2-to-1 optical coupler that utilizes D-shaped plastic optical fibers (POFs), a bi-directional optical communications link that employs the 2-to-1 POF optical coupler, and a method
View Patent ↗D-shaped POFs are used to form a 2-to-1 optical coupler. The D-shaped POFs are produced via an extrusion process that is relatively inexpensive to perform and that can be performed with relatively high manufacturing throughput. The D-shaped POFs are bonded together to form a coupler end face having a generally circular cross-sectional area. The coupler end face is interfaced with an end face of a main POF that is generally circular in cross-sectional shape. The resulting D-shaped 2-to-1 optical POF couplers have relatively low insertion loss and relatively high optical coupling efficiency.
1. A plastic optical fiber (POF) 2-to-1 optical coupler for use in a bi-directional optical communications link, the optical coupler comprising:
a first D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face;
a second D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face; and
a coupler end face configured to interface with a first end face of a generally circularly-shaped POF, the coupler end face comprising the second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, wherein the second end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs are bonded together to form the coupler such that the coupler end face has a generally circularly-shaped cross section, and wherein the coupler end face has a cross-sectional area that is approximately equal to a cross-sectional area of the first end face of the generally circularly-shaped POF.
2. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 1 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.33 millimeters (mm).
3. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 2 , wherein the second and first D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.66 millimeters (mm).
4. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 1 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.5 millimeters (mm).
5. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 4 , wherein the second and first D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.5 millimeters (mm).
6. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 1 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.33 millimeters (mm).
7. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 1 , wherein the first and second D-shaped POFs each are multi-core POFs.
8. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 7 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.33 millimeters (mm).
9. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 8 , wherein the second and first D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.66 millimeters (mm).
10. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 7 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.5 millimeters (mm).
11. The POF 2-to-1 optical coupler of claim 10 , wherein the second and first D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.5 millimeters (mm).
12. An optical communications link comprising:
a main plastic optical fiber (POF), the main POF having a generally circularly-shaped cross-section, the main POF having first and second end faces; and
a POF 2-to-1 optical coupler comprising:
a first D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face;
a second D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face; and
a coupler end face interfaced with the first end face of the main POF, the coupler end face comprising the second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, wherein the second end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs are bonded together to form the coupler such that the coupler end face has a generally circularly-shaped cross section, and wherein the coupler end face has a cross-sectional area that is approximately equal to a cross-sectional area of the first end face of the main POF.
13. The optical communications link of claim 12 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.33 millimeters (mm).
14. The optical communications link of claim 13 , wherein the second and first D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.66 millimeters (mm).
15. The optical communications link of claim 12 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.5 millimeters (mm).
16. The optical communications link of claim 15 , wherein the second and first D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.5 millimeters (mm).
17. The optical communications link of claim 12 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.33 millimeters (mm).
18. The optical communications link of claim 12 , wherein the first and second D-shaped POFs each are multi-core POFs.
19. The optical communications link of claim 18 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.33 millimeters (mm).
20. The optical communications link of claim 19 , wherein the second and first D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.66 millimeters (mm).
21. The optical communications link of claim 18 , wherein the first and second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.5 millimeters (mm).
22. The optical communications link of claim 21 , wherein the second and first D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, respectively, each have shapes of one halve of a circle having a diameter of approximately 0.5 millimeters (mm).
23. The optical communications link of claim 12 , wherein the main POF is a single-core POF.
24. The optical communications link of claim 12 , wherein the main POF is a multi-core-core POF.
25. A method for bi-directionally communicating optical signals over an optical communications link, the method comprising:
providing a main plastic optical fiber (POF), the main POF having a generally circularly-shaped cross-section, the main POF having first and second end faces; and
providing a POF 2-to-1 optical coupler comprising:
a first D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face;
a second D-shaped POF having a first D-shaped end face and a second D-shaped end face; and
a coupler end face configured to interface with the first end face of the main POF, the coupler end face comprising the second D-shaped end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs, wherein the second end faces of the first and second D-shaped POFs are bonded together to form the coupler such that the coupler end face has a generally circularly-shaped cross section;
interfacing the coupler end face with the first end face of the main POF, wherein the coupler end face has a cross-sectional area that is approximately equal to a cross-sectional area of the first end face of the main POF; and
transmitting and receiving optical signals over the main POF and the POF 2-to-1 optical coupler.