摘要 |
The apparatus for winding optical fiber on a bobbin in axially compact coils includes a bobbin mount reciprocably driven along the fiber deployment axis, a winding arm for receiving optical fiber being fed along the deployment axis, and a supply reel for feeding optical fiber along the deployment axis with the reel being mounted on a twist arm, with the reel axis orthogonal to the deployment axis, for rotating the reel a preselected amount for each turn of the winding arm. An optical time domain reflectometer continuously monitors optical signal attenuation through the free start end of the fiber, and an optical scanner continuously scans the formed coils for the presence of gaps and overlaps. A controller is used to automatically stop, rewind, and adjust the winding apparatus when excessive signal attenuation, gaps or overlaps are detected.
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