The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jun. 28, 1983
Filed:
Apr. 17, 1981
David H Smithgall, Sr, East Windsor Township, Mercer County, NJ (US);
Western Electric Company, Inc., New York, NY (US);
Abstract
A technique for automatically centering a lightguide fiber (7) in a transparent plastic coating (6) having a refractive index lower than that of the fiber. The fiber (7) is passed through an applicator (14) having the coating material (6) therein to coat the fiber. Orthogonal laser beams (50 or 52) are directed at the coated fiber (5) resulting in first and second forward scattered light patterns (51 or 53) impinging on first and second screens (36 and 37). The patterns are monitored with a pair of CCTV cameras (38 and 39) and the video output signals therefrom are processed to determine the period (P.sub.1 and P.sub.2) of outboard interference fringes (61 and 62) of each pattern. The period of the interference fringes are compared to determine the difference therebetween which is proportional to the eccentricity of the fiber (7) within the coating. The position of the applicator (14) is then adjusted to center the lightguide fiber (7) in the coating (6).