Temperature-resistant intensive beam-expanding optical fiber connector and use method thereof

By designing a temperature-resistant and intensive beam-expanded fiber connector, using a gap structure and flange adapter to achieve contactless assembly, the problems of poor interchangeability and end face damage of existing MPO connectors are solved, and efficient beam coupling and long-life connectors are achieved.

CN120010068APending Publication Date: 2025-05-16ANHUI LANXUAN PHOTOELECTRIC TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202510235752.4
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Applications(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-11-06
Filing Date
2025-02-28
Publication Date
2025-05-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the case of inconsistent grinding parameters of the optical fiber end surface, the existing MPO connectors lead to poor interchangeability of the connectors, which easily leads to optical signal blocking and damage to the end surface of the traditional MPO connector, which increases the application cost.

Method used

A temperature-resistant and intensive beam-expanded fiber connector is designed, and a structure with gaps in opposite end faces of male and female head components is used to realize contactless assembly of optical fiber components through flange adapters, and beam coupling is achieved using microlenses and adhesive fixation.

Benefits of technology

It avoids wear of the end faces of the male and female ferrules, extends the service life, improves the tolerance to dust, and realizes accurate connection and efficient beam coupling of optical fiber components, strong expansion and strong interchangeability.

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Abstract

The invention discloses a temperature-resistant intensive beam-expanding optical fiber connector and a use method, and relates to the technical field of optical fiber connectors, the temperature-resistant intensive beam-expanding optical fiber connector comprises a male head assembly and a female head assembly which are matched with each other and a flange adapter which sleeves the outer sides of the male head assembly and the female head assembly, and the male head assembly and the female head assembly are inserted into the flange adapter at the same time. Compared with an existing contact type structure, the connector has the advantages that the end faces of the male connector insertion core and the female connector insertion core are prevented from being abraded, the service life is prolonged, meanwhile, the connector is not sensitive to dust and is hardly influenced by the cleanliness degree of an installation environment, the connection relation between the optical fiber assembly and the insertion cores is accurate, and the reliability of the connector is improved. Light beam coupling can be better achieved, expansibility is high, expansion can exceed 120 cores, meanwhile, rapid replacement between different optical fibers can be achieved, repeatability is good, and interchange capacity is high.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber connectors, and in particular to a temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector and a use method thereof. Background Art

[0002] During the production of the commonly used MPO connectors, it is difficult to make the polishing parameters of the fiber end faces consistent, resulting in poor interchangeability of the connectors. When the connectors are paired, all fiber end faces need to be in close physical contact at the same time to work properly, because the end faces must be clean and free of any dust particles, otherwise the light signal will be blocked or even the optical interface will be damaged, causing the connector to malfunction. At the same time, if air gaps are generated, it will cause multiple reflections of light between the fiber end faces (Fabry-Perot cavity), which will also seriously affect the stability of the signal.

[0003] To ensure that all fiber end faces are in close contact at the same time, a large working pressure must be applied to the fiber optic connector. Even so, it is often not possible to ensure that all optical fibers are in contact at the same time. At the same time, due to this design, it is more likely to cause damage to the end face of the traditional MPO connector. Therefore, traditional MPO connectors must be regularly inspected and maintained during application to ensure that the link can be transmitted reliably, which invisibly increases the application cost. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a temperature-resistant intensive beam-expanding optical fiber connector and a method of use to solve the technical problems in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention can be achieved by the following technical solution: a heat-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector,

[0006] It includes a male component and a female component that match each other and a flange adapter that is sleeved on the outside of the male component and the female component;

[0007] The male assembly includes a male housing and a male ferrule disposed in the male housing, and the female assembly includes a female housing and a female ferrule disposed in the female housing, wherein both the male ferrule and the female ferrule are provided with optical fiber assemblies, and both the male ferrule and the female ferrule are inserted into the flange adapter, and there is a gap between the end faces of the male ferrule and the female ferrule, and the optical fiber assembly in the male ferrule is light beam coupled with the optical fiber assembly in the female ferrule;

[0008] The optical fiber assembly includes an ordinary optical fiber, a microlens is provided at the output end of the ordinary optical fiber, and the ordinary optical fiber and the microlens are fused.

[0009] As a further solution of the present invention: the outer surfaces of the male ferrule and the female ferrule are coated with an anti-reflection coating.

[0010] As a further solution of the present invention: the male ferrule and the female ferrule are both provided with through holes for installing the optical fiber assembly, and the optical fiber assembly and the male ferrule and the female ferrule are fixed by gluing.

[0011] As a further solution of the present invention: a cavity for plugging the male ferrule and the female ferrule is provided inside the flange adapter.

[0012] As a further solution of the present invention: the end face of the male ferrule is provided with a limiting guide pin, and the end face of the female ferrule is provided with a limiting socket matching the limiting guide pin.

[0013] As a further solution of the present invention: a guide groove is provided on the inner wall of the chamber of the flange adapter, and buckle pieces for clamping the male ferrule and the female ferrule are symmetrically arranged in the chamber of the flange adapter.

[0014] As a further solution of the present invention: a gasket for separating the male ferrule and the female ferrule is arranged in the middle of the flange adapter, and the male ferrule and the female ferrule are both provided with an engaging protrusion matching the guide groove, and the male ferrule and the female ferrule are both provided with a snap groove matching the snap piece.

[0015] As a further solution of the present invention: a accommodating shell is arranged on the upper and lower end surfaces of the male head shell and the female head shell, a limiting slide groove is provided inside the accommodating shell, a limiting slider is slidingly arranged inside the limiting slide groove, a traction spring is arranged at one end of the limiting slide groove to pull the limiting slider, and a snap-in pin is arranged on the end face of the limiting slider.

[0016] As a further solution of the present invention: a clamping plate matching the clamping pin is disposed on the upper and lower end surfaces of the flange adapter, and a clamping groove is formed at the end of the clamping plate.

[0017] A method for using a temperature-resistant intensive beam-expanding optical fiber connector comprises the following steps:

[0018] Step 1: When using, first check the male assembly (1), the female assembly (2), the flange adapter (3) and the optical fiber assembly (4) to ensure that each component is not damaged, and then pneumatically remove dust from the male assembly (1), the female assembly (2) and the flange adapter (3);

[0019] Step 2: insert the engaging protrusion (6) provided on the female ferrule (202) into the guide groove (301) provided in the flange adapter (3), so as to assemble the female ferrule (202) and the flange adapter (3);

[0020] Step 3: insert the engaging protrusion (6) provided on the male ferrule (102) into the guide groove (301) provided in the flange adapter (3) to realize the assembly of the male ferrule (102) and the flange adapter (3); when the male ferrule (102) and the flange adapter (3) are assembled, the limiting guide pin (103) is inserted into the limiting insertion hole (203) provided, and the snap-in piece (302) is snapped into the snap-in groove (7), so as to realize the contactless assembly of the optical fiber assembly (4) in the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202);

[0021] Step 4: Select 5 pairs of opposite end faces of the male ferrules (102) and 202 of appropriate thickness to form a support according to the gap between the male ferrules (102) and 202 of the two groups 4 at the minimum transmission loss;

[0022] Step 5: After pulling the snap-in pin (12) to a certain position, rotate the snap-in plate (13) so that the snap-in plate (13) and the snap-in pin (12) are snap-fitted to achieve the final assembly of the male component (1), the female component (2) and the flange adapter (3).

[0023] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0024] 1. In the present invention, the male component and the female component are inserted into the flange adapter at the same time. After the insertion, a gap is left between the male ferrule and the female ferrule, and no contact is made. Compared with the existing contact structure, the end face wear of the male ferrule and the female ferrule is avoided, and the service life is extended. At the same time, it is insensitive to dust and is almost unaffected by the cleanliness of the installation environment. The connection relationship between the optical fiber component and the ferrule is accurate, which is convenient for better light beam coupling. It has strong scalability and can be expanded to more than 120 cores. At the same time, it can realize rapid replacement between different optical fibers, with good repeatability and strong interchangeability.

[0025] 2. In the present invention, the staff can pull the card pin shaft to make the limit slider slide along the direction of the limit slide groove, so that the traction spring is deformed and stretched, and then rotate the card plate to make the card plate and the card pin shaft snap together, and utilize the tension generated by the traction spring to make the end faces of the male ferrule and the female ferrule always close to the two ends of the flange adapter, further avoiding the gap between the male ferrule, the female ferrule and the flange adapter to allow dust to enter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the whole device of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the male head assembly in the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the female head assembly in the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the flange adapter in the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the device in the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the optical fiber assembly in the present invention.

[0033] In the figure: 1. male assembly; 101. male shell; 102. male ferrule; 103. limit guide pin; 2. female assembly; 201. female shell; 202. female ferrule; 203. limit jack; 3. flange adapter; 301. guide groove; 302. snap-on piece; 4. optical fiber assembly; 401. ordinary optical fiber; 402. microlens; 5. gasket; 6. fitting protrusion; 7. snap-on groove; 8. accommodating shell; 9. limit slide groove; 10. limit slider; 11. traction spring; 12. snap-on pin; 13. snap-on plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0035] See also Figure 1-6 As shown, the present invention is a heat-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector.

[0036] It includes a male component 1 and a female component 2 that match each other and a flange adapter 3 that is sleeved on the outside of the male component 1 and the female component 2;

[0037] The male assembly 1 includes a male housing 101 and a male ferrule 102 disposed in the male housing 101, and the female assembly 2 includes a female housing 201 and a female ferrule 202 disposed in the female housing 201, and the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are both provided with an optical fiber assembly 4, and the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are both inserted into the flange adapter 3, and there is a gap between the opposite end faces of the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202, and the optical fiber assembly 4 in the male ferrule 102 is coupled with the optical fiber assembly 4 in the female ferrule 202;

[0038] The optical fiber assembly 4 includes a common optical fiber 401 , a micro lens 402 is provided at the output end of the common optical fiber 401 , and the common optical fiber 401 and the micro lens 402 are fused.

[0039] The male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are plugged into the flange adapter 3, thereby realizing the assembly of the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202. After the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are inserted, a gap is left between the two, and no contact is made. Compared with the existing contact structure, the end face wear of the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 is avoided, and the service life is extended. At the same time, it is insensitive to dust and is almost unaffected by the cleanliness of the installation environment. For a microlens 402 (optical fiber) of a specific length, when the light beam end of the ordinary optical fiber 401 is input, it will be converted into parallel light after being expanded by the microlens 402. The ordinary optical fiber 401 and the microlens 402 of a specific length are fused together to realize the collimation coupling of the light beam and realize the spatial optical path transmission of the product. The ordinary optical fiber 401 can be a single-mode optical fiber, a multi-mode optical fiber, or an optical fiber with a special treatment on the core end, such as: TEC optical fiber treatment, secondary beam expansion, etc. The microlens can be Gl ens, or Cl ens, the ordinary optical fiber 401 is fused with the specific microlens 402, or one end of the beam expansion optical fiber, such as the coreless optical fiber, is fused / bonded between the ordinary optical fiber 401 and the microlens 402.

[0040] In this embodiment, specifically, the outer surfaces of the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are coated with an anti-reflection coating to prevent the end surfaces of the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 from reflecting light and affecting the light beam coupling effect.

[0041] In the present embodiment, specifically, both the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are provided with through holes for installing the optical fiber assembly 4, and the optical fiber assembly 4 is fixed to the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 by gluing, and the optical fiber assembly 4 is arranged on the ferrule, and a non-contact coupling method is adopted to ensure an accurate connection relationship between the optical fiber assembly 4 and the ferrule, so as to better realize light beam coupling, and the scalability is strong, and the expansion can exceed 120 cores.

[0042] In this embodiment, specifically, a chamber for plugging the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 is provided inside the flange adapter 3 .

[0043] In this embodiment, specifically, the end face of the male plug core 102 is provided with a limit guide pin 103, the end face of the female plug core 202 is provided with a limit socket 203 matching the limit guide pin 103, a guide groove 301 is provided on the inner wall of the chamber of the flange adapter 3, and a snap piece 302 for forming a snap connection between the male plug core 102 and the female plug core 202 is symmetrically provided in the chamber of the flange adapter 3, and a snap piece 302 for separating the male plug core 102 and the female plug core 202 is provided in the middle of the flange adapter 3. 02, the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are both provided with an engaging protrusion 6 matching the guide groove 301, and the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are both provided with a buckle groove 7 matching the buckle piece 302. When the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are plugged into the flange adapter 3, the engaging protrusion 6 provided on the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 are slidably inserted into the guide groove 301, thereby aligning the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 20 2 is guided by the movement, the limiting guide pin 103 is inserted into the limiting socket 203, and under the action of the limiting guide pin 103, the coaxiality of the two groups of optical fiber components 4 is realized, and the coupling connection of the light beams is realized, and the gap under the minimum insertion loss of the optical fiber component 4 is selected as the thickness of the gasket 5 to avoid affecting the light beam coupling effect of the two groups. The gasket 5 keeps the distance between the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 constant. The gasket 5 can be a metal or non-metal material entity with a fixed thickness. In addition to setting a solid gasket 5, a non-entity gap of the required thickness can also be reserved by designing the flange adapter 3. During the insertion of the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 into the flange adapter 3, the snap-on piece 302 is snapped with the snap-on groove 7. The snap-on piece 302 has a certain resilience. The snap-on piece 302 and the snap-on groove 7 are snapped together to realize the fixation between the male component 1, the female component 2 and the flange adapter 3 to avoid slipping. At the same time, an inclined surface is set in the snap-on groove 7, which can be disassembled after fixation, and is easy to use.

[0044] In this embodiment, specifically, a housing 8 is provided on the upper and lower end surfaces of the male housing 101 and the female housing 201, a limiting slide groove 9 is provided inside the housing 8, a limiting slider 10 is provided inside the limiting slide groove 9, and a traction spring 11 is provided at one end of the limiting slide groove 9 to form traction on the limiting slider 10, and a clamping pin 12 is provided on the end surface of the limiting slider 10, and a clamping plate 13 matching the clamping pin 12 is provided on the upper and lower end surfaces of the flange adapter 3, and a clamping groove is provided at the end of the clamping plate 13. When the male plug 102 and When the female ferrule 202 is plugged into the flange adapter 3, the staff can pull the snap-in pin 12 to make the limiting slider 10 slide along the direction of the limiting slide groove 9, so that the traction spring 11 is deformed and stretched, and then the snap-in plate 13 is rotated to make the snap-in plate 13 and the snap-in pin 12 snap into place. The tension generated by the traction spring 11 makes the end faces of the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202 always close to the two ends of the flange adapter 3, further avoiding the gap between the male ferrule 102, the female ferrule 202 and the flange adapter 3 to prevent dust from entering.

[0045] A method for using a temperature-resistant intensive beam-expanding optical fiber connector comprises the following steps:

[0046] Step 1: When using, first check the male component 1, the female component 2, the flange adapter 3 and the optical fiber component 4 to ensure that each component is not damaged, and then pneumatically remove dust from the male component 1, the female component 2 and the flange adapter 3;

[0047] Step 2: insert the engaging protrusion 6 provided on the female ferrule 202 into the guide groove 301 provided in the flange adapter 3 to assemble the female ferrule 202 and the flange adapter 3;

[0048] Step 3: insert the engaging protrusion 6 provided on the male ferrule 102 into the guide groove 301 provided in the flange adapter 3 to realize the assembly of the male ferrule 102 and the flange adapter 3. When the male ferrule 102 and the flange adapter 3 are assembled, the limiting guide pin 103 is inserted into the limiting insertion hole 203 provided, and the snap-in piece 302 is snapped into the snap-in groove 7 to realize the contactless assembly of the optical fiber assembly 4 in the male ferrule 102 and the female ferrule 202;

[0049] Step 4: Select 5 pairs of opposite end faces of the male ferrules 102 and 202 of appropriate thickness to form a support according to the gap between the two groups 4 at the minimum transmission loss;

[0050] Step 5: After pulling the snap-in pin 12 to a certain position, rotate the snap-in plate 13 so that the snap-in plate 13 is snap-fitted with the snap-in pin 12 to achieve the final assembly of the male component 1, the female component 2 and the flange adapter 3.

[0051] The above is a detailed description of an embodiment of the present invention, but the content is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and cannot be considered to limit the scope of implementation of the present invention. All equivalent changes and improvements made within the scope of the present invention should still fall within the scope of the patent coverage of the present invention.

Claims

1. A temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector, characterized in that: It comprises a male component (1) and a female component (2) that match each other, and a flange adapter (3) that is sleeved on the outside of the male component (1) and the female component (2); The male assembly (1) comprises a male housing (101) and a male ferrule (102) arranged in the male housing (101); the female assembly (2) comprises a female housing (201) and a female ferrule (202) arranged in the female housing (201); optical fiber assemblies (4) are arranged in the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202); the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202) are both inserted into the flange adapter (3); a gap exists between the opposite end faces of the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202); and the optical fiber assembly (4) in the male ferrule (102) and the optical fiber assembly (4) in the female ferrule (202) are optically coupled; The optical fiber assembly (4) comprises an ordinary optical fiber (401), a microlens (402) is provided at the output end of the ordinary optical fiber (401), and the ordinary optical fiber (401) and the microlens (402) are fused.

2. A temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surfaces of the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202) are both coated with an anti-reflection coating.

3. The temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202) are both provided with through holes for installing the optical fiber assembly (4), and the optical fiber assembly (4) and the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202) are fixed by gluing.

4. The heat-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flange adapter (3) has a chamber inside for the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202) to be plugged into.

5. The temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end surface of the male plug core (102) is provided with a limiting guide pin (103), and the end surface of the female plug core (202) is provided with a limiting socket (203) matching the limiting guide pin (103).

6. A temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: A guide groove (301) is provided on the inner wall of the chamber of the flange adapter (3), and buckle pieces (302) for clamping the male plug core (102) and the female plug core (202) are symmetrically arranged in the chamber of the flange adapter (3).

7. The temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: A gasket (5) for separating the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202) is provided in the middle of the flange adapter (3); an engaging protrusion (6) matching the guide groove (301) is provided on the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202); and a snap groove (7) matching the snap piece (302) is provided on the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202).

8. The temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper and lower end surfaces of the male shell (101) and the female shell (201) are both provided with a containing shell (8), a limiting slide groove (9) is provided inside the containing shell (8), a limiting slider (10) is slidably provided inside the limiting slide groove (9), a traction spring (11) for traction on the limiting slider (10) is provided at one end of the limiting slide groove (9), and a snap-in pin shaft (12) is provided on the end surface of the limiting slider (10).

9. The temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: A clamping plate (13) matching the clamping pin shaft (12) is provided on the upper and lower end surfaces of the flange adapter (3), and a clamping groove is provided at the end of the clamping plate (13).

10. A method for using a temperature-resistant intensive beam expansion optical fiber connector according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: When using, first check the male assembly (1), the female assembly (2), the flange adapter (3) and the optical fiber assembly (4) to ensure that each component is not damaged, and then pneumatically remove dust from the male assembly (1), the female assembly (2) and the flange adapter (3); Step 2: insert the engaging protrusion (6) provided on the female ferrule (202) into the guide groove (301) provided in the flange adapter (3), so as to assemble the female ferrule (202) and the flange adapter (3); Step 3: insert the engaging protrusion (6) provided on the male ferrule (102) into the guide groove (301) provided in the flange adapter (3) to realize the assembly of the male ferrule (102) and the flange adapter (3); when the male ferrule (102) and the flange adapter (3) are assembled, the limiting guide pin (103) is inserted into the limiting insertion hole (203) provided, and the snap-in piece (302) is snapped into the snap-in groove (7), so as to realize the contactless assembly of the optical fiber assembly (4) in the male ferrule (102) and the female ferrule (202); Step 4: Select 5 pairs of opposite end faces of the male ferrules (102) and 202 of appropriate thickness to form a support according to the gap between the male ferrules (102) and 202 of the two groups 4 at the minimum transmission loss; Step 5: After pulling the snap-in pin (12) to a certain position, rotate the snap-in plate (13) so that the snap-in plate (13) and the snap-in pin (12) are snapped together, thereby achieving the final assembly of the male component (1), the female component (2) and the flange adapter (3).