Lucent Technologies Inc.

Bell Telephone Laboratories

Fitel USA Corporation

Arthur Clifford Hart, Jr

James William Fleming

Lee L Blyler

Valerie Jeanne Kuck

Vishvjit Singh Nalwa

Mark Anthony Paczkowski

Whitney Ryan White

Todd Richard Salamon

Richard G Huff

Montri Viriyayuthakorn

Frank Vincent DiMarcello

Peter Gerald Simpkins

Lee Landis Blyler, Jr

Robert LeRoy Decker

Sarma Vgk Pingali

Karen S Kranz

Robert Vincent Albarino

Ramabhadra Ratnagiri

Matthew A Kordys

An improved process for extruding plastic optical fiber without the need to prepare a preform is provided. Specifically, it was discovered that conventional extrusion techniques, e.g., screw extruders, tended to introduce an undesirable amount of particulate contaminants which increased the loss of the drawn fiber. To overcome this problem, the invention substantially reduces the number of mechanical interactions that contribute to such contamination. The process of the invention does so by using fluid pressure, instead of, e.g., screw extruders, to induce polymer flow. The process also controls the flow characteristics of the polymer, or halts the flow altogether, without mechanical controls. Specifically, the temperature of the sections through which the polymer flows is controllably adjusted, such that it is possible to bring the polymer to a desired flow rate or even to a solid state to provide a plug.

Extrusion process for fabricating plastic optical fiber

A continuous extrusion process is provided capable of producing graded index plastic optical fiber at commercially useful speeds, e.g., at least 1 m/sec for 250 &mgr;m outer diameter fiber. Moreover, it is possible to predict the refractive index profile of the fiber, prior to actual fabrication, by performing a finite element analysis using various parameters of the extrusion process. Such prediction allows one to tune the parameters of the process to obtain a desirable outcome, while avoiding the need for substantial trial and error with the extrusion equipment.

Process for fabricating plastic optical fiber

A process for determining at least one dynamic of a vehicle, particularly slip angle, during travel. The process involves optically monitoring, in real time and from the vehicle itself, the movement in one or more camera images of surface features as the vehicle passes over the surface. The direction in which the surface features are moving at any given time indicates the actual direction of vehicle movement with respect to the orientation of the optical monitoring equipment. From this actual direction of movement, in combination with the known orientation of the optical monitoring equipment and the direction in which the vehicle is being steered, it is possible to calculate the slip angle in real time.

Process for determining vehicle dynamics

Measurement of the delamination resistance of polymer coated optical fiber can provide valuable information for quality control and/or coating development, and a method of making polymer coated optical fiber that includes determination of the delamination resistance is disclosed. Also disclosed is apparatus that facilitates determination of the delamination resistance.

Method of making a coated optical fiber comprising measuring the

A fiber drawing apparatus is provided with an improved fiber draw furnace wherein an inner zirconia tube is surrounded by a radially-spaced annular insulating region of magnesia within a silica beaker. While the magnesia has a melting point approximately the same as zirconia, the electrical conductivity of magnesia is substantially lower, enabling it to withstand higher RF power. Moreover magnesia is more soluble than zirconia in silica, reducing the likelihood of particulate contamination of the fiber.

Magnesia fiber draw furnace

Coating of fiber waveguides

Growing community of inventors

Chester, NJ, United States of America

Arthur Clifford Hart, Jr