Imaging Interface for Optical Components

• US 20120020619A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TE Connectivity Corporation (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Corporation (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Kadar-Kallen, Michael Aaron, Cormanv, David William
• Granted Patent: US 8,457,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/33
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/06 the relative position of the fibres being the same at both ends, e.g. for transporting images
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/32 having lens focusing means positioned between opposed fibre ends with lens being an integral part of the single fibre end G02B6/262
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/322 and having centering means being part of the lens for the self-positioning of the lightguide at the focal point, e.g. holes, wells, indents, nibs

Abstract

The invention pertains to an optical interface employing optics (e.g., lenses) that image the beams rather than collimate the beams. More specifically, each connector at an interface includes optics, e.g., a lens, adapted to receive a diverging beam emanating from field point and image the beam to an image point at a predetermined distance from the imaging lens. A connector employing such optics may, for instance, be effectively mated to either a similar connector with the same optics or to a connector having no lens. Specifically, it may effectively be mated to a second connector having no lens via a second connector structure that places the receiving optical component at the image point of the focusing optics of the first connector. Alternately, such a connector may be effectively mated to a second connector having an identical lens to the first connector provided that the first and second connector structures are adapted to mate such that the image points of the two lenses are coincident.

Claims

1. An optical connector comprising:

an optical connector body for releasably mating with another optical connector;

an optical component having a light exchanging face; and

optics positioned in front of the light exchanging face of the optical component adapted to receive a beam emanating from the front end face of the optical component and image it to an image point.

2. The optical interface of claim 1 wherein the optical component is an optical transport and the light exchanging face is an end face of the optical transport.

3. The optical connector of claim 1 wherein the optical component comprises a plurality of optical transports and the optics comprises a plurality of optics comprising optics for each of the plurality of optical transports.

4. The optical interface of claim 1 wherein the optics comprises one or more refractive lenses.

5. The optical interface of claim 1 further comprising a connector body surrounding the optics, the connector body adapted to mate with another connector body.

6. The optical connector of claim 5 wherein the optical components are optical fibers.

7. The optical connector of claim 5 wherein the optical components are optical waveguides.

8. An optical system for coupling light from a first optical component having a first light exchanging face to a second optical component having a second light exchanging face comprising:

first optics positioned in front of the first light exchanging face of the first optical component adapted to receive a beam emanating from the first light exchanging face of the first optical component and image it to a first image point; and

second optics positioned in front of the second light exchanging face of the second optical component adapted to receive a beam emanating from the second light exchanging face of the second optical component and image it to a second image point, wherein the first and second image points are in a space between the first and second optics.

9. The optical interface of claim 8 further comprising a first connector body affixed to the first optical component and first optics and a second connector body affixed to the second optical component and second optics, wherein the first and second connector bodies are adapted to releasably mate to each other to align the first optical component relative to the second optical component so that light emanating from the first light exchanging face of the first optical component and passing through the first and second optics will be directed toward the second light exchanging face of the second optical component.

10. The optical interface of claim 9 wherein, when the first and second connector bodies are mated, the first and second image points are coincident.

11. The optical interface of claim 8 wherein the first optics and the second optics each comprises a refractive lens.

12. The optical interface of claim 8 wherein:

the first optical component comprises a plurality of first optical transports;

the first optics comprises a plurality of first optics comprising optics for each of the first plurality of optical components;

the second optical component comprises a plurality of second optical components; and

the second optics comprises a plurality of second optics comprising optics for each of the second plurality of optical components.

13. The optical interface of claim 12 wherein the first plurality of optical components and the second plurality of optical components are optical fibers.

14. The optical interface of claim 12 wherein the first plurality of optical components and the second plurality of optical components are optical waveguides.

15. The optical interface of claim 8 further comprising:

a first optical connector body affixed to the first light exchanging face and first optics; and

a second optical connector body affixed to the second light exchanging face and second optics;

the first and second connector bodies adapted to releasably mate with each other.

16. An optical system for coupling light from a first optical component having a first light exchanging face to a second optical component having a second light exchanging face comprising:

a first connector comprising a first optical connector body adapted to releasably mate to another connector, a first optical component having a first light exchanging face and first optics positioned in front of the first light exchanging face, and adapted to receive a beam emanating from the first light exchanging face and image it to an image point; and

a second connector comprising a second optical connector body adapted to releasably mate to the first connector, a second optical component having a second light exchanging face and having no optics positioned in front of the second light exchanging face;

the first and second connectors adapted to releasably couple to each other such that the second light exchanging face of the second optical component is positioned approximately at the image point of the first optics of the first connector.

17. The optical interface of claim 16 wherein the first and second connector bodies are adapted to mate to each other to align the first optical component relative to the second optical component so that light emanating from the first light exchanging face and passing through the first and second optics will be directed toward the second light exchanging face.

18. The optical interface of claim 16 wherein:

the first optical component comprises a plurality of first optical components; and

the first optics comprises a plurality of first optics comprising optics for each of the plurality of optical components.

19. The optical interface of claim 18 wherein the first optical components are optical transports.

20. The optical interface of claim 19 wherein the optical transports are optical fibers.