Opto-electronic and optical fiber interface arrangement

• US 4,861,134 A
• Filed: 06/29/1988
• Issued: 08/29/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.), Bell Telephone Laboratories, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Alameel, George M., Petrunia, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEALY, BRIAN
• Application Number:
  US07/213,003
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96.10, 350/96.11, 350/96.15, 350/96.16, 350/96.17, 350/96.23, 350/96.20, 350/96.21, 350/96.22, 250/227
• US Class Current: 385/135
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4246 Bidirectionally operating package structures
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4292 the light guide being disconnectable from the opto-electronic element, e.g. mutually self aligning arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4452 Distribution frames
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44526 Panels or rackmounts covering a whole width of the frame or rack
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/44528 Patch-cords; Connector arrangements in the system or in the box routing arrangements H04Q1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/4453 Cassettes

Abstract

An opto-electronic organizer on a printed wiring card includes a plurality of opto-electronic devices each having electrical leads and at least one optical fiber extending therefrom and an optical fiber channel in the form of a closed loop for directing optical fibers. The opto-electronic devices are attached to the optical fiber closed loop channel at predetermined locations therealong and the optical fibers extending from the devices are directed into the closed loop channel wherein they are selectively interconnected. The closed loop channel has first and second portions and at least one channel joining the first and second portions so that optical fiber passing therethrough can reenter the closed loop either clockwise or counterclockwise. The organizer is affixed to the printed circuit card in predetermined alignment whereby the electrical leads extending from the opto-electronic devices are connected to prescribed electrical elements on the printed circuit card.

Claims

1. An optical fiber organizing arrangement comprising:

a closed loop trough for retaining optical fibers;

means for directing a plurality of optical fibers into the closed loop trough at different locations therealong;

means disposed in said closed loop trough for selectively interconnecting the optical fibers;

said closed loop trough having first and second portions and at least one optical fiber retaining channel forming a passageway for optical fibers between the first and second portions to change the direction of optical fiber passing therethrough between clockwise and counter-clockwise directions,

said each of the first and second closed loop trough portions comprises a generally U shaped portion having first and second ends,

the first ends of the U shaped portions being joined together and the second ends of the U shaped portions being joined together to form the closed loop; and

said at least one optical fiber retaining channel forming an optical fiber passageway between the first and second U shaped portions.

2. An optical fiber organizing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said means for selectively interconnecting the optical fibers are disposed in one of the first and second U shaped portions and a plurality of loops of the retained optical fiber are disposed in the passageway formed by the other of the first and second U shaped portions and the at least one channel between the first and second U shaped portions.

3. An optical fiber organizing arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said means for selectively interconnecting the optical fibers comprises means for abutting an end of one optical fiber an end of another optical fiber.

4. An optical fiber organizing arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said abutting means comprises a fusion splicing device.

5. An optical fiber organizing arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said abutting means comprises a mechanical splice device.

6. An optical fiber organizing arrangement comprising:

a closed loop trough for retaining optical fibers;

means for directing a plurality of optical fibers into the closed loop trough at different locations therealong;

means disposed in said closed loop trough for selectively interconnecting the optical fibers;

said closed loop trough having first and second portions and at least one optical fiber retaining channel forming a passageway for optical fibers between the first and second portions to change the direction of optical fiber passing therethrough between clockwise and counter-clockwise directions,

a plurality of opto-electronic devices each having at least one electrical lead and at least one optical fiber extending therefrom;

means for affixing each of the plurality of opto-electronic devices to said closed loop trough at a predetermined location therealong; and

said means for directing a plurality of optical fibers into the closed loop trough comprises an opening in said closed loop trough at each predetermined location for directing the at least one optical fiber from one of said opto-electronic devices into said closed loop trough.

7. An optical fiber organizing arrangement according to claim 6 further comprising:

a printed circuit card including apertures at prescribed locations for receiving electrical leads from said opto-electronic devices and a plurality of apertures for positioning said closed loop trough with respect to the printed circuit card;

said closed loop trough further comprising a plurality of pins extending therefrom for insertion into the positioning apertures on the printed circuit card;

said pins extending from the closed loop being longer than the opto-electronic device electrical leads to guide the opto-electronic device electrical leads into the prescribed location receiving apertures on the printed circuit card.

8. An optical interconnection arrangement for mounting on a printed circuit card comprising:

one or more opto-electronic devices, each device having at least one electrical lead and at least one optical fiber extending therefrom;

one or more optical devices each having at least one optical fiber extending therefrom;

a plurality of devices for selectively interconnecting the optical fibers extending from the one or more opto-electronic devices and the one or more optical devices;

a structure for restricting the plurality of selectively interconnected optical fibers to a predetermined region;

means for retaining each of the one or more opto-electronic devices at predetermined locations on the optical fiber restricting structure;

the optical fiber restricting structure comprising a closed loop channel for directing one or more of the plurality of interconnected optical fibers clockwise around the closed loop and for directing other of the plurality of interconnected optical fibers counter clockwise around the closed loop; and

means for affixing said optical fiber restricting structure to said printed circuit card to position the electrical leads of the opto-electronic devices at prescribed locations on said printed circuit card.

9. An optical interconnection arrangement for mounting on a printed circuit card according to claim 8 wherein:

the means for affixing the optical fiber restricting structure to said printed circuit card comprises a plurality of pin elements extending from the optical fiber restricting structure at prescribed locations;

the printed circuit card includes a plurality of apertures each for receiving one of said restricting structure pin elements at prescribed locations on the printed circuit card and one or more apertures for receiving said opto-electronic device electrical leads;

said restricting structure pin elements directing the restricting structure into a prescribed position on said printed circuit card to guide the opto-electronic device electrical leads into the opto-electronic device electrical lead receiving apertures.

10. An optical interconnection arrangement for mounting on a printed circuit card according to claim 9 wherein the restricting structure pin elements are longer than the opto-electronic electrical leads to position the opto-electronic device electrical leads in alignment with the printed circuit card electrical lead receiving apertures.

11. An optical interconnection arrangement for mounting on a printed circuit card according to claim 10 wherein said closed loop channel comprises first, second, third and fourth channels, the third channel being joined to each of the first and second channels by a curved passage and the fourth channel being joined to each of the first and second channels by a curved passage;

12. An optical interconnection arrangement for mounting on a printed circuit card according to claim 11 wherein:

said one or more opto-electronic devices include

a first device for converting electrical signals into lightwave signals having a plurality of electrical leads and at least one optical fiber extending therefrom into said closed loop channel; and

a second device for converting lightwave signals into electrical signals having a plurality of electrical leads and at least one optical fiber extending therefrom into said closed loop channel;

the first opto-electronic device being affixed to said first channel and the optical fiber extending therefrom entering into the closed loop channel in one of the clockwise or counterclockwise directions;

the second opto-electronic being affixed to said second channel and the optical fiber extending therefrom entering into the closed loop channel in the other of the clockwise or counterclockwise directions;

said optical devices include

an optical fiber connection device having an optical fiber extending therefrom; and

an optical coupler having a plurality of optical fibers extending therefrom;

means for attaching each of said optical fiber connection device and said optical coupler to said closed loop optical fiber channel at a predetermined location therealong.

13. An optical interconnection arrangement for mounting on a printed circuit card according to claim 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 wherein:

the closed loop channel of the optical fiber restricting structure comprises first and second sections; and

said optical fiber restricting structure further comprises at least one channel interconnecting the first and second sections for changing the direction of the optical fibers in said closed loop channel between a clockwise orientation and a counterclockwise orientation.

14. An arrangement for converting a lightwave signal incoming from an lightwave channel to an electrical signal and for converting an electrical signal to a lightwave signal on said lightwave channel comprising:

a circuit board having a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit mounted thereon;

an optical fiber connection device for coupling light wave signals between the circuit board and the lightwave channel;

a first device for converting lightwave signals to electrical signals having one or more electrical leads and an optical fiber extending therefrom for receiving lightwave signals and means for applying electrical signals corresponding thereto to the receiving circuit;

a second device for converting electrical signals to lightwave signals having one or more electrical leads for receiving electrical signals from said transmitting circuit and an optical fiber extending therefrom for supplying lightwave signals responsive thereto;

an optical splitter having first, second and third optical fibers extending therefrom for coupling light wave signals from the optical connection device to the first device and for directing lightwave signals from the second device to the connection device; and

an optical fiber splicer for connecting the first optical fiber to the optical fiber extending from the first device;

an optical fiber splicer for connecting the second optical fiber to the optical fiber extending from the second device;

a closed loop trough mounted on said circuit board for retaining the optical fibers coupling said first device, said second device, said optical splitter device and said connection device; and

a plurality of means extending from the closed loop trough for positioning the closed loop trough on the circuit board to guide the electrical leads of the first and second devices into predetermined positions on the circuit board.

15. An arrangement for converting a lightwave signal incoming from an lightwave channel to an electrical signal and for converting an electrical signal to a lightwave signal on said lightwave channel according to claim 14 wherein said closed loop trough includes first and second portions and at least one section connected between said first and second portions for changing the direction of the optical fibers in said trough between a clockwise orientation and a counterclockwise orientation.