Sumitomo Electric Industries, Limited

Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Sumiden Opcom, Ltd.

Nippon Telegraph Telephone Corporation

Takeo Komiya

Kazuhito Saito

Atsushi Inoue

Yasuo Asano

Yasushi Fujimura

Hiroshi Kohda

Keiji Osaka

Kazuhiko Arimoto

Hidetoshi Takasugi

Toshiaki Kakii

Akira Inoue

Tomomi Sano

Naoyuki Yamabayashi

Mitsuaki Tamura

Tsukuru Katsuyama

Akira Haraguchi

Shuzo Suzuki

Kiyotaka Murashima

Maki Ikeji

Naoki Nakao

Kazumasa Ozawa

Masato Kuroiwa

Koji Kashihara

Kenichi Tomita

An optical power monitoring apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention has an input optical waveguide, a light receiver, and an output optical waveguide. The input optical waveguide has a light entrance end and a light exit end. The input optical waveguide accepts light from the exterior through the light entrance end and outputs the light from the light exit end. The light receiver absorbs part of the light from the light exit end of the input optical waveguide and transmits the other part of the light. The output optical waveguide has a light entrance end and a light exit end. The output optical waveguide accepts the light transmitted by the light receiver, through the light entrance end, and outputs the light from the light exit end. The light receiver is provided on an optical path from the light exit end of the input optical waveguide to the light entrance end of the output optical waveguide.

Optical power monitoring apparatus, optical power monitoring method, and light receiving device

A planar optical waveguide is formed with an optical circuit having an inclined groove. A reflection filter is installed on the inside of the inclined groovecrossing a plurality of optical waveguides. Reflected light from the reflection filter is detected by an array of photodetectors to monitor the optical intensity of the signal light. The photodetector array is held by a sub-mounting substrate disposed at the top side of the optical circuit so that a mounting face of the photodetector array is inclined at an angle a (0&#xb0;&#x3c;&#x3b1;&#x3c;90&#xb0;) with respect to the top surface of the optical circuit such that the reflected light from the reflection filter is made incident onto a light incident face of the photodectors at a predetermined angle &#x3c6;. The optical waveguide module is capable of monitoring the optical intensity correctly regardless of the polarization state of the signal light.

Optical waveguide module

In a planar-waveguide-type optical circuit, a reflection filteris placed inside an oblique grooveformed to traverse optical waveguides. Reflected light from the reflection filteris detected by photodetectorsof a photodetector array, and thereby light intensity of signal light is monitored. A glass substrate made of glass material having a refractive index substantially identical to that of a coreof the optical waveguideand filter fixing resinfixing the reflection filteris used for a substrateof the optical circuitconstituting part of the groove. This inhibits reflection of light in various regions of the groove, thereby reducing generation of extra scattered light inside the grooveand its confinement. An optical waveguide module capable of enhancing monitoring characteristics of the signal light is thus realized.

An optical switch is provided with an optical-fiber-arraying-memberin which a plurality of optical fiber fixing groovesextending along radial directions of a virtual circle are radially formed in a predetermined surface of a base material, a plurality of array-side optical fibersarrayed in the plurality of optical fiber fixing groovesof the optical-fiber-arraying-member, and a moving-side optical fiberto be selectively optically connected to either of the plurality of array-side optical fibers; the moving-side optical fiberand the optical-fiber-arraying-memberare rotated relative to each other about a center axisof the virtual circle, and the moving-side optical fiberis selectively optically connected to the array-side optical fiberselected.

Optical switch, optical-fiber-arraying-member, production method thereof, and arraying method of optical fibers

An optical devicehas a substrate, whereas bare fibersexposed from a coated optical fiber tapeby removing a coatingfrom its middle part are secured to the upper face part of the substrate. In the substrate, a transverse grooveis formed obliquely with respect to an axis of the bare fibersso as to traverse core partsof the bare fibers. An optical memberfor reflecting a part of signal light transmitted through the bare fibersis inserted in the transverse groove. A support memberis provided on the upper side of the bare fibers, whereas a support surfaceof the support memberis provided with photodetectorsfor detecting light reflected by the optical member. The support surfaceof the support memberis inclined with respect to the upper face of the substrate, whereby the light entrance surfaceof each photodetectoris inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the upper face of the substrate. Such a configuration realizes an optical device which can lower the polarization dependence of received light in the photodetectors.

Optical device

An optical switch is provided with an optical-fiber-arraying-member in which a plurality of optical fiber fixing grooves extending along radial directions of a virtual circle are radially formed in a predetermined surface of a base material, a plurality of array-side optical fibers arrayed in the plurality of optical fiber fixing grooves of the optical-fiber-arraying-member , and a moving-side optical fiber to be selectively optically connected to either of the plurality of array-side optical fibers ; the moving-side optical fiber and the optical-fiber-arraying-member are rotated relative to each other about a center axis of the virtual circle, and the moving-side optical fiber is selectively optically connected to the array-side optical fiber selected.

An optical switch 1 of the present invention comprises an optical fiber arraying member 21 for keeping a plurality of first optical fibers 20 juxtaposed with tip portions thereof being aligned, a movable arm 31, opposed to the optical fiber arraying member, for holding a tip portion of at least one second optical fiber 30, a driving mechanism 40 for driving this movable arm 31 to selectively optically coupling the second optical fiber 30 with an arbitrary first optical fiber 20, a supplying mechanism 60 for, when a first optical fiber 20 is optically coupled with the second optical fiber, dropping and charging an index matching agent to a gap between these optical fibers 20, 30, and drop controllers 67, 68 for controlling the supplying mechanism 60, wherein the index matching agent is dropped and charged into only the gap between the optical fibers, so that foreign matter produced in the driving mechanism 40 or the like is prevented from intruding into the coupling part between the optical fibers 20, 30, thus assuring stable optical characteristics.

Optical switch and switching method

Disclosed is an optical connector connecting apparatus. In the apparatus, a plurality of fixed optical connectors are mounted on a fixed member in a lined-up manner. An optical connector containing member having a movable optical connector mounted thereon is supported on a support member through a small-diameter beam. A moving plate mounted on a base supports the support member, and the movable optical connector is moved in X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions so as to be connected to the fixed optical connector. Therefore, a position deviation at the time of the connection is corrected by the flexing of the small-diameter beam so that fine-positioning is unnecessary.

Optical connector apparatus

Optical connector connecting apparatus and optical connector connecting

An optical connector ferrule for use in an optical coupling of optical fibers includes an insertion member, the insertion member comprising a guide capillary for positioning said optical fibers, which comprises a flat plate and a guide substrate having optical fiber guide grooves in one surface thereof, said flat plate being bounded to said guide substrate to form optical fiber guide holes into which said optical fibers are inserted; a reinforcing pipe for surrounding said guid capillary; and a resin-molded area provided between said guide capillary and said reinforcing pipe for insert-molding said guide capillary within said reinforcing pipe.

Optical connector ferrule

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Takeo Komiya