Fiber optics connector and a method of making the same

Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Structure surrounding optical fiber-to-fiber connection

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Details

385 73, G02B 638

Patent

active

054523869

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fibre optic connector for optically connecting first and second optical fibres, the connector comprising a moulded plastics housing defining a through bore for receiving the first optical fibre through one end of the bore and the second optical fibre through the other end of the bore with the ends of the fibres in light conducting relationship. The invention also relates to a method of making such a connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The customer for such a connector, may, in many cases, be devoid of staff who are experienced in the preparation of polished optical fibre end faces which are necessary if light is to be correctly transmitted from one fibre to the other, and in any case, the necessary equipment for providing such optically polished surfaces, commonly known as mirror surfaces will not be available in the field of use of the connector.
Furthermore, all plastic fibres tend to change in dimension when they are exposed to temperature fluctuation. The plastic fibre will expand in diameter and shrink in its length. The plastic fibre also includes a jacket made of a plastic material which surrounds the fibre core and cladding material which has a different linear thermal expansion than the fibre core and the cladding material. Also the linear thermal expansion of these materials varies between the manufacturers of the plastic fibre cables. The axial movement (pistoning) between the fibre and the jacket can be as high as 1 mm, a significant axial length which, under normal circumstances of present day fibre optic connectors could take the fibre cable end out of engagement with its mating fibre. The present invention is intended to provide a fibre optics connector that is ready for use without the need for producing an optically polished end surface.


SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of the present invention a fibre optics connector as defined in the first paragraph of this specification, is characterized in that the bore has a smaller cross-section first bore portion opening into one end of the housing and a larger cross-section second bore portion opening into the other end of the housing, the first optical fibre being fixed in the first bore portion and having a first optically polished end face directed outwardly of the one end of the housing, a length of the first optical fibre projecting into the second bore portion and being received in a fibre alignment sleeve in the second bore portion, with a second optically polished end face of the first fibre within the sleeve and being covered by a refractive index matching material; whereby an optically unprepared end face of the second fibre can be inserted through said other end of the bore and into the fibre alignment sleeve into light conducting relationship with the second optical face of the first fibre.
The second end of the housing may, for example be formed as a plug so that once the second optical fibre has been inserted into the alignment sleeve, the connector can be mated with an optical fibre receptacle presenting the optically polished face of an optical fibre for engagement with the first optically polished end face of said first fibre.
The fibre alignment sleeve may be made of a resilient material and may be formed with a through longitudinal slit, so that the sleeve is radially expansible, the internal diameter of the sleeve being less than the overall diameter of the optical fibres, so that the sleeve resiliently grips the optical fibres. The sleeve may be provided with an external collar for guiding it through the second bore portion.
The sleeve may be made of a material having the same refractive index as the cladding of the first optical fibre, or the sleeve may be provided with a coating of the same refractive index as the cladding of the first optical fibre. The index matching material may have the same refractive index as the core of the second fibre.
A fibre fixing clip may be provided for securing the second optical fibre

REFERENCES:
patent: 4255016 (1981-03-01), Borsuk
patent: 4725117 (1988-02-01), Ellis
patent: 4743084 (1988-05-01), Manning
patent: 4787701 (1988-11-01), Stenger et al.
patent: 4890897 (1990-01-01), Cook
patent: 4896938 (1990-01-01), Mathis et al.
patent: 5337385 (1994-08-01), Baderschneider et al.

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