Method and apparatus for fusion-splicing polarization maintaining optical fibers

摘要

Each of optical fibers has a core and stress applying members disposed around the core. End portions of the optical fibers are mounted on a fusion-splicing apparatus, and aligned through the image observation from two different lateral directions of the optical fibers. Then, a distance between positions of a bright portion end and a luminance peak closest to the bright portion end is obtained on each bright portion end of a luminance distribution of the optical fiber obtained from at least one picked-up image. The optical fibers are fusion-spliced by aligning the stress applying members so that the sum of the distances is adjusted to be minimum. Alternatively, a distance between positions of the luminance peaks respectively closest to the respective bright portion ends is obtained and the optical fibers are fusion-spliced by aligning the stress applying members so that the distance is adjusted to be maximum. <IMAGE>