Machine-to-machine plant automation using 3D printed fiber splicing

• US 10,436,983 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Issued: 10/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Perez, John Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Christina A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Xue
• Application Number:
  US14/084,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20150137398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,149 Days
• Field of Search: 264 125, 425108
• CPC Class Codes: B29D 11/0075 Connectors for light guides
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2075/00 Use of PU, i.e. polyureas or polyurethanes or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2083/00 Use of polymers having silicon, with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, or carbon only, in the main chain, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2101/00 Use of unspecified macromolecular compounds as moulding material use of unspecified rubbers B29K2021/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0058 Liquid or visquous
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0018 having particular optical properties, e.g. fluorescent or phosphorescent
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2553 Splicing machines, e.g. optical fibre fusion splicer
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/2555 Alignment or adjustment devices for aligning prior to splicing

Abstract

A system may include a fiber distribution hub including a plurality of fiber-optic cables, wherein a particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables includes a machine-readable identifier; and a robotic device configured to access particular ones of the plurality of fiber-optic cables. The robotic device may include a print head configured to splice together the particular ones of the plurality of fiber-optic cables by three-dimensional printing of a silane material. A hand-held unit may also include a print head configured to splice together fiber-optic cables by three-dimensional printing of a silane material.

Claims

1. A device configured to splice together fiber-optic cables by three-dimensional printing of a silane material, comprising:

a robotic arm installed in a fiber-optic distribution hub;

a plurality of cartridges, wherein a particular one of the plurality of cartridges includes a particular precursor material;

a print head configured to deposit the precursor material from the particular one of the plurality of cartridges; and

a pair of tracks configured to align optical fibers;

wherein the device includes logic configured to;

control the print head to print an optical fiber junction between the optical fibers using the particular one of the plurality of cartridges;

control the print head to print a cladding onto the optical fiber junction using a second one of the plurality of cartridges; and

control the print head to print at least one protective layer onto the cladding using a third one of the plurality of cartridges.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

a mechanism to position a pre-mold inside the pair of tracks, wherein the pre-mold is configured to further align the optical fibers.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the print head is further configured to use a stream of air to clean the optical fibers.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the logic is further configured to:

select an index of refraction for the cladding based on a fiber transmission characteristic associated with the optical fibers.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the optical fiber junction is printed using a chlorinated silane.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the cladding includes:

a doped silica layer;

or

a metal layer.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the print head is configured to move around the pair of tracks in a rotational motion.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the print head corresponds to a first print head oriented in a first direction towards the pair of tracks, the device further comprising:

a second print head, oriented in a second direction towards the pair of tracks, wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction.

9. A system comprising:

a fiber distribution hub including a plurality of fiber-optic cables, wherein a particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables includes a machine-readable identifier; and

a robotic device configured to access particular ones of the plurality of fiber-optic cables, wherein the robotic device includes;

a print head configured to splice together the particular ones of the plurality of fiber-optic cables by three-dimensional printing of a silane material, and

a controller configured to

move to a particular location in the fiber distribution hub,

identify the particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables based on the machine-readable identifier, and

select the particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables for splicing based on the machine-readable identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the robotic device further includes:

a robotic arm configured to manipulate particular ones of the plurality of fiber-optic cables.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the robotic arm to remove the particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

select another one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables; and

align the particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables with the selected other one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the print head to print an optical fiber junction between optical fibers of the particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables and the other one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables, using a first one of a plurality of cartridges;

control the print head to print a cladding onto the optical fiber junction using a second one of the plurality of cartridges; and

control the print head to print at least one protective layer onto the cladding using a third one of the plurality of cartridges.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify a faulty section in the selected particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables;

remove the faulty section from the selected particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables; and

splice in a new section of fiber-optic cable into the particular one of the plurality of fiber-optic cables using the print head.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

add a loopback section to the particular ones of the plurality of fiber-optic cables using the print head.