Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for an automatic and continuous supply of coating material to a coating applicator in optical fiber fabrication. The present invention switches from one coating reservoir to another by way of a transitional period in which both coating reservoirs are supplying coating material to the coating applicator. For example, while an in-use reservoir is supplying the coating material to the coating applicator, a standby reservoir is being filled, settled to off gas air bubbles and then slowly pressurized. A sized orifice is used to slowly bleed off pressure from the in-use reservoir at a rate that does not allow the pressure in the in-use reservoir from falling out of a desired pressure range.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for an automatic and continuous supply of coating material to a coating applicator in optical fiber fabrication. The present invention switches from one coating reservoir to another by way of a transitional period in which both coating reservoirs are supplying coating material to the coating applicator. For example, while an in-use reservoir is supplying the coating material to the coating applicator, a standby reservoir is being filled, settled to off gas air bubbles and then slowly pressurized. A sized orifice is used to slowly bleed off pressure from the in-use reservoir at a rate that does not allow the pressure in the in-use reservoir from falling out of a desired pressure range.

Abstract: Methods and apparatuses introduce mechanical twist to an optical fiber having relatively large polarization mode dispersion (PMD), such as unspun fiber or fiber spun with constant spatial frequency, which mechanical twist reduces the fiber's PMD. A spool of optical fiber having relatively large PMD is mounted and fiber is pulled from the end of the spool to impart a specified mechanical twist. Additionally, the spool may be controllably rotated by a control system while optical fiber is pulled therefrom, allowing the system to generate a precise amount of mechanical twist to the fiber. Also, it is possible to measure the amount of mechanical twist in an optical fiber and the amount of mechanical twist in an optical fiber as a function of fiber length.

Abstract: Food cans are slid across a vertically-oscillating weigh platform while being guided by contacting means bearing against their upstream side surfaces. The contacting means comprise a pair of rollers rotatable about an axis transverse to the direction of sliding motion of the cans, and bearing against the vertical side surfaces of the cans above the bottom bead of the can. This avoids the indentations formed in the lug contactors of the prior art after many contacts with the bead of the can, and thereby improves the weighing accuracy.

Abstract: The invention relates to the monitoring of the filling effectiveness during the filling operation of a waterproof or filled telecommunications cable on a manufacturing line, and includes measuring the capacitance change per unit length of an outer pair of insulated conductors in the cable, measuring the capacitance change per unit length of an inner pair of insulated conductors in the cable, determining any deviations in the measured capacitance changes and utilizing such deviations by feedback control to eliminate further deviation, as well as determining the point of deviation along the cable length.

Abstract: An opening in a jacket (15) of a cable (16) is detected as the jacketed cable is moved from an extruder (14) through a probe (21) which is positioned in a cooling trough (17) and which comprises first and second aligned, spaced sensors (24, 26) with each of the sensors being connected to an arm of a bridge transformer (37). Electrical circuitry is designed to cause an unbalance voltage in a secondary (43) of the transformer (37) in response to conductance unbalance as the opening in the jacket (15) is advanced through the first sensor (24) and to cause an unbalance voltage of opposite polarity in the secondary (43) in response to conductance unbalance as the opening in thejacket (15) is advanced through the second sensor (26). Logic circuitry (66) tests the unbalance voltages for threshold and peak values to discern jacket holes despite the presence of extraneous signals such as those which are caused by noise.