An alignment apparatus and an alignment method that enables to align an optical device with a receptacle, where the optical device and the receptacle have respective axes tilted to each other. The method includes steps of: (1) obtaining a minimum pressure caused to the optical device from the receptacle as varying a rolling angle around the X-axis of the optical device but fixing the pitching angle around the Y-axis at a rotating angle around the Z-axis; (2) determining a rotating angle where thus obtained minimum pressure becomes the minimum; and (3) iterating those procedures until the rotating angle obtained as varying the rolling angle and another rotating angle obtained as varying the pitching angle substantially coincides to each other.

An exemplary optical connector assembly may include a substrate of an optical printed circuit board (OPCB) with at least one optical device thereon, the substrate including one or more recesses, an optical connector with one or more alignment members for coupling an end of an optical waveguide to the optical device, and one or more inserts, each having an orifice for receiving one of the one or more alignment members and each arranged to be received in one of the one or more recesses. When assembled, the one or more inserts may be received in the one or more recesses and the one or more alignment members may be received in the orifices of the one or more inserts thereby coupling the optical waveguide to the substrate to form the exemplary optical connector assembly.

An optical receptacle includes: an optical receptacle body; two supporters which are connected to a respective end of the optical receptacle body, wherein each supporter is connected to one end of the optical receptacle body at a central portion of the respective supporter, and the two supporters face each other with a space therebetween; and four adhesive reservoirs which are disposed at respective four corners of the optical receptacle in plan view, wherein each of the adhesive reservoirs is a through hole or a recess, and the through hole or the recess is surrounded circumferentially by the supporter. The optical receptacle body and the two supporters together have a plane symmetrical shape with respect to a plane parallel to an optical axis of the light emitted from each of the second optical surfaces. The four adhesive reservoirs are disposed plane symmetrically with respect to the plane.

A plug of a connector that performs optical transmission is provided with an optical connection unit. The optical connection unit includes a lens that is provided on a side surface of the optical connection unit and performs optical connection with a lens provided on an optical connection unit of a receptacle in a direction orthogonal to an inserting/removing direction of the plug, and a locating surface that is provided on the side surface of the optical connection unit and abuts on a locating surface of the receptacle to determine a position of the optical connection unit in a mating condition of the plug into the receptacle.

An optical transmission module includes a substrate having an opening portion; an optical element closing an opening on the lower surface side of the substrate and converting an electric signal into an optical signal or the optical signal into the electric signal; an optical fiber transmitting the optical signal; a ferrule closing an opening on the upper surface side of the substrate and having an optical fiber insertion hole; and a resin filled into a space surrounded at least by the substrate, the optical element, the ferrule, and a distal end of the optical fiber, wherein the ferrule has a resin filling hole spaced apart from the optical fiber insertion hole to fill the space with the resin, and an angle formed by an axis of the optical fiber insertion hole and an axis of the resin filling hole is equal to or more than 0° and less than 90°.

A plug mounted on an optical cable with one or more optical contacts each one having a tab which is deformable elastically or mounted so as to pivot relative to the rest of the contact, including: a body including a front part and a rear part; a bushing fitted around the front part with axial sliding forward, the bushing bearing a tab with an appendage extending inside the rear part, the tab of the bushing and the tab of each contact being disposed relative to each other so that when a traction force is applied to make the bushing slide around the front part, the appendage is able to bear against the tab of each contact so as to deform it elastically or make it pivot until the disconnection is produced between the contact and the converter.

An optical connection includes a plurality of ferrules, an optical contact to allow transfer of light, a mechanical contact to allow torque transfer from the optical connection, and a rotational self-alignment structure to allow optical fibers of different optical connectors to self-rotate into rotational self-alignment upon action of connecting, wherein the ferrules are aligned and engage the torque transfer. The rotational self-alignment structure can be a tooth configuration, a helical thread configuration, a ferrule guide configuration, a spring sleeve configuration, derivatives thereof and combinations therefrom.

A plug connector is attachable with an optical fiber cable and is connectable with a receptacle connector. The receptacle connector comprises a receptacle shell. The plug connector comprises a front holder, a cable holding portion, a rear holder and a coupling member. The front holder is made of metal. The front holder is mated with the receptacle shell when the plug connector is connected with the receptacle connector. The cable holding portion is made of metal. The cable holding portion is configured to hold the optical fiber cable. The rear holder guards the cable holding portion. The rear holder comprises, at least in part, a thermal insulating portion made of non-metal material. The coupling member couples the front holder and the rear holder with each other. Each of the coupling member and the front holder is in contact with the rear holder only on the thermal insulating portion.

The invention provides an optical module which is less likely to be damaged, and can be assembled at low cost. The optical module comprises a housing having an electrical signal port for inputting and/or outputting an electrical signal and an optical signal port for inputting and/or outputting an optical signal, a first substrate arranged in the housing so as to connect to the electrical signal port, an optical fiber arranged in the housing so as to connect to the optical signal port, and a second substrate provided with an optical device which connects to the optical fiber to input the optical signal from the optical fiber and output the optical signal to the optical fiber, and arranged in the housing so as to electrically connect to the first substrate, and to be inclined with respect to a base plane of the housing.

A ferrule includes a ferrule body having a first opening formed in a side face thereof, and having a second opening formed in a top face thereof, wherein the first opening is configured to receive an optical waveguide inserted into the ferrule body at the side face, and wherein the second opening is formed over and in communication with the first opening, such that the second opening connects an inner space of the first opening to an outside of the ferrule body.