Abstract: An optical fiber connector (1) for forming a mechanical splice between first and second bare optical fibers (9) stripped of coatings, the connector comprising a connector body that is divided into at least two parts (3, 5) along at least part of a length thereof arranged such that the optical fibers may be clamped between the parts, and the connector body comprises at least two independently openable main clamping sections (23) dimensioned to clamp directly onto the bare fiber of the first and second optical fibers, and the connector body includes at least one additional clamping section (25) dimensioned to clamp onto a coated portion of one of the optical fibers, and the clamping sections are arranged such that the first optical fiber may be clamped by a first of the main clamping sections independently of the second optical fiber, enabling the clamping of the first fiber against rotational and axial movement with respect to the connector body to remain substantially undisturbed by subsequent clamping or unc

Abstract: An optical fibre connector for forming a mechanical splice between first and second bare optical fibres stripped of coatings, the connector comprising a connector body that comprises at least two main clamping sections dimensioned to clamp directly onto the bare fibre of the first and second optical fibres, the main clamping sections arranged such that the first optical fibre may be clamped by a first of the main clamping sections independently of the second optical fibre, enabling the clamping of the first fibre against rotational and axial movement with respect to the connector body to remain substantially undisturbed by subsequent clamping or unclamping of the second fibre.

Abstract: An optical cross-connect system (30) for interconnecting optical pathways of a horizontal node with each vertical node, the system comprising a three dimensional array of optical pathways in which one end of each optical pathway is presented on a first face (31), and the other end of each optical pathway is presented on a second face (32) such that the first and second faces (31 and 32) present rows and columns of optical pathway groupings, and wherein the horizontal nodes are defined along the rows of the first face (31) and the vertical nodes are defined along the columns of the second face (32).

Abstract: An optical cross-connect system (30) for interconnecting optical pathways of a horizontal node with each vertical node, the system comprising a three dimensional array of optical pathways in which one end of each optical pathway is presented on a first face (31), and the other end of each optical pathway is presented on a second face (32) such that the first and second faces (31 and 32) present rows and columns of optical pahtway groupings, and wherein the horizontal nodes are defined along the rows of the first face (31) and the vertical nodes are defined along the columns of the second face (32).

Abstract: An optical circuit comprises: (a) a body having an x and y axis and two sides substantially parallel to the y-axis and separated along the x-axis; (b) a plurality of first ports along one of the two sides, each first port comprising a number of substantially paralleled fibers; and (c) a plurality of second ports along the other of the two sides, each second port comprising a number of substantially parallel fibers. The ports are interconnected with the fibers such that (i) the fibers of a given second port comprise a fiber from each of the first ports, and (ii) the fibers interconnecting the first and second ports are arranged asymmetrically about at least one of the x or y axes.