Asymmetric optical mixer system

• US 10,012,793 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2017
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Chan, Eric Y., Koshinz, Dennis G., Truong, Tuong K., Pang, Henry B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jordan, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US15/643,823
• Publication Number:
  US 20170371103A1
• Time in Patent Office: 361 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/02038 with core or cladding having graded refractive index
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/255 Splicing of light guides, e.g. by fusion or bonding
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/262 Optical details of coupling light into, or out of, or between fibre ends, e.g. special fibre end shapes or associated optical elements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2804 forming multipart couplers without wavelength selective elements, e.g. "T" couplers, star couplers
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2808 using a mixing element which evenly distributes an input signal over a number of outputs
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2821 using lateral coupling between contiguous fibres to split or combine optical signals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2826 using mechanical machining means for shaping of the couplers, e.g. grinding or polishing grinding, polishing in general B24
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/3885 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 Class Codes: H04B 10/25 Arrangements specific to fibre transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/2507 for the reduction or elimination of distortion or dispersion

Abstract

An optical network having at least one star coupler comprising transmit and receive optical mixers which are respectively optically coupled to transmitters and receivers of a plurality of optical-electrical media converters. Each optical-electrical media converter comprises a respective receiver optically coupled to the receive optical mixer by way of plastic optical fibers and a respective transmitter optically coupled to the transmit optical mixer by way of plastic optical fibers. The output plastic optical fibers attached to an output face of the receive optical mixer have a diameter less than the diameter of the input plastic optical fibers attached to an input face of the receive optical mixer.

Claims

1. A fiber optical system comprising:

a mixing optical fiber having a first end face with a first area and a second end face with the first area;

a combiner having an end face with a second area attached to the first end face of the mixing optical fiber;

a first length of plastic optical fiber having a cross-sectional area equal to the first area and optically coupled to the combiner;

a second length of plastic optical fiber having a cross-sectional area equal to the first area and optically coupled to the combiner; and

a plurality of output plastic optical fibers having end faces with a third area less than the first area attached to the second end face of the mixing optical fiber.

2. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 1, wherein the combiner is Y-shaped.

3. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 1, wherein the second area is equal to the first area.

4. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 1, wherein the combiner is made of plastic material.

5. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 4, wherein the combiner comprises first and second portions having respective end faces attached to the first end face of the mixing optical fiber, the first and second portions of the combiner being bonded together by a layer of index matching epoxy, the first length of plastic optical fiber being integrally formed with the first portion of the combiner and the second length of plastic optical fiber being integrally formed with the second portion of the combiner.

6. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 5, wherein the first portion of the combiner has a first side face that intersects the end face of the first portion of the combiner, the second portion of the combiner has a second side face that intersects the end face of the second portion of the combiner, and the layer of index matching epoxy is disposed between and bonds confronting portions of the first and second side faces with no metal layer therebetween.

7. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 1, wherein the mixing optical fiber comprises a step-index plastic optical fiber.

8. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 1, further comprising an outer cladding in which respective first sections of the plurality of output plastic optical fibers are embedded, wherein each of the output plastic optical fibers comprise a respective second section extending beyond the outer cladding, wherein the second sections of the plurality of output plastic optical fibers are splayed.

9. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

a ferrule that surrounds the mixing optical fiber, a portion of the combiner, and at least a portion of the outer cladding; and

potting optical epoxy disposed inside the ferrule for securing the mixing optical fiber, the portion of the combiner, and at least a portion of the outer cladding inside the ferrule.

10. The fiber optical system as recited in claim 1, wherein the respective end faces of the combiner are disposed adjacent to each other and form respective sections of a circle that abut along a chord of the circle.

11. A data communications system comprising:

first and second pluralities of electrical devices configured for sending and receiving electrical signals representing data;

a first plurality of optical-electrical media converters, each optical-electrical media converter of the first plurality of optical-electrical media converters comprising a respective transmitter that converts electrical signals received from a respective one of the first plurality of electrical devices into optical signals and a respective receiver that converts optical signals into electrical signals to be sent to the respective one of the first plurality of electrical devices;

a second plurality of optical-electrical media converters, each optical-electrical media converter of the second plurality of optical-electrical media converters comprising a respective transmitter that converts electrical signals received from a respective one of the second plurality of electrical devices into optical signals and a respective receiver that converts optical signals into electrical signals to be sent to the respective one of the second plurality of electrical devices;

a first plurality of input plastic optical fibers respectively optically coupled to the transmitters of the first plurality of optical-electrical media converters and having end faces with a first area;

a second plurality of input plastic optical fibers respectively optically coupled to the transmitters of the second plurality of optical-electrical media converters and having end faces with the first area;

a first plurality of output plastic optical fibers respectively optically coupled to the receivers of the first plurality of optical-electrical media converters and having end faces with a second area less than the first area;

a second plurality of output plastic optical fibers respectively optically coupled to the receivers of the second plurality of optical-electrical media converters, each output plastic optical fiber having end faces with a third area less than the first area;

a first optical star coupler comprising a first transmit optical mixer having an input face attached to the end faces of the first plurality of input plastic optical fibers and having an output face, a first receive optical mixer having an output face attached to the end faces of the first plurality of output plastic optical fibers, and a first wrap-around fiber optical path that has a first end face attached to the output face of the first transmit optical mixer and a second end face with a fourth area less than the first area attached to the first receive optical mixer;

a second optical star coupler comprising a second transmit optical mixer having an input face attached to the end faces of the second plurality of input plastic optical fibers and having an output face, a second receive optical mixer having an output face attached to the end faces of the second plurality of output plastic optical fibers, and a second wrap-around fiber optical path that has a first end face attached to the output face of the second transmit optical mixer and a second end face with a fifth area less than the first area attached to the second receive optical mixer;

a first fiber optical path that has a first end face attached to the output face of the first transmit optical mixer and a second end face with a sixth area less than the first area attached to the second receive optical mixer; and

a second fiber optical path that has a first end face attached to the output face of the second transmit optical mixer and a second end face with a seventh area less than the first area attached to the first receive optical mixer,

wherein the first receive optical mixer comprises a first mixing optical fiber having a first end face with the first area attached to the second end faces of the first wrap-around plastic optical fiber and second fiber optical path and having a second end face with the first area attached to the end faces of the first plurality of output plastic optical fibers, and the second receive optical mixer comprises a second mixing optical fiber having a first end face with the first area attached to the second end faces of the second wrap-around plastic optical fiber and first fiber optical path and having a second end face with the first area attached to the end faces of the second plurality of output plastic optical fibers.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the sum of the fourth and seventh areas and the sum of the sixth and fifth areas are respectively equal to the first area.

13. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the sum of the fourth and seventh areas and the sum of the sixth and fifth areas are respectively equal to the first area.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the fourth and seventh areas are equal and the sixth and fifth areas are not equal.

15. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein each of the receivers of the first plurality of optical-electrical media converters comprises a respective photodetector having an eighth area which is less than the first area.

16. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the first plurality of electronic devices are line replaceable units located in a forward section of an aircraft and the second plurality of electronic devices are line replaceable units located in an aft section of the aircraft.

17. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein the first wrap-around plastic optical fiber has a first side face that intersects the second end face of the first wrap-around plastic optical fiber, and the second fiber optical path has a second side face that intersects the second end face of the second fiber optical path, further comprising a layer of index matching epoxy that is disposed between and bonds confronting portions of the first and second side faces with no metal layer therebetween.

18. A method for installing an optical mixer in an optical network, comprising:

cutting a length of a first plastic optical fiber to form first and second end faces, each of the first and second end faces having a first area;

shaping an end section of a second plastic optical fiber having a cross-sectional area equal to the first area to form a first side face that intersects and is perpendicular to a first end face having a second area which is less than the first area;

shaping an end section of a third plastic optical fiber having a cross-sectional area equal to the first area to form a second side face that intersects and is perpendicular to a second end face having a third area which is less than the first area;

bonding the first and second side faces of the second and third plastic optical fibers together using index matching epoxy;

bonding the first and second end faces of the second and third plastic optical fibers to respective portions of the first end face of the length of the first plastic optical fiber using index matching epoxy;

bonding the end faces of a plurality of fourth plastic optical fibers, each having a fourth area less than the first area, to respective portions of the second end face of the length of the first plastic optical fiber using index matching epoxy;

securing the length of the first plastic optical fiber inside a ferrule using potting optical epoxy; and

connecting the second and third plastic optical fibers and the plurality of fourth plastic optical fibers to respective other components of the optical network.

19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein the sum of the second and third areas is equal to the first area.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising securing respective portions of the end sections of the second and third plastic optical fibers and a cladding section of the plurality of fourth plastic optical fibers inside the ferrule.