Patent ID: 7255498

Claim:
A method for joining a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber along a common fiber axis, the method comprising: a) providing a low profile fusion splicing system, the system comprising: (i) a low profile fusion splicing head having a fusion splicing stage including a clamping and fiber position adjustment system comprising holding means for holding said fibers substantially in a horizontal plane and motion means for moving said fibers in three orthogonal dimensions into coaxial, abutting alignment; an imaging optical system having a fiber imaging illuminator and a fiber image detector, said imaging optical system being adapted to acquire optical images of said fibers in a first imaging direction and a second imaging direction, said imaging directions being non-coincident; and an electric arc welding system; (ii) a user interface having an output display and user input controls for activating the splicing system; (iii) electronic control circuitry having imaging electronics that receive the output of said fiber image detector and produce a display signal feeding said output display; and fusion control electronics operably connected to activate said electric arc welding system and supply high voltage thereto; b) preparing said first and second optical fibers by removing coatings present thereon and cleaving the ends of the fibers to form a mating end on each fiber; c) arranging said first and second optical fibers in said holding means with said mating ends in facing relationship; d) imaging said fibers in said imaging optical system prior to said joining; e) positioning said optical fibers into coaxial, abutting alignment; and f) transmitting light from a first source traverses a first optical path and transmitting light from a second source traverses a second optical path, each of said paths being multiply folded; g) fusing said fibers by said electric arc welding system.