Optical Fiber Alignment Tool for Multi-Fiber Pitch Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Field installable optical connectors face challenges in aligning and holding multiple optical fibers in a predetermined order and pitch during fiber optic installations, leading to decreased workability due to manual handling difficulties.
Innovation Solution
An optical fiber alignment tool featuring a fiber aligner with separators to maintain order and a fiber holding portion that sandwiches and holds the fibers in the correct alignment direction, allowing for easy insertion and retention of optical fibers, and includes a method for retracting separators to maintain alignment and prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual handling is used to align and hold optical fibers, then flexibility and simplicity are maintained, but workability decreases due to difficulty in aligning multiple fibers in predetermined order
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment tool is divided into distinct functional modules: a fiber holder with multiple holding positions for individual fiber placement, a separate alignment mechanism with movable components, and a clamping section. This segmentation allows each module to perform its specific function independently, making the overall system easier to operate while maintaining organized complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an alignment tool as an intermediary device between the operator and the optical fibers. This tool includes alignment marks, guide structures, and positioning mechanisms that mediate the alignment process, eliminating the need for direct manual handling of multiple fibers and significantly improving workability.
2Manufacturing precision
If optical fibers are held in a fixed position during alignment, then alignment precision is improved, but the ability to adjust and reposition fibers is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber holder incorporates movable and adjustable components that allow fibers to be positioned, secured, and repositioned as needed. The clamping mechanism can be released and reapplied, and alignment marks can be adjusted during the process, providing both precision and adaptability throughout the assembly operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment tool is pre-configured with alignment marks, guide structures, and predetermined holding positions that establish accurate fiber placement before the actual assembly begins. This preliminary setup ensures precision is achieved from the start, while the design still allows for adjustments if needed.
Data Source
AI summary
An optical fiber alignment tool includes a fiber aligner that includes: separators that assort optical fibers; and fiber insertion portions each disposed between a respective pair of the separators and that align the optical fibers in an alignment direction in a predetermined order when the optical fibers are inserted into the fiber insertion portion; and a fiber holding portion that includes a mount surface on which the optical fibers are mounted. The fiber aligner and the fiber holding portion are relatively movable in the alignment direction of the optical fibers.