摘要 |
<p>A one-piece molded elastomer splicer for permanent or temporary coupling of guided light between two optical fibers. Two cleaved fibers to be spliced are inserted into opposite ends of an elastic capillary tube somewhat smaller in diameter than the fibers, and pushed in until they meet in the center. Symmetrical elastic restoring forces automatically align the two fiber axes along the axis of the tube. When desired, the splicer can be transparent so that the resulting splice quality can be checked with a low-power microscope. Manual insertion of the fibers is possible with care, but a simple mechanical insertion jig is suggested. An optical fiber connector with built-in fiber-to-connector splice means connects two optical fibers with very low insertion losses even after many connect/disconnect cycles, with a simple and reliable means for installation in the field. The connector has a central mating interface, fabricated, aligned, polished, and anti-reflection coated at the factory, but with a built-in splicer for attaching to fibers in the field by the user.</p> |