Optical fiber fusion splice, optical fiber fusion coating structure and optical fiber fusion coating method

Abstract

The present invention provides an optical fiber fusion splice, an optical fiber fusion coating structure, and an optical fiber fusion coating method. The present invention includes a heat-conducting foil made of a heat-conducting material, the heat-conducting foil is bent to form at least one first fold, and the heat-conducting foil corresponding to the first fold forms a placement groove for placing the joint sections of two optical fiber components after fusion. Through the above technical solution, there is no need to use a traditional expensive coating machine. By bending the heat-conducting foil multiple times, a placement groove is formed on the heat-conducting foil, the optical fiber component is placed in the placement groove, and the corresponding high-fold glue or low-fold glue is dripped in. While reducing the loss and concentrated heat at the optical fiber fusion point, the overall operation is convenient and the production cost is effectively controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber fusion splicing, and in particular to an optical fiber fusion splicing sheet, an optical fiber fusion splicing coating structure and an optical fiber fusion splicing coating method. Background Art

[0002] In the laser industry, fiber fusion splicing usually involves first stripping the coating of the two optical fiber joints to be fused, and then fusing the two optical fiber joints to form them. After the fusion is completed, a coating machine is used to coat the fusion point of the optical fiber joint with a high-fold or low-fold adhesive, and then the coating is cured. The fusion-spliced ​​optical fiber treated in the above manner can effectively reduce the loss and concentrated heat at the optical fiber fusion point when it is actually used.

[0003] However, the traditional fusion splicing process requires the use of a coating machine, which is a relatively high-end optical device with generally high prices, and the above-mentioned optical fiber fusion splicing production cost is high. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the first object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber fusion splice sheet, which has a low optical fiber fusion splicing production cost.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is:

[0006] An optical fiber fusion splice comprises a heat-conducting foil made of a heat-conducting material, wherein the heat-conducting foil is bent to form at least one first fold, and a placement groove is formed on the heat-conducting foil corresponding to the first fold for placing the joint sections of two optical fiber parts after fusion.

[0007] Through the above technical solution, the heat-conducting foil can be installed on the corresponding heat-conducting installation surface first, and then the two optical fiber components that have been fused are placed in the placement groove, and then the high-folding glue or low-folding glue is dripped on the optical fiber component and the placement groove, and after the high-folding glue or low-folding glue is cured, the overall optical fiber fusion coating is completed;

[0008] During actual use, when the optical fiber components are working, a large amount of heat will be generated at the fusion point between the two optical fiber components. At this time, the heat will be quickly transferred to the thermal conductive foil. The effective connection area between the thermal conductive foil and the corresponding thermal conductive mounting surface is large. The thermal conductive foil can also quickly transfer the heat to the corresponding thermal conductive mounting surface, which helps to greatly reduce the loss and concentrated heat at the optical fiber fusion point. With the above structure, there is no need to use the traditional expensive coating machine, which is easy to install and can greatly reduce the production cost of optical fiber fusion.

[0009] Preferably, the thermal conductive foil is bent to form at least two second folds, which are respectively located on the left and right sides of each first fold; through the bending effect of the second folds, both sides of the first folds are arched to one side to form a support ridge.

[0010] Through the above technical solution, two optical fiber components to be coated will be placed in the placement groove between two supporting ridges arched on one side, which can create a certain distance between the optical fiber components located in the placement groove and the corresponding heat-conducting mounting surface, and a supporting space will also be formed in the supporting ridge; when the two optical fiber components are working and generate heat, the heat can be conducted through the thermal conductive foil on the one hand, and on the other hand, it can also be conducted through the air around the optical fiber components, and the heat dissipation effect is better.

[0011] Preferably, the heat conductive foil is bent to form at least two third folds, and the third folds are respectively located on a side of the second fold away from the first fold.

[0012] Through the above technical solution, the first crease, the second crease and the third crease make the overall structure of the support ridge more certain. Not only in actual use, the two support ridges have a stronger supporting effect on the optical fiber component, but also it is beneficial to improve the contact stability between the thermal conductive foil itself and the corresponding thermal conductive mounting surface.

[0013] Preferably, a side wall area of ​​the heat conductive foil facing away from the supporting ridge is a bonding area, and a first bonding layer for bonding to a corresponding mounting plane is provided on the bonding area.

[0014] Through the above technical solution, the first adhesive layer can produce an adhesive effect on the heat-conducting foil and the corresponding installation plane, so as to improve the connection firmness between the heat-conducting foil and the corresponding installation plane.

[0015] Preferably, the bottom of the placement groove corresponding to the first fold is a flat bottom, and the flat bottom is used to abut against the corresponding installation plane.

[0016] Through the above technical solution, when the thermal conductive foil is installed on the corresponding mounting plane, the bottom of the plane will contact the corresponding mounting plane. On the one hand, it can further increase the effective contact area between the thermal conductive foil and the corresponding mounting plane, thereby improving the thermal conductivity effect; on the other hand, it can also help to increase the overall support stability of the support ridge.

[0017] Preferably, a second adhesive layer is provided on the side of the bottom of the plane facing away from the arch of the supporting ridge, and the second adhesive layer is used for bonding with the corresponding installation plane.

[0018] Through the above technical solution, when the heat conductive foil is installed on the corresponding installation plane, the second adhesive layer will also have an adhesive effect with the corresponding installation plane, thereby increasing the installation and fixing stability between the heat conductive foil and the corresponding installation plane.

[0019] The second object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber fusion coating structure, which has a low optical fiber fusion production cost.

[0020] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is:

[0021] A fiber optic fusion coating structure comprises two fiber optic components, each fiber optic component comprises a fiber optic main body whose coating layer has not been stripped off, and a joint section located at the end of the fiber optic main body and whose surface coating layer has been stripped off, the joint sections of the two fiber optic components are fused to each other to form a fusion point, and also comprises a heat conduction plate surface and the above-mentioned fiber optic fusion sheet, the first adhesive layer on the fiber optic fusion sheet is adhered to the heat conduction plate surface, the flat bottom is used to contact the heat conduction plate surface, the two fiber optic components are placed in a placement groove of the fiber optic fusion sheet, the length direction of the two fiber optic components is consistent with the groove length direction of the placement groove, a coating layer is provided in the placement groove, and the coating layer covers the fusion point and the joint sections located on both sides of the fusion point.

[0022] Through the above technical solution, when the optical fiber component is working, a large amount of heat will be generated at the fusion point between the two optical fiber components. At this time, the heat will be quickly transferred to the thermal conductive foil. The effective connection area between the thermal conductive foil and the corresponding thermal conductive mounting surface is large. The thermal conductive foil can also quickly transfer the heat to the corresponding thermal conductive mounting surface, which helps to greatly reduce the loss and concentrated heat at the optical fiber fusion point. With the above structure, there is no need to use the traditional expensive coating machine, which is easy to install and can greatly reduce the production cost of optical fiber fusion.

[0023] Preferably, the second fold is located at the top position of the corresponding supporting ridge, the distance between the two second folds is between 600μm and 650μm, the width of the bottom of the plane is ≥500μm and <550μm, and the covering length of the coating layer along the length direction of the first fold is between 20mm and 30mm.

[0024] Through the above technical solution, since the general diameter of the optical fiber body is about 550μm and the diameter of the joint section of the optical fiber component is about 400μm, the distance between the two second folds and the width of the bottom of the plane are controlled, thereby controlling the overall accommodating space size between the two supporting ridges; when the optical fiber component is placed between the two supporting ridges, the optical fiber component can be directly supported on the side walls of the two supporting ridges, and the support stability is higher; in addition, the length of the coating layer is controlled, saving materials while ensuring an effective coating effect.

[0025] The third object of the present invention is to provide a method for optical fiber fusion splicing and coating, which has a low optical fiber fusion splicing production cost.

[0026] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is:

[0027] An optical fiber fusion coating method of the above optical fiber fusion coating structure;

[0028] Step 1: Take a thermal conductive foil, bend it to form a first crease, a second crease, and a third crease, so that two supporting ridges are formed on the thermal conductive foil, and a placement groove is formed between the two supporting ridges;

[0029] Step 2: bonding the first adhesive layer on the heat conductive foil in step 1 to the surface of the heat conductive plate;

[0030] Step 3: Take the two optical fiber pieces that have been fused and place them in the placement groove;

[0031] Step 4: dripping high-fold glue or low-fold glue onto the joint sections of the two optical fiber components located in the placement groove;

[0032] Step 5: Use ultraviolet light to irradiate and cure the high-fold adhesive or low-fold adhesive on the joint section of the optical fiber component.

[0033] Through the above technical solution, there is no need to use a traditional expensive coating machine. It is only necessary to bend the bendable heat-conducting foil to form multiple creases, and finally form a placement groove for placing two optical fiber components that have been fused together, and then drip high-fold glue or low-fold glue onto the joint sections of the two optical fiber components. The above operation is highly convenient, the loss and concentrated heat generation of the optical fiber fusion point formed are low, and the production cost is further reduced.

[0034] Preferably, in step 3, the side walls of the two optical fiber bodies where the coating layers are not stripped need to be respectively against the walls of the placement grooves;

[0035] In step 4, the length of the optical fiber component covered by the high fold-resistance glue or the low fold-resistance glue is between 20 mm and 30 mm.

[0036] Through the above technical solution, since the diameter of the optical fiber body whose coating has not been stripped is larger than the joint end whose coating has been stripped, and the fusion point is located at the end of the joint section of the two optical fiber parts, when the optical fiber body is located in the placement groove, the outer wall of the optical fiber body whose coating has not been stripped will first be against the outer wall of the supporting ridge. At the same time, the joint end whose coating has been stripped is in a suspended state, and then the high-fold glue or low-fold glue is dripped on the joint end whose coating has been stripped, and the high-fold glue or low-fold glue can produce a full wrapping effect with the joint end.

[0037] The technical effects of the present invention are mainly reflected in the following aspects: there is no need to use traditional expensive coating machines. By bending the thermal conductive foil multiple times, a placement groove is formed on the thermal conductive foil, the optical fiber component is placed in the placement groove, and the corresponding high-fold glue or low-fold glue is dripped in. This reduces the loss and concentrated heat generation at the optical fiber fusion point, while the overall operation is convenient and the production cost is effectively controlled. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of embodiment 1;

[0039] Figure 2 It is a front view structural schematic diagram of embodiment 1;

[0040] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the second embodiment;

[0041] Figure 4 It is a front view structural schematic diagram of the second embodiment;

[0042] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the top view of the structure of the second embodiment;

[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 3;

[0044] Figure 7 It is a front view structural schematic diagram of embodiment 3.

[0045] Figure numerals: 1. thermal conductive foil; 2. first fold; 3. second fold; 4. third fold; 5. placement groove; 6. support ridge; 7. bonding area; 71. first bonding layer; 72. second bonding layer; 8. flat bottom; 9. optical fiber component; 91. optical fiber body; 92. joint section; 10. fusion point; 11. thermal conductive plate surface; 12. coating layer; 13. support rib; 14. arc end. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The specific implementation modes of the present invention are further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to make the technical solutions of the present invention easier to understand and grasp.

[0047] Embodiment 1:

[0048] A fiber optic splice, see Figure 1 , including a heat-conducting foil 1 made of a heat-conducting material. Since the heat-conducting foil 1 itself is required to have a good heat-conducting effect, the heat-conducting foil 1 is preferably made of silver foil. Of course, aluminum foil, copper foil and other materials with better heat conductivity can also be used.

[0049] The heat conductive foil 1 is bent to form at least one first fold 2, at least two second folds 3, and at least two third folds 4, see Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 , only showing the structure of a single thermal conductive foil 1 having a first crease 2, two second creases 3, and two third creases 4, wherein the first crease 2, the second crease 3, and the third crease 4 are all straight and arranged parallel to each other, the first crease 2 is located in the middle, the two second creases 3 are symmetrically located on the left and right sides of the first crease 2, and the two third creases 4 are also symmetrically located on both sides of the first crease 2, but the third crease 4 is located on the side of the second crease 3 away from the first crease 2.

[0050] See also Figure 2Through the bending action of the first fold 2, the second fold 3, and the third fold 4, an upwardly arched support ridge 6 is formed on the heat conductive foil. There are two support ridges 6, and the two support ridges 6 form an "M"-shaped cross-section. A placement groove 5 is formed between the two second folds 3 and the one first fold 2, and the shape of the placement groove 5 is "V". The joint segments 92 of the two optical fiber components 9 to be fused can be placed in the placement groove 5.

[0051] See also Figure 2 The side wall area of ​​the heat conductive foil 1 which is arched away from the supporting ridge 6 is a bonding area 7 , and a first bonding layer 71 for bonding with a corresponding mounting plane is provided on the bonding area 7 .

[0052] Embodiment 2: The difference from Embodiment 1 is that, see Figure 4 The bottom of the placement groove 5 corresponding to the first fold 2 is a flat bottom 8, which is used to abut against the corresponding installation plane. A second adhesive layer 72 is provided on the side of the flat bottom 8 that is away from the supporting ridge 6, and the second adhesive layer 72 is used to bond with the corresponding installation plane.

[0053] Embodiment 3: The difference from Embodiment 1 and Embodiment 2 is that, see Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 A plurality of support ribs 13 are arranged on the side wall of the support ridge 6 close to the placement groove 5, and the plurality of support ribs 13 are spaced apart along the length direction of the first fold 2, and each support rib 13 is perpendicular to the first fold 2. When the optical fiber component 9 is placed in the placement groove 5, when the joint section 92 of the optical fiber component 9 is deformed to a certain extent, the joint section 92 can abut against the support ribs 13 to reduce the abutment area of ​​the joint section 92, which is beneficial to improve the contact uniformity between the high-fold adhesive or the low-fold adhesive and the joint section 92.

[0054] Also, see Figure 6 as well as Figure 7 The end of the support rib 13 away from the support ridge 6 is provided with an arc end 14, which can further reduce the effective interference area between the support rib 13 and the joint section 92. The two ends of each support rib 13 are respectively connected between the first fold 2 and the second fold 3, which can enhance the overall support strength of the support ridge 6 on the one hand, and also play a role in locating the first fold 2 and the second fold 3 on the other hand.

[0055] Embodiment 4:

[0056] A fiber optic fusion coating structure, see Figure 4 as well as Figure 5, including two optical fiber components 9, each optical fiber component 9 includes an optical fiber body 91 whose coating layer 12 has not been stripped, and a joint segment 92 located at the end of the optical fiber body 91 and whose surface coating layer 12 has been stripped. The diameter of the optical fiber body 91 is usually about 550 μm, and the diameter of the joint segment 92 is usually about 400 μm. The joint segments 92 of the two optical fiber components 9 are fused to each other to form a fusion point 10.

[0057] See also Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 A heat conducting plate surface 11 and a fiber optic fusion splice are also provided. The first adhesive layer 71 on the fiber optic fusion splice is adhered to the heat conducting plate surface 11. The plane bottom 8 is used to contact the heat conducting plate surface 11. When a second adhesive layer 72 is provided on the plane bottom surface, the second adhesive layer 72 can also be bonded to the heat conducting plate surface 11.

[0058] See also Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 , two optical fiber components 9 are placed in the placement groove 5 of the optical fiber fusion splice sheet, and the length direction of the two optical fiber components 9 is consistent with the groove length direction of the placement groove 5. A coating layer 12 is provided in the placement groove 5, and the coating layer 12 is formed by dripping high-fold glue or low-fold glue on the joint section 92 of the optical fiber component 9 and the corresponding placement groove 5. The coating layer 12 covers the fusion point 10 and the joint sections 92 located on both sides of the fusion point 10. The coverage length of the coating layer 12 along the length direction of the first fold 2 is a, where the value of a is between 20mm-30mm.

[0059] Among them, see Figure 4 The second fold 3 is located at the top of the corresponding support ridge 6, and the distance between the two second folds 3 is c, where the value of c is between 600 μm and 650 μm. The width of the plane bottom 8 is d, where 500 μm ≤ d < 550 μm.

[0060] Embodiment five:

[0061] An optical fiber fusion coating method based on an optical fiber fusion coating structure, the steps of which are:

[0062] Step 1: Take a thermal conductive foil 1, preferably silver foil, and preferably 50 mm wide. First, bend the thermal conductive foil 1 forward in the middle to form a first crease 2, and then bend it backward at symmetrical positions on the left and right sides of the first crease 2 to form a second crease 3 respectively. Finally, bend the thermal conductive foil 1 forward to form two third creases 4, each of which is located at a position where the second crease 3 is relatively away from the first crease 2, and form two supporting ridges 6 on the thermal conductive foil 1, and form a placement groove 5 between the two supporting ridges 6. The two supporting ridges 6 together form a supporting component with an M-shaped cross-section.

[0063] In step 1 above, see Figure 4 The bottom of the placement groove 5 corresponding to the first fold 2 can also be bent into a flat bottom 8.

[0064] Step 2: Bond the first adhesive layer 71 on the heat conductive foil 1 in step 1 to the heat conductive plate surface 11 .

[0065] Step 3: Take the two optical fiber pieces 9 that have been fused and place them in the placement groove 5. It is necessary to ensure that the side walls of the two optical fiber bodies 91 where the coating layer 12 is not stripped are respectively against the groove wall of the placement groove 5.

[0066] Step 4: drip high-fold glue or low-fold glue onto the joint section 92 of the two optical fiber members 9 located in the placement groove 5. Figure 5 It is necessary to ensure that the length of the optical fiber component 9 covered by the high-fold glue or the low-fold glue is between 20mm and 30mm, and the lengths of the optical fiber bodies 91 of the two optical fiber components 9 located in the placement groove 5 are b and e, where b is equal to e.

[0067] Step 5: Use ultraviolet light to irradiate and cure the high-fold-resistance glue or low-fold-resistance glue on the joint section 92 of the optical fiber component 9 .

[0068] It is worth mentioning that in order to further enhance the effective contact between the high-fold glue or the low-fold glue and the joint segment 92, the following step can be added between step four and step five, that is, the two optical fiber components 9 in step four are lifted up or lowered down for several cycles, and the optical fiber components 9 are rotated circumferentially to ensure that the joint segment 92 of the optical fiber component 9 is fully bonded to the high-fold glue or the low-fold glue.

[0069] Of course, the above are only typical examples of the present invention. In addition, the present invention may also have many other specific implementations. All technical solutions formed by equivalent replacement or equivalent transformation fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical fiber fusion splice sheet, comprising a heat-conducting foil (1) made of a heat-conducting material, characterized in that: The heat-conducting foil (1) is bent to form at least one first fold (2), and a placement groove (5) for placing the joint sections (92) of the two optical fiber components (9) after fusion bonding is formed on the heat-conducting foil (1) corresponding to the first fold (2); The heat conductive foil (1) is bent to form at least two second folds (3), and the second folds (3) are respectively located on the left and right sides of each first fold (2); through the bending effect of the second folds (3), the two sides of the first fold (2) are respectively arched to one side to form a support ridge (6); The heat conductive foil (1) is bent to form at least two third folds (4), and the third folds (4) are respectively located on a side of the second fold (3) away from the first fold (2); The side wall area of ​​the heat-conducting foil (1) facing away from the supporting ridge (6) is a bonding area (7), and the bonding area (7) is provided with a first bonding layer (71) for bonding with a corresponding mounting plane; The bottom of the placement groove (5) corresponding to the first fold (2) is a plane bottom (8), and the plane bottom (8) is used to abut against the corresponding installation plane; A second adhesive layer (72) is provided on the arched side of the plane bottom (8) facing away from the support ridge (6), and the second adhesive layer (72) is used to bond with the corresponding installation plane; The second fold (3) is located at the top of the corresponding supporting ridge (6), the distance between the two second folds (3) is between 600 μm and 650 μm, and the width of the plane bottom (8) is ≥500 μm and <550 μm.

2. An optical fiber fusion coating structure, comprising two optical fiber components (9), each optical fiber component (9) comprising an optical fiber body (91) from which a coating layer (12) has not been stripped, and a joint section (92) located at the end of the optical fiber body (91) and from which a surface coating layer (12) has been stripped, the joint sections (92) of the two optical fiber components (9) being fusion-joined to form a fusion point (10), wherein: It also includes a heat conducting plate surface (11) and the optical fiber fusion splicing sheet as described in claim 1, wherein the first adhesive layer (71) on the optical fiber fusion splicing sheet is adhered to the heat conducting plate surface (11), and the flat bottom (8) is used to contact the heat conducting plate surface (11). The two optical fiber components (9) are placed in the placement groove (5) of the optical fiber fusion splicing sheet, and the length direction of the two optical fiber components (9) is consistent with the groove length direction of the placement groove (5). A coating layer (12) is provided in the placement groove (5), and the coating layer (12) covers the fusion point (10) and the joint sections (92) located on both sides of the fusion point (10).

3. A method for optical fiber fusion splicing and coating based on the optical fiber fusion splicing and coating structure according to claim 2, the steps of which are: Step 1: Take a heat conductive foil (1), bend the heat conductive foil (1) to form a first fold (2), a second fold (3), and a third fold (4), so that two supporting ridges (6) are formed on the heat conductive foil (1), and a placement groove (5) is formed between the two supporting ridges (6); Step 2: bonding the first adhesive layer (71) on the heat-conducting foil (1) in step 1 to the heat-conducting plate surface (11); Step 3: Take the two optical fiber pieces (9) that have been fused and place them in the placement groove (5); Step 4: dripping high-fold glue or low-fold glue onto the joint section (92) of the two optical fiber components (9) located in the placement groove (5); Step 5: Use ultraviolet light to irradiate and cure the high-fold adhesive or low-fold adhesive on the joint section (92) of the optical fiber component (9).

4. The optical fiber fusion coating method according to claim 3, characterized in that: in, In step 3, the side walls of the two optical fiber bodies (91) where the coating layers (12) have not been stripped off need to be respectively abutted against the groove walls of the placement groove (5); In step 4, the length of the optical fiber component (9) covered by the high fold-resistance glue or the low fold-resistance glue is between 20 mm and 30 mm.

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