Apparatus and methods for determining splice effectiveness between two optical fibers using solid gels as coupling enhancers for measuring component attenuation

摘要

Two (2) optical fibers each having a core, a cladding enveloping the core and a buffer enveloping the cladding are spliced. First and second positions are adjacent the first fiber and third and fourth positions are adjacent the second fiber. The second and third positions are respectively closer to the splice than the first and fourth positions. Light emitters are at the first and fourth positions and light detectors are at the other positions. Light from each emitter is selectively passed to individual ones of the detectors. Members (e.g. solid gels) adjacent the emitters direct light into the associated fibers. Other members (e.g. solid gels) respectively between the first and second positions and between the third and fourth positions inhibit the light passage in the fiber claddings and buffers so that only the light in the fiber cores passes to the detectors. The gels and the fibers are clamped to provide matching dimples for trapping in the gels the light in the claddings and buffers. Still other members (e.g. solid gels) at the detectors enhance the light passage in the cores to the detectors. The gels and the fibers are clamped to provide matching dimples for enhancing the light passage in the cores to the detectors. A processor computes the square root of the ratio between the product of two of the detector indications and the product of the other two (2) detector indications to determine the splice attenuation.