We claim
1. An optical multifiber planar array ferrule with alignment members comprising:
a pair of mating, hermaphroditic ferrule halves,
each ferrule half having a fiber-receiving end and a mating end, the fiber-receiving end for receiving a planar array of at least two optical fibers in a recess, the mating end for providing an optical fiber;
each ferrule half having a first leg,
each ferrule half having a second leg,
each of the first legs of the ferrule halves containing parallel elongated grooves for containing an optical fiber,
each of the second legs of the ferrule halves containing a hole for receiving a guide pin
wherein said hermaphroditic ferrule halves are assembled such that their mating ends are matched to one another, their ribbon receiving ends are matched to one another, and the second leg of each ferrule half is matched to the first leg of the other ferrule half,
the assembled halves having an opening for a ribbon, planar array of optical fibers, the opening being formed by the overlapping of the recesses at the fiber-receiving ends of the two halves,
the bonded halves having a space for an optical fiber from the overlapping parallel elongated grooves of the two bonded halves, the optical fiber being received within the planar array of at least two optical fibers at the fiber-receiving end and exiting the ferrule at the mating end.
2. The ferrule of claim 1, each ferrule half further comprising an alignment tang at a fiber-receiving end and a slot at said fiber-receiving end, the tang of each half for mating and insertion into the slot of the other half.
3. The connector of claim 1 wherein each half includes at the fiber-receiving end an alignment tang at a first side and a slot at a second side, the tang of one half for filling the slot of the other half when the two halves are mated.
4. The connector of claim 1 wherein the first and second halves form a ferrule structure further including two optical fibers within said grooves.
5. The connector of claim 1 wherein the first and second legs are parallel to one another when the halves are assembled to form a single structure.
6. The connector of claim 1 wherein the grooves are wider at the surface than at the base.
7. The connector of claim 1 wherein the first and second blocks include a mating end and a rear end having a collar mounted thereon.
8. The connector of claim 1 wherein the grooves are tapered and the halves are Lshaped.
9. The ferrule of claim 1, wherein said ferrule half is L-shaped, said first leg constitutes said first leg of said L-shape and the second leg constitutes the second leg.
10. A method of forming an optical fiber multifiber planar array ferrule including the steps of:
molding two halves each having a mating end having multiple fiber-alignment grooves in a first plane therein and a fiber-receiving end having an alignment tang protruding therefrom, said fiber-receiving end having a wall perpendicular to said first plane, said wall being holed in a direction parallel to the fiber-alignment grooves for receiving a guide pin for aligning optical fibers within said V-grooves;
mating the halves wherein the alignment tang of one is inserted in the slot of the other and align their mating ends are aligned and their fiber-receiving ends are aligned, for forming a single ferrule structure.
12. The method of claim 11, further including the step of
inserting optical fibers within the fiber-alignment grooves and securing the ferrule halves together, with the fibers sandwiched between the fiber halves, thereby forming a single ferrule structure.
13. The method of claim 11, further including the steps of
inserting optical fibers within the V-grooves and securing the fibers and ferrule halves with epoxy
molding the first ferrule half to include a second ferrule half opposite the first alignment tang;
molding the second alignment half to include a second alignment tang on a side of the second ferrule half opposite the second slot.
14. The method of claim 11 including the steps of inserting optical fibers within the Vgrooves and securing the fibers and ferrule halves with epoxy.
15. An optical fiber ferrule half, having a fiber-receiving end and a mating end, the fiber-receiving end for receiving a ribbon cable of multiplicity of optical fibers in a recess, the mating end for presentation of an optical fiber;
containing parallel elongated grooves for containing optical fibers,
containing a hole for housing a guide pin.
16. The ferrule half of claim 15, wherein said ferrule half is L-shaped, said first leg constitutes one portion of said L-shape and the second leg constitutes the other leg.
17. The ferrule of claim 15, the ferrule half further comprising an alignment tang at a fiber-receiving end and a slot at said fiber-receiving end, the tang of each half for mating and insertion into the slot of the other half.
18. The connector of claim 15 wherein each half includes, at the fiber-receiving end, an alignment tang at a first side and a first slot at a second side, the slot and tang of each for receiving the tang of the other, when the first and second halves are mated together.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A fuel cell system comprising:
a controller;
a cooling water pump which is provided on cooling water piping which transports cooling water to a fuel cell and which pumps the cooling water;
fuel gas supply piping which is connected to the fuel cell and which supplies a fuel gas to the fuel cell;
fuel gas circulation piping which is connected to the fuel cell and to the fuel gas supply piping and which circulates a fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell to the fuel gas supply piping; and
a fuel gas pump which is provided on the fuel gas circulation piping and which pumps the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell to the fuel gas supply piping,
wherein the fuel gas discharged from the fuel cell is pumped by the fuel gas pump after an operation of the fuel cell is stopped, and
the controller is programmed to control the cooling water pump so that the cooling water is pumped by the cooling water pump to cool the fuel cell and lower a temperature of the fuel cell to a lower temperature than a temperature of the fuel gas pump after the operation of the fuel cell is stopped.
2. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, wherein
the fuel gas pump is stopped after the cooling water pump is stopped.
3. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, wherein
the cooling water pump is stopped and the fuel gas pump is stopped after the temperature of the fuel cell is lowered to a lower temperature than the temperature of the fuel gas pump.
4. The fuel cell system according to claim 1, further comprising
a radiator which is provided on the cooling water piping and which cools cooling water discharged from the fuel cell, wherein
cooling water cooled by the radiator is pumped and the fuel cell is cooled after the operation of the fuel cell is stopped.
5. The fuel cell system according to claim 2, further comprising
a radiator which is provided on the cooling water piping and which cools cooling water discharged from the fuel cell, wherein
cooling water cooled by the radiator is pumped and the fuel cell is cooled after the operation of the fuel cell is stopped.
6. The fuel cell system according to claim 3, further comprising
a radiator which is provided on the cooling water piping and which cools cooling water discharged from the fuel cell, wherein
cooling water cooled by the radiator is pumped and the fuel cell is cooled after the operation of the fuel cell is stopped.