1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to improvements to the manufacture of optical fiber, and more particularly to advantageous aspects of a system and methods for providing under-wrap access to optical fiber wound onto spools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
At the end of the manufacturing process, optical fiber is typically wound onto a shipping spool for internal processing, shipping to a customer, and subsequent processing at the customer""s facility. In order to allow the entire length of the fiber to be tested for various attributes, such as attenuation, it is necessary to provide access to both ends of the wound fiber. It is also desirable to have access to both ends of the fiber so that fiber samples may be removed from either end for other optical and geometric measurements.
There is no problem in obtaining access to the outer end of the fiber. Fiber from that end may simply be unwound from the spool, as needed. On the other hand, special accommodations must be made to provide access to the inner end of the fiber, also known as the xe2x80x9cunder-wrap,xe2x80x9d as that end lies under the fiber pack which may consist of hundreds of layers of fiber wound onto the shipping spool. The xe2x80x9clead meterxe2x80x9d, is attached to the under-wrap that is readily accessible.
One currently known method for creating access to the under-wrap is an inefficient and time-consuming manual process, described below in connection with FIGS. 1A-C. Therefore, there is a need for a system and methods for easily and readily providing access to the optical fiber under-wrap.
The present invention provides a shipping spool and winding system that allows, for example, automatic winding of an accessible lead meter portion of optical fiber onto the spool. In one aspect, the invention provides a spool comprising a primary barrel portion and a lead meter barrel portion separated from each other by an outboard flange; the outboard flange having a slot extending to its periphery. The slot provides a path for fiber to pass between the lead meter barrel portion and the primary barrel portion, the slot having an inlet facing the lead meter barrel portion and an outlet facing the primary barrel portion. The slot is angled such that when fiber being wound onto the lead meter barrel portion comes into contact with the slot inlet, the fiber is, by virtue of its angle, drawn into the slot and then guided by the slot onto the primary barrel portion.
According to another aspect, the invention comprises a fiber optic winding spool having a flange including a plurality of curved, intersecting ribs. Preferably, the plurality of curved, intersecting ribs form at least one circumferential row of diamond-shaped strengthening members that add significant strength to the spool. The spool may also include a circumferential rib and/or a plurality of radially extending ribs for added strength. The curved, intersecting ribs may be used in combination with the angled slot described above to provide for a high-strength optical fiber spool wherein the lead meter portion and the bulk fiber portions may be wound one after the other by automated process equipment.
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.