Apparatus and Method for Aligning Optical Transports in a Ferrule
First Claim
1. A combination for assembling a plurality of optical transports in a ferrule comprising:
- a ferrule having a cavity therethrough in a longitudinal dimension for receiving a row of optical transports, at least a portion of the optical transports disposed on a substantially planar layer of cladding, and a lateral alignment feature; and
at least one jig having a lateral alignment feature adapted to mate to the lateral alignment feature of the ferrule to laterally align the jig and the ferrule, the jig including a surface having a plurality of grooves 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 grooves of the jig are laterally aligned relative to the ferrule such that transports passing longitudinally though the cavity of the ferrule and longitudinally into the jig and received in the grooves in the jig will be positioned within the cavity of the ferrule in a desired lateral alignment;
wherein the grooves define an uninterrupted longitudinal path having a lateral profile comprising at least a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a minimum width in a first lateral dimension substantially parallel to the surface, the second portion in communication with the surface through the first portion, and wherein the second portion of the grooves is wider in the first lateral dimension than the minimum width.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Method and apparatus for aligning optical transports in a ferrule. The ferrule has an open side through which optical transports may be laterally placed in a transport cavity. The transports are aligned in the ferrule by mounting the ferrule on a jig having grooves into which the ends of the optical transports are inserted for transversely aligning the fibers in the ferrule. A row of transports is placed in the ferrule cavity with the front ends of the transports extending past the ferrule and into the grooves of the jig, thereby laterally aligning the transports with the grooves. The fibers are affixed to the ferrule. The ferrule can then be removed from the jig and the front ends of the transports that extended into the grooves of the jig cleaved flush with the front face of the ferrule. Additional rows of transports may be aligned in the ferrule in the same manner using different jigs. C-shaped grooves can be employed to separate the horizontal alignment from the vertical alignment. Specifically, horizontal alignment is effectuated by the opposing edges of the groove at the mouth of the C shape engaging the transports and vertical alignment is effectuated by the cladding layer of the row of transports resting on the tops of the grooves. It also is possible to create effective grooves of a smaller size than might otherwise be manufacturable in a single jig piece by, instead, fabricating two jig pieces, each with larger grooves and longitudinally aligning the two jig pieces with their respective grooves laterally offset from each other so that each jig piece effectively provides half of the groove.
22 Citations
25 Claims
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1. A combination for assembling a plurality of optical transports in a ferrule comprising:
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a ferrule having a cavity therethrough in a longitudinal dimension for receiving a row of optical transports, at least a portion of the optical transports disposed on a substantially planar layer of cladding, and a lateral alignment feature; and at least one jig having a lateral alignment feature adapted to mate to the lateral alignment feature of the ferrule to laterally align the jig and the ferrule, the jig including a surface having a plurality of grooves 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 grooves of the jig are laterally aligned relative to the ferrule such that transports passing longitudinally though the cavity of the ferrule and longitudinally into the jig and received in the grooves in the jig will be positioned within the cavity of the ferrule in a desired lateral alignment; wherein the grooves define an uninterrupted longitudinal path having a lateral profile comprising at least a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a minimum width in a first lateral dimension substantially parallel to the surface, the second portion in communication with the surface through the first portion, and wherein the second portion of the grooves is wider in the first lateral dimension than the minimum width. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A jig for aligning at least one optical transport, at least a portion of the optical transport disposed on a substantially planar layer of cladding in a ferrule, the ferrule having a cavity therethrough in a longitudinal dimension for receiving the optical transport and a lateral alignment feature, the jig comprising:
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a lateral alignment feature adapted to mate to the lateral alignment feature of the ferrule to laterally align the jig and the ferrule; a surface having at least one groove 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 groove is laterally aligned relative to the ferrule such that the at least one optical transport passing longitudinally though the cavity of the ferrule and longitudinally into the jig and received in the at least one groove will be positioned within the cavity of the ferrule in a desired lateral alignment; wherein the at least one groove defines an uninterrupted longitudinal path having a lateral profile comprising a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a minimum width in a first lateral dimension substantially parallel to the surface and orthogonal to the longitudinal dimension, the second portion in communication with the surface through the first portion and wider in the first lateral dimension than the minimum width, wherein the minimum width is substantially equal to a width of the at least one optical transport parallel to the layer of cladding and the second portion is wider in the first lateral dimension than the minimum width to a depth below the surface at least equal to height of the optical transport perpendicular to the layer of cladding. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A jig for laterally aligning in a ferrule a row of optical transports, at least a portion of the optical transports disposed on a substantially planar layer of cladding, the jig comprising:
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a first jig body comprising a first surface bearing a first plurality of longitudinal channels therein; and a second jig body comprising a second surface bearing a second plurality of longitudinal channels therein; wherein the first and second jig bodies can be placed back to back in the longitudinal direction with the first plurality of channels laterally offset from the second plurality of channels in a first lateral direction such that each one of the first plurality of channels and each of the second plurality of channels collectively define an uninterrupted longitudinal path having a lateral profile less wide in the first lateral dimension than either the first channels or the second channels taken alone.
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19. A method of laterally aligning in a ferrule a row of optical transports, at least a portion of the optical transports disposed on a substantially planar layer of cladding, the method comprising:
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laterally aligning a jig with the ferrule, the jig having a surface having a plurality of longitudinal grooves therein for receiving the row of optical transports in the longitudinal direction therethrough, with the surface and grooves positioned relative to the jig such that the grooves of the jig are laterally aligned relative to the ferrule such that the row of optical transports passing though the ferrule and received in the grooves of the jig will be positioned within the cavity of the ferrule in a desired lateral alignment, wherein the grooves each define an uninterrupted longitudinal path having a lateral profile comprising at least a first portion and a second portion, the first portion having a minimum width in a first lateral dimension substantially parallel to the surface, the second portion in communication with the surface through the first portion, and wherein the second portion of the grooves is wider in the first lateral dimension than the minimum width to a depth below the surface at least equal to height of the transport perpendicular to the layer of cladding; placing the row of optical transports longitudinally through the ferrule with front ends of the optical transports extending into the grooves of the jig with the layer of cladding in contact with the surface and the optical transports in the grooves; and affixing the plurality of optical transports to the ferrule while they are resting in the grooves of the jig. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of aligning a plurality of optical transports disposed on a substantially planar layer of cladding in a ferrule;
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laterally aligning the ferrule with a first jig body having a first surface bearing a first plurality of longitudinal channels therein; laterally aligning the ferrule and first jig body with a second jig body having a second surface bearing a second plurality of longitudinal channels therein with the first and second surfaces parallel and the first plurality of channels laterally offset from the second plurality of channels in a first lateral direction parallel the first and second surfaces and orthogonal to the longitudinal dimension such that each one of the first plurality of channels and each one of each of the second plurality of channels collectively define an uninterrupted longitudinal path having a lateral profile less wide in the first lateral dimension than either the first channels or the second channels taken alone; placing a plurality of optical transports longitudinally through the ferrule, with a front end of each optical transport extending into one of the channels of the first jig body and one of the channels of the second jig body defining one of the paths; and affixing the plurality of optical transports to the ferrule while the front ends of the optical transports are extending into one of the channels of the first jig body and one of the channels of the second jig body defining one of the paths. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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Specification