COUPLER AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING A COUPLER

Abstract

Coupler for coupling or decoupling a light signal into or out of a front face of a fibre optic having a fibre optic comprising an end portion with a front face, as well as a moulded part made of optically transparent material, wherein the end portion of the fibre optic is arranged in the moulded part and is connected to the moulded part in a positively locking manner. Furthermore, a method for producing a coupler for coupling or decoupling a light signal into or out of a front face of a fibre optic, has the following steps: A) providing a mould with a mould space, B) inserting an end portion of a fibre optic having the front face into the mould space, C) filling the mould space with an optically transparent material in flowable form, D) solidifying the optically transparent material into a moulded part.

Claims

1. A coupler for coupling or decoupling a light signal into or out of a front face of a fibre optic having a fibre optic comprising an end portion with a front face, as well as a moulded part made of optically transparent material, wherein the end portion of the fibre optic is arranged in the moulded part and is connected to the moulded part in a positively locking manner.

2. The coupler according to claim 1, wherein the moulded part consists of a first adhesive, preferably a cured first adhesive.

3. The coupler according to 1, wherein a beam of light exiting the fibre optic via the front face defines an optical axis, wherein the moulded part comprises a surface that is inclined opposite the optical axis, which surface is arranged such that a beam of light exiting the fibre optic from the front face meets the inclined surface, wherein the inclined surface is configured such that the beam of light is reflected, wherein the inclined surface is preferably curved and particularly preferably curved such that the beam of light exiting the front face of the fibre optic is focused on a point by the curved surface.

4. The coupler according to claim 3, wherein the inclined surface is coated with a reflective material on its outer side.

5. The coupler according to 1, wherein the fibre optic comprises a fibre optic core as well as a sheath portion surrounding the fibre optic core, wherein the moulded part comprises a recess, wherein the recess engages not with an intended extension of the sheath portion beyond the front face but rather with an intended extension of the fibre optic core beyond the front face, and wherein the recess preferably has a wall, which is partially formed by the front face of the fibre optic, or the front face can be optically detected by the wall.

6. The coupler according to claim 1, wherein the moulded part has at least a partially triangular cross-section, wherein the end portion abuts two sides of the triangular cross-section.

7. A multi-coupler for parallel coupling or decoupling multiple light signals in or out of front faces of a plurality of fibre optics, having a plurality of couplers according to claim 1.

8. The multi-coupler according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of couplers are arranged on a common base plate, wherein the base plate is preferably transparent and is particularly preferably a glass plate.

9. The multi-coupler according to claim 8, wherein a cover plate is provided, which is arranged opposite to the base plate such that the coupler is arranged between the base plate and the cover plate, and wherein the cover plate is preferably a glass plate.

10. The multi-coupler according to claim 7, wherein between the couplers, a second adhesive is arranged, which is in contact with at least two adjacently arranged couplers, and wherein the second adhesive in its cured state preferably has an expansion coefficient that is less than the expansion coefficient of the optically transparent material.

11. A method for producing a coupler for coupling or decoupling a light signal into or out of a front face of a fibre optic, comprising the following steps: A) providing a mould with a mould space, B) inserting an end portion of a fibre optic having the front face into the mould space, C) filling the mould space with an optically transparent material in flowable form, and D) solidifying the optically transparent material into a moulded part.

12. The method according to claim 11 wherein in step D), the solidification takes place by cooling or hardening the transparent material.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein before step C), a layer of reflective material is introduced at least partially into the mould space.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the following occurs after step D): E) demoulding the moulded part from at least a portion of the mould.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein in step A), a mould with a stop element is provided and, in step B), the end portion of the fibre optic is placed in the mould space in such a way that a portion of the front face of the fibre optic abuts the stop element.

16. The method according to claim 11, wherein in step A), a mould having multiple mould spaces is provided; in step B), an end portion of a fibre optic is inserted into each mould space; and in step C), each mould space is filled with an optically transparent material in flowable form.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein all moulded parts are positioned on a base plate, which is preferably configured as a glass plate.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the following occurs after step D): E) demoulding the moulded part from at least a portion of the mould, and wherein a base plate, which is preferably configured as a glass plate, is used as part of the mould, so that after step D), the moulded parts are positioned on the base plate and in step E), the moulded parts are not demoulded from the base plate.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein a cover plate, preferably a glass cover plate, is positioned on the moulded parts so that the moulded parts are arranged between the base plate and the cover plate.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein a plate consisting of a material having a thermal expansion behaviour that is different than the thermal expansion behaviour of the material of the mould used in step C) is used as the base plate, and that the ambient temperature is set before and preferably also during step D) in order to adjust the spacing between adjacent moulded parts.

Description

[0044] Further advantages, opportunities, and possible applications will become apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment and the associated figures. Here:

[0045] FIG. 1 shows a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of a multi-coupler according to the present invention,

[0046] FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of a second embodiment of a multi-coupler according to the present invention, and

[0047] FIG. 3 shows a partial sectional view through the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0048] In FIG. 1, a perspective view of a first embodiment of a multi-coupler 1 is shown. The multi-coupler 1 comprises a plurality, namely four in the embodiment shown, base bodies 2 made of a transparent material, and the same number of fibre optics 3. Each fibre optic 3 is arranged in a base body 2 so that a light signal 6 exiting the front face 13 is guided within the base body 2, which consists of a transparent material.

[0049] The fibre optics 3 are each fixedly connected to the respective base body 2. In the embodiment shown, the transparent material of the base body 2 completely encloses an end portion of the fibre optic 3. On the side of the fibre optic 3 facing away from the base body 2, a kink protection device 9 is provided. Each base body 2 has a curved surface 4, which is positioned such that a beam of light exiting the front face 13 of the fibre optic 3, which is schematically visualized by correspondingly drawn cones 6 in FIG. 1, meets the curved surface 4 and is reflected and focused by it.

[0050] Each base body 2 has a recess 7. A wall of recess 7 is partially formed by the front face 13 of the fibre optic 3. The recess 7 is dimensioned and the front face 13 of the fibre optic 3 is positioned in such a way that a fibre optic core of the fibre optic 3 does not terminate at the wall of the recess 7. The signal transmission within fibre optics 3 takes place exclusively within a fibre optic core, which only occupies a small part of the cross-sectional surface of the fibre optic 3. Because the recess 7 does not occlude the fibre optic core, it is ensured that light signals from the recess 7 can exit the front face 13 of the fibre optics 3 uninfluenced and can reach the curved surface 4. The base bodies 2 are formed partially with a triangular cross-section so that the end portion of the fibre optic 3 abuts two walls of the triangular shape.

[0051] All base bodies 2, including the embedded end portions of the fibre optics 3, are positioned on a base plate 5 and fixed therein, which, in the embodiment shown, is made of a transparent material, namely glass. This has the advantage that the light signal can be guided through the base plate 5, and the spacing of the generated focal points shifts only with the low expansion coefficient of the glass upon a temperature change. If the base plate 5 is not made of a transparent material, it can have corresponding holes through which the light signal 6 can pass.

[0052] Because all base bodies 2 have been produced together in a mould (not shown), the distances of the base body 2 relative to one another are defined by the mould. An alignment of the base bodies 2 relative to one another is therefore generally not necessary. However, the distance between the base bodies 2 can be changed by a targeted temperature change when the material solidifies.

[0053] The base plate 5 can, as can be seen in FIG. 1, be mounted on a spacing element 8, e.g. glued, which in turn is fixedly connected to a corresponding printed circuit board (not shown), on which, for example, detectors are located that detect the signal exiting the front face 13 of the fibre optic 3 and reflected and focused on the curved surface 4.

[0054] FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of a multi-coupler 1′ according to the invention. In FIG. 2, the same reference numbers were used for the same components, insofar as possible.

[0055] The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 differs from the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 in that, on the one hand, an adhesive 12 is provided between the base bodies 2, which surrounds the base bodies 2, and, on the other hand, a cover plate 11 is provided. The individual base bodies 2 are thus arranged between the base plate 5 and the cover plate 11. If a glass-filled adhesive is used as the adhesive 12 and both the base plate 5 and the cover plate 11 are configured as a glass plate, it is ensured that there is no de-alignment or misalignment of the individual base bodies 2 in relation to one another or with respect to height.

[0056] In FIG. 2, the detectors 10 are additionally shown. It can be seen that the light beams 6 exiting the front faces 13 are reflected on the curved surfaces and focused on the detectors 10.

[0057] Finally, FIG. 3 shows a partial cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 2.

[0058] Two end portions of fibre optics 3 can be seen, which are embedded in a moulded part 2 consisting of the first adhesive in such a way that they contact both the glass plate 5 and the walls of moulded part portions with a triangular cross-section. Because the corresponding mould in which the moulded part 2 is produced [sic]

[0059] Furthermore, the cover plate 11 can be seen, as well as the second adhesive 12, which is arranged between the moulded part 2 and the cover plate 11.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

[0060] 1, 1′ Multi-coupler [0061] 2 Base body [0062] 3 Fibre optic [0063] 4 Curved surface [0064] 5 Base plate [0065] 6 Light signal [0066] 7 Recess [0067] 8 Spacing element [0068] 9 Kink protection device [0069] 10 Detectors [0070] 11 Cover plate [0071] 12 Adhesive [0072] 13 Front face