[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for clamping optical fibres. In a particular form, the invention relates to an apparatus and method for clamping optical fibres of a multi-fibre optical cable in a ribbon arrangement.

Description of the Prior Art

[0002] The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that the prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates.

[0003] Optical fibres are often packaged in a loose tube arrangement in which a plurality of fibres are loosely bundled together inside a protective tube. Connectorisation and fusion splicing of fibres in a loose tube cable is cumbersome and time consuming as fibres are spliced or connectorised individually. Ribbon fibre cable arrangements are therefore preferred during the fitting or assembly of connectors onto multi-fibre optical cables and when fusion splicing fibres together.

[0004] In the past, techniques have been developed for "ribbonizing" optical fibres packaged in loose tube cables to permit easier connectorisation and mass fusion splicing. Such techniques typically include the process steps of applying tape and/or adhesive to the fibres in order to bond them together in a ribbon arrangement prior to ferrule termination and joining via fusion splicing. This process is not desirable as the tape must be trimmed and removed in additional process steps and the adhesive used is typically a toxic glue.

[0005] Furthermore, it is often a requirement to manufacture optical cable assemblies having an open or unterminated end. In order to perform optical testing of an open ended cable it is often necessary to terminate or splice the open end for the purpose of interconnecting test instrumentation to the cable. However, as it may be necessary to interconnect various test instrumentation or connector types to the open end, the need to connectorise or splice the bare fibres is often an inefficient process step that needs to be performed by a field technician.

[0006] It is against this background, and the problems and difficulties associated therewith, that the present invention has been developed.

Summary of the Present Invention

[0007] In a first broad form the present invention seeks to provide apparatus for clamping optical fibres of a multi-fibre optic cable in a ribbon arrangement, including:

a) a housing; and

b) a clamp assembly rotatably mounted within the housing, the clamp assembly including a first clamp plate hingedly connected to a second clamp plate, so as to define a pair of jaws for receiving a plurality of optical fibres;

wherein, as the clamp assembly is rotated from a first position to a second position, the first and second clamp plates are urged together, thereby at least partially closing the jaws so as to clamp the plurality of optical fibres therebetween, which in turn aligns the fibres within a plane to form the ribbon arrangement.

[0008] Typically the clamp assembly is rotatable through 90 degrees between the first and second position.

[0009] Typically in the first position, the clamp plates are disposed in a vertical position and in the second position the clamp plates are disposed in a horizontal position.

[0010] Typically the housing includes at least one guide track, along which one or more end clamping portions of the clamp assembly are configured to follow as the clamp assembly rotates between the first and second position.

[0011] Typically the or each guide track includes an engaging surface contactable with a part of the or each end clamping portion which causes the first and second clamp plates to be urged together thereby clamping the plurality of optical fibres. [0012] Typically as the first and second plates are urged together, the plurality of optical fibres are urged towards the engaging surface of the or each guide track which assists in aligning the fibres in a plane to form the ribbon arrangement.

[0013] Typically the housing includes a base and a clamp assembly mount removably securable to the base.

[0014] Typically the clamp assembly is slidably located in the clamp assembly mount.

[0015] Typically the first and second clamp plates each define a cylindrical body portion, a first plate portion extending from the cylindrical body portion and a second plate portion extending away from an end face of the cylindrical body portion.

[0016] Typically the cylindrical body portions of the clamp plates are received by a complementary receptacle of the clamp assembly mount so as to form a cylindrical joint.

[0017] Typically the clamp assembly mount includes a limit surface which forms a hard stop for the clamp assembly as it is rotated to the second position.

[0018] Typically the receptacle terminates in a lip portion that abuts a further part of the clamp assembly in the first position.

[0019] Typically radial movement of the clamp assembly is restrained by the clamp assembly mount.

[0020] Typically translational movement of the clamp assembly is restrained, in situ, when the clamp assembly mount is secured to the base.

[0021] Typically the clamp assembly is at least partially disposed between spaced apart wall portions of the base which act to restrain translational movement of the clamp assembly.

[0022] Typically the multi-fibre optic cable enters the base at a proximal end and exits the base at a distal end.

[0023] Typically the clamp assembly is located proximate the distal end of the base. [0024] Typically the or each guide track is formed in one or more wall portions of the base proximate the distal end thereof.

[0025] Typically the cable is secured in the vicinity of the proximal end of the base by a tapered locking member.

[0026] Typically the clamp assembly mount is retained in the base by a pin which extends from the proximal end to the distal end of the base and through the clamp assembly mount.

[0027] Typically when the clamp assembly is in the first position, a gap between the jaws is less than two times the diameter of an optical fibre.

[0028] Typically the first or second clamp plate houses a urethane pad which provides a degree of fnctional resistance to reduce the likelihood of the optical fibres retracting out of the clamp assembly after insertion.

[0029] In a second broad form the present invention seeks to provide a method of clamping a plurality of optical fibres of a multi-fibre optical cable in a ribbon arrangement, including: a) rotating a clamp assembly rotatably mounted within a housing to a first position; b) inserting the plurality of fibres between first and second clamp plates of the clamp plate assembly that define a pair of jaws; and,

c) rotating the clamp assembly from the first position to a second position, which urges the first and second clamp plates together, thereby at least partially closing the jaws so as to clamp the plurality of optical fibres, which in turn aligns the fibres within a plane to form the ribbon arrangement.

[0030] Typically the method further includes locating the clamp assembly in a clamp assembly mount.

[0031] Typically the method further includes removably securing the clamp assembly mount in a base of the housing.

[0032] Typically the method further includes inserting a tapered locking member through the housing so as to secure the cable proximate a cable entry end of the housing. [0033] Typically the step of rotating the clamp assembly from the first position to the second position causes an end clamping portion of the clamp assembly to follow a guide track of the housing, said guide track having an engaging surface that abuts part of the end clamping portion to urge the first and second clamp plates together.

[0034] In a third broad form the present invention seeks to provide apparatus for clamping optical fibres of a multi-fibre optic cable in a ribbon arrangement, including:

a) a base;

b) a clamp assembly mount removably securable to the base;

c) a clamp assembly rotatably mounted within the clamp assembly mount and configured to rotate between a first position and a second position, the clamp assembly including a first clamp plate hingedly connected to a second clamp plate, the first and second clamp plates configured to receive a plurality of optical fibres when the clamp assembly is in the first position; and,

d) at least one guide track formed in the housing adapted to guide at least one end clamping portion of the clamp assembly during rotation between the first and second position;

wherein, as the clamp assembly is rotated from the first position to the second position, the or each guide track abuts part of the or each end clamping portion so as to urge the first and second clamp plates together which clamps the plurality of optical fibres therebetween and causes the fibres to be arranged into co-planar alignment to form the ribbon arrangement.

[0035] Typically the clamp assembly includes a central body portion and a pair of end clamping portions which project away from opposing ends of the central body portion.

[0036] Typically each end clamping portion is configured to follow a respective guide track as the clamp assembly is rotated from the first position to the second position.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0037] An example of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: - [0038] Figure 1A is a perspective view of an example of an apparatus for clamping optical fibres of a multi-fibre optic cable showing a clamp assembly in a first position;

[0039] Figure IB is a perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1A showing a clamp assembly in a second position in which the optical fibres are held clamped in a ribbon arrangement;

[0040] Figure 2 is a partially exploded view of the apparatus of Figure 1 A;

[0041] Figure 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1A;

[0042] Figure 4 is an end view of the apparatus of Figure 1A showing the clamp assembly mounted in a clamp assembly mount;

[0043] Figures 5 A to 5C provide sequential views of an end clamping portion of the clamp assembly following a guide track as the clamp assembly is rotated from a vertical position to a horizontal position to clamp the optical fibres in a ribbon arrangement;

[0044] Figure 6 is a perspective view of the apparatus of Figure 1A showing a connector being terminated onto the end of the cable;

[0045] Figure 7A is a plan view of the apparatus of Figure 1A showing a cable secured in the vicinity of a proximal end of the base by a tapered locking member;

[0046] Figure 7B is a sectional view taken along A-A of Figure 7A showing the cable being clamped by the tapered locking member; and,

[0047] Figure 8 is a flow diagram of an example of a method of clamping a plurality of optical fibres of a multi-fibre optical cable in a ribbon arrangement.

Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments

[0048] An example of an apparatus 100 for clamping optical fibres 4 of a multi -fibre optical cable 2 in a ribbon arrangement will now be described with reference to Figures 1 A and IB.

[0049] In this example, the apparatus 100 includes a housing 102 and a clamp assembly 200 rotatably mounted within the housing 102. The clamp assembly 200 includes a first clamp plate 210 hingedly connected to a second clamp plate 220, so as to define a pair of jaws for receiving a plurality of optical fibres 4. [0050] The clamp assembly 200 is rotatable from a first position (Figure 1A) to a second position (Figure IB). The fibres 4 are inserted between the clamp plates 210, 220 when the clamp assembly 200 is in the first position. As the clamp assembly 200 is rotated from the first position to the second position, the first and second clamp plates 210, 220 are urged together, thereby at least partially closing the jaws so as to clamp the plurality of optical fibres 4 therebetween, which in turn aligns the fibres 4 within a plane to form the ribbon arrangement.

[0051] The above described arrangement provides a number of benefits. In particular, it is able to precisely align fibres of a non-ribbon cable (e.g. loose tube multi-fibre cable) into a ribbon arrangement suitable for connectorisation, fusion splicing and optical testing. Furthermore, the apparatus is able to securely hold the ribbonized fibres without the need for tape or adhesive as used in the prior art. The apparatus therefore provides a fixture for ribbonizing and securely holding optical fibres for further processing or testing.

[0052] The ribbonized fibre held in the apparatus can therefore easily be terminated by assembling a connector onto the clamped fibres. For example, a ferrule can be readily inserted onto the end of the cable when the fibres are restrained by the apparatus in a flat ribbon arrangement. Removing the need to apply tape and/or adhesive to the fibres reduces the number of process steps in the assembly of a multi-fibre connector onto the cable. The apparatus may also be used to aid fusion splicing of optical fibres. Arranging and aligning the fibres in a flat ribbon arrangement enables mass fusion splicing to be performed whereby multiple fibres are able to be spliced together simultaneously. The apparatus may be configured to clamp any desired number of fibres together for connectorisation or splicing however typically ribbons will comprise 12 individual fibres.

[0053] In addition to connectorisation and splicing, the apparatus may also be used to facilitate easier removal of acrylate fibre coatings, cleaving fibre and optical testing. In this respect, the apparatus may be used as a bare fibre adaptor. Fibre optic cable assemblies are typically manufactured having an open end exposing bare fibres that have not been terminated. During installation, the bare fibre end of the cable may be clamped by the apparatus enabling a test connector to be temporarily attached to the exposed bare fibres whilst they are held and aligned in a ribbon arrangement. In this way, test instrumentation is able to be selectively interconnected onto the bare fibre end of the cable as desired to permit optical testing to be conducted. Advantageously, the apparatus permits optical testing to be performed without requiring the open end of the cable to be terminated or spliced.

[0054] A number of further features will now be described.

[0055] In the example shown in Figures 1A and IB, the clamp assembly 200 is rotatable through approximately 90 degrees between the first and second position. In this example, in the first position, the clamp plates 210, 220 are disposed in a vertical position, and in the second position, the clamp plates 210, 220 are disposed in a horizontal position. Whilst this is a typical configuration, it is to be understood that the range of angular displacement may vary from 90 degrees, and the orientation of the clamp assembly between the first and second position is not limited to being vertical or horizontal. Notwithstanding, having the clamp assembly in a horizontal position when holding the optical fibres 4 in a ribbon arrangement may be advantageous for connectorisation, splicing, optical testing and the like.

[0056] Typically, the housing 102 includes at least one guide track 112, along which one or more end clamping portions of the clamp assembly 200 are configured to follow as the clamp assembly 200 rotates between the first and second position. The guide track 112 is shaped so that as the clamp assembly 200 is rotated towards the second position, at least a part of the end clamping portion contacts an engaging surface of the guide track 112. This engagement causes the first and second clamp plates 210, 220 to be urged together thereby at least partially closing the jaws around the plurality of optical fibres 4. As this occurs, the optical fibres 4 are urged towards the engaging surface of the guide track 112 which assists in aligning the fibres 4 within a plane to form the ribbon arrangement.

[0057] In the first position shown in Figure 1A, the fibres 4 are loosely arranged on top of each other within the clamp plates 210, 220 in a generally vertically stacked arrangement. The gap or spacing between the clamp plates 210, 220 is typically less than two times the diameter of an individual optical fibre. This spacing ensures that as the fibres 4 are inserted between the clamp plates 210, 220 the order or sequence of the fibres 4 is maintained. In the second position as shown in Figure IB, the fibres 4 are held side by side in a tightly packed arrangement forming a co-planar array. In this respect, the fibres 4 are effectively ribbonized and held in this arrangement to permit connectorisation, fusion splicing, optical testing or other tasks such as fibre cleaving, removing coatings etc. to be performed.

[0058] Figure 2 is a partially exploded view showing a typical arrangement of the apparatus 100 wherein the housing 102 includes a base 110 and a clamp assembly mount 130 in which the clamp assembly 200 is rotatably mounted. The clamp assembly mount 130 is removably securable to the base 110. In this respect, the clamp assembly mount 130 may slot or clip onto the base and/or be secured by a locking pin or the like.

[0059] In this example, the multi -fibre optic cable 2 enters the base 110 at a proximal end and exits the base in a ribbonized configuration at a distal end. The cable 2 is supported by a support block 140 which receives a portion of the cable 2 in a retaining groove. The support block 140 is located in the base 110 towards the proximate end thereof and may be secured by pins, screws or the like.

[0060] The base 110 further includes a pair of spaced apart wall portions 111, 115 extending across the base 110 transverse to a direction of elongation of the base 110. In use, a compression spring 150 may surround the optical fibres 104 and be interposed between an end 141 of support block 140 and wall portion 115 of the base 110. The compression spring 150 may form part of a connector assembly when the end of the cable is terminated.

[0061] In order to prevent the cable from moving during use of the apparatus 100, the cable 2 may be secured in the vicinity of the proximal end of the base 110 by a tapered locking member 160 which extends across the cable 2 between opposing sides of the base 110.

[0062] The operation of the locking member 160 is shown more clearly in Figures 7 A to 7B. In Figure 7B, the locking member 160 is shown to extend between a head portion 161 and a tail portion 163. In use, the head portion 161 protrudes outward beyond a first side portion 117 of the base 110 whilst the tail portion 163 protrudes outward beyond a second opposing side portion 118. The body of the locking member 160 has a generally tapered profile between the head portion 161 and the tail portion 163. In particular, the body includes a tapered inner surface 162 contactable with the cable 2 which tapers away towards the tail portion 163.

[0063] To set the locking member 160 in place, it is inserted through an opening 117A in first side portion 117 of the base 110 over the support block 140. The tapered surface 162 of the locking member 160 will contact the outer surface of the cable 2 which is located in retaining groove 144 of the support block 140. As the locking member 160 is advanced further across the base 110, the tapered surface 162 gradually exerts more and more force onto the cable 2 thereby sandwiching or wedging the cable 2 between the groove 144 and the locking member 160.

[0064] In one example, the groove 144 is disposed between a lower surface portion 148 of the support block 140 and a stepped upper surface portion 146. This increases the surface area of the groove in contact with the cable 2 so that as the locking member 160 urges the cable 2 against the groove 144 a more effective locking force is obtained. The surface area of the locking member 160 in contact with the cable 2 may be increased by providing a tapered surface 162 that transitions into a curved surface portion 164. In this example, in a locked position, the curved surface portion 164 of the locking member 160 will at least partially surround the cable 2 and apply the locking or clamping force to the cable 2.

[0065] In one example, the locking member 160 has an outer profile shaped to conform with an internal profile formed in second side portion 118 of the base 110 around aperture 118A (see Figure 2 for example). This complementary shaped internal profile assists in slidably locating at least the tail portion 163 of the locking member 160 in the second side portion 118 of the base 110. To assist in preventing the locking member 160 from being easily withdrawn, one or more resilient tab or clip members may be employed. For example, the base 110 may include one or more resilient tab members in the first side portion 117 that engage with the head portion 161 of the locking member 160. Alternatively, the tail portion 161 of the locking member 160 may include a resilient end portion that deforms and engages with an outer surface of the second side portion 118.

[0066] As shown in Figure 3, the clamp assembly mount 130 is interposed in the base 110 between spaced apart wall portions 111, 115. In the example shown, the clamp assembly 200 includes a central body portion also interposed between wall portions 111, 115 and a pair of end clamping portions which project away from opposing ends of the central body portion and which are disposed within guide tracks 112, 116 formed in wall portions 111, 115 respectively.

[0067] The clamp assembly mount 130, support block 140 and base 110 are coupled together by a locking pin 170 (full extent not shown) which extends between the proximal and distal ends of the base 110 through holes 119, 142.

[0068] The clamp assembly 200 is shown in further detail in Figure 4 (base removed for clarity). As previously described, the clamp assembly 200 is rotatably mounted in clamp assembly mount 130. During assembly of the apparatus 100, the clamp assembly 200 is slidably located in the mount 130. The clamp assembly mount 130 has a receptacle 132 for receiving the clamp assembly 200 having a complementary shape to an outer body portion of the clamp assembly 200. In this respect, the first and second clamp plates 210, 220 each have a cylindrical body portion 212, 222 and the cylindrical body portions of the clamp plates are received by the complementary receptacle 132 of the clamp assembly mount 130 so as to form a cylindrical joint.

[0069] In one example, each clamp plate 210, 220 of the clamp assembly 200 further includes a first plate portion 213, 223 extending from the cylindrical body portion 212, 222 and a second plate portion 215, 225 extending away from an end face of the cylindrical body portion 212, 222. A third plate portion 216, 226 may extend away from an opposing end face of each respective cylindrical body portion 212, 222 (as shown in Figure 3). The second (and third) plate portions correspond to end clamping portions that are configured to follow a respective guide track 112, 116 as the clamp assembly 200 is rotated from the first position to the second position as will be described in more detail below.

[0070] When the clamp assembly 200 is assembled into mount 130, radial movement of the clamp assembly 200 is restrained by the clamp assembly mount 130. The receptacle 132 of the clamp assembly mount 130 terminates in a lip portion 134 which abuts an outer portion of the clamp assembly 200 and prevents the clamp assembly 200 from being radially pulled out from the mount 130. The lip 134 further acts as a first end stop which prevents the clamp assembly from rotating past the first position.

[0071] The clamp assembly mount 130 further includes a limit surface 136 which forms a second hard stop which prevents the clamp assembly from rotating past the second position. In the example shown, the limit surface 136 is horizontally disposed such that as the clamp assembly 200 is rotated towards the second position, the first plate portion 213 of clamp plate 210 will abut against the limit surface 136.

[0072] Typically, translational movement of the clamp assembly 200 is restrained, in situ, when the clamp assembly mount 130 is secured to the base 110 as the cylindrical body portions of the clamp plates 210, 220 are sandwiched axially between spaced apart wall portions 111, 115 of the base 110.

[0073] The operation of the apparatus 100 shall be described in further detail with reference to Figures 5A to 5C. In Figure 5A, the clamp assembly is in the first position which in this example corresponds to the first and second clamp plates being disposed in a vertical orientation. The end clamping plate portions 215, 225 are shown disposed in guide track 112 of the base 110. The end clamping plate portions 215, 225 are hingedly connected by hinge pin 230. In this position, fibres 4 of the cable 2 are fed between the first and second clamp plates 210, 220. A portion of the fibres 4 are stacked between end clamping plate portions 215, 225. As previously described, the spacing between the first and second clamp plates 210, 220 is such that the sequence of the fibres 4 is maintained as they are inserted into the clamp assembly 200. Furthermore, the first or second clamp plate 210, 220 may house a urethane pad 240 (see Figure 3) which provides a degree of frictional resistance to reduce the likelihood of the optical fibres 4 retracting out of the clamp assembly 200 after insertion.

[0074] In Figure 5B, the clamp assembly 200 (and optical fibres 4) has been rotated part way from the first position to the second position. In this example, the rotation is in a counterclockwise direction. To rotate the clamp assembly 200, a user simply exerts a pushing force on the side of the upstanding second plate portion 223 of the second clamp plate 210. In this respect, the upstanding plate portion 223 acts as a lever or toggle allowing a user to rotate the clamp assembly 200. As the clamp assembly 200 rotates, the hinge pin 230 is caused to roll around or follow a guiding surface 113 of the guide track 112.

[0075] In one example, the guiding surface 113 of the guide track 112 defines an arcuate track of part of a circle having a centre which is axially offset to an axis of rotation of the clamp assembly 200. This axial offset causes a cam action through the rotation. As the clamp plate assembly 200 continues to rotate towards the second position, end clamping plate portion 215 of the first clamp plate 210 will contact engaging surface 114 of the guide track 112. A force will be applied to edge portion 217 of the end clamping plate portion 215 which begins to urge the first and second clamp plates 210, 220 together, thereby squeezing the fibres 4 held therebetween and urging them towards the engaging surface 114 of the guide track 112.

[0076] In Figure 5C, the clamp assembly has been fully rotated to the second position such that the first and second clamp plates are now horizontally disposed. In this position, the end clamping plate portions 215, 225 are sandwiched between guiding surface 113 and engaging surface 114 of the guide track 112. The engaging surface 113 now applies opposing forces to respective edge portions 217, 227 of the end clamping plate portions 215, 225 which urges the clamp plates 210, 220 together, thereby closing the jaws so as to clamp the plurality of optical fibres 4 securely therebetween. The clamping action of the clamp plates 210, 220 squeezes the fibres 4 so as to spread them into a parallel, side by side arrangement (i.e. a ribbon arrangement). As this occurs, the fibres 4 are urged towards engaging surface 114 of the guide track 112 which assists in precisely aligning the fibres and fixing them with respect to the apparatus 100.

[0077] It is to be appreciated, that typically the apparatus further includes end clamping plate portions 216, 226 (see Figure 3) which are disposed within further guide track 116. The operation of end plate clamping portions 216, 226 is the same as that described above with respect to end plate clamping portions 215, 225 in guide track 112. An advantage of having spaced apart pairs of end plate clamping portions, is that the fibres are able to be firmly supported and clamped over a distance which assists in obtaining a precisely aligned ribbon section of cable. [0078] An example of a method of clamping a plurality of optical fibres of a multi-fibre optical cable in a ribbon arrangement shall now be broadly described with reference to Figure 8. At step 800, the method initially includes the step of rotating a clamp assembly rotatably mounted within a housing to a first position. In this first position, the clamp plates are generally spaced apart less than two times the diameter of the optical fibres. At step 802, the plurality of optical fibres are inserted between first and second clamp plates of the clamp assembly that define a pair of jaws. One of the clamp plates may house a urethane pad or similar material for providing a slight frictional resistance to the fibres which prevents them from retracting out of the clamp assembly after insertion. Finally, at step 804, the clamp assembly is rotated from the first position to a second position, which urges the first and second clamp plates together, thereby at least partially closing the jaws so as to clamp the plurality of optical fibres, which in turn aligns the fibres within a plane to form the ribbon arrangement.

[0079] In one example, the step of rotating the clamp assembly from the first position to the second position causes an end clamping portion of the clamp assembly to follow a guide track of the housing, said guide track having an engaging surface that abuts or contacts part of the end clamping portion to urge the first and second clamp plates together.

[0080] In a further example, the method includes locating the clamp assembly in a clamp assembly mount and then removably securing the clamp assembly mount in a base of the housing. A tapered locking member may be inserted through the housing so as to secure or clamp the cable proximate a cable entry end of the housing.

[0081] Fixing the fibres 4 in a ribbon arrangement allows for ease of connectorisation, fusion splicing or optical testing. For example, as shown in Figure 6, a ferrule 300 may be readily terminated onto the bare fibre ends during connectorisation since the fibres 4 are precisely aligned and fixed in a ribbon format. The connector assembly process is therefore simplified as the previous requirement to tape and/or glue the fibres so as to bond them into a ribbon format is removed. A typical assembly of 12 fibre connectors consists of 16 steps. Use of the above described apparatus and method may reduce the number of process steps to 13 which has been found to result in a 25% cycle time reduction in the assembly process. [0082] Typically, optical testing of open-ended loose tube multi-fibre cable requires both ends of the cable to be terminated. The above described apparatus removes this need and is able to act as a bare fibre adaptor. The open end of the cable is inserted into the apparatus and the bare fibres are fixed in a ribbon arrangement by the clamp assembly. This enables a test connector to be temporarily attached to the exposed bare fibres whilst they are held and aligned in the ribbon arrangement. In this way, test instrumentation is able to be selectively interconnected onto the bare fibre end of the cable as desired to permit optical testing to be conducted.

[0083] Throughout this specification and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or group of integers.

[0084] Persons skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous variations and modifications will become apparent. All such variations and modifications which become apparent to persons skilled in the art, should be considered to fall within the spirit and scope that the invention broadly appearing before described.