A fiber optic collimator production line

Abstract

The invention discloses a fiber collimator production line, wherein a first feeding jig, a second feeding jig and a third feeding jig are respectively arranged in an insertion device, a preheating device, a dimming and curing device, wherein the first feeding jig, the second feeding jig and the third feeding jig all include a jig body, a glass tube fixing module and a fiber positioning module arranged on the jig body, and the glass tube fixing module can be used to ensure that the glass tube does not shift during various operations, and under the action of the fiber positioning module, the relative position between the optical fiber and the glass tube is fixed, even in the insertion process, the moving track and direction of the optical fiber do not shift, thereby ensuring that the 8° angle between the collimating lens in the glass tube and the optical fiber pigtail does not shift at any time, while ensuring the quality rate of finished products, multiple adjustments are avoided, and the production efficiency is greatly improved. The invention is used in the field of collimator assembly technology.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of collimator assembly, and in particular to a fiber collimator production line. Background Art

[0002] In the process of manufacturing fiber collimators on the current production line, the clamping and assembly between the glass tube and the optical fiber are generally done by manual alignment, which is difficult and time-consuming. In addition, it is easy for the collimating lens in the glass tube and the optical fiber pigtail to misalign at an angle of 8°, resulting in a very low product yield. Summary of the invention

[0003] The purpose of the present invention is to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art, and to provide a fiber collimator production line with no deviation at an angle of 8° during the production process and high production efficiency.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0005] A fiber collimator production line comprises an insertion device, a preheating device, a dimming and curing device which are used in sequence; the insertion device comprises a No. 1 feeding fixture, a fiber clamping mechanism and a Y-axis moving mechanism connected to the fiber clamping mechanism; the preheating device comprises at least one No. 2 feeding fixture, and a preheating module is arranged below each of the No. 2 feeding fixtures; the dimming and curing device comprises a feeding mechanism, a dimming alignment mechanism and a glue dispensing mechanism arranged on a base, the dimming alignment mechanism comprises a light source and a light spot regulating mechanism respectively located at both ends of the feeding mechanism, the glue dispensing mechanism and the light spot regulating mechanism are located on the same side, the feeding mechanism is divided into a mobile platform module, at least one No. 3 feeding fixture installed on the mobile platform module, each of the No. 3 feeding fixtures is arranged in parallel, and the mobile platform module is connected to the base.

[0006] The No. 1 loading jig, the No. 2 loading jig and the No. 3 loading jig all include a jig body, a glass tube fixing module and an optical fiber positioning module arranged on the jig body. A recess is provided at one end of the jig body, and the glass tube fixing module and the optical fiber positioning module are respectively located on the outside and inside of the recess.

[0007] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the glass tube fixing module includes a connecting block detachably mounted on the outside of the recess, and a pressing piece hinged to the top surface of the connecting block at one end, and a plurality of strip-shaped notches distributed in parallel are arranged on the top surface of the connecting block, and the pressing piece is located above each strip-shaped notch after being pressed down.

[0008] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the optical fiber positioning module includes a lower fixed block and an upper pressure block hinged to the top surface of the lower fixed block, the lower fixed block is fixed to the fixture body, and the top surface of the lower fixed block below the upper pressure block is provided with optical fiber positioning grooves that are consistent with the number of strip-shaped slots, and the center lines of each of the optical fiber positioning grooves coincide with the center lines of each strip-shaped slot.

[0009] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the insertion device also includes a base, on which a front end support member and a rear end support member are configured, the No. 1 loading jig is overlapped on the top of the front end support member and the rear end support member, and the Y-axis moving mechanism is arranged on the base between the front end support member and the rear end support member.

[0010] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the optical fiber clamping mechanism includes an air gripper cylinder and a pair of clamping arms, the two clamping arms are respectively fixed on the two air grippers of the cylinder air gripper, and the two clamping arms pass through the recess from the bottom of the No. 1 loading fixture to clamp the optical fiber.

[0011] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the preheating module includes a chassis, an insulation block installed on the chassis, and a heat transfer structure arranged above the insulation block, the heat transfer structure is connected to the connecting block of the No. 2 feeding fixture, and a heating mechanism and a heat transfer structure are connected inside the insulation block.

[0012] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the dimming and alignment mechanism includes a light source and a light spot control mechanism respectively located at both end sides of the feeding mechanism, the light spot control mechanism includes a light spot adjustment seat, an X-axis moving mechanism and a light spot meter, the X-axis moving mechanism is divided into a fixed part and a movable part, the light spot adjustment seat and the light spot meter are respectively installed above the fixed part and the movable part.

[0013] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the dispensing mechanism includes a dispensing gun, a fixed gantry and a dispensing frame mounted on the fixed gantry, the dispensing frame is provided with a moving block and a Y-axis driving device for driving the moving block to move horizontally, the moving block is connected to a Z-axis moving module, and the dispensing gun is fixed on the Z-axis moving module.

[0014] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the mobile platform module includes an electric platform, which can move along the connecting direction of the light source and the light spot control mechanism, and a manual platform consistent with the number of No. 3 loading fixtures is installed on the electric platform.

[0015] As a further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention, the manual platform is divided into a lower fixed platform and an upper movable platform, the bottom of the lower fixed platform is connected to the electric platform, and the top surface of the lower fixed platform is provided with a track that specifies the sliding direction of the upper movable platform, and the extension direction of the track is perpendicular to the movement direction of the electric platform.

[0016] Beneficial effects of the present invention: In this optical fiber collimator production line, a No. 1 loading jig, a No. 2 loading jig and a No. 3 loading jig are respectively arranged in the insertion device, the preheating device, the dimming and curing device, wherein the No. 1 loading jig, the No. 2 loading jig and the No. 3 loading jig all include a jig body, a glass tube fixing module and an optical fiber positioning module arranged on the jig body. The glass tube fixing module can ensure that the glass tube does not shift during various operations, and under the action of the optical fiber positioning module, the relative position between the optical fiber and the glass tube is fixed, even in the insertion process, the moving trajectory and direction of the optical fiber do not shift, thereby ensuring that the 8° angle between the collimating lens in the glass tube and the optical fiber pigtail does not shift, while ensuring the quality rate of finished products, it also avoids multiple adjustments, greatly improving production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a first feeding fixture according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an insertion device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a preheating device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a dimming and curing device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the dimming and curing device according to another angle of the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] This section will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the accompanying drawings is to supplement the description of the text part of the specification with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of the present invention, but it cannot be understood as a limitation on the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., and orientations or positional relationships indicated are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0025] In the description of the present invention, "several" means one or more, "more" means more than two, "greater than", "less than", "exceed" etc. are understood as not including the number itself, and "above", "below", "within" etc. are understood as including the number itself. If there is a description of "first" or "second", it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing the technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0026] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0027] Reference Figures 1 to 5 , which is an embodiment of the present invention, introduces a fiber collimator production line, which includes an insertion device 1, a preheating device 2, and a dimming and curing device 3 used in sequence.

[0028] Specifically, in this embodiment, the insertion device 1 includes a No. 1 loading fixture 4a, a fiber clamping mechanism 11 and a Y-axis moving mechanism 12 connected to the fiber clamping mechanism 11; the preheating device 2 includes three No. 2 loading fixtures 4b, the three No. 2 loading fixtures are arranged in parallel at equal intervals, and a preheating module 21 is provided under each No. 2 loading fixture 4b; the dimming and curing device 3 includes a loading mechanism 31, a dimming alignment mechanism and a glue dispensing mechanism 33 arranged on a base, the dimming alignment mechanism includes a light source 321 and a light spot control mechanism 322 respectively located at both ends of the loading mechanism 31, the glue dispensing mechanism 33 and the light spot control mechanism 322 are located on the same side, the loading mechanism 31 is divided into a mobile platform module 311, two No. 3 loading fixtures 4c installed on the mobile platform module 311, each No. 3 loading fixture 4c is arranged in parallel, and the mobile platform module 311 is connected to the base.

[0029] Furthermore, the loading jig No. 1 4a, the loading jig No. 2 4b and the loading jig No. 3 4c all include a jig body 41, a glass tube fixing module 42 and an optical fiber positioning module 43 arranged on the jig body 41, and a recess is provided at one end of the jig body 41, and the glass tube fixing module 42 and the optical fiber positioning module 43 are respectively located on the outside and inside of the recess.

[0030] In this optical fiber collimator production line, the insertion device 1, the preheating device 2, the dimming and curing device 3 are respectively provided with a No. 1 feeding fixture 4a, a No. 2 feeding fixture 4b and a No. 3 feeding fixture 4c, wherein the No. 1 feeding fixture 4a, the No. 2 feeding fixture 4b and the No. 3 feeding fixture 4c have the same components and structures, and all include a fixture body 41, a glass tube fixing module 42 and an optical fiber positioning module 43 arranged on the fixture body 41. The glass tube fixing module 42 can ensure that the glass tube does not shift during various operations, and under the action of the optical fiber positioning module 43, the relative position between the optical fiber and the glass tube is fixed, even during the insertion process, the moving trajectory and direction of the optical fiber do not shift, thereby ensuring that the 8° angle between the collimating lens in the glass tube and the optical fiber pigtail does not shift, while ensuring the quality rate of finished products, it also avoids multiple adjustments, greatly improving production efficiency.

[0031] At the same time, the dimming alignment mechanism and the glue dispensing mechanism 33 of the dimming and curing device 3 are fixed together on the base, so that the optical fiber collimator does not need to be moved after the dimming is completed, and can directly enter the glue dispensing and curing process, avoiding the deviation of the distance and angle between the optical fiber pigtail and the focusing lens during the transfer process, thereby improving production efficiency and also helping to improve product quality.

[0032] Specifically, Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the glass tube fixing module 42 includes a connection block 421 that can be detachably mounted on the outside of the notch, a pressing piece 422 with one end hinged to the top surface of the connection block 421, and a plurality of strip notches distributed in parallel are arranged on the top surface of the connection block 421. After the pressing piece 422 is pressed down, it is located above each strip notch. The pressing piece 422 can compact and fix the glass tube placed in the strip notch to better ensure that the glass tube does not fall off or shift from the strip notch. Further, the optical fiber positioning module 43 includes a lower fixing block 431 and an upper pressing block 432 hinged to the top surface of the lower fixing block 431. The lower fixing block 431 is fixed to the fixture body 41. The top surface of the lower fixing block 431 below the upper pressing block 432 is provided with optical fiber positioning grooves that are the same number as the strip notches, and the center lines of each optical fiber positioning groove coincide with the center lines of each strip notch. More specifically, the lower fixing block 431 is in a two-stage stepped shape, the upper step of the lower fixing block 431 overlaps the fixture body 41 on the inner side of the notch and is fixed thereto by screws, each optical fiber positioning groove is located at the upper step of the lower fixing block 431, and the upper pressing block 432 is installed on the lower step. More preferably, in order to better ensure that the optical fiber is not easily displaced in the optical fiber positioning groove, thereby affecting the angle displacement, a magnetic material is provided in the lower step of the lower fixing block 431 to absorb the optical fiber in the optical fiber positioning groove, thereby providing double protection for the fixation of the optical fiber.

[0033] In this embodiment, refer to Figure 2The insertion device 1 also includes a base 13, on which a front end support member 131 and a rear end support member 132 are configured. The No. 1 loading fixture 4a is overlapped on the top of the front end support member 131 and the rear end support member 132, and the Y-axis moving mechanism 12 is arranged on the base 13 between the front end support member 131 and the rear end support member 132. Specifically, the optical fiber clamping mechanism 11 includes an air gripper cylinder 111 and a pair of clamping arms 112. The two clamping arms 112 are respectively fixed on the two air grippers of the cylinder air gripper 111. The two clamping arms 112 pass through the recess from the bottom of the No. 1 feeding fixture 4a to clamp the optical fiber. A solenoid valve is provided on the base 13 to control the clamping movement of the air gripper cylinder 111. Furthermore, the two clamping arms 112 are respectively installed on the inner side of the two air grippers of the air gripper cylinder 111 by screws. In order to increase the contact area between the two clamping arms 112, improve the clamping stability of the clamping arms 112 on the optical fiber and the probability of successful clamping in one time, the relative sides of the two clamping arms 112 of this embodiment are set to be planes.

[0034] When the insertion device 1 is used for actual operation, the solenoid valve is first controlled to make the pneumatic claw cylinder 111 open the clamping arm 112, and the No. 1 loading fixture 4a is placed on the front end support 131 and the rear end support 132, and then the glass tube is placed in the glass tube fixing groove and pressed by the pressing piece 422, and the optical fiber passes through the optical fiber positioning module 43 and extends to one of the glass tube fixing grooves; after that, the solenoid valve is controlled to make the pneumatic claw cylinder 111 close the clamping arm 112 to clamp the optical fiber, and the Y-axis moving mechanism 12 is operated to insert the head of the optical fiber from the end of the glass tube, and the operation is completed. The whole process is automated, which reduces the errors that may occur in manual operation and greatly improves production efficiency.

[0035] Specifically, Figure 3 In this embodiment, the preheating module 21 of the preheating device 2 includes a chassis 211, a heat insulation block 212 installed on the chassis 211, and a heat transfer structure 213 arranged above the heat insulation block 212. The heat transfer structure 213 is connected to the connection block 421 of the No. 2 feeding fixture 4b. The heat insulation block 212 is provided with a heating mechanism connected to the heat transfer structure 213, so that the connection block 421 can be preheated locally and at a fixed point, thereby improving the heat transfer efficiency, thereby effectively shortening the subsequent process operation time and improving the preparation efficiency of the optical fiber collimator. Furthermore, in order to improve the efficiency of heat conduction and shorten the preheating time, the heat transfer structure 213 of this embodiment adopts a copper block. It should be emphasized that in some embodiments, the material of the heat transfer structure 213 can also be other metal materials.

[0036] More specifically, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5In this embodiment, the spot control mechanism 322 includes a spot adjustment seat 3221, an X-axis moving mechanism 3222 and a spot meter 3223. The X-axis moving mechanism 3222 is divided into a fixed part and a movable part. The spot adjustment seat 3221 and the spot meter 3223 are respectively installed above the fixed part and the movable part. The dispensing mechanism 33 includes a dispensing gun 331, a fixed gantry 332 and a dispensing frame 333 installed on the fixed gantry 332. The dispensing frame 333 is provided with a moving block 334 and a Y-axis driving device 335 for driving the moving block 334 to move horizontally. The moving block 334 is connected to a Z-axis moving module 336. The dispensing gun 331 is fixed on the Z-axis moving module 336.

[0037] The cooperation between the moving block 334 driven by the Y-axis driving device 335 and the Z-axis moving module 336 enables the moving path of the glue gun 331 to be accurately and automatically controlled, eliminating the interference of human factors and ensuring the accuracy of the curing operation. In this embodiment, the Y-axis driving device 335 and the Z-axis moving module 336 are both cylinders.

[0038] Furthermore, the mobile platform module 311 includes an electric platform 3111, which can move along the direction of the line connecting the light source 321 and the light spot control mechanism 322. The electric platform 3111 is installed with a number of manual platforms 3112 that is the same as the number of the third feeding fixture 4c. In this embodiment, the electric platform 3111 includes a rodless cylinder installed on a base, and the movement trajectory of the slider of the rodless cylinder is parallel to the movement trajectory of the moving block 334. A platform plate is fixed above the slider of the rodless cylinder, and each manual platform 3112 is arranged in parallel on the upper surface of the platform plate. In some embodiments, other electric sliding mechanisms can be used to replace the rodless cylinder.

[0039] More specifically, the manual platform 3112 is composed of a lower fixed platform and an upper movable platform. The bottom of the lower fixed platform is connected to the electric platform 3111. The top surface of the lower fixed platform is provided with a track for specifying the sliding direction of the upper movable platform. The extension direction of the track is perpendicular to the movement direction of the electric platform 3111. The position change of the upper movable platform can be achieved by operating the manual lever. Preferably, each feeding mechanism 31 is provided with a micro switch 312.

[0040] In actual production, first place the No. 3 loading fixture 4c equipped with a fiber collimator on one of the manual platforms 3112. The station where the manual platform 3112 is located is called the first station. The micro switch 312 is activated to start the timing preheating. After preheating to the set time, the electric platform 3111 is activated to pull the fiber pigtail back and adjust it to the position corresponding to the set spot value. The Y-axis drive device 335 and the Z-axis drive device are adjusted successively, and after the glue gun 331 is moved to the set position, the first glue dispensing begins.

[0041] After the first dispensing, the Z-axis drive device is reset, and the electric platform 3111 is activated to push the optical fiber pigtail forward a short distance. The Z-axis drive device starts to work, moves the dispensing gun 331 down to the set position, and starts the second dispensing. After the second dispensing is completed, the Y-axis drive device 335 and the Z-axis drive device are reset, and the electric platform 3111 is activated at the same time. After the optical fiber pigtail is adjusted to the set value for the last time, wait for the glue to be dispensed to heat and solidify, and fix the position of the focusing lens and the optical fiber in the glass tube. It should be noted that the optical fiber pigtail can be adjusted to the set position before the dispensing begins, so that the curing stage can be entered after one dispensing operation.

[0042] It should be noted that during the glue dispensing operation, two types of curing glue can be applied to the fiber pigtail at the same time, one is UV curing glue and the other is heat curing glue. In this way, the fiber pigtail is adjusted to the set value for the last time, and the UV glue is first cured with a UV light source to temporarily fix the position of the focusing lens and the fiber pigtail in the glass tube; secondly, it can be heated at its original position to cure the heat curing glue, or the loading fixture can be removed and placed on a specific heater to cure the heat curing glue.

[0043] Of course, the design and creation of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned implementation modes. Those skilled in the art may make equivalent modifications or substitutions without violating the spirit of the present invention. These equivalent modifications or substitutions are all included in the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A fiber collimator production line, characterized in that: include: Insertion device, preheating device, dimming and curing device used in sequence; The insertion device includes a No. 1 feeding fixture, an optical fiber clamping mechanism, and a Y-axis moving mechanism connected to the optical fiber clamping mechanism; The preheating device comprises at least one No. 2 loading fixture, and a preheating module is provided below each No. 2 loading fixture; The dimming and curing device includes a feeding mechanism, a dimming alignment mechanism and a glue dispensing mechanism arranged on a base, the dimming alignment mechanism includes a light source and a light spot control mechanism respectively located at two ends of the feeding mechanism, the glue dispensing mechanism and the light spot control mechanism are located on the same side, the feeding mechanism is divided into a mobile platform module, at least one No. 3 feeding fixture installed on the mobile platform module, each of the No. 3 feeding fixtures is arranged in parallel, and the mobile platform module is connected to the base; The No. 1 feeding jig, the No. 2 feeding jig and the No. 3 feeding jig all comprise a jig body, a glass tube fixing module and an optical fiber positioning module arranged on the jig body, a notch is arranged at one end of the jig body, and the glass tube fixing module and the optical fiber positioning module are respectively located on the outer side and the inner side of the notch; The glass tube fixing module comprises a connection block detachably mounted on the outside of the notch, and a pressing piece with one end hinged to the top surface of the connection block, the top surface of the connection block is provided with a plurality of strip notches distributed in parallel, and the pressing piece is located above each strip notch after being pressed down; The insertion device also includes a base, on which a front end support member and a rear end support member are configured, the No. 1 loading fixture is overlapped on the top of the front end support member and the rear end support member, and the Y-axis moving mechanism is arranged on the base between the front end support member and the rear end support member.

2. The optical fiber collimator production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber positioning module includes a lower fixed block and an upper pressure block hinged to the top surface of the lower fixed block, the lower fixed block is fixed to the fixture body, and the top surface of the lower fixed block below the upper pressure block is provided with optical fiber positioning grooves that are the same number as the strip-shaped slots, and the center lines of each optical fiber positioning groove coincide with the center lines of each strip-shaped slot.

3. The optical fiber collimator production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber clamping mechanism includes an air gripper cylinder and a pair of clamping arms, wherein the two clamping arms are respectively fixed on the two air grippers of the air gripper of the cylinder, and the two clamping arms pass through the notch from the bottom of the No. 1 feeding fixture to clamp the optical fiber.

4. The optical fiber collimator production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The preheating module includes a chassis, an insulation block installed on the chassis, and a heat transfer structure arranged above the insulation block. The heat transfer structure is connected to the connecting block of the No. 2 feeding fixture. A heating mechanism and a heat transfer structure are connected inside the insulation block.

5. The optical fiber collimator production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dimming and alignment mechanism includes a light source and a spot control mechanism respectively located at the two end sides of the feeding mechanism, the spot control mechanism includes a spot adjustment seat, an X-axis moving mechanism and a spot meter, the X-axis moving mechanism is divided into a fixed part and a movable part, the spot adjustment seat and the spot meter are respectively installed above the fixed part and the movable part.

6. The optical fiber collimator production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The dispensing mechanism includes a dispensing gun, a fixed gantry and a dispensing frame mounted on the fixed gantry. The dispensing frame is provided with a moving block and a Y-axis driving device for driving the moving block to move horizontally. The moving block is connected to a Z-axis moving module, and the dispensing gun is fixed on the Z-axis moving module.

7. The optical fiber collimator production line according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile platform module includes an electric platform, which can move along the connecting direction of the light source and the light spot control mechanism. The electric platform is equipped with manual platforms whose number is the same as that of the No. 3 feeding fixture.

8. The optical fiber collimator production line according to claim 7, characterized in that: The manual platform is divided into a lower fixed platform and an upper movable platform. The bottom of the lower fixed platform is connected to the electric platform. The top surface of the lower fixed platform is provided with a track that specifies the sliding direction of the upper movable platform. The extension direction of the track is perpendicular to the movement direction of the electric platform.

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