CN117687156A - Optical fiber array device, optical fiber array and optical transmission assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides an optical fiber array ware, optical fiber array and optical transmission subassembly, and optical fiber array ware includes the casing, and the casing passes through injection molding process integrated into one piece. The shell is internally provided with a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes which are mutually arranged at intervals, and each optical fiber positioning hole in the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes can be used for the fiber core of the corresponding optical fiber to pass through and fix. The optical fiber array device is simple in structure, simple in process and low in cost, and is beneficial to reinforcing the firmness and stability of fixing the optical fibers in the optical fiber array device.

Description

Optical fiber array device, optical fiber array and optical transmission assembly

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of optical fiber communications, and in particular, to an optical fiber array device, an optical fiber array, and an optical transmission assembly.

Background

With the wave sinking, the network full-exposure construction in the global scope is accelerated, and the requirements on the performance and the cost of the optical cross and optical wavelength scheduling module are raised, so that the requirements on related modules are increased significantly, for example, the requirements on a WSS (Wavelength Selective Switch wavelength selective switch) module are increasing, and an optical Fiber Array (FA) and an FA component thereof are used as an important light extraction element in the WSS module, which has important influence on the application and development of the WSS module. How to improve the production efficiency of the optical fiber array and reduce the production cost is also a goal that is commonly pursued in the industry.

In the prior art, two layers of glass substrates with V-shaped grooves can be used as an optical fiber array device, optical fibers are clamped and fixed in the V-shaped grooves to form an optical fiber array, the V-shaped grooves are required to be formed on the glass substrates through an ultra-precise machining technology in the process, the fiber cores of the optical fibers are required to be accurately positioned in the V-shaped grooves, then the optical fibers are extruded through a pressurizer part and fixed by an adhesive, the process is complex, and the cost is difficult to reduce.

As can be seen, the prior art fiber array is complex and costly.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides an optical fiber array device, an optical fiber array and an optical transmission assembly, which solve the problems of complex process and higher cost of the optical fiber array device in the prior art.

The application provides an optical fiber array device for clamping and fixing a plurality of optical fibers and enabling the optical fibers to form an optical fiber array, wherein the optical fiber array device comprises a shell, and the shell is integrally formed through an injection molding process.

The shell is internally provided with a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes which are mutually arranged at intervals, and each optical fiber positioning hole in the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes can be used for the fiber core of the corresponding optical fiber to pass through and fix.

The optical fiber array device is integrally formed through an injection molding process, so that the optical fiber array device is simple in structure, simple in process and low in cost.

Furthermore, the optical fiber array device is integrally formed through an injection molding process, and the aperture of the optical fiber positioning hole is fully matched with the fiber core of the optical fiber through the selection of the injection mold, so that the firmness and the stability of fixing the optical fiber in the optical fiber array device are enhanced.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fiber positioning holes are non-linearly distributed.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fiber positioning holes are distributed in an arc.

According to the optical fiber array device, the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes are distributed in the arc shape, the distance between two adjacent optical fiber positioning holes can be increased under the condition that the size of the optical fiber array device is not changed, and then the isolation between adjacent optical paths is improved, so that the transmission performance of the whole optical fiber array is improved.

In some embodiments, the plurality of fiber positioning holes have a spacing between adjacent two fiber positioning holes, and the spacing between at least two pairs of adjacent two fiber positioning holes is unequal.

Because the shell of the optical fiber array device of the embodiment of the application is integrally formed through an injection molding process, the setting positions of the optical fiber positioning holes are not limited by machining, so that the distance between two adjacent optical fiber positioning holes can be flexibly set, or the optical fiber array device of the embodiment of the application can be understood that a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes are arranged in a non-equidistant manner, so that different requirements of an optical fiber array can be met, and the application scene of the optical fiber array device is enriched.

In some embodiments, each fiber-positioning hole of the plurality of fiber-positioning holes includes a first hole segment and a second hole segment.

The first end of first hole section is located the terminal surface of casing, and the second end of first hole section meets with the first end of second hole section, and the aperture of first hole section matches in the external diameter of optic fibre, and the second hole section is the divergent shape, and the aperture of second hole section first end equals the aperture of first hole section, and the aperture of second hole section second end is greater than the aperture of first hole section to make: the core of the corresponding optical fiber can be inserted through the second hole section and secured to the first hole section.

In this embodiment, every fiber positioning hole all has first hole section and second hole section that meet, and the aperture of the second end of second hole section is greater than the aperture of first hole section, or it can be understood that every fiber positioning hole of this embodiment all has the horn mouth structure to the fiber core is followed second hole Duan Chuanru, and the centre gripping is fixed in first hole section.

In some embodiments, the length of the first bore section is greater than or equal to 0.15mm.

The length of the first hole section is greater than or equal to 0.15mm, so that when the optical fiber is fixed on the optical fiber array device, the fiber core positioned in the first hole section has a long enough straight line section, loss of signal light in incidence or emission is reduced, and transmission performance of the optical fiber array is improved.

In some embodiments, the optical fiber further comprises a coating layer, the core comprises a first core segment and a second core segment connected, the coating layer is wrapped outside the second core segment, and the first core segment is exposed.

The housing also has an optical fiber inlet, which communicates with the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes.

A positioning boss is arranged between the optical fiber inlet and the optical fiber positioning hole, and is set as follows: when the fiber core penetrates through the optical fiber array device, the first core section of the fiber core is fixed in the optical fiber positioning hole, and the coating layer is abutted to the positioning boss so as to clamp and fix the optical fiber to the optical fiber array device.

According to the optical fiber array device, the optical fiber can be better fixed through the positioning boss arranged between the optical fiber inlet and the optical fiber positioning hole, so that the stability of the optical fiber in the optical fiber array device is further improved, and on the other hand, the position of the optical fiber can be effectively positioned in the fiber penetrating process by abutting the coating layer of the optical fiber on the positioning boss, so that the optical fiber is prevented from being stretched into the optical fiber array device too long in the fiber penetrating process, the optical fiber is caused to be locally bent or even broken in the optical fiber array device, and the fiber breakage risk of the optical fiber is greatly reduced.

In some embodiments, the side wall of the housing is provided with a window, and the window is communicated with the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes.

Through the window on the casing, can accelerate the even heat dissipation of casing, and, the window still is favorable to balanced casing at the stress distribution of the material of moulding plastics in-process, thereby make the wall thickness of casing more even, help avoiding moulding plastics the casing surface protruding, bulge, the inside unevenness of optic fibre locating hole can't satisfy phenomenon such as position size requirement, help improving the surface smoothness of casing, be favorable to the casing to bond outward, avoid when wearing fine the problem such as the optic fibre warpage that is blocked by the protruding or bulge of casing internal surface, fracture and, the window still can regard as the injecting glue mouth, pour into glue from the window, in order to bond optic fibre to be fixed in the optic fibre array ware.

In some embodiments, the fiber array includes a plurality of fiber positioning hole sets. Each optical fiber positioning hole group comprises a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes.

The optical fiber positioning hole groups are arranged in parallel at intervals along the thickness direction of the optical fiber array.

In some embodiments, the fiber array has an end face tilt angle of 6 ° to 10 °.

Because the optical fiber array device of the embodiment of the application adopts injection molding integrated molding, the end face inclined angle of 6-10 degrees can be directly formed through injection molding, the processing difficulty of subsequent end face grinding is greatly reduced, the processing precision of the end face inclined angle is improved, and the production efficiency is improved.

In some embodiments, the housing has oppositely disposed first and second sidewalls, and the housing is capable of being adhered to the outside through the first and/or second sidewalls.

The shell is further provided with a third side wall and a fourth side wall which are oppositely arranged, the third side wall and the fourth side wall are located between the first side wall and the second side wall, and U-shaped grooves for clamping by the clamp are formed in the third side wall and the fourth side wall.

According to the embodiment of the application, the U-shaped grooves formed in the third side wall and the fourth side wall can be used for clamping the fixture, so that the stability of the optical fiber array device when the optical fiber array device is clamped by the fixture is improved, and further the end face grinding performance (such as end face grinding quality and optical fiber height) of the optical fiber array device is improved.

In some embodiments, the injection molding opening of the housing is located in the U-shaped groove.

According to the optical fiber array device, the injection molding opening is arranged in the U-shaped groove, so that the surface flatness of the optical fiber array device can be guaranteed to the greatest extent, or the injection molding opening can be arranged in the U-shaped groove, compared with the case that the injection molding opening is arranged at other positions (such as the first side wall, the second side wall, the third side wall and the fourth side wall of the case), the case 11 of the optical fiber array device has a flat surface with a larger area, more possibility of external adhesion is provided, and the optical fiber array device is beneficial to being applicable to more scenes.

In some embodiments, the first sidewall and/or the second sidewall is provided with a demolding groove.

In some embodiments, the material of the housing is polyphenylene sulfide.

The application also provides an optical fiber array, which comprises a plurality of optical fibers and the optical fiber array device related to the embodiments and possible embodiments.

The optical fiber array device has the advantages of simple structure, simple process and low cost, so that the production efficiency of the whole optical fiber array can be improved, and the production cost is reduced. In addition, the optical fibers can be arranged according to actual needs (such as arc arrangement or unequal interval arrangement, etc.), so that the optical fiber array of the embodiment of the application can be suitable for more application scenes.

The application also provides an optical transmission assembly, which comprises the optical fiber array related to the embodiments and the possible embodiments.

The optical transmission assembly of the embodiment of the application adopts the optical fiber array, and the optical fiber array has the advantages of simple structure, simple process and low cost, so that the production efficiency of the whole optical transmission assembly can be improved, and the production cost is reduced.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a fiber array device according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of another view of an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3a is a schematic diagram of an exploded structure of a fiber optic array device in a reference design;

FIG. 3b is a schematic diagram of a fiber array device in a reference design, wherein the optical fibers are fixed in the V-grooves;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of an end face of a fiber array in a reference design;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a distribution structure of optical fiber positioning holes in an optical fiber array device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes are distributed in an arc shape;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the distribution of fiber positioning holes in a fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a distribution structure of optical fiber positioning holes in an optical fiber array device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes are distributed in non-equidistant manner;

FIG. 8a is a schematic diagram of a distribution structure of optical fiber positioning holes in an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the optical fiber positioning hole group is 2 and a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes are distributed in an arc shape;

FIG. 8b is a schematic diagram of a distribution structure of optical fiber positioning holes in an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the number of optical fiber positioning hole groups is 2;

FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged partial schematic view of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of FIG. 1 taken along section line B-B;

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of a partial cross-sectional structure of an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical transmission assembly according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic view of an application scenario module of an optical transmission assembly according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical transmission assembly according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 16 is a schematic view of an application scenario module of an optical transmission assembly according to another example embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals illustrate:

1: an optical fiber array device;

10: an optical fiber positioning hole; 10A: an optical fiber positioning hole group; 10B: an optical fiber positioning hole group; 101: a first bore section; 102: a second bore section; 11: a housing; 110: an end face; 111: a first sidewall; 112: a second sidewall; 113: a third sidewall; 114: a fourth sidewall; 12: an optical fiber inlet; 13: positioning the boss; 14: a window; 15: a U-shaped groove; 150: an injection molding port; 16: demolding grooves;

1A: an optical fiber array device; 11A: an upper cover plate; 12A: a lower cover plate; 110A: a V-shaped groove; 120A: a V-shaped groove;

2: an optical fiber;

21: a fiber core; 211: a first core segment; 212: a second core segment; 22: a coating layer;

3: an optical transmission assembly;

30: an optical fiber array; 31: a sealing joint; 32: a fiber dividing box; 33: a wire harness seat; 34: a loose tube; 35: a soft sleeve; 36: an optical fiber connector;

d: in the thickness direction.

Detailed Description

Further advantages and effects of the present application will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the present disclosure, by describing embodiments of the present application with specific examples. While the description of the present application will be presented in conjunction with some embodiments, it is not intended that the features of this application be limited to only this embodiment. Rather, the purpose of the description presented in connection with the embodiments is to cover other alternatives or modifications, which may be extended by the claims based on the present application. The following description contains many specific details in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. The present application may be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, some specific details are omitted from the description in order to avoid obscuring the focus of the application. It should be noted that, in the case of no conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other.

It should be noted that in this specification, like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following figures, and thus once an item is defined in one figure, no further definition or explanation thereof is necessary in the following figures.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that the directions or positional relationships indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, are merely for convenience of description of the present application and to simplify the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as limiting the present application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and the like, are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

In the description of the present application, it should be noted that, unless explicitly specified and limited otherwise, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected, for example; can be mechanically or electrically connected; can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be communication between two elements. The specific meaning of the terms in this application will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art in a specific context.

In the description of the present application, it should be understood that "optical connection" and "optical signal connection" are understood in the present application as connection forms in which a continuous optical path is formed by connection or butt joint of optical fibers to achieve optical signal transmission. "communication connection" may refer to transmission of electrical signals, including wireless communication connections and wired communication connections. The wireless communication connection does not require physical intermediaries and does not belong to a connection relationship defining the product architecture.

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The optical fiber array is used for clamping and fixing a plurality of optical fibers, and is connected with other optical fibers, sealing joints, fiber splitting boxes and optical connectors (such as MT connectors (Multi Transmit Connector, mechanical butt joint transmission connectors), LC (Lucent Connector) connectors and the like) to form an optical fiber array assembly, and is used as an optical extraction assembly of an optical module for realizing optical signal connection and transmission with the outside of the module. The Optical signal transmission device can be particularly applied to Optical signal transmission scenes such as WSS (Wavelength Selective Switch) modules, OBO (On Board Optics) modules, OIO (Optical Input & Output) modules and the like.

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, fig. 1 and fig. 2 are schematic perspective views of an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application.

The application provides an optical fiber array device 1, which is used for clamping and fixing a plurality of optical fibers and enabling the optical fibers to form an optical fiber array, wherein the optical fiber array device 1 comprises a shell 11, and the shell 11 is integrally formed through an injection molding process.

The housing 11 has a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 therein, the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 are disposed at intervals, and each of the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 is capable of allowing a core of a corresponding optical fiber to pass through and be fixed. The optical fiber positioning hole 10 is a through hole, and one end of the optical fiber positioning hole 10 extends to an end face 110 of the housing 11, the end face 110 can be used as an incident end of an optical signal (for example, an input end of an optical signal of a wavelength selective switch) or an emitting end of the optical signal (for example, an output end of the optical signal of the wavelength selective switch), and the end face 110 and a plurality of optical fibers arranged in the housing 11 are used together as a signal transmission end of an optical fiber array, so that the optical fiber positioning hole can be used for inputting and outputting the optical signal.

Wherein at least a portion of the aperture of each fiber positioning hole 10 matches the outer diameter of the corresponding core of the optical fiber, in one embodiment, the portion of the aperture of each fiber positioning hole 10 near the end face 110 is equal to or close to the outer diameter of the core such that: the cores can pass through and be clamped by the corresponding fiber positioning holes 10.

The number of the optical fiber positioning holes 10 is not limited, and may be, for example, 12, 24, 48, or the like.

The optical fiber array device 1 is integrally formed through an injection molding process, so that the processing process is simplified, and the optical fiber array device is simple in structure and low in cost.

Further, since the optical fiber array device 1 is integrally formed through an injection molding process, the aperture of the optical fiber positioning hole 10 can be fully matched with the fiber core of the optical fiber through the selection of the injection mold, so that the firmness and stability of fixing the optical fiber in the optical fiber array device can be enhanced.

The material of the optical fiber array device 1 in the embodiment of the present application is not limited, and in one embodiment, a plastic material with a smaller expansion coefficient, for example pps plastic (polyphenylene sulfide ), may be selected, and in other embodiments, other materials may be used. The material with smaller expansion coefficient has the advantages of ensuring the optical fiber array to be unstressed, high reliability, no optical fiber displacement at high temperature, and the like.

To more clearly illustrate the structure and advantages of the fiber array of the present application, a fiber array of one reference design is described below:

referring to fig. 3a to fig. 4, fig. 3a to fig. 3b are schematic structural diagrams of an optical fiber array device in a reference design, and fig. 4 is a schematic end-face partial structural diagram of the optical fiber array device in the reference design.

The optical fiber array device 1A comprises an upper cover plate 11A and a lower cover plate 12A, wherein the upper cover plate 11A is provided with a plurality of V-shaped grooves 110A, the lower cover plate 12A is also provided with a plurality of V-shaped grooves 120A, and the optical fiber 2 is arranged between the corresponding V-shaped grooves 110A and the V-shaped grooves 120A so as to be clamped and fixed by two cover plates (the upper cover plate 11A and the lower cover plate 12A), wherein the V-shaped grooves 110A and the V-shaped grooves 120A are formed by grooving through machining. In the assembly process of the optical fiber array, glue for fixing the optical fibers is also required to be coated on the upper cover plate and the lower cover plate respectively so as to further fix the optical fibers.

Therefore, the optical fiber array device 1A has a split upper and lower cover plate structure, and V-shaped grooves are required to be additionally formed on the upper and lower cover plates, so that the structure is complex, and the processing technology is complex.

Further, in order to ensure the stability of fixing the optical fiber, the angle of each V-shaped groove is 60 °, and the fixing effect of the optical fiber is affected by the too large or too small angle, so that the V-shaped grooves are limited by the running limitation of the mechanical processing, the V-shaped grooves are linearly arranged and distributed along the horizontal direction, and the V-shaped grooves can only be processed according to the multiple of the preset processing size, that is, the spacing between the adjacent V-shaped grooves is equal, and as a result, the optical fiber array 1A is greatly limited by the running limitation of the mechanical processing, so that the distribution form of the optical fiber 2 and the spacing between the optical fibers 2 are relatively solidified and are difficult to adjust.

In this application, since the optical fiber array device 1 is integrally molded by injection molding, the distribution positions of the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 can be designed according to the actual needs, and in one embodiment, the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 can be distributed in a nonlinear manner. Wherein the non-rectilinear shape may be, for example, arcuate, curvilinear, diagonal or broken-line, etc.

In one embodiment, referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution structure of optical fiber positioning holes in an optical fiber array device according to an embodiment of the present application. The plurality of fiber positioning holes 10 are distributed in an arc shape. In the embodiment of the present application, when the same number of optical fiber positioning holes are arranged in the same space, the distance between two adjacent optical fiber positioning holes 10 is larger than that of the solution (such as the structure shown in fig. 3a and 3 b) in which the optical fiber positioning holes are distributed in a horizontal straight line. In one embodiment, the arc may be an upturned arc or may be understood to resemble a "crying face" shape, and in one embodiment, the arc may be a downturned arc or may be understood to resemble a "smiling face" shape.

Therefore, the optical fiber array device 1 in the embodiment of the application is not limited by mechanical processing, the distribution positions of the optical fiber positioning holes are flexibly adjusted, the optical fiber positioning holes 10 are distributed in an arc shape, the distance between two adjacent optical fiber positioning holes 10 can be increased under the condition that the size of the optical fiber array device is not changed, and then the isolation between adjacent optical paths is improved, so that the transmission performance of the whole optical fiber array is improved.

The number of the optical fiber positioning holes 10 is not limited, the distance between two adjacent optical fiber positioning holes 10 is not limited, the model selection can be designed according to the actual application scene, further, the radian of an arc formed by arc distribution of a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 is not limited, and the model selection can be designed according to the actual application scene. Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution principle of optical fiber positioning holes in an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application, in which, in an example, the distribution of the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 is shown in fig. 6, and specific distribution dimensions are shown in table 1 (please understand in conjunction with fig. 6).

TABLE 1

CH	Depth (mum)	CH	Depth (mum)	CH	Depth (mum)
						1	-9.1	9	-0.7	17	-1.9
2	-7.5	10	-0.3	18	-2.7
						3	-6.1	11	-0.1	19	-3.7
4	-4.8	12	0	20	-4.8
						5	-3.7	13	-0.1	21	-6.1
6	-2.7	14	-0.3	22	-7.5
						7	-1.9	15	-0.7	23	-9.1
8	-1.2	16	-1.2	24	-10.8

In fig. 6, dx denotes a horizontal axis, dy denotes a vertical axis, the number of fiber positioning holes is 24 and is distributed along an arc (shown by a broken line in fig. 6), CH1 denotes a 1 st fiber positioning hole on the arc as viewed in the counterclockwise direction, CH12 denotes a 12 th fiber positioning hole on the arc as viewed in the counterclockwise direction, and so on, CH24 denotes a 24 th fiber positioning hole on the arc as viewed in the counterclockwise direction, and so on. The depths shown in table 1 represent the distances of the fiber positioning holes from the horizontal axis, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that the greater the distance of the fiber positioning holes on either side of the vertical axis from the horizontal axis, the greater the arc of the arc that the plurality of fiber positioning holes will assume. The distribution size shown in table 1 is merely one example, and other sizes are possible in alternative embodiments.

Therefore, because the shell 11 of the optical fiber array device 1 in the embodiment of the application is integrally formed through an injection molding process, the optical fiber positioning holes 10 of the optical fiber array device 1 in the embodiment of the application can be flexibly arranged no matter the distance between adjacent optical fiber positioning holes 10 or the distance between the optical fiber positioning holes 10 deviating from the horizontal axis, compared with the scheme of forming the optical fiber positioning holes by adopting mechanical processing, the optical fiber array device is not limited by the limitation of mechanical processing, the positions of the optical fiber positioning holes do not need to be set according to the multiple of the preset size, the position distortion of the optical fiber positioning holes is avoided, and more selectivity is provided for the array arrangement mode of optical fibers.

In one embodiment, referring to fig. 7, fig. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution structure of optical fiber positioning holes in an optical fiber array device according to an embodiment of the present application. Among the plurality of fiber positioning holes 10, there is a space between two adjacent fiber positioning holes, and the space between at least two pairs of adjacent fiber positioning holes is unequal, or it can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the plurality of fiber positioning holes 10 are distributed at unequal intervals. In one embodiment, the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 are distributed in a straight line and in a non-uniform pitch, and in other embodiments, the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 may be distributed in an arc shape and in a non-uniform pitch, a curve shape and in a non-uniform pitch, a diagonal shape and in a non-uniform pitch, or a zigzag shape and in a non-uniform pitch, which is not limited in this application.

Because the shell 11 of the optical fiber array device 1 in the embodiment of the application is integrally formed through an injection molding process, the setting position of the optical fiber positioning holes 10 is not limited by mechanical processing, the distance between two adjacent optical fiber positioning holes can be flexibly set, or it can be understood that a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes can be arranged at unequal intervals, a die can be specifically designed according to actual use requirements, design parameters can be flexibly changed to achieve optimal adaptation, different requirements of an optical fiber array can be met, and the application scene of the optical fiber array device 1 is enriched.

Referring to fig. 8a and 8b, fig. 8a is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution structure of optical fiber positioning holes in the optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the optical fiber positioning hole groups are 2 and the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes are distributed in an arc shape. Fig. 8b is a schematic diagram of a distribution structure of optical fiber positioning holes in an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application, where the number of optical fiber positioning hole groups is 2.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 8a and 8B, the fiber array 1 includes a plurality of fiber positioning hole sets, such as fiber positioning hole set 10A and fiber positioning hole set 10B, each including a plurality of fiber positioning holes 10 therein.

The plurality of fiber positioning hole groups (e.g., fiber positioning hole group 10A and fiber positioning hole group 10B) are arranged in parallel at intervals along the thickness direction D of the fiber array. The plurality of fiber positioning holes 10 in each fiber positioning hole set may be distributed in an arc shape, as shown in fig. 8a, or may be distributed in a linear non-equidistant shape, as shown in fig. 8 b. Further, the number of the optical fiber positioning hole groups is not limited, and may be 2, 3, 4, etc., and in other embodiments, other numbers may be used.

Referring to fig. 9 and 10, fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional structure of an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 10 is a partially enlarged schematic view of fig. 9, in which in one embodiment, each optical fiber positioning hole 10 of the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes includes a first hole section 101 and a second hole section 102.

The first end of the first hole section 101 is located at the end face 110 of the housing, the second end of the first hole section 101 is connected with the first end of the second hole section 102, the aperture d1 of the first hole section 101 is matched with the outer diameter of the optical fiber, the second hole section 102 is gradually expanded, the aperture of the first end of the second hole section 102 is equal to the aperture d1 of the first hole section 101, and the aperture d2 of the second end of the second hole section 102 is larger than the aperture d1 of the first hole section 101, so that: the core of the corresponding optical fiber can be inserted through the second hole segment 102 and fixed to the first hole segment 101. Or can be understood as: the part of the fiber positioning hole 10 away from the end face 110 adopts a horn mouth structure.

In this embodiment, the length of the fiber positioning hole 10 is not limited, and further, the lengths of the first hole section 101 and the second hole section 102 are not limited, and may be designed according to the actual requirement, in one embodiment, referring to fig. 10, the length L of the first hole section 101 is greater than or equal to 0.15mm.

The length L of the first hole section 101 is greater than or equal to 0.15mm, so that when the optical fiber is fixed on the optical fiber array device 1, the fiber core in the first hole section 101 has a long enough straight line section, so that loss of signal light in incidence or emission is reduced, and transmission performance of the optical fiber array is improved.

Referring to fig. 11 and 12, fig. 11 is a schematic sectional structure view of fig. 1 taken along a section line B-B, and fig. 12 is a schematic partial sectional structure view of an optical fiber array according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a plurality of optical fibers are inserted into an optical fiber array device according to an embodiment of the present application. In one embodiment, the optical fiber 2 further includes a coating layer 22, the fiber core 21 includes a first core segment 211 and a second core segment 212 connected to each other, the coating layer 22 is wrapped around the second core segment 212, and the first core segment 211 is exposed. The housing 11 also has an optical fiber inlet 12, the optical fiber inlet 12 being in communication with the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10.

A positioning boss 13 is arranged between the optical fiber inlet 12 and the optical fiber positioning hole 10, and the positioning boss 13 is arranged as follows: when the fiber core 21 is inserted into the fiber array 1, the first core segment 211 of the fiber core 21 is fixed in the fiber positioning hole 10, and the coating layer 22 abuts against the positioning boss 13 to clamp and fix the optical fiber 2 to the fiber array 1.

In one embodiment, the optical fiber 2 may be, for example, a ribbon, and when the ribbon is threaded, a part of the coating layer of the ribbon is peeled off so that the core inside is exposed, and the exposed core part is threaded into the optical fiber positioning hole 10 and the part of the coating layer of the ribbon is abutted against the positioning boss 13.

The form of the positioning boss is not limited, and any form is not limited as long as the positioning boss is located between the optical fiber positioning hole 10 and the optical fiber inlet 12 and is capable of positioning the optical fiber 2 through the abutment coating layer 22 when the optical fiber is inserted into the optical fiber array device 1. In one embodiment, the positioning boss 13 is a stepped step provided in the housing 11.

According to the optical fiber array device 1, the optical fiber 2 can be better fixed through the positioning boss 13 arranged between the optical fiber inlet 12 and the optical fiber positioning hole 10, so that the stability of the optical fiber 2 in the optical fiber array device 1 is further improved, and on the other hand, the position of the optical fiber 2 can be effectively positioned in the fiber penetrating process by abutting the coating layer 22 of the optical fiber 2 on the positioning boss 13, so that the optical fiber 2 is prevented from being stretched into the optical fiber array device 1 too long in the fiber penetrating process, the optical fiber 2 is caused to be locally bent or even broken in the optical fiber array device 1, and the fiber breakage risk of the optical fiber 2 is greatly reduced.

In one embodiment, referring to fig. 11 and 12, and as will be understood with reference to fig. 1 and 2, a window 14 is formed on a side wall of the housing 11, and the window 14 is connected to the plurality of fiber positioning holes 10. The shell 11 can be subjected to uniform heat dissipation through the window 14 after injection molding and rapid cooling molding, and the window 14 is further beneficial to balancing the stress distribution of injection molding materials of the shell in the injection molding process, so that the wall thickness of the shell 11 is uniform, phenomena that the surface of the shell is uneven (such as bulges and bulges), the position and size requirements cannot be met due to the fact that the inner surface of the fiber positioning hole 10 is uneven can be avoided, on the one hand, the problems that the fiber is warped and broken due to the fact that the inner surface of the shell is protruding or bulges are blocked when fiber penetration can be avoided, on the other hand, the flatness of the outer surface of the shell is improved, and the shell is bonded outwards.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 9, the window 14 is disposed opposite to the positioning boss 13 and is communicated with the optical fiber inlet 12 to form a stepped hole, and in other embodiments, the window 14 may be disposed at other positions of the housing 11, so long as it can communicate with a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes 10 and the optical fiber inlet 12, without departing from the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

In one embodiment, the window 14 may also be used as a glue injection port, and glue is injected from the window 14 to adhesively fix the optical fibers 2 within the fiber array 1.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that, to ensure the optical properties of the optical fiber array, the optical fiber array 1 needs to be bonded to a substrate with a smaller expansion coefficient, such as a silicon substrate, in practical applications, and through the window 14 on the housing, heat dissipation of the housing 11 can be accelerated, so as to avoid surface protrusions, bulges and other phenomena caused by poor heat dissipation of the injection molded housing 11, and to facilitate the improvement of the flatness of the outer surface of the housing 11, and further facilitate the bonding of the housing 11 to the outside.

Referring to fig. 9, and as will be understood by those skilled in the art in conjunction with fig. 2, the inclination angle α of the end face of the optical fiber array device 1 is set to a certain angle, which is favorable for realizing total reflection of the end face, preventing light from rebounding to pollute the light source, improving stability of the pulsed light, and further improving reliability of optical signal transmission. The face tilt angle α may be, for example, 6 ° to 10 °, and in one embodiment, the face tilt angle α of the fiber array 1 is 8 °. In other alternative embodiments, the face-tilt angle α may be other angles, such as 9 °, and so on. The end face inclination angle is understood to be the angle between the end face 110 of the optical fiber array 1 and the thickness direction D of the optical fiber array 1.

Because the optical fiber array device 1 of the embodiment of the application adopts injection molding integrated molding, the end face inclined angle of 8 degrees can be directly formed through injection molding, the processing difficulty of subsequent end face grinding is greatly reduced, the processing precision of the end face inclined angle is improved, and the production efficiency is improved.

In one embodiment, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the housing 11 has a first side wall 111 and a second side wall 112 disposed opposite to each other, and the housing 11 can be bonded to the outside through the first side wall 111 and/or the second side wall 112.

The housing 11 further has a third side wall 113 and a fourth side wall 114 disposed opposite to each other, the third side wall 113 and the fourth side wall 114 are located between the first side wall 111 and the second side wall 112, and the third side wall 113 and the fourth side wall 114 are provided with a U-shaped groove 15 for clamping by a clamp. In one embodiment, the opening of the U-shaped channel 15 is diverging (or understood as a dovetail), and the diverging (or understood as a dovetail) U-shaped channel allows for better insertion of the clip.

According to the embodiment of the application, the U-shaped grooves 15 formed in the third side wall 113 and the fourth side wall 114 can be used for clamping the fixture, so that the stability of the optical fiber array device 1 when being clamped by the fixture is improved, and further the end face grinding performance (such as end face grinding quality and optical fiber height) of the optical fiber array device is improved. The optical fiber height is understood to be the difference in height between the polished optical fiber and the end face of the optical fiber array.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, the injection molding port 150 of the housing 11 is located in a U-shaped slot. The optical fiber array device 1 of this application embodiment will mould plastics the mouth 150 and locate in the U-shaped groove 15, can guarantee the surface smoothness of optical fiber array device to the utmost, or understand that will mould plastics the mouth 150 and locate in the U-shaped groove 15, compare in locating other positions (for example first lateral wall 111, second lateral wall 112, third lateral wall 113 and fourth lateral wall 114 of casing) with moulding plastics the mouth 150, locate in the U-shaped groove with moulding plastics the mouth 150 can make the casing 11 of this application embodiment optical fiber array device have the level surface of bigger area, provide more possibility of external bonding, be favorable to optical fiber array device to be applicable to more scenes.

In one embodiment, the first side wall 111 and/or the second side wall 112 are provided with demolding grooves 16, so that the ejector pins in the injection mold can be inserted into and abutted with the ejector pins for better demolding. Since the demolding groove 16 is recessed in the surface of the first side wall 111 and/or the second side wall 112, it is possible to avoid the formation of projections on the first side wall 111 and the second side wall 112 from affecting the external bonding effect of the first side wall 111 and the second side wall 112.

Referring to fig. 12, the present application further provides an optical fiber array 30, which includes a plurality of optical fibers 2 and the optical fiber array device 1 according to the foregoing embodiments, where the plurality of optical fibers 2 are disposed through the optical fiber array device 1.

In an exemplary assembly process, the coating layer at one end of the optical fiber 2 is peeled off to expose the fiber core 21, the fiber core 21 is inserted into the corresponding fiber positioning hole 10 of the optical fiber array 1, the optical fiber 2 is positioned in the optical fiber array 1 through the positioning boss 13 in the optical fiber array 1, and then the glue is injected inwards through the window 14 of the optical fiber array 1, so as to further fix the optical fiber 2 and the optical fiber array 1 together.

It can be seen that, compared to the fiber array in the reference design (e.g., the structures shown in fig. 3a and 3 b), the fiber array assembly process of the embodiment of the present application is simple and can achieve rapid and accurate positioning of the fibers.

The optical fiber array device 1 has the advantages of simple structure, simple process and low cost, so that the production efficiency of the whole optical fiber array can be improved, and the production cost can be reduced. Moreover, the optical fibers may be arranged according to actual needs (e.g., arc-shaped arrangement or non-equidistant arrangement, etc.), so the optical fiber array 30 of the embodiment of the present application may be suitable for more application scenarios.

Referring to fig. 13 and 14, fig. 13 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical transmission assembly according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 14 is a schematic structural diagram of an application scenario module of the optical transmission assembly according to an embodiment of the present application in an example. As shown in fig. 13, the present application further provides an optical transmission module 3, which includes the optical fiber array 30 according to the foregoing embodiments and implementations.

The optical transmission assembly 3 further includes a plurality of optical fiber connectors 36, where each optical fiber connector 36 is connected to a corresponding optical fiber and outputs a received optical signal as a signal output end of the optical transmission assembly 3, and the optical fiber connector 36 is used to connect a next-stage receiving unit of the optical signal, for example, a receiving end of a backbone network, or a subscriber end of a metropolitan area network, etc., so as to implement optical signal transmission between the optical module and the subscriber end. The type of fiber optic connector 36 may be, for example, an MT-RJ connector, LC (Lucent Connector) connector, etc., as not limited in this application.

In one embodiment, the optical transmission assembly 3 further includes a sealing joint 31, where the sealing joint 31 is located between the optical fiber array device 1 and the connector 36, and is used for coupling the optical fiber with various active and passive devices, positioning welding, and airtight sealing between the optical fiber and external equipment (such as a package of an optical module), etc. In an exemplary application scenario, as shown in fig. 14, the optical fiber array 30 is used as a signal receiving end of the optical transmission assembly 3, and is used for connecting an optical module and receiving an optical signal emitted by the optical module. The optical module may specifically be, for example, a wavelength selective switch 5, where an input end of the wavelength selective switch 5 is connected to the optical amplifying device 4 to receive an optical signal processed by the optical amplifying device 4, in one embodiment, the optical fiber array 30 of the optical transmission assembly 3 may be directly used as an optical signal output end of the wavelength selective switch 5 to receive an optical signal processed by the wavelength selective switch 5, and further transmit, through a plurality of optical fiber connectors 36 of the optical transmission assembly 3, the optical signal processed by the wavelength selective switch 5 to the outside, for example, to a backbone network or a metropolitan area network. The optical fiber array 30 may be directly used as the optical signal output end of the wavelength selective switch 5, for example, the optical fiber array 30 is adhered to the silicon substrate in the wavelength selective switch 5 through an optical fiber array device, and then receives the optical signal through the signal transmission end (please understand with reference to the foregoing description) of the optical fiber array.

In other alternative embodiments, the fiber array 30 of the optical transmission assembly 3 may also be directly used as the optical signal input end of an optical module (e.g., a wavelength selective switch).

In addition, in the optical transmission assembly 3 of the embodiment of the present application, the number of the optical fiber arrays 1 is not limited, and may be 1, or may be 2 or more, so as to form a plurality of optical fiber arrays suitable for an application scenario with a larger optical capacity.

In the production process of the optical transmission component 3, since the optical fiber array device 1 in the embodiment of the application is integrally formed by adopting an injection molding process, the optical fiber array device and the optical fiber connector (such as an MT-RJ connector and an LC connector) can share one production line for simultaneous production, thereby simplifying the production process of the optical transmission component 3, being beneficial to improving the production efficiency of the optical transmission component 3 and reducing the production cost.

Referring to fig. 15, fig. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical transmission assembly according to an embodiment of the present application. In one embodiment, the optical transmission assembly 3 further includes a fiber splitting box 32, and the plurality of optical fibers 2 in the optical fiber array 30 are connected to the fiber splitting box 32 and connected to corresponding optical fiber connectors 36 after optical fiber crossing in the fiber splitting box 32, so as to realize distribution of optical fibers and/or optical signals.

The optical transmission assembly 3 of the embodiment of the application avoids adopting a fiber melting mode in the traditional process, and utilizes the fiber dividing box to perform fiber crossing so as to realize optical exchange, so that fiber melting loss can be avoided, low insertion loss transmission of the optical transmission assembly 3 is realized, the occupied space of the whole optical transmission assembly can be greatly reduced, the integrated structure of the optical transmission assembly 3 is realized, and the miniaturization of the optical transmission assembly is facilitated.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 15, the light transmission assembly 3 further includes a sealing joint 31, a harness seat 33, a loose tube 34, and a soft tube 35. The sealing joint 31 is located between the optical fiber array device 1 and the fiber dividing box 32, and can be used for coupling, positioning welding and airtight sealing between an optical fiber and various active and passive devices, and between the optical fiber and external equipment (such as a package shell of an optical module), the loose tube 34 and the soft tube 35 are used for being sleeved on the periphery of the optical fiber, the optical fiber surface is protected from the influence of internal stress and external side pressure, and the wire harness seat 33 is used for clamping and fixing the optical fiber 2 to prevent signal loss caused by bending of the optical fiber 2.

Fig. 16 is a schematic view of an application scenario module of an optical transmission assembly according to another embodiment of the present application. In an exemplary application scenario, as shown in fig. 16, the optical transmission assembly 3 has two optical fiber arrays 30, where the two optical fiber arrays 30 are respectively used as an optical signal output end and an optical signal input end of the wavelength selective switch 5, and in an exemplary operation, the optical transmission assembly 3 is connected to the optical amplifying device 4 through a part of the optical fiber connectors 36, for example, through one or more LC connectors, so as to receive an optical signal processed by the optical amplifying device 4, and transmit the optical signal processed by the optical amplifying device 4 to the wavelength selective switch 5 through one of the optical fiber arrays 30, and the optical signal is transmitted to the optical fiber connector 36 through another optical fiber array 30, for example, an MT connector, and then can be transmitted to a backbone network or a metropolitan area network through the optical fiber connector 36 (for example, the MT connector).

The optical fiber array 30 may be specifically used as an optical signal output end or an input end of the wavelength selective switch 5, for example, the optical fiber array 30 is adhered to a silicon substrate in the wavelength selective switch 5 through an optical fiber array device, and then receives or emits an optical signal through a signal transmission end (please understand with reference to the foregoing description) of the optical fiber array.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present application without departing from the spirit or scope of the application. Thus, if such modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims and the equivalents thereof, the present application is intended to cover such modifications and variations.

Claims (16)

1. An optical fiber arranger for clamping and fixing a plurality of optical fibers and causing the plurality of optical fibers to form an optical fiber array, characterized by:

the optical fiber array device comprises a shell, wherein the shell is integrally formed through an injection molding process;

the shell is internally provided with a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes which are arranged at intervals, and each optical fiber positioning hole in the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes can be used for the fiber core of the corresponding optical fiber to pass through and fix.

2. The fiber array of claim 1, wherein the plurality of fiber positioning holes are non-linearly distributed.

3. The fiber array of claim 2, wherein the plurality of fiber positioning holes are arcuately distributed.

4. A fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plurality of fiber positioning holes have a spacing between adjacent two of the fiber positioning holes, and the spacing between at least two pairs of adjacent two of the fiber positioning holes is unequal.

5. The fiber array of any of claims 1-4, wherein each fiber positioning hole of the plurality of fiber positioning holes comprises a first hole section and a second hole section;

the first end of the first hole section is located on the end face of the shell, the second end of the first hole section is connected with the first end of the second hole section, the aperture of the first hole section is matched with the outer diameter of the optical fiber, the second hole section is gradually expanded, the aperture of the first end of the second hole section is equal to the aperture of the first hole section, and the aperture of the second end of the second hole section is larger than the aperture of the first hole section, so that: the cores of the corresponding optical fibers can be inserted through the second hole section and fixed to the first hole section.

6. The fiber array of claim 5, wherein the first hole section has a length greater than or equal to 0.15mm.

7. The optical fiber array of any of claims 1-6, wherein the optical fiber further comprises a coating layer, the core comprises a first core segment and a second core segment that are connected, the coating layer is wrapped outside the second core segment, and the first core segment is exposed;

the shell is also provided with an optical fiber inlet which is communicated with the plurality of optical fiber positioning holes;

a positioning boss is arranged between the optical fiber inlet and the optical fiber positioning hole, and the positioning boss is arranged as follows: when the fiber core penetrates through the optical fiber array device, the first core section of the fiber core is fixed in the optical fiber positioning hole, and the coating layer is abutted to the positioning boss so as to clamp and fix the optical fiber to the optical fiber array device.

8. The fiber array of any of claims 1-7, wherein a window is provided in a sidewall of the housing, the window being in communication with the plurality of fiber positioning holes.

9. The fiber optic array of any of claims 1-8, wherein the fiber optic array comprises a plurality of fiber optic locating hole sets; each optical fiber positioning hole group comprises a plurality of optical fiber positioning holes;

the optical fiber positioning hole groups are arranged in parallel and at intervals along the thickness direction of the optical fiber array device.

10. The optical fiber array of any of claims 1-9, wherein the optical fiber array has an end face tilt angle of 6 ° to 10 °.

11. The optical fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the housing has a first side wall and a second side wall disposed opposite to each other, the housing being capable of being bonded to the outside through the first side wall and/or the second side wall;

the shell is further provided with a third side wall and a fourth side wall which are oppositely arranged, the third side wall and the fourth side wall are both located between the first side wall and the second side wall, and the third side wall and the fourth side wall are both provided with U-shaped grooves for clamping by the clamp.

12. The fiber array of claim 11, wherein the injection molded opening of the housing is located in the U-shaped slot.

13. The optical fiber array of claim 11 or 12, wherein the first sidewall and/or the second sidewall is provided with a demolding groove.

14. The optical fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the housing is made of polyphenylene sulfide.

15. An optical fiber array comprising a plurality of optical fibers and the optical fiber array device of any one of claims 1-14, wherein the plurality of optical fibers are threaded through the optical fiber array device.

16. An optical transmission assembly comprising the optical fiber array of claim 15.