Coaxial collimator

Abstract

The coaxial collimator comprises a ceramic sleeve and an optical fiber assembly inserted into the ceramic sleeve, a center insertion hole is formed in the center of the ceramic sleeve in the length direction of the ceramic sleeve in a penetrating mode, the optical fiber assembly is inserted into the center insertion hole, and the inner surface of the center insertion hole is of a smooth structure. According to the scheme, the collimator adopts the self-focusing optical fiber as the collimating lens and is matched with the ceramic ferrule, so that the extremely small size is realized, and the collimator can be applied to the interior of a miniature optical device, such as a miniature probe and the like. The optical-mechanical coaxiality of the collimator is realized through a mechanical precision mode, the structure is simple, a complicated calibration process is not needed, the production efficiency is improved, and the labor cost is reduced at the same time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of collimators, and more particularly to a coaxial collimator. Background Art

[0002] Commonly used fiber coaxial collimators are composed of lenses, glass capillaries, and pigtails, and are relatively large in size. During production, there is a certain angle and off-axis eccentricity between the optical axis and the mechanical axis. Therefore, the optical path alignment must be achieved by adjusting the optical and mechanical coaxiality through precision equipment. After debugging, it needs to be bonded and fixed with a specific glue. The entire production process is complicated and time-consuming. In addition, this coaxial collimator is extremely sensitive to angles, and the reliability of the collimator is easily affected when subjected to radial forces. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a coaxial collimator to solve the technical problems existing in the above-mentioned background technology.

[0004] The technical solution of the present invention provides a coaxial collimator, comprising a ceramic sleeve and an optical fiber assembly inserted into the ceramic sleeve, a central hole is provided at the center of the ceramic sleeve and passes through along the length direction of the ceramic sleeve, the optical fiber assembly is inserted into the central hole, and the inner surface of the central hole is a smooth structure.

[0005] In a preferred embodiment, the tail end of the ceramic sleeve is provided with a tapered guide portion for facilitating the insertion of the optical fiber assembly.

[0006] In a preferred embodiment, the optical fiber assembly includes a common optical fiber and a self-focusing optical fiber connected to the common optical fiber, and the common optical fiber is coaxial with the self-focusing optical fiber.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, the ordinary optical fiber and the self-focusing optical fiber are connected by fusion splicing.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the self-focusing optical fiber has a certain length, and the relationship between its length L and pitch P is: L=1 / 4×M×P (where M is a positive odd number).

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the diameter of the central plug hole is adapted to the diameter of the self-focusing optical fiber.

[0010] The beneficial effects of the technical solution of the present invention are:

[0011] The collimator of this solution uses self-focusing optical fiber as the collimating lens, and is matched with a ceramic ferrule to achieve an extremely small volume, and can be used inside micro-optical devices, such as micro-probes. The optical-mechanical coaxiality of the collimator is achieved through mechanical precision, with a simple structure and no need for complex calibration processes, which improves production efficiency while reducing labor costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention from a cross-sectional perspective,

[0013] Figure 2 This is a diagram of the optical path structure of the optical fiber assembly of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 3 Another optical path structure diagram of the optical fiber assembly of the present invention.

[0015] Explanation of the reference numerals: 1 ceramic sleeve, 2 center plug hole, 3 tapered guide portion, 4 ordinary optical fiber, 5 self-focusing optical fiber, 6 coreless optical fiber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] The present invention is further described in detail below. The embodiments of the present invention are provided for the purpose of illustration and description, and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present invention to the disclosed forms. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. The embodiments are selected and described to better illustrate the principles and practical applications of the present invention, and to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the present invention and design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for specific uses.

[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, the technical solution of the present invention provides a coaxial collimator, including a ceramic sleeve 1 and an optical fiber assembly inserted into the ceramic sleeve 1, a central hole 2 is provided at the center of the ceramic sleeve 1 and along the length direction of the ceramic sleeve 1, the optical fiber assembly is inserted into the central hole 2, and the inner surface of the central hole 2 is a smooth structure.

[0018] The inner diameter of the center plug hole 2 in the ceramic sleeve 1 and the outer diameter of the ceramic sleeve 1 have extremely high roundness and coaxiality. The ceramic material has good material stability and can reach micron level accuracy, reducing mechanical errors. The optical fiber component is inserted into the ceramic center plug hole 2. The ultra-high precision and extremely small gap between the center plug hole 2 and the optical fiber component ensures the coaxiality of the optical fiber component and the ceramic sleeve 1, thereby achieving optical-mechanical coaxiality.

[0019] The tail end of the ceramic sleeve 1 is provided with a tapered guide portion 3 for facilitating the insertion of the optical fiber assembly, thereby guiding the optical fiber assembly and facilitating the insertion of the optical fiber assembly into the central plug hole 2 .

[0020] The optical fiber assembly includes a common optical fiber 4 and a self-focusing optical fiber 5 connected to the common optical fiber 4, wherein the common optical fiber 4 is coaxial with the self-focusing optical fiber 5. The common optical fiber 4 and the self-focusing optical fiber 5 are connected by fusion splicing. The diameter of the central plug hole 2 is adapted to the diameter of the self-focusing optical fiber 5.

[0021] like Figure 2 As shown, based on the above optical fiber assembly structure, the length of the self-focusing optical fiber 5 is fixed, and the light beam propagates along a sinusoidal trajectory in the self-focusing optical fiber 5. The length of a sine wave cycle is called a pitch P. The relationship between the length L of the self-focusing optical fiber 5 and the pitch P in the coaxial collimator is L=1 / 4×M×P (where M is a positive odd number). For a self-focusing optical fiber 5 of a specific length L, when the light beam is input from one end of the self-focusing lens optical fiber, it will be transformed into parallel light after passing through the self-focusing optical fiber 5.

[0022] Of course, the optical fiber components can also be Figure 3 In the structure shown, the common optical fiber 44 is fused with one end of the coreless optical fiber 6 of calculated length, and the other end of the coreless optical fiber 6 is fused with the self-focusing optical fiber 5 of specific length. The coreless optical fiber 6 is a special optical fiber with uniform refractive index. The addition of the coreless optical fiber 6 can improve the focusing performance of the light beam by expanding the beam.

[0023] The collimator of this solution uses a self-focusing optical fiber 5 as a collimating lens, and is matched with a ceramic ferrule to achieve an extremely small volume, and can be used inside micro-optical devices, such as micro-probes, etc. The optical-mechanical coaxiality of the collimator is achieved by mechanical precision, the structure is simple, and no complicated calibration process is required, which improves production efficiency and reduces labor costs.

[0024] Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field and related fields without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention. The structures, devices and operating methods not specifically described and explained in the present invention are implemented according to the conventional means in the field unless otherwise specified and limited.

Claims

1. A coaxial collimator, characterized in that: It comprises a ceramic sleeve and an optical fiber assembly inserted into the ceramic sleeve. A central plug hole is provided at the center of the ceramic sleeve and along the length direction of the ceramic sleeve. The optical fiber assembly is inserted into the central plug hole. The inner surface of the central plug hole is a smooth structure.

2. A coaxial collimator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail end of the ceramic sleeve is provided with a tapered guide portion for facilitating the insertion of the optical fiber assembly.

3. A coaxial collimator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical fiber assembly includes a common optical fiber and a self-focusing optical fiber connected to the common optical fiber, and the common optical fiber is coaxial with the self-focusing optical fiber.

4. A coaxial collimator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The common optical fiber and the self-focusing optical fiber are connected by fusion splicing.

5. The coaxial collimator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The length of the self-focusing optical fiber is fixed, and the relationship between the length L and the pitch P is: L=1 / 4×M×P (where M is a positive odd number).

6. A coaxial collimator according to claim 3, characterized in that: The diameter of the central plug hole is adapted to the diameter of the self-focusing optical fiber.

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