Flexible optical circuit, cassettes, and methods
First Claim
1. A cassette that houses a fiber optic circuit, the cassette comprising:
- a flexible optical circuit including a flexible substrate that is housed within a body of the cassette and a plurality of coated optical fibers supported by the flexible substrate;
wherein the optical fibers include a first plurality that connect between a plurality of multi-fiber connectors at one portion of the substrate and a lesser number of multi-fiber connectors at another portion of the substrate, and a second plurality that only connect to at least one of the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion and are dark fibers, wherein the multi-fiber connectors provided at the one portion of the substrate do not use all of the fiber signal paths for transmitting signals and include some dark fibers, and the lesser number of the multi-fiber connectors provided at the another portion of the substrate use all of the fiber signal paths for transmitting signals, wherein the fiber optic circuit provided by the flexible substrate is a passive circuit such that the flexible substrate provides an uninterrupted fiber pathway between the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion of the substrate and the lesser number of multi-fiber connectors at the another portion of the substrate for all of the first plurality of optical fibers without any power or wavelength splitting or switching for the fiber signal paths, and wherein the first and second plurality of optical fibers connected to the at least one of the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion of the substrate are provided in a common pattern of signal-transmitting fibers, dark fibers, and signal-transmitting fibers, wherein the multi-fiber connectors provided at the one portion of the substrate each include at least one row of twelve fibers, and the lesser number of the multi-fiber connectors provided at the another portion of the substrate each include at least one row of twelve fibers, and wherein the multi-fiber connectors provided at the one portion of the substrate and the lesser number of the multi-fiber connectors provided at the another portion of the substrate are connected to fiber optic adapters that are provided as part of the body of the cassette.
12 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A fiber optic cassette includes a body defining a front and an opposite rear. A cable entry location, such as a multi-fiber connector, is defined on the body for a cable to enter the cassette, wherein a plurality of optical fibers from the cable extend into the cassette and form terminations at one or more single or multi-fiber connectors adjacent the front of the body. A flexible substrate is positioned between the cable entry location and the connectors adjacent the front of the body, the flexible substrate rigidly supporting the plurality of optical fibers. Each of the connectors adjacent the front of the body includes a ferrule. Dark fibers can be provided if not all fiber locations are used in the multi-fiber connectors. Multiple flexible substrates can be used with one or more multi-fiber connectors.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A cassette that houses a fiber optic circuit, the cassette comprising:
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a flexible optical circuit including a flexible substrate that is housed within a body of the cassette and a plurality of coated optical fibers supported by the flexible substrate; wherein the optical fibers include a first plurality that connect between a plurality of multi-fiber connectors at one portion of the substrate and a lesser number of multi-fiber connectors at another portion of the substrate, and a second plurality that only connect to at least one of the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion and are dark fibers, wherein the multi-fiber connectors provided at the one portion of the substrate do not use all of the fiber signal paths for transmitting signals and include some dark fibers, and the lesser number of the multi-fiber connectors provided at the another portion of the substrate use all of the fiber signal paths for transmitting signals, wherein the fiber optic circuit provided by the flexible substrate is a passive circuit such that the flexible substrate provides an uninterrupted fiber pathway between the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion of the substrate and the lesser number of multi-fiber connectors at the another portion of the substrate for all of the first plurality of optical fibers without any power or wavelength splitting or switching for the fiber signal paths, and wherein the first and second plurality of optical fibers connected to the at least one of the multi-fiber connectors at the one portion of the substrate are provided in a common pattern of signal-transmitting fibers, dark fibers, and signal-transmitting fibers, wherein the multi-fiber connectors provided at the one portion of the substrate each include at least one row of twelve fibers, and the lesser number of the multi-fiber connectors provided at the another portion of the substrate each include at least one row of twelve fibers, and wherein the multi-fiber connectors provided at the one portion of the substrate and the lesser number of the multi-fiber connectors provided at the another portion of the substrate are connected to fiber optic adapters that are provided as part of the body of the cassette. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification