US 4,379,771 AGranted

Methods of and apparatus for terminating a lightguide fiber ribbon

AssigneeWestern Electric Company, Inc.

InventorDonald Q. Snyder

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Abstract

In terminating a ribbon which comprises an array of lightguide fibers, a substrate having a plurality of parallel grooves is positioned in a nest and supported at its end portions after which an end portion of the ribbon is moved longitudinally to cause the fibers to be separated by a comb-like device adjacent one end of the nest after which the ribbon is secured with a clamp adjacent the other end of the nest. Another substrate having aligned grooves is placed over the fibers so that the fibers are held in channels formed by the opposing grooves after which the assembly of substrates and fibers are secured together with a temporary clamp which applies compressive forces to end portions of the assembly along a longitudinal centerline of the assembly. Then a vise which includes jaws having parallel surfaces for engaging the substrate is moved toward the assembly to position a lower jaw under the lower substrate and an upper jaw above the upper substrate. Further motion between the jaws is caused to clamp together the substrates and is controlled to avoid damage to the assembly. The temporary clamp is disengaged from the assembly and the vise is removed to an environment wherein heat transfer into the vise is caused so that a potting compound applied to the assembly fills the interstices thereof to bond together the substrates and fibers.

Claims22

Dependent claims

A method of terminating a plurality of lightguide fibers which extend from a lightguide fiber ribbon, said method comprising the steps of:

supporting opposite end portions of a first substrate in a nest at an assembly station, the substrate having a plurality of spaced parallel fiber-receiving grooves formed in at least one side thereof with the grooves oriented upwardly;
spacing apart a plurality of lightguide fibers which extend from a lightguide ribbon beyond one end of the substrate with the ribbon extending beyond the opposite end of the substrate;
moving the ribbon in a direction along its longitudinal axis so that each of the individual fibers is pulled into and along one of the fiber-receiving grooves of the substrate;
positioning a second substrate having a plurality of fiber-receiving grooves in engagement with the fibers with the grooves of the second substrate facing and being aligned with the grooves of the first substrate to enclose each of the fibers in a passageway formed between opposed aligned grooves in the first and second substrates;
applying compressive forces to the assembly of the first and second substrates and the plurality of lightguide fibers at end portions of the assembly above the supported end portions of the first substrate and substantially along a longitudinal center line of the substrates to hold together the assembly;
moving one jaw of a vise into juxtaposition with a lower surface of the first substrate and another jaw of the vise into juxtaposition with an upper surface of the second substrate;
securing together the assembly by causing the jaws to apply predetermined compressive forces to the assembly betweeen the end portions of the assembly;
discontinuing the application of the compressive forces to the end portions of the assembly;
disengaging the nest from supportive engagement of the assembly;
and
causing an encapsulating material to fill interstices between the fibers and the substrates to hold together the assembly of the fibers and the substrates.

8 more elements

An apparatus for terminating a plurality of lightguide fibers which extend from a lightguide ribbon, said apparatus comprising:

a nest for supporting a first substrate at opposite end portions of the substrate, the substrate having a plurality of spaced parallel grooves with the grooves being oriented upwardly;
means disposed adjacent one end of said nest and aligned with said nest for receiving a longitudinal end portion of a lightguide ribbon with the individual lightguide fibers extending therefrom and past the other end of said nest;
means disposed adjacent the other end of said nest for separting the lightguide fibers by spacing apart said individual lightguide fibers to facilitate the receipt of the fibers extending past said nest in the grooves formed in the first substrate and in aligned grooves of a second substrate, the first substrate having been positioned in said nest prior to said fibers being extended through said nest, and the second substrate being positioned in engagement with the fibers to enclose each of the fibers in a passageway formed between opposed aligned grooves;
means for applying compressive forces to the assembly of said substrates and said lightguide fibers at opposite ends of the assembly and along a longitudinal centerline thereof above the supported end portions of the first substrate to hold the assembly securely in said nest;
a vise which includes a lower jaw for engaging a lower surface of the first substrate and an upper jaw for engaging an upper surface of the second substrate, said vise including means for causing relative motion between said jaws to controllably apply compressive forces to the assembly;
and
means mounting said vise for movement along a path of travel transverse of the fibers to facilitate said lower jaw being moved beneath the first substrate between the supported end portions of the first substrate and said upper jaw being moved above the second substrate.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.