Optical connector arrangement

• US 20050259919A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 11/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Original Assignee: BAE Systems Plc
• Inventors: Aldridge, Nigel B., Read, Ian J., Foote, Peter D.
• Application Number:
  US10/523,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20050259919A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/37
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/34 utilising prism or grating G02B6/293 takes precedence

Abstract

One aspect of the intention provides an optical connector arrangement (100). The optical connector arrangement (100) comprises a connector component (114) embedded in a substrate material (130). The embedded connector component (114) includes a fibre optic grating (110) optically coupled to a reflector (116) for directing radiation emitted from the fibre optic grating (110) to a surface (140) of the substrate material (130). The optical connector arrangement (100) also comprises a surface connector component (120) for collecting radiation emitted from the surface (140) of the substrate material (130).

Claims

1. An optical connector arrangement comprising:

a connector component embedded in a substrate material, said embedded connector component including a fibre optic grating optically coupled to a reflector for directing radiation emitted from said fibre optic grating to a surface of said substrate material; and

a surface connector component for collecting radiation emitted from the surface of said substrate material.

2. The optical connector arrangement of claim 1, wherein the substrate material is a composite material.

3. The optical connector arrangement of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises a plurality of material layers.

4. The optical connector arrangement of claim 1, wherein an optical fibre comprising the grating is bonded to the reflector using an index matching material.

5. The optical connector arrangement of claim 1, wherein the embedded connector component is potted into a recess in the substrate using an optically transparent material.

6. The optical connector arrangement of claim 5, wherein the optically transparent material is formed flush with the surface of said substrate material.

7. The optical connector arrangement of claim 1, wherein the reflector has a curved reflecting surface.

8. The optical connector arrangement of claim 7, wherein the curved reflecting surface is part of a cylindrical surface.

9. The optical connector arrangement of claim 7, wherein the curved reflecting surface has a substantially constant part elliptically shaped or parabolically shaped cross-section along its length.

10. The optical connector arrangement of claim 9, wherein an axis of the fibre optic grating lies proximal to a focal point of said part elliptically shaped or parabolically shaped cross-section along at least part of the length of said curved reflecting surface.

11. The optical connector arrangement of claim 1, wherein the surface connector component comprises a further optical fibre incorporating a grating for optically co-operating with the fibre optic grating provided in said substrate.

12. The optical connector arrangement of claim 1, wherein a grating comprises one or more of:

a Bragg grating, a slanted/blazed Bragg grating and a long period grating.

13. The optical connector arrangement of claim 1, wherein radiation emitted from the surface of said substrate material is substantially collimated.

25. A surface connector component for use in the optical connector arrangement according to claim 1.

14. An embeddable connector component for embedding in a substrate material and/or for use in a surface connector component, said embeddable connector component including a fibre optic grating optically coupled to a reflector for directing radiation emitted from said fibre optic grating to a surface of a substrate material.

15. The embeddable connector component of claim 14, wherein an optical fibre comprising the grating is bonded to the reflector using an index matching material.

16. The embeddable connector component of claim 14, wherein the reflector has a curved reflecting surface.

17. The embeddable connector component of claim 16, wherein the curved reflecting surface is part of a cylindrical surface.

18. The embeddable connector component of claim 16, wherein the curved reflecting surface has a substantially constant part elliptically shaped or parabolically shaped cross-section along its length.

19. The embeddable connector component of claim 18, wherein an axis of the fibre optic grating lies proximal to a focal point of said part elliptically shaped or parabolically shaped cross-section along at least part of the length of said curved reflecting surface.

20. The embeddable connector component of claim 14, wherein said grating comprises:

a Bragg grating, a slanted/blazed Bragg grating or a long period grating.

21. The embeddable connector component of claim 14, wherein radiation reflected by said reflector is substantially collimated.

22. A panel for a vehicle fuselage, component, body or hull, comprising the embeddable connector component according to claim 14.

23. An vehicle comprising a composite panel according to claim 22.

24. A method of manufacturing a vehicle, comprising incorporating a composite panel according to claim 22 into a vehicle fuselage, component, body or hull.

26. A method of manufacturing an optical connector arrangement comprising:

embedding a connector component in a substrate material, said embedded connector component including a fibre optic grating optically coupled to a reflector for directing radiation emitted from said fibre optic grating to a surface of said substrate material; and

providing a surface connector component for collecting radiation emitted from the surface of said substrate material.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the step of embedding the connector component in a substrate material comprises providing a plurality of composite material layers to form a composite material.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein each composite material layer comprises respectively aligned material fibres.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising selecting the material fibres from one or more of the following materials:

carbon, glass, metal and Kevlar.

30. The method of claim 26, comprising potting the connector component into a recess in the substrate material using an optically transparent material.

31. The method of claim 30, comprising forming the optically transparent material flush with the surface of said substrate material.

32. The method of claim 26, comprising providing the surface connector component with a further optical fibre incorporating a grating.

33. The method of claim 26, comprising selecting a grating from one or more of:

a Bragg grating, a slanted/blazed Bragg grating and a long period grating.

34. The method of claim 26, comprising forming the reflector from a cylindrical tube.

35. A method of manufacturing an embeddable connector component for use in an optical connector manufactured according to the method of claim 26, comprising bonding an optical fibre comprising the grating to a reflector using an index matching material.

36-40. -40. (canceled)