Adjustable coupling device for a fiber-optic power divider

Claim 2

An adjustable evanescent-wave coupling device for optical fibers comprising: (a) housing means for rigidly encasing longitudinal portions of said optical fibers in close proximity to one another to allow optical evanescent-wave coupling to occur means for maintaining said portions in a stable pressure environment including an elastic filler material in said housing means encasing said longitudinal portions; and (b) force creating means for repeatably producing transverse forces through said filler material onto a segment of said longitudinal portions to vary the optical coupling characteristics of said fibers.

Claim 3

An adjustable evanescent-wave, optical-fiber coupling device comprising: (a) a plurality of optical fibers, each fiber having longitudinal segments in close proximity with another of said fibers to allow optical coupling to occur in said evanescent-wave coupling device; (b) a rigid housing encasing said longitudinal segments, said housing creating a generally stable pressure environment about said longitudinal segments; (c) an elastic filler material in said housing surrounding said longitudinal portions; and (d) means for varying stress on said filler material in a repeatable manner in said housing along an axis transverse to said longitudinal segments to adjust the coupling characteristics of said fibers.

Claim 4

An adjustable evanescent-wave, optical-fiber coupling device comprising: (a) a plurality of optical fibers, each fiber having longitudinal segments in close proximity with another of said fibers to allow optical coupling to occur in said evanescent-wave coupling device; (b) a rigid housing encasing said longitudinal segments, said housing creating a generally stable pressure environment about said longitudinal segments; (c) an elastic filler material in said housing surrounding said longitudinal portions; and (d) means for varying stress on said filler material in a repeatable manner in said housing along an axis transverse to said longitudinal segments to adjust the coupling characteristics of said fibers.

Claim 5

The adjustable coupling device as described in claim 2 wherein said means for varying stress comprises a threaded member projecting into said housing through said filler material in a direction transverse to said longitudinal segments to receive rotational forces applied to said threaded member to move said member in said housing through said filler material along a path transverse to said longitudinal portions.

Claim 6

The adjustable coupling device as described in claim 2 wherein said filler has a refractive index which changes with variations in stress created by said stress-varying means.

Claim 7

The adjustable coupling device as described in claim 4 wherein said filler material has a refractive index which is lower than the refractive index of said encased segments.

Claim 8

The device as described in claim 4 wherein said pressure-varying means comprises a threaded inelastic member protruding through said outer shell into said elastic filler material, said threaded member movable in a direction transverse to said longitudinal segments, said threaded member adapted to receive rotational forces to move said member in said transverse direction to create pressure changes in a portion of said filler material which are transmitted to said longitudinal segments along a transverse axis to adjust the coupling characteristics of the fibers.

Claim 9

An adjustable coupling device for a single-mode fiber-optic power divider comprising: (a) a plurality of optical fibers, each fiber being etched to a general core area and wound about each other to create a longitudinal segment of core areas having close proximity to one another to allow optical coupling to occur; (b) an inelastic shell surrounding said longitudinal segment, said shell being substantially filled with an elastic filler material to provide a stable environment about said longitudinal segments, said shell being provided with a receiving aperture; and (c) an inelastic member protruding into said filler material through said receiving aperture, said inelastic member being movable in a repeatable path transverse to said longitudinal segments to create a transverse stress differential in said filler material about said longitudinal segments to vary the evanescent coupling characteristics of each fiber.

Claim 10

An adjustable coupling device for a single-mode fiber-optic power divider comprising: (a) a plurality of optical fibers, each fiber being etched to a general core area and wound about each other to create a longitudinal segment of core areas having close proximity to one another to allow optical coupling to occur; (b) an inelastic shell surrounding said longitudinal segment, said shell being substantially filled with an elastic filler material to provide a stable environment about said longitudinal segments, said shell being provided with a receiving aperture; and (c) an inelastic member protruding into said filler material through said receiving aperture, said inelastic member being movable in a repeatable path transverse to said longitudinal segments to create a transverse stress differential in said filler material about said longitudinal segments to vary the evanescent coupling characteristics of each fiber.

Claim 11

An adjustable coupling device fabricated by the steps comprising: (a) securing a longitudinal portion of a plurality of closely spaced optical fibers within a rigid housing; (b) etching said longitudinal portion of said fibers to a core area; (c) surrounding said etched fibers with a resilient material; and (d) providing a rigid, force-inducing body within said housing to apply transverse forces through said resilient material onto a portion of said etched fibers, said force-inducing body being equipped with an adjusting means to vary the transverse force induced on said fibers.

Claim 12

An adjustable coupling device fabricated by the steps comprising: (a) securing a longitudinal portion of a plurality of closely spaced optical fibers within a rigid housing; (b) etching said longitudinal portion of said fibers to a core area; (c) surrounding said etched fibers with a resilient material; and (d) providing a rigid, force-inducing body within said housing to apply transverse forces through said resilient material onto a portion of said etched fibers, said force-inducing body being equipped with an adjusting means to vary the transverse force induced on said fibers.

Claim 13

The device as described in claim 8, wherein said force-inducing body comprises a threaded screw and said adjusting means comprises a threaded aperture in said housing to allow said screw to be manipulated along a path transverse to said longitudinal fibers through said resilient material.

Claim 16

An optical fiber apparatus comprising: (a) encasing means for rigidly encasing and for maintaining longitudinal portions of said fibers in a stable pressure environment and for maintaining said fibers in close proximity to one another to allow evanescent-wave optical coupling to occur said encasing means including resilient filler material surrounding said longitudinal portions; (b) means for varying the optical coupling between said fibers by producing adjustable transverse forces through said filler material in a repeatable fashion on a segment of said longitudinal portions.

Claim 17

An optical fiber apparatus comprising: (a) encasing means for rigidly encasing and for maintaining longitudinal portions of said fibers in a stable pressure environment and for maintaining said fibers in close proximity to one another to allow evanescent-wave optical coupling to occur said encasing means including resilient filler material surrounding said longitudinal portions; (b) means for varying the optical coupling between said fibers by producing adjustable transverse forces through said filler material in a repeatable fashion on a segment of said longitudinal portions.