Apparatus for the manufacture of optical-fiber bundles

Claim 1

An apparatus for the manufacture of fan-shaped optical-fiber bundles, said apparatus comprising: A. a frame, B. a rotor journaled for rotation in the frame, said rotor comprising, 1. a plate having upper and lower surfaces parallel to one another and parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor, 2. at least one spacer mounted on the plate perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the plate and parallel to the axis of rotation of the plate, the spacer having a series of depressions therein spaced along the length thereof adapted to receive an optical fiber, and 3. at least one form block mounted on a surface of the plate having a saddle-shaped surface raised from the surface of the plate adapted to displace an optical fiber from the surface of the plate, C. a fiber guide movably mounted with respect to the frame for movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor, D. means for rotating the rotor about its axis of rotation, and E. means for moving the fiber guide coordinately with respect to the rotor such that an optical fiber guided by the fiber guide is wound on the rotor in a parallel fan-like manner.

Claim 2

An apparatus for the manufacture of fan-shaped optical-fiber bundles, said apparatus comprising: A. a frame, B. a rotor journaled for rotation in the frame, said rotor comprising, 1. a plate having upper and lower surfaces parallel to one another and parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor, 2. at least one spacer mounted on the plate perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the plate and parallel to the axis of rotation of the plate, the spacer having a series of depressions therein spaced along the length thereof adapted to receive an optical fiber, and 3. at least one form block mounted on a surface of the plate having a saddle-shaped surface raised from the surface of the plate adapted to displace an optical fiber from the surface of the plate, C. a fiber guide movably mounted with respect to the frame for movement parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor, D. means for rotating the rotor about its axis of rotation, and E. means for moving the fiber guide coordinately with respect to the rotor such that an optical fiber guided by the fiber guide is wound on the rotor in a parallel fan-like manner.

Claim 5

An apparatus for the manufacture of fan-shaped optical-fiber bundles said apparatus comprising: A. a frame, B. a rotor journaled for rotation in the frame, said rotor comprising 1. a plate having an upper and a lower surface parallel to one another and parallel to the axis of rotation, 2. a first and second spacer mounted on the plate parallel to each other and to the axis of rotation and perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the plate, each spacer comprising a series of depressions equidistantly spaced along the length thereof, the depressions being adapted to receive an optical fiber, and 3. a first and second form block removeably mounted on the upper and lower surface of the plate respectively, each form block comprising a reverse surface in intimate contact with a surface of the plate including means for attaching the form block to the plate and an obverse saddle-shaped surface having a plane middle portion and curved portions in the direction of said spacers adapted to smoothly deflect an optical fiber from the plane middle portion to the spacers, C. a fiber guide moveably mounted with respect to the frame for motion parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor, D. means for rotating the rotor about its axis of rotation, and E. means for moving the fiber guide coordinately with respect to the rotor such that an optical fiber guided by the fiber guide is wound on the rotor to form a fan-shaped optical fiber layer, the optical fibers lying in a plane and tangent to the adjacent fibers on the form block and being positioned equidistant from the adjacent fibers on the spacers.

Claim 6

An apparatus for the manufacture of fan-shaped optical-fiber bundles said apparatus comprising: A. a frame, B. a rotor journaled for rotation in the frame, said rotor comprising 1. a plate having an upper and a lower surface parallel to one another and parallel to the axis of rotation, 2. a first and second spacer mounted on the plate parallel to each other and to the axis of rotation and perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces of the plate, each spacer comprising a series of depressions equidistantly spaced along the length thereof, the depressions being adapted to receive an optical fiber, and 3. a first and second form block removeably mounted on the upper and lower surface of the plate respectively, each form block comprising a reverse surface in intimate contact with a surface of the plate including means for attaching the form block to the plate and an obverse saddle-shaped surface having a plane middle portion and curved portions in the direction of said spacers adapted to smoothly deflect an optical fiber from the plane middle portion to the spacers, C. a fiber guide moveably mounted with respect to the frame for motion parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor, D. means for rotating the rotor about its axis of rotation, and E. means for moving the fiber guide coordinately with respect to the rotor such that an optical fiber guided by the fiber guide is wound on the rotor to form a fan-shaped optical fiber layer, the optical fibers lying in a plane and tangent to the adjacent fibers on the form block and being positioned equidistant from the adjacent fibers on the spacers.

Claim 12

An apparatus for the manufacture of fan-shaped optical-fiber layers, said apparatus comprising: A. a frame comprising: 1. a rectangular-frame member, 2. an axle mounted within the rectangular-frame member, and 3. a slide mounted within the rectangular-frame member spaced from and parallel to the axle, B. a rotor journaled within the frame with an axis of rotation of the rotor being coincident with said axle, said rotor comprising: 1. a plate comprising: a. an upper and a lower surface parallel to the axis of rotation and parallel to each other, b. a first and a second spacer, each spacer parallel to the axis of rotation, perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces, and parallel to each other, c. said spacers having depressions therein equidistantly-spaced along the length thereof, said depressions being adapted to receive an optical fiber, 2. a first and a second form block removably mounted on the upper surface and the lower surface of said plate respectively, said form blocks each comprising: a. a reverse surface in intimate contact with a surface of the plate including means for attaching the form block to the plate, and b. an obverse saddle-shaped surface having i. a plane middle portion, and ii. convex chamfer portions in the direction of said spacers adapted to smoothly deflect an optical fiber from the plane middle portion to said depressions in the spacers, each convex chamber portion extending from said plane middle portion to said spacer, c. a fiber guide mounted on said slide parallel to the axis of rotation of the plate comprising 1. a slide surface in sliding contact with said slide, and 2. an aperture adapted to receive an optical fiber and direct the fiber to said rotor, d. means for rotating the rotor, and e. means for moving the fiber guide along the slide including coordinating means for coordinating the motion of the fiber guide and the rotor such that an optical fiber attached to the first spacer at an extreme end thereof will be guided from the spacer to a form block and then to an extreme portion of the second spacer.

Claim 13

An apparatus for the manufacture of fan-shaped optical-fiber layers, said apparatus comprising: A. a frame comprising: 1. a rectangular-frame member, 2. an axle mounted within the rectangular-frame member, and 3. a slide mounted within the rectangular-frame member spaced from and parallel to the axle, B. a rotor journaled within the frame with an axis of rotation of the rotor being coincident with said axle, said rotor comprising: 1. a plate comprising: a. an upper and a lower surface parallel to the axis of rotation and parallel to each other, b. a first and a second spacer, each spacer parallel to the axis of rotation, perpendicular to the upper and lower surfaces, and parallel to each other, c. said spacers having depressions therein equidistantly-spaced along the length thereof, said depressions being adapted to receive an optical fiber, 2. a first and a second form block removably mounted on the upper surface and the lower surface of said plate respectively, said form blocks each comprising: a. a reverse surface in intimate contact with a surface of the plate including means for attaching the form block to the plate, and b. an obverse saddle-shaped surface having i. a plane middle portion, and ii. convex chamfer portions in the direction of said spacers adapted to smoothly deflect an optical fiber from the plane middle portion to said depressions in the spacers, each convex chamber portion extending from said plane middle portion to said spacer, c. a fiber guide mounted on said slide parallel to the axis of rotation of the plate comprising 1. a slide surface in sliding contact with said slide, and 2. an aperture adapted to receive an optical fiber and direct the fiber to said rotor, d. means for rotating the rotor, and e. means for moving the fiber guide along the slide including coordinating means for coordinating the motion of the fiber guide and the rotor such that an optical fiber attached to the first spacer at an extreme end thereof will be guided from the spacer to a form block and then to an extreme portion of the second spacer.