Nanoprecision Products, Inc.

Cudoquanta Florida, Inc.

Senko Advanced Components, Inc.

Matthew Gean

Robert Ryan Vallance

Shuhe Li

Rand Dannenberg

Michael K Barnoski

Gregory L Klotz

Tewodros Mengesha

Yongsheng Zhao

Yang Chen

King-Fu Hii

Joseph Kim Bond

Po-Tsung Wu

A process and tool for reshaping and resizing grooves that were pre-formed in a pair of ferrules halves of an optical fiber ferrule. The pre-formed grooves are further subject to a separate, subsequent reshaping and resizing step using the tool and a gauge that may be a bare section of optical fiber or a pin. The ferrule halves are aligned, and using the pre-formed grooves as guides for the gauge optical fiber or gauge pin, the ferrule halves are compressed together with the gauge optical fiber or gauge pin therebetween, thereby reshaping and resizing the respective grooves on the ferrule halves. After reshaping and resizing, the resultant groove that is finally formed on each ferrule halve would be precisely shaped, sized and located with respect to the external alignment surface of each ferrule halve. The ferrule halves may be used to terminate an optical fiber cable.

Process for reshaping and resizing grooves in optical fiber ferrules

An expanded beam ferrule includes a first ferrule halve having first reflective surfaces and a second ferrule halve having second reflective surfaces, which together retain optical fibers. The pair of reflective surfaces output collimated light parallel to the mid-plane of the ferrule. An external sleeve aligns the external surface of two similar ferrules, with corresponding second reflective surfaces of the ferrules facing each other. Output light from an optical fiber held in one ferrule is bent twice by the pair of reflective surfaces, with beam divergence after the first bent, and collimation after the second bent. The collimated light is transmitted to the facing second reflective surface in a facing second ferrule aligned by the sleeve, which is subject to optical reshaping in reverse to that undertaken in the first ferrule, so as to converge and focus light to input to the optical fiber held in the other ferrule.

Optical fiber connector ferrule assembly having dual reflective surfaces for beam expansion and expanded beam connector incorporating same

An expanded beam ferrule includes a first ferrule halve having reflective surfaces and a second ferrule halve, which together retain optical fibers. The reflective surfaces output light perpendicular to the mid-plane of the ferrule. A sleeve aligns the external surface of two similar ferrules, with the reflective surfaces of the respective ferrules facing each other. Output light from an optical fiber held in the first ferrule is bent and collimated by a reflective surface, transmitted to the facing reflective surface in a second ferrule aligned by the sleeve, which bends the light to input to the optical fiber held in the second ferrule. The ferrule components and/or sleeve are precision formed by high throughput metal stamping. The ferrule is incorporated in an optical fiber connector.

Optical fiber connector ferrule assembly having single reflective surface for beam expansion and expanded beam connector incorporating same

A composite structure includes a base and an auxiliary portion of dissimilar materials. The auxiliary portion is shaped by stamping. As the auxiliary portion is stamped, it interlocks with the base, and at the same time forming a desired structured feature on the auxiliary portion, such as a structured reflective surface, an alignment feature, etc. With this approach, relatively less critical structured features can be shaped on the bulk of the base with less effort to maintain a relatively larger tolerance, while the relatively more critical structured features on the auxiliary portion are more precisely shaped with further considerations to define dimensions, geometries and/or finishes at relatively smaller tolerances. The auxiliary portion may include a composite structure of two dissimilar materials associated with different properties for stamping different structured features.

Stamping to form a composite structure of dissimilar materials having structured features

Growing community of inventors

Camarillo, CA, United States of America

Matthew Gean