Debugging system and method for small-angle polarization maintaining optical fiber array

Abstract

The invention provides a debugging system and method for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array. A fixing assembly, a pre-fixing assembly and a rotation adjusting assembly are arranged in the debugging system for the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array; the fixing assembly comprises a plurality of fixing pieces, and the fixing pieces are respectively used for fixing the polarization maintaining optical fibers located in different channels; the pre-fixing assembly comprises at least a plurality of pre-fixing pieces, and the pre-fixing pieces are respectively used for pre-fixing the polarization maintaining optical fibers in different channels in the same fixing piece; the pre-fixing assembly is movably adapted to the positions of polarization maintaining optical fibers in different channels; the rotation adjusting assembly is movably adapted to different positions of polarization maintaining optical fibers of different channels. Through the combined action of the fixing assembly, the pre-fixing assembly and the rotation adjusting assembly, rotation debugging of polarization-maintaining optical fibers at different positions is achieved by deviating from the center at a small angle as far as possible, and especially rotation and debugging of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers at the two side portions of a multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array are achieved at the small angle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optical fiber communication technology, and in particular to a debugging and detection system and method for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array. Background Art

[0002] Polarization-maintaining fiber is a special type of fiber that has strong birefringence characteristics and can maintain the polarization state of an incident light beam that is linearly polarized in a certain direction. The design of this type of fiber is not to eliminate the birefringence phenomenon, but to produce a stronger birefringence effect through the design of the fiber's geometric dimensions, thereby eliminating the influence of stress on the polarization state of the incident light.

[0003] It plays an important role in many fields. For example, in fiber-optic communication systems, polarization-maintaining fiber can be used to solve the polarization mode dispersion (PMD) problem in high-speed transmission systems and improve the quality of signal transmission. In the field of fiber-optic sensing, polarization-maintaining fiber can ensure that the linear polarization direction remains unchanged, improve the coherent signal-to-noise ratio, and achieve high-precision measurement of physical quantities. It is widely used in interferometric fiber-optic sensors, etc. The market demand for polarization-maintaining fiber is expected to grow significantly in the next few years. With the development of new technologies and the continuous development of new products, the application areas of polarization-maintaining fiber will be further expanded.

[0004] However, when assembling the polarization-maintaining fiber array, the optical fiber needs to be rotated for cat's eye positioning. In the prior art, for example, publication number CN215449674U discloses a polarization-maintaining fiber array debugging device, which debugs the polarization-maintaining optical fiber by setting an adjustment assembly having an adjustment plate and a plurality of rotating shaft assemblies, wherein the number of the rotating shaft assemblies is not less than the number of the first accommodating grooves for accommodating the polarization-maintaining optical fiber, and by rotating the rotating shafts one by one, the polarization axes of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers are adjusted to a suitable angle one by one, thereby realizing the debugging of multiple polarization-maintaining optical fibers. Furthermore, as disclosed in the prior art publication number CN218412965U, a cat's eye angle adjustment device for a multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber is provided, a plurality of rotating mechanisms 400 are provided, the plurality of rotating mechanisms 400 are located on the side to which the first end of the clamping channel points, and the plurality of rotating mechanisms are arranged around the optical fiber clamp, an optical fiber 300 is fixedly coupled between each rotating mechanism 400 and a clamping channel 203, and the rotating mechanism 400 is used to rotate the optical fiber 300, thereby being able to synchronously align the polarization axes of a plurality of optical fibers 300; the cat's eye angles of a plurality of parallel polarization-maintaining optical fibers can be adjusted simultaneously, and visual acquisition and display can be combined during operation to ensure the accuracy of the cat's eye angle adjustment, thereby greatly improving the work efficiency and the adjustment accuracy.

[0005] However, those skilled in the art know that the polarization-maintaining fiber array often includes multi-channel polarization-maintaining fibers, such as 8-channel, 12-channel, and 16-channel. When the polarization-maintaining fiber array debugging device based on the prior art rotates and adjusts each polarization-maintaining fiber, as shown in the attached drawings of CN215449674U and CN218412965U, due to the limitation of the debugging space, some optical fibers of the polarization-maintaining fiber array are dispersed at a certain angle, especially the optical fibers on both sides disclosed in the attached drawings of CN215449674U and CN218412965U, which are seriously deviated from the center of the polarization-maintaining fiber array, so that when the part of the optical fiber is rotated, the center of the rotating optical fiber seriously deviates from the center of the optical fiber array, so that the part of the optical fiber is easy to deviate from the originally positioned optical fiber during rotation. The groove of the array positioning cover; usually, since the size of each optical fiber is more than 200 microns, which is larger than the diameter or radius of the cover groove, the optical fibers at different positions are easy to deviate from the groove channel of the original positioning cover during rotation, or get out of the groove, or further, the large curvature change can easily cause the polarization-maintaining optical fiber to be damaged during rotation, which undoubtedly increases the difficulty of debugging each optical fiber in the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array and reduces the yield a lot; especially when the number of channels of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber increases to 32 or 64 channels or above, the polarization-maintaining optical fibers on both sides deviate from the center or are damaged by rotation more obviously, and rotation can more easily cause this part of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber to deviate from or get out of the groove or be damaged, further increasing the difficulty of debugging; at the same time, the more channels there are, the more rotating mechanisms or rotating shafts there will be.

[0006] Therefore, how to improve the debugging problem of multi-channel polarization-maintaining fiber arrays in the prior art, especially the debugging problem of the optical fibers on both sides when there are 16, 32, 64 or more channels, is urgently needed to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0007] The present invention provides a debugging system and method for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array. By adjusting the angle of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array, especially making the polarization-maintaining optical fibers on both sides of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array rotate and debug at a small angle, the debugging difficulty of multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fibers is reduced, the debugging accuracy of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber is improved, and the polarization-maintaining optical fiber is prevented from deviating or escaping from a groove, or being damaged during rotation due to an arc, thereby improving the debugging yield of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber, improving the existing process technology, and improving the production efficiency; at the same time, the existing debugging equipment is simplified, and the number of rotating mechanisms is reduced to achieve high-precision debugging.

[0008] The present invention first provides a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array, the debugging system comprising a polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component, a fixing component, a pre-fixing component and a rotation adjustment component which are arranged in sequence;

[0009] The polarization-maintaining optical fiber array includes at least N channels of polarization-maintaining optical fibers;

[0010] N polarization-maintaining optical fiber channels are arranged in the polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component;

[0011] The fixing assembly includes at least two fixing members, and the fixing members are respectively used to fix the polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels;

[0012] The pre-fixing assembly comprises at least two pre-fixing members, and the pre-fixing members are respectively used to pre-fix the polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels in the same fixing member;

[0013] The pre-fixed component is movably adapted to the position of polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels;

[0014] The rotation adjustment assembly includes at least one rotation adjustment frame, which is used to adjust the rotation angle of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels in the same fixing member; the rotation adjustment assembly can be movably adapted to different positions of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels.

[0015] Further, in detail, the polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component includes a support, and a supporting member and a pressing member located on the support, the supporting member is fixedly connected to the support, and the pressing member is movably connected to the supporting member.

[0016] Further, in some embodiments, the fixing assembly includes a fixing base, a plurality of fixings, a first rotating assembly and a second rotating assembly; the plurality of fixings, the first rotating assembly and the second rotating assembly are all connected to the fixing base through a connecting member; and the number of the fixings is not less than N / n, N represents the number of channels of the polarization-maintaining fiber array, and n represents the number of polarization-maintaining fibers that are simultaneously fixed by each fixing.

[0017] Furthermore, the pre-fixed assembly includes a pre-fixed base, a pre-fixed bottom plate and a pre-fixed cover plate; the pre-fixed base and the pre-fixed bottom plate are connected by a fixed connecting piece; the pre-fixed cover plate is movably connected to the pre-fixed bottom plate and can rotate around its connecting axis relative to the pre-fixed bottom plate.

[0018] Furthermore, a locking hole is provided in the middle of the pre-fixed cover plate, and the fixing of any polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixing member is achieved through the cooperation between each locking hole and the locking member.

[0019] In some other embodiments, the pre-fixing assembly further includes a third rotating assembly, and the position of the pre-fixing assembly relative to different polarization-maintaining optical fibers can be moved by the third rotating assembly.

[0020] Furthermore, the rotation adjustment assembly includes at least one rotation adjustment frame, and the rotation adjustment frame is provided with a clamping portion facing the direction of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber, and each polarization-maintaining optical fiber is clamped by the clamping portion.

[0021] At the same time, the present invention further provides a debugging method for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array, which is characterized by comprising the following steps:

[0022] (1) Providing a polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component, a fixing component, a pre-fixing component, and a rotation adjustment component, and arranging them in sequence;

[0023] (2) passing N polarization-maintaining optical fibers through the optical fiber assembly component and the fixing component in sequence;

[0024] (3) determining the number of fixing parts required in the fixing assembly;

[0025] (4) obtaining the number of arc-shaped grooves in the pre-fixing assembly based on the determined number of the fixing members; and providing the fixing members having the number of arc-shaped grooves;

[0026] (5) clamping each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixture by the pre-fixing assembly and the rotation adjustment assembly, and adjusting the state of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber; and pre-fixing each polarization-maintaining optical fiber by the pre-fixing assembly when the polarization-maintaining optical fiber is adjusted to meet the requirements;

[0027] (6) After each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixture is pre-fixed, each group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers is fixed by the corresponding fixture; and the fixation of the next group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers in the same fixture is completed.

[0028] Furthermore, the method further comprises step (7), in which steps (5) to (6) are repeated to debug and fix each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array.

[0029] Furthermore, in the step (5), it also includes moving the positions of the pre-fixing component and the rotating adjustment component relative to the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array so that the pre-fixing component and the rotating adjustment component are adapted to polarization-maintaining optical fibers at different positions.

[0030] In the present invention, a debugging system and method for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array are provided, wherein a fixing component, a pre-fixing component and a rotation adjustment component are arranged in the debugging system of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array; the fixing component comprises a plurality of fixing members, and the fixing members are respectively used to fix the polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels; the pre-fixing component comprises at least a plurality of pre-fixing members, and the pre-fixing members are respectively used to pre-fix the polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels in the same fixing member; the pre-fixing component is movably adapted to the position of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers in different channels; the rotation adjustment component is movably adapted to different positions of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers in different channels ; Through the joint action of the fixing component, the pre-fixing component and the rotation adjustment component, the polarization-maintaining optical fibers at different positions can be rotated and debugged at a small angle away from the center, so that the polarization-maintaining optical fibers on both sides of the multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array can be rotated and debugged at a small angle; different polarization-maintaining optical fibers can be debugged by deflecting at a small angle; and during debugging, a group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers covered and fixed by each fixing part is used as a fixing unit to fix the polarization-maintaining optical fiber under each fixing part, so as to improve the accuracy of debugging and fixing, making it more suitable for the debugging of multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fibers such as 16 and 62, and having unexpected technical effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a debugging system provided by the prior art when debugging a multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array;

[0033] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 A schematic top view of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4-1 A schematic structural diagram of a polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention;

[0036] Figure 4-2 A schematic diagram of the structure of a polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0037] Figure 5A schematic diagram of the structure of a fixing component of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0038] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of a fixing component of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0039] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a pre-fixed component of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention;

[0040] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of a rotation adjustment component of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention;

[0041] Fig. 9 A schematic cross-sectional view of a polarization-maintaining optical fiber during debugging of a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the scheme of the present invention, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0043] like Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows the situation when each polarization-maintaining fiber in a multi-channel polarization-maintaining fiber array is rotated and debugged. When the polarization-maintaining fibers on both sides are rotated and debugged for 12 channels or more channels, the method based on the prior art deviates seriously from the center of the polarization-maintaining fiber array during rotation, or the polarization-maintaining fiber is easily damaged due to a large arc change, such as Figure 1 As shown by the red dotted line in the middle, when the conventional debugging device rotates this part of the optical fiber, the center of the optical fiber in this part will deviate from the center of the optical fiber array when rotating the optical fibers on both sides, making it easy for this part of the optical fiber to deviate from the groove of the original positioning optical fiber array positioning cover plate or deviate from the center of the groove during rotation, or the polarization-maintaining optical fiber is easily damaged during rotation debugging due to the large curvature change. When targeting multiple channels such as 32 and 64, the deviation phenomenon is more obvious, that is, the curvature change is more obvious. It can be known that the larger the number of channels, the larger the debugging angle will be based on the existing debugging method. Figure 1The figure only shows the polarization-maintaining fiber of the multi-channel fiber array, which does not represent the actual number of channels in the fiber array. Therefore, when rotating and debugging a multi-channel polarization-maintaining fiber array such as 16, 32, or 64, it is difficult to ensure that each fiber is located at the center of the fiber array during rotation, making debugging more difficult.

[0044] The present invention provides a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array; Figure 2-Figure 3 As shown, they are the front view and the top view of the system respectively; it includes a polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component 10, a fixing component 20, a pre-fixing component 30 and a rotation adjustment component 40 which are arranged in sequence; the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array includes at least N channels of polarization-maintaining optical fibers, N≥6; N polarization-maintaining optical fiber channels are arranged in the polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component 10; the fixing component 20 includes at least two fixing members, which are respectively used to fix the polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels; the pre-fixing component 30 includes at least two pre-fixing members, which are respectively used to pre-fix the polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels in the same fixing member; the pre-fixing component 30 is movably adapted to the positions of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers in different channels; the rotation adjustment component 40 includes at least one rotation adjustment frame, which is used to adjust the rotation angles of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers in different channels in the same fixing member; the rotation adjustment component 40 is movably adapted to different positions of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers in different channels.

[0045] Or the N-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber defined in the present invention, N≥8, or N≥12, or N≥16, or N≥32.

[0046] In detail, Figures 2-3 As shown, a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining fiber array is provided, and each component is fixed on a substrate in sequence; the small angle defined in the present invention means that when for a multi-channel fiber array, especially a multi-channel polarization-maintaining fiber array of 12, 16, 32, 64, etc., the pre-fixing component 30 and the rotating adjustment component 40 can be adjusted to movably adapt to the position of polarization-maintaining fibers of different channels, so that each polarization-maintaining fiber on both sides of the multi-channel polarization-maintaining fiber array deviates from the axial position of the polarization-maintaining fiber as small an angle as possible, combined with Figure 1 That is, each polarization-maintaining optical fiber on both sides is rotated as far as possible from the position of the axis of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber by a small angle, so that each polarization-maintaining optical fiber can be rotated at a small angle.

[0047] Furthermore, it also includes a polarization-maintaining fiber end face monitoring system 50, which is used to obtain the rotation angle information of each polarization-maintaining fiber in real time, and feeds the rotation angle information back to the rotation adjustment component 40 in real time, and the rotation level adjustment of each polarization-maintaining fiber is achieved through the interaction between the rotation adjustment component 40 and the polarization-maintaining fiber end face monitoring system 50. Fig. 9As shown, the rotation information of the end face of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber, such as the angles of different polarization-maintaining optical fibers, is obtained through the polarization-maintaining optical fiber end face monitoring system 50. The figure shows the different rotation angles of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber. The information is fed back to the rotation adjustment component 40 in real time to adjust the rotation angle of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber, thereby achieving rotational leveling of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber.

[0048] In more detail, the polarization-maintaining fiber array includes at least N channels of polarization-maintaining fibers, where N ≥ 8, and N is an even integer, such as 12, 16, 32, 64, etc.; Figure 1 The polarization-maintaining fiber array shown includes N channels of polarization-maintaining fibers. Fig. 9 A case where an array of 12 polarization-maintaining optical fibers is included is shown.

[0049] In some embodiments, in combination Figure 4-1 and Figure 4-2 The polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component 10 includes a support 103 and a support member 102 and a clamping member 101 located on the support 103. The support member 102 is fixedly connected to the support 103, and the clamping member 101 is movably connected to the support member 102, such as a threaded screw connection. The optical fiber cover plate and the optical fiber base of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array are compressed and fixed by controlling the clamping member 101 to move along its axial direction. Figure 4-2 The cross-sectional structure diagram is shown when the pressing member 101 presses the optical fiber cover plate and the optical fiber base; the polarization-maintaining optical fiber is accommodated between the optical fiber cover plate and the optical fiber base; N polarization-maintaining optical fiber channels are arranged in the polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component 10, Figure 4-2 The diagram shows that 12 polarization-maintaining fiber channels are included to accommodate polarization-maintaining fibers of the channels corresponding to the polarization-maintaining fiber arrays.

[0050] Furthermore, the fixing assembly 20 includes at least two fixing members, which are respectively used to fix polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels, such as Figure 5 As shown, the fixing assembly 20 includes three fixing members 211; each fixing member simultaneously fixes at least n polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels; the fixing member 211 is connected to the fixing member base 212 through a connecting member, and can be moved along the axial direction of the fixing member 211. Based on this, the number of fixing members is limited to not less than N / n to achieve adjustment and fixation of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber.

[0051] Of course, in some other embodiments, the number of polarization-maintaining optical fibers simultaneously fixed by each fixture can be different, that is, the n polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different fixtures can be 3, 4, 5, ..., n, etc., which are also within the protection scope of the present invention. It is determined according to the number of channels of the multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array, and those skilled in the art can make different adjustments according to specific circumstances.

[0052] At the same time, in the present invention, the number of fixing members in the fixing assembly is limited to be adjustable, and the number of fixing members is selected according to the number of different polarization-maintaining optical fiber channels, which is beneficial in this regard.

[0053] Furthermore, it is defined that the fixing assembly 20 includes N / 4 fixing members 211 to adapt to the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array of N channels, such as Figure 5 As shown, the fixing assembly 20 includes three fixing members 211, each fixing member 211 fixing at least four polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels at the same time (of course, in other embodiments, the number of polarization-maintaining optical fibers of each fixing member can be different); the fixing member 211 is connected to the fixing member base 212 through a connecting member. The same fixing member 211 fixes multiple polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels located at the bottom of the fixing member at the same time; different fixing members 211 can fix different numbers of polarization-maintaining optical fibers when fixing, and the fixing timing controlled each time is different. Of course, the number of polarization-maintaining optical fibers fixed by different fixing members 211 can also be the same or different.

[0054] like Figure 5 As shown, the fixed component 20 also includes a first rotating component 201 and a second rotating component 202. The first rotating component 201 is used to move the fixed component 20 along the axis direction of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber, and the second rotating component 202 is used to move the fixed component 20 along the direction perpendicular to the axis direction of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber; thereby controlling the different positions of the fixed component 20 relative to different polarization-maintaining optical fibers, adjusting the different positions of the fixed component 20 relative to the substrate, and realizing the fixation of polarization-maintaining optical fibers at different positions, especially the fixation of polarization-maintaining optical fiber arrays on both sides of a multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array. Such a control method is adapted to polarization-maintaining optical fibers with different numbers of channels, and the relative position of the fixed component 20 is adjusted.

[0055] Furthermore, the first rotating assembly 201 and the second rotating assembly 202 are used to control the different positions of the fixed assembly 20 relative to the polarization-maintaining fiber array, so as to realize the debugging of polarization-maintaining fibers of different channels. Of course, the control stroke of the first rotating assembly 201 and the second rotating assembly 202 is determined based on the number of channels in the polarization-maintaining fiber array, so as to realize that the multiple fixing members 211 can completely fix all polarization-maintaining fibers. When the number of channels of the polarization-maintaining fiber array is different, the stroke of controlling the first rotating assembly 201 and the second rotating assembly 202 is also different, which can be determined by the number of polarization-maintaining lights in different channels and the spacing between adjacent polarization-maintaining fibers. This is easy to realize, and the present invention does not make a specific stroke limitation.

[0056] The first rotating assembly 201 and the second rotating assembly 202 are respectively connected to the fixing member 211 through a fixed rotating platform to achieve fixed connection. Figure 5 shown.

[0057] Further, if Figure 6As shown, the fixing assembly 20 includes N / n fixing members 211, where N represents the number of channels of the polarization-maintaining fiber array, and n represents the number of polarization-maintaining fibers that each fixing member fixes simultaneously. In more detail, the figure shows that each fixing member fixes at least 4 polarization-maintaining fibers simultaneously. Assuming that the polarization-maintaining fiber array has 12 channels, it is necessary to set at least 3 fixing members 211, which are connected to the fixing assembly 20 through connectors. The moving stroke of any fixing member 211 along its axial direction is controlled, and by controlling the end position of the fixing member 211 toward the polarization-maintaining fiber, any 4 polarization-maintaining fibers can be fixed simultaneously; it can be known that the fixing states of the multiple polarization-maintaining fibers controlled by different fixing members 211 can be different, such as fixed or not fixed, and the control state of each fixing member 211 is independent and individually adjustable.

[0058] At the same time, if Figure 7 As shown, the pre-fixed assembly 30 includes a pre-fixed base 301 and a pre-fixed bottom plate 303. The pre-fixed base 301 and the pre-fixed bottom plate 303 are connected by a fixed connecting member 302; the pre-fixed cover plate 304 is movably connected to the pre-fixed bottom plate 303 and can rotate around its connecting axis relative to the pre-fixed bottom plate 303.

[0059] At least n arc-shaped grooves are arranged in the middle of the pre-fixed bottom plate 303, and the number of the arc-shaped grooves is the same as the number of polarization-maintaining optical fibers fixed by each fixing member, such as Figure 7 As shown, the polarization-maintaining optical fiber to be fixed in the same fixing member can be fixed.

[0060] Furthermore, a locking hole 306 is provided in the middle of the pre-fixed cover plate 304, and the number of the locking holes 306 is the same as the arc-shaped grooves of the pre-fixed bottom plate 303. Through the cooperation of each locking hole 306 and a locking member (not shown in the figure), any one of the n polarization-maintaining optical fibers in the same fixture can be fixed. In this way, the n polarization-maintaining optical fibers in each fixture can be fixed.

[0061] At the same time, further, the pre-fixed component 30 also includes a third rotating component 305, through which the pre-fixed component 30 can be moved relative to the direction of different polarization-maintaining optical fibers, and the position is a position perpendicular to the axial direction of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber. The relative position of the movable pre-fixed component 30 can be controlled, so that the pre-fixed component 30 can be movably adapted to the positions of polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels, especially to the n polarization-maintaining optical fibers that need to be fixed by different fixings; when assembling and debugging a multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array, by adjusting the position of the pre-fixed component 30 relative to different polarization-maintaining optical fibers, each polarization-maintaining optical fiber can be debugged at a smaller deflection angle to debug the polarization-maintaining optical fibers at different positions, thereby reducing the angle of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers at different positions deviating from the central axis of the entire polarization-maintaining optical fiber array, so that the deflection angle is smaller, so as to realize the debugging of the small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array.

[0062] Further integration Figure 8 , shows a rotation adjustment component 40, including at least one rotation adjustment frame 403, the rotation adjustment frame 403 is provided with a clamping part 4031 in the direction of the polarization-maintaining fiber, each polarization-maintaining fiber is clamped by the clamping part 4031, and the rotation adjustment frame 403 is used to adjust the rotation angle of the polarization-maintaining fibers of different channels in the same fixing member 211, so as to realize the debugging of each polarization-maintaining fiber; the rotation adjustment component 40 can be movably adapted to different positions of polarization-maintaining fibers of different channels. In detail, one end of the rotation adjustment frame 403 is rotatably fixed on the rotation adjustment base 401, and the other end is connected to each polarization-maintaining fiber that needs to be adjusted or debugged. After adjusting the angle of each polarization-maintaining fiber, the corresponding locking hole 306 and the locking member in the pre-fixing component 30 are used to fix a certain polarization-maintaining fiber; after adjusting the corresponding number of polarization-maintaining fibers, it can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the polarization-maintaining fiber array, so as to adapt to the rotation debugging of different polarization-maintaining fibers under different fixing members.

[0063] certainly, Figure 8 The case where one rotating adjustment rack 403 is included is shown. Of course, according to the number of polarization-maintaining optical fibers under the same fixture, n rotating adjustment racks 403 can be limited, where n is not greater than 4, such as 2 rotating adjustment racks 403 and 3 rotating adjustment racks 403. The debugging efficiency can be improved by using multiple rotating adjustment racks 403. Of course, one rotating adjustment rack 403 can be provided to reduce the space and manufacturing cost of the equipment. At the same time, debugging one polarization-maintaining optical fiber each time can improve the debugging accuracy.

[0064] Furthermore, the rotation adjustment component 40 also includes a fourth rotation component 402 and a fifth rotation component 404. The fourth rotation component 402 and the fifth rotation component 404 are used to control the different positions of the rotation adjustment component 40 relative to each polarization-maintaining optical fiber to adapt to the adjustment of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber and the adjustment of polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different lengths, which is beneficial to the present invention.

[0065] During rotation debugging, after a certain polarization-maintaining optical fiber is fixed by the pre-fixing component 30, the fixed polarization-maintaining optical fiber is removed at one end of the rotating adjustment frame 403 to fix the polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the next step, and so on, to achieve one-to-one fixation of n polarization-maintaining optical fibers under the same fixing member.

[0066] After the n polarization-maintaining optical fibers under the same fixture are fixed one by one, the corresponding fixtures 211 in the fixture assembly 20 are fixed to achieve the fixation of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers under a group of fixtures 211; and so on, the fixation of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers required to be fixed by other fixtures 211 is achieved. After all the polarization-maintaining optical fibers under all the fixtures 211 are fixed, the dispensing and exposure systems are controlled, such as Figures 2-3 As shown, the debugging and assembly of the multi-channel polarization-maintaining fiber array is realized, and the assembly of the multi-channel polarization-maintaining fiber array is completed.

[0067] Meanwhile, in some other embodiments, the present invention provides a method for debugging a small-angle polarization-maintaining fiber array. The method is based on a debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining fiber array described in any of the aforementioned embodiments, and in detail, comprises the following steps:

[0068] (1) providing a polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component 10, a fixing component 20, a pre-fixing component 30, and a rotation adjustment component 40, and arranging them in sequence;

[0069] (2) Passing N polarization-maintaining optical fibers through the optical fiber assembly component 10 and the fixing component 20 in sequence;

[0070] (3) determining the number of fixing components required in the fixing assembly 20;

[0071] (4) obtaining the number of arc-shaped grooves in the pre-fixing assembly 30 based on the determined number of fixing members; and providing fixing members having the number of arc-shaped grooves;

[0072] (5) Each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixture is clamped by the pre-fixing assembly 30 and the rotation adjustment assembly 40, and its state is adjusted; each time a polarization-maintaining optical fiber is adjusted to meet the requirements, it is pre-fixed by the pre-fixing assembly 30;

[0073] (6) After each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixture is pre-fixed, each group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers is fixed by the corresponding fixture; and the fixation of the next group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers in the same fixture is completed.

[0074] Furthermore, the method further includes step (7), in which steps (5) to (6) are repeated to achieve the debugging and fixing of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array.

[0075] Furthermore, in step (3), the number of fixtures required in the fixture assembly 20 is determined; more specifically, the number of fixtures is calculated to be N / n based on the number n of polarization-maintaining optical fibers fixed by each fixture and the total number N of channels of the multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array.

[0076] Of course, the number of fixing parts in the above-mentioned step (3) is only an example, and the number n of polarization-maintaining optical fibers fixed by each fixing part may be different, including n1, n2, n3, etc., and n1≠n2≠n3, such as 3, 4, 5 polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different numbers, which are also within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0077] In step (4), the number of arcuate grooves in the pre-fixing assembly 30 is determined according to the number n of polarization-maintaining elements fixed by each fixing member determined in step (3), and the number of arcuate grooves is not less than the number n of polarization-maintaining elements fixed by each fixing member.

[0078] Furthermore, when the number n of polarization-maintaining optical fibers fixed by each fixture is different, the number of arc-shaped grooves is equal to the maximum number of polarization-maintaining optical fibers fixed by each fixture, so as to accommodate the debugging of all polarization-maintaining optical fibers under the same fixture.

[0079] Further, in step (5), any one of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers in the same fixture is clamped by the pre-fixing assembly 30 and the rotating adjustment assembly 40, and its state is adjusted; each time a polarization-maintaining optical fiber is adjusted to meet the requirements, it is pre-fixed by the pre-fixing assembly 30 corresponding to the polarization-maintaining optical fiber; in more detail, any one of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers in the same fixture is clamped by the rotating adjustment assembly 40, and its state is rotated to meet the target state requirements, and pre-fixed by the locking hole of the corresponding channel in the pre-fixing assembly 30 corresponding to the polarization-maintaining optical fiber; when the debugging of the first polarization-maintaining optical fiber is completed, the debugging of other polarization-maintaining optical fibers under the same fixture is carried out, and they are pre-fixed again by the locking hole of the corresponding channel in the pre-fixing assembly 30; and so on, the pre-fixation of different polarization-maintaining optical fibers under the same fixture is completed.

[0080] In step (6), after step (5), after each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixture is pre-fixed, each group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers is fixed by the fixture corresponding to the channel, so that each polarization-maintaining optical fiber is fixed under the fixture. At this point, the fixation of a group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers under one fixture is completed.

[0081] After the pre-fixing of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber under one fixture is completed, all polarization-maintaining optical fibers under the fixture are removed, and other polarization-maintaining optical fibers to be fixed are placed on the pre-fixing assembly 30 and the rotation adjustment assembly 40, and the same fixing operation is performed; and so on, steps (5) to (6) are repeated. Through multiple pre-fixing and fixing operations, the polarization-maintaining optical fiber under each fixture can be fixed.

[0082] After each polarization-maintaining optical fiber under each fixture is fixed, the debugging and fixing of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the entire multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array can be realized.

[0083] In step (7), when step (5) is repeated, step (5) also includes moving the relative positions of the pre-fixing component 30 and the rotating adjustment component 40 for different polarization-maintaining optical fibers, so that the pre-fixing component 30 and the rotating adjustment component 40 are adapted to polarization-maintaining optical fibers at different positions, so as to achieve the adjustment of any polarization-maintaining optical fiber of the multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber.

[0084] During debugging, the present invention uses a group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers covered and fixed by each fixture as a fixing unit to fix the polarization-maintaining optical fiber under each fixture. After completing the fixation of multiple polarization-maintaining optical fibers under one fixture, the polarization-maintaining optical fiber of the next fixture is fixed to improve the debugging and fixation accuracy between different optical fiber components, making the system and method of the present invention more suitable for the debugging of polarization-maintaining optical fibers with multiple channels such as 16 and 62, and having unexpected technical effects.

[0085] In a debugging system and method for a small-angle polarization-maintaining fiber array provided by the present invention, it is first proposed to fix polarization-maintaining fibers at different positions respectively by multiple fixings, and each group of polarization-maintaining fibers under the same fixing is pre-fixed by a pre-fixing component and a rotating adjustment component matched with the fixing, so as to realize the fixation of each polarization-maintaining fiber under multiple fixings. In this process, the rotation information of the end face of each polarization-maintaining fiber is obtained in real time by a polarization-maintaining fiber end face monitoring system, such as the angle of different polarization-maintaining fibers, and the information is fed back to the rotating adjustment component in real time to adjust the rotation angle of each polarization-maintaining fiber, so as to realize the fixation of each polarization-maintaining fiber; after each polarization-maintaining fiber under each fixing is fixed, the polarization-maintaining fiber array is solidified by a dispensing and exposure system; and so on, the fixing and solidification operations of all polarization-maintaining fibers are realized. By controlling the relative positions of the pre-fixing component and the rotating adjustment component, the polarization-maintaining fibers at different positions are rotated and debugged as far as possible away from the center at a small angle, so that the polarization-maintaining fibers on both sides of the multi-channel polarization-maintaining fiber array are debugged at a small angle.

[0086] The above specific implementations do not constitute a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations and substitutions can be made according to design requirements and other factors. Any modification, equivalent substitution and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array, characterized in that: The debugging system comprises a polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component, a fixing component, a pre-fixing component and a rotation adjustment component which are arranged in sequence; The polarization-maintaining optical fiber array includes at least N channels of polarization-maintaining optical fibers; N polarization-maintaining optical fiber channels are arranged in the polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component; The fixing assembly includes at least two fixing members, and the fixing members are respectively used to fix the polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels; The pre-fixing assembly comprises at least two pre-fixing members, and the pre-fixing members are respectively used to pre-fix the polarization-maintaining optical fibers located in different channels in the same fixing member; The pre-fixed component is movably adapted to the position of polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels; The rotation adjustment assembly includes at least one rotation adjustment frame, which is used to adjust the rotation angle of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels in the same fixing member; the rotation adjustment assembly can be movably adapted to different positions of the polarization-maintaining optical fibers of different channels.

2. The debugging system of a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component comprises a support, and a supporting member and a pressing member located on the support, wherein the supporting member is fixedly connected to the support, and the pressing member is movably connected to the supporting member.

3. A debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array according to claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: The fixing assembly includes a fixing base, a plurality of fixings, a first rotating assembly and a second rotating assembly; the plurality of fixings, the first rotating assembly and the second rotating assembly are all connected to the fixing base through a connecting member; and the number of the fixings is not less than N / n, N represents the number of channels of the polarization-maintaining fiber array, and n represents the number of polarization-maintaining fibers simultaneously fixed by each fixing.

4. A debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: The pre-fixed assembly includes a pre-fixed base, a pre-fixed bottom plate and a pre-fixed cover plate; the pre-fixed base and the pre-fixed bottom plate are connected by a fixed connecting piece; the pre-fixed cover plate is movably connected to the pre-fixed bottom plate and can rotate around its connecting axis relative to the pre-fixed bottom plate.

5. The debugging system of a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array according to claim 4, characterized in that: A locking hole is arranged in the middle of the pre-fixed cover plate, and the fixing of any polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixing member is achieved through the cooperation of each locking hole and the locking member.

6. A debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array according to claims 4-5, characterized in that: The pre-fixing assembly further includes a third rotating assembly, through which the position of the pre-fixing assembly relative to different polarization-maintaining optical fibers can be moved.

7. A debugging system for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The rotation adjustment assembly includes at least one rotation adjustment frame, and the rotation adjustment frame is provided with a clamping portion facing the direction of the polarization-maintaining optical fiber, and each polarization-maintaining optical fiber is clamped by the clamping portion.

8. A method for debugging a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array, characterized in that: The steps include: (1) Providing a polarization-maintaining optical fiber assembly component, a fixing component, a pre-fixing component, and a rotation adjustment component, and arranging them in sequence; (2) passing N polarization-maintaining optical fibers through the optical fiber assembly component and the fixing component in sequence; (3) determining the number of fixing parts required in the fixing assembly; (4) obtaining the number of arc-shaped grooves in the pre-fixing assembly based on the determined number of the fixing members; and providing the fixing members having the number of arc-shaped grooves; (5) clamping each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixture by the pre-fixing assembly and the rotation adjustment assembly, and adjusting the status thereof; Each time a polarization-maintaining optical fiber is debugged to meet the requirements, it is pre-fixed by the pre-fixing component; (6) After each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the same fixture is pre-fixed, each group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers is fixed by the corresponding fixture; and the fixation of the next group of polarization-maintaining optical fibers in the same fixture is completed.

9. The debugging method of a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array according to claim 8, characterized in that: The method further comprises step (7), in which steps (5) to (6) are repeated to achieve the debugging and fixing of each polarization-maintaining optical fiber in the multi-channel polarization-maintaining optical fiber array.

10. A debugging method for a small-angle polarization-maintaining optical fiber array according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The step (5) further includes moving the positions of the pre-fixing component and the rotating adjustment component relative to the polarization-maintaining optical fiber array so that the pre-fixing component and the rotating adjustment component are adapted to polarization-maintaining optical fibers at different positions.

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