Cutting device assembly, cutting device and optical fiber cutting method for specialty optical fibers

Abstract

The application provides a cutting device accessory for special optical fibers, a cutting device and an optical fiber cutting method. The cutting device accessory comprises a clamp, a visual observation device, a top breaker and an adjustable translation table. The clamp is used to be detachably installed in a groove parallel to the placement direction of the optical fiber on a one-dimensional translation table of the cutting device, and is used to clamp and lock one end of the optical fiber to be cut. The visual observation device is installed on a lifting adjusting frame of the adjustable translation table, and is used to observe the part to be cut of the optical fiber to be cut. The top breaker comprises a pressing block and an actuator used to drive the pressing block to apply a pressing force to the optical fiber to be cut. The pressing block is installed on the moving part of the actuator, and is used to press the pre-cut position of the optical fiber to be cut after the optical fiber to be cut is pre-cut by the cutter of the cutting device, so that the optical fiber to be cut is broken. Through the above scheme, the cutting end face of the optical fiber is flat and has no tailing.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of communication cable processing and construction equipment, and more particularly, to a cutting device accessory for special optical fibers, a cutting device and an optical fiber cutting method. BACKGROUND

[0002] A very important step before optical fiber fusion is the cutting of the optical fiber, which has a great influence on the fusion strength and fusion loss. For very thin optical fibers, the well-cut optical fiber end is still flat after magnification by hundreds of times, and can be used for device packaging, cold connection, and discharge fusion.

[0003] In the cutting process of the prior art, a diamond cutting knife is usually used to make a micro crack on the surface of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber is split by tension applied to the optical fiber to obtain a high-quality cutting effect. When cutting the optical fiber with the cutting knife, the cutting knife is used to cut the optical fiber after stripping the coating layer at a specific angle. The process flow is that the left and right clamps of the cutting knife respectively clamp the optical fiber, a diamond blade scratches a micro crack on the surface of the optical fiber, and a certain tension is applied to make the optical fiber break. The general requirement is that the cutting angle error is small when viewed from the side after cutting, and the end surface is flat without tailing or knife edge (cracking). Especially in the process of optical fiber fusion, a cutting angle greater than 0.7° or a tailing more than 20% of the stress zone diameter cannot meet the requirements of high-quality fusion.

[0004] The existing optical fiber cutting equipment can better process ordinary double-clad optical fibers such as GDF-20 / 400 in the process of processing, but when processing panda-type optical fibers, octagonal-type optical fibers, bow-tie-type optical fibers, linear-type optical fibers, photonic crystal optical fibers and other special optical fibers, the cutting effect is often unsatisfactory, and it is difficult to obtain good and stable cutting effect, and high-quality and high-repetitive cutting cannot be achieved.

[0005] For example, the products of the mainstream suppliers of optical fiber cutting equipment cannot guarantee that the end surface is flat without tailing when cutting polarization maintaining optical fibers or other special optical fibers at different axial angles (such as cat eye positions 0°, 15°, 25°…) during the application of tension. Therefore, it is difficult to ensure the cutting effect. SUMMARY

[0006] In order to solve or alleviate the above problems in the prior art, the present application proposes a cutting device accessory for special optical fibers, a cutting device and an optical fiber cutting method.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present application, a cutting device accessory for special optical fiber is provided, which includes a clamp, a visual observation device, a top breaker, and an adjustable translation stage; the clamp is used to be detachably installed in a groove of a one-dimensional translation stage of a cutting device, which is parallel to the placement direction of the optical fiber, and is used to clamp and lock one end of the optical fiber to be cut; the visual observation device is installed on a lifting adjusting frame of the adjustable translation stage, and is used to observe the part to be cut of the optical fiber to be cut; the top breaker includes a top pressing block and an actuator used to drive the top pressing block to apply a top pressure to the optical fiber to be cut; the top pressing block is installed on the moving part of the actuator, and is used to press the pre-cut position of the optical fiber to be cut after the optical fiber to be cut is pre-cut by a cutter of the cutting device, so as to break the optical fiber to be cut.

[0008] In some embodiments, the actuator is a piezoelectric actuator or a voice coil motor.

[0009] In some embodiments, the stroke of the piezoelectric actuator is greater than 400 microns.

[0010] In some embodiments, the clamp is a fusion splicer transfer clamp.

[0011] In some embodiments, the top pressing block is a cylindrical top block.

[0012] In some embodiments, the visual observation device is an optical microscope or a digital microscope; and the adjustable translation stage is configured to be movable along the placement direction of the optical fiber and a direction perpendicular to the placement direction of the optical fiber.

[0013] In some embodiments, the lifting adjusting frame has a lifting adjustable height of not less than 35 mm; the digital microscope has a magnification of not less than 8 times; and the top pressing block has a surface roughness of not greater than 1.6.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present application, a cutting device for special optical fiber is provided, which includes the one-dimensional translation stage, the cutter, and the cutting device accessory of any of the above embodiments.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present application, a fiber cutting method is provided, which is applicable to the cutting device of any of the above embodiments, and comprises the following steps: installing the clamp in the first slot of the one-dimensional translation stage, clamping the fiber segment with the coating of the fiber to be cut by the clamp, and placing the fiber segment without the coating of the fiber to be cut in the second slot; adjusting the position of the adjustable translation stage and the lifting adjusting frame thereof, so that the visual observation device clearly images the side of the cutting part of the fiber to be cut; manually pressing the fiber segment with the fiber coating before the clamp is locked in place, and manually rotating the other part of the fiber to be cut until a specific symmetrical image appears in the imaging of the side of the cutting part of the fiber to be cut by the visual observation device, and then locking the clamp; sealing the clamp and the fiber segment without the coating of the fiber to be cut by the first cover plate and the second cover plate of the cutting device respectively; adjusting the control voltage of the actuator, so that the top pressing block reaches a position with a set length from the cutting part of the fiber to be cut; starting the cutting program, and completing the pre-cutting of the cutting part of the fiber to be cut by the cutter for a predetermined number of times; and gradually adjusting the voltage of the actuator, so that the top pressing block slowly presses the pre-cutting position of the fiber to be cut until the fiber to be cut is broken.

[0016] In some embodiments, the fiber cutting method further comprises: if the fiber to be cut is broken after being cut for a predetermined number of times, reducing the cutter advancing value or the cutting number; if the fiber cutting angle is large and the end face is free of trailing, reducing the control voltage of the actuator; if the fiber cutting angle is small and the end face has trailing, reducing the pulling force or the pulling force step amount; and if the end face after the fiber cutting has obvious knife marks or chipping, reducing the fiber pre-cutting amount, the cutting step amount, and the cutting number.

[0017] The cutting device accessory for special optical fibers, the cutting device, and the fiber cutting method of the embodiments of the present application can realize high-precision cutting of special optical fibers such as panda-type optical fibers, octagonal optical fibers, bow-tie-type optical fibers, linear optical fibers, and photonic crystal optical fibers, the fiber cutting angle is small, the cutting end face is flat and free of trailing, and the repeatability is extremely high.

[0018] Additional advantages, objects, and features of the application will be set forth in part by the description that follows, and will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following detailed description and drawings in which

[0019] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the objects and advantages of the application can be implemented without regard to the specific details of the above described embodiments, and that the foregoing and other objects and advantages of the application can be realized or obtained by the practice of the application in accordance with the following detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the application.

[0021] Figure 1 Fig. 1 shows a side view of the cutting device assembly for special optical fiber in use with the cutting device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 2 Fig. 2 shows a side view of the cutting device assembly for special optical fiber in use with the cutting device according to another embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 3 Fig. 3 shows a partial enlarged view of the part encircled by the dashed line in Fig. 2 from another perspective; Figure 2

[0024] Fig. 4 shows an end view of the cutting device assembly for special optical fiber in use with the cutting device according to an embodiment of the present application; Figure 4 Figure 2 Fig. 5 shows an end view of the cutting device assembly for special optical fiber in use with the cutting device according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0025] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] 1. first upper cover plate

[0027] 2. clamp

[0028] 3. second upper cover plate

[0029] 4. second lower cover plate

[0030] 5. first lower cover plate

[0031] 6. cutter

[0032] 7. visual observation device

[0033] 8. display

[0034] 9. optical fiber segment with coating layer

[0035] 9a. optical fiber segment after coating layer removed

[0036] 10. actuator

[0037] 11. pressing block

[0038] 12. illuminating lamp

[0039] 14. optical fiber stress region

[0040] 15. translation stage body

[0041] 16. lifting adjustment frame

[0042] 17. connecting piece

[0043] ​18. Fiber cleaving platform reference surface DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Herein, the illustrative embodiments of the present application and the descriptions thereof are used to explain the present application but not to limit the present application.

[0045] It should be noted that, in order not to obscure the present application with unnecessary details, only the structures and / or processing steps closely related to the solutions according to the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, and other details not closely related to the present application are omitted. It should be emphasized that the term "comprise / comprising" as used herein means the presence of the stated features, elements, steps or components but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, steps or components.

[0046] It should be noted that, if not otherwise specified, the terms "connect", "mount" and "set" as used herein can mean not only direct connection, mounting or setting but also indirect connection, mounting or setting with an intermediate object. Hereinafter, the embodiments of the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same or similar components or the same or similar steps.

[0047] The cutting device accessory for special optical fibers proposed in the present specification can be used in cooperation with existing optical fiber cutting devices. The structure and configuration of the optical fiber cutting device known to those skilled in the art are not the main purpose of the present application and are only used in a simple way of reference and description, which will not be described herein.

[0048] Hereinafter, the cutting device accessory for special optical fibers according to the embodiments of the present application will be exemplified with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Figure 1 A side view structural schematic diagram of the cutting device accessory for special optical fibers according to an embodiment of the present application when used in cooperation with a cutting device is shown. As shown in the view, in the cutting device accessory for special optical fibers according to the present disclosure, the cutting device accessory comprises a visual observation device 7, an adjustable translation stage (not shown), a clamp 2 and a top breaker. In addition, the cutting device used by the cutting device accessory according to the embodiments of the present application can comprise a cutter 2, a one-dimensional translation stage (not shown) and the like.

[0050] The clamp 2 is used to be detachably installed in a groove of a one-dimensional translation table of a cutting device, which is parallel to the fiber placement direction, for clamping and locking one end of the fiber to be cut. The one-dimensional translation table of the cutting device can include two parts, each of which can include a groove, for example, a first groove and a second groove, respectively, and the two ends of the fiber can be fixed by the respective cover plates and other components of the two parts, respectively, and the two parts can be moved to the two ends to apply tension to the fiber. In the prior art, the first groove and the second groove can be used to directly place the two ends of the thicker fiber to be cut. In the embodiment of the present application, one groove (for example, the first groove) of the one-dimensional translation table can be used to place the clamp 2 containing the groove for placing the coated fiber segment of the fiber to be cut, and the other groove (for example, the second groove) can be used to place the stripped coated fiber segment of the fiber to be cut. In this way, the coated fiber segment of the fiber to be cut can be clamped and locked by the clamp 2, and the clamp can be fixed in one groove of the one-dimensional translation table, and the stripped coated fiber segment can be clamped and locked in the other groove of the one-dimensional translation table.

[0051] The clamp 2 can be implemented by using existing clamps or self-designed clamps, for example, a fusion machine transfer clamp. Specifically, the clamp 2 can be provided with a semicircular groove, and the radial dimension of the semicircular groove can be comparable to the radial dimension of the fiber to be cut, which is convenient for embedding and accommodating the fiber segment and for rotating the fiber axially. In addition, the clamp 2 can also be provided with its own cover plate, and the cover plate can magnetically attract and press the fiber to lock the fiber (the fiber can be manually rotated axially before locking).

[0052] The visual observation device 7 is installed on the lifting adjustment frame 16 of the adjustable translation table, and can be used to observe the cutting part of the fiber to be cut. The visual observation device 7 can be an optical microscope or a digital microscope. In the case of a digital microscope, the magnification of the digital microscope can be not less than 8 times, so as to clearly observe the fiber.

[0053] In addition, the cutting part of the fiber to be cut can be the part between the two grooves of the one-dimensional translation table. The adjustable translation table can be configured to be movable along the fiber placement direction and perpendicular to the fiber placement direction, and specifically can include a translation table body 15 and a lifting adjustment frame 16 fixed on the translation table body 15. The up and down adjustment of the visual observation device 7 can be realized by the lifting adjustment frame 16, so as to focus the visual observation device 7, and the visual observation device 7 can be adjusted along the fiber placement direction by the translation table body 15, and can be adjusted to move away from or close to the fiber to be cut in the horizontal direction. The lifting adjustment frame 16 can have a lifting adjustable height that can meet the focusing requirement of the visual observation device 7, for example, the lifting adjustable height can be in a range of not less than 35 mm.

[0054] The top breaker comprises a top pressing block 11 and an actuator 10 for driving the top pressing block 11 to apply a top pressing force to the optical fiber to be cut. The top pressing block 11 is installed on the moving part of the actuator 10, and is used to press the pre-cut position of the optical fiber to be cut after the optical fiber to be cut is pre-cut by the cutter 6 of the cutting device, so as to break the optical fiber to be cut.

[0055] In this embodiment, the top pressing block 11 can be various shapes available, for example, it can be a cylindrical top block. In other embodiments, it can be a cuboid top block. In addition, the end of the top pressing block 11 used for pressing can be in the shape of a hemisphere, a prism platform, etc. Further, the surface of the top pressing block 11 can have a certain roughness, for example, it can be not greater than 1.6, so as to prevent deviation from the pressing position when pressing the optical fiber.

[0056] The actuator 10 can be a piezoelectric actuator or a voice coil motor, so that the movement displacement of the top pressing block 10 can be adjusted with higher precision. The stroke of the piezoelectric actuator can be greater than 200 microns, more specifically, it can be greater than 400 microns.

[0057] As shown in Figure 1 The visual observation device 7 is installed on the lifting adjustment frame 16 of the adjustable one-dimensional translation stage. In this embodiment, the adjustable one-dimensional translation stage can be provided on a support (not shown), and the one-dimensional translation stage can be installed for clamping the clamp holding the optical fiber to be cut.

[0058] In some embodiments, the cutting device assembly applied to the cutting device can comprise a first cover plate on the left side and a second cover plate on the right side as shown in Figure 1 The first cover plate can comprise a first upper cover plate 1 and a first lower cover plate 5, and the second cover plate can comprise a second upper cover plate 3 and a second lower cover plate 4 in this example. The clamp 2 can also be provided in the first cover plate. The clamp 2 can be detachably installed in the slot between the first upper cover plate 1 and the first lower cover plate 5 of the one-dimensional translation stage, for clamping and locking the clamp 2 holding the optical fiber segment 9 with the coating layer of the optical fiber to be cut, and the second upper cover plate 3 and the second lower cover plate 4 can be used to clamp and lock the optical fiber segment 9a after the coating layer of the optical fiber to be cut is stripped, and the movable manner of the one-dimensional translation stage is arranged to be parallel to the direction in which the optical fiber is placed.

[0059] The visual observation device 7 is mounted on a lifting adjustment frame 16 of the adjustable translation stage, and can be arranged to observe the optical fiber to be cut between the first cover plate and the second cover plate arranged in the longitudinal direction of the one-dimensional stage. The cutter 6 and the visual observation device 7 can be located between the first cover plate and the second cover plate. The cutter 6 can be used to pre-cut the optical fiber segment 9a based on a preset operation control program. The cutter and its operating mechanism can be mounted on a bracket (not shown), and the visual observation device 7 is mounted on the lifting adjustment frame 16. The lifting adjustment frame 16 can be, for example, an adjustable one-dimensional lifting screw. The visual observation device 7 can also be mounted to the lifting adjustment frame 16 via a connecting piece 17 (as shown in Figure 4 The cutter 6 and the visual observation device 7 can be configured to rotate around the optical fiber in place via the connecting piece 17. A top breaker can be arranged between the first cover plate and the second cover plate. The top breaker in this example includes a top pressing block 11 and an actuator 10 for driving the top pressing block to apply a top pressure to the optical fiber.

[0060] The visual observation device 7 in the example shown in the drawings can be a digital microscope, in which the visual observation device 7 can be a high-definition camera, and the display 8 connected to the visual observation device 7 can be a liquid crystal display screen. The visual observation device 7 can also be an optical microscope, a digital microscope, or other observation devices. In this case, the objective lens of the optical microscope or the camera of the digital microscope can be mounted on the lifting adjustment frame.

[0061] Figure 2 A side view structural schematic diagram of the cutting device assembly for special optical fibers in cooperation with the cutting device is shown in another embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of another perspective view of the part enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 2 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of another perspective view of the part enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 4 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of another perspective view of the part enclosed by the dashed line in Figure 2 An end view structural schematic diagram of the cutting device assembly for special optical fibers in cooperation with the cutting device is shown in an embodiment of the present application.

[0062] In a specific embodiment of the cutting device assembly, the top breaker can include a top pressing block 11 and an actuator 10 for driving the top pressing block to apply a top pressure to the optical fiber. The top pressing block 11 is mounted on the moving part of the actuator, and is used to press the pre-cut position of the optical fiber after the optical fiber is pre-cut by the cutter 6, so as to break the optical fiber. For example, the top pressing block 11 can be bonded to the moving part of the actuator 10 by strong glue.

[0063] The actuator 11 can be a piezoelectric actuator or a voice coil motor, or other micrometer level actuator, as long as the actuator 11 can drive the top block in a step-by-step micrometer level movement. The actuator 11 can be a piezoelectric actuator, and the top block 11 can be a cylindrical top block. The stroke of the piezoelectric actuator can be greater than 200 microns, and preferably, the stroke of the piezoelectric actuator can be greater than 400 microns.

[0064] As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 The first cover plate including the first upper cover plate 1 and the first lower cover plate 5 and the second cover plate including the second upper cover plate 3 and the second lower cover plate 4 can also be provided with a light emitting power adjustable illuminating lamp 12.

[0065] Optionally, the clamp 2 can be a fusion machine transfer clamp, and the cutter 6 can be an existing cutter for 200 / 400 core diameter type optical fiber cutting, or other models of diamond cutting cutter.

[0066] In a preferred embodiment, the clamp 2 is preferably a transfer clamp for a large core diameter optical fiber fusion machine. The one-dimensional translation stage has a movement distance of not less than 25 mm; the lifting adjustment frame has a lifting adjustable height of not less than 35 mm; the digital microscope has a magnification of not less than 8 times; the fixed height and rotation of the digital microscope on the lifting adjustment frame can be adjusted through the clamping member; and the surface roughness of the cylindrical top block is required to be not greater than 1.6.

[0067] The cutting device accessory of the embodiments of the present application is particularly suitable for cutting special optical fibers. By simply modifying the existing optical fiber cutting device, it can be adapted to cut special optical fibers, for example, replacing the existing micrometer installed in the cutting device with the top block and brake of the embodiments of the present application, replacing the slot between the first upper cover plate 1 and the first lower cover plate with the clamp of the embodiments of the present application, and additionally installing the translation stage body of the adjustable translation stage on the side of the optical fiber away from the original micrometer. In addition, the existing cutting device, the adjustable translation stage of the embodiments of the present application, etc. can be installed on the same base platform (such as the optical fiber cutting platform reference surface 18).

[0068] For example, the existing fiber cutting device generally includes a microscope, an LED point light source, a connecting piece 17, an adjustable rotary table (a translation table body 15), a lifting adjusting frame 16, etc. The platform visual axis center line is adjustable, and the center visual axis can pass through the fiber core to be cut and be perpendicular to the diamond cutting tool position through calibration. The fiber cutting device generally includes a large core diameter fiber cutting tool, the large core diameter fiber cutting tool includes a diamond cutting blade, a soft LED point light source, a microscope and a connected display, and a 45° mirror. The soft part of the front end of the LED point light source is attached to the held fiber, the 45° mirror surface is at a 45° angle with the fiber end face, the microscope is at a 90° angle with the fiber, the center visual axis vertically penetrates the fiber center, the microscope is connected to the display and the measuring device, the fiber diameter can be measured, the point light source is directly below the fiber, and the diamond cutting tool cutting direction is at a 90° angle with the microscope visual axis.

[0069] In the foregoing device, the left fiber coating layer upper cover plate, the left fiber coating layer lower cover plate, the right bare fiber layer upper cover plate, the right bare fiber lower cover plate, and the corresponding locking mechanism, the diamond cutting blade, the digital display micrometer, the control motor, the corresponding control circuit, the soft LED point light source, the left coating layer upper cover plate, and the left coating layer lower cover plate are used for clamping and locking the fiber segment. The fiber grooves on the left and right lower cover plates are engraved with the fiber size, and the fiber grooves on the left and right lower cover plates have holes for connecting the air suction pump to adsorb the fiber. The left coating layer upper cover plate and the left coating layer lower cover plate are placed on the left rotary clamp, and the placed fiber can be rotated by 160° or 360° as the strict axis, without manual rotation of the fiber; or the left clamp remains stationary, and the fiber to be cut can be manually rotated in the fiber groove. The microscope identifies the imaging of the fiber side surface or end surface, the imaging of the fiber side surface and end surface is learned and recorded by using the image recognition circuit, and the fiber is rotated to the symmetric angle of the stress area.

[0070] The cutting device accessory for special optical fibers according to the present disclosure can be used to modify the foregoing fiber cutting device, the diamond cutting tool in the fiber cutting device is modified to be consistent with the cutting device according to the present disclosure, and the fiber can be pre-cut based on a preset operation control program. For example, the pre-cutting can be realized by replacing the hardware tool, modifying the processing configuration program, and modifying the tool feed parameters and the tool feed times. Preferably, the existing tool can be used to realize the required pre-cutting only by means of processing control software.

[0071] The microscope is generally used to image the fiber side surface, and the observed position is located at the fiber after the coating layer is stripped; the fiber is rotated, and when the fiber stress area is at a horizontal or vertical position, the fiber side surface imaging appears a symmetric structure, and the cutting is performed.

[0072] Currently, mainstream fiber optic cleaving equipment on the market suffers from poor repeatability in producing high-quality cleaving results when processing specialty fibers such as polarization-maintaining fibers, octagonal fibers, bow-tie fibers, straight fibers, and photonic crystal fibers. This disclosure proposes a novel cleaving device for specialty fibers. Based on a large-core fiber cleaver, this device, through the addition of a series of accessories, achieves high-precision, high-repeatability cleaving.

[0073] For example, in Figures 1 to 4 The example shown illustrates a cutting apparatus formed in a specific embodiment of the cutting apparatus accessories according to this disclosure, which may include: an optical fiber cover plate, a transfer clamp, a fixture, a one-dimensional translation stage, an adjustable translation stage, a clamping element, a piezoelectric actuator, a cylindrical top block, a digital microscope, and a display connected thereto.

[0074] The fiber optic clamp is mounted on the lower right cover plate of the cutter. The fixing component is used to fix the back of the cutter to the one-dimensional translation stage. The one-dimensional translation stage can move in a direction parallel to the fiber optic placement direction. The lifting adjustment frame is fixed on the adjustable translation stage. The digital microscope is clamped by the clamping component and connected to the display via a data cable. The cylindrical top pressure block 10 is mounted on the front end of the piezoelectric actuator 10 and can replace the micrometer for cutting. It is installed at the position of the micrometer on the cutter.

[0075] The cutting device can be a Vytran LDC200 / 400 fiber optic cleaver, and the clamp 2 can be a transfer clamp for a Vytran large-core fiber optic fusion splicer. The one-dimensional translation stage has a moving distance of not less than 25 mm. The adjustable height of the lifting and adjusting frame is not less than 35 mm. The magnification of the digital microscope is not less than 8 times. The fixed height and rotation of the digital microscope on the lifting and adjusting frame can be adjusted by the clamping parts. The stroke of the piezoelectric actuator is not less than 400 micrometers. The moving part of the piezoelectric actuator is bonded to the cylindrical top block with strong adhesive. The cylindrical top block is used to support the optical fiber, and the surface roughness requirement is not greater than 1.6.

[0076] The actuator used to drive the pressure block is preferably a piezoelectric actuator, which achieves gradual pressure by gradually adjusting the voltage. It is understood that in other embodiments, a voice coil motor combined with a precision rack and pinion may also be used.

[0077] In addition, this invention also provides a cutting device for special optical fibers. This cutting device includes the cutting blade assembly described in any of the above embodiments, as well as the one-dimensional translation stage and the cutting tool. The specific implementation of the cutting blade assembly, and its cooperation with the one-dimensional translation stage and the cutting tool, can be referred to the relevant content in the above embodiments; therefore, repeated descriptions will not be repeated.

[0078] The cutting device according to the present disclosure is obviously different from the cutting method and mechanism in the prior art in that the fiber is cut by using the top breaker to cooperate with a small pulling force. Before the fiber is top broken, the fiber is pre-cut by the cutter for multiple times to form a scratch on the fiber, and then the fiber is top pressed by the top block of the top breaker abutting against the fiber to a micron level, and finally the fiber is completely broken by the brittleness of the fiber. The fiber in the present disclosure is cut by top breaking, not by pulling breaking.

[0079] In addition, the present application also discloses a fiber cutting method, which can be realized by using the cutting device according to any one of the preceding embodiments. Specifically, the fiber cutting method can include the following steps:

[0080] S1: installing a clamp in a first slot of a one-dimensional translation table, clamping a fiber segment with a coating layer of a fiber to be cut by using the clamp, and placing a fiber segment without a coating layer of the fiber to be cut in a second slot;

[0081] S2: adjusting the position of the adjustable translation table and the lifting adjusting frame thereof, so that the visual observation device clearly images the side of the cutting part of the fiber to be cut;

[0082] S3: before the clamp is locked in place, manually pressing the fiber segment with the fiber coating layer and manually rotating other parts of the fiber to be cut until a specific symmetrical image appears in the imaging of the side of the cutting part of the fiber to be cut by the visual observation device, and locking the clamp;

[0083] S4: sealing the clamp and the fiber segment without a coating layer of the fiber to be cut by using the first cover plate and the second cover plate of the cutting device, respectively;

[0084] S5: adjusting the control voltage of the actuator to control the top pressing block to reach a position with a set length from the cutting part of the fiber to be cut;

[0085] S6: starting the cutting program, and completing the pre-cutting of the cutting part of the fiber to be cut by the cutter for a predetermined number of times;

[0086] S7: gradually adjusting the voltage of the actuator to slowly top press the top pressing block to the pre-cutting position of the fiber to be cut until the fiber to be cut is broken.

[0087] In the step S1, the clamp can be a transfer clamp of a fusion splicer, the first slot can be located between the first upper cover plate 1 and the first lower cover plate 2, and the second slot can be located between the second upper cover plate 3 and the second lower cover plate 4.

[0088] In step S2, the position of the visual observation device in the fiber placement direction can be adjusted by adjusting the translation table body of the adjustable translation table, and the distance between the visual observation device and the fiber can be adjusted. The focusing position of the visual observation device can be adjusted by adjusting the lifting adjustment frame of the adjustable translation table, so that the fiber is clearly imaged in the visual observation device.

[0089] In step S3, when the clamp is not yet locked, the fiber placed in the slot of the clamp can be axially rotated. At this time, one hand can press the fiber segment with the fiber coating layer to prevent the fiber from coming out of the clamp slot, and the other hand can rotate the fiber at other parts of the fiber, while observing the imaging of the fiber in the visual observation device. When a specific symmetrical image appears in the side imaging of the cutting part of the fiber to be cut, the stress zone corresponds to the horizontal or vertical state, and the clamp is locked at this time to fix the fiber, which can facilitate the uniform pressing force of the pressing block on the fiber.

[0090] In step S4, the first cover plate can refer to the first upper cover plate 1 and the first lower cover plate 5 of the existing cutting device, and the second cover plate can refer to the second upper cover plate 3 and the second lower cover plate 4 of the existing cutting device. The first upper cover plate 1 and the first lower cover plate 5 (the first cover plate) can clamp the clamp (transfer clamp) of the fiber segment with the coating layer of the fiber that has been locked, and the second upper cover plate 3 and the second lower cover plate 4 (the first cover plate) can clamp the fiber segment after the coating layer of the fiber is stripped.

[0091] Before step S6, the fiber can be tensioned by manipulating the one-dimensional translation table with a certain size of force for pre-cutting and pressing. Alternatively, the pre-cutting of the cutting part of the fiber to be cut a predetermined number of times in step S6 is completed by using the cutter, which includes the process of first tensioning the fiber by using the one-dimensional translation table, and then pre-cutting. In addition, the implementation of step S6 can be similar to the cutting process of the existing cutting device, the main difference being that in the present embodiment, the number of cuts can be smaller, the cutting force can be smaller, and the fiber is not directly cut off by using the cutter.

[0092] In the present embodiment, the cleaned fiber can be placed on the clamp, and the suction pump is turned on to adsorb the fiber; the focusing of the microscope is adjusted by adjusting the lifting adjustment frame to clearly image the side of the fiber; when the fiber is manually rotated, the fiber coating layer part is pressed with the fingers, the other hand rotates the fiber, and the side imaging is observed until a specific symmetrical image appears, and the stress zone corresponds to the horizontal or vertical state, and the fiber is locked by using the transfer clamp; the control voltage of the piezoelectric actuator is adjusted to control the position of the cylindrical pressing block from the fiber to be just made during the cutting process. The fiber retreats; the cutting program is turned on, the cutting is completed for a predetermined number of times, and the voltage of the piezoelectric actuator is adjusted again to slowly press the fiber with the cylindrical pressing block, and the fiber is broken to complete the cutting of the fiber.

[0093] Further, the optical fiber cutting method described in the above embodiments can further include: reducing the cutter advancing value or the cutting times if the optical fiber is cut for a predetermined number of times; reducing the control voltage of the actuator if the optical fiber cutting angle is large and the end face has no trailing; reducing the pulling force or the pulling force step amount if the optical fiber cutting angle is small and the end face has trailing; and reducing the optical fiber pre-advancing amount, the cutting step amount and the cutting times if the end face after the optical fiber cutting has obvious knife marks or broken edges.

[0094] If several cases occur at the same time, one of them is modified first, and the optical fiber is cut according to the adjusted parameters, so that various problems that may occur can be solved respectively.

[0095] In the following, the actual test effect of using the cutting device according to the present disclosure is illustrated by examples in conjunction with the drawings.

[0096] Embodiment 1:

[0097] As shown in the cutting device in the optical fiber cutting equipment, Figure 1 The cutting device can include a left upper cover plate (first upper cover plate 1), a clamp 2, a right upper cover plate (second upper cover plate 3), a right lower cover plate (second lower cover plate 4), a left lower cover plate (second lower cover plate 5), a cutting knife (cutter 6), a digital microscope (visual observation device 7), a display 8, an optical fiber to be cut (including an optical fiber segment 9 with a coating layer and an optical fiber segment 9a after the coating layer is stripped), a brake (piezoelectric actuator 10), a top pressing block 11 (cylindrical top block), etc. Among them, the clamp can use the Vytran 3600 fusion machine transfer clamp, the clamp optical fiber groove diameter matches the optical fiber to be cut, for example, if the optical fiber coating layer diameter is 550 microns, the transfer clamp selects the 500 model; the cutting knife can be a diamond cutting blade; the digital microscope can use a super eye B11+L1000 lens; the optical fiber to be cut can be selected from Nufern PLMA-20 / 400 panda optical fiber; the piezoelectric actuator can be selected from PK2FVF1 of SORALAB, USA, with a maximum displacement of 420 microns and a control voltage of 0-75V; the cylindrical top block can be made of 304 stainless steel, and the surface roughness can be 1.6. Among them, the cutting knife can be a Vytran LDC 400 type optical fiber cutting knife.

[0098] Ensure that the feed direction of the diamond cutting tool is strictly perpendicular to the central visual axis of the microscope objective. Select the corresponding cutting program, turn on the vacuum pump, adsorb the optical fiber after stripping the coating layer on the lower cover plate, focus the microscope, and make the side of the optical fiber image on the display; Rotate the optical fiber manually to make the side features of the optical fiber symmetrically distributed in a specific way, that is, the feature area (stress area) of the optical fiber is horizontally or vertically symmetrically located at the cutting tool feed opening. Install the clamp 2 on the first cover plate, use the clamp 2 to clamp the optical fiber segment with the coating layer, and use the second cover plate to clamp the optical fiber segment after stripping the coating layer. Measure the diameter of the optical fiber, and record the distance between the end face of the cylindrical top block and the optical fiber. Turn on the cutting program, and the cutting tool completes 15 cuts. The tension value is set to 800, the preset tool position is 2526, the forward amount is 81, and the backward amount is 80. At this time, the optical fiber has not been broken. The voltage value of the piezoelectric actuator is increased by 0.01V every 10 seconds based on the original value.

[0099] Through experiments, for the same kind of optical fiber (such as PLMA-20 / 400 panda), the polarization maintaining optical fiber is rotated manually, and the specific symmetric image is recorded. The stress area (panda eye) can be controlled within 3° horizontally. After optimization in this way, 100 times of cutting are performed, and the stress area does not appear obvious tailing. The end face is flat and has no obvious kerf or collapse. The cutting angle is less than 0.2°.

[0100] Example 2:

[0101] In the scheme, the microscope can also be a visual optical microscope, which is used to evaluate the rotation of the optical fiber to a specific position by direct observation of the side of the optical fiber. The cutting effect of the embodiment 1 can be obtained. The other configurations are the same as those in the embodiment 1.

[0102] Example 3:

[0103] In the scheme, the optical fiber is replaced by an octagonal optical fiber, the optical fiber is rotated to a symmetric position, and the other configurations are the same as those in the embodiment 1. The cutting effect of the embodiment 1 can be obtained.

[0104] The above description is only proposed as the technical scheme that can be implemented by the present application, and is not a single limitation condition for the technical scheme itself.

[0105] The optical fiber cut by the present application is selected from polarization maintaining optical fiber, octagonal optical fiber, bow-tie optical fiber, tiger optical fiber, linear optical fiber, photonic crystal optical fiber, or large core diameter optical fiber with a cladding diameter greater than 600μm.

[0106] In the present application, the features described and / or exemplified for one embodiment can be used in the same way or in an analogous way in one or more other embodiments, and / or in combination with or instead of the features of other embodiments.

[0107] The above merely provides preferred embodiments of the present application, but not intended to limit the present application. The embodiments of the present application can be variously changed and modified by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0108] To sum up, the cutting device accessory for special optical fiber, the cutting device for special optical fiber and the optical fiber cutting method have the advantages of good cutting effect, high cutting precision, strong cutting consistency and flexible structure when used for cutting special optical fiber.

Claims

1. A cutting device assembly for specialty optical fibers, characterized by, The cutting device accessory includes a clamp, a visual observation device, a top breaker and an adjustable translation table; The clamp is detachably mounted in a groove of a one-dimensional translation table of the cutting device, parallel to the placement direction of the optical fiber, for clamping and locking one end of the optical fiber to be cut; The visual observation device is mounted on the lifting adjusting frame of the adjustable translation table, for observing the cutting part of the optical fiber to be cut, and the position observed by the visual observation device is the optical fiber after stripping the coating layer, and when the stress area of the optical fiber is in a horizontal or vertical position, the side imaging of the optical fiber appears a symmetrical structure, and the cutting is based on the cutter of the cutting device; The top breaker includes a pressing block and an actuator for driving the pressing block to apply a pressing force to the optical fiber to be cut; the pressing block is mounted on the moving part of the actuator, for pressing the pre-cut position of the optical fiber to be cut after the optical fiber to be cut is pre-cut by the cutter of the cutting device, so as to break the optical fiber to be cut; The one-dimensional translation table includes a first groove for placing the clamp and a second groove for placing the optical fiber segment after stripping the coating layer of the optical fiber to be cut, and the first groove and the second groove move to the two ends to apply a pulling force to the optical fiber; The top breaker is used to break the optical fiber by pulling force, and before the optical fiber is broken, the cutter is used to pre-cut the optical fiber multiple times to form a scratch on the optical fiber; The actuator is a piezoelectric actuator or a voice coil motor, and the stroke of the piezoelectric actuator is greater than 400 microns.

2. The cutting device assembly of claim 1, wherein, The clamp is a fusion machine transfer clamp.

3. The cutting device assembly of claim 1, wherein, The pressing block is a cylindrical pressing block.

4. The cutting device assembly of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The visual observation device is an optical microscope or a digital microscope; the adjustable translation table is configured to be movable along the placement direction of the optical fiber and the vertical placement direction of the optical fiber.

5. The cutting device assembly of claim 4, wherein, The lifting adjusting frame has a lifting adjustable height of not less than 35 mm; the digital microscope has a magnification of not less than 8 times; and the surface roughness of the pressing block is not greater than 1.

6.

6. A cutting device for specialty optical fibers, comprising: It comprises: The one-dimensional translation table, the cutter and the cutting device accessory according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. A method of cutting an optical fiber, characterized by, The method is suitable for the cutting device according to claim 6, and the method comprises the following steps: Mounting the clamp in the first groove of the one-dimensional translation table, clamping the optical fiber segment with the coating layer of the optical fiber to be cut by the clamp, and placing the optical fiber segment after stripping the coating layer of the optical fiber to be cut in the second groove; Adjusting the position of the adjustable translation table and the lifting adjusting frame thereof, so that the visual observation device clearly images the side of the cutting part of the optical fiber to be cut; Before the clamp locks the optical fiber to be cut in place, manually pressing the optical fiber segment with the coating layer of the optical fiber, and manually rotating the other part of the optical fiber to be cut, until a specific symmetrical image appears in the side imaging of the cutting part of the optical fiber to be cut by the visual observation device, and the clamp is locked; Using the first cover plate and the second cover plate of the cutting device to seal the clamp and the optical fiber segment after stripping the coating layer of the optical fiber to be cut, respectively; Adjusting the control voltage of the actuator to control the pressing block to reach a position with a set length from the cutting part of the optical fiber to be cut; Starting the cutting program, and using the cutter to complete the pre-cutting of the cutting part of the optical fiber to be cut for a predetermined number of times; The voltage of the actuator is adjusted step by step, so that the top pressing block slowly presses the pre-cut position of the optical fiber to be cut until the optical fiber to be cut is broken.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein, The optical fiber cutting method further comprises: If the optical fiber to be cut is broken after being cut for a predetermined number of times, the cutter advancing value or the cutting number is reduced; If the optical fiber cutting angle is large and the end face has no tailing, the control voltage of the actuator is reduced; If the optical fiber cutting angle is small and the end face has tailing, the pulling force or the pulling force step amount is reduced; If the end face after the optical fiber cutting has obvious knife marks or broken edges, the optical fiber pre-advancing amount, the cutting step amount and the cutting number are reduced.

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