Patent
1983-05-20
1986-06-10
Lee, John
350 9621, G02B 636
Patent
active
045939713
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to a centering cell for connecting optical fibers, in particular for connecting two optical fibers to each other, or for connecting an optical fiber to a light signal emitter or receiver. The invention also relates to a method and to a device for realising such a cell. The essential point is to keep the end of an optical fiber in a position which is axially and longitudinally defined in order to enable two fiber ends to be placed end-to-end to pass a signal under optimum conditions. The invention is especially applicable to small size optical fibers, eg. about 125 microns in diameter.
Optical fibers are extremely fragile, and preparing connections is delicate because of the high risk of breaking small diameter glass fibers.
Connection systems are known comprising a sleeve or block of rubber or other material having a narrow rectilinear passage therethrough. The ends of fibers to be connected are pushed in from each side until they come into contact. While centering is generally acceptable, this arrangement suffers from the drawback of not being separable and runs a high risk of fiber breakage during insertion.
Connector type systems are also known in which a fiber is held in the center of a connector by steel balls disposed in a plane parallel to the connection plane and close thereto. By placing two identical connectors opposite each other and face to face, the balls in each connector locate themselves between the balls in the other, thereby obtaining theoretically correct centering of one connector relative to the other. However, the contact pressure between the ends of the fibers is ill defined, and there is no guarantee that the fibers are centered in the middle of the balls.
The present invention provides a centering arrangement for connecting optical fibers which enables exact centering (to within allowable tolerances, ie. to within a few percent of a diameter), which blocks play to avoid any mechanical variation, and which ensures sufficient, but not excessive, contact pressure between the facing fiber ends. The arrangement in accordance with the invention enables the parallel and perpendicular axes at the end of each fiber to be aligned and also enables easy connection and disconnection of a fiber to another fiber or of a fiber to any board component, and hence, it enables connections to be modified. The invention also provides means (tooling and a method) for making a connection, both in a workshop and at a poorly equipped site.
According to the present invention this result is obtained by a centering cell which is remarkable particularly in that it includes at least three generally cylindrical packing pieces (or rods) disposed around the end of an optical fiber and having rounded ends adjacent the end of the fiber to be connected; at least one of the rods being made of resilient material, the rods being surrounded by a generally cylindrical retaining member or "cartridge", which may have an opening along a generator line, and the cartridge being kept compressed by a cell body in the form of a sleeve. The terms "rod", "cartridge", and "cell" are arbitrary and are used to simplify the explanation by avoiding the use of general terms. Naturally the use of such terms in no way limits the invention whose means are essentially defined by their functions or by their structure as described and claimed.
According to the invention, the above described cell is assembled using a tool comprising a center tube of suitable diameter for receiving a glass fiber, the cartridge is placed around the tube, the cartridge is compressed by engaging the cell body around the rods and the cartridge, then the optical fiber is engaged in the tube, and finally the tube is progressively removed once the fiber has reached its final position.
Advantageously, the tube is fixed to a cylindrical tool for receiving the cartridge. The tool with the tube may optionally be disposed of after an on-site assembly.
The tooling in accordance with the invention is particularly remarkable in that it includes a so
REFERENCES:
patent: 4061416 (1977-12-01), Stewart
patent: 4087155 (1978-05-01), Deacon
patent: 4184741 (1980-01-01), Hawk et al.
patent: 4448482 (1984-05-01), Lathlaen
Clement Jean-Joseph
Lafuente Claude A.
Lee John
Les Cables de Lyon
Rushin, III Lester
LandOfFree
Centering cell for connecting optical fibers does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Centering cell for connecting optical fibers, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Centering cell for connecting optical fibers will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2404260