Apparatus and methods for determining splice effectiveness between two optical fibers using solid gels as coupling enhancers for measuring component attenuation

In apparatus for determining the effectiveness of a splice of first and second optical fibers each having a core, a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding,

• first means displaced from the splice for emitting light,
• second means for directing the light from the light emitting means to the first optical fiber,
• third means disposed closer to the splice than the light emitting means for eliminating the light in the cladding and the buffer of the first optical fiber and for retaining substantially only the light in the core of the first optical fiber, and
• fourth means disposed closer to the splice than the third means and responsive to the light in the core of the first optical fiber for detecting such light.

In apparatus for determining the effectiveness of a splice of first and second optical fibers each having a core, a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding,

• first means displaced from the splice for emitting light,
• second means for directing the light from the light emitting means to the first optical fiber,
• third means disposed closer to the splice than the first and second means and responsive to the light from the second means for detecting such light, and
• fourth means disposed in abutting relationship with the first optical fiber and close to the third means for providing an enhanced passage of light from the first optical fiber to the third means.

In apparatus for determining the effectiveness of a splice of first and second optical fibers each having a core and a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding,

• first means displaced from the splice for emitting light,
• second means for directing the light from the light emitting means toward the first optical fiber,
• third means for attracting the light from the second means and for enhancing the passage of light to the first optical fiber, and
• fourth means disposed closer to the splice than the first, second and third means for detecting the light in the first optical fiber.

In apparatus for determining the effectiveness of a splice of first and second optical fibers and having a core, a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding,

• means for defining first, second, third and fourth fixed positions, the first and second fixed positions being disposed on one side of the splice and the third and fourth fixed positions being disposed on the opposite side of the splice, the second and third fixed positions being respectively disposed closer to the splice than the first and fourth fixed positions,
• means for emitting light from the first and fourth fixed positions through the optical fibers toward the splice,
• means for receiving at the second and third fixed positions the light travelling through the cores of the optical fibers from the first and second fixed positions and for providing indications of such received light,
• means for processing the indications at the second and third fixed positions to provide an indication of the effectiveness of the light splice, and
• means disposed at the first and fourth fixed positions for attracting the light from the respective ones of the light emitting means at the first and fourth fixed positions and for directing such attracted light into the respective one of the optical fibers.

In apparatus for determining the effectiveness of a splice of first and second optical fibers and having a core, a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding,

• means for defining first, second, third and fourth fixed positions, the first and second fixed positions being disposed on one side of the splice and the third and fourth fixed positions being disposed on the opposite side of the splice, the second and third fixed positions being respectively disposed closer to the splice than the first and fourth fixed positions,
• means for emitting light from the first and fourth fixed positions through the optical fibers toward the splice,
• means for receiving at the second and third fixed positions the light travelling through the cores of the optical fibers from the first and fourth fixed positions and for providing indications of such received light,
• means for processing the indications at the second and third fixed positions to provide an indication of the effectiveness of the light splice, and
• means for inhibiting the passage of light through the claddings and buffers of the optical fibers to the receiving means at the second and third fixed positions.

In apparatus for determining the effectiveness of a splice of first and second optical fibers each having a core, a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding,

• means for defining first, second, third and fourth fixed positions, the first and second fixed positions being disposed on one side of the splice and the third and fourth fixed positions being disposed on the opposite side of the splice, the second and third fixed positions being respectively disposed closer to the splice than the first and fourth fixed positions,
• means for emitting light from the first and fourth fixed positions through the optical fibers toward the splice,
• means for receiving at the second and third fixed positions the light travelling through the optical fibers from the first and fourth fixed positions and for providing indications of the received light,
• means for processing the indications at the second and third fixed positions to provide an indication of the effectiveness of the light splice, and
• means disposed respectively at the second and third positions for enhancing the passage of the light in the cores at the second and third positions to the receiving means.

In apparatus for determining the effectiveness of a splice of first and second optical fibers each having a core, a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding,

• first and second emitting means for emitting light,
• first and second detecting means for detecting light,
• the first emitting and detecting means being disposed in co-operative relationship with the first optical fiber and the first detecting means being disposed closer to the splice than the first emitting means,
• the second emitting and detecting means being disposed in co-operative relationship with the second optical fiber and the second detecting means being disposed closer to the splice than the second emitting means,
• first, second and third optical coupling means respectively disposed to introduce light into the first optical fiber, to attenuate the light in the cladding and the buffer of the first optical fiber between the first emitting and detecting means and to enhance the detection of light in the cores by the first detecting means,
• fourth, fifth and sixth optical coupling means respectively disposed to introduce light into the second optical fiber, to attenuate the light in the cladding and the buffer of the second optical fiber between the second emitting and detecting means and to enhance the detection of light in the cores by the second detecting means,
• first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth means for respectively clamping the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and second optical coupling means to obtain the operations specified for the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth optical coupling means,
• means for obtaining operations of individual ones of the first and second light emitting means and individual ones of the first and second detecting means and individual ones of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth clamping means in a controlled sequence to obtain measurements of the emission of light through the first emitting means to individual ones of the first and second detecting means and the emission of light through the second emitting means to individual ones of the first and second detecting means, and
• means for processing the indications at the first and second detecting means to determine the light attenuation at the splice.

In apparatus for determining the effectiveness of a splice of first and second optical fibers having a core, a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding,

• an optical coupling member constructed to abut one of the optical fibers,
• means for clamping the fiber against the optical coupling member,
• the clamping means having a groove for snugly receiving the optical fiber, and
• means for initially providing a continuous movement of the clamping means toward the optical coupling member and then subsequent discontinuous movements of the clamping means toward the optical member to provide for a disposition of the optical fiber snugly in the groove in the clamping means and to provide for a clamping of the optical coupling member and the optical fiber by the clamping means.

In a method of determining the effectiveness of a splice of two (2) optical fibers each having a core and a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding, the steps of:

• providing light emitting members at first and second positions relative to the splice and providing light detecting members at third and fourth positions relative to the splice, the first and second positions being on one side of the splice and the third and fourth positions being on the other side of the splice, the second and third positions being respectively closer to the splice than the first and fourth positions,
• providing for the elimination of light in the cladding and the buffer in the first optical fiber before the passage of the light from the first position to the second position,
• providing for the elimination of light in the cladding and the buffer in the second optical fiber before the passage of the light from the fourth position to the third position,
• providing for the selective activation of an individual one of the light emitting members at individual ones of the first and fourth positions and an individual one of the light detecting members at individual ones of the second and third positions to provide for the detection at individual ones of the second and third positions of the light from the individual ones of the first and fourth positions, and
• processing the individual detections of light at each of the second and third positions from each of the first and fourth positions to provide an indication of the effectiveness of the splice.

In a method of determining the effectiveness of a splice of two (2) optical fibers each having a core and a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding, the steps of:

• providing light emitting members at first and fourth positions relative to the splice and providing light detecting members at second and third positions relative to the splice, the first and second positions being on one side of the splice and the third and fourth members being on the other side of the splice, the second and third positions being respectively closer to the splice than the first and fourth positions,
• enhancing the passage of the light through the core of the first optical fiber from the first position to the second position,
• enhancing the passage of the light through the core of the second optical fiber from the fourth position to the third position,
• providing for the selective activation of an individual one of the light emitting members at individual ones of the first and fourth positions and an individual one of the light detecting members at individual ones of the second and third positions to provide for the detection at individual ones of the second and third positions of the light from the individual ones of the first and fourth positions, and
• processing the individual detection of light at each of the second and third positions to provide an indication of the effectiveness of the splice.

In a method of determining the effectiveness of a splice of two (2) optical fibers each having a core and a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding, the steps of:

• providing for the emission of light from first and fourth positions respectively displaced along the fibers in opposite directions from the splice,
• providing for the detection of light from second and third positions displaced along the fibers in opposite directions from the splice and respectively closer to the splice than the first and fourth positions,
• providing optical coupling members at the first, second, third and fourth positions and at a fifth position between the first and second positions and at a sixth position between the third and fourth positions,
• providing for a clamping of individual ones of the optical coupling members,
• providing an emission of light at individual ones of the first and fourth positions and a clamping of individual ones of the clamping members in a sequence to obtain detections at individual ones of the second and third positions of the light emitted at each of the first and fourth positions into the cores of individual ones of the first and fourth optical fibers, and
• processing the light detections at the second and third positions to determine the light attenuation at the splice.