# US 12,222,556 B2 · Method of re-connecting optical fibers and system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,556 B2 - Document ID: US12222556B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 18/033,833 - Filed: 2021-10-27 - Published: 2023-12-14 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-11-06 - Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V. - Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V. - Inventors: Elbert Gerjan Van Putten; Adrianus Johannes Gerardus Mank - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222556B2 ## CPC - A61B 5/065: {Determining position of the probe employing exclusively positioning means located on or in the probe, e.g. using position sensors arranged on the probe} - G02B 6/3843: {with auxiliary facilities for movably aligning or adjusting the fibre within its ferrule, e.g. measuring position or eccentricity (testing the alignment of axes, including eccentricity, G01B11/27)} - G02B 6/02042: {Multicore optical fibres} - A61B 2034/2061: {using shape-sensors, e.g. fiber shape sensors with Bragg gratings} - A61B 2562/0266: Optical strain gauges - G01B 11/161: {by interferometric means} - G01D 5/3538: {using a particular type of fiber, e.g. fibre with several cores, PANDA fiber, fiber with an elliptic core or the like} - G01M 11/3181: {Reflectometers dealing with polarisation} - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) - G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS - G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS - G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR - G01M: TESTING STATIC OR DYNAMIC BALANCE OF MACHINES OR STRUCTURES; TESTING OF STRUCTURES OR APPARATUS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract The present invention relates to a method of re-connecting a first optical fiber (12) with a second optical fiber (34), the first fiber (12) and the second fiber (34) each having a plurality of outer cores, comprising: (a) positioning a first end section of the first fiber (12) and a second end section of the second fiber (34) in proximity so as to be aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of the first and second end sections in a current connection position including a current connection orientation, in which a current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis is not known with respect to a relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections in a registered connection orientation determined with respect to a coordinate system during a previous connection of the first fiber (12) with the second fiber (34); (b) optically interrogating the outer cores of the first and second fibers (12, 34) through the current connection position to receive optical signals from the outer cores; (c) modifying, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the registered connection orientation such that the first and second fibers in the current connection orientation including the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis are correctly registered with respect to the coordinate system. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of re-connecting a first optical fiber (12) with a second optical fiber, the method comprising: positioning a first end section of the first fiber and a second end section of the second fiber in proximity so as to be aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of the first and second end sections in a current connection position including a current connection orientation, in which a current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis is not known with respect to a relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections in a registered connection orientation which has been determined with respect to a coordinate system during a previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber, the first fiber and the second fiber each having a plurality of outer cores, optically interrogating the outer cores of the first and second fibers through the current connection position to receive optical signals from the outer cores, and modifying, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the registered connection orientation such that the first and second fibers in the current connection orientation including the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis are correctly registered with respect to the coordinate system. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: indicating to a user a direction in which the first and second end sections are to be rotated with respect to one another about the longitudinal axis for increasing intensity of the received signals to an optimum. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections and correcting the registered connection orientation with the determined current relative rotational angle. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: deriving, from the optical signals, an optical quantity chosen from the group consisting of insertion loss, transmission, reflection, at the current connection position for each of the outer cores. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: determining, from the optical quantity for each core, the current relative rotational angle (θ) between the first and second end sections based on a stored characteristic specific of the two fibers to be re-connected. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the stored characteristic includes deviations of angular positions of the outer cores of the first fiber with respect to angular positions of the outer cores of the second fiber. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the stored characteristic is determined from an optical measurement of the optical quantity for a plurality of relative rotational angles between the first and second end sections during an initial or previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the stored characteristic includes deviations between the angular positions of the outer cores of the first fiber and the angular positions of the outer cores of the second fiber for a combination of the outer cores of the first fiber with the outer cores of the second fiber which have been in optical communication during the previous connection. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the stored characteristic includes deviations between the angular positions of the outer cores of the first fiber and the angular positions of the outer cores of the second fiber for all possible combinations of the outer cores of the first fiber with the outer cores of the second fiber. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying the current combination of the outer cores of the first fiber with the outer cores of the second fiber. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, further comprising: indicating to a user to rotate the end sections of the first and second fibers relative to one another about the longitudinal axis until the same cores of the first and second fibers are optically connected with one another as in the previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the registered position including the registered orientation is registered with respect to a launch position, and the second fiber is being connected with the first fiber directly at or in a distance distally from the launch position. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein one of the first and second fibers is integrated in a device, the method further comprising reconstructing shape of the device using the registered position modified upon re-connection of the first and second fibers. ### Claim 14 A system, comprising a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber, the first fiber and the second fiber each having a plurality of outer cores, a first end section of the first fiber and a second end section of the second fiber positioned with a first end section of the first fiber and a second end section of the second fiber aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of the first and second end sections in a current connection position including a current connection orientation, in which a current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis is not known with respect to a relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections in a registered connection orientation which has been determined with respect to a coordinate system during a previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber, an optical interrogator configured to interrogate the outer cores of the first and second fibers through the current connection position to receive optical signals from the outer cores, and circuitry configured to modify, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the registered connection orientation such that the first and second fibers are correctly registered with respect to the coordinate system in the current connection orientation including the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis. ### Claim 15 A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: control positioning of a first end section of the first fiber and a second end section of the second fiber in proximity so as to be aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of the first and second end sections in a current connection position including a current connection orientation, in which a current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis is not known with respect to a relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections in a registered connection orientation which has been determined with respect to a coordinate system during a previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber, the first fiber and the second fiber each having a plurality of outer cores, optically interrogate the outer cores of the first and second fibers through the current connection position to receive optical signals from the outer cores, and modify, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the registered connection orientation such that the first and second fibers in the current connection orientation including the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis are correctly registered with respect to the coordinate system.