A fiber optic metal coating spray device and method

Abstract

The present application relates to optical fiber surface coating treatment device technical field, especially to a kind of optical fiber metal coating spraying device, including the spraying mechanism of lower shell, shunt chamber, combustion chamber and ring spray component composition, and for driving the linear drive mechanism and rotary drive mechanism of rotary movement of spraying mechanism.The present application is by being provided with independent oxygen passage, hydrogen passage and metal powder passage in shunt chamber, and by corresponding oxygen hole, hydrogen hole and metal powder hole spray into combustion chamber, it is realized in the state that oxygen content is higher, to metal powder realizes rapid melting, improves the purity of metal molten liquid;And by the ring array side nozzle on annular jet pipe, it is realized to the overall metal coating of optical fiber surface;While improving the controllability of optical fiber surface metal coating quality and coating thickness and uniformity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical fiber surface coating treatment equipment, and in particular to an optical fiber metal coating spraying device and method. Background Technology

[0002] Metal-coated optical fiber is a type of optical fiber covered with a thin metal film. The main characteristic of metal-coated optical fiber is that it has a layer of metal material, typically aluminum, copper, silver, or gold, coated on its surface. This metal film provides protection and enhances the fiber's performance.

[0003] The quality of the metal coating on the surface of optical fibers directly affects the performance and reliability of the fibers. In existing technologies, when spraying metal coatings onto optical fibers, the metal coating needs to be melted. However, the limited oxygen content in the air leads to low metal melting efficiency, and impurities in the air can easily mix into the coating, resulting in low quality and reliability of the formed metal coating.

[0004] Patent application number 202010285802.7 discloses a surface-modified metal-coated optical fiber and its preparation method and system. Specifically, it discloses a metal coating unit for coating the optical fiber surface, comprising a metal melting furnace, a crucible, and a metal coater, both disposed within the furnace cavity. Metallic aluminum is melted in the crucible to form molten aluminum, which is then conveyed to the metal coater. The molten aluminum is coated onto the surface of the central modified layer at the metal coater and rapidly solidifies to form the metal coating. This patent, to a certain extent, solves the problem of difficulty in controlling the thickness and uniformity of the coating during metal coating of optical fibers.

[0005] However, the aforementioned patents still have the following problems: during metal coating, the entire optical fiber still needs to pass through the molten metal. If the thickness or uniformity of the coating on the fiber surface is found to be insufficient, it can only be adjusted by changing the fiber's passing speed. Although this can adjust the thickness and uniformity of the metal coating on the fiber surface to some extent, overall, the quality control of the metal coating on the fiber surface cannot be well controlled. In addition, this immersion coating method is also prone to wasting molten metal. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address at least one of the aforementioned technical problems, this invention proposes an optical fiber metal coating spraying device and method. The aim is to solve the problem that when coating the surface of an optical fiber with a metal coating, the thickness and uniformity of the surface coating are difficult to control, resulting in low quality and performance reliability of the metal coating.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] The first aspect of the present invention provides an optical fiber metal coating spraying apparatus, comprising:

[0009] The spraying mechanism includes:

[0010] The lower housing contains at least one oxygen channel, one hydrogen channel, and one metal powder channel.

[0011] The flow divider is installed on the upper part of the lower housing. The flow divider includes a flow divider shell and a porous cover that covers the flow divider shell. The flow divider shell has an oxygen chamber, a hydrogen chamber, and a metal powder chamber that are respectively connected to the oxygen channel, the hydrogen channel, and the metal powder channel. The porous cover has a plurality of oxygen holes, hydrogen holes, and metal powder holes corresponding to the oxygen chamber, the hydrogen chamber, and the metal powder chamber.

[0012] A combustion chamber for burning hydrogen and oxygen and melting metal powder for spraying, the combustion chamber being installed on the upper part of the diversion chamber;

[0013] The annular spray assembly includes an annular nozzle connected to the upper opening of the combustion chamber. The annular nozzle has a closed first notch that facilitates the pulling out or insertion of an optical fiber. A plurality of nozzles with nozzles pointing to the center of the annular nozzle are arranged in a ring around the center of the annular nozzle.

[0014] The driving mechanism includes a linear driving mechanism connected to the spraying mechanism for driving it to reciprocate along the length of the optical fiber, and a rotary driving mechanism connected to the linear driving mechanism for driving the annular nozzle to rotate along the optical fiber.

[0015] Preferably, both the oxygen channel and the hydrogen channel are annular channels, and the oxygen holes and hydrogen holes are arranged in a multi-layered, spaced annular array along the corresponding positions of the oxygen channel and the hydrogen channel.

[0016] Preferably, both the oxygen orifice and the hydrogen orifice are conical orifices inclined toward the central axis of the distribution chamber, with the larger opening of the conical orifice facing the distribution chamber, wherein the metal powder chamber is located at the center of the distribution chamber; the combustion chamber is cone-shaped, and the larger opening of the cone-shaped chamber is connected to the upper opening of the distribution chamber.

[0017] Preferably, the linear drive mechanism includes a walking platform, which is rotatably provided with a driving screw and a driven screw driven by the driving screw along its length direction; the lower part of the lower housing is provided with a sliding seat sleeved outside the driving screw and the driven screw, and the sliding seat is provided with threads that cooperate with the driving screw and the driven screw.

[0018] Preferably, the upper surface of the walking platform is provided with a groove along its length for placing the driving lead screw and the driven lead screw. A first bearing and a second bearing are embedded at the two ends of the walking platform corresponding to the positions of the driving lead screw and the driven lead screw. A first connecting shaft and a second connecting shaft are provided at both ends of the driving lead screw and the driven lead screw, which are fixedly connected to the inner walls of the first bearing and the second bearing. The first connecting shaft and the second connecting shaft on the same side are fixedly connected to a first pulley and a second pulley provided on the outer side of the walking platform. A transmission belt is sleeved on the outside of the first pulley and the second pulley. A drive motor is connected to the first pulley along its axial direction.

[0019] Preferably, the rotary drive mechanism includes a rotary platform with an arc-shaped mounting surface, and an annular frame is fixedly mounted at both ends of the arc-shaped mounting surface. The annular frame has an openable second notch corresponding to the first notch. A rotating ring for mounting a walking platform is rotatably provided on the inner side of the annular frame, and the rotating ring has a third notch corresponding to the second notch.

[0020] Preferably, a gear sleeve with a fourth notch corresponding to the third notch is fixedly connected to the outer side of one of the rotating rings, and several synchronizing rods are arranged in a ring array at intervals on the inner sides of the two rotating rings; a stepper motor is fixedly installed on the side of the rotating platform, and a drive gear that meshes with the gear sleeve is fixedly connected to the output end of the stepper motor.

[0021] Preferably, the annular nozzle, the annular frame, the rotating ring, and the circles containing the plurality of nozzles are all concentric circles.

[0022] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for spraying a metallic coating onto an optical fiber, implemented based on the optical fiber metallic coating spraying apparatus of the first aspect, comprising the following steps:

[0023] S1, Pre-treatment of preformed rods, including cleaning and treatment of surface oil and foreign matter, and placing the bare fiber drawn from the pre-treated preformed rods at the center of the annular nozzle;

[0024] S2, adjust the hydrogen flow rate, introduce a small amount of hydrogen into the combustion chamber, and ignite the hydrogen sprayed from the nozzle;

[0025] S3, introduce oxygen into the combustion chamber and adjust the oxygen flow rate to ignite the hydrogen-oxygen mixture in the combustion chamber through backfire;

[0026] S4, increase the flow rate of hydrogen and oxygen proportionally, and at the same time introduce metal powder into the combustion chamber. The metal powder is melted in the combustion chamber, and under the action of airflow, the molten metal powder enters the annular nozzle and is sprayed out from the nozzle.

[0027] S5, adjust the drive motor and stepper motor so that the annular nozzle moves back and forth while rotating around the optical fiber, so as to achieve uniformity of metal powder spraying on the surface of the optical fiber.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] 1. This invention achieves rapid melting of metal powder in a high oxygen content state by setting independent oxygen, hydrogen, and metal powder channels in the split chamber and injecting them into the combustion chamber through corresponding oxygen, hydrogen, and metal powder holes, thereby improving the purity of the molten metal. Furthermore, it achieves comprehensive metal coating on the optical fiber surface by spraying the powder out through the annular array side nozzles on the annular nozzle. At the same time, it improves the quality of the metal coating on the optical fiber surface and the controllability of the coating thickness and uniformity.

[0030] 2. In this invention, both the oxygen and hydrogen orifices are conical orifices inclined toward the central axis of the distribution chamber, with the larger opening of the conical orifice facing the distribution chamber. The metal powder chamber is located at the center of the distribution chamber, and the oxygen and hydrogen orifices are arranged in a multi-layered, spaced-out annular array along the corresponding positions of the oxygen and hydrogen channels. This significantly increases the airflow velocity of oxygen and hydrogen when passing through the conical orifices, which is beneficial for the complete combustion of the hydrogen-oxygen mixture. At the same time, the multi-layered conical hydrogen-oxygen flame is beneficial for rapidly and fully melting the metal powder ejected from the metal powder chamber located at the center, thereby improving the utilization rate and melting rate of the metal powder.

[0031] 3. This invention, by setting an annular nozzle with a closed first notch for easy fiber insertion or removal, and having a plurality of nozzles arranged in a ring around the center of the annular nozzle, allows the molten metal sprayed from the nozzles to fully cover the surface of the optical fiber located at the center of the annular nozzle. Furthermore, compared to immersion coating, the metal coating formed by mist spraying has better thickness and uniformity, and the overall coating quality is easier to control.

[0032] 4. By setting up a linear drive mechanism and a rotary drive mechanism, the nozzle in the spraying mechanism can rotate and spray around the optical fiber while moving linearly back and forth along its length, thereby achieving uniformity of the spraying on the surface of the optical fiber. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a fiber optic metal coating spraying device.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the spraying mechanism in this invention;

[0035] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the lower housing and the flow divider housing in this invention;

[0036] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the flow divider structure in this invention;

[0037] Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the combustion chamber and annular injection assembly structure in this invention;

[0038] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the spraying mechanism and the linear drive mechanism in this invention;

[0039] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the linear drive mechanism in this invention;

[0040] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the linear drive mechanism in this invention.

[0041] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the rotary drive mechanism in this invention;

[0042] Figure 10 A flowchart of a method for spraying a metallic coating onto an optical fiber.

[0043] In the diagram: 10. Lower housing; 101. Oxygen passage; 102. Hydrogen passage; 103. Metal powder passage; 104. Sliding seat; 20. Diverter shell; 201. Oxygen chamber; 202. Hydrogen chamber; 203. Metal powder chamber; 30. Porous cover; 301. Oxygen port; 302. Hydrogen port; 303. Metal powder port; 40. Combustion chamber; 50. Annular nozzle; 501. First notch; 60. Nozzle; 70. Linear drive mechanism; 701. Traveling platform; 702. Driving screw; 703. Driven screw 704. Rod; 705. Groove; 706. First bearing; 707. Second bearing; 708. First connecting shaft; 709. Second connecting shaft; 710. First pulley; 711. Second pulley; 712. Drive belt; 713. Drive motor; 80. Rotary drive mechanism; 801. Rotary platform; 802. Ring frame; 803. Second notch; 804. Rotating ring; 805. Third notch; 806. Gear sleeve; 807. Fourth notch; 808. Synchronizing rod; 809. Stepper motor; 810. Drive gear. Detailed Implementation

[0044] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments of the present invention.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] Please refer to Figure 1-9 As shown, an optical fiber metal coating spraying device includes:

[0047] The spraying mechanism includes:

[0048] The lower housing 10 has at least one oxygen channel 101, one hydrogen channel 102 and one metal powder channel 103 inside the lower housing 10.

[0049] The flow divider is installed on the upper part of the lower housing 10. The flow divider includes a flow divider shell 20 and a porous cover 30 that covers the flow divider shell 20. The flow divider shell 20 is provided with an oxygen chamber 201, a hydrogen chamber 202 and a metal powder chamber 203 respectively connected to the oxygen channel 101, the hydrogen channel 102 and the metal powder channel 103. The porous cover 30 is provided with a plurality of oxygen holes 301, hydrogen holes 302 and metal powder holes 303 corresponding to the oxygen chamber 201, the hydrogen chamber 202 and the metal powder chamber 203.

[0050] Combustion chamber 40 is used for the combustion of hydrogen and oxygen and to melt the metal powder used for spraying. Combustion chamber 40 is installed on the upper part of the flow divider.

[0051] The annular spray assembly includes an annular nozzle 50 connected to the upper opening of the combustion chamber 40. The annular nozzle 50 has a closed first notch 501 that facilitates the pulling out or insertion of optical fibers. The annular nozzle 50 has a number of nozzles 60 arranged in a ring around its center, with the nozzles pointing towards the center of the annular nozzle 50.

[0052] The driving mechanism includes a linear driving mechanism 70 connected to the spraying mechanism for driving it to reciprocate along the length of the optical fiber, and a rotary driving mechanism 80 connected to the linear driving mechanism 70 for driving the annular nozzle 50 to rotate along the optical fiber.

[0053] This invention achieves rapid melting of metal powder in a high-oxygen-content state by setting independent oxygen channels 101, hydrogen channels 102, and metal powder channels 103 in the split chamber, and spraying the powder into the combustion chamber 40 through corresponding oxygen holes 301, hydrogen holes 302, and metal powder holes 303, thereby improving the purity of the molten metal. The powder is then sprayed out through the annular array side nozzles 60 on the annular nozzle 50, achieving comprehensive metal coating on the optical fiber surface. By setting a linear drive mechanism 70 and a rotary drive mechanism 80, the nozzles 60 in the spraying mechanism can rotate around the optical fiber while simultaneously moving linearly back and forth along its length, improving the quality of the metal coating on the optical fiber surface and the controllability of the coating thickness and uniformity.

[0054] It should be noted that the oxygen channel 101, hydrogen channel 102, and metal powder channel mentioned above can be connected to external oxygen, hydrogen, and metal powder sources through pipelines, thereby achieving a continuous supply of gas. Considering that the spraying mechanism needs to rotate and move, the pipelines are preferably made of soft materials, such as Teflon; at the same time, the pipelines are reserved with allowance for the rotation and movement of the spraying mechanism to ensure its normal operation.

[0055] It is understandable that, in order to facilitate the monitoring and control of oxygen, hydrogen, and metal powder, flow meters and control valves can be installed on each pipeline to detect flow and control the opening or closing of the pipeline. By controlling the flow rates of oxygen, hydrogen, and metal powder, the flow rate and velocity of the molten metal ejected from nozzle 60 can be controlled, thereby ensuring the quality control of the metal coating on the optical fiber surface. Of course, the selection of flow meters and control valves can be based on the specific characteristics of the gas and powder. This invention does not impose any limitations on this. Furthermore, the flow meters and control valves installed on the aforementioned pipelines can also be connected to a control system to achieve automatic control. The principle of automatic control is prior art and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0056] like Figure 3 and 4 As shown, both oxygen channel 101 and hydrogen channel 102 are annular channels, and oxygen pores 301 and hydrogen pores 302 are arranged in a multi-layered, spaced-apart annular array along the corresponding positions of oxygen channel 101 and hydrogen channel 102. Here, "multi-layered" should be understood as multiple oxygen pores 301 and hydrogen pores 302 forming annular layers with different radii.

[0057] It should be noted that when the porous cover 30 is closed with the flow divider shell 20, the aforementioned annular oxygen channel 101 and hydrogen channel 102 form independent oxygen and hydrogen flow divider spaces. This ensures that hydrogen and oxygen do not mix before entering the combustion chamber 40, thus preventing ignition.

[0058] To ensure that the oxygen and hydrogen entering the combustion chamber 40 have a high flow rate, both the oxygen orifice 301 and the hydrogen orifice 302 are conical orifices inclined toward the central axis of the split chamber, with the larger opening of the conical orifice facing the split chamber. The metal powder chamber 203 is located at the center of the split chamber.

[0059] Understandably, the airflow velocity of oxygen and hydrogen increases significantly when passing through the conical orifice, which is conducive to the complete combustion of the hydrogen-oxygen mixture; at the same time, the multi-layer conical hydrogen-oxygen flame is conducive to the rapid and complete melting of the metal powder ejected from the metal powder chamber 203 located in the center, thereby improving the utilization rate and melting rate of the metal powder.

[0060] like Figure 5 As shown, the combustion chamber 40 is cone-shaped, and the large opening of the cone is connected to the upper opening of the diversion chamber.

[0061] Understandably, the cone-shaped combustion chamber 40 can increase the flow velocity of the molten metal entering the annular nozzle 50 from its outlet; preferably, the central axes of the combustion chamber 40 and the splitting chamber should coincide to reduce the impact on the airflow velocity and ensure sufficient flow velocity to push the molten metal into the annular nozzle 50, thereby ensuring smooth ejection from the nozzle 60.

[0062] It should be noted that, Figure 5 The arrangement of nozzles 60 in the diagram is only illustrative. In actual operation, since the molten metal ejected by nozzles 60 generally forms a fan shape, nozzles 60 can be arranged according to actual needs to achieve uniform coverage of the optical fiber surface.

[0063] like Figure 7 and 8 As shown, the linear drive mechanism 70 includes a walking platform 701, which is rotatably provided with a drive screw 702 and a driven screw 703 driven by the drive screw 702 along its length direction; the lower housing 10 is provided with a sliding seat 104 sleeved on the drive screw 702 and the driven screw 703 at its lower part, and the sliding seat 104 is provided with threads that cooperate with the drive screw 702 and the driven screw 703.

[0064] In a preferred embodiment, the upper surface of the walking platform 701 is provided with a groove 704 along its length for placing the driving lead screw 702 and the driven lead screw 703. At the two ends of the walking platform 701, corresponding to the positions of the driving lead screw 702 and the driven lead screw 703, a first bearing 705 and a second bearing 706 are embedded. At the two ends of the driving lead screw 702 and the driven lead screw 703, a first connecting shaft 707 and a second connecting shaft 708 are fixedly connected to the inner walls of the first bearing 705 and the second bearing 706. The first connecting shaft 707 and the second connecting shaft 708 on the same side are fixedly connected to a first pulley 709 and a second pulley 710 provided on the outer side of the walking platform 701. A transmission belt 711 is sleeved on the outside of the first pulley 709 and the second pulley 710. A drive motor 712 is connected to the first pulley 709 along its axial direction.

[0065] Understandably, the spraying mechanism ensures stable movement through screw drive. The first bearing 705 and the second bearing 706 are provided, allowing the driving screw 702 and the driven screw 703 to rotate in a rolling manner with the moving platform. This ensures the stability and smoothness of the rotation of the driving screw 702 and the driven screw 703.

[0066] The working process of the linear drive mechanism 70 is roughly as follows:

[0067] When the drive motor 712 operates, it drives the first pulley 709 to rotate. The second pulley 710 rotates synchronously under the action of the transmission belt 711 sleeved outside the first pulley 709 and the second pulley 710. This causes the driving screw 702 and the driven screw 703 connected to the first pulley 709 and the second pulley 710 to rotate synchronously. Consequently, the sliding seat 104 sleeved outside the driving screw 702 and the driven screw 703 moves along the walking platform 701. Finally, the spraying mechanism moves along the walking platform 701 while the drive motor 712 is operating.

[0068] like Figure 9 As shown, the rotary drive mechanism 80 includes a rotary platform 801 with an arc-shaped mounting surface. A ring frame 802 is fixedly mounted at both ends of the arc-shaped mounting surface. The ring frame 802 has an openable second notch 803 corresponding to the first notch 501. A rotating ring 804 for mounting a walking platform 701 is rotatably provided on the inner side of the ring frame 802. The rotating ring 804 has a third notch 805 corresponding to the second notch 803.

[0069] It should be noted that, Figure 9 The inner side of the middle ring frame 802 is provided with a sliding groove. The rotating ring 804 includes an annular sliding rod corresponding to the sliding groove and an annular inner rod fixed to the annular sliding rod. The gear sleeve 806 is fixed by the annular inner rod. In order to facilitate rotation, the gear sleeve 806 should be installed on the outside of the rotating platform 801.

[0070] In a preferred embodiment, a gear sleeve 806 with a fourth notch 807 corresponding to the third notch 805 is fixedly connected to the outer side of one of the rotating rings 804, and a plurality of synchronizing rods 808 are arranged in a ring at intervals on the inner side of the two rotating rings 804; a stepper motor 809 is fixedly installed on the side of the rotating platform 801, and a drive gear 810 that meshes with the gear sleeve 806 is fixedly connected to the output end of the stepper motor 809.

[0071] It is understandable that, in order to ensure that the annular nozzle 50 can rotate around the central axis of the optical fiber, the annular nozzle 50, the annular frame 802, the rotating ring 804, and the circles containing several nozzles are all concentric circles.

[0072] The working process of the rotary drive mechanism 80 is roughly as follows:

[0073] When the stepper motor 809 operates, it drives the drive gear 810 to rotate. The drive gear 810 drives the gear sleeve 806 meshing with it to rotate. The gear sleeve 806 drives the rotating ring 804 fixed to it to rotate inside the ring frame 802, thereby causing the spraying mechanism fixedly mounted on the ring frame 802 to rotate.

[0074] It should be noted that the aforementioned drive motor 712 and stepper motor 809 are connected to the control system to achieve automated control of the spraying process. Similarly, their connection method and control principle are existing technologies and will not be elaborated here.

[0075] Example 2

[0076] like Figure 10 As shown, a method for spraying a metallic coating onto an optical fiber, based on the optical fiber metallic coating spraying apparatus in Embodiment 1, includes the following steps:

[0077] S1, Pre-treatment of preformed rods, including cleaning and treatment of surface oil and foreign matter, and placing the bare fiber drawn from the pre-treated preformed rods at the center of the annular nozzle 50;

[0078] S2, adjust the hydrogen flow rate, introduce a small amount of hydrogen into the combustion chamber 40, and ignite the hydrogen sprayed from the nozzle 60;

[0079] It should be noted that the flow rate of hydrogen gas can be controlled by a control valve installed on the pipeline. Introducing hydrogen gas first can expel the air in the spraying mechanism to ensure the purity of the combustion environment in the combustion chamber 40.

[0080] S3, oxygen is introduced into the combustion chamber 40 and the oxygen flow rate is adjusted to ignite the hydrogen-oxygen mixture in the combustion chamber 40 by backfire;

[0081] It should be noted that the aforementioned flashback ignition of the combustion chamber 40 is only one method; in actual operation, internal ignition can also be used. To avoid deflagration in a confined space, ignition can be controlled by a control valve to ensure that the hydrogen content in the combustion chamber 40 is relatively low.

[0082] S4, increase the flow rate of hydrogen and oxygen proportionally, and at the same time introduce metal powder into the combustion chamber 40. The metal powder is melted in the combustion chamber 40, and under the action of airflow, the molten metal powder enters the annular nozzle 50 and is ejected from the nozzle 60.

[0083] It is understandable that the above ratio of hydrogen to oxygen can be introduced according to the actual combustion ratio of 2:1.

[0084] S5, adjust the drive motor 712 and the stepper motor 809 so that the annular nozzle 50 moves back and forth while rotating around the optical fiber, so as to achieve uniformity of metal powder spraying on the surface of the optical fiber.

[0085] This invention achieves rapid melting of metal powder in a high-oxygen-content state by setting independent oxygen channels 101, hydrogen channels 102, and metal powder channels 103 in the split chamber, and spraying the powder into the combustion chamber 40 through corresponding oxygen holes 301, hydrogen holes 302, and metal powder holes 303, thereby improving the purity of the molten metal. The powder is then sprayed out through the annular array side nozzles 60 on the annular nozzle 50, achieving comprehensive metal coating on the optical fiber surface. By setting a linear drive mechanism 70 and a rotary drive mechanism 80, the nozzles 60 in the spraying mechanism can rotate around the optical fiber while simultaneously moving linearly back and forth along its length, improving the quality of the metal coating on the optical fiber surface and the controllability of the coating thickness and uniformity.

[0086] The above description is a specific implementation of the embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An optical fiber metal coating spray device characterized by, The application relates to a spraying device for spraying metal powder on a fiber, which comprises the following parts: a spraying mechanism, which comprises: a lower shell (10) provided with at least one oxygen channel (101), one hydrogen channel (102) and one metal powder channel (103); a distribution chamber installed on the upper part of the lower shell (10), which comprises a distribution shell (20) and a porous cover (30) covering the distribution shell (20), the distribution shell (20) is provided with an oxygen cavity (201), a hydrogen cavity (202) and a metal powder cavity (203) which are connected with the oxygen channel (101), the hydrogen channel (102) and the metal powder channel (103) respectively; the porous cover (30) is provided with a plurality of oxygen holes (301), hydrogen holes (302) and metal powder holes (303) corresponding to the oxygen cavity (201), the hydrogen cavity (202) and the metal powder cavity (203); the oxygen holes (301) and the hydrogen holes (302) are both conical holes which are inclined towards the central axis of the distribution chamber, and the large end of the conical hole is towards the distribution chamber; a combustion chamber (40) for burning hydrogen and oxygen and melting the metal powder for spraying, which is installed on the upper part of the distribution chamber; a ring spraying assembly, which comprises a ring-shaped nozzle (50) connected with the upper opening of the combustion chamber (40), the ring-shaped nozzle (50) has a closed first notch (501) for conveniently pulling out or putting in the optical fiber, and a plurality of nozzles (60) are arranged in a ring-shaped array around the center of the ring-shaped nozzle (50) and are directed towards the center of the ring-shaped nozzle (50); a driving mechanism, which comprises a linear driving mechanism (70) connected with the spraying mechanism and used for driving the spraying mechanism to move back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber, and a rotating driving mechanism (80) connected with the linear driving mechanism (70) and used for driving the ring-shaped nozzle (50) to rotate.

2. The optical fiber metal coating spray device of claim 1, wherein, The oxygen channel (101) and the hydrogen channel (102) are both ring-shaped channels, and the oxygen holes (301) and the hydrogen holes (302) are arranged in a multi-layer interval ring-shaped array at the corresponding positions of the oxygen channel (101) and the hydrogen channel (102).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic metal coating spray device is a fiber optic metal coating spray device. The metal powder cavity (203) is located in the center of the distribution chamber, and the combustion chamber (40) is a conical barrel which is connected with the upper opening of the distribution chamber.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the fiber optic metal coating spray device is a fiber optic metal coating spray device. The linear driving mechanism (70) comprises a walking platform (701), the walking platform (701) is provided with a driving screw rod (702) and a driven screw rod (703) which is driven to rotate by the driving screw rod (702) and rotates along the length direction of the walking platform (701); the lower part of the lower shell (10) is provided with a sliding seat (104) sleeved outside the driving screw rod (702) and the driven screw rod (703), and the sliding seat (104) is provided with threads matched with the driving screw rod (702) and the driven screw rod (703).

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the fiber optic metal coating spray device is a fiber optic metal coating spray device. The upper surface of the walking platform (701) is provided with a groove (704) along its length direction for placing the driving lead screw (702) and the driven lead screw (703), the two ends of the walking platform (701) are inlaid with the first bearing (705) and the second bearing (706) at the corresponding positions of the driving lead screw (702) and the driven lead screw (703), the two ends of the driving lead screw (702) and the driven lead screw (703) are provided with the first connecting shaft (707) and the second connecting shaft (708) fixedly connected with the inner walls of the first bearing (705) and the second bearing (706); the first connecting shaft (707) and the second connecting shaft (708) on the same side are fixedly connected with the first pulley (709) and the second pulley (710) arranged outside the walking platform (701), the first pulley (709) and the second pulley (710) are externally sleeved with the transmission belt (711), and the first pulley (709) is connected with the driving motor (712) along its axial direction.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the fiber optic metal coating spray device is a fiber optic metal coating spray device. The rotating driving mechanism (80) comprises a rotating platform (801) with an arc-shaped mounting surface, two ends of the arc-shaped mounting surface are fixedly provided with an annular frame (802), the annular frame (802) has an open-close second notch (803) corresponding to the first notch (501), and a rotating ring (804) for mounting the walking platform (701) is rotatably arranged on the inner side of the annular frame (802), and the rotating ring (804) has a third notch (805) corresponding to the second notch (803).

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the fiber optic metal coating spray device is a fiber optic metal coating spray device. One of the rotating rings (804) is fixedly connected with a gear sleeve (806) having a fourth notch (807) corresponding to the third notch (805) on the outer side, and a plurality of synchronous rods (808) are arranged in an annular array on the inner sides of the two rotating rings (804); a stepping motor (809) is fixedly arranged on the side surface of the rotating platform (801), and a driving gear (810) engaged with the gear sleeve (806) is fixedly connected to the output end of the stepping motor (809).

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the fiber optic metal coating spray device is a fiber optic metal coating spray device of claim 1. The annular nozzle (50), the annular frame (802), the rotating ring (804) and the circle where the plurality of nozzles are located are concentric circles.

9. A method of applying a metal coating to an optical fiber, implemented using the apparatus of claim 8, wherein, The method comprises the following steps: S1, pretreating the preform, including cleaning and treating the surface oil stains and foreign matters, and placing the bare fiber drawn from the pretreated preform at the center of the annular nozzle (50); S2, adjusting the hydrogen flow, introducing a small amount of hydrogen into the combustion chamber (40), and igniting the hydrogen gas sprayed from the nozzle (60); S3, introducing oxygen into the combustion chamber (40) and adjusting the oxygen flow, igniting the hydrogen-oxygen mixed gas in the combustion chamber (40) by tempering; S4, increasing the flow of hydrogen and oxygen in proportion, and introducing metal powder into the combustion chamber (40), melting the metal powder in the combustion chamber (40), and under the action of the gas flow, the molten metal powder enters the annular nozzle (50) and is sprayed from the nozzle (60); S5, adjusting the driving motor (712) and the stepping motor (809), so that the annular nozzle (50) reciprocates while rotating around the optical fiber to realize the uniformity of the metal powder sprayed on the surface of the optical fiber.

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