Optical Communication Device with Integrated Converging Lenses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Combo PON products have complex structures and high material and manufacturing costs, which hinder production efficiency and scalability in upgrading passive optical networks to higher communication rates.
Innovation Solution
The optical communication device integrates converging lenses within the transmitting and receiving devices, reducing the need for additional lenses in the optical path, and uses a simplified optical path component with filters and an optical isolator to combine and split light beams efficiently, thereby reducing material usage and complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional optical communication device is used in Combo PON products, then the device can transmit and receive optical signals from different PON types, but the device structure becomes complex and material costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the optical transmitting and receiving functions into integrated modules. Each module contains both a light source with converging lens and photoelectric detection element with converging lens, eliminating the need for separate optical path components and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining versatility for multiple PON types
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated optical transmitting and receiving modules are designed to be universal, capable of working with both low-rate and high-rate PON types. The modules can be configured in different connection ways to support different communication rates, making a single device adaptable to multiple PON standards without requiring complex separate components
2Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional optical communication device is used in Combo PON products, then the device can support bidirectional conversion, but manufacturing material costs and production process costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the optical transmitting and receiving functions into compact modules with built-in converging lenses, the patent reduces the total number of components needed. This integration directly reduces material costs and simplifies the manufacturing process, making Combo PON products more cost-effective to produce while maintaining bidirectional conversion capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the converging lens function from separate optical path components and incorporates it directly into the transmitting and receiving modules. This extraction and integration eliminates the need for additional lenses and optical components, reducing material costs and manufacturing complexity
3Reliability
If a traditional optical communication device is used in Combo PON products, then the device can implement optical signal transmission, but production efficiency is affected due to structure complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of optical transmitting and receiving functions into modular units with embedded converging lenses reduces the number of assembly steps and components. This modular approach maintains reliable optical signal transmission while significantly improving production efficiency by simplifying the manufacturing and assembly processes
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 design reduces material costs, simplifies the production process, and improves production efficiency by minimizing the number of lenses and optical path dimensions, enabling cost-effective and efficient production of Combo PON products while maintaining performance.
Implementation Method 1
a first converging lens is configured to: converge a light beam emitted by the light source, and provide a converged light beam to the optical path component
Implementation Method 2
the optical path component is configured to: combine light beams from the first optical transmitting device and the second optical transmitting device, and send a combined light beam to the optical fiber adapter
Implementation Method 3
a second converging lens is configured to converge the light beam received by the optical path component, and provide a converged light beam to the photoelectric detection element
Implementation Method 4
a photoelectric detection element are packaged in each of the first optical receiving device and the second optical receiving device
Data Source
AI summary
An optical communication device includes two optical transmitting devices, two optical receiving devices, an optical path component, and an optical fiber adapter. A first converging lens packaged in each of the optical transmitting devices converges a light beam emitted by a light source, and provides the converged light beam for the optical path component. A second converging lens packaged in each of the optical receiving devices converges a light beam from the optical path component, and provides the converged light beam for a photoelectric detection element. The optical path of the optical communication device is simplified and the process costs are reduced. In addition, the quantity of used lenses is reduced, correspondingly reducing the quantity of optical coupling dimensions between mechanical parts and improving production efficiency of combined passive optical network (Combo PON) products.