Optical waveguides – With splice – Fusion splicing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-04-09
2001-03-27
Ullah, Akm E. (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
With splice
Fusion splicing
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206583
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fusion splicer having a function of splicing optical fibers and a communication function for transmitting its operation state or the like.
2. Related Background Art
As a conventional apparatus for splicing optical fibers, fusion splicers have been known. In a fusion splicer, end portions of a pair of optical fiber line materials are butted against each other, and thus butted portions are fused by discharge so as to be connected together. Conventional optical fiber fusion splicers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,524,163 and 5,611,015.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In general, fusion splicers are sold by their manufacturers to optical fiber providers so as to be used by the latter for installing optical fiber networks and so forth. There may be cases where troubles occur in operations of a fusion splicer upon its use. In such a case, when its site of use is located far from a service station of the manufacturer, the maintenance of the fusion splicer is performed by a serviceperson of the manufacturer over the telephone or the like. For example, the manufacturer's serviceperson instructs an operator at the site of use to operate the fusion splicer and the operation responds how the fusion splicer acts consequently by telephone or fax. The trouble in operation of the fusion splicer may disappear when it is caused by an operation miss. When it appears to be a failure of the fusion splicer, on the other hand, the fusion splicer is sent back and repaired for its maintenance.
In the maintenance of the fusion splicer at the remote site, however, the instruction of the serviceperson may not be delivered to the operator clearly or the operator may not be able to fully explain the action of the fusion splicer, thus failing to effect its maintenance efficiently. Namely, there are cases where the action of the fusion splicer is hard to report correctly by telephone, fax, and the like, remarkably when the user of the fusion splicer is not accustomed to its handling. The serviceperson may go to the site or the fusion splicer itself may be sent back to the serviceperson. When the trouble is caused by a handling miss of the fusion splicer or a minor error in operation setting, however, this process becomes quite inefficient.
In order to overcome the foregoing problems, it is an object of the present invention to provide a fusion splicer which allows maintenance to be performed efficiently.
Thus, the present invention provides a fusion splicer for splicing optical fibers, which comprises imaging means for capturing an image of a fusion splicing process of the optical fibers, storage means for storing image data obtained by the imaging means, and communication means for transmitting the image data and communicating with a service station.
In accordance with the present invention, an image of the fusion splicing process of optical fibers can be captured so as to store its image data, which can be transmitted to the service station via a public network or the like. When there is a trouble in operation of the fusion splicer, the stored image data are transmitted to the service station. According to the image data, the trouble of the fusion splicer can be grasped accurately on the service station by the manufacturer's service person, thus allowing the user of the fusion splicer to be provided with an appropriate advice.
The fusion splicer in accordance with the present invention may further comprise presetting parameter control means for changing, in response to a signal transmitted from the service station, a presetting parameter of an operation concerning fusion splicing of the optical fibers.
In this case, the presetting parameter for the operation concerning fusion splicing of the optical fibers can be appropriately adjusted by the remote service station via a public network or the like. Consequently, in the case where the trouble in operation of the fusion splicer is caused by maladjustment of the presetting parameter concerning its operation, more accurate maintenance of the fusion splicer can be performed by adjusting the presetting parameter.
The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
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Hishikawa Yoshifumi
Watanabe Kazuo
Pillsbury Madison & Sutro LLP
Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd.
Ullah Akm E.
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