Abstract:
An optical fiber preparation device ( 11 ) is disclosed having a body ( 12 ) with at least one abrasive portion ( 15 ) and at least one adhesive portion  19 . The abrasive portion ( 15 ) includes a protrusion ( 29 ) defining a polishing portion ( 31 ). A method for polishing and cleaning an end of an optical fiber using the optical fiber preparation device includes the steps of inserting the end of the optical fiber into the abrasive portion of the optical fiber preparation device and rotating the optical fiber preparation device about the center of the abrasive portion. A cover member ( 23 ) is removed from the optical fiber preparation device, exposing the adhesive portion, and the end of the optical fiber is then pressed against the adhesive portion.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to field preparation tools, and more particularly, to field preparation tools used to prepare optical fibers for splicing. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Fiber optic cables are widely used to transmit light signals for high-speed data transmission. A fiber optic cable typically includes: (1) an optical fiber or optical fibers; (2) a buffer or buffers that surrounds the fiber or fibers; (3) a strength layer that surrounds the buffer or buffers; and (4) an outer jacket. A typical optical fiber includes an inner core surrounded by a cladding that is covered by a coating. Buffers (e.g., loose or tight buffer tubes) typically function to surround and protect coated optical fibers. Strength layers add mechanical strength to fiber optic cables to protect the internal optical fibers against stress applied to the cables during installation and thereafter. Outer jackets provide protection against damage caused by crushing, abrasions, and other physical damage, as well as chemical damage (e.g., ozone, alkali, acids). 
         [0003]    Fiber optic networks include a plurality of fiber optic cables. Often times in these fiber optic networks, the fiber optic cables require terminations. One type of termination frequently used is a mechanical splice. As is well known to those skilled in the art, a mechanical splice is a joint created between two optical fibers of a fiber optic network wherein the optical fibers are aligned by a mechanical means. 
         [0004]    It is an important requirement in fiber optic networks that the amount of optical power lost through the network is minimized. As mechanical splices are often included in a fiber optic network, the optical power lost through these splices must also be minimized in order to have an optimal system. One of the primary reasons for optical power losses in mechanical splices is the inclusion of a “fiber lip” on one of the end faces of the optical fibers being coupled. As will be described in more detail subsequently, a fiber lip is located on the outer circumference of the end face of an optical fiber and is often the result of a poor cleave. If a fiber lip is present on an end face of an optical fiber, poor alignment between that end face and an end face of another optical fiber will result. This poor alignment will in turn result in increased optical power losses through that splice. 
         [0005]    Another reason for optical power losses in mechanical splices is due to contamination on the end faces of the optical fibers. If the end faces of the optical fibers have contaminants, including but not limited to dirt, dust, or glass particles or fibers, these contaminants will absorb some of the light being transmitted through the optical fiber and/or potentially scratch the end face of the fiber. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0006]    An aspect of the disclosure relates to an optical fiber preparation device having a body with at least one abrasive portion and at least one adhesive portion. The abrasive portion includes a protrusion that defines a polishing portion. 
         [0007]    Another aspect of the disclosure relates to a method for polishing and cleaning an end of an optical fiber using the optical fiber preparation device and includes the steps of inserting the end of the optical fiber into the abrasive portion of the optical fiber preparation device and rotating the optical fiber preparation device about the center of the abrasive portion. A cover member is removed from the optical fiber preparation device, exposing the adhesive portion, and the end of the optical fiber is then pressed against the adhesive portion. 
         [0008]    A variety of additional inventive aspects will be set forth in the description that follows. The inventive aspects can relate to individual features and to combinations of features. It is to be understood that both the forgoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the broad inventive concepts upon which the embodiments disclosed herein are based. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0009]    The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention and together with the description serve to further explain the principles of the invention. Other aspects of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages of the present invention will be readily appreciated as the present invention becomes better understood by reference to the following Detailed Description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, and wherein: 
           [0010]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an optical fiber preparation device made in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 1   a  is an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device made in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0012]      FIG. 1   b  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device made in accordance with the present invention. 
           [0013]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the optical fiber preparation device of  FIG. 1 . 
           [0014]      FIG. 3  is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the optical fiber preparation device taken at line  3 - 3  in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3   a  is a fragmentary cross-section view of an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device made in accordance with the present invention similar to  FIG. 3 . 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber preparation device taken at line  4 - 4  in  FIG. 2 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 4   a  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device made in accordance with the present invention similar to  FIG. 4 . 
           [0018]      FIG. 4   b  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device made in accordance with the present invention similar to  FIG. 4 . 
           [0019]      FIG. 4   c  is a cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device made in accordance with the present invention similar to  FIG. 4 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 5  is a side view of an optical fiber having a fiber lip. 
           [0021]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional view of an abrasive portion of the optical fiber preparation device of  FIG. 1  and a side view of an optical fiber having a fiber lip. 
           [0022]      FIG. 7  is a cross-sectional view of an abrasive portion of the optical fiber preparation device of  FIG. 1  and a side view of an optical fiber shown after removal of a fiber lip. 
           [0023]      FIG. 8  is a cross-sectional view of an adhesive portion of the optical fiber preparation device of  FIG. 1  having a contaminant adhered to the adhesive portion and a side view of an optical fiber. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0024]    With reference now to the various figures in which identical elements are numbered identically throughout, a description of various exemplary aspects of the present invention will now be provided. 
         [0025]    Referring now to  FIG. 1 , an optical fiber preparation device  11  is shown. The optical fiber preparation device  11  includes a body  12  having a first substrate  13  with at least one abrasive portion  15  and a second substrate  17  with at least one adhesive portion  19 . While the figures and the specification will only describe one abrasive portion  15  and one adhesive portion  19 , it is within the scope of the present invention for there to be multiple abrasive portions  15  and multiple adhesive portions  19  on the optical fiber preparation device  11 . In the subject embodiment, the first substrate  13 , which is mounted onto the second substrate  17 , includes at least one thru hole  21  that exposes the adhesive portion  19  of the second substrate  17 . While the adhesive portion  19  and the abrasive portion  15  are both shown as being accessible through a planar surface (e.g. the first substrate  13 ), the scope of the present invention is not limited to the abrasive portion  15  and the adhesive portion  19  being accessible through a planar surface.  FIG. 1   a  provides an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device  111  in which an abrasive portion  115  and an adhesive portion  119  are disposed on nonplanar surfaces.  FIG. 1   b  provides an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device  211  in which an abrasive portion  215  is disposed opposite an adhesive portion  219 . 
         [0026]    While the optical fiber preparation device  11  will be described as having the first substrate  13  with at least one abrasive portion  15  and the second substrate  17  with at least one adhesive portion  19 , it will be understood by those skilled in the art after reviewing the disclosure of the present invention that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the first substrate  13  having the abrasive portion  15  and the second substrate  17  having the adhesive portion  19 . In an alternate embodiment, and by way of example only, the first substrate  13  having the abrasive portion  15  could also include the adhesive portion  19 , as shown in  FIG. 1   a , wherein the adhesive portion  19  could be a surface treatment or coating applied to the first substrate  13 . 
         [0027]    Referring now to  FIG. 2 , a top view of the optical fiber preparation device  11  is shown. Included in this view is a cover member  23 , which is used to protect the adhesive portion  19  of the second substrate  17 . In a preferred embodiment, the cover member  23  includes a first portion  25  and a second portion  27 . The first portion  25  is of an area large enough to cover the thru hole  21  in the first substrate  13 . The first portion  25  of the cover member  23  can be affixed to the adhesive portion  19  of the second substrate  17  as shown in  FIG. 3 . In this embodiment, the surfaces of the cover member  23  would be conventional “easy peel” surfaces or coated with a conventional “easy peel” coating. 
         [0028]    Referring now to  FIG. 3   a , an alternate embodiment of the cover member  23  is shown. In this alternate embodiment, the cover member  23  is affixed to the first substrate  13  of the optical fiber preparation device  11  with an adhesive. The adhesive is applied to an outer perimeter portion  28  of the cover member  23  that is in contact with the first substrate  13 . 
         [0029]    Referring again primarily to  FIG. 2 , in a preferred embodiment, the second portion  27  of the cover member  23  extends beyond the perimeter of the first substrate  13  to allow for easy removal of the cover member  23 . This slight extension of the second portion  27  of the cover member  23  allows a user to easily grasp the second portion  27  and pull the second portion  27  toward the opposite side of the cover member  23 , thereby exposing the adhesive portion  19  of the second substrate  17 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art after reviewing the present disclosure, however, that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the cover member  23  having a first and second portion  25 ,  27 . It is conceivable that the cover member  23  may only include a first portion  25  that covers the adhesive portion  19  of the optical fiber preparation device  11 . 
         [0030]    Referring now to  FIG. 4 , a cross sectional view of the abrasive portion  15  of the optical fiber preparation device  11  is shown. The abrasive portion  15  includes an annular protrusion  29  that projects away from a planar top surface  30  of the first substrate  13 . While the annular protrusion  29  is shown in  FIG. 4  as projecting upwardly from the planar top surface  30  of the first substrate  13 , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the annular protrusion  29  projecting upwardly. For example,  FIG. 4   a  shows an alternate embodiment of an optical fiber preparation device  311  in which an annular protrusion  329 , which includes a polishing portion  331 , extends downwardly from a first substrate  313 . 
         [0031]    Referring again to  FIG. 4 , the annular protrusion  29  has a polishing portion  31 . The polishing portion  31  has a tapered shape (e.g. conical) with an inner diameter D1 that narrows as it extends downwardly. In a preferred embodiment, the annular protrusion  29  and the polishing portion  31  are sized so that only the outer diameter of the optical fiber is contacted. In other words, in a preferred embodiment, the core of the optical fiber is not contacted by the polishing portion  31 . In the subject embodiment, and by way of example only, the inner diameter D1 of the polishing portion  31  is between 20 to 120 μm, while the outer diameter of the optical fiber is between 123 to 131 μm. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , the polishing portion  31  of the annular protrusion  29  has a toroidal or rounded shape or configuration. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after reviewing the present disclosure that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the polishing portion  31  having a rounded shape since the polishing portion  31  could have various shapes and configurations, including but not limited to a chamfer configuration. 
         [0033]    The annular protrusion  29  defines an orifice  33  that allows particles generated during polishing to pass through the first substrate  13 . In a preferred embodiment, the orifice  33  is located at or about the center of the polishing portion  31 . In the subject embodiment, the second substrate  17  has an opening  35  at a location that corresponds with the location of the orifice  33 . 
         [0034]    Referring now to  FIG. 4   b , an alternate embodiment of an abrasive portion  415  of an optical fiber preparation device  411  is provided. In this embodiment, an annular protrusion  429  extends from a first substrate  413 . The annular protrusion  429  includes a polishing portion  431  and defines an inner well  433  having a base wall  437 . The base wall  437  is recessed from the annular protrusion  429 . In this alternate embodiment, the inner well  433  serves as a receptacle for particles generated during polishing. As a result of the inner well  433  having the base wall  437 , an opening in a second substrate  417 , similar to the opening  35  shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 4 , is not provided. 
         [0035]    Another alternate embodiment of an abrasive portion  515  of an optical fiber preparation device  511  is provided in  FIG. 4   c . In this embodiment, an annular protrusion  529  extends from a first substrate  513 . The annular protrusion  529  includes a polishing portion  531  having an orifice  533 . In this embodiment, the orifice  533  is located at or about the center of the polishing portion  531 . A second substrate  517 , however, is continuous underneath the orifice  533 . In other words, the second substrate  517  does not include an opening similar to the opening  35  shown in the embodiment of  FIG. 4 . Therefore, the second substrate  517  acts as a receptacle for the particles generated during the polishing that fall through the orifice  533  of the first substrate  513 . 
         [0036]    A brief description of a method for making the optical fiber preparation device  11  will now be provided. In a preferred embodiment, and by way of example only, the abrasive portion  15  is made from carbide paper having a grit size between 1 to 15 μm and a thickness between 0.03 to 1.0 mm. While a grit size of 1 to 15 μm would be acceptable for most optical fibers, it may be preferred to have a narrower range for the grit size. For example, it might be preferred to have a grit size between 3 to 5 μm. However, while ranges of grit size and thickness have been specified above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art after reviewing the present disclosure that the scope of the present invention is not limited to those grit size and thickness ranges. The annular protrusion  29  of the abrasive portion  15  can be formed in the carbide paper using either conventional stamping, pressing, or thermoforming techniques. 
         [0037]    In a preferred embodiment, the second substrate  17  is a medium tack tape or adhesive, although it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the second substrate  17  could also be an alternate material with an applied adhesive. By way of example only, the thickness of the second substrate  17  is between 0.01 to 0.50 mm. The second substrate  17  is affixed to the underside of the first substrate  13  such that the second substrate  17  is disposed beneath the entire underside of the first substrate  13 . It will be understood by those skilled in the art, however, that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the second substrate  17  extending the full length of the first substrate  13 . As the combined thicknesses of the first substrate  13  and the second substrate  17  are between 0.04 to 1.5 mm, by way of example only, the body  12  of the optical fiber preparation device  11  is flexible. 
         [0038]    In addition, in a preferred embodiment, and by way of example only, the optical fiber preparation device  11  has a width dimension W (shown in  FIG. 2 ) of 10 mm and a length dimension L of 30 mm. Therefore, the optical fiber preparation device  11  has the additional advantage of being compact. As a result of the compactness and flexibility of the optical fiber preparation device  11 , multiple optical fiber preparation devices  11  can be easily carried by a field technician. 
         [0039]    Referring now to  FIGS. 5-8 , the use of the optical fiber preparation device  11  will be described.  FIG. 5  illustrates an optical fiber  39  having a fiber lip  41  and contamination  43 . As stated in the “Background of the Invention”, fiber lips  41  are typically the result of poor cleaves, while contamination  43  is typically caused by dust, dirt or glass fiber particles. If the fiber lip  41  and the contamination  43  are not removed from the end of the optical fiber  39 , unacceptable optical power losses may result. FIG.  6  illustrates the optical fiber  39  with the fiber lip  41  entering the abrasive portion  15  of the optical fiber preparation device  11 . As the optical fiber  39  enters the abrasive portion  15 , the optical fiber preparation device  11  is rotated about a center  44  of the abrasive portion  15  in a clockwise and counterclockwise direction by the user of the optical fiber preparation device  11 . During this rotation, the polishing portion  31  of the annular protrusion  29  removes the fiber lip  41  from the optical fiber  39 . The optical fiber preparation device  11  is rotated until the fiber lip  41  of the optical fiber  39  is no longer present and there is a slight chamfer  45  on the outer diameter of the optical fiber  39  as shown in  FIG. 7 . Glass particles  47 , which are generated from the interface between the optical fiber  39  and the polishing portion  31  of the abrasive portion  15 , fall through the orifice  33  of the annular protrusion  29 . 
         [0040]    After the fiber lip  41  is removed and the slight chamfer  45  is formed by the abrasive portion  15  of the optical fiber preparation device  11 , the optical fiber  39  needs to be cleaned. The optical fiber  39  is then removed from the abrasive portion  15  of the optical fiber preparation device  11 . The cover member  23  is removed from the optical fiber preparation device  11  thereby uncovering the adhesive portion  19 . The optical fiber  39  is then gently pressed against the adhesive portion  19 . When the optical fiber  39  is removed from the adhesive portion  19 , the contamination  43 , which was attached to the end face of the optical fiber  39  becomes dislodged from the optical fiber and affixed to the adhesive portion  19  as shown in  FIG. 8 . Depending on the amount of contamination  43  on the end of the optical fiber  39 , it may be necessary to repeat this step. 
         [0041]    One particular advantage of the present invention is that it can be inexpensively manufactured. As a result of the inexpensive manufacture, this optical fiber preparation device  11  can be disposable. Having a disposable tool is advantageous because it allows each optical fiber to be polished with a new polishing portion  31  and cleaned with a new adhesive portion  19 . If polishing portions are reused, the polished ends of optical fibers may become inconsistent. In addition, if the adhesive portions are reused, contamination removal from the ends of the optical fibers may also become inconsistent. Therefore, by always using a new polishing portion  31  and adhesive portion  19  with each optical fiber  39 , any inconsistency between polished and cleaned ends of optical fibers  39  is reduced. 
         [0042]    Various modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein.