Cleaving optical fibers
AssigneeYork Technology Limited
InventorsAndrew T. Fellows, Nicholas D. Channon
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Cleaving of an optical fibre (2) is achieved by bringing a fibre cleaving blade (3) into lateral contact with such a fibre. Undue intrusion of the blade into the fibre during prior art cleaving processes can damage the fibre so as to detract from the quality of the resulting cleaved fibre end surfaces. Improvemets in the quality of the resulting end surfaces can be obtained in relation to prior art techniques by superimposing a relatively small amplitude vibratory component on a relatively steady movement of the blade towards the fibre. This can also enable the conventional use of a backing anvil at the cleaving location to be dispensed with, thereby removing danger of contamination from the anvil.
Claims13
A method of cleaving an optical fibre, comprising the steps of:
- supporting the said fibre in a working position;
- bringing about steady movement of a cleaving blade towards a point of lateral contact with the said fibre, behind which point the fibre is laterally unsupported;
- and
- superimposing on the said steady movement of the blade a vibratory component of movement, said vibratory component being towards and away from the axis of the fibre and having a frequency in a range from one kilohertz to one hundred kilohertz, thereby to facilitate the desired cleaving.
Apparatus for cleaving optical fibres, comprising:
- clamp means, defining two mutually-spaced clamping locations, for holding an optical fibre extended between the two clamping locations but unsupported laterally therebetween;
- a fibre cleaving blade, adapted to be brought into lateral contact with such a fibre at a desired cleaving point between said two clamping locations, to achieve cleaving of the said fibre at the said point;
- and
- vibratory drive means, carrying the said blade and operable to subject it to a relatively small-amplitude vibratory component of movement superimposed on a relatively steady movement of the blade towards the said desired cleaving point, the superimposed vibratory component of the movement of the blade being towards and away from the said desired cleaving point and having a frequency in a range from one kilohertz to one hundred kilohertz.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.