US 12,111,500 B2
Optical fiber guide structure and optical fiber connecting structure
Kota Shikama, Tokyo (JP); and Atsushi Aratake, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/615,259
Filed by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Jun. 3, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/021944
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 30, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/245865, PCT Pub. Date Dec. 10, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0236488 A1, Jul. 28, 2022
Int. Cl. G02B 6/36 (2006.01); G02B 6/30 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/3608 (2013.01) [G02B 6/30 (2013.01); G02B 6/3644 (2013.01)] 9 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An optical fiber guide structure comprising:
a guide member configured to provide a space for accommodating a leading end portion of an optical fiber to be connected to a connection end surface of an optical waveguide device,
wherein the guide member comprises an elastically deformable material,
wherein a side surface of the elastically deformable material of the guide member is in direct physical contact with the connection end surface of the optical waveguide device, and
wherein in a first region along a longitudinal direction of the guide member, a diameter of an inscribed circle in contact with an inner wall of the guide member in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is smaller than an outer diameter of the optical fiber,
wherein the guide member is constituted by N support members, wherein N is an integer equal to or greater than three, wherein each of the N support members includes:
a beam having a first end connected to another one of the N support members; and
a plate spring extending along a longitudinal direction from a second end of the beam, and
wherein a respective plate spring of each of the N support members is configured such that a diameter of an inscribed circle in contact with the respective plate spring in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is smaller than the outer diameter of the optical fiber in at least a second region along the longitudinal direction.