Optical Connector Adapter Shutter Thermal Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing optical connector adapters with shutters face thermal degradation and deformation due to high-power optical light reflection, leading to potential operator injury and limited design flexibility for through sections, especially when handling high-power optical fibers or fiber ribbons.
Innovation Solution
The optical connector adapter incorporates a countermeasure against high-power optical light, including heat radiation and optical radiation mechanisms, with a shutter plate and independently disposed latch members that allow for flexible through section design and reduced thermal buildup, preventing adapter body temperature from exceeding a prescribed level.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a shutter plate is installed in the optical connector adapter to block high-power optical light, then operator safety is improved, but thermal degradation and deformation of the adapter body occurs due to reflected light heating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful reflected light from the system by providing a dedicated light reception structure that directs reflected light away from the adapter body. The shutter plate blocks light toward the operator, while a separate reception hole with light-receiving structure captures and redirects reflected light, preventing it from heating the adapter body.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a light-receiving structure as an intermediary element between the shutter plate and the adapter body. This structure receives reflected light and directs it away from the adapter body, acting as a mediator that prevents direct heating of the adapter while maintaining the shutter's protective function.
2Reliability
If the adapter body is designed to accommodate shutters and latches, then connection reliability is improved, but design flexibility for through sections is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the adapter body structure by providing a dedicated light-receiving structure as a separate component from the main adapter body. This segmentation allows the through section to be designed with greater flexibility, as the light-reception function is handled by the separate structure rather than constraining the through section design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the design conflict by moving the light-reception function to a different spatial dimension - creating a reception hole that penetrates the adapter body perpendicular to the through section. This dimensional separation allows both the through section and light-receiving structure to coexist without interfering with each other's design flexibility.
3Power
If high-power optical light is transmitted through the connector, then transmission capacity is improved, but thermal injury risk to operators increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful reflected light into a controlled pathway by providing a dedicated light-receiving structure. Instead of allowing reflected light to randomly heat the adapter body, the structure captures and directs the reflected light away from sensitive areas, transforming a harmful thermal effect into a controlled optical pathway that protects both the adapter and operator.
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
This solution effectively prevents thermal injury to operators and reduces heat deformation in the adapter and connector plugs, while offering greater design flexibility for through sections, enhancing the adapter's durability and usability with high-power optical connections.
Implementation Method 1
a countermeasure against light having optical high power that includes at least one of functions of heat radiation and optical radiation
Implementation Method 2
light having optical high power outputted from a tip of the optical fiber of the first optical connector plug is blocked by the shutter plate
Data Source
AI summary
An optical connector assembly and an optical connector adapter with a shutter each provide better heat radiation performance by blocking light outputted from a first optical fiber held by a first optical connector plug with a shutter thereby controlling temperature of an adapter body of the optical connector adapter not to exceed a prescribed level even when light having optical high power is outputted from the first optical fiber for about 15 minutes. An countermeasure against the light having optical high power is provided in a side wall of one of first and second receiving holes to be irradiated with the light outputted from the first optical fiber toward the second receiving hole and reflected thereafter by the shutter plate disposed in one of the first and second receiving holes.