OPTICAL FIBER FERRULE
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A ferrule comprising:
- a ferrule body having a rear face and a front face and a side face extending there between;
at least one bore in the ferrule body for accepting an optical transport therein, the bore comprising a rear bore segment open to the rear face and a front bore segment; and
a cavity in the ferrule disposed between the rear bore segment and the front bore segment, the cavity providing sufficient space to allow the optical transport disposed in the bore and extending between the rear bore segment and the front bore segment to bend within a range of curvatures.
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Abstract
The invention pertains to an optical ferrule and a method of manufacturing the optical ferrule that can compensate for the fact that the end faces of the fibers contained in the ferrule initially may not be coplanar of each other within required or desired tolerances or otherwise not the exact correct length. Particularly, a cavity is provided within the ferrule to provide room for the fibers to freely bend within at least a range of curvatures within the ferrule so that any difference in the lengths of the fibers can be compensated for by a unique amount of bend in each individual fiber.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A ferrule comprising:
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a ferrule body having a rear face and a front face and a side face extending there between; at least one bore in the ferrule body for accepting an optical transport therein, the bore comprising a rear bore segment open to the rear face and a front bore segment; and a cavity in the ferrule disposed between the rear bore segment and the front bore segment, the cavity providing sufficient space to allow the optical transport disposed in the bore and extending between the rear bore segment and the front bore segment to bend within a range of curvatures. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An optical cable assembly comprising:
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an optical cable having at least one optical transport; a ferrule body having a rear face and a front face and a side face extending between the front face and the rear face; at least one bore for accepting the at least one optical transport therein, the bore comprising a rear bore segment open to the rear face and oriented in a longitudinal direction toward the front face and a front bore segment, wherein the optical transport is disposed within the bore; and a cavity disposed between the rear bore segment and the front bore segment, the cavity providing sufficient space to allow the optical transport to bend within a range of curvatures in the cavity; wherein the optical transport is bent in the cavity. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of terminating an optical cable comprising a plurality of optical transports, the method comprising:
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providing a ferrule having a rear face and a front face and a side face extending there between, a plurality of bores for accepting optical transports therein, each bore comprising a rear bore segment open to the rear face and oriented in a longitudinal direction toward the front face and a front bore segment collinear with the corresponding rear bore segment, the front bore segment having an end surface, and a cavity disposed between the rear bore segments and the front bore segments, the cavity providing sufficient space to allow optical transports extending between the rear bore segments and the front bore segments to bend within a range of curvatures within the cavity; advancing a plurality of optical transports of a cable into the ferrule; inducing a bend in each optical transport; and subsequently advancing the cable farther into the ferrule sufficiently to cause each optical transport to abut the end face of the front bore segment that it is within. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification