Method and apparatus for measuring the diameter and/or eccentricity of a coating layer of a coated optical fiber
US6661502B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 28, 1999 |
| Grant date | Dec 9, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 28, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01B11/2433
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for measuring the diameter and/or eccentricity of the one or more coating layers of a coated optical fiber. The present invention preferably is utilized to measure the diameter of the primary coating layer of a coated optical fiber after the primary and secondary coating layers have been applied to the optical fiber. The primary coating layer is disposed about the optical fiber and the secondary coating layer is disposed about the primary coating layer. When a beam of light is projected by a light source through the optical fiber in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fiber, an image is formed on an optical detector, which is disposed opposite the light source and substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fiber. The light passing through the coated optical fiber is focused by a lens onto the optical detector. The lens is coaxially aligned with the beam of light projected by the light source. The image is analyzed by a signal processor to determine the diameter and/or eccentricity of the primary coating layer of the coated optical fiber. The image generated by t…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.