Optical coupling system
First Claim
1. An optical coupler system comprising:
- a housing;
a sleeve situated in and attached to said housing, the sleeve having a changeable inside diameter; and
a ferrule removably positioned within said sleeve, a relation between the sleeve and the ferrule being such that when the ferrule is positioned within the sleeve, the sleeve has a first inside diameter, and after the ferrule is removed from the sleeve, the sleeve has a second inside diameter that is less than the first inside diameter, wherein the sleeve has a rounded outside edge and a beveled inside edge, and wherein the sleeve is attached to the housing by a single strip of metallization covering an arc of about 45°
or less of the circumference of the sleeve and running substantially the length of the sleeve.
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0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An optical coupling system having a split sleeve with a metallized strip adhered to a housing barrel at one end. The sleeve may be smaller than an optical fiber ferrule. The sleeve may have spring-like flexibility and be stretched open at the slit sufficiently to permit insertion of the ferrule in the sleeve. The sleeve may be made of zirconia. The ferrule may be held by the sleeve'"'"'s spring-like contraction around the ferrule. Attached at the other end of the barrel may be an optoelectronic element such as a vertical cavity surface emitting laser. An optical fiber end of the ferrule may be aligned with the laser. Since the ferrule may be held firmly by the sleeve attached to the coupling barrel, there would be virtually no movement or wiggle of the fiber end relative to the laser and thus the alignment may be maintained.
187 Citations
21 Claims
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1. An optical coupler system comprising:
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a housing; a sleeve situated in and attached to said housing, the sleeve having a changeable inside diameter; and a ferrule removably positioned within said sleeve, a relation between the sleeve and the ferrule being such that when the ferrule is positioned within the sleeve, the sleeve has a first inside diameter, and after the ferrule is removed from the sleeve, the sleeve has a second inside diameter that is less than the first inside diameter, wherein the sleeve has a rounded outside edge and a beveled inside edge, and wherein the sleeve is attached to the housing by a single strip of metallization covering an arc of about 45°
or less of the circumference of the sleeve and running substantially the length of the sleeve. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. An optical coupling system comprising:
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a support structure; and a holding structure attached to said support structure, where said holding structure has a changeable inside diameter and is configured to removably receive an optical medium holder having an outside diameter, the inside diameter being substantially the same as the outside diameter when the optical medium holder is received in the holding structure, and the inside diameter being less than the outside diameter after the optical medium holder is removed from the holding structure, wherein the edge of the inside diameter is a beveled edge, and wherein the holding structure is attached to the support structure by a single strip of metallization covering an arc of about 45°
or less of the circumference of the holding structure and running substantially the length of the holding structure. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An optical coupler system comprising:
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a housing; a ferrule; and means for holding the ferrule, where the means for holding the ferrule removably retains the ferrule in position relative to a portion of the housing by way of spring tension, wherein the means for holding a ferrule has a rounded outside edge and a beveled inside edge, and wherein the means for holding the ferrule is attached to the housing by a single strip of metallization covering an arc of about 45°
or less of the circumference of the means for holding the ferrule and running substantially the length of the means for holding the ferrule. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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Specification