Patent ID: 11874510
Assignee: 3M INNOVATIVE PROPERTIES COMPANY
Field: Optics (Instruments)
Classification: CPC G | IPC G

Claim 6:
7. A method of making an optical connector assembly comprising:
assembling an optical cable subassembly comprising:
attaching one or more optical waveguides at a first attachment area of a light coupling unit;
attaching the optical waveguides at a second attachment area of a cable retainer;

inserting the optical cable subassembly into a housing comprising:
coupling the cable retainer to a retainer mount in the housing, the coupling of the cable retainer into the retainer mount fixing a position of the optical cable assembly within the housing; and

inserting the optical waveguides into a passageway in the housing, the passageway dimensioned to constrain the optical waveguides to bend within the housing between the first attachment area and the second attachment area;
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 of the housing.