The present disclosure generally relates to assembling a splice protector to a splice between a fiber optic connector and an optical fiber, an installation tool for assembling the splice protector, and a method for using the installation tool.
Technicians working in the field to install or repair fiber optic connections are sometimes confronted with challenges. Fiber optic connections are typically made with fusion connectors or mechanical connectors.
For fusion connectors, two fiber ends to be coupled are typically mounted in an instrument that allows for the precision alignment of the two fibers adjacent to one another. At this point, sufficient heat is provided to melt and fuse the cores together. During the fusion process, a number of problems can arise that will result in poor optical connection between the fibers, such as misalignment between the fiber cores as a result of the heating process or even a failure of joining of the two cores during the heating process. These problems are both time consuming and costly.
Often, the process does not end with merely fusing the two optical fibers together. Once the two fibers are joined, a splice protector may be installed. The splice protector encases the spliced region and protects the splice, and incorrect installation of the splice protector can also be costly. The process of fusing two fiber ends and installing the splice protector may require a high level of skill on the part of the technician. In this regard, improved tools and methods are sometimes desired.
In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an installation tool configured to facilitate the assembly and installation of a splice protector for an optical fiber splice is disclosed. Generally, the installation tool may be a fixture for supporting a fiber optic connector spliced to an optical fiber of a fiber optic cable while the splice protector is installed. The fixture has a base and comprises a support structure, which has an upper workspace. The upper workspace includes a connector bay, a splice protector assembly area and a cable management mechanism. The connector bay, the splice protector assembly area, and the cable management mechanism are arranged substantially consecutively and substantially linearly on the workspace. A cable component retaining feature is positioned along and adjacent the workspace so the retaining feature is proximate adjacent ends of the splice protector assembly area and the cable management mechanism.
In accordance with one example of a method of use, after the fiber optic connector is spliced to the optical fiber, the spliced connection is transferred to the workspace where the connector bay at least partially receives and supports the connector, the splice protector assembly area receives and supports at least a portion of a splice protector, and the cable management mechanism receives and restricts movement of the fiber optic cable.
The present disclosure also describes a method of splicing and mounting a splice protector to a splice. Initially, a cable may be prepared for splicing by sliding a protector nut on a free end of the cable and then removing a portion of an outer jacket of the cable proximate the free end. With the jacket removed, an optical fiber is exposed by folding at least one component of the fiber optic cable back. The optical fiber is spliced to the fiber optic connector to form a spliced optical fiber to fiber optic connector element, which is placed in the installation tool, which is described above. A portion of the fiber optic cable is supported in a channel of the fixture and the spliced optical fiber to fiber optic connector element is arranged on a first portion of the splice protector. The fiber optic connector is supported in a connector bay of the fixture. The fixture further comprises a restraining feature, which arrests the movement of at least one component of the fiber optic cable. A second portion of the splice protector is secured to the first portion of the splice protector to at least partially form the splice protector, while the spliced optical fiber to fiber optic connector element is on the workspace.
The present disclosure further describes a kit for assembly of a splice protector to a spliced region of a fiber optic cable. The kit may include the installation tool and its respective features, as disclosed above, a protector nut, a first portion of a splice protector, a second portion of a splice protector, and a fiber optic connector.
Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the detailed description which follows, and in part will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from that description or recognized by practicing the embodiments as described herein, including the detailed description which follows, the claims, as well as the appended drawings.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary, and are intended to provide an overview or framework to understanding the nature and character of the claims. The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments, and together with the description serve to explain principles and operation of the various embodiments.
The components of the following figures are illustrated to emphasize the general principles of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. Reference characters designating corresponding components are repeated as necessary throughout the figures for the sake of consistency and clarity.
Some aspects of the present disclosure are directed to installation of a splice protector for a fiber optic cable spliced to a fiber optic connector. Another aspect of the present disclosure is directed to the installation of splice protectors to any spliced optical fiber connection. Although disclosed in the context of use of installation of a splice protector for a fiber optic cable spliced to a fiber optic connector, the skilled artisan will recognize that the principles of the present disclosure are not limited to installation of a splice protector to a fiber optic cable spliced to a fiber optic connector.
The tool 10 is illustrated as having a substantially flat base 12 from which extends a support structure 14. In the first embodiment, the base 12 is generally rectangular in shape. However, the base 12 being rectangular is not required and it can be any shape that best suits the particular application. The support structure 14 is configured for easy access and manipulation of fiber optic hardware by a technician. A lower surface 17 of the support structure 14 is in contact with the base 12 and an upper surface 19 of the support structure 14 is distal to the base 12. A workspace 15 is arranged on the support structure 14 and proximate the upper surface 19. The workspace 15 may be comprised of three primary elements: a cable management mechanism 16; a splice protector assembly area 18; and a connector bay 20. The cable management mechanism 16, and the splice protector assembly area 18, and the connector bay 20 may be arranged substantially consecutively and substantially linearly along the workspace 15 and extend in a longitudinal direction 21.
The cable management mechanism 16 is primarily intended to receive and restrict movement of a fiber optic cable 108 (
A restraining feature 28 may be located in the upper surface 19 of the support structure 14 and functions to secure the cable restraint 26 in the closed position while the workspace is being utilized, while the installation tool 10 is being transported or stored, or during any activity that may require the cable restraint 26 to be secured in the closed position. As illustrated, the restraining feature 28 is a magnet that is arranged substantially flush with the upper surface 19. The restraining feature 28 may be any feature that will secure the cable restraint 26 in the closed position and not necessarily need to be flush with the upper surface 19.
The splice protector assembly area 18 is arranged adjacent the cable management mechanism 16 in the longitudinal direction 21. The splice protector assembly area 18 at least partially receives and supports at least a portion of the splice protector assembly 134. The splice protector assembly area 18 also includes an elastomeric insert 32, which is inserted into a recess in the upper surface 19 of the support structure 14. The elastomeric insert 32 supports a portion of the splice protector. Furthermore, the elastomeric insert 32 is produced so it may have an exterior profile 34 of a portion of the splice protector molded into the insert 32. The elastomeric insert 32 is interchangeable with differently configured inserts. This enhances the functionality of the installation tool 10 since elastomeric inserts for a wide variety of splice protectors may be produced and used with the installation tool 10, thus eliminating the necessity of having a different tool for each splice protector exterior profile.
The elastomeric insert 32 is fabricated from an elastomeric material. Acceptable elastomeric materials, for example, may be rubber or silicone, and they are generally considered to be softer materials. One such elastomeric material suitable for use is Santoprene. The elastomeric material offers improved gripping abilities over other materials and can readily be molded to have a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
Still referring to
The connector bay 20 partially receives and supports the fiber optic connector 102 (
With continued reference to
The installation tool 10 can be fabricated from any suitable material such as stainless steel, aluminum, or any metal alloy. Furthermore, the installation tool 10 may be produced by any acceptable manufacturing technique such as casting, forging, machining, fabricating, or any combinations thereof. If desired, the installation tool 10 may be molded or formed from a plastic or polymer material.
An exploded view of a typical splice protector assembly 58 is illustrated in
For the splice protector assembly 58 as illustrated, the splice protector first portion 60 and the splice protector second portion 62 each have a recessed portion 68, 70, for receiving a boot 110, or boot key 110, of the fiber optic connector 102 (
A method of using the installation tool 10 is described in the following, in accordance with the first embodiment.
During assembly of the splice protector assembly 134, the spliced region 104 is arranged on the splice protector first portion 114. The fiber optic cable 108 is supported and retained by the cable management mechanism 16, which includes the cable restraint 26. The cable restraint 26 as illustrated in an open position in
Further regarding an example of a method of assembling a splice protector to a spliced region between a fiber optic connector spliced to an optical fiber of a fiber optic cable. One or more of the following actions may be taken. The cable 108 may be initially prepared for splicing by sliding a protector nut 132 on a free end of the cable 108 and away from the free end. Depending on the type of cable being spliced, use of a heat shrink tube 128 may also be desired. The heat shrink tube 128 may also be slid on the free end of the cable 108 and away from the free end. A portion of the cable extending from the free end and along the cable is typically cleaned with alcohol or other cleaning agent. At this stage in the installation process, the method diverges depending on whether the cable either requires, or does not require, the heat shrink tube 128.
For installations not requiring a heat shrink tube, the cable 108 may next be placed on the shelf 48 of the installation tool 10 with the free end of the cable aligned with measuring mark “C” 44 and the cable 108 extending along the shelf 48 toward the measuring mark “A” 40. A mark may be made on the cable 108 at measuring mark “A” 40. The cable jacket and any coating are stripped from the mark to the free end of the cable, further to expose the optical fiber 106.
For installations utilizing a heat shrink tube 128, the heat shrink tube 128 is slid onto the cable to a fixed distance from the free end of the cable. The fixed distance may be, for example, about 2 inches. The heat shrink tube is cured in place. The cable is next placed on the shelf 48 of the installation tool 10 with the end of the heat shrink tube closest the free end of the cable aligned with measuring mark “A” 40 and the cable 108 extending along the shelf 48 toward the measuring mark “D” 46. A mark is made on the cable at measuring mark “D” 46 and the cable is cut and the portion of cable extending from the mark to the free end is discarded. Next, aramid yarn 118 is pulled back exposing a jacketed cable. The cable 108 is again placed on a shelf 48 of the installation tool 10 with the end of the heat shrink tube closest the free end of the cable aligned with measuring mark “A” 40 and the jacketed cable extending along the shelf 48 toward the measuring mark “B” 42. The cable jacket is stripped from the mark to the free end of the cable, further to expose the optical fiber 106.
With the optical fiber 106 exposed, the optical fiber 106 is spliced to the optical fiber of the fiber optic connector. The splicing process may be carried out using a conventional fusion splicing. The optical fiber of the fiber optic cable spliced to the fiber optic protector forms the spliced optical fiber to fiber optic connector element.
The elastomeric insert 32 is placed in the installation tool 10 and the first portion of the splice protector 114 is arranged so the elastomeric insert 32 is supporting at least a portion of the first portion of the splice protector 114. An adhesive liner is removed from the first portion of the splice protector 114 to expose an adhesive. The spliced optical fiber to fiber optic connector element is then placed on the workspace 15 of the installation tool 10, as illustrated in
While the spliced optical fiber to fiber optic connector element is on the workspace 15, at least one component of the fiber optic cable 118, such as aramid yarn 118, may have its movement arrested by the restraining feature 36 of the installation tool 10.
An adhesive liner may be removed from the second portion of the splice protector 115 and the second portion of the splice protector 115 may secured to the first portion of the splice protector 114 to at least partially form the splice protector assembly 134, while the spliced optical fiber to fiber optic connector element is on the workspace 15. A periphery of the first portion of the splice protector 114 may align with a periphery of the second portion of the splice protector 115. The spliced optical fiber to fiber optic connector element with the splice protector assembly 134 in place may be removed from the workspace 15 of the installation tool 10.
The at least one component of the fiber optic cable 118 (e.g. aramid yarns) is spread substantially evenly around a threaded portion 140 of the splice protector assembly 134. The protector nut 132 may then be thread onto the threaded portion 140 of the splice protector assembly. A dust cap 142 and a shroud 144 may be installed on the fiber optic connector to complete installation of the splice protector assembly 134.
Throughout the foregoing disclosure, the adjective “about” has been used in numerous locations preceding an amount. Other embodiments of this disclosure are like the above-discussed embodiments, except that the adjective “about” is optional and may be omitted.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
6033124 | Lesueur et al. | Mar 2000 | A |
7333709 | Carpenter et al. | Feb 2008 | B2 |
7467899 | Akiyama | Dec 2008 | B2 |
20050021668 | Beesley | Jan 2005 | A1 |