Optical fiber coating equipment

Abstract

An optical fiber coating apparatus may include a feeding unit; the coating unit comprises a guide wheel mechanism used for conveying optical fibers and a solution pool containing suspension liquid, particles are contained in the suspension liquid, and the guide wheel mechanism is located below the liquid level of the solution pool; an air drying unit; the optical fiber operation control unit comprises a controller and a driving device, the controller is used for controlling the driving device to pull the optical fiber on the feeding disc to sequentially pass through the coating unit and the air drying unit at a preset optical fiber operation linear speed, and in the coating unit, the optical fiber is immersed into the solution pool along the guide wheel mechanism and operates along with the guide wheel mechanism; and the air drying unit is used for drying the optical fiber subjected to film coating treatment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of optical fiber preparation, and more specifically, to an optical fiber coating device. Background Art

[0002] Photocatalysts are photosensitive particles that can be used in many different fields, including but not limited to environmental purification, medical antibacterial materials, photocatalytic reactors, material analysis and detection probes, optical fiber clothing, etc. Photocatalyst particles need to be fixed on a support material to expand their application in different fields.

[0003] At present, photocatalytic optical fiber technology has been developed and applied on a considerable scale. There are many methods for preparing photocatalytic optical fibers. One commonly used method for preparing particle-coated optical fibers includes the following steps: first, stripping the polymer outer coating of the optical fiber, then immersing the inner core of the optical fiber in a particle suspension, and finally drying the impregnated optical fiber in an oven. Before coating, the original polymer protective film on the surface of the optical fiber needs to be removed by pretreatment. Then, the photocatalyst is coated on the quartz optical fiber through three steps of impregnation, air drying and heat treatment. This process allows the particles coated on the optical fiber to form a dense and non-porous coating, but the quartz optical fiber photocatalyst coating material is limited, and the side emission of the quartz optical fiber is not strong enough, resulting in less activation of the photocatalyst by irradiation, thereby reducing both the mass transfer rate and the number of reaction sites.

[0004] The related art also provides a method for preparing optical fiber, which includes: preparing a coating suspension by dispersing one or more particles into an organic solvent system; immersing the optical fiber in the coating suspension so that the polymer outer coating is dissolved by the organic solvent and the particles diffuse into the polymer outer coating; removing the optical fiber from the coating suspension and drying it to form an optical fiber with a porous structure and a porous polymer outer coating coated with particles. However, this method also faces the problems of cumbersome operation, inability to accurately control and industrialization.

[0005] In summary, the current optical fiber coating process or the preparation process of photocatalytic optical fiber still requires frequent manual intervention or complex control operations, which are not only cumbersome and time-consuming, but also often unable to achieve precise control. Utility Model Content

[0006] The technical solution provided by this application at least partially solves the above technical problems.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present application, a fiber optic coating device is provided, which may include a feeding unit for supplying an optical fiber to be processed; a coating unit, including a guide wheel mechanism for conveying the optical fiber and a solution pool containing a suspension, the suspension having particles, and the guide wheel mechanism is located below the liquid surface of the solution pool; an air-drying unit; and an optical fiber operation control unit, including a controller and a drive device, the controller is used to control the drive device to pull the optical fiber on the feeding unit through the coating unit and the air-drying unit in sequence at a preset optical fiber operation line speed, wherein, in the coating unit, the optical fiber is immersed in the solution pool along the guide wheel mechanism and operates with the guide wheel mechanism, so that the particles in the suspension are coated on the surface of the optical fiber, and the air-drying unit is used to dry the optical fiber that has been coated.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber coating apparatus further includes a lifting mechanism for adjusting the height of the guide wheel mechanism.

[0009] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber coating apparatus further includes a solution regulating device for adjusting the liquid level in the solution pool.

[0010] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber coating apparatus further includes an air volume setting module.

[0011] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber operation control unit further includes: a linear speed sensor for sensing the linear speed of the optical fiber operation and feeding back the linear speed to the controller, and the controller controls the linear speed of the driving device pulling the optical fiber according to the fed-back linear speed.

[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the feeding unit includes a feeding tray and a tensioning mechanism, and the tensioning mechanism is used to generate tension on the optical fiber to be processed wound on the feeding tray.

[0013] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber coating equipment also includes a post-processing unit, which includes a threading hole, a screw drive mechanism and a receiving tray, wherein the optical fiber that has undergone drying passes through the threading hole to the receiving tray, and as the receiving tray rotates, the screw drive mechanism synchronously performs linear reciprocating motion, so that the optical fiber is evenly wound on the receiving tray.

[0014] In an exemplary embodiment, the post-processing unit further includes: a cutting device for cutting the optical fiber according to a predetermined cutting length.

[0015] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber coating equipment includes a plurality of cascaded coating units and air-drying units; each coating unit and air-drying unit is connected to an optical fiber operation control unit.

[0016] In an exemplary embodiment, the coating unit further includes: a liquid level sensor configured to monitor the liquid level in the solution pool; and an automatic liquid replenishing device configured to replenish the suspension into the solution pool in response to monitoring that the liquid level is lower than a first liquid level threshold.

[0017] In an exemplary embodiment, the coating unit further includes a paddle stirring device disposed in the solution pool, and a paddle material of the paddle stirring device is selected from one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene and metal.

[0018] In an exemplary embodiment, the air-drying unit includes a cross-flow blower.

[0019] In an exemplary embodiment, the air-drying unit further includes a temperature sensor and a heating device.

[0020] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber coating equipment also includes: a human-computer interaction module, including a parameter setting unit, which is used to set the initial value of the control parameter or adjust the control parameter, wherein the control parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: optical fiber operating line speed, coating time, immersion depth, fan air volume, drying temperature, and take-up length.

[0021] In an exemplary embodiment, the human-computer interaction module includes a touch terminal.

[0022] The optical fiber coating equipment provided in the embodiment of the present application can automatically and industrially control coating quality parameters such as the loading amount of photocatalyst particles or other particles, coating thickness and / or solvent evaporation amount on the optical fiber surface according to optical fibers of different uses, which is conducive to reducing frequent manual intervention and complex control operations; and can achieve precise control of the optical fiber coating process, thereby improving the uniformity and stability of the photocatalyst particles or other particles formed on the optical fiber surface. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Other features, objects and advantages of the present application will become more apparent by reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical fiber coating device according to an embodiment of the present application; and

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a coating unit of an optical fiber coating device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to better understand the present application, a more detailed description will be made of various aspects of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these detailed descriptions are only descriptions of exemplary embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements. The expression "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0027] It should also be understood that expressions such as "include", "including", "have", "contain" and / or "comprising" are open rather than closed expressions in this specification, which indicate the presence of the stated features, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features, elements, components and / or combinations thereof. In addition, when expressions such as "at least one of..." appear after a list of listed features, they modify the entire list of features rather than just the individual elements in the list. In addition, when describing embodiments of the present application, "may" is used to mean "one or more embodiments of the present application". And, the term "exemplary" is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

[0028] Unless otherwise specified, all words (including engineering terms and scientific and technological terms) used in this article have the same meaning as those commonly understood by ordinary technicians in the field to which this application belongs. It should also be understood that, unless clearly stated in this application, words defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having the same meaning as their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.

[0029] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. Any one or more embodiments or elements thereof, or the arrangement or combination of some or all embodiments or elements thereof described herein are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application.

[0030] The features, principles and other aspects of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with specific implementations.

[0031] Figure 1 An optical fiber coating device 100 provided according to an embodiment of the present application is shown, and the optical fiber coating device 100 can be used, for example, to coat photocatalyst particles or non-catalyst particles (such as metal particles) on the surface of an optical fiber having a polymer outer coating. The polymer outer coating can include, but is not limited to, one or more of polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinyl fluoride, polyperfluoroethylene propylene, and polychlorotrifluoroethylene, and the material of the optical fiber inner core can include, but is not limited to, quartz or glass fiber.

[0032] like Figure 1As shown, the optical fiber coating device 100 may include: a feeding unit 10, an optical fiber operation control unit 20, a coating unit 30 and an air drying unit 40. In some embodiments, the optical fiber coating device 100 may further include a post-processing unit 50.

[0033] The feeding unit 10 is used to supply the optical fiber to be processed. In some embodiments, the feeding unit 10 may include a feeding tray and a tensioning mechanism. The pre-processed optical fiber to be processed can be wound on the feeding tray through the threading hole, and the tensioning mechanism can generate a constant tensioning force on the optical fiber wound on the feeding tray. In an exemplary embodiment, the tensioning mechanism may include a stepping motor, and the stepping motor drives the feeding tray to rotate forward or reverse, thereby generating a constant tensioning torque.

[0034] In some embodiments, the optical fiber operation control unit 20 may include a controller and a driving device. The controller may use a pre-set control algorithm or according to input setting parameters (which will be further described below) to control the driving device to pull the optical fiber on the feed tray at a preset optical fiber operation line speed, pass through the coating unit 30 and the air drying unit 40 in sequence, and then transfer it to the post-processing unit 50. For example, the tensioning mechanism of the feed unit 10 causes the feed tray to reverse to generate a constant tensioning force, and the driving device overcomes the tensioning force of the feed tray under the control of the controller, and pulls the optical fiber to operate at a predetermined optical fiber operation line speed.

[0035] As an exemplary embodiment, the controller of the optical fiber operation control unit 20 can achieve precise control of the coating quality parameters on the optical fiber surface by adjusting the optical fiber operation linear speed, wherein the coating quality parameters may include at least one of the following parameters: particle loading, coating thickness, and solvent evaporation amount on the optical fiber surface. In some embodiments, the optical fiber operation control unit 20 may also include a linear speed sensor, which senses the actual linear speed of the optical fiber operation and feeds back to the controller; the controller may control the linear speed of the driving device pulling the optical fiber according to the actual linear speed of the optical fiber operation fed back by the linear speed sensor.

[0036] In an exemplary embodiment, the driving device may include a brushless motor or a stepper motor and a pulley group. Under the drive of the motor, the pulley group is used to transfer the optical fiber on the supply tray to the coating unit 30 for coating treatment. It should be noted that those skilled in the art should understand that although Figure 1 The feeding unit 10 and the optical fiber operation control unit 20 are located above the coating unit 30, but the feeding unit 10 and the optical fiber operation control unit 20 can also be located on one side of the coating unit 30. The present application does not impose any specific restrictions on the relative positions or relative heights between the components or units.

[0037] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in some embodiments, the coating unit 30 may include a guide wheel mechanism and a solution pool, in which a suspension is contained. The suspension can be prepared by dispersing photocatalyst particles or other particles into an organic solvent system. The guide wheel mechanism for conveying the optical fiber is located below the liquid surface of the solution pool. The guide wheel mechanism is used to drive the optical fiber to smoothly pass through the solution pool of the coating unit at a constant linear speed to ensure the uniformity and stability of the optical fiber coating. The optical fiber is immersed in the solution pool along the guide wheel mechanism under the traction of the driving device, and runs with the guide wheel mechanism, so that in the process of the optical fiber passing through the solution pool, the organic solvent as a component of the suspension can remove the polymer outer coating of the optical fiber, and enable the particles in the suspension to be evenly coated on the surface of the optical fiber. That is, the outer coating of the optical fiber will be removed and the coating treatment of the optical fiber will be performed in the coating unit 30.

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, the coating unit 30 may further include a lifting mechanism, which is used to adjust the height of the guide wheel mechanism, thereby controlling the maximum depth of the optical fiber immersed in the solution pool. Figure 2 As shown, the coating unit 30 may have a coating control column 31, and the lifting mechanism may be arranged on the coating control column 31, and the maximum depth of the optical fiber immersed in the solution pool can be controlled by adjusting the lifting height of the guide wheel mechanism. By adjusting the maximum depth of the optical fiber immersed in the solution pool, the length of the optical fiber's travel in the solution pool can be adjusted, and then the coating time of the optical fiber can be adjusted. That is, as an exemplary embodiment, the coating time of the optical fiber and the coating quality parameters such as the particle load and the coating thickness can be jointly determined by the linear speed of the optical fiber and the maximum depth of the optical fiber immersed in the solution pool.

[0039] In other exemplary embodiments, the optical fiber coating equipment may further include a solution control device for adjusting the liquid level in the solution pool; the controller of the optical fiber operation control unit 20 may control the coating time of the optical fiber and the particle load and / or coating thickness and other coating quality parameters by adjusting the optical fiber operation line speed and the liquid level in the solution pool. Exemplarily, the solution control device may include a liquid level sensor, a liquid replenishing device, and a liquid discharging device, so that the liquid level in the solution pool may be adjusted by replenishing or discharging a portion of the suspension.

[0040] According to the optical fiber coating equipment of the above exemplary embodiment of the present application, by adjusting the maximum depth of the optical fiber immersed in the suspension or the liquid level in the solution pool, combined with the setting of the optical fiber running linear speed, precise control of the coating quality parameters on the optical fiber surface can be achieved.

[0041] Among them, the coating quality parameters of the optical fiber surface may include the loading amount of photocatalyst particles, coating thickness, film pore size and porosity, etc. Specifically, the coating quality parameters of the optical fiber surface depend on the properties of the coating solution, such as the concentration of the coating solution and the characteristics of the photocatalytic material contained in the coating solution, which can achieve the regulation of the film pore size (the pore particle size can be nanometer-level regulated, and the pore particle size can be characterized by electron microscopy) and porosity (can be characterized by the density of the coating layer); on the other hand, it is related to the adjustable parameters such as the linear speed of the optical fiber operation and the coating time. Different linear speeds and different coating times will make the coating effects such as the particle loading amount and coating thickness on the optical fiber surface have great differences.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the particle loading on the surface of the optical fiber after being treated by the coating unit of the optical fiber coating equipment of the present application can range from 0.01 mg / cm2 to 1.20 mg / cm2, and the control accuracy can reach 0.025 mg / cm2; the coating thickness can range from 0 to 80 μm, and the control accuracy of the coating thickness can reach 2 μm.

[0043] In an exemplary embodiment, the coating unit 30 may further include a liquid level sensor 32 and an automatic liquid replenishing device 33. The liquid level sensor 32 may monitor the liquid level in the solution pool, and feedback to the automatic liquid replenishing device 33 when it is detected that the liquid level in the solution pool is lower than the first liquid level threshold; the automatic liquid replenishing device 33 may add the suspension to the solution pool according to the signal fed back by the liquid level sensor 32. In addition, the liquid level sensor 32 may also issue a low liquid level alarm when it is detected that the liquid level is lower than the warning liquid level threshold. Exemplarily, the automatic liquid replenishing device 33 may include a stepper peristaltic pump, and the automatic liquid replenishing device 33 is connected to a liquid reservoir (which stores a configured suspension) to achieve automatic liquid replenishment of the solution pool.

[0044] In some embodiments, the coating unit 30 may further include a concentration monitor, which feeds back to the automatic liquid replenishing device 33 when it detects that the concentration of the suspension is lower than the first concentration threshold. The automatic liquid replenishing device 33 may adjust the concentration of the suspension according to the received feedback signal.

[0045] The air-drying unit 40 is used to dry the optical fiber that has been subjected to the above-mentioned coating treatment. The air-drying unit 40 may include an air-drying channel having a certain length, which can ensure that the air-drying time is not less than 10 seconds under a certain linear speed operation. In addition, while ensuring the drying effect, the air-drying channel can also protect the optical fiber that has been subjected to the coating treatment, and prevent the optical fiber from contacting the outside world and causing instability or contamination of the particles coated on the surface of the optical fiber. The air-drying unit 40 can use a cross-flow fan, and the air volume of the fan can be adjusted. In an exemplary embodiment, the air-drying unit 40 may also have a temperature sensor and a heating device to meet different process requirements.

[0046] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber coating equipment may also include an air volume setting module for setting the air volume, so as to achieve adjustable air volume of the air drying unit. The optical fiber coating equipment may also control the air drying effect of the optical fiber surface coating by adjusting the optical fiber running line speed, air volume and / or air drying time, thereby optimizing the coating quality on the optical fiber surface. For the air drying unit, if the air volume is too large, the coating on the optical fiber surface will be unstable, and if the air volume is too small, the air drying time will be too long and the air drying process will be incomplete.

[0047] Exemplarily, the coating quality parameters on the optical fiber surface also include the solvent evaporation amount me on the optical fiber surface. This parameter me characterizes the air-drying effect of the optical fiber coating, which can be expressed by the following formula: me=mt-m0, where m0 is the initial coated optical fiber quality after coating treatment, and mt is the coated optical fiber quality after air-drying time t. The difference between the two is the solvent evaporation amount me on the optical fiber surface. Specifically, the more the solvent evaporation amount (me) on the optical fiber surface, the better the coating quality on the optical fiber surface.

[0048] In one example, taking the air drying unit under standard atmospheric pressure without heating conditions and fixed wind speed as an example, the air drying effect can be controlled by adjusting the air drying time as follows: when the air drying time t = 5s, me can reach 80% me max ; When the air drying time t = 10s, me can reach 98%me max ; When the air drying time t = 20s, me can reach 99%me max ; When the air drying time t = 1d, me can reach 100%me max Among them, me max The amount of solvent evaporated after complete air drying.

[0049] The post-processing unit 50 is used to collect, cut, or perform post-processing such as subsequent coating on the optical fiber that has been dried.

[0050] In some embodiments, post-processing includes receiving processing, and the post-processing unit may include a threading hole, a screw drive mechanism, and a receiving tray 51. The receiving tray 51 has a certain thickness in the axial direction, and the optical fiber that has been dried passes through the threading hole from the outlet of the air drying unit 40 to the receiving tray 51. As the receiving tray 51 rotates, the screw drive mechanism synchronously performs linear reciprocating motion in a direction parallel to the thickness of the receiving tray 51, so that the optical fiber is evenly wound on the receiving tray 51.

[0051] In other embodiments, the optical fiber after the material collection process can be cut, or the optical fiber after the drying process can be cut directly without material collection. The post-processing unit can include a cutting device, which processes the dried optical fiber into a semi-finished or finished optical fiber of a desired predetermined length according to a predetermined cutting length.

[0052] In some other embodiments, according to different optical fiber processing requirements, post-processing may also include secondary coating treatment (or more times) of the optical fiber. The post-processing unit may also include at least a second coating unit for performing subsequent second coating treatment and other treatments on the optical fiber, and the second coating treatment may be a coating of other particles different from the above-mentioned coating treatment, or a treatment for forming other coatings on the optical fiber surface.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, the optical fiber coating equipment may include a plurality of cascaded coating units and air drying units, each of which may be connected to an optical fiber operation control unit, and each coating unit and air drying unit may be independently regulated and controlled by a controller of the optical fiber operation control unit. Each coating unit may be a replicated unit, but for different coating units, the coating solution in the solution pool has different characteristics or the maximum depth of the optical fiber immersed in the solution pool or the linear speed of the operation is different, thereby achieving different coating effects.

[0054] In addition, the optical fiber coating equipment provided according to the embodiment of the present application may also include a human-computer interaction module, which may include a parameter setting unit. Through the parameter setting unit, the initial values ​​of some control parameters can be set or the set control parameters can be adjusted. For example, the control parameters may include any one or more of the following parameters: optical fiber operating line speed, coating time, immersion depth, fan air volume, drying temperature, and take-up length. Exemplarily, the human-computer interaction module may be a touch terminal.

[0055] According to the optical fiber coating equipment of the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, the control of the optical fiber coating equipment can be realized according to the control parameters set or adjusted by the parameter setting unit. For example, according to the set optical fiber operation line speed, the controller in the optical fiber operation control unit can control the driving device; or, according to the set immersion depth, the automatic lifting mechanism of the coating control column can control the lifting height; and, according to the set drying temperature, the heating device can be started, etc.

[0056] It should be understood that according to the optical fiber coating equipment of the above-mentioned embodiment of the present application, the human-computer interaction module can also pre-set the corresponding control algorithm according to the different materials, uses, process requirements, etc. of the optical fiber, including the traction line speed, coating time, fan air volume, drying temperature, take-up length, etc., and only need to perform the corresponding control according to the control algorithm. In addition, according to the process adjustment requirements, a preset control algorithm can be added through the human-computer interaction module, or the current control algorithm can be updated. In some exemplary embodiments, the human-computer interaction module of the optical fiber coating equipment can also be a software system or an application platform.

[0057] In order to facilitate a better understanding of the above-mentioned optical fiber coating equipment provided by the present application, it will be further described below in conjunction with specific applications.

[0058] In an exemplary embodiment, the steps of coating an optical fiber using the optical fiber coating equipment provided by the present application may include: dispersing particles into an organic solvent system to prepare a suspension; immersing an optical fiber coated with a polymer outer coating into the suspension, so that the polymer outer coating is dissolved by the organic solvent and the particles diffuse into the polymer outer coating; removing the optical fiber from the suspension; and drying the optical fiber to prepare an optical fiber having a porous structure and a porous polymer outer coating coated with particles.

[0059] As an exemplary embodiment, the polymer outer coating layer is an outer coating layer formed of one or more materials selected from polyvinylidene fluoride, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyvinyl fluoride, polyperfluoroethylene propylene, and polychlorotrifluoroethylene.

[0060] Exemplarily, the organic solvent system of the suspension may include one or more selected from acetone, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, hexane, n-pentane, ether, and methyl tert-butyl ether. The particles in the suspension may include photocatalyst particles that are insoluble in the organic solvent system, such as one or more selected from g-C3N4 particles, TiO2 particles, and Fe2O3 particles; or, non-photocatalyst particles may also be included, such as one or more selected from Al powder, Cu powder, activated carbon particles, and zeolite particles. Exemplarily, the particle size of the particles is 1nm to 100μm, and the concentration of the particles in the suspension is 1g / L to 1200g / L, and is optionally 50g / L, 80g / L, 100g / L, 200g / L, 300g / L, 800g / L, or 1200g / L. The loading of the particles is 0.01mg / cm to 1.23mg / cm, and further 0.07mg / cm to 0.2mg / cm.

[0061] In an exemplary embodiment, the main material of the solution pool and the liquid reservoir of the coating unit 30 can be glass; other parts (such as a cover, a guide wheel mechanism immersed in the solution, a pipe joint, etc.) can be made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), PP (polypropylene), metal or other acetone-resistant materials. A paddle stirring device can be provided in both the solution pool and the liquid reservoir, and the stirring speed of the paddle stirring device in the solution pool and the liquid reservoir can be adjusted independently. The paddle material of the paddle stirring device can be selected from one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polypropylene, metal and other acetone-resistant materials.

[0062] Table 1 below shows some control parameters of optical fibers according to different applications and types.

[0063] use Material Solution concentration Coating time Air drying time Visible light catalysis Graphitic Carbon Nitride 800g / L 3s 30s Near-ultraviolet efficient photocatalysis Titanium Dioxide 50g / L 2.5s 20s Antibacterial optical fiber Bismuth oxybromide 80g / L 3s 15s

[0064] According to process verification, the optical fiber coating equipment provided in this application can automatically and industrially control the loading amount of photocatalyst particles or other particles, coating thickness, air-drying effect, etc. according to the optical fibers for different purposes, which is conducive to reducing frequent manual intervention and complex control operations; and, through precise control of control parameters such as traction line speed, immersion depth, air-drying volume and drying temperature, precise control of the optical fiber coating process can be achieved, thereby improving the uniformity and stability of the photocatalyst particles formed on the surface of the optical fiber.

[0065] The above description is only an implementation method of the present application and an explanation of the technical principles used. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of protection involved in the present application is not limited to the technical solution formed by a specific combination of the above technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the technical concept. For example, the above features are replaced with (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. Optical fiber coating equipment, characterized in that, include: A feeding unit, used for supplying optical fibers to be processed; A coating unit, comprising a guide wheel mechanism for conveying the optical fiber and a solution pool containing a suspension, wherein the suspension contains particles, and the guide wheel mechanism is located below the liquid surface of the solution pool; Air drying unit; as well as The optical fiber operation control unit comprises a controller and a driving device, wherein the controller is used to control the driving device to pull the optical fiber on the feeding unit through the coating unit and the air drying unit in sequence at a preset optical fiber operation line speed. Wherein, in the coating unit, the optical fiber is immersed in the solution pool along the guide wheel mechanism and rotates along with the guide wheel mechanism, so that the particles are coated on the surface of the optical fiber. The air drying unit is used to dry the optical fiber that has been coated.

2. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 1, wherein: The optical fiber coating equipment also includes a lifting mechanism for adjusting the height of the guide wheel mechanism.

3. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 1, wherein: The optical fiber coating equipment also includes a solution regulating device for adjusting the liquid level in the solution pool.

4. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 1, wherein: The optical fiber coating equipment also includes an air volume setting module.

5. The optical fiber coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The optical fiber operation control unit also includes: The linear speed sensor is used to sense the linear speed of the optical fiber and feed back the linear speed to the controller. The controller controls the linear speed of the optical fiber pulled by the driving device according to the fed-back linear speed.

6. The optical fiber coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The feeding unit comprises a feeding tray and a tensioning mechanism, and the tensioning mechanism is used to generate tensioning force on the optical fiber to be processed wound on the feeding tray.

7. The optical fiber coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The optical fiber coating equipment also includes a post-processing unit, which includes a threading hole, a screw drive mechanism and a receiving tray, wherein the optical fiber that has been dried passes through the threading hole to the receiving tray, and as the receiving tray rotates, the screw drive mechanism synchronously performs linear reciprocating motion, so that the optical fiber is evenly wound on the receiving tray.

8. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 7, wherein: The post-processing unit also includes: A cutting device is used to cut the optical fiber according to a predetermined cutting length.

9. The optical fiber coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The optical fiber coating equipment comprises a plurality of cascaded coating units and air-drying units; each of the coating units and the air-drying units is connected to the optical fiber operation control unit.

10. The optical fiber coating device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The optical fiber coating equipment also includes: The human-computer interaction module includes a parameter setting unit for setting an initial value of a control parameter or adjusting the control parameter, wherein the control parameter includes at least one of the following parameters: optical fiber running line speed, coating time, immersion depth, fan air volume, drying temperature, and take-up length.

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