3m Innovative Properties Company

Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Other

3m Innovation Properties Company

Terry Lee Smith

Matthew T Scholz

Michael Albert Haase

Alexander R Mathews

Barry J Koch

James M Nelson

Ding Wang

Thomas James Miller

Xiaoguang Sun

Barry S Carpenter

Catherine A Leatherdale

Sergey Lamansky

William Blake Kolb

William J Schultz

Naiyong Jing

Martin B Wolk

Michael Alan Meis

Brant Ulrick Kolb

Timothy J Hebrink

Jun-Ying Zhang

Bing Hao

Gordon D Henson

John E Potts

Fred Boyle McCormick

Encai Hao

Jimmie Rae Baran, Jr

Mark Kevitt Debe

Mark A Roehrig

Billy Lee Weaver

Zhaohui Yang

Nicholas A Lee

William A Tolbert

Clark Ivan Bright

Brian Kenneth Nelson

Donald Kent Larson

Robert Steven Clough

Yu Yang

Terrance P Smith

Saujit Bandhu

G Marco Bommarito

Yasha Yi

Barbara A DeBaun

Changbao Ma

Takayuki Hayauchi

Stephen J Znameroski

Todd A Ballen

Robert W Wilson

Xudong Fan

James M Battiato

James E Watson

Scott Anthony Igl

Ha T Le

Daniel F Cronch

Robert Travis Smith

Chunmei Guo

Junqing Xie

Dewain Robert Goff

Berkan K Endres

Boon K Lee

Daniel V Attanasio

Sergio D Carranza

Wendy L Thompson

Vivian Wynne Jones

YunLong Qiao

Haiyan Zhang

William Jeffrey Clatanoff

Tommie W Kelley

Brian J Gates

Chin Hua Lim

Eumi Pyun

Fei Lu

Guoping Mao

John C Hulteen

Donald G Doss

Jeremy K Larsen

Silva K Theiss

Robert G Smith

Daniel J Treadwell

Paul S Lugg

Phillip E Tuma

Katherine A Brown

Qingbing Wang

Brian M Cole

Robert J Devoe

Mike E Hamerly

James A Thielen

David B Stegall

Amy S Barnes

Jerome C Porque

Karan Jindal

Jack P Blomgren

Lars A Smeenk

Victoria A Russell

Jeremy M Yarwood

Michael J Svarovsky

Lisa Dick

Scott M Schnobrich

Robert G Frey

Leslie A Todero

George R Hare

An optical ferrule includes an optical coupling member with a light redirecting element that redirects input light from a waveguide toward an output window. The optical coupling member has a mating surface configured to slidably mate with a mating optical coupling member along a longitudinal axis of the optical ferrule. The optical ferrule also includes at least one stacking member along a longitudinal edge of the optical coupling member. The stacking member has a distal end extending beyond one of the mating surface and a top surface opposed to the mating surface. The stacking member also has a contact surface opposed to the distal end. The contact surface is configured to rotatably interface with a corresponding distal end of a of an adjacently stacked optical ferrule.

Stackable optical ferrule and connector using same

Each optical cable includes an array of at least one optical waveguide and at least one optical ferrule attached to the array of optical waveguides. The housing includes a first housing portion and a second housing portion engaged with the first housing portion. The second housing portion comprises at least one carrier and one frame. The carrier and frame of the second housing portion are configured to support the one or more optical cables. The first housing portion and the second housing portion are configured such that mechanical engagement of the first housing portion with the second housing portion moves the carrier relative to the frame. Movement of the carrier relative to the frame causes a bend in each optical waveguide and rotation of each ferrule. The bend provides a predetermined spring force of the optical waveguides at a predetermined angle of the ferrule.

Configurable optical connector

Ferrules, alignment frames and connectors having at least one flexing element are provided. A ferrule or an alignment frame may include a body and first and second flexible arms, and a connector may include the ferrule or the alignment frame. A ferrule may have a first flexible arm that has a first fixed end attached to a first side of the body of the ferrule and an opposite first free end, and may have a second flexible arm having a second fixed end attached to a second side of the body, opposite the first side, and an opposite second free end. When the ferrule is mated with a mating ferrule, the first and second flexible arms are flexed away from the respective first and second sides of the body, and the first and second free ends contact the mating ferrule.

Ferrules, alignment frames and connectors

A light coupling unit includes a first major surface comprising one or more substantially parallel first grooves oriented along a first direction for receiving one or more optical waveguides. A second major surface for slidably contacting a mating light coupling unit comprises an optically transmitting window for propagating an optical signal therethrough, and a region of second grooves and lands configured to capture particulate contaminants in the second grooves.

Dust mitigating optical connector

A light coupling element including a groove and a light redirecting member is described. The groove is for receiving and aligning an optical waveguide and incudes an open front end and a back end. The light redirecting member includes an input side for receiving light from an optical waveguide received and supported in the groove and a light redirecting side for changing a direction of light received from the input side. The groove may include a bottom surface extending between the front and back ends of the groove and including a raised bottom surface portion raised upwardly relative to an unraised bottom surface portion. The unraised bottom surface portion of the bottom surface may be disposed between the raised bottom surface portion of the bottom surface and the input side of the light redirecting member. Optical coupling assemblies including the light coupling element and an optical waveguide are described.

Light coupling element and assembly

A coupling unit includes a light coupling element comprising an attachment area for receiving and permanently attaching to a plurality of optical waveguides. One or more grooves are provided at the attachment area. Each groove is configured to receive an optical waveguide and defined by a bottom surface, a first region, a second region, and an opening. The first region is defined between the bottom surface and the second region. The first region in cross section has substantially parallel sidewalls separated by a spacing. The second region is disposed between the first region and the opening. A width of the opening is greater than the spacing.

Optical waveguide positioning feature in a multiple waveguides connector

An optical ferrule includes at least one light affecting element configured to affect one or more characteristics of light from an optical waveguide as the light propagates in the optical ferrule, the light affecting element having an input surface. At least one receiving element receives and secures the optical waveguide to the ferrule so that an output surface of the waveguide is optically coupled to the input surface of the light affecting element. A waveguide stop limits movement of the waveguide toward the input surface of the light affecting element when the optical waveguide is installed in the receiving element. A space between the output surface of the optical waveguide and the input surface of the light affecting element is inaccessible to the optical waveguide when the optical waveguide is installed in the receiving element.

Optical ferrules with waveguide inaccessible space

An optical cable subassembly includes one or more optical waveguides, at least light coupling unit comprising a first attachment area permanently attached to the optical waveguides, and at least one cable retainer comprising a second attachment area permanently attached to the optical waveguides and adapted to be installed in a housing. A length of the optical waveguides between the first attachment area and the second attachment area allows a bend in the optical waveguides that provides a predetermined mating spring force at a predetermined angle of the light coupling unit when installed in the housing.

Optical assembly with cable retainer

A unitary optical ferrule is molded to include one or more elements for receiving and securing one or more optical waveguides one or more elements for affecting one or more characteristics of light from the optical waveguide while propagating the light within the ferrule. The optical ferrule also includes one or more first alignment features and one or more second alignment features that, when the ferrule is mated with a mating ferrule, each controls alignment of the ferrule with the mating ferrule along three mechanical degrees of freedom. The surface of the optical ferrule can be divided along the thickness axis into a first section and an opposing second section, wherein the first section of the surface includes the receiving and securing elements, the light affecting elements, and the first alignment features and the second section of the surface includes the second alignment features.

Optical ferrules and optical ferrule molds

An optical waveguide propagates an optical mode at a first wavelength along a length of the waveguide. The optical waveguide has an optical core with a substantially polygonal cross-section in a plane substantially perpendicular to the length of the waveguide. The optical core has an index of refraction n1 at the first wavelength. A first optical cladding is disposed adjacent the optical core and has an index of refraction n2 at the first wavelength, n2&#x3c;n1. A spatially modulated index region has alternating higher and lower index regions extending along a width, and arranged along the length, of the optical waveguide, and configured to extract an optical mode that would otherwise propagate along the length of the waveguide.

Optical waveguide with spatially modulated index region

A connector is disclosed that includes a housing and first and second attachment areas located in the housing and spaced apart from each other along the mating direction of the connector. The second, but not the first, attachment area is designed to move relative to the housing. The connector further includes an optical waveguide that is permanently attached to, and under a first bending force between, the first and second attachment areas. The connector also includes a light coupling unit located in the housing for receiving light from the optical waveguide and transmitting the received light to a mating connector along a direction different than the mating direction of the connector. The mating of the connector to the mating connector causes the optical waveguide to be under a greater second bending force between the first and second attachment areas.

Optical connector

Growing community of inventors

Roseville, MN, United States of America

Terry Lee Smith