting element is formed as a thread located between the second side of the mounting element and the shoulder of the mounting element,
wherein the thread is configured to screw the mounting element into the receptacle such that the first side of the mounting element protrudes from the receptacle.

10. The optical adaptor of claim 1 ,
wherein the mounting element comprises a securing member positioned on an outer surface of the mounting element to mount the first connectorized optical cable to the mounting element.

11. An optical assembly to optically couple connectorized optical cables, comprising:
an optical adaptor for mounting to a receptacle to optically couple a first connectorized optical cable being terminated by a first optical connector and a second connectorized optical cable being terminated by a second optical connector of claim 1 ,
the receptacle to receive the optical adaptor,
wherein the optical adaptor is configured to be mountable to the receptacle.

12. The optical assembly of claim 11 ,
wherein the receptacle comprises a coupling element being configured to mechanically couple the second optical connector to the receptacle and to optically couple the second connectorized optical cable to the assembly of the optical extension of the optical adaptor,
wherein the receptacle comprises a fixture formed as a hollow body to receive the coupling element of the receptacle,
wherein the receptacle comprises at least one spring element being configured to push the coupling element of the receptacle to the connector interface of the optical adaptor so that a front portion of the coupling element is inserted in the second hollow area of the connector interface and a ferrule of the second optical connector is optically coupled to the second end portion of the lens.

13. The optical assembly of claim 12 ,
wherein the receptacle comprises a fixation adaptor being configured to be fixable to the fixture of the receptacle,
wherein the mounting element of the optical adaptor is mountable to the fixation adaptor.

14. The optical assembly of claim 13 ,
wherein the fixation adaptor is formed as a hollow tube comprising an inner thread,
wherein a thread on the outer surface of the mounting element of the optical adaptor and the inner thread of the fixation adaptor are configured to screw the mounting element to the fixation adaptor.

Assignees

• Corning Optical Communications LLC

Inventors

• Mueller-Schlomka Gordon
• Wimmer Michael

Classifications

• G02B6/3894

  Screw-lock type · CPC title

• G02B6/3831

  comprising a keying element on the plug or adapter, e.g. to forbid wrong connection (keying element on the ferrule G02B6/3851; keying element for electrical coupling H01R13/64) · CPC title

• G02B6/3893

  Push-pull type, e.g. snap-in, push-on · CPC title

• G02B6/3869

  Mounting ferrules to connector body, i.e. plugs · CPC title

• G02B6/3825 Primary

  with an intermediate part, e.g. adapter, receptacle, linking two plugs · CPC title