Glass manufacturing – Processes of manufacturing fibers – filaments – or preforms – Process of manufacturing optical fibers – waveguides – or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-14
2002-01-29
Hoffmann, John (Department: 1731)
Glass manufacturing
Processes of manufacturing fibers, filaments, or preforms
Process of manufacturing optical fibers, waveguides, or...
C065S433000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06341503
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the automated manufacturing of fiber optic couplers.
Overclad fiber optic couplers are a type of fused fiber coupler wherein the coupling region is enclosed within a layer of matrix glass which strengthens and encloses the coupling region. To form an overclad fiber optic coupler, the stripped portions of a plurality of fibers are inserted into the bore of a glass capillary tube to form a coupler preform. The tube bore has enlarged funnel-shaped end portions that facilitate the insertion of optical fibers. The midregion of the coupler preform is heated to collapse the tube onto the fibers; the coupler preform is then stretched until the desired coupling characteristics are obtained. Various types of overclad fiber optic couplers and methods of making such couplers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 35,138, 4,902,324, 4,979,972, 5,011,251, 5,251,276 and 5,268,014. The methods disclosed in these patents include many manual operations.
In accordance with conventional practice, the manually operated fiber draw apparatus has been oriented such that the tube is vertically positioned. The fibers have been inserted into the tube either on-line or off-line. The off-line fiber insertion process (U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,324) requires that the fibers be tacked to the tube to prevent the fibers from moving with respect to the tube during the step of transferring the coupler preform to the coupler draw apparatus. The tacking glue can cause problems in the resultant coupler. Moreover, the off-line method requires additional steps to transfer the tube to the draw apparatus. The previously employed methods of inserting fibers into the tube either on-line or off-line have been tedious, time consuming processes that are sensitive to the manipulations of each operator. This can affect process reproducibility and thus the optical characteristics of the couplers.
Optical fibers must be prepared prior to inserting them into the tube. The protective coating is removed from the portion of the fiber that is to be positioned within the tube during the coupler drawing operation. If the bare portion of the optical fiber is at the end of the fiber, it is preferred that it be provided with a low reflectance termination. An off-line process for forming such a termination is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,979,972 and 5,011,251. Also, the bare fiber portions must be free from contamination. Manual performance of these fiber preparation steps is time consuming and is subject to the particular manipulations of the operator.
During the stripping of coating from the fibers, the termination of fibers, and the insertion of the stripped portions of fibers in the overclad tube, the fibers must be precisely positioned.
In the manual technique for making overclad fiber optic couplers, the fibers were threaded through the glass tube, the tube was clamped into the draw apparatus. Thereafter, the fiber pigtails extending from the glass tube were inserted through vacuum attachments which were then affixed to the ends of the tubes. Such vacuum attachments are unsuitable for an automated apparatus for manufacturing fiber optic couplers. A preferred heat source for forming overclad fiber optic couplers has been a ring burner that directs flames inwardly toward the glass tube. Heretofore, the glass tube has been manually inserted through the ring burner, and its ends were then clamped. Such a burner is not suitable for use in a fully automated apparatus.
In an automated fiber optic coupler manufacturing process, couplers can be made at a greater rate than they could be made by the aforementioned manual process. The heat source must be activated during the stretching of each coupler. This tends to cause the temperature of certain parts of the apparatus near the heat source to become hotter than they did in the manual process. Some of those apparatus parts and the coupler epoxy can be damaged by the higher temperature or can be dimensionally altered whereby process reproducibility is affected. Precautions must be taken to avoid such heat induced damage.
After the coupler has been formed by stretching the overclad tube and fibers, a glue such as an ultraviolet (UV) curable epoxy is inserted into the uncollapsed ends of the tube bore to provide the fibers with pull strength. Conventional off-line epoxy applying and curing techniques are not suitable for use in a fully automated coupler making process since they do not result in the application of a sufficient amount of epoxy into both ends of the bore, and since they are time consuming processes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above mentioned disadvantages of conventional methods of manufacturing fiber optic couplers, it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method of precisely and automatically manufacturing a fiber optic coupler having predetermined coupling characteristics. Another object is to provide a coupler manufacturing apparatus and method in which opportunities for operator caused process inconsistencies are minimized or eliminated.
The present invention relates to various apparatus components and method steps for making fiber optic couplers. Utilization of the invention in its entirety results in the completely automated production of a fiber optic coupler. However, portions of the inventive method and apparatus can be used to improve conventional methods of the type described above. Whereas the present invention is described in conjunction with the manufacture of overclad fiber optic couplers, certain of the apparatus components can be employed in the manufacture of fused biconic tapered couplers of the type wherein two or more fibers are fused together and elongated, without the use of an outer protective glass tube.
The present invention relates to an apparatus for the automated manufacture of fiber optic couplers. Fiber insertion means including adjacently disposed fiber guide tubes insert optical fibers into a glass tube. The fiber guide tubes have fiber input and fiber output ends, the output ends being movable longitudinally with respect to the bore of the glass tube. Means is provided for delivering the optical fibers to the input ends of the fiber guide tubes, with the first ends of the fibers passing through the fiber guide tubes and being deliverable from and retractable into the second ends of the guide tubes. Means is provided for sequentially tensioning each of the optical fibers and for stripping protective coating from the tensioned length of each of the fibers. The apparatus includes coupler draw means that is provided with upper and lower chucks for securing the glass tube at its end regions. The chucks are movable in opposite directions. First and second vacuum seal means evacuate the bore and maintain closed the ends of the glass tube after the stripped regions of the fibers have been inserted into the bore. Heating means heats the glass tube. Programmable control means control the operation of the apparatus.
The coupler draw means can include an upper clamping bar that engages an upper V-groove provided in the upper chuck and a lower clamping bar that engages a lower V-groove provided in the lower chuck; the clamping bars apply a repeatable level of force to the glass tube to secure it in the V-grooves.
The apparatus can include transfer means for transfering a glass tube from a storage magazine to the chucks. This apparatus can include a holding member provided with a groove, delivery means for delivering a tube from the magazine to the groove, and clamping means for gripping a tube. Means can be included for accurately locating the glass tube in the groove. When it is in a first position, the clamping means engages the glass tube held in the groove. The clamping means then moves to a second position and places the glass tube in the chucks of the coupler draw means.
The means for delivering the optical fibers to the fiber insertion means can include at least two optical fiber supplies, and a fiber feed mechanism for paying out a predetermined length of each of
Miller William James
Morrell Mark Leon
Corning Incorporated
Hoffmann John
Malley Daniel P.
Smith Eric M
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