Optical Connector Ferrule Recessed Structure for Miniaturization and Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ferrules for optical connectors face challenges in achieving miniaturization while maintaining structural strength, particularly when adhesive injection windows are formed on the upper or lower surfaces, leading to reduced strength and stability.
Innovation Solution
A ferrule design with a recessed portion on the rear end surface for adhesive injection, covered upper and lower surfaces, and a guide hole with a specific diameter ratio to the ferrule thickness, along with inclined surfaces to guide optical fibers, ensuring miniaturization and strength through precise alignment and adhesive application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If an adhesive injection window is formed on the upper surface or lower surface of the ferrule, then adhesive can be injected to fix optical fibers, but the strength of the ferrule is reduced when miniaturized
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive injection window is repositioned from the upper or lower surface to the side surface of the ferrule. This spatial relocation allows the ferrule to maintain sufficient thickness for structural strength while providing adequate access for adhesive injection through the side surface opening.
2Productivity
If the ferrule is miniaturized to connect more optical fibers within limited space, then fiber density increases, but the structural strength becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive injection access is moved to the side surface, enabling the ferrule to maintain a larger cross-sectional thickness for strength while reducing the overall footprint dimensions to achieve miniaturization and higher fiber density.
3Measurement precision
If the guide hole diameter is increased to improve positioning accuracy, then alignment precision improves, but the ferrule thickness must be increased reducing miniaturization
Solution Approach 1:
The ratio relationship between guide hole diameter D and ferrule thickness Tf is optimized to satisfy D/Tf>0.4. This parameter specification allows the guide hole to be sufficiently large for accurate positioning while maintaining an overall thin ferrule profile for miniaturization, as the absolute thickness remains small while the diameter-to-thickness ratio ensures adequate guide hole size.
Data Source
AI summary
A ferrule for an optical connector includes: a ferrule main body that includes fiber holes that extend in a front-rear direction, that are disposed in a left-right direction, and into which optical fibers are inserted, a guide hole into which a guide pin is inserted, and a recessed portion recessed from a rear end surface of the ferrule main body toward a front side on which a connection end surface of the ferrule main body is disposed in the front-rear direction. A vertical direction is perpendicular to both the front-rear direction and the left-right direction. Rear end portions of the fiber holes open at a bottom surface of the recessed portion. The bottom surface includes a first inclined surface inclined toward the fiber holes in a direction toward the front side.