Apparatus and method for aligning optical fibers with an array of radiation emitting devices

Abstract

The invention is an improvement in an optical fiber alignment apparatus of the type having a pair of optically-opposed fibers, means associated with one of the fibers for generating an alignment signal, means associated with the other fiber for alignment-sensitive detction of the alignment signal, and means responsive to such detection to adjust relative positions of the fibers. In the improvement, the means for generating the alignment signal comprises an array of radiation-emitting devices (REDs). Radiation from the REDs in an array associated with a particular fiber is received in a radiation guide of the other fiber and indivudally measured. The position of the other fiber is adjusted until radiation received from each RED is substantially equal to that received from each other RED in the array. In one arrangement, the radiation guide is part of the signal-carrying fiber. In another arrangement, the radiation guide is part of a separate aligning fiber mounted adjacent to and movable with the signal-carrying fiber.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.