Polishing fixture for simultaneous loading of a plurality of optical connectors and fiber stubs and a method of loading

Abstract

A fixture for simultaneously clamping a number of optical fiber ferrules or fiber stubs for polishing. The fixture includes a plate assembly with an upper surface, a lower surface and a number of ferrule-receiving bores disposed across the upper surface and extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, each ferrule-receiving bore for receiving a ferrule. The fixture further includes a number of ferrule gripper arrangements, each associated with one of the ferrule-receiving bores, each of the ferrule gripper arrangements being selectively deployable between a released state for insertion of a ferrule into the ferrule-receiving bore and a gripping state in which the gripper arrangement clamps a ferrule within the ferrule-receiving bore. The fixture also includes a locking mechanism associated with at least a group of the number of ferrule gripper arrangements and configured to deploy the group of ferrule gripper arrangements substantially simultaneously from the released state to the gripping state so as to clamp substantially simultaneously a number of optical fiber ferrules located within a corresponding group of the ferrule-receiving bores.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to the field of polishing of connectors and fiber stubs. More particularly the present invention relates to a polishing fixture and a method for simultaneous loading, reloading and polishing a plurality of fiber stubs or optical connectors. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] With the growth of optical communication networks there is a growing need for altering the network configuration, connecting to it new nodes and devices, disconnecting old devices and maintaining the network. These connections are easy and convenient to make with the help of an optical connector, which is a demountable device for attaching an optical fiber to another optical fiber, or to an active or passive device. [0003] The losses of the optical signal power at each connection depend on the geometry of the connector end-face, matching surfaces geometry, surface quality and other parameters. In order to reduce optical signal power coupling losses, the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0040] The present invention significantly reduces the time required for loading a polishing fixture with a plurality of connectors or ferrules to be polished and accordingly reduces the polishing costs.

[0041] Connectors or fiber stubs loaded in a polishing fixture for polishing have a uniform projection (protrusion) length that does not depend on the ferrule within connector housing position. The polishing force is equally distributed between the connectors or fiber st

Problems solved by technology

Polishing of an optical connector on a piece-by-piece basis is not practical due to the nature of the process as well as the mix of the quantities and the structure of the connectors to be polished.

Loading of a large number of the connectors on a one-by-one basis is a time consuming operation that to some extent reduces the throughput of a polishing system and requires additional labor increasing the cost of the polished connectors.

Loading of fiber stubs in a polishing fixture is even more complicated.

The operation is time consuming and error prone.

Polishing fixtures are not versatile enough to adopt the v

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