US 11,874,510 B2
Optical assembly with cable retainer
Michael A. Haase, St. Paul, MN (US); Terry L. Smith, Roseville, MN (US); Alexander R. Mathews, Austin, TX (US); and James M. Nelson, Lino Lakes, MN (US)
Assigned to 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
Filed by 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY, St. Paul, MN (US)
Filed on Jun. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/844,909.
Application 17/844,909 is a division of application No. 17/247,586, filed on Dec. 17, 2020, granted, now 11,397,297.
Application 17/247,586 is a continuation of application No. 16/578,654, filed on Sep. 23, 2019, granted, now 10,890,724, issued on Jan. 12, 2021.
Application 16/578,654 is a continuation of application No. 15/763,512, granted, now 10,459,173, issued on Oct. 29, 2019, previously published as PCT/US2016/056327, filed on Oct. 11, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/240,008, filed on Oct. 12, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0317386 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 6/38 (2006.01); G02B 6/32 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/3885 (2013.01) [G02B 6/32 (2013.01); G02B 6/383 (2013.01); G02B 6/3839 (2013.01); G02B 6/3887 (2013.01); G02B 6/3888 (2021.05); G02B 6/38875 (2021.05)] 8 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of making an optical cable subassembly comprising:
attaching one or more optical waveguides at a first attachment area of a light coupling unit, the first attachment area configured for receiving and permanently attaching to the optical waveguides; and
attaching the optical waveguides to a cable retainer comprising a second attachment area for receiving and attaching to the optical waveguides, a length of the optical waveguides between the first attachment area and the second attachment area configured to allow a bend in the optical waveguides that provides a predetermined mating spring force at a predetermined angle of the light coupling unit;
wherein the light coupling unit comprises a top major surface comprising the first attachment area opposite a bottom major mating surface, the optical waveguides permanently attached to the first attachment area, the bottom major mating surface configured to slidably contact a corresponding mating surface of a mating light coupling unit, wherein the light coupling unit redirects light received from the optical waveguides from a first direction substantially parallel to the top major surface to a different, second direction such that the light exits the light coupling unit through the bottom major mating surface, and wherein, when mated with the corresponding mating light coupling unit, the light coupling unit is oriented at a predetermined angle with respect to a mating direction and the optical waveguides are bent such that at least a portion of the bent optical waveguides is floating unsupported by any physical surface.