Recess forming tool for preparing fiber optic ferrule endfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9358657-B1
Application number	US-201113087868-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 15, 2011
Priority date	Apr 16, 2010
Publication date	Jun 7, 2016
Grant date	Jun 7, 2016

Abstract

A tool and a method for forming a pair of recesses on an endface of a fiber optic ferrule are disclosed. The tool includes a base, a ferrule holder slidingly mounted to the base along a guided path, and a pair of material removing members extending in a direction parallel to the guided path. The material removing members are spaced a distance perpendicular to the guided path from each other and mounted to the base. The tool includes a linkage that clamps and centers the ferrule about the tool. The recesses can adjoin pin holes of the ferrule. The linkage can be a parallelogram linkage.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A tool for removing material from an endface of a fiber optic ferrule, the tool comprising:
a fiber optic ferrule holder including a pair of jaws adapted to clamp the fiber optic ferrule;
a parallelogram linkage including a pair of pivoting links and a pair of guiding links, the pair of the pivoting links positioned opposite from each other and the pair of the guiding links positioned opposite from each other about the parallelogram linkage, each of the pivoting links defining a link pivot axis, each of the guiding links positioned on opposite sides of the fiber optic ferrule holder, the pair of the guiding links linearly guiding the fiber optic ferrule holder along a guided path, and each of the jaws of the fiber optic ferrule holder slidingly attached to a corresponding one of the pair of the guiding links;
a base defining a pair of base pivot axes and including a media bed; each of the pivoting links rotatably connected about the link pivot axis to the base about a corresponding one of the pair of the base pivot axes.

2. The tool of claim 1 , further comprising material removing media mounted to the media bed of the base, the material removing media extending parallel to the guided path and adapted to remove the material from the endface of the fiber optic ferrule when the fiber optic ferrule is clamped between the pair of the jaws of the fiber optic ferrule holder, the endface of the fiber optic ferrule is engaged with the material removing media, and the fiber optic ferrule holder is moved along the guided path.

3. The tool of claim 2 , wherein the media bed of the base includes a recessed area extending parallel to the guided path and wherein the material removing media includes a pair of media sheets that each include an edge parallel to the guided path, the media sheets are positioned opposite the recessed area of the media bed from each other, and the edge of each of the media sheets is positioned adjacent the recessed area.

4. The tool of claim 3 , wherein the recessed area is a centered recess area, the pair of the base pivot axes is centered between the edges of the pair of the media sheets, and each of the link pivot axes is centered between a pair of corresponding linkage joints between the pivoting links and the guiding links.

5. The tool of claim 3 , wherein the media sheets include polishing paper.

6. The tool of claim 4 , wherein the centered recessed area of the media bed is configured and the media sheets are thereby positioned such that the material removed from the endface of the fiber optic ferrule forms a pair of recesses adjacent a corresponding pair of pin holes of the fiber optic ferrule.

7. The tool of claim 2 , wherein the material removed from the endface of the fiber optic ferrule results in polishing of the endface.

8. The tool of claim 2 , wherein the fiber optic ferrule holder is moved along the guided path manually.

9. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the base includes a pair of pivot posts that correspondingly define the pair of the base pivot axes and the pivoting links each include a bore that defines the corresponding link pivot axis and wherein each of the pivot posts rotatably mounts a corresponding one of the bores and thereby align the corresponding link pivot and base pivot axes.

10. The tool of claim 9 , wherein each of the pivot posts rotatably and translatably mount the corresponding one of the bores and thereby align the corresponding link pivot and base pivot axes.

11. The tool of claim 1 , further comprising a pair of linear bearings, each of the linear bearings slidingly attaching a corresponding one of the pair of the jaws of the fiber optic ferrule holder to the corresponding guiding link.

12. The tool of claim 11 , wherein each of the linear bearings includes rolling elements.

13. The tool of claim 1 , wherein the parallelogram linkage is spring loaded such that the guiding links are urged together and thereby urge the jaws of the fiber optic ferrule holder together.

14. The tool of claim 13 , further comprising at least one spring operably connected between the base and at least one of the guiding links.

15. The tool of claim 13 , further comprising at least one torsion spring operably connected across at least one linkage joint between the pivoting links and the guiding links.

16. The tool of claim 13 , further comprising at least one torsion spring operably connected between at least one of the pivoting links and the base.

17. The tool of claim 1 , wherein at least one retaining lip of at least one of the jaws of the fiber optic ferrule holder is adapted to orient the fiber optic ferrule.

18. The tool of claim 17 , wherein the at least one of the jaws includes a pair of the retaining lips.

19. The tool of claim 9 , wherein the fiber optic ferrule holder is spaced from the media bed at a fixed distance and the fiber optic ferrule holder is adapted to slidingly hold the fiber optic ferrule and thereby allow the fiber optic ferrule to engage material removing media mounted to the media bed of the base.

20. The tool of claim 10 , wherein the fiber optic ferrule holder is spaced from the media bed at a variable distance, the fiber optic ferrule holder is adapted to fixedly hold the fiber optic ferrule, and the fiber optic ferrule engages material removing media mounted to the media bed of the base by the bores of the pivoting links sliding along the pivot posts of the base.

21. A method for forming a pair of recesses on an endface of a fiber optic ferrule, each of the recesses adjacent one pin hole of a pair of pin holes of the fiber optic ferrule, the method comprising:
providing the fiber optic ferrule;
providing a tool including a base, a fiber optic ferrule holder slidingly mounted to the base along a guided path, and a pair of material removing members extending in a direction parallel to the guided path, spaced a distance perpendicular to the guided path from each other, and mounted to the base;
mounting the fiber optic ferrule to the fiber optic ferrule holder;
engaging the endface of the fiber optic ferrule with the pair of the material removing members of the tool;
moving the fiber optic ferrule holder along the guided path;
forming the pair of the recesses on the endface of the fiber optic ferrule, each of the recesses adjacent one of the pin holes of the pair of pin holes of the fiber optic ferrule; and
dismounting the fiber optic ferrule from the fiber optic ferrule holder.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the fiber optic ferrule holder includes a pair of jaws adapted to clamp the fiber optic ferrule and wherein mounting the fiber optic ferrule to the fiber optic ferrule holder includes clamping the fiber optic ferrule between the pair of the jaws of the fiber optic ferrule holder.

23. The method of claim 22 , wherein the tool defines a plane parallel to the guided path and perpendicular to material removing surfaces of the material removing members, wherein the distance that the pair of the material removing members are spaced from each other is centered about the plane, and wherein the tool further includes a linkage adapted to center the pair of the jaws about the plane.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein the linkage includes a pair of guiding links and wherein each of the jaws of the fiber optic ferrule holder is slidingly mounted to a corresponding one of the pair of the guiding links.

25. The method of claim 24 , wherein the

Assignees

• Lu Yu
• Commscope Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Lu Yu

Classifications

• B24B41/06

  Work supports, e.g. adjustable steadies (B24B37/27 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B24B19/226 Primary

  of the ends of optical fibres · CPC title