US Patent Issued to 3M Innovative Properties on April 15 for "Optical connector using thermal expansion to maintain alignment" (Minnesota Inventor)

ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 5 -- United States Patent no. 12,276,845, issued on April 15, was assigned to 3M Innovative Properties Co. (St. Paul, Minn.).

"Optical connector using thermal expansion to maintain alignment" was invented by Michael A. Haase (St. Paul, Minn.).

According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An optical assembly includes an optical ferrule configured to receive an input light ray through an input location on a major input surface of the optical ferrule along a first direction for coupling to an optical waveguide secured to the optical ferrule, the optical ferrule including a reference location, such that a change in a temperature of the optical assembly causes the input light ray and the inp...