Expanded beam connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11467351-B2
Application number	US-202017124654-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 17, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2019
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

An expanded beam connector has a MOST ferrule; a fiber to be retained within the MOST ferrule; and, a collimating lens abutting the fiber for expanding the optical beam of the fiber wherein the lens and fiber are in alignment to a common optic axis. In one embodiment, the collimating lens can have a conical cutout configured to aid in aligning the fiber to the common optic axis. In another embodiment, the collimating lens can have a semi-cylindrical tab protruding from the rear with a V-groove configured to interact with a flexible feature on the interior of the ferrule to align the fiber to the common optic axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An expanded beam connector comprising:
a MOST ferrule, the MOST ferrule having an interior channel;
a fiber to be partially retained within the interior channel of the MOST ferrule; and
a collimating lens at least partially retained within the interior channel of the MOST ferrule and abutting the fiber for expanding the optical beam of the fiber wherein the lens and fiber are in alignment to a common optic axis, further wherein the collimating lens has a semi-cylindrical tab protruding from the rear with a v-groove configured to interact with a flexible feature extending from an interior of the interior channel of the ferrule to align the fiber to the common optic axis.

2. The expanded beam connector of claim 1 wherein the collimating lens has a conical cutout configured to aid in aligning the fiber to the common optic axis.

Assignees

• Panduit Corp

Inventors

• Pimpinella Richard J
• Graczyk Frank J
• Chitti Babu Surendra

Classifications

• G02B6/02033

  Core or cladding made from organic material, e.g. polymeric material (G02B1/04 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/322

  and having centering means being part of the lens for the self-positioning of the lightguide at the focal point, e.g. holes, wells, indents, nibs · CPC title

• G02B6/32

  having lens focusing means {positioned between opposed fibre ends (with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262)} · CPC title

• G02B6/3853 Primary

  Lens inside the ferrule (lensed connectors G02B6/32) · CPC title

• G02B6/3825

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