Optical Fiber Cleave Holder with Adhesive Surface Preparation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-optical fiber connector modules face challenges in precisely stripping and cleaving optical fibers and securing their ends at precise locations, leading to potential signal degradation due to imprecise optical alignment and increased manufacturing costs associated with polishing.
Innovation Solution
A cleave holder with grooves and reference holes is used to securely hold optical fibers, combined with a cover that ensures precise positioning and adhesion of cleaved fiber ends within a connector module, utilizing adhesive material to prevent internal reflections and ensure optical alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If polishing is used to create flat optical surfaces on fiber ends, then optical coupling efficiency is improved, but manufacturing time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses disposable adhesive material applied to the fiber end face instead of permanent polishing. The adhesive is applied, cured, and then the fiber is broken off, leaving a fresh adhesive surface for each connection. This disposable approach eliminates the need for time-consuming polishing while maintaining optical coupling efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the surface preparation method from mechanical polishing to chemical/adhesive application. By modifying the surface parameters through adhesive coating and controlled breaking, the process achieves optical-quality surfaces without the time and equipment requirements of polishing.
2Reliability
If polishing is used to create flat optical surfaces on fiber ends, then optical coupling efficiency is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive material serves as a low-cost, disposable element that replaces expensive polishing equipment and processes. The adhesive is applied in a simple manner and discarded after use, eliminating the need for costly polishing machinery and skilled operators.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical polishing system with a chemical/adhesive-based system. Instead of using mechanical abrasion to create optical surfaces, the process uses adhesive application and controlled fracture, eliminating the need for expensive polishing equipment and reducing manufacturing costs.
3Ease of manufacture
If adhesive material is used to cover cleaved fiber ends, then polishing costs are eliminated, but precise positioning and alignment become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the adhesive to the fiber end face before breaking. This preliminary action ensures that when the fiber is broken, the adhesive is already in position to capture the fresh end face. The alignment pins and guide structures are also pre-positioned to ensure accurate placement, eliminating the need for post-bonding alignment adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces alignment pins and guide structures as intermediary elements that facilitate precise positioning. These intermediaries bridge the gap between the adhesive application process and the final fiber positioning, ensuring that the fiber ends are accurately aligned with the optical components without requiring complex positioning mechanisms.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables precise stripping, cleaving, and securement of optical fibers, reducing signal degradation and manufacturing costs by maintaining precise optical alignment and eliminating the need for costly polishing processes.
Implementation Method 1
The adhesive material has an index of refraction that matches, or nearly matches, the index of refraction of the fiber cores to prevent total internal reflection from occurring at the interface between the fiber ends and the optical elements of the optics system of the connector module
Data Source
AI summary
A cleave holder is provided that allows the ends of optical fibers to be precisely stripped and cleaved and then secured at precise locations in a multi-optical fiber connector module. The cleave holder is secured to length-wise portions of optical fibers that extend through the cleave holder. The cleave holder has reference holes formed in its lower surface that allow it to be mounted on a fixture having pins on it that mate with the reference holes. Once the ends of the fibers have been stripped and cleaved, the cleaved ends are secured to precise locations within a connector module. The cleave holder and the connector module form an assembly that can be used together, with the cleave holder acting as a mounting structure for the assembly and as a strain relief mechanism.