Patent ID: 6421118
Filing Date: 2002-07-16
Classification: G01M

Abstract:
A method of determining concentricity of an optical fiber segment composed of a cladding and a core, both substantially circular in cross-section, the fiber segment having an end face and the core and the cladding having respective centers in the end face, and the fiber segment having a central axis extending through the center of the cladding, the method including:positioning the fiber segment with the central axis of the fiber segment substantially coinciding with an axis of rotation, the fiber segment being in a first angular position about the axis of rotation, imaging the end face of the fiber on a detector, measuring the location of the image of the center of the core relative to the location of the image of the center of the cladding in the first angular position, rotating the fiber segment about the axis of rotation to a second angular position and measuring the location of the image of the center of the core relative to the location of the image of the center of the cladding in the second angular position, rotating the fiber segment about the axis of rotation to a third angular position and measuring the location of the image of the center of the core relative to the image of the center of the cladding in the third angular position, and calculating the radius of the circle that circumscribes the locations of the image of the center of the core relative to the image of the center of the cladding.