Optical connector

摘要

Optical connectors are provided for connecting sets of optical waveguides (104), such as optical fiber ribbons to each other, to printed circuit boards, or to backplanes. The provided connectors (100) include a housing (110) that has an attachment area (102) for receiving and permanently attaching a plurality of optical waveguides. Additionally, the provided connectors include a light coupling unit (120) disposed in and configured to move with the housing. The provided connectors also include a second attachment area (108) for receiving and permanently attaching to the plurality of optical waveguides that causes each optical waveguide to be bent between the two attachment areas. The provided connectors utilize expanded beam optics with non-contact optical mating resulting in relaxed mechanical precision requirements. The provided connectors can have low optical loss, are easily scalable to high channel count (optical fibers per connector) and can be compatible with low insertion force blind mating.

主权项

1. A connector comprising:
a housing comprising a first attachment area for receiving and permanently attaching to a plurality of optical waveguides; and a light coupling unit disposed in and configured to move within the housing and comprising: a second attachment area for receiving and permanently attaching to a plurality of optical waveguides received and permanently attached at the first attachment area; and a plurality of curved surfaces, each curved surface corresponding to a different optical waveguide in a plurality of optical waveguides received and permanently attached at the first and second attachment areas, the optical waveguide having a first core diameter, the curved surface being configured to change a divergence of light from the optical waveguide such that light from the optical waveguide exits the connector along an exit direction different than a mating direction of the connector, the exiting light having a second diameter greater than the first core diameter, the connector being configured so that when the connector mates with a mating connector in a mating direction, the light coupling unit rotates causing the optical waveguide to bend.