APPARATUS FOR ALIGNING OPTICAL FIBERS

摘要

Apparatus for aligning the centers of the cores of two optical fibers prior to their being fused together for splicing comprises a pair of supporting members each of which has a V-shaped recess in which an end of a respective one of the optical fibers is fixed. The supporting members are movable relative to one another in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fibers. A light conducting member forms a bottom portion of the recess of at least one of the supporting members to receive light leaked due to misalignment. A photodetector is optically coupled to the light conducting member. Alignment is achieved when the photodetector output is a minimum. The apparatus is simpler and quicker to use than conventional apparatus that relies on maximizing the light transmitted from one fiber to the other.