METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING OPTICAL TRANSPORTS IN A FERRULE
First Claim
1. A ferrule for containing and aligning a plurality of optical transports, the optical transports having a longitudinal dimension comprising:
- a ferrule body having a front face, a rear face, and at least one lateral side face extending between the front face and the rear face;
a longitudinal cavity running from the front face to the rear face for receiving a plurality of optical transports, the longitudinal cavity having a lateral side opening through the at least one lateral face; and
a plurality of optical transports in the cavity.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for aligning optical transports, such as waveguides and optical fibers, in a ferrule of an optical connector. The ferrule has an open side through which optical transports may be inserted into a transport cavity in the ferrule from a direction transverse the longitudinal direction of the optical transports and ferrule. To assemble the optical transports in the ferrule, the ferrule is positioned with its front face abutting and aligned with a jig that has an opening substantially identical to the ferrule cavity. The jig has grooves in a bottom surface of the cavity into which the optical transports will be inserted for transversely aligning the optical transports. The optical transports are then dropped into the aligned cavities of the ferrule and jig through the open sides of the ferrule and jig so that the front ends of the optical transports sit at least partially in the V-shaped grooves of the jig, thereby aligning the transports in the transverse dimension. A press cures adhesive in the cavity to cure the adhesive and fix the transports in the ferrule. The optical transports are then cleaved or otherwise cut flush with the front face of the ferrule. The process is repeated for each row of optical transports with the height of the bottom of the cavity in the jig adjusted for each subsequent row by an amount equal to the thickness of a row of the optical transports.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A ferrule for containing and aligning a plurality of optical transports, the optical transports having a longitudinal dimension comprising:
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a ferrule body having a front face, a rear face, and at least one lateral side face extending between the front face and the rear face; a longitudinal cavity running from the front face to the rear face for receiving a plurality of optical transports, the longitudinal cavity having a lateral side opening through the at least one lateral face; and a plurality of optical transports in the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A combination for assembling a plurality of optical transports in a ferrule comprising:
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a ferrule having a ferrule body having a front face, a rear face, at least one lateral side face extending between the front face and the rear face, a longitudinal cavity running from the front face to the rear face for receiving a plurality of optical transports, the longitudinal cavity having a lateral side opening through the at least one lateral face, and a lateral alignment feature on the front face of the ferrule; and at least one jig having a first face, an opposing second face, at least one lateral side face extending between the first face and the second face, a longitudinal window running from the first face to the second face for receiving the plurality of optical transports, the longitudinal window having a lateral side opening through the at least one lateral face, and a lateral alignment feature on the first face of the ferrule adapted to mate to the lateral alignment feature of the ferrule to laterally align the jig and the ferrule; the window of the jig including a surface bearing a plurality of longitudinal grooves for accepting the plurality of optical transports therein, wherein the surface and grooves are positioned relative to the alignment feature of the jig and the alignment feature of the jig is positioned relative to the alignment feature of the ferrule such that, when the jig is mounted on the ferrule via the mating alignment features, the surface and grooves of the jig are laterally aligned relative to the ferrule such that an optical transport passing longitudinally though the cavity of the ferrule and longitudinally into the window of the jig and resting in each one of the grooves in the jig will be positioned within the cavity of the ferrule in a desired lateral alignment. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of aligning a plurality of optical transports in a ferrule comprising:
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providing a ferrule having a ferrule body having a front face, a rear face, at least one lateral side face extending between the front face and the rear face, a longitudinal cavity running from the front face to the rear face for receiving a plurality of optical transports, the longitudinal cavity having a lateral side opening through the at least one lateral face, and a lateral alignment feature on the front face of the ferrule; providing a first jig having a first face, an opposing second face, at least one lateral side face extending between the first face and the second face, a longitudinal window running from the first face to the second face for receiving the plurality of optical transports, the longitudinal window having a lateral side opening through the at least one lateral face, and a lateral alignment feature on the first face of the jig adapted to mate to the lateral alignment feature of the ferrule to laterally align the first jig and the ferrule, the window of the first jig including a surface bearing a plurality of longitudinal grooves for accepting the plurality of optical transports therein, wherein the surface and grooves are positioned relative to the alignment feature of the first jig and the alignment feature of the first jig is positioned relative to the alignment feature of the ferrule such that, when the first jig is mounted on the ferrule via the mating alignment features, the surface and grooves of the first jig are laterally aligned relative to the ferrule such that an optical transport passing longitudinally though the cavity of the ferrule and longitudinally into the window of the first jig and resting in each one of the grooves in the first jig will be positioned within the cavity of the ferrule in a desired lateral alignment; mounting the ferrule on the first jig via the mating alignment features; placing a plurality of optical transports longitudinally through the cavity in the ferrule and extending into the window of the first jig with each one of the optical transports resting in a one of the grooves; and affixing the plurality of optical transports to the ferrule while they are resting in the grooves of the first jig. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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Specification