Optical fiber quartz substrate storage and loading method and device

Abstract

The present invention is a method and device for storing and loading optical fiber quartz substrates, including a pushing module, a storage module, a substrate fixing module, a substrate pushing module, a storage pushing module, and a pressing module, wherein the pushing module moves laterally close to the storage module, and sends the quartz substrates in the storage module to the substrate fixing module one by one, and the pressing module fixes the posture of the quartz substrates on the substrate fixing module, and the substrate pushing module moves to enable the substrate fixing module to move forward and backward longitudinally, and the storage pushing module moves to enable the storage module to move longitudinally and move up and down. The present invention uses special vertical and horizontal connections among the pushing module, the storage module, the substrate fixing module, and the pressing module to efficiently transport a large number of quartz substrates one by one to the substrate fixing position without being damaged, and can strictly keep the posture fixed during the process production process to avoid errors in the process due to posture changes and the generation of waste products. The device is cleverly designed, has excellent performance, is simple to operate, and has high precision.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The optical fiber quartz substrate storage and loading method and device of the present invention belong to a brand-new technology in the field of processing and manufacturing optical fiber quartz substrates in industrial production. Background Art

[0002] The quartz substrate is made of quartz material. It is a transparent, brittle, millimeter-level, cylindrical semi-open strip device. It is an important component of the optical fiber coupler of the communication device. After multiple process fittings, the long strip of optical fiber is formed into optical fiber couplers with various functions in the quartz substrate carrier, such as standard couplers, star / tree couplers, wavelength multiplexers, etc. Therefore, in the melt-drawing production process of the optical fiber coupler, the handling, storage, and loading of the quartz substrate are indispensable links. Due to the limitations of the automation level achieved by current technology, the common practice in the industry is to manually place the quartz substrates one by one in the fixed track groove of the semi-automatic workbench, and then push the track forward to send the quartz substrate to the process fitting area, and then manually complete the coupling drawing process of the optical fiber device with the assistance of a microscope, and finally manually take out the processed quartz substrate. The conventional size of quartz substrates for communication devices is about 15-30 mm in length and about 0.8-1.5 mm in diameter. The manual output of optical fiber couplers is 7-12 pieces per hour (including fitting process steps). At present, a large number of operators are working in parallel to meet the production capacity requirements. However, due to the small size and light weight of quartz substrates, and the ease of damage and loss, these fine operations require high quality of workers, so the training is difficult and the cycle is long. There is a strong dependence on skilled workers, and the defective rate is unstable and the efficiency is low. In today's society where labor costs are increasing and labor is increasingly scarce, it is a serious bottleneck that affects the production rhythm of optical fiber communication devices, especially optical fiber couplers, and restricts the improvement of industry production capacity. There is an urgent need for the emergence of high-speed, high-intensity, and high-capacity fully automatic optical fiber quartz substrate storage and loading technology and equipment. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a method and device for storing and loading optical fiber quartz substrates. The present invention aims to provide a fully automated solution for storing and loading large quantities of optical fiber quartz substrates quickly, accurately, without damage and efficiently.

[0004] In the first aspect, the present invention provides an optical fiber quartz substrate storage and loading device, which is characterized by comprising a pushing module, a storage module, a substrate fixing module, a substrate pushing module, a storage pushing module, and a pressing module, wherein the pushing module moves laterally close to the storage module to send the quartz substrates in the storage module to the substrate fixing module one by one, the pressing module fixes the posture of the quartz substrates on the substrate fixing module, the substrate pushing module moves to enable the substrate fixing module to move forward and backward longitudinally, and the storage pushing module moves to enable the storage module to move longitudinally and up and down; the pushing module comprises a pushing module Electric cylinder, push rod and reference position block; the substrate fixing module includes a fixed mold and a vacuum adsorption block; the material storage pushing module can move longitudinally and up and down, the longitudinal movement is driven by the Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder, and the up and down movement is driven by the Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder; the Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder and the Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder are respectively provided with mounting fixed plates; the substrate pushing module can move longitudinally and is driven by the substrate pushing electric cylinder; the pressing module is composed of a stroke cylinder and a pressing block; the pushing module is connected to the Y-axis material storage pushing module fixing plate to determine the movement reference position of the device.

[0005] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for storing and loading optical fiber quartz substrates, comprising the following steps:

[0006] Step 1: Fill the slot of the storage module with quartz substrates; return the pushing module, storage module, substrate fixing module, and pressing module to the original position; align the pushing rod, the slot hole of the quartz substrate to be loaded in the storage module, and the quartz substrate fixing slot in the substrate fixing module with each other and form a straight line horizontally;

[0007] Step 2: The push module drives the push rod to move horizontally close to the storage module. The push rod pushes and passes through the quartz substrate slot of the storage module. The quartz substrate in the slot moves forward under the action of the push rod and enters the quartz substrate slot of the substrate fixing module. The vacuum adsorption block works to fix the quartz substrate in a horizontal position.

[0008] Step 3, the push rod moves backward to return to the origin;

[0009] Step 4: The pressing module moves downward to the substrate fixing module, and the quartz substrate maintains the processed angle posture;

[0010] Step 5: The substrate pushing module drives the substrate fixing module to move forward longitudinally, the quartz substrate completes the melting process and is removed, and the substrate pushing module returns to the origin;

[0011] Step 6: The Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder and the Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder of the material storage pushing module work simultaneously to drive the material storage module to move, and the push rod, the slot position of the next quartz substrate to be loaded, and the substrate fixing module to adapt to the substrate slot position are aligned.

[0012] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0013] The present invention designs a fully automatic optical fiber quartz substrate storage and loading method and device for transparent, fragile, small, ultra-thin, semi-open long strip quartz substrates. Through the special precise vertical and horizontal connection among the pushing module, the storage module and the substrate fixing module, a large number of quartz substrates can be efficiently transported to the substrate fixing position one by one without damaging the quartz substrates; through the joint action of the pressing module and the substrate fixing module, the small quartz substrates with flexible and changeable positions can strictly keep a fixed posture during the process production process, avoiding the generation of waste products caused by errors in the process due to posture changes.

[0014] The invention has the characteristics of accurate transmission positioning, high transmission efficiency, and large storage quantity. It can not only greatly reduce the repetitive work of workers and dependence on workers, but also reduce the breakage rate of quartz substrate materials.

[0015] With the cooperation of this ingenious method and device, the efficiency of the optical fiber coupler fused taper production line has been greatly improved. The original semi-automatic fused taper production method with manual loading of optical fiber quartz substrates had an output of 12 pieces per person per hour. After the introduction of this fully automatic method, the output was 50 pieces per hour. One set of equipment can replace 4 workers operating simultaneously.

[0016] The invention is a fully automatic optical fiber quartz substrate storage and loading technology which has ingenious design, excellent performance, convenience and practicality, and is simple to operate and high in precision. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a front view of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 It is a front view from another angle of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 A top view of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 4 It is a front view of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 5 It is a right side view of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 It is a left side view of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 It is a simple schematic diagram of the action of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 8 It is the quartz substrate of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The specific implementation of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0026] Example:

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides an optical fiber quartz substrate storage and loading device, which is characterized by comprising a pushing module (1), a storage module (2), a substrate fixing module (3), a substrate pushing module (4), a storage pushing module (5), and a pressing module (6), wherein the pushing module (1) moves laterally close to the storage module (2) to send the quartz substrates (7) in the storage module (2) to the substrate fixing module (3) one by one, the pressing module (6) fixes the posture of the quartz substrates (7) on the substrate fixing module (3), the substrate pushing module (4) moves to enable the substrate fixing module (3) to move forward and backward longitudinally, and the storage pushing module (5) moves to enable the storage module (1) to move longitudinally and move up and down.

[0028] The material pushing module (1) comprises a material pushing electric cylinder (11), a push rod (12) and a reference position block (13).

[0029] The substrate fixing module (3) comprises a fixing mold (31) and a vacuum adsorption block (32).

[0030] Specifically, the push cylinder moves horizontally to drive the push rod forward, pushing the quartz substrate stored in the storage module toward the substrate fixing module and sending it to the fixed mold groove of the substrate fixing module. The quartz substrate is accurately positioned during the movement and will not be damaged.

[0031] The material storage pushing module (5) is capable of longitudinal movement and vertical movement. The longitudinal movement is driven by a Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder (51), and the vertical movement is driven by a Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder (52). The Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder (51) and the Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder (52) are respectively provided with mounting fixing plates.

[0032] Specifically, when the feeding of the current quartz substrate to the substrate fixing module is completed, the material storage pushing module drives the material storage module to move longitudinally and up and down, so that the relative position of the material storage module and the material pushing module changes to the next quartz substrate position, and the next workpiece is loaded.

[0033] The substrate pushing module (4) can move longitudinally and is driven by a substrate pushing electric cylinder (41).

[0034] The pressing piece module (61) is composed of a stroke cylinder (61) and a pressing piece block (62).

[0035] Specifically, the pressing module moves downward to the upper part of the substrate fixing mold to keep the posture of the quartz substrate at the processed angle.

[0036] The material pushing module (1) is connected to a fixing plate of a Y-axis material storage pushing module (51) to determine a reference position of movement of the device.

[0037] Preferably, when the pusher module, the storage module and the substrate fixing module move simultaneously, in order to avoid serious relative displacement of the relative positions, a movement reference position is set so that the devices always keep reference points to each other.

[0038] like Figure 7 As shown, the embodiment of the present invention also provides a method for storing and loading optical fiber quartz substrates, comprising the following steps:

[0039] Step 1: Place the quartz substrates fully in the slot of the material storage module (2); the material pushing module (1), the material storage module (2), the substrate fixing module (3), and the pressing module (6) return to the original position; the material pushing rod (12), the slot hole of the quartz substrate to be loaded in the material storage module (2), and the quartz substrate fixing slot (31) in the substrate fixing module (3) are aligned with each other and aligned horizontally;

[0040] Step 2: The pushing module (1) drives the push rod (12) to move horizontally close to the storage module (2); the push rod (12) pushes and passes through the quartz substrate groove of the storage module (2); the quartz substrate in the groove moves forward under the action of the push rod (12) and enters the quartz substrate groove (31) of the substrate fixing module (3); the vacuum adsorption block (32) works to fix the quartz substrate in a horizontal position;

[0041] Step 3, the push rod (12) moves backward to return to the origin;

[0042] Step 4: the pressing module (6) moves downward onto the substrate fixing module (3), and the quartz substrate maintains the processed angle posture;

[0043] Preferably, the working posture is a flat-mouth-upward state.

[0044] Step 5: The substrate pushing module (4) drives the substrate fixing module (3) to move forward longitudinally, the quartz substrate completes the melting process and is removed, and the substrate pushing module returns to the origin;

[0045] Step 6: The Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder (51) and the Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder (52) of the material storage pushing module (2) work simultaneously to drive the material storage module (2) to move, and the push rod (12), the slot position of the next quartz substrate to be loaded, and the quartz substrate slot position (31) of the substrate fixing module are aligned.

[0046] The working principle of the present invention is: through the special precise vertical and horizontal connection among the pushing module, the storage module and the substrate fixing module, a large number of quartz substrates can be efficiently transported to the substrate fixing position one by one; through the joint action of the pressing module and the substrate fixing module, the small quartz substrates with flexible and changeable positions can be strictly kept in a fixed posture during the process production process to avoid errors in the process due to posture changes and the generation of waste products. One set of equipment can replace the output of 4 semi-automatic fused taper production methods operated manually, without damaging the quartz substrate, with high efficiency and simple operation.

[0047] It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several equivalent variations, substitutions and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. Optical fiber quartz substrate storage and loading device, characterized in that It includes a pushing module, a material storage module, a substrate fixing module, a substrate pushing module, a material storage pushing module, and a pressing module, wherein the pushing module moves laterally close to the material storage module, and sends the quartz substrates in the material storage module to the substrate fixing module one by one, and the pressing module fixes the posture of the quartz substrate on the substrate fixing module, and the substrate pushing module moves the substrate fixing module to realize longitudinal forward and backward movement, and the material storage pushing module moves the material storage module to realize longitudinal movement and up and down movement; the pushing module includes a pushing electric cylinder, a push rod and a reference position block; the substrate fixing module includes a fixed mold and a vacuum adsorption block; the material storage pushing module can move longitudinally and up and down, and the longitudinal movement is driven by the Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder, and the up and down movement is driven by the Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder; the Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder and the Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder are respectively provided with mounting fixed plates; the substrate pushing module can move longitudinally and is driven by the substrate pushing electric cylinder; the pressing module is composed of a stroke cylinder and a pressing block; the pushing module is connected to the Y-axis material storage pushing module fixed plate to determine the reference position of the device movement; At the origin position, the push rod, the slot hole of the quartz substrate to be loaded in the storage module, and the quartz substrate fixing slot in the substrate fixing module are aligned with each other and horizontally in a straight line.

2. A method for storing and loading optical fiber quartz substrates, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Fill the slot of the storage module with quartz substrates; return the pushing module, storage module, substrate fixing module, and pressing module to the original position; align the pushing rod, the slot hole of the quartz substrate to be loaded in the storage module, and the quartz substrate fixing slot in the substrate fixing module with each other and form a straight line horizontally; Step 2: The push module drives the push rod to move horizontally close to the storage module. The push rod pushes and passes through the quartz substrate slot of the storage module. The quartz substrate in the slot moves forward under the action of the push rod and enters the quartz substrate slot of the substrate fixing module. The vacuum adsorption block works to fix the quartz substrate in a horizontal position. Step 3, the push rod moves backward to return to the origin; Step 4: The pressing module moves downward to the substrate fixing module, and the quartz substrate maintains the processed angle posture; Step 5: The substrate pushing module drives the substrate fixing module to move forward longitudinally, the quartz substrate completes the melting process and is removed, and the substrate pushing module returns to the origin; Step six: the Y-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder and the Z-axis material storage pushing electric cylinder of the material storage pushing module work simultaneously to drive the material storage module to move, and the push rod, the slot position of the next quartz substrate to be loaded, and the quartz substrate slot position of the substrate fixing module are aligned.

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