Beam combining optical systems include a fiber beam combiner having multiple inputs to which output fibers of laser diode sources are spliced. Cladding light stripping regions are situated at the splices and include exposed portions of fiber claddings that are at least partially encapsulated with an optical adhesive or a polymer. A beam combiner fiber that is optically downstream of a laser source has an exposed cladding secured to a thermally conductive support with a polymer or other material that is index matched to the exposed cladding. This construction permits attenuation of cladding light propagating toward a beam combiner from a splice.

A multi-fiber splice protector includes a strength member having at least one wall arranged in a tubular shape with a longitudinal opening extending through the wall to permit passage of a coated optical fiber into an inner cavity, with a thermoplastic hotmelt material arranged in the inner cavity. The longitudinal opening has a first width between 1 and 2 times the diameter of one coated optical fiber, while the inner cavity has a second width that is significantly greater than the first width to permit fusion spliced optical fibers to be not exclusively arranged in a 1-D array in the inner cavity. A fiber optic cable assembly including a multi-fiber splice protector with thermoplastic hotmelt material encapsulating fusion splice joints is further provided. Additionally provided is a method for forming a fiber optic cable assembly.

An indexing terminal arrangement includes a terminal housing that receives an input cable; an optical power splitter disposed within the interior of the terminal housing; a first multi-fiber optical adapter coupled to the terminal housing; a first single-fiber optical adapter coupled to the terminal housing; and a pass-through multi-fiber optical adapter coupled to the terminal housing. Split optical signals are provided to the first multi-fiber optical adapter and the first single-fiber optical adapter. Unsplit and indexed optical signals are provided to the pass-through optical adapter.

A method of splicing multicore optical fibers to one another for use in a data network. First and second multicore optical fibers each have a number of cores arranged in a certain pattern about the fiber axis, thus defining a number of pairs of cores wherein the cores of each pair are arrayed symmetrically with respect to a key plane that includes the fiber axis. Ends of the first and the second fibers are arranged in axial alignment to one another such that the key plane at the end of the first fiber is aligned with the key plane at the end of the second fiber, thereby placing a defined pair of cores in the first fiber in position for splicing to a corresponding defined pair of cores in the second fiber. The defined pairs of cores in the two fibers are then spliced to one another.

A reinforcement sleeve heating device is a reinforcement sleeve heating device heating a reinforcement sleeve put on a connecting site to shrink the reinforcement sleeve in order to reinforce the connecting site of optical fibers fusion-spliced to each other. The reinforcement sleeve heating device includes: a heating element forming a housing space, the housing space extending in a predetermined direction, the housing space being opened in one direction intersecting with the predetermined direction, the housing space being capable of disposing the reinforcement sleeve, and a cover disposed at a position at which at least a part of the opening of the housing space. In a state in which the reinforcement sleeve is disposed in the housing space, the cover includes a contact surface brought into contact with the reinforcement sleeve in a direction of pushing the reinforcement sleeve into an inside of the housing space.

A fiber connected body includes: a first multi-core fiber including a first cladding, first cores disposed in the first cladding, and a first marker disposed in the first cladding; and a second multi-core fiber including a second cladding, second cores disposed in the second cladding, and a second marker disposed in the second cladding. One end surface of the second multi-core fiber is connected to one end surface of the first multi-core fiber. Each of the second cores is connected to any one of the first cores, or each of the first cores is connected to any one of the second cores.

An optical connection component includes: a plurality of types of optical fibers; a plurality of high relative refractive-index difference optical fibers in each of which a relative refractive-index difference between a core and a cladding is larger than a relative refractive-index difference in each of the plurality of types of optical fibers and which are fusion spliced to the plurality of types of optical fibers; and a fixing member having a plurality of V-shaped grooves that receive the high relative refractive-index difference optical fibers with coating removed, the fixing member being configured to fix relative positions of the high relative refractive-index difference optical fibers and an optical element when optically coupling the high relative refractive-index difference optical fibers, which have been fusion spliced to the plurality of types of optical fibers, to the optical element. The high relative refractive-index difference optical fibers are of the same type.

An example single-station splicing unit is provided that includes a housing, an alignment element, a first electrode, and a second electrode. The housing includes an interior space and at least one cover configured to be interlocked with the housing to enclose the interior space. The alignment element is disposed within the interior space of the housing. The first electrode is disposed on one side of the housing, and the second electrode is disposed in the housing on an opposing side from the first electrode and in a facing relationship with the first electrode. The housing is configured to receive fibers in an opposing and abutting relationship to splice the fibers, and the housing remains secured to the fibers after splicing.

A fiber optic coupling device comprises an elastomeric body. The elastomeric body includes first and second sides with a deformable alignment passage extending there between. The deformable alignment passage is configured to elastically center opposing first and second optical fibers. The deformable alignment passage includes a first portion that is configured to receive the first optical fiber having a first core. The deformable alignment passage also includes an opposing second portion that is configured to receive the second optical fiber having a second core. The first portion and the opposing second portion of the alignment passage are defined by a common encompassing periphery, and meet at a common location within the alignment passage to present the core of the received first optical fiber in coaxial alignment with the core of the received second optical fiber.

A multi-fiber splice protector comprises a strength member including opposing first and second walls connected along only edge, and including unconnected opposing first and second wall extensions. The splice protector has a compact width that permits it to be incorporated with multiple fusion splice optical fibers in a multi-fiber push-on (MPO) type connector utilizing conventional MPO components. Protected splice joints may be provided between a multi-fiber ferrule and a boot of a connector, with at least a portion of a split jacket section of a fiber optic cable arranged within the boot. The jacket may have a split length of less than 25 mm and/or an entirety of the split jacket is within the boot. If provided, heat shrink tubing covering the split jacket may have a reduced length and/or may be confined within the boot.