Resin coating device for optical fiber ribbon, production device and resin coating method

Abstract

The invention discloses a resin coating device for an optical fiber ribbon, a production device and a resin coating method, and relates to the technical field of optical fiber curing, a visual positioning device collects position information of the optical fiber ribbon in a mold base, and a controller controls a three-dimensional driving device to drive a dispensing device to move according to the position information; the flow adjusting device is controlled to adjust the glue outlet flow of the glue dispensing device, a proper amount of resin can be accurately smeared on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon, and compared with a traditional immersion type coating mode, the resin consumption is reduced, and the production cost is reduced; according to the invention, dispensing coating is adopted instead of traditional immersion type coating, so that the optical fiber ribbon is prevented from being completely immersed in the resin, and extrusion and lateral pressure of the resin on the optical fiber ribbon in the immersion process of the optical fiber ribbon are fundamentally avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of optical fiber curing, and in particular to a resin coating device, a production device, and a resin coating method for an optical fiber ribbon. Background Art

[0002] Optical fiber ribbons are made by bonding multiple colored optical fibers in a 12-color spectrum (blue, orange, green, brown, gray, white, red, black, yellow, purple, pink, and cyan) using UV-curable resin. The production process involves fiber payout, resin coating, curing, and then winding.

[0003] Regarding the resin coating process of optical fiber ribbons, the original optical fiber ribbon production mostly adopted the "immersion" coating method of curing resin. This method has the disadvantages of large amount of curing resin consumption, overflow of the mold, and large waste. The hollow-core optical fiber used in the production of low-latency optical cables has high requirements for small lateral force. If the traditional "immersion" coating method of curing resin is used, the pressure of the resin will squeeze the hollow-core optical fiber, and the lateral force on the hollow-core optical fiber will be relatively large.

[0004] Therefore, how to reduce the amount of resin used and how to effectively prevent the hollow-core optical fiber from being subjected to large lateral forces are issues that need to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a resin coating device, a production device and a resin coating method for an optical fiber ribbon, which are used to solve the problems of the "immersion" coating method of curing resin, which has the problems of large amount of curing resin used and large lateral force on the hollow-core optical fiber.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a resin coating device for optical fiber ribbons, comprising: a three-dimensional driving device, a dispensing device, a mold base, a visual positioning device, a flow regulating device and a controller;

[0007] The three-dimensional driving device is connected to the dispensing device, and the three-dimensional driving device is used to drive the dispensing device to move in a three-dimensional direction. The mold base is located below the dispensing device, and the mold base is provided with a first groove for constraining the optical fiber ribbon. The visual positioning device is used to collect the position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base. The flow regulating device is connected to the dispensing device, and the controller is respectively connected to the three-dimensional driving device, the visual positioning device and the flow regulating device. The controller is used to control the flow regulating device to adjust the glue output flow of the dispensing device, and control the three-dimensional driving device to drive the dispensing device to move according to the position information to coat the optical fiber ribbon with resin.

[0008] Based on the above embodiments, in a feasible embodiment, the three-dimensional driving device includes a first linear motor, a second linear motor and a piezoelectric ceramic driver, the first linear motor is connected to the second linear motor, the second linear motor is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver, the piezoelectric ceramic driver is connected to the dispensing device, the first linear motor is used to drive the dispensing device to move along the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the second linear motor is used to drive the dispensing device to move along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the piezoelectric ceramic driver is used to change the distance between the dispensing device and the optical fiber ribbon.

[0009] Based on the above embodiments, in a feasible embodiment, a mounting plate is further included, the dispensing device includes a plurality of dispensing guns, the plurality of dispensing guns are assembled on the mounting plate, and the plurality of dispensing guns are spaced apart along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the mounting plate is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver.

[0010] Based on the above embodiments, in a feasible embodiment, the flow regulating device is assembled on the mounting plate, the flow regulating device includes a rubber cartridge, a flow regulating valve and a flow meter, the flow regulating valve is arranged at the outlet of the rubber cartridge, the dispensing gun is connected to the outlet of the rubber cartridge through a delivery pipeline, the flow meter is arranged in the delivery pipeline, and the controller is connected to the flow meter.

[0011] Based on the above embodiments, in a feasible embodiment, it also includes a mold cover plate covered on one end of the mold base, the mold cover plate is provided with a second groove, the second groove of the mold cover plate and the first groove of the mold base form a channel for the optical fiber ribbon to pass through, and the visual positioning device is provided above the other end of the mold base.

[0012] The present application also provides a production device for optical fiber ribbons, including an optical fiber pay-out frame, an optical fiber convergence mold, the resin coating device, a curing furnace, an inkjet printer and a take-up device. One end of the optical fiber ribbon is wound around the optical fiber pay-out frame, and the other end of the optical fiber ribbon is connected to the take-up device through the optical fiber convergence mold, the resin coating device, the curing furnace and the inkjet printer in sequence.

[0013] The present application also provides a method for coating an optical fiber ribbon with resin, which is applied to the resin coating device of the optical fiber ribbon, comprising:

[0014] Obtaining a production speed and a number of optical fiber ribbon cores, and determining a target glue flow rate of a glue dispensing device according to the production speed and the number of optical fiber ribbon cores;

[0015] Obtaining position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base collected by the visual positioning device;

[0016] The flow regulating device is controlled to regulate the dispensing flow of the dispensing device to the target dispensing flow, and the three-dimensional driving device is controlled to drive the dispensing device to move according to the position information, so as to perform resin coating on the optical fiber ribbon.

[0017] Based on the above embodiment, in a feasible embodiment, before the flow regulating device is controlled to regulate the glue output flow rate of the glue dispensing device to the target glue output flow rate, the method further includes:

[0018] Determining the glue line width of the glue dispensing device;

[0019] Determining a target distance between the needle of the dispensing device and the optical fiber ribbon according to the glue line width and the target glue flow rate;

[0020] The three-dimensional driving device is controlled to move the dispensing device to adjust the distance between the needle of the dispensing device and the optical fiber ribbon to the target distance.

[0021] Based on the above embodiment, in a feasible embodiment, controlling the three-dimensional driving device to drive the dispensing device to move according to the position information includes:

[0022] Determine the starting position and the ending position of the dispensing device in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon according to the position information; wherein the starting position is located on one side of the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the ending position is located on the other side of the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon;

[0023] The three-dimensional driving device is controlled according to the starting position and the end position to drive the dispensing device to move back and forth along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0024] Based on the above embodiment, in a feasible embodiment, after the dispensing device moves back and forth a preset number of times along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the method further includes:

[0025] Determining a target number of times the dispensing device moves in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon according to the position information and the width of the glue line;

[0026] After staying at the starting position or the end position for a preset time period, the three-dimensional driving device is controlled to drive the dispensing device to move a preset distance in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and at the same time, the dispensing device is driven to move at a preset speed in the moving direction of the optical fiber ribbon; wherein the preset distance is equal to the width of the glue line, and the preset speed is used to ensure that a continuous resin coating strip exists in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the resin coating strip extends from one side to the other side in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon;

[0027] After the dispensing device moves the target number of times in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, it stays for the preset time period and then enters the step of controlling the three-dimensional driving device according to the starting position and the end position to drive the dispensing device to move back and forth along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0028] The present application provides a resin coating device for an optical fiber ribbon, comprising: a visual positioning device for collecting position information of the optical fiber ribbon in a mold base, a controller for controlling a three-dimensional driving device to drive a dispensing device to move according to the position information, and a flow regulating device for regulating the dispensing flow rate of the dispensing device, thereby being able to accurately apply an appropriate amount of resin to the surface of the optical fiber ribbon. Compared with the traditional "immersion" coating method, the amount of resin used is reduced and the production cost is lowered; the use of dispensing coating instead of the traditional "immersion" coating avoids the optical fiber ribbon from being completely immersed in the resin, thereby fundamentally avoiding the extrusion and lateral pressure of the resin on the optical fiber ribbon during the immersion process.

[0029] The beneficial effects of the optical fiber ribbon production device and resin coating method provided in this application correspond to those of the resin coating device, and the effects are as described above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0031] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a resin coating device for an optical fiber ribbon provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 2 A structural diagram of a production device for optical fiber ribbons provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 3 A flowchart of a resin coating method for an optical fiber ribbon provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a pattern formed by resin coating on an optical fiber ribbon provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0035] The figure numbers are as follows: 1-three-dimensional driving device, 2-glue dispensing device, 3-mold base, 4-visual positioning device, 5-flow regulating device, 6-mounting plate, 7-mold cover, 8-optical fiber pay-off rack, 9-optical fiber convergence mold, 10-resin coating device, 11-curing furnace, 12-inkjet printer, 13-take-up device, 101-first linear motor, 102-second linear motor, 103-piezoelectric ceramic driver, 301-first groove, 302-fastening threaded hole, 303-first assembly screw hole, 501-rubber cylinder, 502-delivery pipeline, 701-second groove, 702-second assembly screw hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following will be combined with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of this application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0037] The core of this application is to provide a resin coating device, a production device and a resin coating method for an optical fiber ribbon, which are used to reduce the amount of resin used and effectively avoid large lateral forces on hollow-core optical fibers.

[0038] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0039] Figure 1 A structural diagram of a resin coating device for an optical fiber ribbon provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the resin coating device 10 for the optical fiber ribbon includes: a three-dimensional driving device 1, a dispensing device 2, a mold base 3, a visual positioning device 4, a flow regulating device 5 and a controller; the three-dimensional driving device 1 is connected to the dispensing device 2, and the three-dimensional driving device 1 is used to drive the dispensing device 2 to move in a three-dimensional direction. The mold base 3 is located below the dispensing device 2, and the mold base 3 is provided with a first groove 301 for constraining the optical fiber ribbon. The visual positioning device 4 is used to collect the position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base 3. The flow regulating device 5 is connected to the dispensing device 2, and the controller is respectively connected to the three-dimensional driving device 1, the visual positioning device 4 and the flow regulating device 5. The controller is used to control the flow regulating device 5 to adjust the glue output flow of the dispensing device 2, and control the three-dimensional driving device 1 to drive the dispensing device 2 to move according to the position information to perform resin coating on the optical fiber ribbon.

[0040] The present embodiment does not specifically limit the structure of the three-dimensional drive device 1. The three-dimensional drive device 1 may be a nut-screw mechanism, a rack-and-pinion mechanism, or a synchronous belt drive mechanism. The three-dimensional drive device 1 is used to drive the dispensing device 2 to move in three dimensions, including the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon (x-axis), the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon (y-axis), and the height direction of the optical fiber ribbon (z-axis).

[0041] The dispensing device 2 is used to apply resin to the surface of the optical fiber ribbon. The dispensing device 2 may include only one dispensing gun; to improve the resin coating efficiency, the dispensing device 2 may include multiple dispensing guns.

[0042] The mold base 3 is provided with a threaded fastening hole 302 for fastening the mold base 3 to the work surface with bolts. The mold base 3 is located below the dispensing device 2 and is designed with a first groove 301 for restraining the optical fiber ribbon. The first groove 301 can restrain the optical fiber ribbon in a specific position, providing a stable reference surface for the dispensing operation, ensuring that the optical fiber ribbon does not shift during the coating process, thereby improving the coating quality. The multiple optical fibers in the optical fiber ribbon are arranged in sequence along the width direction of the first groove 301. The optical fiber ribbon can be moved along the length direction of the first groove 301 under the traction of the take-up device 13. The movement direction of the optical fiber ribbon is also the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0043] The visual positioning device 4 uses a high-definition pixel industrial camera to capture the position of the optical fiber ribbon in real time, and transmits the position of the optical fiber in the mold base 3 to the controller in real time, with a resolution of micron level.

[0044] The flow regulating device 5 is connected to the glue dispensing device 2, and its function is to regulate and control the glue discharge flow of the glue dispensing device 2 according to the specifications, coating requirements and actual operation conditions of different optical fiber ribbons.

[0045] The controller is the core of the entire device, connected to the 3D drive unit 1, the visual positioning unit 4, and the flow control unit 5. On the one hand, it receives the optical fiber ribbon position information collected by the visual positioning unit 4 and controls the 3D drive unit 1 to drive the dispensing unit 2 to move accordingly. On the other hand, it also controls the flow control unit 5 to adjust the glue flow rate of the dispensing unit 2 in real time.

[0046] A resin coating device 10 for an optical fiber ribbon provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: a three-dimensional driving device 1, a dispensing device 2, a mold base 3, a visual positioning device 4, a flow regulating device 5 and a controller; the three-dimensional driving device 1 is connected to the dispensing device 2, and the three-dimensional driving device 1 is used to drive the dispensing device 2 to move in a three-dimensional direction, the mold base 3 is located below the dispensing device 2, and the mold base 3 is provided with a first groove 301 for constraining the optical fiber ribbon, the visual positioning device 4 is used to collect position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base 3, the flow regulating device 5 is connected to the dispensing device 2, and the controller is respectively connected to the three-dimensional driving device 1, the visual positioning device 4 and the flow regulating device 5, and the controller is used to control the flow regulating device 5 to adjust the glue output flow of the dispensing device 2, and control the three-dimensional driving device 1 to drive the dispensing device 2 to move according to the position information to perform resin coating on the optical fiber ribbon. The visual positioning device 4 collects the position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base 3. The controller controls the three-dimensional driving device 1 to drive the dispensing device 2 to move according to the position information, and controls the flow regulating device 5 to adjust the glue output flow of the dispensing device 2, so as to accurately apply an appropriate amount of resin to the surface of the optical fiber ribbon. Compared with the traditional "immersion" coating method, the amount of resin used is reduced and the production cost is reduced. The use of dispensing coating instead of the traditional "immersion" coating avoids the optical fiber ribbon from being completely immersed in the resin, thereby fundamentally avoiding the extrusion and lateral pressure of the resin on the optical fiber ribbon during the immersion process.

[0047] Based on the above embodiments, the three-dimensional driving device 1 of the embodiment of the present application includes a first linear motor 101, a second linear motor 102 and a piezoelectric ceramic driver 103. The first linear motor 101 is connected to the second linear motor 102, the second linear motor 102 is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver 103, and the piezoelectric ceramic driver 103 is connected to the dispensing device 2. The first linear motor 101 is used to drive the dispensing device 2 to move along the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the second linear motor 102 is used to drive the dispensing device 2 to move along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the piezoelectric ceramic driver 103 is used to change the distance between the dispensing device 2 and the optical fiber ribbon.

[0048] The movable end of the first linear motor 101 is connected to the second linear motor 102, primarily responsible for driving the dispensing device 2 along the length of the optical fiber ribbon. The movable end of the second linear motor 102 is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver 103, primarily responsible for driving the dispensing device 2 along the width of the optical fiber ribbon. The piezoelectric ceramic driver 103 is connected to the dispensing device 2 and primarily responsible for driving the dispensing device 2 along the height of the optical fiber ribbon to change the distance between the dispensing device 2 and the optical fiber ribbon. The piezoelectric ceramic driver 103 features fast response speed, high precision (accuracy ±0.001mm), and the ability to achieve precise displacement control within a very small range.

[0049] Based on the above embodiment, the present embodiment further includes a mounting plate 6. The dispensing device 2 includes multiple dispensing guns, which are mounted on the mounting plate 6 and spaced apart along the width of the optical fiber ribbon. The mounting plate 6 is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver 103. The dispensing guns can use tungsten steel needles with an inner diameter of 0.15 mm.

[0050] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the number of dispensing guns. Figure 1 As shown, two dispensing guns are provided. The multiple dispensing guns mounted on the mounting plate 6 are spaced apart in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon. This design allows for flexible selection of the number of dispensing guns working simultaneously based on the width of the optical fiber ribbon and the actual coating requirements, enabling simultaneous coating of multiple points and improving coating efficiency. For example, for a wider optical fiber ribbon, multiple dispensing guns can be used to work simultaneously to quickly complete the resin coating within the entire width range; while for a narrower optical fiber ribbon, only one dispensing gun can be used for coating. The dispensing guns in the implementation of this application can be detachably connected to the mounting plate 6 to facilitate adjustment of the distance between two adjacent dispensing guns. In addition to being spaced apart in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the dispensing guns can also be spaced apart in the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon. The mounting plate 6 is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver 103. The mounting plate 6 serves as a fixing and supporting component for the dispensing guns, ensuring that the relative positions of the multiple dispensing guns are stable. The mounting plate 6 provides a stable mounting base for the dispensing guns, enabling the dispensing guns to maintain a stable posture during operation. At the same time, the mounting plate 6 is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver 103, and can accurately transmit the tiny displacement of the piezoelectric ceramic driver 103 to the dispensing gun, thereby adjusting the distance between the dispensing gun and the optical fiber ribbon.

[0051] Based on the above embodiments, the flow regulating device 5 of the embodiment of the present application is assembled on the mounting plate 6. The flow regulating device 5 includes a rubber cartridge 501, a flow regulating valve and a flow meter. The flow regulating valve is arranged at the outlet of the rubber cartridge 501. The dispensing gun is connected to the outlet of the rubber cartridge 501 through the delivery pipeline 502. The flow meter is arranged in the delivery pipeline 502, and the controller is connected to the flow meter.

[0052] The glue cartridge 501 in the embodiment of the present application is used to store resin, and a flow regulating valve is provided at its outlet, by adjusting the valve, the outflow of the resin in the glue cartridge 501 can be controlled; the dispensing gun is connected to the outlet of the glue cartridge 501 through the delivery pipeline 502, so that the resin can pass through the flow regulating valve and the delivery pipeline 502 from the glue cartridge 501, and finally be discharged from the nozzle of the dispensing gun to complete the resin coating of the optical fiber ribbon. The flow meter will feed back the detected glue discharge flow to the controller in real time, so that the controller can accurately regulate the glue discharge flow of the dispensing gun.

[0053] Based on the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present application also includes a mold cover plate 7 covering one end of the mold base 3, the mold cover plate 7 is provided with a second groove 701, the second groove 701 of the mold cover plate 7 and the first groove 301 of the mold base 3 form a channel for the optical fiber ribbon to pass through, and the visual positioning device 4 is provided above the other end of the mold base 3.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, the mold base 3 is provided with a first assembly screw hole 303, and the mold cover 7 is provided with a second assembly screw hole 702. The first assembly screw hole 303 and the second assembly screw hole 702 cooperate with bolts to secure the mold cover 7 to the mold base 3. Part of the first assembly screw hole 303 on the mold base 3 can share a hole with part of the fastening threaded hole 302, that is, part of the first assembly screw hole 303 serves as the fastening threaded hole 302. The mold cover 7 is mounted on one end of the mold base 3 and is provided with a second groove 701. When the mold cover 7 is engaged with the mold base 3, the second groove 701 and the first groove 301 of the mold base 3 together form a closed channel for the optical fiber ribbon to pass through. This channel can further constrain and limit the optical fiber ribbon. At the same time, the mold cover 7 can also provide a certain degree of protection for the optical fiber ribbon, preventing external impurities from contaminating the resin-coated optical fiber ribbon. The visual positioning device 4 is located above the other end of the mold base 3 to prevent the mold cover 7 from affecting the visual positioning device 4's collection of optical fiber ribbon position information.

[0055] Figure 2 A structural diagram of a production device for optical fiber ribbons provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 2 As shown, the production device of the optical fiber ribbon includes an optical fiber pay-out frame 8, an optical fiber convergence mold 9, the resin coating device 10 mentioned above, a curing furnace 11, an inkjet printer 12 and a take-up device 13. One end of the optical fiber ribbon is wound on the optical fiber pay-out frame 8, and the other end of the optical fiber ribbon is connected to the take-up device 13 through the optical fiber convergence mold 9, the resin coating device 10, the curing furnace 11 and the inkjet printer 12 in sequence.

[0056] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the structure of the optical fiber pay-out frame 8. The optical fiber pay-out frame 8 may include a plurality of reels, and different reels are wound with optical fibers of different colors. The optical fiber convergence mold 9 is provided with a plurality of grooves arranged along the width direction. The main function is to converge and arrange multiple optical fibers into neatly arranged optical fiber ribbons containing 4-12 cores so as to enter the resin coating device 10 to ensure the neatness of the optical fiber arrangement. The curing furnace 11 mainly adopts an ultraviolet curing furnace 11, which is used to cure the resin on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon. The cured optical fiber ribbon passes through the inkjet printer 12 to print identification information, such as production batch, length mark, optical fiber type, etc. The take-up device 13 includes a take-up reel and a rotating motor. The rotating motor drives the take-up reel to rotate to collect and wind the optical fiber ribbon to form a finished optical fiber ribbon reel.

[0057] Figure 3 A flowchart of a resin coating method for an optical fiber ribbon provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown, the resin coating method of the optical fiber ribbon includes:

[0058] S10: Obtaining the production speed of the optical fiber ribbon and the number of optical fiber ribbon cores, and determining a target glue discharge flow rate of the glue dispensing device according to the production speed and the number of optical fiber ribbon cores.

[0059] S11: Acquire position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base collected by the visual positioning device.

[0060] S12: Control the flow regulating device to adjust the dispensing flow of the dispensing device to a target dispensing flow, and control the three-dimensional driving device to drive the dispensing device to move according to the position information to coat the optical fiber ribbon with resin.

[0061] In step S10, the production speed of the optical fiber ribbon is the speed at which the optical fiber ribbon moves within the mold base 3. This production speed is determined by the speed at which the optical fiber ribbon is collected by the take-up device 13. Regarding how to determine the target glue flow rate of the glue dispensing device 2 based on the production speed and the number of optical fiber ribbon cores, the following method can be used: A first preset list is called to find the target glue flow rate corresponding to the production speed and the number of optical fiber ribbon cores from the first preset list; the first preset list contains the corresponding relationship between the production speed, the number of optical fiber ribbon cores, and the glue flow rate.

[0062] In step S11, the position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base 3 collected by the visual positioning device 4 is obtained, so that the three-dimensional driving device 1 can be used to control the position of the dispensing device 2 relative to the mold base 3 to drive the dispensing device 2 to move, so as to ensure that the glue is coated on the surface of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0063] In step S12, based on the determined target glue flow rate, the controller sends a signal to the flow regulating device 5 to adjust the glue flow rate of the glue dispensing device 2 to the target glue flow rate. Based on the position information provided by the visual positioning device 4, the controller determines the required motion trajectory of the glue dispensing device 2 and then sends a corresponding control signal to the three-dimensional drive device 1. The three-dimensional drive device 1 drives the glue dispensing device 2 to move along the motion trajectory to achieve resin coating of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0064] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also include: determining the glue line width of the glue dispensing device 2; determining the target distance between the needle of the glue dispensing device 2 and the optical fiber ribbon according to the glue line width and the target glue discharge flow rate before controlling the flow regulating device 5 to adjust the glue discharge flow rate of the glue dispensing device 2 to the target glue discharge flow rate; controlling the three-dimensional driving device 1 to move the glue dispensing device 2 to adjust the distance between the needle of the glue dispensing device 2 and the optical fiber ribbon to the target distance.

[0065] For example, if dispensing device 2 includes two dispensing guns, and the optical fiber has a diameter of 0.245 mm, and each dispensing gun needs to cover two optical fibers, then the width of the glue line dispensed by each dispensing gun is approximately 0.5±0.05 mm. Regarding how to determine the target distance between the needle tip of dispensing device 2 and the optical fiber ribbon based on the glue line width and the target glue flow rate, the following method can be used: A second preset list is called and the target distance corresponding to the glue line width and the target glue flow rate is determined based on the second preset list; wherein the second preset list contains the corresponding relationship between the glue line width, the glue flow rate, and the distance between the needle tip of dispensing device 2 and the optical fiber ribbon.

[0066] Based on the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present application controls the three-dimensional driving device 1 to drive the dispensing device 2 to move according to the position information, including: determining the starting position and the end position of the dispensing device 2 in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon according to the position information; wherein the starting position is located on one side of the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the end position is located on the other side of the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon; and controlling the three-dimensional driving device 1 to drive the dispensing device 2 to move back and forth along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon according to the starting position and the end position. By controlling the dispensing device 2 to move back and forth along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the resin pattern coated on the optical fiber ribbon is wavy.

[0067] Based on the above embodiment, after the dispensing device 2 moves back and forth a preset number of times along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the embodiment of the present application further includes: determining the target number of times the dispensing device 2 moves in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon based on the position information and the width of the glue line; staying at the starting position or the end position for a preset time period, controlling the three-dimensional drive device 1 to drive the dispensing device 2 to move a preset distance along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon while driving the dispensing device 2 to move along the moving direction of the optical fiber ribbon at a preset speed; wherein the preset distance is equal to the width of the glue line, and the preset speed is used to make a continuous resin coating strip exist in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the resin coating strip extends from one side to the other side in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon; after the dispensing device 2 moves a target number of times in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, it stays for a preset time period and then enters the step of controlling the three-dimensional drive device 1 to drive the dispensing device 2 to move back and forth along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon based on the starting position and the end position. The implementation of the present application that drives the dispensing device 2 to move in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon while moving in the moving direction of the optical fiber ribbon is to ensure that the optical fiber ribbon has a continuous resin coating section in a certain width direction to meet the functional requirements of rapid splicing of the optical fiber ribbon. The optical fiber ribbon is cut along the width direction at the continuous coating section with resin, and the optical fibers in the optical fiber ribbon will not be scattered, so that the connection is convenient.

[0068] For easier understanding, the following description is given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0069] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a pattern formed by resin coating on an optical fiber ribbon provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4The dispensing device 2 includes two dispensing guns, which are arranged at intervals along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon. The interval between the two dispensing guns in the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon is extremely small and can be ignored; the glue line of each dispensing gun can cover two optical fibers in the optical fiber ribbon, and the two dispensing guns can cover four optical fibers in the optical fiber ribbon.

[0070] After adjusting the distance between the needle of the dispensing device 2 and the optical fiber ribbon to the target distance, the dispensing device 2 is moved to one side in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon according to the position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base 3 collected by the visual positioning device 4, and then the dispensing device 2 is driven to move back and forth once in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, that is, from one side in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon (starting point) to the other side (end point) and then back to the starting point. For this, the resin pattern is "V" shaped.

[0071] Then the dispensing gun stays on one side in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon for a preset time period. Since the optical fiber ribbon moves along its own length direction, the dispensing device 2 forms a first long strip resin pattern (AB) in the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon within the preset time period. The first long strip resin pattern covers four optical fibers; the dispensing device 2 is controlled to move along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon and move along the moving direction of the optical fiber ribbon and then stay for a preset time period to form a second long strip resin pattern (CD). The coating starting point C of the second long strip resin pattern is located between the coating starting point A and the coating end point B of the first long strip resin pattern. Then the dispensing device 2 is controlled to move along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon and move along the moving direction of the optical fiber ribbon and then stay for a preset time period to form a third long strip resin pattern (EF). The coating starting point E of the third long strip resin pattern is located between the coating starting point C and the coating end point D of the second long strip resin pattern, and the coating starting point E of the third long strip resin pattern is also located between the coating starting point A and the coating end point B of the first long strip resin pattern. The coating end point of the third long strip resin pattern is F. For this purpose, the 12 optical fibers in the ribbon are coated. Figure 4 The rectangular box G in the figure is a continuous resin coating strip in a certain width direction of the optical fiber ribbon.

[0072] The V-shaped resin pattern and three long strips of resin pattern constituted one cycle of resin coating. The coating time for one cycle was 200 ms, the production speed of the optical fiber ribbon was 300 m / min, and the distance L of the resin pattern in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber ribbon was 100 cm.

[0073] In traditional optical cable production, fiber ribbons are prepared by "immersing" the colored fibers through a ribbon mold and applying a layer of photocurable resin. In actual use, the continuous production of fiber ribbons through the ribbon mold can cause wear and tear. This is particularly true for hollow-core fibers with high latency requirements, which can lead to excessive lateral forces on the hollow-core fibers, leading to quality issues. In response to this, the present application provides a fiber ribbon resin coating device and method with the following advantages: By integrating a megapixel industrial camera (micrometer-level resolution), a linear motor (±0.005mm accuracy), and a piezoelectric ceramic drive (±0.001mm accuracy), the device achieves micrometer-level fiber position identification and nanometer-level spacing control of the dispensing gun tips, ensuring a stable glue line width of 0.5±0.05mm and significantly improving the flatness of the fiber ribbon. A micro-flowmeter monitors the glue flow rate in real time and dynamically adjusts the flow rate based on production speed, enabling dynamic and adaptive production, reducing resin usage and lowering production costs. The dual dispensing gun design, with each gun covering two fibers and adjustable gun spacing, can accommodate fiber ribbons with 4-12 cores, improving production efficiency. Wave-like discontinuous coating replaces the continuous immersion process, reducing mold wear and extending mold life. In particular, the hollow-core fiber ribbon's mesh structure combined with alternating, fixed-point coating reduces lateral forces on the hollow-core fiber ribbon, ensuring smooth production of low-latency optical cables in subsequent processes and reducing overall production costs. The controller determines the target dispensing flow rate based on the ribbon's production speed and number of cores, effectively matching the ribbon's production speed and improving production efficiency while optimizing the process.

[0074] The above is a detailed introduction to the resin coating device, production device and resin coating method of an optical fiber ribbon provided by the present application. The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same and similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. For the device disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part description. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of this application, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of this application.

[0075] It should also be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. In the absence of further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus comprising the element.

Claims

1. A resin coating device for optical fiber ribbon, characterized in that: include: 3D drive device, dispensing device, mold base, visual positioning device, flow regulation device and controller; The three-dimensional driving device is connected to the dispensing device, and the three-dimensional driving device is used to drive the dispensing device to move in a three-dimensional direction. The mold base is located below the dispensing device, and the mold base is provided with a first groove for constraining the optical fiber ribbon. The visual positioning device is used to collect the position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base. The flow regulating device is connected to the dispensing device, and the controller is respectively connected to the three-dimensional driving device, the visual positioning device and the flow regulating device. The controller is used to control the flow regulating device to adjust the glue output flow of the dispensing device, and control the three-dimensional driving device to drive the dispensing device to move according to the position information to coat the optical fiber ribbon with resin.

2. The resin coating device for optical fiber ribbon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The three-dimensional driving device includes a first linear motor, a second linear motor and a piezoelectric ceramic driver. The first linear motor is connected to the second linear motor, the second linear motor is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver, and the piezoelectric ceramic driver is connected to the dispensing device. The first linear motor is used to drive the dispensing device to move along the length direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the second linear motor is used to drive the dispensing device to move along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the piezoelectric ceramic driver is used to change the distance between the dispensing device and the optical fiber ribbon.

3. The resin coating device for optical fiber ribbon according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a mounting plate, the dispensing device includes a plurality of dispensing guns, the plurality of dispensing guns are assembled on the mounting plate, and the plurality of dispensing guns are spaced apart along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the mounting plate is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic driver.

4. The resin coating device for optical fiber ribbon according to claim 3, characterized in that: The flow regulating device is assembled on the mounting plate, and the flow regulating device includes a rubber cartridge, a flow regulating valve and a flow meter. The flow regulating valve is arranged at the outlet of the rubber cartridge, the dispensing gun is connected to the outlet of the rubber cartridge through a delivery pipeline, the flow meter is arranged in the delivery pipeline, and the controller is connected to the flow meter.

5. The optical fiber ribbon resin coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a mold cover plate covering one end of the mold base, the mold cover plate is provided with a second groove, the second groove of the mold cover plate and the first groove of the mold base form a channel for the optical fiber ribbon to pass through, and the visual positioning device is arranged above the other end of the mold base.

6. A production device for optical fiber ribbons, characterized in that: It comprises an optical fiber pay-out frame, an optical fiber junction mold, a resin coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, a curing furnace, an inkjet printer and a take-up device, one end of the optical fiber ribbon is wound around the optical fiber pay-out frame, and the other end of the optical fiber ribbon is connected to the take-up device through the optical fiber junction mold, the resin coating device, the curing furnace and the inkjet printer in sequence.

7. A method for coating optical fiber ribbon with resin, characterized in that: A resin coating device for an optical fiber ribbon according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: Obtaining a production speed and a number of optical fiber ribbon cores, and determining a target glue flow rate of a glue dispensing device according to the production speed and the number of optical fiber ribbon cores; Obtaining position information of the optical fiber ribbon in the mold base collected by the visual positioning device; The flow regulating device is controlled to regulate the dispensing flow of the dispensing device to the target dispensing flow, and the three-dimensional driving device is controlled to drive the dispensing device to move according to the position information, so as to perform resin coating on the optical fiber ribbon.

8. The resin coating method for optical fiber ribbon according to claim 7, characterized in that: Before the flow regulating device is controlled to regulate the glue flow rate of the glue dispensing device to the target glue flow rate, the method further comprises: Determining the glue line width of the glue dispensing device; Determining a target distance between the needle of the dispensing device and the optical fiber ribbon according to the glue line width and the target glue flow rate; The three-dimensional driving device is controlled to move the dispensing device to adjust the distance between the needle of the dispensing device and the optical fiber ribbon to the target distance.

9. The resin coating method for optical fiber ribbon according to claim 8, characterized in that: Controlling the three-dimensional driving device to drive the dispensing device to move according to the position information includes: Determine the starting position and the ending position of the dispensing device in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon according to the position information; wherein the starting position is located on one side of the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the ending position is located on the other side of the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon; The three-dimensional driving device is controlled according to the starting position and the end position to drive the dispensing device to move back and forth along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon.

10. The resin coating method for optical fiber ribbon according to claim 9, characterized in that: After the dispensing device moves back and forth a preset number of times along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, the method further comprises: Determining a target number of times the dispensing device moves in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon according to the position information and the width of the glue line; After staying at the starting position or the end position for a preset time period, the three-dimensional driving device is controlled to drive the dispensing device to move a preset distance in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and at the same time, the dispensing device is driven to move at a preset speed in the moving direction of the optical fiber ribbon; wherein the preset distance is equal to the width of the glue line, and the preset speed is used to ensure that a continuous resin coating strip exists in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, and the resin coating strip extends from one side to the other side in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon; After the dispensing device moves the target number of times in the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon, it stays for the preset time period and then enters the step of controlling the three-dimensional driving device according to the starting position and the end position to drive the dispensing device to move back and forth along the width direction of the optical fiber ribbon.

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