Optical communication system
View Patent ↗In an optical communication system in which communication is conducted by transmitting light through a plastic optical fiber with a core diameter in the range from 300 to 600 μm, the average beam diameter and beam divergence angle expressed in terms of numerical aperture (NA) of the light at the input face of the optical fiber are set less than or equal to 250 μm, more preferably less than or equal to 200 μm, and less than or equal to 0.25, more preferably less than or equal to 0.2 respectively.
1. An optical communication system in which communication is conducted by transmitting light through a plastic optical fiber with a core diameter in the range from 300 to 600 μm, wherein:
the light is condensed and converged at a point adjacent to the input face of the plastic optical fiber; and
the average beam diameter and beam divergence angle expressed in terms of numerical aperture (NA) of the light at the input face of the optical fiber are less than or equal to 250 μm and less than or equal to 0.25 respectively.
2. The optical communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the average beam diameter and beam divergence angle expressed in terms of numerical aperture (NA) of the light at the input face of the optical fiber are less than or equal to 200 μm and less than or equal to 0.2 respectively.
3. The optical communication system according to claim 1 , wherein:
a semiconductor laser, a LED, or a RC-LED is used as the light source for providing the light to be transmitted through the optical fiber;
an optical system for magnifying an image is provided between the luminous section of the light source and the optical fiber; and
when the maximum outer dimension of the luminous section is expressed as X (μm), the magnifying power of the optical system is less than or equal to 250/X.
4. The optical communication system according to claim 2 , wherein:
a semiconductor laser, a LED, or a RC-LED is used as the light source for providing the light to be transmitted through the optical fiber;
an optical system for magnifying an image is provided between the luminous section of the light source and the optical fiber; and
when the maximum outer dimension of the luminous section is expressed as X (μm), the magnifying power of the optical system is less than or equal to 250/X.
5. The optical communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber is a graded index type plastic optical fiber in which the refractive index thereof varies continuously.
6. The optical communication system according to claim 2 , wherein the optical fiber is a graded index type plastic optical fiber in which the refractive index thereof varies continuously.
7. The optical communication system according to claim 3 , wherein the optical fiber is a graded index type plastic optical fiber in which the refractive index thereof varies continuously.
8. The optical communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber is a step index type optical fiber in which the refractive index thereof varies in stepwise.
9. The optical communication system according to claim 2 , wherein the optical fiber is a step index type optical fiber in which the refractive index thereof varies in stepwise.
10. The optical communication system according to claim 3 , wherein the optical fiber is a step index type optical fiber in which the refractive index thereof varies in stepwise.
11. The optical communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber includes a core made of deuterated polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA-d8).
12. The optical communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber includes a core made of polytrifluoroethyl methacrylate (P3FMA).
13. The optical communication system according to claim 1 , wherein the optical fiber includes a core made of polyhexafluoro isopropyl 2-fluoroacrylate (HFIP 2-FA).