WO2008006402A1

WO2008006402A1 - Connector

Info

Publication number: WO2008006402A1
Application number: PCT/EP2006/064149
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Mailloux; Ralf Lohrmann; Francis Nedvidek; Ingo Smaglinski
Original assignee: Cube Optics Ag
Priority date: 2006-07-12
Filing date: 2006-07-12
Publication date: 2008-01-17
Also published as: DE112006003952A5

Abstract

The present invention relates to a connector comprising a housing and at least one first and one second connection, with the first connection being provided for receiving the at least one optical waveguide and the second connection being provided for connecting to the at least one further optical waveguide and/or to the at least one sending and/or receiving element, wherein at least one wave-modifying element is provided between the first and the second connection. In order to find a solution which permits coupling in and/or out of the corresponding wavelength channel in as small a space as possible, which can be installed very easily and which attenuates the information signal as little as possible, the invention proposes that at least one characteristic of light signals which are coupled into the first connection and are output at the second connection and/or of light signals which are coupled into the second connection and output at the first connection is changed.

Description

Cube Optics AG

Connectors

The present invention relates to a device for coupling and / or decoupling a specific wavelength into or from an information signal which is composed of signals having different wavelengths.

In telecommunications, it is customary to transmit information by means of optical signals via an optical waveguide, usually a glass fiber. In order to transmit as much information as possible via an optical waveguide, signals of different wavelengths are combined in a multiplexer and then transmitted together, but independently of each other, via the optical fiber. At the destination then the composite signal must be decomposed again with the help of a demultiplexer into its original components. The information is transmitted by modulating the amplitude of a fixed wavelength signal.

Fixed wavelength signals are often referred to as channels. Each channel can then be used separately for information transmission.

As a rule, individual channels can also be extracted or individual channels can be added. For this purpose, the devices mentioned above, which are also referred to as add-drop multiplexer (ADM) are used.

These demultiplexers / multiplexers are generally arranged in 19-inch bays, which in turn are used in corresponding control cabinets. The use of such 19-inch bays requires space, which often has to be created on site only with great effort. These bays have several ports on their front panel so that the composite signal is coupled to one port and at another port the decoupled signal, i. the information signal having a certain wavelength is output. Since the connections are all arranged on the front side, a complex deflection optics must be arranged within the housing. Since each diverting element attenuates the information signal to a certain extent, the use of the known add-drop multiplexers leads to a deterioration of the signal-to-noise ratio.

In addition, the assembly of the known demultiplexer / multiplexer systems is quite time consuming. - -

Based on this prior art, it is therefore an object of the invention to find a solution that allows input and / or decoupling of the corresponding wavelength channel in the smallest space that can be installed very easily and attenuates the information signal as little as possible.

According to the invention this object is achieved by a connector having a housing and at least a first and a second terminal, wherein the first terminal for receiving the at least one optical waveguide and the second terminal for connection to the at least one further optical waveguide and / or with the at least one Transmitting and / or receiving element is provided, wherein at least one wave-modifying element is provided between the first and the second terminal, so that at least one property of light signals which are coupled into the first terminal and output to the second terminal and / or of light signals , which are coupled into the second terminal and output to the first terminal is changed.

A wave-modifying element is understood to mean any element which, when placed in the beam path, influences one, several or even all wavelength channels of the optical channel. Influencing is understood, for example, as reflecting, absorbing, amplifying, attenuating, interrupting or polarizing.

In a particularly preferred embodiment, the wave-modifying element is a wavelength-selective element, preferably a band-pass filter. A wavelength-selective element is understood to be any element which, when placed in the beam path, influences one or more wavelength channels and at the same time leaves one or more other wavelength channels substantially unaffected.

In this case, the first terminal may be formed as a socket and the second terminal as a plug. It is customary to provide transceivers, that is to say elements which have both a receive and a send function, sockets in which a corresponding plug provided on the glass fibers is inserted. Thus, transceivers usually have a LC duplex socket with a socket for the receiving part Rx and a socket for the transmitting part Tx. To connect the transceiver then usually a pair of glass fiber, which is provided with a LC duplex connector is used. The design of the two connectors for the connector as a plug and socket, it is possible to disconnect an existing connection between fiber optic connector and transceiver and the connector with its plug - -

into the transceiver socket. The fiber optic connector can then be inserted into the socket of the connector. The connector then requires no additional footprint.

Advantageously, the first and the second terminal are not arranged in the same housing wall of the connector. Preferably, the housing wall, in or at which the first terminal is arranged, closes with the housing wall, in or on which the second terminal is arranged, an angle of more than 45 °, preferably more than 60 ° and more preferably about 90 ° one. In other words, in a preferred embodiment, the connector provides a 90 ° angle. This measure can provide for a space-saving installation of the glass fibers.

A further particularly preferred embodiment provides that the first and second terminals are arranged in or on opposite walls of the housing of the connector. This also allows a simplified arrangement of the corresponding optical elements within the connector. Preferably, in this embodiment, the housing wall, in or on which the first terminal is arranged, and the housing wall, in or on which the second terminal is arranged, extend substantially parallel, wherein for some applications the housing walls also have a small angle of less than 45 °, preferably less than 25 °, and more preferably less than 15 °.

In a further particularly preferred embodiment it is provided that the connector comprises three terminals and a wavelength-selective element, which are arranged such that light signals which are coupled in at the first terminal are coupled out depending on their wavelength either at the second or at the third terminal. In this case, the third connection is advantageously arranged in or on the same wall as the first connection. This makes it possible to design the first and second terminals as a duplex plug or as a duplex preferably LC-type.

In a further particularly preferred embodiment, the first and the second terminal are arranged such that the light beam coupled into the first terminal and the light beam coupled out of the second terminal lie substantially on the same imaginary straight line. As a result, a beam guidance within the connector is possible, which manages with few deflecting elements, so that the signal attenuation in the connector is minimized. - -

In an alternative embodiment, the connector comprises a total signal input and a composite signal output terminal, and a channel input and output terminal, the connector combining a wavelength channel of the signal applied to the overall signal input terminal from the channel output terminal and the signal coupled to the channel input terminal together with the residual signal, which is not coupled out at the channel output terminal, outputs at the total signal output. In this case, preferably, the two total signal terminals are arranged on the same side of the housing, and in the same way, preferably, the channel connections on the same side, and preferably arranged on the opposite side of the housing of the connector.

Further advantages, features and possible applications will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures. Show it:

1 is a schematic view of a possible connection of two mutually communicating transceivers (without the connector according to the invention),

FIG. 2 shows a first possible application of the plug connection according to the invention, FIG. 33 shows a second possible application of the plug connection according to the invention,

4 shows a first embodiment of the structure of the optical elements within the connector according to the invention,

5 shows a further embodiment of the construction of the optical elements within the plug connection according to the invention, FIG. 66 shows a further embodiment of the construction of the optical elements within the plug connection according to the invention,

7 shows a further embodiment of the structure of the optical elements within the connector according to the invention,

8 shows a further embodiment of the structure of the optical elements within the connector according to the invention,

9 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the invention

connector,

10 shows several side views and perspective views of an embodiment of the connector according to the invention, FFiigg .. 1111 of the connector of FIG. 10 in the inserted state,

12 is an exploded view of FIG. 11, - -

13 shows an alternative embodiment of the connector in the inserted state,

14 is an exploded view of the connector of FIG. 13,

15 is a connection example,

16 is a schematic representation of the pin assignment, FIG. 17 is an exploded view to illustrate the circuit assignment of FIG. 16,

18 an expanded wiring arrangement,

19 is a wiring arrangement according to another application of the plug-in system according to the invention,

20 shows an alternative embodiment with four connections, FIG. 21 shows a view of the embodiment of FIG. 20 in the inserted state, FIG.

FIG. 22 is a view of the internal structure of the optical elements in the embodiment of FIG. 20; FIG.

FIG. 23 shows a second example of the arrangement of the optical elements within the connector according to FIG. 20, and FIG. 24 shows an exemplary arrangement of the connectors with four terminals.

FIG. 1 schematically shows by way of example a simple connection of two transceivers. A transceiver refers to a structural unit that combines a transmitter and a receiver.

Each transceiver has an Rx connection and a Tx connection, where Rx stands for the receiver / receiver and Tx for the transmitter / transmitter. The two transceivers 1, 2 shown in FIG. 1 are connected to one another via a glass fiber duplex line 43. The two transceivers 1, 2 can be several kilometers apart. In principle, it would be possible to use only one fiber optic connection. In the embodiment shown, however, a glass fiber duplex line is used, which consists of two mutually parallel glass fibers. The first transceiver 1 is capable of outputting information signals having a fixed wavelength λ _n via the output Tx. These information signals are then transmitted by means of the line connection 43 to the second transceiver 2, namely there to the Rx input. When information signals are to be transmitted from the second transceiver 2 to the first transceiver 1, they are transmitted at the transmission output Tx of the second transceiver 2 via the optical fiber connection 43 to the reception input Rx of the first transceiver 1.

At the receiving side Rx of the transceiver, an opto-electrical converter is arranged, which converts the information signal transmitted via the duplex optical waveguide 43 into an electrical signal. - -

gnal transforms. Basically, all commonly used wavelengths are converted into electrical signals with the opto-electrical converter. If, therefore, one wishes to receive only one information channel at the receiving end Rx of the transceiver, it must be ensured with the aid of an upstream bandpass filter that in fact only the information signals with the desired wavelength impinge on the receiving input Rx of the transceiver.

Meanwhile, it is common to transmit several different information signals in parallel via the same optical waveguide. In this case, devices must be provided, with the help of a single wavelength channel off and / or can be coupled.

2 shows a first embodiment of a connector 4 according to the invention. Here again two transceivers 1, 2 are shown, which are connected to one another via an optical waveguide 3. Between the optical waveguide 3 and the two transceivers 1, 2, a first embodiment of the connector 4 according to the invention is shown in each case. The plug connector 4 has a connection 5 which can be used with the waveguide 3 (generally a glass fiber). Furthermore, terminals 6 and 7 are provided which can be connected to the transmission terminal Tx and the reception terminal Rx of the transceivers 1, 2. The first transceiver 1 transmits here information signals with the wavelength A ₃ , while the second transceiver 2 sends information signals with the wavelength A ₄ . The connector 4 also has a deflecting element 8 and a wavelength-selective filter 9. The wavelength-selective filter 9 passes light signals of a certain wavelength while reflecting light signals of other wavelengths. The deflecting element may be a mirror. In principle, a corresponding wavelength-selective filter can likewise be used for the deflecting element 8 in order, for example, to reduce cross-talk.

If an information signal is now to be transmitted from the first transceiver 1 to the second transceiver 2, the first transceiver 1 outputs a corresponding signal via the transmission output Tx. This signal is coupled via the terminal 7 in the connector 4. The signal is incident on the wavelength-selective filter 9. This wavelength-selective filter 9 is here designed such that it passes information signals with the wavelength A ₃ , but all signals with a different wavelength reflected. Since the first transceiver 1 with exactly the wavelength A ₃ emits data, they can pass through the wavelength-selective filter 9 and are coupled into the waveguide 3 at the output 5 of the connector 4. The waveguide 3 is connected to the terminal 5 of the connector 4 of the second transceiver 2. There, the information signal strikes the wavelength-selective filter 9, which, however, here has a wavelength adapted to the second transceiver 2. Because the second transceiver 2 with the wavelength A ₄ emits information signals, the wavelength-sensitive filter 9 is transparent to signals of wavelength A _fourth However, the signal of the first transceiver 1 has the wavelength A ₃ , so that the signal at the wavelength-selective filter 9 is reflected. It then encounters the deflecting element 8, which directs the signal to the terminal 7 of the connector 4, which in turn is connected to the receiving terminal Rx of the second transceiver 2.

If, instead, an information signal is to be sent from the second transceiver 2 to the first transceiver 1, then the information signal having the wavelength A _{4 is} output from the transmission terminal Tx of the second transceiver 2, is coupled into the connection 6 of the connector 4 , strikes the wavelength-selective filter 9, which passes signals with the wavelength A ₄ , so that the signal can exit from the terminal 5 and can be coupled into the waveguide 3. The signal is then input to the connector 4 of the first transceiver 1 at the terminal 5, where it is reflected at the wavelength-selective filter 9, since this, as already mentioned, only pass signals with the wavelength A ₃ , so that it passes through the deflecting element 8 the receiving terminal Rx of the first transceiver 1 impinges.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the wavelength-selective filter of the connector is adapted to the wavelength of the transceiver on which the connector is to be applied.

In Fig. 3, a second embodiment of a connector 4 'according to the invention is shown. Once again, a first transceiver 1 and a second transceiver 2 are connected via an optical waveguide 3. Here, too, the connector 4 'has a wavelength-selective element 9 and a deflecting element 8. However, the waveform differs from the waveform in the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, as explained below in a signal direction. It is understood that the reverse signal direction is the same.

The first transceiver 1 transmits via its transmission terminal Tx a signal with the wavelength A ₃ , which is coupled via the terminal 7 in the connector 4 '. The signal then hits the deflecting element 8, which directs the signal onto the wavelength-selective filter 9. In contrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the wavelength-selective element 9 is not adapted here to the wavelength of the first transceiver 1 but to the wavelength of the second transceiver 2. More specifically, the wavelength-selective element 9 of the connector 4 ¹ , which sits on the transmitting and receiving connector of the first transceiver 1, passes information signals with the wavelength A ₄ , while all other - -

ren wavelengths are reflected. This means that the signal transmitted by the first transceiver 1 with the wavelength A ₃ at the wavelength-selective filter 9 is also reflected onto the connection 5 and thus coupled into the waveguide 3. After passing through the waveguide 3, which can usually be up to a few kilometers long, the signal via the terminal 5 of the connector 4 ¹ , which is inserted on the transmitting and receiving terminal of the second transceiver 2, coupled. Here it meets the wavelength-selective filter 9, which, in contrast to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, is adapted with its wavelength not to the wavelength of the second transceiver 2 but to the wavelength of the first transceiver 1. In other words, the wavelength-selective filter 9 shown in Fig. 3 on the right passes signals having the wavelength A ₃ , while all other signal wavelengths are reflected. This means that the transmitted via the optical waveguide 3 information signal of the first transceiver with the wavelength A _{3 can} happen and is forwarded via the terminal 7 to the receiving terminal of the second transceiver A ₄ .

The embodiment in Fig. 3 has the disadvantage that in the selection of the connector 4 ¹ one must know the wavelength of the possibly miles away transceiver.

In Fig. 4, the internal structure of another embodiment of the connector according to the invention is shown schematically. For better clarity, the housing has been omitted, so that only the optical waveguides 3, 3 ', 3 "as well as the optical elements 10, 11, 12 and the beam path, which is illustrated by means of a dot-dash line, are shown. that the ends of the optical waveguides 3, 3 ', 3 "are connected to corresponding terminals of the connector, which are not shown here. Here, the connector according to the invention is thus an optical add / drop multiplexer (OADM).

In this embodiment it is provided that the terminal or waveguide 3 "shown on the right in the figure is connected to the transmitting terminal Tx of a transceiver The optical waveguide 3" could for example be arranged inside the transceiver or connect the terminal of the connector to the transceiver. Alternatively, the waveguide 3 "could also be omitted.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is intended to add another channel to an information signal consisting of several channels. The information signal, which consists of signals of different wavelengths, is coupled via the optical waveguide 3 in the arrow direction in the connector. If one follows the course of the beam sketched by the dot-and-dash line, one sees that the signal first turns to a curved envelope. - -

steering element 10 hits. The curved deflecting element has a curved reflecting surface, preferably a reflecting surface having a parabolic or elliptical shape, wherein the generally slightly divergent light emerging from the optical fiber 3 is substantially converted by the curved shape of the deflecting element 10 into a parallel light beam. This parallel light beam then impinges on the deflection element 11, from which it is directed onto the wavelength-selective element 12. In the example shown, the wavelength-selective element 12 is a band-pass filter, which allows only light with a specific wavelength or within a certain frequency band to pass, while light of other frequencies or other wavelengths is reflected. The wavelength-selective element 12 is designed such that it allows the wavelength channel which is added via the glass fiber 3 "to pass through The additional signal then impinges on a further curved deflection element 10, which couples the light beam into the waveguide 3 '.

Since, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a further channel with a specific wavelength or a specific wavelength band is to be added, this wavelength band is initially not included in the light signal arriving via the waveguide 3. This means that the complete light signal, which was redirected by the deflecting element 11 on the wavelength-selective element 12, is directed by this to another deflecting element 10 with a curved surface. This deflecting element essentially corresponds to the first deflecting element described, wherein here from the parallel beam a focusing beam is produced, which focuses the light signal as far as possible into the core of the optical waveguide 3 ¹ . Light signals of one wavelength, which are in the channel to be added, are output via the waveguide 3 "and the transmitting terminal Tx of the transceiver, respectively, and hit the third curved element deflecting element 10 shown in FIG. 4, so that also here the divergent one This beam is now directed to the wavelength-selective element 12, which is however permeable to the wavelength which is input via the optical fiber 3 ". As a result, signals are carried on the optical waveguide 3 ', which are a combination of the signals arriving via the waveguide 3 and the waveguide 3 ".

In Fig. 5, a further embodiment of the connector is shown, which substantially corresponds to Fig. 4, but wherein the arrangement has been substantially mirrored. While in the embodiment shown in Fig. 4, the incoming optical waveguide 3 and the light waveguide 3 ", which comes from the transceiver, are arranged at substantially the same height and the outgoing Lichwellenleiter 3 'below the first two optical fibers - -

is located in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, the optical waveguide 3 ', which carries the outgoing information signals, above the optical waveguides 3 and 3 ".

Since the connector according to the invention is intended to be plugged directly into the corresponding socket of the transceiver, it depends on the geometric conditions of the transceiver, whether the embodiment of Figure 4 or the embodiment of Figure 5 is more suitable.

In Fig. 6, an alternative construction is shown. Here, it is provided that the optical waveguide 3 "is connected to the receiving terminal Rx of the transceiver If an information signal consisting of a plurality of wavelength channels is coupled into the plug-in connection via the optical waveguide 3, the signal is first parallelized by a lens 13 and strikes then the wavelength-selective filter 12, which transmits only the detectable or to be detected wavelength channel by the transceiver in Fig. 6 right, while all other wavelength channels are reflected to the deflection element 14. The deflection element 14 is here a prism due to the opposite to a mirror In principle, however, a mirror could alternatively also be arranged here.The deflection element 14 directs the reflected channels via the focusing lens 13 onto the glass fiber 3 ', which forwards the remaining information channels 12 determines which wavelength channel passes the connector and is output via the focusing lens 13 to the receiving terminal of the transceiver or the waveguide 3 ".

In Fig. 7, a further alternative embodiment is shown. Here the signal arriving via the waveguide 3 is first parallelized via a lens 13, then with the aid of the prism

14 deflected to the wavelength-selective element 12. Again, only the

Wavelength channel suitable for output via the optical waveguide 3 "on the right in FIG

Fig. 7 is provided, transmits, while all other wavelength channels over another

Prism 14 and another lens, which has here focusing properties, is coupled back into the optical waveguide 3 '. Only the channel to be coupled out is via the prism

14 is directed to the lens 13, which focuses the light signal on the core of the optical fiber 3 "

Embodiment corresponds substantially to the embodiment shown in Figure 5, wherein the beam direction has been reversed. In principle, all embodiments shown can be used in both directions. - -

In Fig. 8, another embodiment is shown. This embodiment also consists of an arrangement of lenses 13, deflecting elements 14 configured as a prism and deflection elements 11 configured as mirrors. Furthermore, a wavelength-selective element 12 is provided again. Here, too, a channel is filtered out of the channels coupled via the waveguide 3 via the optical waveguide 3 ", while all other wavelength channels are output via the optical waveguide 3 '.

In Fig. 9 is a perspective view of two connector is shown. Each of the connectors 15 and 15 'has a plug 16 on one side and two sockets 17 on the opposite side. The plug 16 is suitably connected to the waveguide 3 "or the corresponding receiver or transmitting terminal Tx or Rx of the transceiver, while in the bushings 17, the waveguides 3 and 3" are used. The connector 15 'shown in the figure above has an internal structure according to FIG. 5, while the connector 15 shown in the figure below has an internal structure according to FIG. 7 or FIG. It is provided that the connector 15 is plugged onto the receiving terminal Rx of the transceiver and the connector 15 'to the transmission terminal Tx of the transceiver.

Particularly useful is the use of a six-pin connector element, which is composed in principle of two of the connectors already described. In this case, the one connector terminal 16 is provided for connection to the transmission terminal of the transceiver Tx, while the other connector terminal 16 is provided for connection to the receiver terminal Rx of the transceiver. In other words, the two connectors 15 and 15 'shown in Figure 9 are combined into a connector.

In Fig. 10 various side views and perspective views of such a connector with six terminals are shown.

11 shows a perspective view of the connector 15 "with inserted waveguides and a state mounted on the transceiver 2. Altogether, two pairs of waveguides 18, 19 and 20, 21, each connected to an LC duplex connector, are inserted. The function of each waveguide will be explained later.

Fig. 12 shows a corresponding exploded view. In this case, the duplex plug 23 of the lower pair of optical fibers 20, 21 with the transceiver sockets lies approximately in one plane, and the duplex plug 22 of the upper pair of glass fibers 18, 19 is arranged above this level. This sets - -

This is not always the case, therefore, an alternative embodiment may also be configured such that the second pair of optical fibers 18, 19 is below the plane in which the transceiver sockets are housed and the first pair of optical fibers 20, 21. Such an embodiment is shown in FIGS.

FIG. 15 shows an exemplary cabling with two transceivers 2 and 2 ¹ . Each transceiver 2 and 2 ¹ is designed to receive a signal of a corresponding wavelength and to transmit a signal of this wavelength, the wavelengths of the individual transceivers 2 and 2 ¹ differing. The waveguide pair 18, 19 consists of a waveguide 19 which carries the information signals to be supplied to the individual transceivers, while the other optical fiber 18 carries the signals supplied by the individual transceivers. Each connector 15 "therefore ensures that out of the one glass fiber 18 of the pair of optical fibers 18, 19, a corresponding wavelength channel is coupled and applied to the receiving port Rx of the respective transceiver 2 or 2 ¹ and one of the respective transceiver 2 and 2 'output Signal is coupled to the other waveguide 18 of the waveguide pair 3. The outgoing waveguide pair 20, 21 from the connector 15 "of one transceiver 2 is placed on the input of the second connector 15" of the other transceiver 2 ¹ .

It can be seen in Figures 14 and 15, that for the first pair of optical fiber LC-duplex connector socket is provided, the recesses are aligned upward. For the second pair of glass fiber, an LC duplex socket is also provided, but here the recesses for the locking lugs of the LC-Du plex connector are aligned downward. Thus, a conventional 0 modem cable can be used for the connection of adjacent transceivers (see FIG. 15).

The operation will be explained below with reference to FIG. 16. For the sake of simplicity, here the connector 15 "in its components 15 and 15" is recorded separately in a flat representation.

In FIG. 17, the exploded view known from FIG. 12 is shown once again in comparison to FIG. 16, wherein the individual connections in FIGS. 16 and 17 have been given the same reference numerals for better understanding. - -

The duplex connector 22 carries the incoming pair of optical fibers, which consists of the glass fibers 18 and 19. The optical fiber 19 carries the signal which is to be divided at the individual transceivers into the individual wavelength components or channels, so that each wavelength channel is transmitted to the corresponding transceiver. On the other hand, the optical fiber 18 carries the combination of the signals sent by the individual transceivers 2. This duplex plug 22 could in principle be connected directly to the transceiver 2 at the connections 30 and 31. The signal transmitted by the transceiver 2 would then be applied via the terminal 30 directly to the glass fiber 18, while the receiver via the terminal 31 receives the signal arriving from the optical fiber 19. However, as soon as more than one wavelength channel is to be transmitted via the duplex plug 22, appropriate precautions must be taken that on the one hand only the wavelength channel provided for the transceiver 2 is actually coupled in at the input 31, and on the other hand the transmission output of the transceiver 2 which is the reference number 30 is added to the signal of the fiber 18, since it may already contain signals from other transceivers.

For this reason, the connector 15 "according to the invention is arranged between the duplex connector 22 and the transceiver The wavelength-selective elements arranged in the two functional parts 15 and 15 'of the connector 15" are matched to the wavelength of the transceiver 2, so that the transceivers 2 provided wavelength is coupled out of the optical fiber 19 to the output 29 of the connector 15 "in the input 31 of the transceiver 2. In the same way, the output from the transceiver via the output 30 signal is coupled into the input 28 of the connector 15 so that it If the pair of optical fibers 18, 19 carries only one wavelength channel which is adapted to the transceiver 2, the structure described hitherto is fully functional. The wavelength-selective element or the bandpass filter thus determines that which wavelength channel on the receiving element of the transce ivers and which signal wavelengths can be coupled from the transmitting terminal Tx of the Transeivers.

However, if further wavelength channels are transmitted, they are coupled out via the connections 25 and 27 or can be coupled in via them. For example, the embodiment described so far could be installed without the connection of the second duplexer 23 to an information receiver and transmitter having the transceiver 2. This can then use its assigned wavelength channel. However, it should turn out over time that the wavelength channel is no longer the desired one - -

In other words, the information flow between the transceiver 2 and the corresponding node increases in such a way that a single wavelength channel is no longer sufficient, as can be seen in FIG. 18, for example, in addition to the transceiver 2 Transceivers 2 ¹ or even a third transceiver 2 "can be arranged as many transceivers as possible in order to supply the transceiver 2 ', which is designed for the wavelength channel A ₂ , with the corresponding signals or the signals from receive this transceiver, the terminals 25 and 27 of the connector shown in Fig. 16 15 "via the pair of optical fiber 23, consisting of the glass fibers 20 and 21, by means of the plug 48 to the terminals 38 and 46 of another connector 15" connected. This situation corresponds to the perspective view shown in FIG.

In the same way as in the transceiver 2, which is designed for the wavelength λi, now follows the communication with the transceiver 2 ¹ . It is understood that the connector 15 ", which is inserted on the transceiver 2 ^1, is adapted to the wavelength of the respective transceiver, so that only this wavelength can be transmitted or coupled into the corresponding fiber optic cable To prevent the connectors may have a color coding on its outside, by means of which the installer can recognize, on soft wavelength of the connector is designed.

The arrangement has the advantage that the number of transceivers and thus the number of channels used can be arbitrarily extended and in the extension, the communication between the first transceiver and the central node does not have to be interrupted. On the contrary, additional transceivers or additional connection cables can simply be switched on without the communication of the already wired transceivers being interrupted or disturbed.

Another embodiment is shown in FIG. Here, two transceivers 2 and 2 ^{1 are} shown, which are each designed for the same wavelength λi. Here, a redundant structure is provided, so that in case of failure of a transceiver or inadvertent severing of a fiber optic cable information flow is still guaranteed.

For this reason, the signal to be transmitted is injected via the multiplexer 34 as well as the multiplexer 36 in the corresponding glass fibers. Furthermore, two demultiplexers 33 and 35 are provided, each of which decomposes the received signal into its individual components. - -

In Fig. 20, another embodiment of a connector according to the invention is shown. This connector has four terminals, wherein in the embodiment shown two are formed as a plug and two as a socket.

Fig. 21 shows the connector 15 "" of Fig. 20 with plugged-glass fibers, wherein the connector 15 "" is attached to the transceiver 2.

An exemplary arrangement of the optical elements within the connector 15 "" is shown in FIG. The beam path can be easily illustrated by the figure. From the multiplex signal, which is supplied via the optical fiber 18, a single wavelength channel is coupled to the receiver Rx of the transceiver, while the signal Tx transmitted by the transceiver is coupled into the optical fiber 19. The structure consists of four lenses 13, two bandpass filters 12, and a deflection 11.

An alternative arrangement of the four-terminal connector is shown in FIG.

The corresponding function is best understood with reference to FIG. Evident is a multiplexer 37, which modulates a plurality of signals of different wavelengths onto a single optical waveguide 39. This optical waveguide 39 now encounters the input terminal IN of a first connector 41 with four terminals, which is adapted to the wavelength λi. This connector sits on the transceiver 40, which is provided for the wavelength λi. By the arrangement of the wavelength modifying element, the wavelength channel having the wavelength λi is coupled to the receiving terminal Rx of the transceiver 40, while all other wavelengths are reflected so that they are output at the output terminal OUT of the connector 41. In addition, a signal outputted from the transceiver 40 having the wavelength λi is coupled to the output signal. The output terminal OUT of the connector 41 is connected to the input terminal IN of the connector 42. There, the wavelength channel with the wavelength K ₂ is now coupled out or a corresponding signal with the wavelength K _{2 of} the transceiver 45 is coupled. Reference I iste

1, 2, 2 'transceiver

3, 3 \ 3 "optical fiber

4, 4 connectors

5, 6, 7 connections

8 deflecting element

9 filters

10 deflecting element with curved reflecting surface

11 mirror element

12 bandpass filter

13 lens

14 deflecting elements, prism

15, 15 ¹ , 15 "connector

16 plugs

17 socket

18, 19, 20, 21 glass fibers

22, 23 duplex plug

24 output

25, 26, 27 connections

28, 29 plugs

30, 31 transceiver sockets

33, 35 demultiplexer

34, 36, 37 multiplexers

38, 46, 47 connections

39 optical fiber

40, 45 transceivers

41, 42 connectors

43 duplex waveguides

44, 45 glass fibers

48 duplex connectors

Claims

- Patent claims

1. Connector having a housing and at least a first and a second terminal, wherein the first terminal for receiving the at least one optical waveguide and the second terminal for connection to the at least one further optical waveguide and / or with at least one transmitting and / or Receiving element is provided, wherein at least one wave-modifying element between the first and the second terminal is provided so that at least one property of light signals which are coupled into the first terminal and output at the second terminal, and / or of light signals, the be coupled into the second terminal and output at the first terminal is changed.

2. Connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the wave-modifying element is a wavelength-selective element, preferably a band-pass filter.

3. Connector according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the first terminal is designed as a socket and the second terminal as a plug.

4. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first and second terminals are respectively arranged in or on a housing wall, wherein the

Housing wall, in or on which the first terminal is arranged, with the housing wall, in or at which the second terminal is arranged, an angle of more than 45 °, preferably more than 60 ° and more preferably of about 90 °.

5. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the first and second terminals are arranged in or on opposite walls of the housing of the connector, so that the housing wall, in or on which the first terminal is arranged, and the housing wall, in or at which the second connection is arranged, enclose an angle of less than 45 °, preferably of less than 25 ° and particularly preferably of less than 15 °, and preferably run substantially parallel to one another.

6. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the

Connector comprises three terminals and a wavelength-selective element, which are arranged such that light signals which are coupled to the first terminal, - -

depending on their wavelength, either at the second or at the third connection.

7. Connector according to claim 6 as far as dependent on claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the third terminal is arranged in or on the same wall as the first terminal.

8. Connector according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the first terminal and the second terminal are arranged such that the light beam coupled into the first terminal and the decoupled from the second terminal light beam are substantially on the same imaginary line.

9. Connector according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized in that each terminal is associated with a reflective element with a curved reflecting surface.

10. Connector according to one of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that the connector is designed such that light signals which are coupled at the first terminal, first meet a first reflective element, are reflected at this on a wavelength-selective element, from there depending on their

Wavelength either be coupled via a second reflective element at the second terminal or be coupled via a third reflective element at the third terminal.

11. Connector according to claim 10, characterized in that in the optical path between the wavelength-selective element (12) and the third reflective element (10), a further reflective element (11) is provided.

12. A connector according to one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that a Gesamtsignaleingangs- and a total signal output terminal and a channel input and a channel output terminal is provided, wherein the connector couples a wavelength channel of the signal which is applied to the total signal input terminal from the channel output terminal and outputting the signal injected at the channel input terminal together with the residual signal which is not output at the channel output terminal at the overall signal output. - -

13. Connector according to one of claims 2 to 12, characterized in that the connector has on its outside a coding, preferably a color coding, which denotes the wavelength to which the wavelength-selective element is tuned.

14. Connector according to one of claims 1 to 13, characterized in that at least six terminals are provided.

15. Connector according to claim 14, characterized in that the connector comprises two wavelength-selective element, which are arranged such that light signals coupled to the first terminal are coupled depending on their wavelength either at the second or at the third terminal, and in that Light signals which are coupled to the fourth terminal, depending on their wavelength either at the fifth or the sixth terminal are coupled out.

16. Connector according to claim 15, characterized in that the connector is designed such that light signals which are coupled at the first terminal, first meet a first reflective element, are reflected at this on a wavelength-selective element, from there in dependence on the latter Wavelength either be coupled via a second reflective element at the second terminal or coupled via a third reflective element at the third terminal and that light signals which are coupled to the fourth terminal, first meet a fourth reflective element, are reflected at this on a wavelength-selective element , are coupled from there depending on the wavelength either via a fifth reflecting element at the fifth terminal or be coupled via a sixth reflecting element at the sixth terminal.

17. Connector according to one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that the first and the fourth terminal, the second and the fifth terminal and the third and the sixth terminal are arranged side by side and formed as a LC-Du plexsteckerbuchse.

18. Connector according to claim 17, characterized in that the first terminal, the second terminal, the fourth terminal and the fifth terminal are arranged in the same housing wall, and that the latching nose recesses of the LC

You plug in the first and fourth connection on the second and second - -

the fifth terminal facing away from the LC-Du plex plug socket are arranged, and that the latching lugs recesses of the LC-Du plexsteckerbuchse the second and fourth terminal on the side facing away from the first and the fourth terminal side of the LC-Du plexsteckerbuchse are arranged.