Abstract: In the connector of the present invention two impact mounted seven optical fiber ferrules are aligned through the alignment of the central optical fiber and the alignment of at least one of the outer optical fibers in the ferrules. Due to the symmetrical, repeatable orientation of the optical fibers in the ferrule, all of the remaining optical fibers will automatically be aligned when the central optical fiber and one of the outer optical fibers are aligned, thus greatly simplifying the alignment process for the plurality of optical fibers within the connector of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention each of the seven optical fibers is color coded. The optical fibers within the transmitting and receiving optical fiber bundles are arranged in a mirror image orientation, such that light signals transmitted on a particular colored optical fiber is received within a similarly colored optical fiber.

Abstract: In the connector of the present invention two impact mounted seven optical fiber ferrules are aligned through the alignment of the central optical fiber and the alignment of at least one of the outer optical fibers in the ferrules. Due to the symmetrical, repeatable orientation of the optical fibers in the ferrule, all of the remaining optical fibers will automatically be aligned when the central optical fiber and one of the outer optical fibers are aligned, thus greatly simplifying the alignment process for the plurality of optical fibers within the connector of the present invention. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention each of the seven optical fibers is color coded. The optical fibers within the transmitting and receiving optical fiber bundles are arranged in a mirror image orientation, such that light signals transmitted on a particular colored optical fiber is received within a similarly colored optical fiber.

Abstract: An optical fiber device includes a plurality of optical fibers that are bundled together within an impact mounted ferrule. A preferred impact mounted bundled optical fiber device includes two, three, four, seven, thirteen or nineteen optical fibers. In these devices the optical fibers are fixedly held in place by frictional contact between the optical fibers within the impact mounted ferrule tip. The impact mounted bundled optical ferrule can be utilized in many optical devices including add/drop devices, bifurcation devices, signal combining devices, multiplexer devices, demultiplexer devices, isolator devices, as well as other types of optical signal processing devices.