Provided is an optical connector that includes a ferrule and an optical fiber as a plastic optical fiber. The ferrule has a leading end face and a through hole for holding a fiber, the through hole having an opening end in the leading end face. The optical fiber has a leading end. The leading end of the optical fiber is inserted in the through hole and located at a retraction position retracted from the leading end face.

An optical system may include an objective lens system having a primary optical axis and a relay lens system having a relay optical axis. The relay optical axis may have a first angular offset with respect to the primary optical axis. The objective lens system may be configured to provide light from a light source to the relay lens system and provide light from the relay lens system to an image sensor. The relay lens system may be configured to provide light from the objective lens system to an end face of an optical fiber, where the end face has a second angular offset with respect to a cross-sectional axis of the optical fiber. The relay lens system may provide light reflected from the end face to the objective lens system.

To provide an optical communication connector, an optical transmitter, an optical receiver, an optical communication system, and an optical communication cable that make it possible to prevent reduction in communication quality at low cost. An optical communication connector according to the present technology is capable of spatial optical coupling, and the optical communication connector includes a first lens and a second lens. The first lens magnifies light emitted from a light emitter. The second lens shapes light incident from the first lens and outputs the shaped light.

A plug connector, which can be fastened to a line, for transmitting optical and electrical signals, includes a contact support, two contact fastening regions, a lens fastening region and a locking member. The contact fastening regions are formed in the contact support and are each configured to receive an electrical contact, which is connectable to the line, for transmitting the electrical signals. The lens fastening region is formed in the contact support and is configured to receive, in an aligned manner, a lens member, which is connectable to the line, for transmitting the optical signals. The locking member is lockable to the contact support, and the line is fastenable to the plug connector using the locking member in a locked state.

A pluggable free-space photoelectric hybrid connector including a female connector and a male connector is provided. The female connector includes a first insulating substrate, metal elastic clips, a first circuit board, and a first optical communication module. An insertion cavity is formed at the front end of the first insulating substrate, and a first fiber mounting hole and first electrode mounting holes are formed at the rear end thereof. The metal elastic clips are mounted in the first electrode mounting holes respectively, where contact portions of at least one set of metal elastic clips are exposed from the top of the insertion cavity, and contact portions of at least another set of metal elastic clips are exposed from the bottom of the insertion cavity. The first circuit board is mounted at the rear end of the first insulating substrate and is electrically connected to the metal elastic clips.

An expanded beam connector has a MOST ferrule; a fiber to be retained within the MOST ferrule; and, a collimating lens abutting the fiber for expanding the optical beam of the fiber wherein the lens and fiber are in alignment to a common optic axis. In one embodiment, the collimating lens can have a conical cutout configured to aid in aligning the fiber to the common optic axis. In another embodiment, the collimating lens can have a semi-cylindrical tab protruding from the rear with a V-groove configured to interact with a flexible feature on the interior of the ferrule to align the fiber to the common optic axis.

A method of making a fiber optic cable assembly having a fiber optic cable terminated by at least one connector is disclosed. The at least one connector includes a ferrule with a holographic optical element and the fiber optic cable includes at least one optical fiber. The method includes securing the at least one optical fiber to the ferrule and exposing the holographic optical element to light from the at least one optical fiber to write an interference pattern into the holographic optical element corresponding to the at least one optical fiber. A fiber optic cable assembly made according to the method is disclosed and an apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed.

An optical connector includes: a plurality of optical fibers each having a coating removal portion where a predetermined length of coating is removed from a tip; and a ferrule having a main body portion holding the coating removal portion of each of the optical fibers and a lens portion facing the tip in a first direction in which an optical axis of each of the optical fibers extends. The main body portion has a base portion including a plurality of fiber grooves respectively supporting the coating removal portions of the plurality of optical fibers. The plurality of fiber grooves extend along the first direction and are arranged along a second direction intersecting the first direction. The base portion has a recess portion between the fiber grooves and the lens portion in the first direction.

A fiber optic ferrule has a main body having a front end, a rear end, and a top surface and a bottom surface joined together by opposing side surfaces and has a longitudinal axis. There are a plurality of optical fiber support structures disposed between the front end and rear end and configured to receive a plurality of optical fibers. The fiber optic ferrule has an end face at the front end of the fiber optic ferrule through which an optical beam passes. There are also a front facing refractive surface and a rear facing refractive surface, the rear facing refractive surface being closer to the end face than the front facing refractive surface, both being at an angle to the front facing refractive surface.

An optical connection structure includes a plurality of optical fibers, a ferrule, and an adapter. The ferrule has a first side surface and a second side surface facing each other. The first side surface is provided with a first recess portion or a first protrusion portion extending along a first direction in which the ferrule is inserted into the adapter. The second side surface is provided with a second recess portion or a second protrusion portion extending along the first direction. An inner surface of the adapter is provided with each of a third protrusion portion or a third recess portion fittable with the first recess portion or the first protrusion portion and a fourth protrusion portion or a fourth recess portion fittable with the second recess portion or the second protrusion portion.