Ferrule

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9360632-B2
Application number	US-201514854188-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2015
Priority date	Sep 18, 2014
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

A ferrule 10 includes holding holes 16 , a light incidence/emission plane 21 to pass light entering or emitted from optical fibers F 2 respectively held at the holding holes 16 , lenses 31 disposed on an optical axes between the respective holding holes 16 and the light incidence/emission plane 21 , and two or more guide portions. A second optical axis L 2 between the light incidence/emission plane 21 and the ferrule 10 on the other side is inclined relative to a Z direction. A positional relation between the guide portions is 180-degree rotationally symmetric around a reference axial line extending in the Z direction. The lenses 31 is disposed disproportionately in a direction opposite to an inclination direction of the second optical axis L 2 from a position line-symmetric relative to a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to an X direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ferrule which is a ferrule on one side constituting a pair of ferrules mutually connectable, the ferrule comprising:
a plurality of holding portions aligned in a first direction and further arranged in one or a plurality of stages in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and configured to provide a first optical axis by holding optical waveguide members, the first optical axis extending in a third direction orthogonal to the first direction and the second direction;
a light incidence/emission plane configured to pass light entering or emitted from the optical waveguide members respectively held at the plurality of holding portions, and further configured to face the ferrule on the other side constituting the pair of ferrules;
a plurality of lenses disposed on optical axes between the respective plural holding portions and the light incidence/emission plane; and
two or more guide portions configured to determine a relative position with the ferrule on the other side in the first direction and the second direction, wherein
a second optical axis between the light incidence/emission plane and the ferrule on the other side is inclined relative to the third direction,
a positional relation between the two or more guide portions is 180-degree rotationally symmetric around a reference axial line extending in the third direction, and
the plurality of lenses is disposed disproportionately in a direction opposite to an inclination direction of the second optical axis from a position line-symmetric relative to a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to the first direction or the second direction.

2. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein
the number of stages of the holding portions in the second direction is smaller than the number of holding portions aligned in the first direction,
the plurality of lenses is disposed disproportionately in a direction opposite to an inclination direction of the second optical axis from a position line-symmetric relative to a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to the first direction, and
the second optical axis is inclined in the second direction.

3. The ferrule according to claim 2 , wherein the two or more guide portions include a first guide portion and a second guide portion connectable to the first guide portion of the ferrule on the other side, and
a positional relation between the first guide portion and the second guide portion is 180-degree rotationally symmetric around the reference axial line.

4. The ferrule according to claim 3 , wherein a positional relation between the first guide portion and the second guide portion is line-symmetric relative to a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to the first direction.

5. The ferrule according to claim 2 , wherein the two or more guide portions are disposed on a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to the first direction.

6. The ferrule according to claim 1 , wherein
the number of the stages of the holding portions in the second direction is smaller than the number of holding portions aligned in the first direction,
the plurality of lenses is disposed disproportionately in a direction opposite to an inclination direction of the second optical axis from a position line-symmetric relative to a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to the second direction, and
the second optical axis is inclined in the first direction.

7. The ferrule according to claim 6 , wherein
the two or more guide portions include a first guide portion and a second guide portion connectable to the first guide portion of the ferrule on the other side, and
a positional relation between the first guide portion and the second guide portion is line-symmetric relative to a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to the second direction.

8. The ferrule according to claim 6 , wherein the two or more guide portions are disposed on a straight line crossing with the reference axial line and parallel to the first direction.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Electric Industries

Inventors

• Arao Hajime
• Sano Tomomi
• Sasaki Dai

Classifications

• G02B6/3853

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

• G02B6/3885

  Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type (optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448) · CPC title

• G02B6/327

  with angled interfaces to reduce reflections · CPC title

• G02B6/3818 Primary

  of a low-reflection-loss type (G02B6/3813 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02B6/3807

  Dismountable connectors, i.e. comprising plugs · CPC title