Fiber coupling device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10955618-B2
Application number	US-201916426699-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 30, 2019
Priority date	Dec 12, 2016
Publication date	Mar 23, 2021
Grant date	Mar 23, 2021

Abstract

A fiber coupling device ( 100 ) includes the following components: a wedge plate ( 102 ) for receiving light and refracting the light in a predetermined direction, a condenser lens ( 104 ) for collecting the light refracted by the wedge plate ( 102 ); and an optical fiber ( 107 ) having an incident surface for receiving the light collected by the condenser lens ( 104 ). The wedge plate ( 102 ) is held rotatable around the optical axis ( 200 ) of the light incident on the wedge plate ( 102 ). The light refracted by the wedge plate ( 102 ) and collected by the condenser lens ( 104 ) is incident on a different point on the incident surface depending on the rotation angle of the wedge plate ( 102 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fiber coupling device comprising:
a wedge plate configured to receive light and to refract the light in a predetermined direction;
a condenser lens configured to collect the light refracted by the wedge plate;
a holding unit that fixes the condenser lens; and
an optical fiber having an incident surface configured to receive the light collected by the condenser lens, wherein
the wedge plate is rotatable relative to the condenser lens and the holding unit, and around an optical axis of the light incident on the wedge plate, and
the light refracted by the wedge plate and collected by the condenser lens is incident on an incident point on the incident surface, the incident point continuously changing depending on a rotation angle of the wedge plate.

2. The fiber coupling device according to claim 1 , wherein
the optical fiber comprises:
a core including a center of the incident surface;
a first clad outside the core; and
a second clad outside the first clad, and

the rotation angle of the wedge plate is adjustable such that the light is incident on at least one of the core and the first clad.

3. The fiber coupling device according to claim 2 , wherein when the wedge plate is at a first rotation angle, the light refracted by the wedge plate passes through a center of the condenser lens and the center of the incident surface of the optical fiber.

4. The fiber coupling device according to claim 3 , wherein when the wedge plate is at a second rotation angle different from the first rotation angle, the light refracted by the wedge plate and collected by the condenser lens is incident on the first clad only.

5. The fiber coupling device according to claim 1 , further comprising a rotary drive unit configured to rotate the wedge plate around the optical axis of the light incident on the wedge plate.

6. The fiber coupling device according to claim 1 , further comprising a receptacle that holds the optical fiber such that the wedge plate is rotatable relative to the incident surface of the optical fiber.

7. The fiber coupling device according to claim 1 , wherein
the wedge plate has:
an incident surface configured to receive the light; and
an emission surface that is inclined with respect to the incident surface of the wedge plate and is configured to refract the received light.

8. The fiber coupling device according to claim 7 , wherein an angle between the incident surface of the wedge plate and the emission surface is not 90 degrees.

9. The fiber coupling device according to claim 7 , wherein an angle between the incident surface of the wedge plate and the emission surface is 2 degrees.

10. A system comprising:
the fiber coupling device according to claim 1 ; and
a laser output device configured to emit collimated light to the wedge plate.

11. A system comprising:
the fiber coupling device according to claim 7 ; and
a laser output device configured to emit collimated light onto the incident surface of the wedge plate.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Nishio Masatoshi
• Nishimura Hitoshi
• Wang Jingbo
• Ryudo Makoto
• Nagayasu Doukei
• Yamaguchi Hideaki
• Takenaka Yoshiaki
• Eizumi Kiyotaka
• Ishikawa Ryo
• Mukai Yasushi

Classifications

• G02B27/0994 Primary

  Fibers, light pipes (optical fibers per se G02B6/02) · CPC title

• G02B6/03633

  arranged - - · CPC title

• G02B6/4206

  Optical features (G02B6/4207, G02B6/421 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02B27/0927

  Systems for changing the beam intensity distribution, e.g. Gaussian to top-hat · CPC title

• G02B6/4296

  coupling with sources of high radiant energy, e.g. high power lasers, high temperature light sources · CPC title