Connectors for use with polarization-maintaining and multicore optical fiber cables

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9069144-B2
Application number	US-201213468508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 10, 2012
Priority date	Mar 16, 2010
Publication date	Jun 30, 2015
Grant date	Jun 30, 2015

Abstract

An optical fiber ferrule has a plurality of guide holes therein for guiding a respective plurality of flat-sided fibers at an end of a multifiber optical fiber cable. The fibers' flat sides identify a particular rotational orientation of the fiber. Rotational alignment is achieved by urging the fibers' flat sides against a corresponding reference surface within the ferrule or within an alignment fixture. Also described is a fiber array block having a plurality of V-shaped grooves extending across an outer surface and terminating at an endface. The V-shaped grooves are shaped to guide a respective plurality of flat-sided fibers. A lid is installable across the plurality of V-shaped grooves, over fibers that have been loaded therein.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A multifiber ferrule, comprising
a molded plastic body comprising block-shaped base and head sections, through which there extends one or more guide holes corresponding, respectively, to an equal number of respective polarization-maintaining fibers at an end of a multifiber optical fiber cable,
wherein each polarization-maintaining fiber has at least one flat side surface identifying a particular rotational orientation of a fiber transmission axis, such that the fiber transmission axis is alignable to a selected rotational orientation by causing the at least one flat side surface to abut a respective reference surface,
wherein each guide hole extends through the ferrule body and is shaped to closely receive a respective polarization-maintaining fiber threaded therethrough,
wherein each guide hole is provided with one or more flat side reference surfaces therewithin corresponding, respectively, to the one or more flat side surfaces of a respective polarization-maintaining fiber, such that alignment of the one or more flat side surfaces of each respective polarization-maintaining fiber against the one or more flat surfaces within each corresponding guide hole results in a rotational alignment of each polarization-maintaining fiber to a selected rotational orientation,
wherein each guide hole and respective polarization-maintaining fiber are configured to have a close enough fit such that each polarization-maintaining fiber is rotationally confined within its respective guide hole in the selected rotational orientation, and
wherein the ferrule body is configured to provide aligned connectorization with a mating structure for each of the respective endfaces of polarization-maintaining fibers installed into the guide holes.

2. The multifiber ferrule of claim 1 ,
wherein each guide hole and its respective polarization-maintaining fiber have corresponding D-shaped profiles,
wherein each polarization-maintaining fiber has a flat side surface extending along its length indicating the rotational orientation of a fiber polarization axis, and
wherein each guide hole has a flat side reference surface extending along its length corresponding to the flat side surface of its respective polarization-maintaining fiber.

3. The multifiber ferrule of claim 2 ,
wherein each polarization-maintaining fiber has a flat side surface extending along its length indicating the rotational orientation of the fiber's slow polarization axis.

4. The multifiber ferrule of claim 2 ,
wherein each polarization-maintaining fiber has a flat side surface extending along its length indicating the rotational orientation of the fiber's fast polarization axis.

5. The multifiber ferrule of claim 2 ,
wherein the guide holes are arranged in one or more linear arrays.

6. The multifiber ferrule of claim 5 ,
wherein the flat reference surfaces of the guide holes in each of the one or more linear arrays are coplanar.

7. The multifiber ferrule of claim 1 ,
wherein the ferrule is configured as a mechanical transfer ferrule.

Assignees

• Bradley Kelvin B
• Kim Jinkee
• Sandels Gregory A
• Ofs Fitel Llc

Inventors

• Bradley Kelvin B
• Kim Jinkee
• Sandels Gregory A

Classifications

• Y10T29/49194

  Assembling elongated conductors, e.g., splicing, etc. · CPC title

• 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

• G02B6/3851 Primary

  Ferrules having keying or coding means · CPC title

• G02B6/3863

  fabricated by using polishing techniques (grinding of the fibre ends B24B19/226) · CPC title

• G02B6/3861

  Adhesive bonding (adhesives in general C09J) · CPC title