Patent ID: 8069691

Claim:
Apparatus for cleaving an optical fibre in which the optical fibre passes through the apparatus along a natural path and has an end section thereof in which the glass strand of the fibre is exposed, the apparatus comprising: a reference plane bed defining a cleaving hole, the reference plane bed mounted about a pivot axis; an anvil configured to extend into the cleaving hole to deflect the fibre, the anvil pivotally mounted with respect to the reference plane bed about the pivot axis; a pair of resilient members adjacent to the anvil and configured to move with the anvil and trap the fibre against the reference plane bed on either side of the cleaving hole; a cleaving blade mounted in line with the cleaving hole and configured to be movable with respect to the cleaving hole; wherein the resilient members and the anvil are configured to deflect the optical fibre against the reference plane bed to induce the fibre to re-bend to induce internal stresses in the fibre over a region of the length of the fibre, and the cleaving blade is configured to scratch the surface of the fibre in the region and induce the cleave.