Optical fiber fusion splicer and fusion splicing method

CN118604949BActive Publication Date: 2025-01-24SHENZHEN OPTICHINA TECH LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202410652160.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-05-24
Publication Date
2025-01-24
Estimated Expiration
2044-05-24

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The process operation efficiency of existing fiber splicing machines is low, and the optical fiber is easily damaged during the transfer between equipment.

Method used

An optical fiber fusion splicer is designed that integrates clamping, stripping and cutting mechanisms. It realizes the stripping, cutting and splicing of optical fibers through automated continuous operations, reducing manual operation and damage during fiber transfer.

Benefits of technology

It improves the production efficiency of optical fiber splicing, reduces manual operation time and costs, reduces optical fiber damage and pollution, and improves optical fiber quality and reliability.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present invention proposes an optical fiber fusion splicer and a fusion splicing method, which relate to the technical field of optical fiber fusion splicing, including a workbench and a fusion splicing device. The optical fiber fusion splicer also includes: a clamping mechanism, a fiber stripping mechanism and a cutting mechanism. The clamping mechanism is used to clamp the optical fiber and move on the workbench along the length direction of the optical fiber. The fiber stripping mechanism and the cutting mechanism are symmetrically arranged in two, respectively located on both sides of the fusion splicing device. The fiber stripping mechanism is located between the clamping mechanism and the fusion splicing device. The fiber stripping mechanism can strip the coating layer on the surface of the optical fiber when the clamping mechanism moves away from the fusion splicing device. The cutting mechanism is located between the fiber stripping mechanism and the fusion splicing device, and is used to perform end face cutting on the stripped optical fiber. The optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed by the present invention can realize continuous and automated operations of stripping the coating layer, cutting and fusion splicing of the optical fiber, thereby improving production efficiency. Since the optical fiber is kept in the same device during the entire processing process, the damage that may occur to the optical fiber during the transfer process is reduced.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber fusion splicing, and in particular to an optical fiber fusion splicing machine and a fusion splicing method. Background Art

[0002] When laying optical fiber cables, the optical fibers need to be connected. The current connection method is to connect two optical fibers together by fusion splicing. Existing optical fiber fusion splicers can fuse two stripped optical fibers, such as the optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed in Chinese invention patent CN103529516B, which can fuse two stripped optical fibers.

[0003] However, when using this type of fiber fusion splicer, you first need to strip the coating off the fiber, then cut the bare fiber end after stripping the coating, and finally put it into the fiber fusion splicer. The above fiber stripping and cutting processes are usually performed independently by humans on the corresponding equipment. When a large number of optical fibers need to be fusion spliced, this processing method is inefficient. In addition, during the transfer of optical fibers between the corresponding equipment in each process, there will be problems with optical fiber damage. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention proposes an optical fiber fusion splicer and a fusion splicing method to solve the problem that the fiber stripping and cutting processes in the prior art are independently performed manually on corresponding equipment, the processing efficiency is low, and the optical fiber may be damaged during the transfer between the equipment corresponding to each process.

[0005] The technical solution of the present invention is achieved in this way:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an optical fiber fusion splicer, comprising a workbench, on which a fusion splicing device is provided for fusing two optical fiber end faces, and the optical fiber fusion splicer further comprises:

[0007] Two clamping mechanisms are symmetrically arranged, respectively located on both sides of the fusion splicing device, and the clamping mechanisms are used to clamp the optical fiber and move on the workbench along the length direction of the optical fiber;

[0008] Two fiber stripping mechanisms are symmetrically arranged and are respectively located on both sides of the fusion splicing device. The fiber stripping mechanism is located between the clamping mechanism and the fusion splicing device. The fiber stripping mechanism is used to clamp and heat the end of the optical fiber facing the fusion splicing device. When the clamping mechanism moves away from the fusion splicing device, the fiber stripping mechanism can strip the coating layer on the surface of the optical fiber. The fiber stripping mechanism can move in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber to enter and exit the position between the clamping mechanism and the fusion splicing device.

[0009] Two cutting mechanisms are symmetrically arranged, one on each side of the fusion splicing device. The cutting mechanism is located between the fiber stripping mechanism and the fusion splicing device, and is used to perform end face cutting on the stripped optical fiber. The cutting mechanism can move in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber to enter and exit the position between the fiber stripping mechanism and the fusion splicing device.

[0010] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the clamping mechanism includes a clamping assembly and a first linear drive device, the clamping assembly includes a lower clamping part and an upper clamping part, the upper clamping part is hinged to the top surface of the lower clamping part, and the upper clamping part and the lower clamping part have opposite surfaces horizontally provided with clamping grooves for clamping the optical fiber, and the length direction of the clamping groove is toward the direction of the fusion splicing device, and the first linear drive device is used to drive the clamping assembly to move horizontally on the workbench relative to the fusion splicing device.

[0011] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the fiber stripping mechanism includes a fiber stripping component, a second linear drive device and a cleaning component;

[0012] The fiber stripping assembly includes a support member and a pressing member, the pressing member is hinged to the top surface of the support member, the top surface of the support member is flush with the top surface of the lower clamping member, the pressing member and the opposite side of the support member are both provided with a heating member, the surface of the heating member on the support member is horizontally provided with a first installation groove for placing the optical fiber, and the first installation groove is parallel to the clamping groove;

[0013] The second linear drive device is used to drive the fiber stripping assembly to translate on the workbench in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the clamping mechanism;

[0014] The cleaning assembly is arranged on a side of the fiber stripping assembly facing the clamping assembly, and is used for cleaning the bare optical fiber after the coating layer is stripped.

[0015] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the cleaning assembly includes a fixed cleaning wheel, a movable cleaning wheel and a first floating pressing device;

[0016] The fixed cleaning wheel is rotatably arranged on the upper part of one side of the support member facing the clamping assembly, the first floating clamping device is fixedly arranged on the side wall of the clamping member directly above the fixed cleaning wheel, the dynamic cleaning wheel is rotatably arranged on the first floating clamping device, the axial directions of the fixed cleaning wheel and the dynamic cleaning wheel are perpendicular to the length direction of the clamping groove, and the circumferential directions of the dynamic cleaning wheel and the fixed cleaning wheel are correspondingly provided with rolling grooves connected to the optical fiber;

[0017] The first floating clamping device includes a rotating frame, a guide rod, a first elastic member and a limiting member. The guide rods are arranged in parallel and vertically with two pieces, which are respectively located on both sides of the axial direction of the moving cleaning wheel. The upper and lower ends of the guide rods are respectively fixedly connected to the clamping member through the limiting members. The rotating frame is sleeved on the guide rod and can move up and down along the guide rod. The moving cleaning wheel is rotatably connected to the rotating frame. The first elastic member is sleeved on the guide rod above the rotating frame.

[0018] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the clamping mechanism also includes a mounting plate, a third linear drive device and a positioning assembly. The mounting plate is horizontally slidably arranged on the top surface of the workbench, and the clamping assembly is horizontally slidably arranged on the mounting plate. The first linear drive device is arranged between the mounting plate and the workbench, and is used to drive the mounting plate and the clamping assembly to move horizontally relative to the fusion device synchronously. The third linear drive device is arranged on the mounting plate, and is used to drive the clamping assembly to move horizontally on the mounting plate relative to the fusion device. The positioning assembly is arranged on the mounting plate, and is used to horizontally position the end of the bare optical fiber after the fiber stripping is completed.

[0019] Further, preferably, the positioning assembly includes a positioning device and a fourth linear drive device, and the positioning device includes an upper positioning rod, a lower positioning rod, a positioning frame and a synchronous drive assembly;

[0020] The upper positioning rod and the lower positioning rod each have a positioning portion and a driving portion that are vertically connected, the positioning portion of the upper positioning rod and the positioning portion of the lower positioning rod are arranged in parallel up and down, and the opposite sides of the two positioning portions away from the driving portion are provided with positioning grooves that match the gap of the bare optical fiber, the driving portion of the upper positioning rod and the driving portion of the lower positioning rod are arranged vertically and in parallel, and the two driving portions are both slidably arranged on the positioning frame, and the upper positioning rod and the lower positioning rod can move up and down in the height direction along the positioning frame;

[0021] The synchronous drive assembly includes a drive motor, a gear and a rack. The racks are vertically fixedly arranged on opposite sides of the two drive parts. The gears are meshed between the two racks. The drive motor is fixedly arranged on the side wall of the positioning frame. The output shaft of the drive motor is fixedly connected to the gear.

[0022] The fourth linear drive device is arranged between the positioning frame and the mounting plate, and is used to drive the positioning device to move in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber.

[0023] Further, preferably, the horizontal distance between the side of the clamping assembly facing the fiber stripping assembly and the side of the lower positioning rod away from the clamping assembly is L1, and the dimension between the side of the cleaning assembly facing the clamping assembly and the end of the first installation groove facing the welding device is L2, wherein L1≤L2.

[0024] On the basis of the above technical solution, preferably, the cutting mechanism includes a cutting assembly and a fifth linear drive device, and the fifth linear drive device is used to drive the cutting assembly to translate on the workbench along a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the clamping mechanism;

[0025] The cutting assembly includes a fixing plate, a cutting device, a positioning member and a sixth linear drive device;

[0026] The fixing plate is fixedly arranged on the fifth linear drive device;

[0027] The positioning member is vertically arranged on the fixing plate, and the side wall of the positioning member is horizontally provided with a guide groove corresponding to the position of the clamping groove;

[0028] The cutting device is arranged on the top surface of the fixed plate, and includes a mounting frame, a cutting motor, a cutting knife and a second floating clamping device. The mounting frame is slidably arranged on the top surface of the fixed plate, the second floating clamping device is arranged on a side of the mounting frame close to the fusion device, and is used to perform floating clamping on the bare optical fiber in the guide groove, the cutting knife is rotatably arranged on a side of the mounting frame away from the second floating clamping device, and the cutting motor is fixedly arranged on the mounting frame, and is used to drive the cutting knife to rotate to cut the bare optical fiber on the side of the positioning member away from the fusion device;

[0029] The sixth linear drive is arranged between the fixed plate and the mounting frame, and is used to drive the cutting device to translate relative to the positioning member on the top surface of the fixed plate.

[0030] Further, preferably, the cutting assembly also includes a second mounting groove fixedly arranged on the top surface of the fixing plate, the positioning member is detachably arranged in the second mounting groove, the positioning member has a storage box, a positioning plate is vertically arranged on the side of the storage box away from the cutting device, and the guide groove is horizontally opened on the side of the positioning plate facing the cutting device.

[0031] In a second aspect, the present invention discloses a method for fusion splicing an optical fiber fusion splicer, which utilizes the optical fiber fusion splicer described in the first aspect and includes the following steps:

[0032] S1, move the fiber stripping assembly and the cutting assembly between the clamping assembly and the fusion splicing device, and make the clamping assembly close to the fiber stripping assembly;

[0033] S2, horizontally clamping the optical fiber in the clamping assembly, so that one end to be stripped is horizontally clamped into the stripping assembly, and heating the coating layer of the optical fiber through the stripping assembly;

[0034] S3, the clamping mechanism translates in a direction away from the fiber stripping assembly, driving the bare optical fiber stripped of the coating layer to come out of the fiber stripping assembly, and during the process of the bare optical fiber coming out, the surface of the bare optical fiber is cleaned by the cleaning assembly;

[0035] S4. When the bare optical fiber is completely horizontally removed from the fiber stripping assembly, the clamping mechanism stops moving, and the fiber stripping assembly withdraws from between the clamping assembly and the cutting assembly;

[0036] S5, the positioning assembly moves to horizontally position the end of the bare optical fiber away from the clamping assembly;

[0037] S6, the clamping mechanism moves toward the cutting assembly. When the positioning assembly and the positioning piece in the cutting assembly are positioned, the clamping assembly drives the optical fiber to move toward the cutting assembly. When the bare optical fiber enters the guide groove of the positioning piece horizontally, the second floating clamping device and the positioning piece cooperate to clamp the end of the bare optical fiber.

[0038] S7, the positioning assembly withdraws, and the clamping assembly slightly moves away from the cutting assembly to apply tensile stress to the bare optical fiber;

[0039] S8, the cutting device approaches the positioning member, and cuts the bare optical fiber on the side of the positioning member away from the fusion splicing device by means of a rotating cutting knife;

[0040] S9, the cutting assembly is withdrawn from between the clamping assembly and the fusion splicing device, and the clamping mechanism moves toward the fusion splicing device, so that the bare optical fiber after end face cutting enters the fusion splicing device horizontally;

[0041] S10, after the two bare optical fibers with their end faces cut enter the fusion splicing device, a fusion splicing operation is performed.

[0042] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0043] (1) The optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed in the present invention realizes the continuous automatic operation of stripping the coating layer, cutting and fusion splicing of optical fibers by combining a clamping mechanism, a stripping mechanism and a cutting mechanism, thereby reducing the time and labor cost required for manual operation and improving production efficiency. Since the optical fiber is kept in the same device during the entire processing process, the damage and contamination that may occur to the optical fiber during the transfer process is reduced, thereby improving the quality and reliability of the optical fiber.

[0044] By setting a cleaning component on the side of the fiber stripping component facing the clamping component, the optical fiber passes through the cleaning component during the placement stage. When the bare optical fiber is pulled out of the fiber stripping component, the cleaning component cleans the surface of the bare optical fiber, thereby realizing the simultaneous operation of fiber stripping and cleaning, greatly improving the efficiency of the entire optical fiber fusion tooling device.

[0045] (2) By setting a positioning component, when the bare optical fiber is completely separated from the fiber stripping component, the first linear drive device stops moving. At this time, the drive motor drives the gear to rotate. During the rotation of the gear, the two racks are driven to move in opposite directions up and down. Under the action of the racks, the upper positioning rod and the lower positioning rod are opened. The positioning device is driven by the fourth linear drive device to move on the mounting plate in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber. When the bare optical fiber enters the positioning groove between the upper positioning rod and the lower positioning rod, the drive motor rotates in the opposite direction. Under the action of the gear rack, the upper positioning rod and the lower positioning rod are closed, so that the optical fiber is in the positioning groove, and the axial direction of the optical fiber is constrained, ensuring that the end face of the bare optical fiber is perpendicular to the axial direction during the subsequent cutting process.

[0046] (3) Due to the setting of the positioning component, the end of the bare optical fiber can be smoothly guided into the guide groove of the positioning component through the positioning component, ensuring that the part of the bare optical fiber to be cut is in a horizontal state after entering the guide groove, ensuring that the cross-section of the optical fiber after cutting is perpendicular to the axial direction, and improving the quality of the optical fiber end face incision.

[0047] (4) Through the setting of the second floating clamping device, when the bare optical fiber moves to a suitable position in the guide groove, the sixth linear drive device drives the cutting device to translate toward the positioning member, firstly compresses the bare optical fiber end on the positioning member through the second floating clamping device and the positioning member, then the third linear drive device drives the clamping assembly to slightly move away from the cutting assembly, applies tensile stress to the bare optical fiber, ensures that the bare optical fiber is in a horizontal state, and continues to drive the cutting device to translate toward the positioning member through the sixth linear drive device, and drives the cutting knife to rotate through the cutting motor, thereby cutting the bare optical fiber on the side of the positioning member away from the fusion device. Since the optical fiber is in a straightened state at this time, it is easy to cut to form a good cutting port, ensuring that the optical fiber cross section is perpendicular to the axial direction. Through the setting of the second floating clamping device, the bare optical fiber can be compressed, and at the same time, the optical fiber can be compressed and then cut only through a sixth linear drive device, which has a compact structure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0049] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the state of the optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed in the present invention during the optical fiber clamping process;

[0050] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the state of the optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed in the present invention after the fiber stripping is completed;

[0051] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the state of the optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed in the present invention during the cutting process;

[0052] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the state of the optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed in the present invention during the fusion splicing process;

[0053] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the clamping mechanism, the fiber stripping mechanism and the cutting mechanism and the workbench disclosed in the present invention from a first-view perspective;

[0054] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the clamping mechanism disclosed in the present invention;

[0055] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A partial enlarged view of the middle part;

[0056] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the clamping mechanism, the fiber stripping mechanism and the cutting mechanism and the workbench disclosed in the present invention from a second viewing angle;

[0057] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 A partial enlarged view of point B in the middle;

[0058] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the clamping mechanism, the fiber stripping mechanism and the cutting mechanism and the workbench disclosed in the present invention from a third-view perspective;

[0059] Fig.11 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the cutting mechanism disclosed in the present invention;

[0060] Reference numerals:

[0061] S, optical fiber; S1, bare optical fiber; 1, workbench; 11, first slide rail; 2, fusion splicing device;

[0062] 3. Clamping mechanism; 31. Clamping assembly; 32. First linear drive device; 311. Lower clamping member; 312. Upper clamping member; 310. Clamping groove; 33. Mounting plate; 331. Second slide rail; 34. Third linear drive device; 35. Positioning assembly; 351. Positioning device; 352. Fourth linear drive device; 3511. Upper positioning rod; 3512. Lower positioning rod; 3513. Positioning frame; 3514. Synchronous drive assembly; D. Positioning unit; Q. Drive unit; C1. Positioning groove; 3514a. Drive motor; 3514b. Gear; 3514c. Rack;

[0063] 4. Fiber stripping mechanism; 41. Fiber stripping assembly; 42. Second linear drive device; 421. Third slide rail; 422. Gear rack structure; 43. Cleaning assembly; 411. Support member; 412. Pressing member; 413. Heating member; 4131. First mounting groove; 431. Fixed cleaning wheel; 432. Moving cleaning wheel; 430. Rolling groove; 433. First floating pressing device; 4331. Rotating frame; 4332. Guide rod; 4333. First elastic member; 4334. Limiting member;

[0064] 5. Cutting mechanism; 51. Cutting assembly; 52. Fifth linear drive device; 511. Fixing plate; 512. Cutting device; 513. Positioning member; 514. Sixth linear drive device; C2. Guide groove; 5121. Mounting frame; 5122. Cutting motor; 5123. Cutting knife; 5124. Second floating clamping device; 5111. Second mounting groove; 5131. Storage box; 5132. Positioning plate; 5124a. Clamping rod; 5124b. Second elastic member; 5124c. Limiting portion; 5124d. Clamping head. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0065] The following will be combined with the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0066] like Figure 1 As shown, combined Figure 2-4 The embodiment of the present invention discloses an optical fiber fusion splicer, including a workbench 1, on which a fusion splicing device 2 is arranged. The fusion splicing device 2 can adopt the same structure as the existing optical fiber fusion splicer in the prior art, and can discharge to fuse two optical fiber end faces.

[0067] In order to realize the sequential stripping, cutting and fusion of optical fibers, the optical fiber fusion splicer is structurally configured in this embodiment. Specifically, the optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed in this embodiment further includes a clamping mechanism 3, a stripping mechanism 4 and a cutting mechanism 5.

[0068] Among them, two clamping mechanisms 3 are symmetrically arranged, respectively located on both sides of the fusion splicing device 2, and the clamping mechanisms 3 are used to clamp the optical fiber with the coating layer. The clamping mechanisms 3 can drive the optical fiber to move along the length direction of the optical fiber on the workbench 1, so as to cooperate with the stripping mechanism 4, the cutting mechanism 5 and the fusion splicing device 2 in sequence to realize the stripping, cutting and fusion splicing operations. In this embodiment, the two clamping mechanisms 3 can move independently, and each drives an optical fiber to perform the corresponding operation.

[0069] There are two fiber stripping mechanisms 4 symmetrically arranged, respectively located on both sides of the fusion splicing device 2. The fiber stripping mechanism 4 is located between the clamping mechanism 3 and the fusion splicing device 2. The fiber stripping mechanism 4 can move in and out of the position between the clamping mechanism 3 and the fusion splicing device 2 in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber. The fiber stripping mechanism 4 is used to clamp and heat one end of the optical fiber toward the fusion splicing device 2. The fiber stripping mechanism 4 can strip off the coating layer on the surface of the optical fiber when the clamping mechanism 3 moves away from the fusion splicing device 2.

[0070] Specifically, when the fiber stripping operation is required, the fiber stripping mechanism 4 enters between the clamping mechanism 3 and the fusion splicing device 2, and then the clamping mechanism 3 moves horizontally and approaches the fiber stripping mechanism 4, and by opening the clamping mechanism 3 and the fiber stripping mechanism 4 respectively, the end of the optical fiber to be fused is placed horizontally on the clamping mechanism 3 and the fiber stripping mechanism 4, and the clamping mechanism 3 and the fiber stripping mechanism 4 are closed to clamp the end of the optical fiber, and the coating layer on the surface of the optical fiber inside it is heated by the fiber stripping mechanism 4 to cause a hot melt effect on the coating layer. At this time, the coating layer and the bare optical fiber inside the coating layer are stripped off, and the clamping mechanism 3 is translated in the direction away from the fiber stripping mechanism 4. Since the optical fiber with the coating layer is firmly clamped by the clamping mechanism 3, under the action of horizontal tension, the bare optical fiber located in the fiber stripping mechanism 4 will be axially separated from the coating layer and completely out of the fiber stripping mechanism 4. At this time, the coating layer remains inside the fiber stripping structure, and the coating layer can be removed by opening the fiber stripping mechanism 4 before the next fiber stripping. In this embodiment, the two fiber stripping mechanisms 4 can move independently and cooperate with the clamping mechanism 3 to realize the operation of stripping the coating layer of a single optical fiber.

[0071] There are two cutting mechanisms 5 symmetrically arranged, one on each side of the fusion splicing device 2. The cutting mechanism 5 is located between the fiber stripping mechanism 4 and the fusion splicing device 2 and is used to perform end face cutting on the stripped optical fiber. The cutting mechanism 5 can move in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber to enter and exit the position between the fiber stripping mechanism 4 and the fusion splicing device 2.

[0072] Specifically, when the fiber stripping operation is completed, the fiber stripping mechanism 4 withdraws from between the clamping mechanism 3 and the cutting mechanism 5 in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber. At this time, the cutting mechanism 5 enters between the clamping mechanism 3 and the fusion splicing device 2 in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber. The clamping mechanism 3 moves toward the cutting mechanism 5. When the portion of the bare optical fiber to be cut enters the cutting mechanism 5, the end face of the bare optical fiber is cut by the cutting mechanism 5. After the bare optical fiber is cut, the cutting mechanism 5 withdraws from between the clamping mechanism 3 and the fusion splicing device 2, and the clamping mechanism 3 moves toward the fusion splicing device 2, thereby enabling the end of the bare optical fiber to enter the fusion splicing device 2. After the two cut optical fibers have entered the fusion splicing device 2, the end faces of the two optical fibers can be fused by discharge.

[0073] The optical fiber fusion splicer disclosed in the present invention realizes the continuous automatic operation of stripping the coating layer, cutting and fusion splicing of the optical fiber by combining the clamping mechanism 3, the stripping mechanism 4 and the cutting mechanism 5, thereby reducing the time and labor cost required for manual operation and improving production efficiency; since the optical fiber is kept in the same device during the entire processing process, the damage and contamination that may occur to the optical fiber during the transfer process is reduced, thereby improving the quality and reliability of the optical fiber.

[0074] In some embodiments of the present invention, referring to the attached Figure 5 and 6 As shown, the clamping mechanism 3 includes a clamping assembly 31 and a first linear drive device 32. The clamping assembly 31 includes a lower clamping piece 311 and an upper clamping piece 312. The upper clamping piece 312 is hinged to the top surface of the lower clamping piece 311. The upper clamping piece 312 can be flipped relative to the lower clamping piece 311. A clamping groove 310 for clamping the optical fiber is horizontally arranged on the opposite side of the upper clamping piece 312 and the lower clamping piece 311. The cross-section of the clamping groove 310 is preferably V-shaped, and the length direction of the clamping groove 310 is toward the direction of the fusion splicing device 2. The first linear drive device 32 is used to drive the clamping assembly 31 to move horizontally on the workbench 1 relative to the fusion splicing device 2.

[0075] In this embodiment, a locking structure can be provided between the upper clamping member 312 and the lower clamping member 311. When the optical fiber is horizontally placed in the clamping groove 310 of the lower clamping member 311, the upper clamping member 312 is flipped to close the upper clamping member 312 and the lower clamping member 311, and the upper clamping member 312 and the lower clamping member 311 are locked by the locking structure, so that the optical fiber is stably clamped between the upper clamping member 312 and the lower clamping member 311. As some embodiments, the locking mechanism can be in the form of a lock structure.

[0076] As some embodiments, the first linear drive device 32 may adopt a gear rack structure, which can ensure that the clamping assembly 31 has a large travel range while ensuring accuracy. Of course, the first linear drive device 32 may also adopt a lead screw module structure.

[0077] In some embodiments of the present invention, referring to the attached Figure 5 , combined with the attached Figure 8-10 As shown, the fiber stripping mechanism 4 includes a fiber stripping assembly 41 , a second linear drive device 42 and a cleaning assembly 43 .

[0078] The fiber stripping assembly 41 includes a support member 411 and a pressing member 412, wherein the pressing member 412 is hinged to the top surface of the support member 411, and the top surface of the support member 411 is flush with the top surface of the lower clamping member 311. The pressing member 412 and the opposite side of the support member 411 are both provided with a heating member 413, and the surface of the heating member 413 on the support member 411 is horizontally provided with a first mounting groove 4131 for placing the optical fiber, and the first mounting groove 4131 is parallel to the clamping groove 310. The fiber stripping assembly 41 of this embodiment is closed or separated from the support member 411 by flipping the pressing member 412, and the opening and closing method of the fiber stripping assembly 41 is similar to that of the clamping assembly. When the end of the optical fiber is horizontally placed on the top surface of the support member 411 and is in the first installation groove 4131 of the heating member 413, the clamping member 412 is flipped and covered on the top surface of the support member 411 to lock the clamping member 412 and the support member 411. The heating member 413 is started to heat and melt the coating on the optical fiber.

[0079] The second linear drive device 42 is used to drive the fiber stripping assembly 41 to translate on the workbench 1 along a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the clamping mechanism 3 . In this embodiment, the second linear drive device 42 and the first linear drive device 32 have similar structures.

[0080] During the specific operation, before the initial placement of the optical fiber, the second linear drive device 42 drives the fiber stripping assembly 41 to enter between the clamping mechanism 3 and the cutting mechanism 5. When the clamping assembly 31 moves horizontally close to the fiber stripping assembly 41, the clamping assembly 31 and the fiber stripping assembly 41 are opened, and the end of the optical fiber to be fused is placed horizontally on the clamping assembly 31 and the fiber stripping assembly 41. The clamping assembly 31 and the fiber stripping assembly 41 are closed to clamp the end of the optical fiber. The coating layer on the surface of the optical fiber inside the fiber stripping assembly 41 is heated to produce a hot melt effect on the coating layer. At this time, the coating layer and the bare optical fiber inside the coating layer are stripped off. The clamping assembly 31 is translated in a direction away from the fiber stripping assembly 41. Since the optical fiber with the coating layer is firmly clamped by the clamping assembly 31, under the action of horizontal tension, the bare optical fiber located in the fiber stripping assembly 41 will be axially separated from the coating layer and completely out of the fiber stripping assembly 41. At this time, the coating layer remains inside the fiber stripping assembly 41. Before the next fiber stripping, the coating layer can be removed by opening the fiber stripping assembly 41.

[0081] After the coating layer of the optical fiber is stripped, the surface of the bare optical fiber needs to be cleaned to prevent impurities from affecting the quality of the fusion process. Therefore, in this embodiment, a cleaning component 43 is also provided on the side of the stripping component 41 facing the clamping component 31 to clean the bare optical fiber after the coating layer is stripped. In this embodiment, the optical fiber passes through the cleaning component 43 during the placement stage. When the bare optical fiber is pulled out of the stripping component 41, the cleaning component 43 cleans the surface of the bare optical fiber, realizing the simultaneous operation of stripping and cleaning, greatly improving the efficiency of the optical fiber fusion tooling.

[0082] For details, please refer to the attached Figure 2 Combined with Figure 8 and 9 As shown, the cleaning assembly 43 disclosed in this embodiment includes a fixed cleaning wheel 431 , a movable cleaning wheel 432 and a first floating pressing device 433 .

[0083] Among them, the fixed cleaning wheel 431 is rotatably arranged on the upper part of the side of the support member 411 facing the clamping assembly 31, the first floating clamping device 433 is fixedly arranged on the side wall of the clamping member 412 just above the fixed cleaning wheel 431, and the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 is rotatably arranged on the first floating clamping device 433, the axial direction of the fixed cleaning wheel 431 and the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 is perpendicular to the length direction of the clamping groove 310, and the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 and the fixed cleaning wheel 431 are correspondingly provided with rolling grooves 430 connected to the optical fiber in the circumferential direction;

[0084] The first floating clamping device 433 includes a rotating frame 4331, a guide rod 4332, a first elastic member 4333 and a limit member 4334. The guide rod 4332 is vertically arranged in parallel with two pieces and is respectively located on both sides of the axial direction of the moving cleaning wheel 432. The upper and lower ends of the guide rod 4332 are fixedly connected to the clamping member 412 through the limit members 4334. The rotating frame 4331 is sleeved on the guide rod 4332 and can move up and down along the guide rod 4332. The moving cleaning wheel 432 is rotatably connected to the rotating frame 4331. The first elastic member 4333 is sleeved on the guide rod 4332 above the rotating frame 4331.

[0085] In the initial state, during the optical fiber placement stage, the clamping member 412 is first flipped over to open the support member 411, and the first floating clamping device 433 and the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 are separated from the fixed cleaning wheel 431. After the optical fiber is horizontally placed in the second mounting groove 5111 on the top surface of the support member 411, it just contacts with the rolling groove 430 of the fixed cleaning wheel 431, and the fixed cleaning wheel 431 can rotate along the length direction of the optical fiber. When the clamping member 412 is flipped over and locked on the support member 411, under the action of the first floating clamping device 433, the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 and the fixed cleaning wheel 431 cooperate to press the optical fiber. It should be understood that the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 and the fixed cleaning wheel 431 are pressing the optical fiber with the coating layer at this time.

[0086] When the clamping assembly is translated toward the side away from the fiber stripping assembly 41, the hot-melt coating and bare optical fiber in the fiber stripping assembly 41 are stripped, and the bare optical fiber is slowly pulled out of the fiber stripping assembly 41. Since the cleaning assembly 43 and the fiber stripping assembly 41 remain in relative position, the bare optical fiber will be pulled out of the cleaning assembly 43, and the fixed cleaning wheel 431 and the movable cleaning wheel 432 will roll on the bare optical fiber, thereby cleaning the surface of the bare optical fiber. When the optical fiber is pulled out horizontally, the cleaning assembly 43 will move from the coating of the optical fiber to the bare optical fiber. Due to the downward elastic force of the first elastic member 4333, the rotating frame 4331 is driven to move downward along the guide rod 4332, thereby driving the movable cleaning wheel 432 to move downward and cooperate with the movable cleaning wheel 432 to apply radial pressure to the bare optical fiber, thereby realizing the floating downward pressure adjustment of the movable cleaning wheel 432 at different positions of the optical fiber to effectively clean the surface of the bare optical fiber.

[0087] Preferably, the fixed cleaning wheel 431 and the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 are both cotton wheels with a certain degree of softness. The elastic force of the first elastic member 4333 is relatively small, and the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 only needs to be driven downward to exert a slight pressure on the bare optical fiber to avoid damage and deformation caused by a large pressure on the bare optical fiber. In addition, the fixed cleaning wheel 431 and the dynamic cleaning wheel 432 are both coated with alcohol. Since alcohol is volatile, after the bare optical fiber is cleaned, the alcohol on the surface of the bare optical fiber can evaporate quickly and does not affect the subsequent welding.

[0088] As some optional embodiments, an alcohol replenishing device can be provided at the position where the fiber stripping assembly 41 is withdrawn to a predetermined position. Specifically, the alcohol replenishing device can be installed on the workbench 1, and a press-type spray structure is provided on the alcohol replenishing device. When the fiber stripping assembly 41 is withdrawn to the predetermined position of the workbench 1, the spray head on the alcohol replenishing device is directly opposite to the fixed cleaning wheel 431 and the movable cleaning wheel 432. The press-type spray structure can be electrically executed to spray the alcohol in the alcohol replenishing device onto the fixed cleaning wheel 431 and the movable cleaning wheel 432 through the spray head.

[0089] Of course, as some other implementations, after the fiber stripping assembly 41 returns to the predetermined position of the workbench 1, the mechanical potential energy of the fiber stripping assembly 41 during the movement process can be used to perform the press-type liquid spraying structure action. This can reduce the setting of electrical components and save electric energy.

[0090] After the coating layer of the optical fiber is stripped and the bare optical fiber is exposed, the bare optical fiber has a certain length, and it will bend slightly naturally downward along the axial direction of the optical fiber. This slight natural bending is caused by the mechanical stress applied during the stripping process or the material properties of the optical fiber itself. This part of the bare optical fiber needs to be moved to the cutting mechanism 5 through the clamping assembly 31 to complete the end face cutting. Then, since the bare optical fiber is bent downward along the axial direction, after the cutting mechanism 5 completes the bare optical fiber cutting, the end face of the bare optical fiber will not be perpendicular to the axial direction of the bare optical fiber, and there will be a certain angle, which will cause the end faces of the two optical fibers to be unable to be completely aligned, so that the loss or reflection of the optical signal after the two optical fibers are fused will increase, affecting the performance of the connection. At the same time, it will cause uneven stress distribution around the fusion point, thereby affecting the strength and stability of the joint.

[0091] To this end, the present invention adopts the following solution, specifically, refer to the attached Figure 5-7 As shown, the clamping mechanism 3 of the present invention also includes a mounting plate 33, a third linear drive device 34 and a positioning assembly 35. The mounting plate 33 is horizontally slidably arranged on the top surface of the workbench 1, and the clamping assembly 31 is horizontally slidably arranged on the mounting plate 33. The first linear drive device 32 is arranged between the mounting plate 33 and the workbench 1, and is used to drive the mounting plate 33 and the clamping assembly 31 to move horizontally relative to the fusion device 2 synchronously. The third linear drive device 34 is arranged on the mounting plate 33, and is used to drive the clamping assembly 31 to move horizontally on the mounting plate 33 relative to the fusion device 2. The positioning assembly 35 is arranged on the mounting plate 33, and is used to horizontally position the end of the bare optical fiber after the fiber stripping is completed.

[0092] Using the above technical solution, the mounting plate 33, the clamping assembly 31, the third linear drive device 34 and the positioning assembly 35 constitute a clamping unit, and the first linear drive device 32 drives the above-mentioned whole to translate along the surface of the workbench 1. In some embodiments, two first slide rails 11 are arranged parallel to the length direction of the top surface of the workbench 1, and the length direction of the first slide rail 11 is toward the welding device 2. The mounting plate 33 is slidably set on the first slide rail 11, and the first linear drive device 32 is a gear rack structure, which is arranged between the mounting plate 33 and the workbench 1.

[0093] At least one second slide rail 331 parallel to the first slide rail 11 is arranged on the top surface of the mounting plate 33, and the clamping assembly 31 is slidably arranged on the second slide rail 331. The third linear drive device 34 is preferably a screw module, and the slider of the screw module is fixedly connected to the lower clamping member 412. The clamping assembly 31 can be driven to move horizontally relative to the mounting plate 33 through the third linear drive device 34.

[0094] The positioning assembly 35 is arranged on the side of one end of the mounting plate 33 facing the fiber stripping assembly 41. In the specific operation process, the clamping unit moves toward the fiber stripping assembly 41 under the action of the first linear drive device 32. When the clamping assembly 31 contacts the fiber stripping assembly 41, there is a certain distance between the clamping assembly 31 and the positioning assembly 35, which is roughly the length of the bare fiber. After the bare fiber is placed and clamped in the clamping assembly 31 and the fiber stripping assembly 41, the first linear drive device 32 drives the clamping unit to translate away from the fiber stripping assembly 41. When the bare fiber is completely separated from the fiber stripping assembly 41, the positioning assembly 35 performs an action to constrain and position the end of the bare fiber to ensure that the axial direction of the bare fiber is in a horizontal state, and to ensure that the end face of the bare fiber is perpendicular to the axial direction during the subsequent cutting process.

[0095] As some preferred embodiments, the second linear drive device 42 includes two third slide rails 421 and a gear rack structure 422. The two third slide rails 421 are slidably arranged on the workbench 1 and are perpendicular to the first slide rail 11. In this embodiment, a channel for the third slide rail 421 to pass through is provided on the first slide rail 11. The gear rack structure is installed between the third slide rail 421 and the workbench 1. The third slide rail 421 is driven to translate on the workbench 1 in a direction perpendicular to the first slide rail 11 by the gear rack structure. The entire fiber stripping assembly 41 is fixedly installed on the two third slide rails 421. Such a structural arrangement facilitates the fiber stripping assembly 41 and the clamping mechanism 3 to translate along the workbench 1 effectively and smoothly in the vertical direction.

[0096] The embodiment of the present invention shows a preferred structural mode of the positioning component 35. Figure 7 As shown, the positioning assembly 35 includes a positioning device 351 and a fourth linear drive device 352 , wherein the positioning device 351 includes an upper positioning rod 3511 , a lower positioning rod 3512 , a positioning frame 3513 and a synchronous drive assembly 3514 .

[0097] The upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512 both have a positioning portion D and a driving portion Q that are vertically connected. The positioning portion D of the upper positioning rod 3511 and the positioning portion D of the lower positioning rod 3512 are arranged in parallel up and down. The two positioning portions D are arranged on opposite sides of one end away from the driving portion Q with a positioning groove C1 that matches the gap of the bare optical fiber. The driving portion Q of the upper positioning rod 3511 and the driving portion Q of the lower positioning rod 3512 are arranged vertically in parallel, and the two driving portions Q are both slidably arranged on the positioning frame 3513, and the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512 can move up and down in the height direction along the positioning frame 3513;

[0098] The synchronous drive assembly 3514 includes a drive motor 3514a, a gear 3514b and a rack 3514c. The racks 3514c are vertically fixedly arranged on the opposite sides of the two drive parts Q. The gear 3514b is meshed and arranged between the two racks 3514c. The drive motor 3514a is fixedly arranged on the side wall of the positioning frame 3513. The output shaft of the drive motor 3514a is fixedly connected to the gear 3514b.

[0099] The fourth linear drive device 352 is disposed between the positioning frame 3513 and the mounting plate 33, and is used to drive the positioning device 351 to move in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber. Preferably, the fourth linear drive device 352 is a gear rack structure.

[0100] By adopting the above technical solution, when the bare optical fiber is completely separated from the fiber stripping assembly 41, the first linear drive device 32 stops moving. At this time, the driving motor 3514a drives the gear 3514b to rotate. During the rotation of the gear 3514b, the two racks 3514c are driven to move in opposite directions up and down. Under the action of the racks 3514c, the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512 are opened, and the positioning device 351 is driven by the fourth linear drive device 352 to move on the mounting plate 33 in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber. When the bare optical fiber enters the positioning groove C1 between the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512, the driving motor 3514a rotates in the opposite direction. Under the action of the gear 3514b and the rack 3514c, the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512 are closed, so that the optical fiber is in the positioning groove C1, and the axial direction of the optical fiber is constrained.

[0101] It is worth noting that the positioning groove C1 does not perform a compression operation on the bare optical fiber, but only provides an axial positioning function. In addition, it should be noted that when the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512 are closed, the top surface of the lower positioning rod 3512 is flush with the top surface of the lower clamping member 311 in the clamping assembly 31. This can ensure the horizontal accuracy of the axial direction of the optical fiber and ensure that the end face of the bare optical fiber is perpendicular to the axial direction during the subsequent cutting process.

[0102] In some embodiments, the horizontal distance between the side of the clamping assembly 31 facing the fiber stripping assembly 41 and the side of the lower positioning rod 3512 away from the clamping assembly 31 is L1, and the dimension between the side of the cleaning assembly 43 facing the clamping assembly 31 and the end of the first installation groove 4131 facing the fusion splicing device 2 is L2, wherein L1≤L2. Thus, when L1=L2, after the bare optical fiber is completely separated from the fiber stripping assembly 41 and the cleaning assembly 43, the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512 can just constrain and position the end of the bare optical fiber in the axial direction, and when L1<L2, after the bare optical fiber is axially constrained and positioned by the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512, the end of the bare optical fiber partially extends out of the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512, so that the end of the bare optical fiber is convenient for horizontal guidance and cooperation with the subsequent cutting mechanism 5. It is worth noting that when L1<L2, the difference range of L1 and L2 is 1mm~5mm, which prevents the bare optical fiber from extending too long outside the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512, resulting in the inability to ensure horizontal accuracy when the bare optical fiber enters the cutting structure.

[0103] As some embodiments of the present invention, refer to the attached Fig.11 As shown, the cutting mechanism 5 includes a cutting component 51 and a fifth linear drive device 52. The fifth linear drive device 52 is used to drive the cutting component 51 to translate on the workbench 1 along a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the clamping mechanism 3. The structure of the fifth linear drive device 52 is the same as that of the second linear drive device 42, which will not be repeated here.

[0104] In this embodiment, the cutting assembly 51 includes a fixing plate 511, a cutting device 512, a positioning member 513 and a sixth linear drive device 514. The fixing plate 511 is fixedly arranged on the fifth linear drive device 52, the positioning member 513 is vertically arranged on the fixing plate 511, and the side wall of the positioning member 513 is horizontally provided with a guide groove C2 corresponding to the position of the clamping groove 310. Through the setting of the guide groove C2, it is convenient to horizontally insert the bare optical fiber into the guide groove C2, providing a horizontal positioning basis for the cutting of the bare optical fiber.

[0105] The cutting device 512 is arranged on the top surface of the fixed plate 511, and includes a mounting frame 5121, a cutting motor 5122, a cutting knife 5123 and a second floating clamping device 5124. The mounting frame 5121 is slidably arranged on the top surface of the fixed plate 511, and the second floating clamping device 5124 is arranged on the side of the mounting frame 5121 close to the fusion device 2, and is used for floatingly clamping the bare optical fiber in the guide groove C2. The cutting knife 5123 is rotatably arranged on the side of the mounting frame 5121 away from the second floating clamping device 5124, and the cutting motor 5122 is fixedly arranged on the mounting frame 5121, and is used to drive the cutting knife 5123 to rotate to cut the bare optical fiber on the side of the positioning member 513 away from the fusion device 2; the sixth linear drive is arranged between the fixed plate 511 and the mounting frame 5121, and is used to drive the cutting device 512 to translate relative to the positioning member 513 on the top surface of the fixed plate 511. In this embodiment, the sixth linear drive device 514 is a gear rack structure.

[0106] By adopting the above technical solution, after the coating layer of the optical fiber is stripped, the stripping assembly 41 withdraws under the action of the second linear drive device 42, and the first linear drive device 32 drives the clamping unit to move toward the cutting assembly 51. When the upper positioning rod 3511 and the lower positioning rod 3512 on the positioning assembly 35 contact the positioning member 513, at this time, the positioning groove C1 on the positioning assembly 35 and the guide groove C2 on the side wall of the positioning member 513 are aligned, the first linear drive device 32 stops moving, and the clamping assembly 31 is driven to move horizontally toward the cutting assembly 51 through the third linear drive device 34. At this time, the bare optical fiber passes through the positioning assembly 35 and enters the guide groove C2 horizontally. When the bare optical fiber moves to a suitable position in the guide groove C2, the sixth linear drive device 5 14 drives the cutting device 512 to translate toward the positioning member 513, firstly, the bare optical fiber end on the positioning member 513 is compressed by the second floating clamping device 5124, and then, the third linear drive device 34 drives the clamping assembly 31 to slightly move away from the cutting assembly 51, exerting tensile stress on the bare optical fiber to ensure that the bare optical fiber is in a horizontal state, and then the sixth linear drive device 514 drives the cutting device 512 to translate toward the positioning member 513, and the cutting motor 5122 drives the cutting knife 5123 to rotate, thereby cutting the bare optical fiber on the side of the positioning member 513 away from the fusion device 2. Since the optical fiber is in a straightened state at this time, it is convenient to cut to form a good cutting port, ensuring that the optical fiber cross section is perpendicular to the axial direction.

[0107] Due to the setting of the positioning component 35, the end of the bare optical fiber can be smoothly guided into the guide groove C2 of the positioning member 513 through the positioning component 35, ensuring that the portion of the bare optical fiber to be cut is in a horizontal state after entering the guide groove C2, ensuring that the cross-section of the optical fiber after cutting is perpendicular to the axial direction, and improving the quality of the optical fiber end face incision.

[0108] In this embodiment, the second floating clamping device 5124 includes a clamping rod 5124a, a second elastic member 5124b, a limiting portion 5124c and a clamping head. One end of the clamping rod 5124a horizontally passes through the mounting frame 5121 and is connected to the limiting portion 5124c. The other end of the clamping rod 5124a extends toward the positioning member 513 and is connected to the clamping head. The clamping head corresponds to the guide groove C2. The second elastic member 5124b is sleeved on the clamping rod 5124a between the clamping head and the mounting frame 5121. , thus arranged, when the entire cutting device 512 approaches the positioning member 513, the pressing head first contacts the side wall of the positioning member 513, thereby pressing the end of the bare optical fiber in the guide groove C2, and when the bare optical fiber is straightened under the micro-motion action in the direction of the clamping assembly 31, the cutting device 512 continues to approach the positioning member 513, and the pressing head compresses the second elastic member 5124b, so that the pressing rod 5124a moves horizontally on the mounting frame 5121, and at this time, the cutting knife 5123 approaches the bare optical fiber to achieve cutting. By setting the second floating pressing device 5124, the bare optical fiber can be pressed. At the same time, the second floating pressing device 5124 is set on the mounting frame 5121, and only the sixth linear drive device 514 can be used to press the optical fiber before cutting, and the structure is compact.

[0109] Preferably, the cutting assembly 51 further comprises a second mounting groove 5111 fixedly arranged on the top surface of the fixing plate 511, the positioning member 513 is detachably arranged in the second mounting groove 5111, the positioning member 513 has a storage box 5131, a positioning plate 5132 is vertically arranged on the side of the storage box 5131 away from the cutting device 512, and the guide groove C2 is horizontally opened on the side of the positioning plate 5132 facing the cutting device 512. With this arrangement, when the optical fiber is cut, it will be transferred to the storage box 5131, and after a certain period of time, the collected cut optical fiber can be cleaned by taking the storage box 5131 out of the second mounting groove 5111.

[0110] The present invention discloses a method for optical fiber fusion splicing, which utilizes the optical fiber fusion splicer described in the above embodiment and includes the following operating steps:

[0111] S1, move the fiber stripping assembly 41 and the cutting assembly 51 between the clamping assembly 31 and the fusion splicing device 2, and make the clamping assembly 31 close to the fiber stripping assembly 41;

[0112] S2, horizontally clamping the optical fiber in the clamping assembly 31, so that one end to be stripped is horizontally clamped into the fiber stripping assembly 41, and the coating layer of the optical fiber is heated by the fiber stripping assembly 41;

[0113] S3, the clamping mechanism 3 translates in a direction away from the fiber stripping assembly 41, driving the bare optical fiber stripped of the coating layer to come out of the fiber stripping assembly 41. During the process of the bare optical fiber coming out, the surface of the bare optical fiber is cleaned by the cleaning assembly 43;

[0114] S4, when the bare optical fiber is completely horizontally removed from the fiber stripping assembly 41, the clamping mechanism 3 stops moving, and the fiber stripping assembly 41 withdraws from between the clamping assembly 31 and the cutting assembly 51;

[0115] S5, the positioning assembly 35 moves to horizontally position the end of the bare optical fiber away from the clamping assembly 31;

[0116] S6, the clamping mechanism 3 moves toward the cutting assembly 51. When the positioning assembly 35 and the positioning member 513 in the cutting assembly 51 are positioned, the clamping assembly 31 drives the optical fiber to move toward the cutting assembly 51. When the bare optical fiber horizontally enters the guide groove C2 of the positioning member 513, the second floating clamping device 5124 and the positioning member 513 cooperate to clamp the end of the bare optical fiber.

[0117] S7, the positioning assembly 35 withdraws, and the clamping assembly 31 slightly moves away from the cutting assembly 51 to apply tensile stress to the bare optical fiber;

[0118] S8, the cutting device 512 approaches the positioning member 513, and cuts the bare optical fiber on the side of the positioning member 513 away from the fusion splicing device 2 by the rotating cutting knife 5123;

[0119] S9, the cutting assembly 51 withdraws from between the clamping assembly 31 and the fusion splicing device 2, and the clamping mechanism 3 moves toward the fusion splicing device 2, so that the bare optical fiber after end face cutting enters the fusion splicing device 2 horizontally;

[0120] S10, after the two bare optical fibers with their end faces cut enter the fusion splicing device 2, a fusion splicing operation is performed.

[0121] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical fiber fusion splicer, comprising a workbench (1), on which a fusion splicing device (2) is arranged for fusing two optical fiber end faces, characterized in that: The optical fiber fusion splicer also includes: Two clamping mechanisms (3) are symmetrically arranged and are respectively located on both sides of the fusion splicing device (2). The clamping mechanisms (3) are used to clamp the optical fiber and move on the workbench (1) along the length direction of the optical fiber; Two fiber stripping mechanisms (4) are symmetrically arranged and are respectively located on both sides of the fusion splicing device (2). The fiber stripping mechanisms (4) are located between the clamping mechanism (3) and the fusion splicing device (2). The fiber stripping mechanisms (4) are used to clamp and heat the end of the optical fiber facing the fusion splicing device (2). When the clamping mechanism (3) moves away from the fusion splicing device (2), the fiber stripping mechanisms (4) can strip the coating layer on the surface of the optical fiber. The fiber stripping mechanisms (4) can move in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber to enter and exit the position between the clamping mechanism (3) and the fusion splicing device (2); Two cutting mechanisms (5) are symmetrically arranged and are located on both sides of the fusion splicing device (2). The cutting mechanism (5) is located between the fiber stripping mechanism (4) and the fusion splicing device (2) and is used to perform end face cutting on the stripped optical fiber. The cutting mechanism (5) can move in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber to enter and exit the position between the fiber stripping mechanism (4) and the fusion splicing device (2); The clamping mechanism (3) comprises a clamping assembly (31) and a first linear drive device (32), the clamping assembly (31) comprises a lower clamping member (311) and an upper clamping member (312), the upper clamping member (312) is hinged to the top surface of the lower clamping member (311), a clamping groove (310) for clamping the optical fiber is horizontally arranged on the opposite side of the upper clamping member (312) and the lower clamping member (311), the length direction of the clamping groove (310) is oriented towards the fusion splicing device (2), and the first linear drive device (32) is used to drive the clamping assembly (31) to move horizontally on the workbench (1) relative to the fusion splicing device (2); The fiber stripping mechanism (4) comprises a fiber stripping component (41), a second linear drive device (42) and a cleaning component (43); The fiber stripping assembly (41) comprises a supporting member (411) and a pressing member (412), wherein the pressing member (412) is hinged to the top surface of the supporting member (411), the top surface of the supporting member (411) is flush with the top surface of the lower clamping member (311), the pressing member (412) and the supporting member (411) are provided with a heating member (413) on one side opposite to the other, the surface of the heating member (413) on the supporting member (411) is horizontally provided with a first mounting groove (4131) for placing an optical fiber, and the first mounting groove (4131) is parallel to the clamping groove (310); The second linear drive device (42) is used to drive the fiber stripping assembly (41) to move horizontally on the workbench (1) along a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the clamping mechanism (3); The cleaning assembly (43) is arranged on a side of the fiber stripping assembly (41) facing the clamping assembly (31), and is used to clean the bare optical fiber from which the coating layer has been stripped; The cleaning assembly (43) comprises a fixed cleaning wheel (431), a movable cleaning wheel (432) and a first floating pressing device (433); The fixed cleaning wheel (431) is rotatably arranged on the upper part of one side of the support member (411) facing the clamping assembly (31); the first floating clamping device (433) is fixedly arranged on the side wall of the clamping member (412) directly above the fixed cleaning wheel (431); the movable cleaning wheel (432) is rotatably arranged on the first floating clamping device (433); the axial direction of the fixed cleaning wheel (431) and the movable cleaning wheel (432) are perpendicular to the length direction of the clamping groove (310); and the movable cleaning wheel (432) and the fixed cleaning wheel (431) are provided with rolling grooves (430) connected to the optical fiber in the circumferential direction thereof; The first floating clamping device (433) comprises a rotating frame (4331), a guide rod (4332), a first elastic member (4333) and a limiting member (4334). The guide rod (4332) is provided with two parallel vertical members, which are respectively located on both sides of the axial direction of the moving cleaning wheel (432). The upper and lower ends of the guide rod (4332) are respectively fixedly connected to the clamping member (412) through the limiting member (4334). The rotating frame (4331) is sleeved on the guide rod (4332) and can move up and down along the guide rod (4332). The moving cleaning wheel (432) is rotatably connected to the rotating frame (4331). The first elastic member (4333) is sleeved on the guide rod (4332) above the rotating frame (4331).

2. The optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping mechanism (3) also includes a mounting plate (33), a third linear drive device (34) and a positioning assembly (35); the mounting plate (33) is horizontally slidably arranged on the top surface of the workbench (1); the clamping assembly (31) is horizontally slidably arranged on the mounting plate (33); the first linear drive device (32) is arranged between the mounting plate (33) and the workbench (1) and is used to drive the mounting plate (33) and the clamping assembly (31) to move horizontally relative to the fusion device (2); the third linear drive device (34) is arranged on the mounting plate (33) and is used to drive the clamping assembly (31) to move horizontally on the mounting plate (33) relative to the fusion device (2); the positioning assembly (35) is arranged on the mounting plate (33) and is used to horizontally position the end of the bare optical fiber after the fiber stripping is completed.

3. The optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The positioning assembly (35) comprises a positioning device (351) and a fourth linear drive device (352), and the positioning device (351) comprises an upper positioning rod (3511), a lower positioning rod (3512), a positioning frame (3513) and a synchronous drive assembly (3514); The upper positioning rod (3511) and the lower positioning rod (3512) both have a positioning portion (D) and a driving portion (Q) that are vertically connected. The positioning portion (D) of the upper positioning rod (3511) and the positioning portion (D) of the lower positioning rod (3512) are arranged in parallel up and down. The opposite side of one end of the two positioning portions (D) away from the driving portion (Q) is provided with a positioning groove (C1) that matches the gap of the bare optical fiber. The driving portion (Q) of the upper positioning rod (3511) and the driving portion (Q) of the lower positioning rod (3512) are arranged vertically in parallel, and the two driving portions (Q) are slidably arranged on the positioning frame (3513); The synchronous driving assembly (3514) is used to drive the upper positioning rod (3511) and the lower positioning rod (3512) to move relatively in the height direction along the positioning frame (3513); The fourth linear drive device (352) is arranged between the positioning frame (3513) and the mounting plate (33), and is used to drive the positioning device (351) to move in a direction perpendicular to the length of the optical fiber.

4. The optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The horizontal distance between the side of the clamping assembly (31) facing the fiber stripping assembly (41) and the side of the lower positioning rod (3512) away from the clamping assembly (31) is L1, and the dimension between the side of the cleaning assembly (43) facing the clamping assembly (31) and the end of the first mounting groove (4131) facing the welding device (2) is L2, wherein L1≤L2.

5. The optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cutting mechanism (5) comprises a cutting assembly (51) and a fifth linear drive device (52), wherein the fifth linear drive device (52) is used to drive the cutting assembly (51) to translate on the workbench (1) in a direction perpendicular to the movement direction of the clamping mechanism (3); The cutting assembly (51) comprises a fixing plate (511), a cutting device (512), a positioning member (513) and a sixth linear driving device (514); The fixing plate (511) is fixedly arranged on the fifth linear drive device (52); The positioning member (513) is vertically arranged on the fixing plate (511), and a guide groove (C2) corresponding to the position of the clamping groove (310) is horizontally arranged on the side wall of the positioning member (513); The cutting device (512) is arranged on the top surface of the fixed plate (511), and comprises a mounting frame (5121), a cutting motor (5122), a cutting knife (5123) and a second floating pressing device (5124); the mounting frame (5121) is slidably arranged on the top surface of the fixed plate (511); the second floating pressing device (5124) is arranged on a side of the mounting frame (5121) close to the fusion splicing device (2) and is used for floatingly pressing the bare optical fiber in the guide groove (C2); the cutting knife (5123) is rotatably arranged on a side of the mounting frame (5121) away from the second floating pressing device (5124); the cutting motor (5122) is fixedly arranged on the mounting frame (5121) and is used for driving the cutting knife (5123) to rotate so as to cut the bare optical fiber on the side of the positioning member (513) away from the fusion splicing device (2); The sixth linear drive is disposed between the fixed plate (511) and the mounting frame (5121) and is used to drive the cutting device (512) to translate relative to the positioning member (513) on the top surface of the fixed plate (511).

6. The optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The cutting assembly (51) further comprises a second mounting groove (5111) fixedly arranged on the top surface of the fixing plate (511), the positioning member (513) being detachably arranged in the second mounting groove (5111), the positioning member (513) comprising a storage box (5131), a positioning plate (5132) being vertically arranged on a side of the storage box (5131) away from the cutting device (512), and the guide groove (C2) being horizontally arranged on a side of the positioning plate (5132) facing the cutting device (512).

7. A method for fusion splicing an optical fiber fusion splicer, which utilizes the optical fiber fusion splicer as claimed in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The steps are as follows: S1, moving the fiber stripping assembly (41) and the cutting assembly (51) between the clamping assembly (31) and the fusion splicing device (2), and bringing the clamping assembly (31) close to the fiber stripping assembly (41); S2, horizontally clamping the optical fiber in the clamping assembly (31), horizontally clamping one end of the optical fiber to be stripped into the fiber stripping assembly (41), and heating the coating layer of the optical fiber through the fiber stripping assembly (41); S3, the clamping mechanism (3) moves in a direction away from the fiber stripping assembly (41), driving the bare optical fiber with the coating stripped off to come out of the fiber stripping assembly (41), and during the process of the bare optical fiber coming out, the surface of the bare optical fiber is cleaned by the cleaning assembly (43); S4, when the bare optical fiber is completely horizontally removed from the fiber stripping assembly (41), the clamping mechanism (3) stops moving, and the fiber stripping assembly (41) withdraws from between the clamping assembly (31) and the cutting assembly (51); S5, the positioning assembly (35) moves to horizontally position the end of the bare optical fiber away from the clamping assembly (31); S6, the clamping mechanism (3) moves toward the cutting assembly (51), and when the positioning assembly (35) and the positioning member (513) in the cutting assembly (51) are positioned, the clamping assembly (31) drives the optical fiber to move toward the cutting assembly (51), and when the bare optical fiber horizontally enters the guide groove (C2) of the positioning member (513), the second floating clamping device (5124) and the positioning member (513) cooperate to clamp the end of the bare optical fiber; S7, the positioning assembly (35) is withdrawn, and the clamping assembly (31) is slightly moved away from the cutting assembly (51) to apply tensile stress to the bare optical fiber; S8, the cutting device (512) approaches the positioning member (513), and uses the rotating cutting knife (5123) to cut the bare optical fiber on the side of the positioning member (513) away from the fusion splicing device (2); S9, the cutting assembly (51) is withdrawn from between the clamping assembly (31) and the fusion splicing device (2), and the clamping mechanism (3) moves toward the fusion splicing device (2), so that the bare optical fiber after end face cutting enters horizontally into the fusion splicing device (2); S10, after the two bare optical fibers with their end faces cut enter the fusion splicing device (2), a fusion splicing operation is performed.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

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