Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company

Suzanne T Zochowski

Charles M Mansfield

Gordon Wiegand

Martin G Afflerbaugh

A method, apparatus, and conversion kit for curved-angle cleaving of optical fibers, and a curved-angle end-face of a resulting optical fiber. The method requires fixing first and second portions of the optical fiber and introducing a flaw into the optical fiber between the first and second portions. Then, a substantially concentrated force is applied to the optical fiber between the flaw and the first portion of the optical fiber, on a side of the optical fiber opposite the flaw, in order to cause the optical fiber to cleave with a curved-angle cleave. Another embodiment of the method applies a substantially concentrated force to the fiber before introduction of the flaw. The apparatus includes first and second pairs of optical fiber clamps separated by a first predetermined distance, a flaw-producing device that produces a flaw in a fiber clamped between the clamps, and a force-applying device that applies a substantially concentrated force to the fiber at a second predetermined distance from the first pair of clamps, the flaw-producing device being located between the force-applying device and the second pair of optical fiber clamps at a third predetermined distance from the force-applying device. The conversion kit is useable to convert an existing square-angle optical fiber cleaver into a curved-angle optical fiber cleaver.

Conversion kits for curved-angle cleaving of optical fibers

A method and apparatus for curved-angle cleaving of optical fibers. The method requires the introduction of a flaw in an optical fiber to be cleaved, and the application of predetermined stress and strain to the optical fiber in the vicinity of the flaw to cause curved-angle cleaving of the optical fiber at the flaw. The apparatus of the present invention includes first and second pairs of optical fiber clamps separated by first predetermined distance, a flaw-producing device that produces a flaw in a fiber clamped between the clamps, and a force-applying device that applies a substantially concentrated force to the fiber at a second predetermined distance from the first pair of clamps, the flaw-producing device being located between the force-applying device and the second pair of optical fiber clamps at third predetermined distance from the force-applying device. The first, second and third predetermined distances are selected in order produce a curved-angle cleave in the optical fiber. Also presented is a conversion kit which is useable to convert an existing square-angle optical fiber cleaver into a curved-angle optical fiber cleaver. Finally, a curved-angle end-face of an optical fiber is disclosed that results from operating the apparatus of the present invention, in accordance with the method of the present invention.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Suzanne T Zochowski