To make the work easy for the IT and telecommunication sectors, an optical fused coupler was introduced. And truly speaking, this technology proved its worth in both large and small scale requirements.
An optical fused coupler works on a wavelength with the help of some scientific formulas. It transmits light waves in multiple paths with the help of two or more inputs. The primary role of the coupler is to complete the task simultaneously for more than one place using waves.
The light waves are available in the form of either active or passive devices. Users often get confused between these two devices and end up evaluating things wrongly. Simply explained, the passive devices redistribute the signal without optical-to-electrical conversion and active devices split or combine the signals electrically.
How does an optical fiber coupler work?
The working of an optical fused coupler is very simple. You just need to understand it carefully. Even amateur technicians can use the coupler and improve their telecommunication and IT jobs.
An optical fiber coupler contains N input ports and M output ports. The value of both input and output ports typically ranges from 1 to 64. It means you will find different categories of optical fused couplers with different numbers of ports. Generally, the couplers with four ports are available and used by the technicians.
In the optical fused coupler, the light enters from one of the input ports and splits between two output ports. Similarly, remaining or other input ports function in the same way. In some cases, you will find that one input port remains unused. This is referred to as a T or Y type optical fused coupler.
Types of optical fused couplers
In the last para, we mentioned T and Y couplers. These are the different types of optical fused couplers. There are types as well. Here, we will explain T and Y couplers along with other types in brief.
Y coupler– Also known as the optical tap coupler, the Y coupler resembles the letter Y. Just like the structure of the Y alphabet, the light waves split. In simple terms, the signal entering from the input port splits into two output ports. In this, you can control the power distribution ratio precisely. The sense is that it’s easy to meet your specific requirements.
T coupler– The structure seems very similar to the Y coupler, but the working is different from the T coupler. In this, the power distribution is uneven. The signal enters from the one input port and gets distributed into two output ports. The power distribution difference is that one output signal is greater than another output signal.
X coupler– Though the name is a coupler, it carries out the function of both a splitter and a combiner. It means you will get two things in one package. In this, the coupler combines and divides the optical power from two input ports between the two output ports. Technically, the X coupler is also referred to as a 2×2 coupler.
An optical fused coupler is an important technical development. It makes the work easier. The only thing is you should connect with the right manufacturer or supplier to get it for your job.