1990-04-11
1991-07-09
Healy, Brian
350 9617, G02B 626, G02B 630
Patent
active
050299719
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to optical fibre locating apparatus and in particular to such apparatus for locating an optical fibre with respect to a planar surface.
Techniques for cleaving optical fibres to ensure that the cleaved end is perpendicular are now well established. In setting up optical apparatus such as fibre lasers or fibre amplifiers it is often necessary to align the fibre with a planar member such as a semi-transmitting mirror or a cover shield. Such alignment requires extreme accuracy and may involve minute adjustments using several micrometer screws. As may be appreciated this set-up procedure can take several hours.
Accordingly if a system requires reconfiguration, for example, to use a different fibre or to change the transmission frequency of a mirror a large time overhead may be incurred.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide optical fibre locating apparatus which significantly reduces the difficulty of aligning a fibre end with a planar surface.
According to the present invention there is provided optical fibre locating apparatus comprising first block means having a guide surface which includes a longitudinal `V` groove adapted to receive and guide an optical fibre, a second block means having a facing surface perpendicular to the guide surface, the second block means including an aperture through which an end of an optical fibre may pass, and mounting means adapted to support apparatus presenting a planar surface whereby contacting the facing surface with such planar surface and feeding a fibre along the `V` groove facilitates alignment of an end of such fibre with such planar surface.
Preferably each of the block means comprises a silica block.
The mounting means may comprise a further block having a `V` shaped channel adapted to receive a slide in block having a signal receiving planar surface. The V shaped channel may be offset with respect to the aperture whereby the signal receiving point of the planar surface may be varied.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Optical fibre locating apparatus in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawing of which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the component parts of the apparatus prior to final assembly;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the parts of FIG. 1 showing a further detail;
FIG. 3 is a part cross sectional view on the line III--III of FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another of the parts of FIG. 1 showing a manufacturing detail;
FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 after final assembly; and
FIG. 6 is a side elevation of the apparatus of FIG. 1 after final assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawing the support comprises three accurately machined silica blocks, 1, 2 and 3 which are guide together using ultra violet cured adhesive.
The fibre support block 1 includes an accurate `V` groove 4 which acts as fibre guide. To ensure accuracy of the `V` groove 4, particularly in regard to the angle at the base of the `V` this block is in practice machined from two blocks which are subsequently glued together in the manner described in our European Patent Application No. 86302785.0 (Publication No. 200414). For use with currently available optical fibres the block 1 is approximately twenty millimeters wide, twenty millimeters long and ten millimeters deep, the `V` groove running along the centre line of the block and having an upper width of 0.177 millimeters.
The facing block 2, approximately twenty millimeters deep and two millimeters long has a four millimeter aperture 5 drilled through centred on the centrelines of the vertical face. A one millimeter wide channel 6 is provided to facilitate entry of a fibre end (not shown) through the aperture 5.
The mounting block 3, approximately seven millimeters deep and four millimeters long includes a `V` shaped channel 7 which is arranged to receive either circular
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Bailliet et al., "Coined Precision Mount for Fiber-Optic . . . ", I.B.M. Tech. Discl. Bull., vol. 25, No. 8, 1/83, pp. 4261-4262.
Hunt Michael H.
Miller Iain D.
British Telecommunications public limited company
Healy Brian
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