Method of re-connecting optical fibers and system
The present invention relates to a method of re-connecting a first optical fiber ( 12 ) with a second optical fiber ( 34 ), the first fiber ( 12 ) and the second fiber ( 34 ) each having a plurality of outer cores, comprising: (a) positioning a first end section of the first fiber ( 12 ) and a second end section of the second fiber ( 34 ) in proximity so as to be aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of the first and second end sections in a current connection position including a current connection orientation, in which a current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis is not known with respect to a relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections in a registered connection orientation determined with respect to a coordinate system during a previous connection of the first fiber ( 12 ) with the second fiber ( 34 ); (b) optically interrogating the outer cores of the first and second fibers ( 12, 34 ) through the current connection position to receive optical signals from the outer cores; (c) modifying, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the registered connection orientation such that the first and second fibers in the current connection orientation including the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis are correctly registered with respect to the coordinate system.
1. A method of re-connecting a first optical fiber ( 12 ) with a second optical fiber, the method comprising:
positioning a first end section of the first fiber and a second end section of the second fiber in proximity so as to be aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of the first and second end sections in a current connection position including a current connection orientation, in which a current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis is not known with respect to a relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections in a registered connection orientation which has been determined with respect to a coordinate system during a previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber, the first fiber and the second fiber each having a plurality of outer cores,
optically interrogating the outer cores of the first and second fibers through the current connection position to receive optical signals from the outer cores, and
modifying, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the registered connection orientation such that the first and second fibers in the current connection orientation including the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis are correctly registered with respect to the coordinate system.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: indicating to a user a direction in which the first and second end sections are to be rotated with respect to one another about the longitudinal axis for increasing intensity of the received signals to an optimum.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
determining, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections and correcting the registered connection orientation with the determined current relative rotational angle.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
deriving, from the optical signals, an optical quantity chosen from the group consisting of insertion loss, transmission, reflection, at the current connection position for each of the outer cores.
5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
determining, from the optical quantity for each core, the current relative rotational angle (θ) between the first and second end sections based on a stored characteristic specific of the two fibers to be re-connected.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the stored characteristic includes deviations of angular positions of the outer cores of the first fiber with respect to angular positions of the outer cores of the second fiber.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the stored characteristic is determined from an optical measurement of the optical quantity for a plurality of relative rotational angles between the first and second end sections during an initial or previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber.
8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the stored characteristic includes deviations between the angular positions of the outer cores of the first fiber and the angular positions of the outer cores of the second fiber for a combination of the outer cores of the first fiber with the outer cores of the second fiber which have been in optical communication during the previous connection.
9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the stored characteristic includes deviations between the angular positions of the outer cores of the first fiber and the angular positions of the outer cores of the second fiber for all possible combinations of the outer cores of the first fiber with the outer cores of the second fiber.
10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying the current combination of the outer cores of the first fiber with the outer cores of the second fiber.
11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:
indicating to a user to rotate the end sections of the first and second fibers relative to one another about the longitudinal axis until the same cores of the first and second fibers are optically connected with one another as in the previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the registered position including the registered orientation is registered with respect to a launch position, and the second fiber is being connected with the first fiber directly at or in a distance distally from the launch position.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein one of the first and second fibers is integrated in a device, the method further comprising reconstructing shape of the device using the registered position modified upon re-connection of the first and second fibers.
14. A system, comprising
a first optical fiber and a second optical fiber, the first fiber and the second fiber each having a plurality of outer cores, a first end section of the first fiber and a second end section of the second fiber positioned with a first end section of the first fiber and a second end section of the second fiber aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of the first and second end sections in a current connection position including a current connection orientation, in which a current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis is not known with respect to a relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections in a registered connection orientation which has been determined with respect to a coordinate system during a previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber,
an optical interrogator configured to interrogate the outer cores of the first and second fibers through the current connection position to receive optical signals from the outer cores, and
circuitry configured to modify, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the registered connection orientation such that the first and second fibers are correctly registered with respect to the coordinate system in the current connection orientation including the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis.
15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored a computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:
control positioning of a first end section of the first fiber and a second end section of the second fiber in proximity so as to be aligned with one another along a longitudinal axis of the first and second end sections in a current connection position including a current connection orientation, in which a current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis is not known with respect to a relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections in a registered connection orientation which has been determined with respect to a coordinate system during a previous connection of the first fiber with the second fiber, the first fiber and the second fiber each having a plurality of outer cores,
optically interrogate the outer cores of the first and second fibers through the current connection position to receive optical signals from the outer cores, and
modify, from the optical interrogation of the outer cores, the registered connection orientation such that the first and second fibers in the current connection orientation including the current relative rotational angle between the first and second end sections about the longitudinal axis are correctly registered with respect to the coordinate system.