Patent ID: 7090414

Claim:
An apparatus for cleaving an optical fiber waveguide, comprising: a) a support base; b) a fixed fiber support comprising a fixed fiber base including a guide track having an upper track and a lower track attached to said support base and a self aligning fiber holder adapted to hold said fiber at a supply end of said fiber, said holder being removably attached to said fixed fiber base; c) a fiber pull tension assembly having a tension assembly base attached to said support base and a pull clamp rotatably attached to said tension assembly base, said pull clamp having a roller and being openable to receive said fiber and hold it at a free end of said fiber, d) a tension spring adjustably attached to said pull clamp and said fixed fiber base, said spring rotationally biasing said pull clamp to place said fiber in tension between said pull clamp and said self aligning fiber holder; and e) a scribing knife assembly comprising: (i) a motor drive assembly including a rotating crank; (ii) a linear slide and a blade carriage slidably mounted thereon for reciprocal motion traversing a forward direction and a rearward direction of travel, said blade carriage being driven by an actuator pivotally attached to said carriage and said crank, and said blade carriage comprising a fiber tension profile bar in engagement with said roller to control said tension; (iii) an upwardly biased blade arm attached to said carriage and having a scribing blade thereon; and (iv) a guide pin adapted to engage said guide track, said guide pin following said upper track during said rearward travel and said lower track during said forward travel, whereby said blade arm is biased to engage said fiber with said scribing blade with a scribing force and scribe said fiber during said rearward travel, said scribing force ranging from about 1 to 5 grams, and said blade arm is depressed to withdraw said scribing blade from engagement with said fiber during said forward travel.