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US 4,902,327 AGranted
Monitoring fiber bend loss characteristics during manufacture
AssigneeRaynet Corporation
InventorFrank H. Levinson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Forming an optical fiber so as to have a relatively constant bend loss characteristic includes apparatus for continuously bending the optical fiber downstream from a preform from which it is drawn and continuously detecting light withdrawn from the fiber at the bend so created to determine the fiber bend loss characteristic, the fiber bend loss characteristic being maintained constant by using feedback control to vary a drawing speed of the fiber and hence a diameter of a core of the fiber.
Claims15
An apparatus for forming an optical fiber so as to reduce a variation of a bend loss characteristic along a length thereof, comprising:
- means for drawing an optical fiber from a preform using heat;
- means for monitoring the bend loss characteristic of the fiber after it is drawn from the preform as the preform is being drawn, the monitoring means including means for generating a bend in the drawn fiber having a radius small enough such that light escapes the fiber at the bend, the monitoring means including means for detecting the light escaping the fiber at the bend;
- and
- means for using feedback control, which has an input connected to an output of the detecting means, to vary a manner in which remaining fiber is to be drawn from the preform so as to minimize the variation in the bend loss characteristics of the optical fiber thereafter drawn and previously drawn along a length thereof.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.