Lens, lens and optical fiber assembly, and optical communication system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12339499-B2
Application number	US-202318127842-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 29, 2023
Priority date	May 11, 2022
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

A lens including a lens body and a support. The lens body includes at least one lens portion and at least one holding hole for holding at least one optical fiber. A central axis of the or each holding hole is positioned on a phantom line extending through an optical axis of the or a corresponding lens portion. The support includes a support body fixed to the lens body. With a first portion of the or each optical fiber securely received in the or a corresponding holding hole, a bottom face of the or each holding hole abuts an end face of the first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber, a peripheral face of the or each holding hole partly abuts an outer peripheral face of the first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber, and the support body supports a second portion of the or each optical fiber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lens comprising:
a lens body including at least one lens portion and at least one holding hole for holding at least one optical fiber; and
a support, wherein
the or each lens portion is provided in the lens body so as to be positioned on one side in a first direction relative to the or a corresponding holding hole,
the or each holding hole is provided in the lens body, is a blind hole of cylindrical shape extending in the first direction and opening out to the other side in the first direction, and includes a bottom face on the one side in the first direction and a peripheral face of tubular shape with a circular section extending from the bottom face to the other side in the first direction,
a central axis of the or each holding hole is positioned on a phantom line extending in the first direction through an optical axis of the or a corresponding lens portion,
the or each holding hole has a cross-sectional diameter along second and third directions that is substantially equal to a cross-sectional outer diameter along the second and third directions of a first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber, wherein the first portion is a distal portion on the one side in the first direction of the or each optical fiber, the first direction is an axial direction of the central axis of the at least one holding hole, the second direction is substantially orthogonal to the first direction, and the third direction is substantially orthogonal to the first and second directions, the support includes a support body fixed to the lens body, positioned on the other side in the first direction relative to the lens body, and positioned at least partly on one side in the second direction relative to the at least one holding hole of the lens body, and
with the first portion of the or each optical fiber securely received in the or a corresponding holding hole, the bottom face of the or each holding hole abuts an end face on the one side in the first direction of the first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber, the peripheral face of the or each holding hole partly abuts an outer peripheral face of the first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber, and the support body supports a second portion of the or each optical fiber from the one side in the second direction, the second portion being positioned on the other side in the first direction relative to the first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber.

2. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein
the support body is provided with at least one guide, the or each guide being configured to guide the first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber along the first direction into the or a corresponding holding hole,
the at or each guide is positioned on the other side in the first direction relative to the or a corresponding holding hole, and
with the first portion of the or each optical fiber securely received in the or a corresponding holding hole, the or each guide of the support body supports the second portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber from the one side in the second direction and guides the second portion in the third direction.

3. The lens according to claim 2 , wherein the or each guide is a long groove extending in the first direction, and opens out to the other side in the second direction and to the other side in the first direction.

4. The lens according to claim 2 , wherein a dimension in the first direction of the or each guide and a dimension in the first direction of the support body are larger than a dimension in the first direction of the or a corresponding holding hole.

5. The lens according to claim 3 , wherein a dimension in the first direction of the or each guide and a dimension in the first direction of the support body are larger than a dimension in the first direction of the or a corresponding holding hole.

6. The lens according to claim 2 , wherein
the or each holding hole includes:
a hole body including the bottom face and the peripheral face of the or each holding hole, and
a guide hole of a truncated-cone shape extending from the hole body to the other side in the first direction,

the hole body of the or each holding hole has a cross-sectional outer diameter along the second and third directions that is substantially equal to a cross-sectional outer diameter along the second and third direction of the first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber, and
the guide hole of the or each holding hole has a cross-sectional outer diameter along the second and third directions that gradually decreases in moving to the one side in the first direction.

7. The lens according to claim 3 , wherein
the or each holding hole includes:
a hole body including the bottom face and the peripheral face of the or each holding hole, and
a guide hole of a truncated-cone shape extending from the hole body to the other side in the first direction,

the hole body of the or each holding hole has a cross-sectional outer diameter along the second and third directions that is substantially equal to a cross-sectional outer diameter along the second and third direction of the first portion of the or a corresponding optical fiber, and
the guide hole of the or each holding hole has a cross-sectional outer diameter along the second and third directions that gradually decreases in moving to the one side in the first direction.

8. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein
the lens body includes a first face on the one side in the first direction, a second face on the other side in the first direction, a third face on the one side in the second direction, and a fourth face on the other side in the second direction,
the support body includes a first face on the one side in the first direction, a second face on the other side in the first direction, a third face on the one side in the second direction, and a fourth face on the other side in the second direction, and the support body is formed separately from the lens body,
the support further includes a fixing portion extending from the first face of the support body to the one side in the first direction, and
the fixing portion is fixed to the fourth face of the lens body, and the support body is fixed to the second face of the lens body.

9. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein the support body is integrated with the lens body and extends from the lens body to the other side in the first direction.

10. The lens according to claim 1 , wherein the lens body is made of a synthetic resin.

11. The lens according to claim 2 , wherein
the at least one lens portion, the at least one holding hole, and the at least one guide comprise an equal number of a plurality of lens portions, a plurality of holding holes, and a plurality of guides, respectively,
the lens portions are arranged at spaced intervals in the third direction,
the holding holes are arranged at spaced intervals in the third direction and positioned on the other side in the first direction relative to the respective lens portions, and
the guides are arranged at spaced intervals in the third direction and positioned on the other side in the first direction relative to the respective holding holes.

12. The lens according to claim 3 , wherein
the at least one lens portion, the at least one holding hole, and the at least one guide comprise an equal number of a plurality of lens portions, a plurality of holding holes, and a plurality of guides, respectively,
the lens portions are arranged at spaced intervals in the third direction,
the holding holes are arranged at spaced intervals in the third direction and positioned on the other side in the first di

Assignees

• Hosiden Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Akihiro
• Tsubota Shuhei
• Sasada Kosuke
• Kondo Hayato

Classifications

• G02B6/3652

  the additional structures being prepositioning mounting areas, allowing only movement in one dimension, e.g. grooves, trenches or vias in the microbench surface, i.e. self aligning supporting carriers · CPC title

• G02B6/4206

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

• G02B6/322 Primary

  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