A Robust Alignment Algorithm for Microprocessor Based Fiber Fusion Splicer

The development of fiber networks raises the requirements of a low cost fusion splicer for smaller size and lighter weight. To meet these requirements, the number of components of a fusion splicer shall be reduced and components should be integrated. In this paper, a microprocessor based fusion splicer along with its alignment algorithm is presented. We focus on the alignment algorithm of single-mode fiber in this paper since it’s the largest fiber kind nowadays. Several traditional methods for fiber alignment are reviewed and the details of the automatic alignment algorithm for a microprocessor based fiber fusion splicer are described. Original experiments as well as its contrast experiments are performed. The experiment result shows the algorithm is quite robust and an average splice loss of 0.18dB can be achieved. Keywordssingle-mode fiber; alignment algorithm; splice loss;