Optical waveguides – With disengagable mechanical connector – Optical fiber to a nonfiber optical device connector
Reexamination Certificate
2000-10-25
2002-11-12
Sircus, Brian (Department: 2839)
Optical waveguides
With disengagable mechanical connector
Optical fiber to a nonfiber optical device connector
C385S083000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06478479
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical connector module and, more particularly, to an optical connector module having an improved structure for transmitting light between optical devices and optical fibers.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of an optical connector module for converting an electrical signal into an optical signal to transmit the optical signal to an optical fiber or receiving an incident optical signal from the optical fiber to convert the optical signal into an electrical signal is shown in
FIGS. 1 and 2
. Referring to
FIGS. 1 and 2
, a conventional optical connector module includes an optical module
10
, a connector
30
, and a housing
20
combining the optical module
10
and the connector
30
together. The optical module
10
includes a frame
11
, a light emitting device
12
, a light receiving unit
13
, and first lenses
14
. The light emitting device
12
converts an electrical signal into an optical signal and the light receiving unit
13
converts an optical signal into an electrical signal, both of which are installed within the frame
11
. The first lenses
14
are comprised of a pair of lenses so as to focus light emitted from the light emitting device
12
and light incident from the light receiving device
13
.
An optical fiber
32
for transmitting light from the light emitting device
12
and an optical fiber
33
for transmitting light to the light receiving device
13
are installed within the connector
30
. The housing
20
includes first and second reflecting mirrors
21
and
22
for reflecting light emitted from the light emitting device
12
to the optical fiber
32
for light transmission, and a third reflecting mirror
23
for reflecting light received from the optical fiber
33
for light reception to the light receiving device
13
. Reference numeral
24
denotes a pair of second lenses which are disposed between the second reflecting mirror
22
and the optical fibers
32
and
33
for focusing incident light.
Referring to
FIG. 2
, D denotes the distance between the optical axis of the light emitting device
12
and the optical axis of the light receiving device
13
, which is relatively long compared to the distance d between the optical axes of the respective optical fibers
32
and
33
. Thus, a plurality of the reflecting mirrors
21
,
22
and
23
is installed in order to connect optical paths between the light emitting device
12
and the optical fiber
32
for light transmission and between the light receiving device
13
and the optical fiber
33
for light reception. The light emitted from the light emitting device
12
changes its optical path while being reflected by the first and second reflecting mirrors
21
and
22
and is incident on the optical fiber
32
for light transmission, while the light emitted from the optical fiber
33
for light reception changes its optical path while being reflected by the second and third reflecting mirrors
22
and
23
and is incident on the light receiving device
13
.
Light is reflected by two reflecting mirrors and passes through air along optical paths between the light emitting device
12
and the optical fiber
32
for light transmission and between the light receiving device
13
and the optical fiber
33
for light reception, respectively. As the light travels, the intensity decreases due to loss when the light is reflected from the reflecting mirrors
21
,
22
and
23
passes through air. If the intensity of light reflected from the reflecting mirrors
21
,
22
and
23
decreases, there is a drawback in that light transmission efficiency is lowered when light is transmitted between each of the light emitting and light receiving devices
12
and
13
and each of the optical fibers
32
and
33
. Furthermore, use of many reflecting mirrors
21
,
22
, and
23
for reflecting light between each of the light emitting and receiving devices
12
and
13
and each of optical fibers
32
and
33
increases the number of parts and the number of assembling processes, thus increasing the manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To solve the above problems, it is an objective of the present invention to provide an optical connector module having an improved structure so that light transmission efficiency is increased when light is transmitted between optical devices and optical fibers.
Accordingly, to achieve the above objective, the present invention provides an optical connector module including: a light emitting device which emits light and a light receiving device which receives light to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal; a connector including an optical fiber for light transmission and an optical fiber for light reception; a housing for coupling the optical module to the connector; and a light transmission device which is installed in the housing and includes an optical fiber for light transmission, one end of which is disposed on the side of the light emitting device so as to transmit light from the light emitting device to the optical fiber for light transmission of the connector and the other end of which is disposed on the side of the optical fiber for light transmission of the connector, and an optical fiber for light reception, one end of which is disposed on the side of the light receiving device so as to transmit light from the optical fiber for light reception of the connector to the light receiving device and the other end of which is disposed on the side of the optical fiber for light reception of the connector.
The distance between one end of the optical fiber for light transmission which is disposed in the housing and one end of the optical fiber for light reception which is disposed in the housing is greater than the distance between the other end of the optical fiber for light transmission which is disposed in the housing and the other end of the optical fiber for light reception which is disposed in the housing.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5155785 (1992-10-01), Holland et al.
patent: 5732173 (1998-03-01), Bylander et al.
patent: 6173096 (2001-01-01), Bagley et al.
Choi Jong-ho
Kim Dae-jin
Won Jong-hwa
Nguyen Son V.
Sircus Brian
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