Vision-based automatic measurement of endface geometry of single-fiber optical connectors

Abstract

Fiber optic connectors are an important factor in the performance of fiber optical systems. In order to ensure good fiber to fiber contact, the endface geometry of fiber connectors needs to be measured quantitatively. In this paper, we present a vision-based automated measurement system for measurement of the endface geometry of a single fiber connector. The optical setup of the system developed is based on a Mirau interferometer and the 3D profile of the connector endface is obtained by using phase shifting techniques. Image processing techniques are applied to automatically find the fiber center and retrieve the geometric parameters of the connector endface, such as radius of curvature, apex offset and protrusion or undercut. Experimental results have demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed system.