CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[ 001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of the earlier filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/599,508 filed on February 16, 2012, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

[ 002 ] The invention relates generally to an apparatus and method for managing lengths of optical fibers whose ends are both either fixed or inaccessible. Optical fibers are often used to connect components within a limited space. As an illustrative example, fiber management devices are used within junction boxes sometimes called "termination chambers," wherein fiber-carrying cables are joined to connectors or to other cables or components. When such cable junctions are made, one or more optical fibers issue from the end of the cable in which they are imbedded. The ends of these fibers go to attachment points of the component to which the cable is terminated. The cable-to-component junction is housed in a termination chamber. Excess fiber, always needed to complete the termination process, is stored within the chamber. Because both ends of the fiber are fixed, it cannot simply be wound on a reel. If it were, each turn around the reel would result in a half-turn torque on the fiber. To avoid that torque and the concomitant twisting resulting from it, it is well known to arrange the fiber in a figure eight configuration. That way there is a turn of the fiber in one sense followed immediately by a turn in the other sense, thereby cancelling out the torque. Additionally, optical fibers must not be stored while bent in a radius that is less than the minimum allowable for the fiber. If bent at a lesser radius, there is unacceptable loss of the optical signal propagating within the fiber; and, if bent too sharply the fiber can be damaged. Termination chambers are kept as small as possible in order to facilitate handling, and to reduce cost. Therefore, in the management of excess fiber within a termination chamber the usual goals are to configure the fiber as a "figure-eight' while minimizing both the radius and axial length of the managed fiber commensurate with the fiber's minimum allowable bend radius. The foregoing termination-chamber example is only one of many that could be cited wherein optical fibers must be managed in a compact figure-eight configuration. There is a wide range of applications for simple, compact fiber management devices.

[003 ] Existing art, some of which is described herein, does not completely fulfill the needs of these applications. It is, therefore, advantageous to have an improved device and method to manage optical fibers whose ends are both either fixed or inaccessible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[ 004 ] The invention provides a new and improved method and apparatus for managing optical fibers. The invention is herein described as it would be used within a termination chamber. It comprises a guide formed as a tubular- section upon whose curved exterior surface fiber is arranged in a figure-eight pattern. Nowhere is the fiber bent to a curvature less than its minimum allowable bend radius. Winding tracks on opposite exterior sides of the guide have radii greater than or equal to the fiber minimum bend radius. A feature is provided on the guide to mechanically affix it to a structural element of the chamber in which it is housed. As opposed to the prior art, examples of which are found in US Patent 7,769,265 of Cairns, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference, the invention takes advantage of the possibility of bending the managed fibers in three dimensions, thereby reducing both the size and complexity of the management assembly. Prior art management devices wind the fibers in a two dimensional plane, that plane generally coinciding with the long axis of the termination chamber. The invention can be used equally well with one or more individual fibers, or with multi-fiber ribbons. The apparatus and method disclosed herein are also suitable for use within, for example, the fluid-filled chamber of a harsh environment connector such as that disclosed in co-pending U.S. Application No. 13/296,406 to Cairns, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. In certain applications the ability to mange fibers within the connector unit itself is advantageous.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[005] Various embodiments of the invention are described herein by way of example in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference characters designate the same or similar elements.

[006] FIG. 1 is an example of prior art in which the fiber is wound in a figure-eight on two reels situated on a plane parallel to the long axis of the termination chamber;

[007] FIG. 2 is an example of prior art in which the fiber is wound on one reel with a winding track situated on a plane parallel to the long axis of the termination chamber;

[008] FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the fiber management apparatus showing the curved three-dimensional figure-eight winding pattern;

[009] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the fiber management apparatus;

[0010] FIG. 5 is an end view of the fiber management apparatus first embodiment; 100111 FIG. 6 is an end view of the fiber management apparatus alternative embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Figure 1 illustrates an example of an early prior art fiber management apparatus 10. Element 16 (Figure 1) represents a structural element on the posterior portion of the termination chamber from which optical fibers issue from the bitter end of a cable. Element 18 (Figure 1) on the anterior end of the termination chamber represents the connector, cable, or other component to which optical fibers issuing from element 16 are attached. Rod 14 (Figure 1) is a structural feature of the termination chamber to which management reels 12, 13 are affixed. Reels 12, 13 are positioned in line on a plane parallel to the long axis of the termination assembly. The reels each comprise a central winding track 24, and side rails 22. Central winding tracks 24 have radii greater than or equal to the minimum bend radius of the fibers to be managed. Fibers 2 are wound around the far-side track of one of the reels, cross over between reels to pass in the opposite sense around the far- side track of the opposed reel, and so on until the excess fiber is substantially all organized in a figure eight pattern on the two reels.

[0013 ] Figure 2 illustrates a later example of prior art. Element 16 (Figure 2) represents a structural element on the posterior portion of the termination from which optical fibers issue from the bitter end of a cable. Element 18 (Figure 2) on the anterior end of the termination chamber represents the connector, cable, or other device to which optical fibers issuing from element 16 are attached. Rod 14 (Figure 2) is a structural feature of the termination chamber to which management reel 20 is affixed. Reel 20 is positioned on a plane parallel to the long axis of the termination assembly. Reel 20 comprises a central winding track 24, and side rails 22. Central winding track 24 has a radius greater than or equal to the minimum bend radius of the fibers to be managed. Guide 25 (Figure 2) is a blade-like feature that extends radially outward from the center of winding track 24, channeling fibers 2 either to the left or right side of said guide. As an example of its use, a fiber is first wound around the reel on the left side of guide 25, crosses over onto the right side of the winding track on the side diametrically opposed to guide 25; it then continues around the reel to pass in the opposite sense around the right side of guide 25, and so on. The fiber forms a figure eight in which two flat loops are effectively folded back on each other. Fiber is wound in this manner until the excess fiber is substantially all organized in a figure- eight pattern in which the fiat loops are folded back on each other on the single reel. This method and apparatus, disclosed in US Patent 7,769,265 and shown in Figure 2, represented a step forward in the art of fiber management as they significantly shortened the length of the termination chamber required by the earlier art shown in Figure 1. But the Figure 2 figure- eight aspect of the fiber pattern cannot be seen by the operator, thus making the winding technique conceptually difficult. That can easily lead to winding errors, which is a shortcoming of that existing art.

[0014] The present invention provides a more intuitive apparatus and method for winding fibers in a clearly visible figure-eight configuration; at the same time, it further reduces the space required to do so. It takes advantage of the ability of bending the fibers in three dimensions, as opposed to a two-dimensional plane as previously was done. An useful metaphor for understanding the invention's concept is achieved by drawing a figure-eight on a flat piece of paper, then rolling the paper into a hollow cylinder so that the long axis of the figure-eight wraps around the curved outer surface of the rolled sheet. [0015] In the following description, embodiments of an apparatus and method for managing one or more flexible lines such as optical fibers are described, but the described apparatus and methods may alternatively be used for managing other types of flexible line or flexible elongate elements, such as electrical or other flexible wires, cables, ropes, flexible tubes or hoses, threads, or the like. In the case of optical fiber, the fiber may be one or more individual optical fibers or a ribbonized fiber (ribbon fiber). Ribbon fiber contains multiple fibers in a ribbon-like form. The management apparatus and methods for flexible elongate elements or lines other than fibers may be identical to those described in the embodiments below, with appropriate adjustment of the scale and material of the apparatus to accommodate flexible elongate elements of different sizes and materials.

[0016] Figures 3 and 4 are bottom and perspective views respectively of a first embodiment of the invented management apparatus comprising cylindrically curved tube or shell 3 with attachment member 4, for affixing the apparatus to rod 14 which is a structural feature of the termination chamber as described in the previous examples of prior art. In the illustrated embodiment, attachment member 4 is shown, by way of example, to be a clamp having a C-shaped cross-section with upwardly curved sides that clamp around rod 14. Alternatively, other types of attachment members could be used to attach the apparatus to rod 14. Optical fibers 2 are arranged in a curved figure-eight pattern on the exterior curved winding surfaces of shell 3 (Figure 3). As shown in Figures 3-5, the winding surfaces comprise radially-outwardly extending winding tracks 6a, 6b which lie conformably on the outer surface of shell 3 in such a way that their concavity face axis 3 a of shell 3. The radially outward portions of winding tracks 6a, 6b terminate with lips 5 to retain fibers 2 upon the winding tracks. The curvatures of shell 3 and winding tracks 6 are such that the bend of the managed fibers is everywhere equal to or greater than the fiber minimum bend radius. From the Figure 3 perspective, the operator has a clear view of the figure- eight fiber pattern, thereby making the winding process intuitively very simple.

[0017 ] Figure 5 is an end view of a first embodiment of the invented fiber management apparatus. Shell 3 is a section of a cylindrical tube upon which winding tracks 6a, 6b lay conformably. The structure has the advantage over prior art in that it leaves the axially central portion open for the passage of other elements, such as for electrical conductors in the case of electro-optical cable terminations. Known prior art management devices block the central portion.

[0018] The just-described first embodiment of the invention does not completely minimize the size of the management device. To minimize the size, the curvature at all points along the winding path would be just equal to the minimum bend radius of the fiber. Shell 3 of the first embodiment is formed from a cylindrical section. But a somewhat sharper curvature at cross-over area 7 (Figure 6) would not cause the fibers lying upon it to be bent less than their minimum bend radius for the following reason: As the fibers travel from their winding track on one side of shell 3 to the corresponding winding track on the opposite side of shell 3 in cross-over area 7, their paths have an axial component lying along the curved surface. They do not travel directly in a radial path around the curved surface. Increasing the curvature of shell 3 in area 7 provides an opportunity to slightly further reduce the size of the management device.

[0019] Figure 6 is an end view of a second embodiment of the invented fiber management apparatus. In this case, the portions of shell 3 upon which winding tracks 6a, 6b conformably lay are formed from sections of a cylindrical tube as in the first embodiment. But in this second embodiment the curvature of shell 3 is sharper at portion 7 where the winding tracks from either side of shell 3 come in close proximity, and at which portion the windings of the figure-eight fiber pattern cross over each other. Compared to the first embodiment, this second embodiment further reduces the diameter of the termination chamber required to house it by about 5%, albeit at some cost to the openness of the central passage.

[0020] In either of the aforementioned embodiments of the invention at least some small gap is desirable on the portion of the management device opposite cross-over area 7. Such a gap allows the passage into and out of the diametrically central area of the device of wires and/or fibers whose ends are not free.

[0021] In either embodiment of the invention the management of flexible lines or fibers having two fixed ends goes as follows. Fibers to be managed can enter winding tracks 6a, 6b at any point by positioning a portion of the fiber between the two fixed ends onto the winding tracks 6 a, 6b. Management then proceeds by winding the fiber in a loop around a first track until it reaches cross-over area 7, from which it proceeds onward to wrap in a loop around the radially opposed second track in the opposite sense. When it again reaches crossover area 7 it extends over cross-over area 7 to once again wrap around the first track, then extends back over cross-over area 7 again, and thereafter repeating the winding and extending steps until substantially all of the excess fiber has been managed. The fiber can exit the tracks at any convenient point.

[0022 ] Although the invention has been described in the context of two very simple embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departure from the scope or spirit of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.