Patent ID: 7853104

Claim:
A bidirectional optical module that emits light to an optical fiber and on which returning light from the optical fiber is incident, comprising: a plurality of light emitting elements that emit light to enter the optical fiber; a light receiving element that receives light having exited the optical fiber; and a non-reciprocal unit for making an optical path in a forward direction from the light emitting element to the optical fiber and an optical path in a backward direction from the optical fiber to the light emitting element different, wherein polarization planes of light incident on the optical fiber after being emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements are mutually orthogonal, and the non-reciprocal unit emits returning light of the light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements from the optical fiber toward the light receiving element to one light receiving element, wherein the light emitted from the plurality of light emitting elements is emitted from a first port or a second port, wherein the light emitted from the first port is incident on the non-reciprocal unit with an inclination at an angle in a positive direction greater than zero with respect to an optical axis of the non-reciprocal unit, and wherein the light emitted from the second port is incident on the non-reciprocal unit with an inclination at an angle in a negative direction greater than zero with respect to the optical axis of the non-reciprocal unit.