Fiber entry whip reduction apparatus and method therefor

• US 5,964,431 A
• Filed: 04/12/1999
• Issued: 10/12/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Chang, Chester Hann Huei, Watson, Johnnie Edward, Roberts, Kenneth William
• Primary Examiner(s): Mansen, Michael R.
• Application Number:
  US09/290,472
• Time in Patent Office: 183 Days
• Field of Search: 242/615.2, 242/615.3, 242/920, 242/157 R, 242/153, 242/474.5, 242/474.9, 242/475.7, 242/548, 242/899, 226/89, 226/90
• US Class Current: 242/615.3
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2701/32 Optical fibres or optical cables
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 54/72 Framework; Casings; Coverings
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 57/003 Arrangements for threading or unthreading the guide
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 57/04 Guiding surfaces within slots or grooves
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 242/92 Glass strand winding

Abstract

An apparatus and method for reducing or preventing fiber entry whip as the loose end of a fiber being wound on a spool enters a fiber winding device. A fiber winding device includes a spool winder entrance, a winding spool and a fiber whip shield substantially surrounding the winding spool. A fiber entry whip reducer positioned in front of the fiber winding device includes at least one pulley and a guide channel including a straight entry section and a curved section leading to the fiber winding device. The guide channel is formed and positioned such that the loose end of the fiber is maintained against the guide channel by centrifugal force imparted onto the fiber by the curvature of the channel and forward motion of the fiber produced by the rotating spool, thereby producing a trajectory such that the loose end of the fiber enters the fiber winding device and is maintained against the whip shield. By maintaining the free end of the fiber against the guide channel during fiber entry, whip damage to the fiber on the spool due to impact of the fiber end during its entry is substantially reduced or completely eliminated.

Claims

1. An apparatus for reducing fiber whip damage to optical fiber wound on a fiber winding spool comprising:

a fiber winding device comprising a whip shield adapted to substantially surround the spool; and

a fiber entry whip reducer positioned upstream of said fiber winding device, said fiber entry whip reducer defining a guide channel and comprising at least one exit pulley at least partially residing within the guide channel;

wherein the guide channel is positioned with respect to said whip shield such that a loose end of the optical fiber is directed against said whip shield as the optical fiber leaves the guide channel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said guide channel comprises a curved section defining a ramp adjacent said whip shield.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein said guide channel further comprises a substantially straight entry section which leads to the curved section.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the curved section is positioned between the straight section and the ramp section defined by the curved section.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said guide channel is defined by at least two substantially parallel surfaces.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a pulley mount comprising at least one pulley through which fiber is led to the fiber winding device, said fiber whip reducer located between said pulley mount and said fiber winding device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guide channel is shaped and located with respect to said at least one exit pulley so as to maintain the loose end of the fiber against the guide channel by centrifugal force and thereby guide said loose end of the fiber along a trajectory such that the loose end of the fiber will enter said fiber winding device and be at least substantially maintained against the fiber whip shield as the spool rotates.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the guide channel in the fiber whip reducer comprises a housing which comprises two substantially parallel plates.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the guide channel is formed by at least one groove in one of said plates.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a removable barrier shield that substantially encloses said fiber entry whip reducer.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said guide channel is positioned with respect to said fiber winding device such that it guides the loose end of the fiber along a path which mitigates against fiber whipping.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fiber winding device includes an inner surface, and said guide channel defines a passageway, and wherein the passageway includes an upper surface co-planar with and adjacent to the inner surface of said fiber winding device.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fiber entry whip reducer further comprises a face plate and a back plate, and wherein one of said face plate and said back plate is movable with respect to the other of said face plates and said back plate.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said face plate comprises a plurality of teeth, and said back plate comprises a plurality of slots, and wherein said plurality of teeth interlock with said plurality of slots when said fiber entry whip reducer is closed.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein at least one of said face plate and said back plate includes a sloped surface which cooperates with the other of said face plate or back plate to guide optical fiber onto said at least one pulley.

16. A method for reducing fiber whip damage to fiber wound on a spool said method comprising the steps of:

feeding a length of optical fiber from an optical fiber source through a fiber whip reducer and to a fiber winding device, said fiber whip reducer comprising at least one exit pulley and a guide channel;

capturing a loose end of the optical fiber against the guide channel by centrifugal force imparted to the optical fiber by a rotating spool on which the optical fiber is wound in the winding device; and

at least substantially maintaining the loose end of the fiber against the guide channel and guiding said loose end along said channel to produce a fiber trajectory such that the loose end of the fiber is guided into the fiber winding device while mitigating against fiber whipping.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the guide channel comprises a curved section defining a ramp and wherein said fiber winding device comprises a whip shield substantially surrounding the spool, said method further comprising the step of directing the loose end of the fiber with the ramp against the whip shield.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17 further comprising the step of controlling the loose end of the optical fiber with a straight section of the guide channel upstream of the curved section to calm fiber whipping.

19. The method as claimed in claim 16 wherein the fiber winding device comprises a whip shield substantially surrounding the spool, and wherein the guide channel comprises a substantially straight section adjacent and co-planar with said whip shield, said method further comprising the step of continuously controlling the optical fiber as the optical fiber passes from said fiber whip reducer to an inner surface of said fiber winding device.

20. An apparatus for guiding optical fiber into a fiber winding device, said apparatus comprising:

a fiber entry whip reducer positioned upstream of the fiber winding device, said fiber entry whip reducer comprising a back plate and a face plate, one of said back plate and said face plate being moveable with respect to the other of said back plate or said face plate, and at least one pulley positioned between said back plate and said face plate for supporting the optical fiber passing into the fiber winding device.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said back plate includes a plurality of slots and wherein said face plate includes an opposing plurality of teeth, the plurality of slots and the plurality of teeth being constructed and arranged to interlock to define a passageway, the passageway being adapted to guide a free end of the optical fiber through said fiber entry whip reducer.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the plurality of teeth define a plurality of guide teeth and wherein said face plate includes a plurality of bottom teeth, the guide teeth and the bottom teeth forming opposed sides of the passageway.

23. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein said face plate includes at least one sloped surface and wherein said back plate includes a sloped surface, and wherein the sloped surfaces are adapted to guide the optical fiber onto said at least one pulley following an optical fiber break.