Methods of and apparatus for organizing fiber lightguides into a planar array

Apparatus for organizing a plurality of fiber lightguides in a reproducible manner into a planar array, which comprises:

• means for advancing including payout means a plurality of fiber lightguides along separate, adjacent paths with the advance along at least portions of the paths being in the same direction and with their longitudinal axes generally in a single plane;
• means for taking up the plurality of fiber lightguides;
• and
• means interposed between the payout means and the taking up means for converging the fiber lightguides that are being advanced and for organizing them continguously into a planar array having a predetermined lateral ordering, said converging and organizing means including a first surface having a length which extends along said paths of travel and which has a curvature that is convex in the direction of advance and a curvature that is concave in another direction transverse to the direction of advance, said first surface being effective to apply forces to the fiber lightguides being advanced therealong to converge and organize the fiber lightguides into contiguous parallel relation in a single layer array in which the lightguides have said predetermined lateral ordering, said converging and organizing means also including a second surface having an infinite radius of curvature at least in a direction transverse to the direction of advance and being adapted to receive said single layer of fiber lightguides in contiguous parallel relation and to reform the single layer into a planar array.