Imaging interface for optical components
First Claim
1. A separable optical interface assembly comprising:
- a ferrule having an end face and defining a cavity at said end face;
at least one optical component disposed in said ferrule and having a light exchanging face; and
a converging lens positioned between said light exchanging face and said end face, and adapted to receive a beam emanating from the light exchanging face and image it to an image point, said point being positioned in said cavity at said end face.
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Accused Products
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.
34 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A separable optical interface assembly comprising:
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a ferrule having an end face and defining a cavity at said end face; at least one optical component disposed in said ferrule and having a light exchanging face; and a converging lens positioned between said light exchanging face and said end face, and adapted to receive a beam emanating from the light exchanging face and image it to an image point, said point being positioned in said cavity at said end face. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An optical connector system comprising:
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a first optical connector comprising at least; a first ferrule having a first end face; at least one first optical component having a first light exchanging face in said first ferrule; and a converging lens positioned between said light exchanging face and said end face, and adapted to receive a beam emanating from the light exchanging face and image it to an image point, said image point being positioned at said end face; and a second optical connector comprising at least; a second ferrule having a second end face in contact with said first end face; and at least one second optical component in said second ferrule having a second light exchanging face that is coplanar with said second end face such that said image point is positioned at said second light exchanging face. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification