Method and apparatus for impulsively spinning optical fiber
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorsXin Chen, Patrick J. Cimo, Daniel W. Hawtof, Ming-Jun Li, Daniel A. Nolan
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for impulsively spinning optical fiber while the optical fiber is being drawn is disclosed herein.
Claims20
A method of producing an optical fiber from an optical fiber preform comprising, while drawing the optical fiber from the optical fiber preform, imparting a spin to a plurality of selected portions of the fiber, the selected portions having a length less than one-fifth the beat length of the fiber, wherein the spin to each selected portion is imparted at a nonzero angular speed including a maximum nonzero angular speed, wherein the absolute magnitude of the difference between the maximum nonzero angular speed and the angular speed at which a spin is imparted to the regions of the fiber immediately adjacent both ends of said selected portions is greater than 0.5 turns/meter, wherein each region immediately adjacent the ends of said selected portions has a length greater than twice the length of the selected portion.
An apparatus for impulsively spinning optical fiber as the optical fiber is being drawn from an optical fiber preform, the apparatus comprising:
- a lever member capable of pivoting about a pivot point, the lever member comprising a follower portion;
- a frictional contact member attached to the lever member, wherein the frictional contact member is adapted to frictionally engage the optical fiber while allowing the optical fiber to be drawn along the frictional contact member;
- and
- a rotatable shaft having a cam portion capable of engaging the follower portion, wherein rotation of the shaft causes the cam portion to come into and out of engagement with the follower portion of the lever member, thereby causing the lever member to pivot within an arc, thereby causing the frictional contact member to pivot within an arc transverse to a direction of travel of the optical fiber;
- whereby engagement of the cam portion with the follower portion is capable of causing the frictional contact member to impart spin to the optical fiber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.