To date, more than 70 types of connectors for various purposes for FOCL have been developed. The most common are symmetrical optical connectors with a plug-in type design. To connect these connectors use special optical adapters. Thanks to these devices, the connected optical connectors can be of one or several types.
Optical Connector Design Description
The plug-in optical connectors are as follows: the fiber is fixed in a special precision ferrule tip, which is inserted into the centralizer insert. The connector fasteners in the adapter can be either bayonet type or threaded or lock type. Some types of equipment require the connection of duplex pairs of optical fiber; optical connectors of the duplex type have been specially developed for this. Initially, the implementation of such devices was achieved through a symmetrical plastic clamp containing sockets in which a pair of connectors were inserted, after which they were fixed with a latch. Most suitable for this are connectors with square cases. However, over time, there was a need to develop duplex optical connectors in a single package.
The next stage in the development of the production of fiber optic connectors was the creation of special tape-type connectors in a single buffer coating. Nevertheless, today this type is not very popular due to the high complexity of obtaining a high-quality joint, even with the use of the welding method. Currently, the main consumers of these connectors are Japan and the United States.
Key Specifications
The main parameters of optical connectors are: bandwidth, long-term resistance and stability to external conditions. Throughput is affected by back reflection and insertion loss. These characteristics depend on the lateral displacement of the axes, as well as the angle between them. And also from the Fresnel reflection of the signal at the boundary between two media. The maximum loss value introduced by the connector is optical attenuation. This characteristic affects the size of the total losses in this path. This parameter directly depends on the lateral deviation (misalignment) of the cores of the connected optical fibers.
The next important parameter is the reverse reflection. The main source influencing this characteristic is the boundary between the two media (air and fiber). This component can reach significant values. Moreover, the reverse reflection can be changeable in time, that is, under the influence of external factors, it ultimately can disrupt the performance of the entire system.
Optical audio cable
Nowadays fiber optic cables are gaining great popularity in the design of audio systems . The main advantage of such wires is the absence of interference, which means that the signal will remain clean and clear, despite the length of such an extension cord. Fiber optic cables have proven themselves to work reliably in difficult electromagnetic conditions, where copper wires were unable to cope with interference. In computer technology, the SPDIF cable (Sony-Philips Digital Interface) is an especially popular cable - it is an interface for transmitting audio signals in digital form. It transmits audio signals between devices without loss of quality, which inevitably occurs when using the analog method.