Optical waveguides – Accessories – Splice box and surplus fiber storage/trays/organizers/ carriers
Patent
1990-08-01
1992-05-19
Ullah, Akm E.
Optical waveguides
Accessories
Splice box and surplus fiber storage/trays/organizers/ carriers
G02B 600, G02B 636
Patent
active
051154897
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to splice trays for optic fibres.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Splice trays are used for housing optic fibre joints, particularly in exchanges and typically comprise two spaced apart reels around which incoming optic fibres are coiled and a splice protector housing located intermediate the reels for locating and protecting an array of spliced joints formed between the ends of a multiplicity of optic fibres coiled on the reels. The reels serve to store spare lengths of the optic fibres and, if necessary, a short length of optic fibre can be unwound from a reel if it becomes necessary to form a new joint. The reels also ensure that kinks or undesirable bends of small radius of curvature do not occur in the optic fibres. Such bends or kinks are undesirable because they lead to light losses and thereby impair the efficiency of communication along the fibres.
A known splice tray manufactured by AT & T comprises two spaced-apart reel means defining respective generally annular or part-annular spaces for locating respective coiled optic fibres, and a splice protector housing for locating a spliced joint formed between such optic fibres.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has now been found that under certain conditions, particularly when wavelengths such as 1550 nanometers are employed, such splice trays can cause appreciable light loss.
In one aspect the present invention is characterised in that at least one of said reel means is adjustable so as to enable the size of its generally annular or part-annular space to be varied.
By varying the size (normally its radial dimension) of the above-mentioned space, the coiled fibres on the reel means fit closely within the space irrespective of the thickness of the coil, which in practice will vary according to the number of optic fibres in the coil, the length of the coiled portion of each optic fibre and the thickness of the optic fibres. As a result, the tendency of the optic fibres to form slight bends or other deviations from a circular configuration is reduced significantly. Since an incoming optic fibre will typically form a coil of ten turns or more around its reel. even slight deviations from a smooth curvature of the optic fibre in the splice tray will lead to significant accumulative light losses. The invention enables such light losses to be reduced significantly.
Preferred features of this aspect of the invention are defined in dependant claims 2-4.
In another aspect, the invention is characterised by slot means formed in adjacent respective portions of the reel means, said slot means being so located as to enable an optic fibre coiled round one said reel means to extend via said slot means to the other reel means to coil round the other reel means and to join another optic fibre coiled round the first mentioned reel means at a spliced joint in said splice protector housing.
This feature has the advantage that two optic fibres entering the splice tray from the same direction through a common aperture may be joined. In the prior art splice tray referred to above, in order to join two optic fibres approaching the splice tray from the same direction, one of them must be bent to enter the splice tray through another aperture to enable the fibres to be joined. Such bending is undesirable and may lead to light losses.
Preferred features of this aspect of the invention are defined in claims 6, 7 and 8.
The known splice tray referred to above, which comprises two spaced-apart reel means defining respective spaces for locating respective coiled fibres, and a splice protector housing for locating a spliced joint formed between such optic fibres, also comprises means for locating another such splice tray thereon.
In another aspect, the present invention is characterised in that said locating means comprises at least one detachable link member, one end of which fits to a co-operating part of the splice tray body and the other end of which is adapted to fit a co-operating part of a similar splice tray body.
It has been
REFERENCES:
patent: 4792203 (1988-12-01), Nelson et al.
patent: 4805979 (1989-02-01), Bossard et al.
patent: 4824196 (1989-04-01), Bylander
patent: 4961623 (1990-10-01), Midkiff et al.
patent: 4971421 (1990-11-01), Ori
British Telecommunications public limited company
Ullah Akm E.
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