The present invention relates to an optical shape sensing system, comprising an optical fiber sensor comprising an optical fiber having embedded therein a number of at least four fiber cores (1 to 6) arranged spaced apart from a longitudinal center axis (0) of the optical fiber, the fiber cores each having a resonance wavelength in response to light introduced into the fiber cores (1 to 6) in an unstrained state thereof. The system further comprises an optical interrogation unit (21) configured to interrogate the fiber cores (1 to 6) with light in a scan wavelength range including the resonance wavelengths of the fiber cores in an unstrained state of the fiber cores (1 to 6). The scan wavelength range is set such that a center wavelength of the scan wavelength range is decentered with respect to the resonance wavelength of at least one of the fiber cores (1 to 6).

An optical coupling device including multiple optical fibers each of which includes at least one core; and a self-forming optical waveguide, wherein the optical fibers are arranged facing each other, and the self-forming optical waveguide is provided between the optical fibers, an end portion of the self-forming optical waveguide is optically connected to the core of each optical fiber, the cores of the optical fibers arranged facing each other are optically connected to each other through the self-forming optical waveguide in a linear shape, optical axis directions of the optical fibers optically connected to each other through the self-forming optical waveguide are parallel with each other, and an end portion of each core is diagonally formed with an inclination angle according to a refractive index of each core and a refractive index of the self-forming optical waveguide.

Multi-core optical fiber ribbons and methods for making multi-core optical fiber ribbons are described herein. In one embodiment, a multi-core optical fiber ribbon includes at least two core members formed from silica-based glass and oriented in parallel with one another in a single plane. Adjacent core members have a center-to-center spacing ≧15 microns and a cross-talk between adjacent core members is ≦−25 dB. In this embodiment each core member is single-moded with an index of refraction n.sub.c, and a core diameter d.sub.c. In an alternative embodiment, each core member is multi-moded and the center-to-center spacing between adjacent core members is ≧25 microns. A single cladding layer is formed from silica-based glass and surrounds and is in direct contact with the core members. The single cladding layer is substantially rectangular in cross section with a thickness ≦400 microns and an index of refraction n.sub.cl<n.sub.c.

Provided is an optical fiber which has exceptional heat resistance and is highly safe. This optical fiber has a core, and a sheath of a least one layer around the outside circumference of the core, the sheath including a polymer that contains a repeating unit (A) derived from a fluoroalkyl (meth)acrylate having a specific structure.

A plurality of optical fibers are kept in a fiber accommodating portion. In each of the optical fibers, a second diameter portion has a diameter larger than that of a first diameter portion. A second accommodating portion of the fiber accommodating portion has an inner diameter larger than that of a first accommodating portion of the fiber accommodating portion. An inner diameter transition portion of the fiber accommodating portion locates between the first accommodating portion and the second accommodating portion through a tapered surface. The first diameter portion of each of the optical fibers is located in the first accommodating portion, in the inner diameter transition portion, and in the second accommodating portion. Each of the optical fibers is separated from an inner surface of the ferrule in the inner diameter transition portion.

Multi-core fibers are optical fibers each of which has a circular cross section. In each of the multi-core fibers, a plurality of cores are arranged at a prescribed interval, the peripheries thereof are covered by a cladding, and a resin coating is formed on the outer periphery of the cladding. In a cross section of this optical fiber ribbon, said cross section being orthogonal to the length direction, the multi-core fibers are arranged such that the cores of all of the multi-core fibers are all arranged in the same direction. The multi-core fibers are arranged such that central lines of the respective multi-core fibers, said central lines respectively linking three of the cores, all face the thickness direction of the optical fiber ribbon. Furthermore, in the optical fiber ribbon, the arrangement of the cores is substantially constant along the entire length of the optical fiber ribbon in the length direction.

An optical fiber alignment mechanism (100) operates to align optical fibers (102). The mechanism can include a key element (120, 130) arranged on the cladding (112) of an optical fiber (102). The key element (120, 130) can engage with a corresponding element of another optical fiber (102) to align the cores (108) of the mating optical fibers. The key element (120) of an optical fiber (102) can also be inserted into a corresponding keyway (226) of a fiber alignment hole (222) of a ferrule (200) such that the optical fiber (102) is oriented properly within the ferrule (200).

Disclosed herein are configurations for fiber optic endoscopes employing fixed distal optics and multicore optical fiber.

The present disclosure provides a pitch reducing optical fiber array or a multicore fiber including at least one chiral fiber grating incorporated therein that is operable to couple the modes in different fiber cores within a spectral range determined in some instances by the helical pitch of the corresponding chiral fiber grating.

Configurations are disclosed for presenting virtual reality and augmented reality experiences to users. The system may comprise an image-generating source to provide one or more frames of image data in a time-sequential manner, a light modulator configured to transmit light associated with the one or more frames of image data, a substrate to direct image information to a user's eye, wherein the substrate houses a plurality of reflectors, a first reflector of the plurality of reflectors to reflect transmitted light associated with a first frame of image data at a first angle to the user's eye, and a second reflector to reflect transmitted light associated with a second frame of the image data at a second angle to the user's eye.