Aligning a fiber in an optical fiber connector

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9658406-B2
Application number	US-201414313194-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2014
Priority date	Jun 24, 2014
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

According to certain embodiments, a method comprises disposing a first nanofiber portion of a nanofiber and a first assisting fiber portion of an assisting fiber into a ferrule of a connector. A second assisting fiber portion is heated. The nanofiber and assisting fiber are moved such that a portion of the heated assisting fiber portion is disposed within the ferrule. According to other embodiments, a method comprises placing a fiber within a ferrule of a connector having a fixed point such that a fiber center is a fiber distance away from a receptacle center. The fiber distance between the fiber center and receptacle center is measured. An angular offset between the fixed point and fiber center is measured about the receptacle center. A rotation angle for the fiber distance and angular offset is determined. The ferrule is rotated relative to the connector according to the rotation angle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for aligning a ferrule within a connector, the method comprising:
placing a fiber within the ferrule of the connector such that a fiber center of the fiber is a fiber distance away from a fixed ferrule point corresponding to a center of a receptacle configured to receive the connector, the connector having a fixed launch point corresponding to an angular position of a key on the connector;
measuring the fiber distance between the fiber center and the fixed ferrule point;
measuring an angular offset between the fixed launch point and the fiber center about the center of the ferrule;
determining a rotation angle for the fiber distance and the angular offset from an angular correction table; and
rotating the ferrule relative to the connector according to the rotation angle to align a launch diameter with the fixed launch point.

2. The method according to claim 1 , the placing the fiber within the ferrule further comprising:
disposing the fiber and an assisting fiber into an interior volume of the ferrule such that a portion of the assisting fiber is external to the ferrule, the assisting fiber comprising a material that expands when heated;
heating at least a portion of the portion of the assisting fiber external to the ferrule to create an expanded portion of the assisting fiber; and
moving the fiber and the assisting fiber with respect to the ferrule.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising generating the angular correction table using trial-and-error computer simulation and/or geometric equations.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a selection of a launch diameter; and
selecting the angular correction table or a portion of the angular correction table in response to the launch diameter.

Assignees

• Novartis Ag

Inventors

• Ammari Eyad
• Diao Chenguang

Classifications

• B29C65/565

  involving interference fits, e.g. force-fits or press-fits (B29C65/66 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49773

  by radioactive tracing · CPC title

• G02B6/3843 Primary

  with auxiliary facilities for movably aligning or adjusting the fibre within its ferrule, e.g. measuring position or eccentricity (testing the alignment of axes, including eccentricity, G01B11/27) · CPC title

• Y10T29/49828

  Progressively advancing of work assembly station or assembled portion of work · CPC title

• B29C65/48

  using adhesives {, i.e. using supplementary joining material; solvent bonding} · CPC title