An assembly system and method for high power fiber jumpers

Abstract

The application relates to an assembling system and method of a high-power optical fiber jumper, and belongs to the technical field of optical fiber lasers. The system comprises an air floating platform, a six-axis mechanical arm, a three-dimensional information capturing mechanism, an industrial computer and a visual servo controller, wherein the air floating platform is symmetrically provided with the six-axis mechanical arm, the air floating platform is provided with the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism at the middle position of the six-axis mechanical arm, the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism is connected with the visual servo controller, and the visual servo controller is connected with the industrial computer. The application can perform high-precision adjustment and positioning on the optical fiber and the connector, the optical fiber end face is not damaged after the optical fiber passes through, the length of the optical fiber inserted into the connector can be accurately controlled, accurate positioning is realized in combination with production requirements, and the laser energy tolerance of the input end and the output end of the high-power laser fiber jumper is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application relates to an assembling system and an assembling method of a high-power optical fiber jumper, and belongs to the technical field of optical fiber lasers. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the improvement of the power of semiconductor optical fiber lasers, the requirements for optical fiber jumpers are more demanding. In addition to high coupling efficiency, the jumpers also need to meet the requirements of anti-aging and non-burning of optical fibers. When the jumper is made, the coating layer of the optical fiber is generally stripped off and then inserted into a connector filled with 353ND glue. The optical fiber protrudes from the connector by about 1 cm. A drop of 353ND glue is applied to the end face of the connector to facilitate subsequent grinding. Then the glue is solidified by heating. After the glue is solidified, the protruding optical fiber is removed, and then the end face of the optical fiber is ground. The ground end face of the optical fiber is flush with the end face of the connector. The 353ND glue fills the gap between the optical fiber and the connector. Since the 353ND glue turns red-brown after heating, when high-power laser hits the glue, the glue is easy to burn the optical fiber due to heat absorption.

[0003] Chinese patent document CN212483947U discloses a high-return-loss optical fiber jumper assembly device, which comprises a base, a fixed block is fixedly connected to the upper right side of the base, a shield module is movably connected to the upper side of the fixed block, a base boss is fixedly connected to the middle of the base, a compression fixing module is arranged on the both sides of the base boss, the bottom of the compression fixing module is fixedly connected to the base, a jacking block is arranged on the upper side of the base boss, the jacking block is arranged in a positioning cover, the jacking block comprises a sliding part, a screw hole is arranged in the middle of the sliding part, a screw is arranged in the screw hole, and a rotating disc is fixedly connected to the bottom of the screw.

[0004] In summary, in order to meet the use requirements of higher power lasers, the application is proposed, which directly processes the fiber insertion of the end face qualified optical fiber without grinding process, and simultaneously realizes the special requirement of no glue around the input end and output end optical fiber end face of the jumper. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the application provides an assembling system of a high-power optical fiber jumper. The optical fiber and the connector are adjusted and positioned with high precision. After the optical fiber is inserted, the end face of the optical fiber is not damaged. The length of the optical fiber inserted into the connector can be accurately controlled. The production requirements are accurately positioned to improve the laser energy tolerance of the input end and the output end of the high-power laser optical fiber jumper.

[0006] The application also provides an assembling method of the above-mentioned assembling system of the high-power optical fiber jumper.

[0007] The technical scheme of the present application is as follows:

[0008] An assembly system of a high-power optical fiber jumper includes an air floating platform, six-axis mechanical arms, a three-dimensional information capturing mechanism, an industrial computer and a visual servo controller, wherein,

[0009] The air floating platform is symmetrically provided with the six-axis mechanical arms, the air floating platform at the middle position of the six-axis mechanical arms is provided with the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism, the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism is connected with the visual servo controller, and the visual servo controller is connected with the industrial computer.

[0010] Preferably, the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism includes X-direction capturing devices, Y-direction capturing devices and Z-direction capturing devices, the X-direction capturing devices include an X-direction pneumatic slide and an X-direction CCD camera, the X-direction pneumatic slide is vertically arranged on the air floating platform through an X-direction support, the X-direction pneumatic slide is provided with the X-direction CCD camera, and the X-direction CCD camera is perpendicular to the connecting line of the mounting points of the two six-axis mechanical arms;

[0011] The Y-direction capturing devices include a Y-direction pneumatic slide and a Y-direction CCD camera, the Y-direction pneumatic slide is vertically arranged on the air floating platform on the side of the X-direction support through a Y-direction support, the Y-direction pneumatic slide is provided with the Y-direction CCD camera, and the Y-direction CCD camera is parallel to the connecting line of the mounting points of the two six-axis mechanical arms;

[0012] The Z-direction capturing devices include a Z-direction pneumatic slide and a Z-direction CCD camera, the Z-direction pneumatic slide is vertically arranged on the air floating platform opposite to the X-direction support through a Z-direction support, and the Z-direction pneumatic slide is vertically provided with the Z-direction CCD camera.

[0013] Preferably, the six-axis mechanical arms are provided with air claws for grabbing optical fibers and connectors.

[0014] Preferably, the air floating platform on the side of the six-axis mechanical arms is provided with a feeding disc and a positioning disc, the positioning disc is provided with a profiling groove, a sensor is arranged in the profiling groove, and the sensor is used for detecting whether the connector is placed in the profiling groove.

[0015] Preferably, the air floating platform is provided with an ultraviolet lamp for facilitating UV curing.

[0016] Preferably, the industrial computer is connected with a flat panel display, and the flat panel display is used for displaying operation information.

[0017] The assembly method of the above-mentioned assembly system of the high-power optical fiber jumper includes the following operation steps:

[0018] (1) stripping the coating layer at the end face of the optical fiber, then placing the optical fiber and the connector in the feeding tray and the positioning tray respectively, a six-axis robot taking the optical fiber from the feeding tray by air gripper, applying two-thirds of the coating layer at the stripped part of the optical fiber with ultraviolet glue, and applying no glue to one-third of the coating layer close to the end face of the optical fiber so that the optical fiber can pass through the connector without glue, another six-axis robot taking the connector from the positioning tray, and the two six-axis robots moving the optical fiber and the connector to above the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism respectively;

[0019] (2) first capturing the three-dimensional position of the optical fiber, turning on the shooting light sources on the X-directional and Z-directional CCD cameras, and moving the optical fiber to the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism by the six-axis robot, as shown in FIG. 1, sequentially shooting the optical fiber by the X-directional, Y-directional and Z-directional CCD cameras to obtain the three-dimensional clamping position of the optical fiber; Figure 4

[0020] then capturing the three-dimensional position of the connector, moving the connector to the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism by the six-axis robot, sequentially shooting the connector by the X-directional and Y-directional CCD cameras, then rotating the connector by 90° by the six-axis robot, shooting the connector by the X-directional CCD camera, and rotating the connector by 90° to obtain the Z-directional position by the X-directional CCD camera because the Z-directional shooting effect of the connector is poor, to obtain the three-dimensional clamping position of the connector;

[0021] (3) the visual servo controller recognizes the image information captured by the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism, and transmits the image information to the industrial computer, the industrial computer establishes a three-dimensional coordinate system, constructs the three-dimensional model of the optical fiber and the connector, accurately adjusts and positions the positions of the optical fiber and the connector, makes the optical fiber and the connector vertical in the Z-axis direction, and makes the optical fiber and the connector concentric, performs the fiber insertion process according to the set fiber insertion length, makes the optical fiber accurately pass through the connector, and does not damage the end face of the optical fiber;

[0022] (4) pre-curing the ultraviolet glue between the connector and the optical fiber by the ultraviolet lamp;

[0023] (5) taking down the optical fiber and the connector, and performing the next curing to complete the assembly of the high-power optical fiber jumper.

[0024] Preferably, after stripping the coating layer at the end face of the optical fiber in step (1), the end face of the optical fiber is observed, if the end face of the optical fiber is good, a layer of high-damage-threshold anti-reflection film is plated on the end face of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber can be placed in the feeding tray without cutting, the high-damage-threshold anti-reflection film reduces the intensity of reflected light, thereby increasing the intensity of transmitted light, reducing the loss of laser output power, and outputting more power;

[0025] ​If the fiber end face is not good, the fiber end face is cut by a fiber cutting knife, a high damage threshold anti-reflection film is plated on the fiber end face after cutting, and then the fiber end face is placed into the feeding tray.

[0026] Preferably, in step (2), when the fiber is captured in three-dimensional position, colored light is used for the shooting light source on the X-direction CCD camera and the Z-direction CCD camera;

[0027] When the connector is captured in three-dimensional position, full-band light is used for the shooting light source on the X-direction CCD camera and the Z-direction CCD camera.

[0028] Preferably, in step (3), when the connector is a flat connector, the fiber protrudes from the end face of the connector by 0.5-1mm, and when the connector is a funnel-shaped connector (such as an HPSMA connector), the fiber is in a suspended state without contacting the inner wall of the connector.

[0029] The beneficial effects of the present application are:

[0030] 1. The present application provides a high-power fiber jumper assembly system, which can accurately adjust and position the fiber and the connector, so that the fiber end face is not damaged after the fiber is inserted, and the length of the fiber inserted into the connector can be accurately controlled, the production requirements can be accurately positioned, and the laser energy tolerance of the input end and the output end of the high-power laser fiber jumper can be improved.

[0031] 2. The present application changes the traditional jumper manufacturing method of first manufacturing the connector and then grinding, uses a fiber cutting knife to cut the fiber end face and then inserts the fiber by machine, so that the process of grinding the fiber is saved. At the same time, the manufacturing of the fiber suspended connector can be met, and the special requirements such as no glue around the input end and the output end of the jumper can be realized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 is an assembly schematic diagram of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 is a material taking schematic diagram of the present application;

[0035] Figure 4 is a working schematic diagram of the X-direction capturing device of the present application;

[0036] Figure 5 is a working schematic diagram of the Z-direction capturing device of the present application;

[0037] The components include: 1. Six-axis robotic arm; 2. Air-bearing platform; 3. 3D information capture mechanism; 4. Industrial computer; 5. Vision servo controller; 6. X-axis pneumatic slide; 7. X-axis CCD camera; 8. X-axis support; 9. Y-axis pneumatic slide; 10. Y-axis CCD camera; 11. Y-axis support; 12. Z-axis pneumatic slide; 13. Z-axis CCD camera; 14. Z-axis support; 15. Pneumatic gripper; 16. Loading tray; 17. Positioning plate; 18. Contouring groove; 19. Ultraviolet lamp; 20. Flat panel display. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings, but is not limited thereto.

[0039] Example 1:

[0040] like Figures 1-5 As shown, this embodiment provides a high-power fiber optic patch cord assembly system, including an air-bearing platform 2, a six-axis robotic arm 1, a three-dimensional information capture mechanism 3, an industrial control computer 4, and a vision servo controller 5.

[0041] A six-axis robotic arm 1 is symmetrically arranged on the air-floating platform 2. A three-dimensional information capture mechanism 3 is arranged on the air-floating platform 2 in the middle of the six-axis robotic arm 1. The three-dimensional information capture mechanism 3 is connected to a vision servo controller 5. The vision servo controller 5 is connected to an industrial control computer 4.

[0042] The three-dimensional information capture mechanism 3 includes an X-axis capture device, a Y-axis capture device and a Z-axis capture device. The X-axis capture device includes an X-axis pneumatic slide 6 and an X-axis CCD camera 7. The X-axis pneumatic slide 6 is vertically mounted on the air-floating platform 2 via an X-axis bracket 8. The X-axis CCD camera 7 is mounted on the X-axis pneumatic slide 6 and is perpendicular to the connection line between the mounting points of the two six-axis robotic arms.

[0043] The Y-axis capture device includes a Y-axis pneumatic slide 9 and a Y-axis CCD camera 10. The Y-axis pneumatic slide 9 is vertically mounted on the air-floating platform 2 on one side of the X-axis support 8 via a Y-axis bracket 11. The Y-axis CCD camera 10 is mounted on the Y-axis pneumatic slide 9 and is parallel to the connection line of the mounting points of the two six-axis robotic arms.

[0044] The Z-axis capture device includes a Z-axis pneumatic slide 12 and a Z-axis CCD camera 13. The Z-axis pneumatic slide 12 is vertically mounted on the air-floating platform 2 opposite to the X-axis support 8 via a Z-axis bracket 14, and the Z-axis CCD camera 13 is vertically mounted on the Z-axis pneumatic slide 12.

[0045] The six-axis robotic arm 1 is equipped with a gripper 15, which grips optical fibers and connectors.

[0046] The air floating platform on one side of the six-axis mechanical arm 1 is provided with a feeding disc 16 and a positioning disc 17, the positioning disc 17 is provided with a profiling groove 18, a sensor is arranged in the profiling groove, and the sensor is used for detecting whether the connector is placed in the profiling groove.

[0047] The air floating platform 2 is provided with an ultraviolet lamp 19, which is convenient for UV curing.

[0048] The industrial computer 4 is connected with a flat panel display 20. The flat panel display is used for displaying operation information.

[0049] The assembling method of the above-mentioned high-power optical fiber jumper cable assembling system is as follows:

[0050] (1) The coating layer at the end face of the optical fiber is peeled off, and then the optical fiber and the connector are respectively placed in the feeding disc and the positioning disc. One six-axis mechanical arm takes the optical fiber from the feeding disc by air gripper, and two-thirds of the optical fiber at the peeling position is coated with ultraviolet glue. One-third of the optical fiber close to the end face is not coated with glue, so that the optical fiber can pass through the connector without glue. Another six-axis mechanical arm takes the connector from the positioning disc. The two six-axis mechanical arms respectively move the optical fiber and the connector above the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism;

[0051] (2) Firstly, the three-dimensional position of the optical fiber is captured. The shooting light sources on the X-direction CCD camera and the Z-direction CCD camera are turned on, and the six-axis mechanical arm moves the optical fiber into the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism. As shown in FIG. 2, the X-direction CCD camera, the Y-direction CCD camera and the Z-direction CCD camera sequentially shoot the optical fiber to obtain the three-dimensional clamping position of the optical fiber; Figure 4

[0052] Then, the three-dimensional position of the connector is captured. The six-axis mechanical arm moves the connector into the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism. The X-direction CCD camera and the Y-direction CCD camera sequentially shoot the connector. Then, the six-axis mechanical arm drives the connector to rotate by 90°, and the X-direction CCD camera shoots the connector. The Z-direction shooting effect of the connector is not good, so the connector is rotated by 90° to obtain the Z-direction position by the X-direction CCD camera shooting to obtain the three-dimensional clamping position of the connector;

[0053] (3) The visual servo controller recognizes the image information captured by the three-dimensional information capturing mechanism, and transmits the image information to the industrial computer. The industrial computer establishes a three-dimensional coordinate system, constructs a three-dimensional model of the optical fiber and the connector, accurately adjusts and positions the positions of the optical fiber and the connector, makes the optical fiber and the connector vertical in the Z-axis direction, and makes the optical fiber and the connector concentric. According to the set fiber penetration length, the fiber penetration process is carried out, so that the optical fiber accurately penetrates through the connector, and the end face of the optical fiber is not damaged;

[0054] (4) The ultraviolet glue between the connector and the optical fiber is UV pre-cured by the ultraviolet lamp;

[0055] ​(5) Take off the optical fiber and connector, and perform the next step of curing to complete the assembly of the high-power optical fiber jumper.

[0056] In step (1), the coating layer at the end face of the optical fiber is stripped off to observe the condition of the end face of the optical fiber. If the end face of the optical fiber is good, a high-damage-threshold antireflection film is plated on the end face of the optical fiber, and the optical fiber can be placed in the feeding tray without cutting. The high-damage-threshold antireflection film reduces the intensity of reflected light, thereby increasing the intensity of transmitted light, reducing the loss of laser output power, and outputting more power.

[0057] If the end face of the optical fiber is not good, the end face of the optical fiber is cut by using an optical fiber cutting knife, a high-damage-threshold antireflection film is plated on the end face of the optical fiber after cutting, and then the optical fiber is placed in the feeding tray.

[0058] In step (3), the connector is a flat connector, and the optical fiber protrudes from the end face of the connector by 0.5-1 mm.

[0059] Example 2:

[0060] A high-power optical fiber jumper assembly system assembly method, the operation steps are as described in Example 1, the difference is that in step (2), when the optical fiber is captured in three-dimensional position, the shooting light source on the X-direction CCD camera and the Z-direction CCD camera uses colored light;

[0061] When the connector is captured in three-dimensional position, the shooting light source on the X-direction CCD camera and the Z-direction CCD camera uses full-band light.

[0062] Example 3:

[0063] A high-power optical fiber jumper assembly system assembly method, the operation steps are as described in Example 1, the difference is that in step (3), the connector is a funnel-shaped connector, the optical fiber does not contact the inner wall of the connector, and the optical fiber is in a suspended state.

Claims

1. An assembly method for a high-power fiber optic patch cord assembly system, characterized in that, The assembly system includes an air-floating platform, a six-axis robotic arm, a 3D information capture mechanism, an industrial computer, and a vision servo controller. A six-axis robotic arm is symmetrically arranged on the air-floating platform. A three-dimensional information capture mechanism is set on the air-floating platform in the middle of the six-axis robotic arm. The three-dimensional information capture mechanism is connected to a vision servo controller, and the vision servo controller is connected to an industrial control computer. The three-dimensional information capture mechanism includes an X-axis capture device, a Y-axis capture device, and a Z-axis capture device. The X-axis capture device includes an X-axis pneumatic slide and an X-axis CCD camera. The X-axis pneumatic slide is vertically mounted on the air-floating platform via an X-axis bracket. An X-axis CCD camera is mounted on the X-axis pneumatic slide and is perpendicular to the connection line between the mounting points of the two six-axis robotic arms. The Y-axis capture device includes a Y-axis pneumatic slide and a Y-axis CCD camera. The Y-axis pneumatic slide is vertically mounted on an air-floating platform on one side of the X-axis support via a Y-axis bracket. The Y-axis CCD camera is mounted on the Y-axis pneumatic slide and is parallel to the connection line between the mounting points of the two six-axis robotic arms. The Z-axis capture device includes a Z-axis pneumatic slide and a Z-axis CCD camera. The Z-axis pneumatic slide is vertically mounted on an air-bearing platform opposite to the X-axis support via a Z-axis bracket. The Z-axis CCD camera is vertically mounted on the Z-axis pneumatic slide. The six-axis robotic arm is equipped with a gripper to grasp optical fibers and connectors. A feeding tray and a positioning tray are set on an air-floating platform on one side of the six-axis robotic arm. The positioning tray is equipped with a contouring groove, and a sensor is set in the contouring groove. An ultraviolet lamp is set on the air-floating platform. The assembly method of the above-mentioned high-power fiber optic patch cord assembly system includes the following steps: (1) Remove the coating layer at the end face of the optical fiber, and then place the optical fiber and connector in the loading tray and positioning tray respectively. A six-axis robotic arm removes the optical fiber from the loading tray using a pneumatic gripper. Apply UV glue to two-thirds of the area where the coating layer of the optical fiber has been removed. Another six-axis robotic arm removes the connector from the positioning tray. The two six-axis robotic arms move the optical fiber and connector above the three-dimensional information capture mechanism respectively. (2) First, the optical fiber is captured in three dimensions. The shooting light sources on the X-axis CCD camera and the Z-axis CCD camera are turned on. The six-axis robotic arm moves the optical fiber into the three-dimensional information capture mechanism. The X-axis CCD camera, the Y-axis CCD camera and the Z-axis CCD camera take pictures of the optical fiber in turn to obtain the three-dimensional clamping position of the optical fiber. Then, the connector is captured in three dimensions. The six-axis robotic arm moves the connector into the three-dimensional information capture mechanism. The X-axis CCD camera and the Y-axis CCD camera take pictures of the connector in turn. Then, the six-axis robotic arm drives the connector to rotate 90° and the X-axis CCD camera takes pictures of the connector to obtain the three-dimensional gripping position of the connector. (3) The visual servo controller identifies the image information captured by the three-dimensional information capture mechanism and transmits the image information to the industrial control computer. The industrial control computer establishes a three-dimensional coordinate system, constructs a three-dimensional model of the optical fiber and connector, and precisely adjusts and positions the optical fiber and connector so that the optical fiber and connector are vertical in the Z-axis direction and the optical fiber and connector are concentric. The fiber threading process is carried out according to the set fiber threading length so that the optical fiber passes through the connector accurately and the end face of the optical fiber is not damaged. (4) UV pre-curing of the UV adhesive between the connector and the optical fiber using a UV lamp; (5) Remove the optical fiber and connector, proceed to the next step of curing, and complete the assembly of the high-power optical fiber patch cord.

2. The assembly method of the high-power fiber optic patch cord assembly system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The industrial computer is connected to a flat panel display.

3. The assembly method of the high-power fiber optic patch cord assembly system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step (1), after peeling off the coating layer at the fiber end face, observe the condition of the fiber end face. If the fiber end face is good, deposit a high damage threshold antireflection film on the fiber end face and then put it into the loading tray. If the fiber end face is defective, the fiber end face is cut with a fiber cleaver. After cutting, a high damage threshold antireflection coating is deposited on the fiber end face, and then it is placed into the loading tray.

4. The assembly method of the high-power fiber optic patch cord assembly system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step (2), when capturing the three-dimensional position of the optical fiber, colored light is used as the shooting light source on the X-axis CCD camera and the Z-axis CCD camera. When capturing the three-dimensional position of the connector, the shooting light source on the X-axis CCD camera and the Z-axis CCD camera uses full-band light.

5. The assembly method of the high-power fiber optic patch cord assembly system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step (3), when the connector is a flat connector, the optical fiber protrudes 0.5-1mm from the end face of the connector. When the connector is a funnel-shaped connector, the optical fiber does not contact the inner wall of the connector and is suspended.

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