Optical coupling device and optical coupling system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12474527-B2
Application number	US-202018019113-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2020
Priority date	Aug 7, 2020
Publication date	Nov 18, 2025
Grant date	Nov 18, 2025

Abstract

An object of the present disclosure is to provide an optical coupling device capable of controlling a coupling rate of optical coupling between two coupling optical fibers.
An optical coupling device of the present disclosure includes two coupling optical fibers each including a core and a clad and, between the two coupling optical fibers, a thickness variable member having a thickness between the two coupling optical fibers that varies by irradiation with light.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . An optical coupling device comprising:
two coupling optical fibers each comprising a core and a clad, wherein each clad of the two coupling optical fibers comprises a planar surface and each planar surface is disposed to face one another; and a thickness variable member disposed between the planar surface of each clad, the thickness variable member comprising a material having a thickness that is configured to vary in response to irradiation with light, wherein the material of the thickness variable member is configured to adjust a distance between the cores of the two coupling optical fibers to control a coupling degree of optical coupling between the two coupling optical fibers.

2 . The optical coupling device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness variable member can vary a thickness between the two coupling optical fibers depending on any one of intensity, a wavelength, and emitting time of the irradiation light.

3 . The optical coupling device according to claim 2 , wherein, in the two coupling optical fibers, surfaces of clads in portions in contact with the thickness variable member are processed planarly.

4 . The optical coupling device according to claim 3 , wherein, in the two coupling optical fibers, surfaces of clads in portions in contact with the thickness variable member are processed planarly such that cores are exposed.

5 . The optical coupling device according to claim 4 , further comprising an irradiation optical fiber that irradiates the thickness variable member with the light.

6 . An optical coupling system comprising:
an optical couple device comprising:
two coupling optical fibers each comprising a core and a clad, wherein each clad of the two coupling optical fibers comprises a planar surface and each planar surface is disposed to face one another;
a thickness variable member disposed between the planar surface of each clad, the thickness variable member comprising a material having a thickness that is configured to vary in response to irradiation with light, wherein the material of the thickness variable member is configured to adjust a distance between the cores of the two coupling optical fibers to control a coupling degree of optical coupling between the two coupling optical fibers;
an irradiation optical fiber that is configured to irradiate the thickness variable member with the light; and
a thickness controller that is configured to irradiate the thickness variable member with the light through the irradiation optical fiber.

7 . The optical coupling system according to claim 6 further comprising a mobile terminal that instructs the thickness controller to emit or cut the light to or from the thickness variable member.

8 . The optical coupling system according to claim 6 , wherein the thickness variable member can vary a thickness between the two coupling optical fibers depending on any one of intensity, a wavelength, and emitting time of the irradiation light.

9 . The optical coupling system according to claim 8 , wherein, in the two coupling optical fibers, surfaces of clads in portions in contact with the thickness variable member are processed planarly.

10 . The optical coupling system according to claim 9 , wherein, in the two coupling optical fibers, surfaces of clads in portions in contact with the thickness variable member are processed planarly such that cores are exposed.

Assignees

• Ntt Inc

Inventors

• Fujimoto Tatsuya
• Hirota Hidenobu
• Uematsu Takui
• Kawano Tomohiro
• Iida Hiroyuki
• Koyama Ryo
• Manabe Tetsuya
• Katayama Kazunori

Classifications

• G02B6/2821 Primary

  using lateral coupling between contiguous fibres to split or combine optical signals · CPC title