Grabbing mechanism and carrying device for optical fiber preform

Abstract

The invention provides an optical fiber preform grabbing mechanism and a carrying device, and belongs to the technical field of optical fiber preforms. The grabbing mechanism is used for grabbing an adapter fixed to the top end of the optical fiber preform, and comprises a double-rod air cylinder, and the two ends of the double-rod air cylinder are each provided with a telescopic rod capable of stretching out and drawing back in the horizontal direction; each clamping jaw assembly is connected with the telescopic rod at one end of the double-rod air cylinder, openings are formed in the sides, close to each other, of the clamping jaw assemblies, the two openings are matched with the first connecting part, and the two clamping jaw assemblies are used for fixing the adapter through the two openings when the two clamping jaw assemblies are close to each other; the adapters are released when they are away from each other. The grabbing mechanism for the optical fiber preform rod is large in opening degree allowance, easy to control and capable of preventing the optical fiber preform rod from falling off.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of optical fiber preforms, and in particular to a gripping mechanism and a handling device for optical fiber preforms. Background Art

[0002] OVD (outside vapor deposition) is one of the common preparation methods for preparing optical fiber preforms. When using OVD to prepare optical fiber preforms, deposition is first performed on the outside of a quartz base rod, and the reaction gas is deposited on the outside of the base rod through a flame to form glass powder. The powder is accumulated into a blank, and then sintered to form a dense glass structure. In order to prepare optical fiber preforms with higher purity, degassing is generally performed after the sintering process, that is, the sintered blank is moved to a degassing chamber to remove internal gases and impurities in a high temperature and vacuum environment. Degassing can make the glass reach a higher purity, thereby improving the performance of the optical fiber.

[0003] During degassing, a transport mechanism is required to place the optical fiber preform into the degassing furnace, and then the degassed optical fiber preform is taken out of the degassing furnace by the transport mechanism. Generally, an adapter is fixed on the top of the optical fiber preform, and the transport structure is in direct contact with the adapter. In the prior art, an inclined claw structure is usually used to grab or release the optical fiber preform, that is, the opening or closing direction of the claw structure is non-horizontal. The opening formed by this claw structure is insufficient for the adapter and is easy to hold up the adapter, which will cause damage to the claw and the adapter over time, reducing the degree of fit between the two and easily causing the risk of the preform falling off. Summary of the invention

[0004] An object of the first aspect of the present invention is to provide a gripping mechanism which has a large opening and closing margin, is simple to control and can prevent the optical fiber preform from falling off.

[0005] Another object of the present invention is to ensure the stability of the moving direction of the clamping jaw assembly.

[0006] A further object of the present invention is to improve the adaptability of the gripping mechanism.

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to make the structure compact and occupy a small volume.

[0008] An object of the second aspect of the present invention is to provide a handling device comprising the above-mentioned gripping mechanism.

[0009] An embodiment of the present invention provides a gripping mechanism for an optical fiber preform, which is used to grip an adapter fixed to the top end of the optical fiber preform, and the gripping mechanism comprises:

[0010] A double-rod cylinder, both ends of which are provided with telescopic rods that can be extended and retracted in the horizontal direction;

[0011] Two clamping jaw assemblies, each of which is connected to the telescopic rod at one end of the double-rod cylinder, and each of which is provided with an opening on the side close to each other, and the two openings cooperate with the adapter. The two clamping jaw assemblies are used to fix the adapter through the two openings when they are close to each other, and release the adapter when they are far away from each other.

[0012] Optionally, the gripping mechanism of the optical fiber preform further includes a slide rail assembly, and the slide rail assembly includes:

[0013] A guide rail, fixedly arranged on the double-rod cylinder and extending along the length direction of the telescopic rod;

[0014] Two sliders, each slider is fixedly connected to each of the clamping jaw assemblies, and the two sliders are respectively slidably connected to the guide rails.

[0015] Optionally, the clamping jaw assembly comprises a height-adjustable clamping jaw plate, and the clamping jaw plate is provided with the opening.

[0016] Optionally, the clamping jaw assembly further comprises a vertical plate portion and a horizontal plate portion that are fixedly connected;

[0017] The transverse plate portion is provided with a connecting surface having a horizontal surface, and the connecting surface is connected to the sliding block;

[0018] The vertical plate portion is connected to the telescopic rod and is provided with a long strip hole extending in the vertical direction;

[0019] The clamping claw plate has mounting holes corresponding to the elongated holes, and the clamping claw plate is fixedly connected to the vertical plate portion by fasteners passing through the elongated holes and the mounting holes.

[0020] Optionally, the guide rail is arranged at the bottom of the double-rod cylinder, and the cross plate portion and the sliding block are both arranged directly below the double-rod cylinder.

[0021] Optionally, the transverse plate portion includes a first transverse plate and a second transverse plate that are fixedly connected and stacked up and down;

[0022] The vertical plate portion includes a first vertical plate and a second vertical plate stacked up and down, and fixedly connected to the first horizontal plate and the second horizontal plate respectively. The second vertical plate is connected to the clamping claw plate and is provided with the long strip hole.

[0023] Optionally, a through hole is provided at the first transverse plate, and the guide rail is mounted at the through holes of the two first transverse plates.

[0024] Optionally, the number of the elongated holes on each of the second vertical plates is not less than 2.

[0025] In particular, another aspect of the present invention further provides a handling device for an optical fiber preform, comprising an adapter and any of the above-mentioned gripping mechanisms;

[0026] The adapter comprises:

[0027] A first connecting portion, comprising a truncated cone portion and a shaft neck portion, wherein the diameter of the truncated cone portion is greater than the diameter of the shaft neck portion, and the shaft neck portion is matched with the opening of the clamping jaw assembly;

[0028] The second connecting part is fixed below the first connecting part. The second connecting part is provided with a slot, and the top of the optical fiber preform is fixedly arranged in the slot.

[0029] Optionally, the adapter further comprises a sealing cover fixedly connected to the second connecting portion, and the sealing cover is arranged on the top of the degassing furnace.

[0030] According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a grasping mechanism for horizontally clamping and releasing an optical fiber preform, wherein the grasping mechanism drives two jaw assemblies to move horizontally closer to or farther from each other via a double-rod cylinder, thereby grasping or releasing an adapter. This grasping mechanism for horizontal bidirectional movement has a large opening and closing margin, is simple to control, and will not interfere with the adapter during movement, thereby avoiding damage between the adapter and the grasping mechanism, thereby avoiding the risk of the optical fiber preform falling off.

[0031] According to the second aspect of the present invention, the gripping mechanism is also provided with a slide rail assembly, a slider is provided at the clamping jaw assembly, and a guide rail is provided at the double-rod cylinder. The slider can slide on the guide rail to guide and ensure the stability of the moving direction of the clamping jaw assembly.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the clamping plate is arranged to be height-adjustable. Therefore, when there is a length error in the optical fiber preform before degassing, the height of the clamping plate can be adjusted to accommodate this preparation error, thereby improving the adaptability of the gripping mechanism.

[0033] Furthermore, arranging the guide rail, the cross plate and the slider below the double-rod cylinder can save the width of the entire structure, thereby making the structure compact and occupying a small volume. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the assembly state of the grabbing mechanism and the adapter according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 A front view of the assembly state of the grabbing mechanism and the adapter according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Reference numerals:

[0037] 100-grasping mechanism, 10-double-rod cylinder, 11-telescopic rod, 20-gripping claw assembly, 201-opening, 202-long strip hole, 203-through hole, 21-guide rail, 22-slider, 23-gripping claw plate, 24-first horizontal plate, 25-second horizontal plate, 26-first vertical plate, 27-second vertical plate, 200-adapter, 210-cone part, 220-axis neck part, 230-second connecting part, 231-slot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0039] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another component, it may be directly on the other component or there may also be a central component. When a component is considered to be "connected to" another component, it may be directly connected to the other component or there may be a central component at the same time. The terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in the specification of this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

[0040] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0041] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being “above” or “below” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly in contact with the second feature, or the first feature and the second feature are in contact indirectly through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being “above”, “above”, or “above” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being “below”, “below”, or “below” a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0042] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in the specification of this application have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used in the specification of this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" used in the specification of this application includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

[0043] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the assembly state of a gripping mechanism 100 and an adapter 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 FIG. 2 is a front view of the assembly state of the gripping mechanism 100 and the adapter 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the present application provides a gripping mechanism 100 for an optical fiber preform, which is used to grip an adapter 200 fixed to the top of the optical fiber preform, and the optical fiber preform can be fixed to the adapter 200 by a pin. In one embodiment, the gripping mechanism 100 includes a double-rod cylinder 10 and two clamping jaw assemblies 20. The double-rod cylinder 10 is a cylinder that can extend telescopic rods 11 on both opposite sides. In this embodiment, the double-rod cylinder 10 is arranged horizontally, that is, the telescopic rods 11 at both ends thereof are telescopic in the horizontal direction. Each clamping jaw assembly 20 is connected to the telescopic rod 11 at one end of the double-rod cylinder 10, and an opening 201 is provided on the side of each clamping jaw assembly 20 that is close to each other, which can be a semicircular or arc-shaped opening 201 that matches the cylindrical part of the adapter 200. The two openings 201 cooperate with the adapter 200, and the two clamping jaw assemblies 20 are used to fix the adapter 200 through the two openings 201 when they are close to each other, and release the adapter 200 when they are far away from each other.

[0044] The grabbing mechanism 100 first controls the telescopic rods 11 on both sides of the double-rod cylinder 10 to be retracted, thereby driving the two clamping jaw assemblies 20 to approach each other until the adapter 200 on the optical fiber preform is clamped. When the optical fiber preform enters the degassing furnace, the telescopic rods 11 on both sides of the double-rod cylinder 10 are extended, so that the two clamping jaw assemblies 20 release the adapter 200, and then execute other pick-and-place instructions, such as taking out other optical fiber preforms that have completed degassing, or placing the optical fiber preforms at the upward moving process into other non-working degassing furnaces.

[0045] The present embodiment provides a grasping mechanism 100 for horizontally clamping and releasing an optical fiber preform. The grasping mechanism 100 drives two clamping jaw assemblies 20 to move horizontally closer to or farther from each other through a double-rod cylinder 10, thereby grasping an adapter 200 or releasing the adapter 200. The grasping mechanism 100 capable of horizontal bidirectional movement has a large opening and closing margin, is easy to control, and will not interfere with the adapter 200 during movement, thereby avoiding damage between the adapter 200 and the grasping mechanism 100, thereby avoiding the risk of the optical fiber preform falling off.

[0046] In a further embodiment, the gripping mechanism 100 further includes a slide rail assembly, which includes a guide rail 21 and two sliders 22. The guide rail 21 is fixedly disposed on the double-rod cylinder 10 and extends along the length direction of the telescopic rod 11. Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the guide rail 21 is disposed at the bottom of the double-rod cylinder 10. Each slider 22 is fixedly connected to each clamping jaw assembly 20, and the two sliders 22 are respectively slidably connected to the guide rail 21. Figure 1 As shown in or 2, the clamping jaw assembly 20 includes a clamping jaw plate 23, a vertical plate portion and a horizontal plate portion. The horizontal plate portion is provided with a connecting surface having a horizontal plane, and the connecting surface is connected to the slider 22. The vertical plate portion is connected to the telescopic rod 11 and is provided with an elongated hole 202 extending in the vertical direction. The number of the elongated holes 202 here can be one or more. Preferably, the number of the elongated holes 202 is not less than 2. The clamping jaw plate 23 has mounting holes corresponding to the elongated holes 202, and the clamping jaw plate 23 is fixedly connected to the vertical plate portion through the elongated holes 202 and the mounting holes by fasteners. The horizontal plate portion includes a first horizontal plate 24 and a second horizontal plate 25 that are fixedly connected and stacked up and down. A through hole 203 is provided at the first horizontal plate 24, and the guide rail 21 is mounted at the through holes 203 of the two first horizontal plates 24. The vertical plate portion includes a first vertical plate 26 and a second vertical plate 27 stacked up and down, which are fixedly connected to the first horizontal plate 24 and the second horizontal plate 25 respectively, and the second vertical plate 27 is connected to the clamping claw plate 23 and is provided with a long strip hole 202. The clamping claw plate 23 is provided with an opening 201. In one embodiment, the horizontal plate portion and the slider 22 are both arranged directly below the double-rod cylinder 10.

[0047] This embodiment also provides a slide rail assembly, a slider 22 is provided at the clamping jaw assembly 20, and a guide rail 21 is provided at the double-rod cylinder 10. The slider 22 can slide on the guide rail 21, thereby guiding and ensuring the stability of the moving direction of the clamping jaw assembly 20.

[0048] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the clamping plate 23 is arranged to be height-adjustable. Therefore, when there is a length error in the optical fiber preform before degassing, the height of the clamping plate 23 can be adjusted to accommodate this preparation error, thereby improving the adaptability of the gripping mechanism 100.

[0049] Furthermore, the guide rail 21, the cross plate portion and the slider 22 are all arranged below the double-rod cylinder 10, which can save the width of the entire structure, thereby making the structure compact and occupying a small volume.

[0050] The present application also provides a transport device for an optical fiber preform, such as Figure 1As shown in Figure 2, the handling device includes an adapter 200 and a gripping mechanism 100 in any of the above embodiments. The adapter 200 includes a first connection portion and a second connection portion 230. The first connection portion includes a truncated cone portion 210 and a shaft neck portion 220. The diameter of the truncated cone portion 210 is larger than the diameter of the shaft neck portion 220. The shaft neck portion 220 cooperates with the opening 201 of the clamping jaw assembly 20. The second connection portion 230 is fixed below the first connection portion. The second connection portion 230 is provided with a card slot 231. The top of the optical fiber preform is fixedly arranged in the card slot 231. For example, the optical fiber preform is fixed in the card slot 231 by a pin. The adapter 200 also includes a cover (not shown) fixedly connected to the second connection portion 230. The cover is provided on the top of the degassing furnace to play a sealing role. The portion of the adapter 200 that extends into the degassing furnace together with the optical fiber preform is made of a high temperature resistant material, such as quartz. Of course, the handling device can also include a rod hanging rack (not shown) fixed above the double-rod cylinder 10, and the rod hanging rack is connected to the motion mechanism to realize the overall movement of the grasping mechanism 100, such as translation. The motion mechanism can be some commonly used moving components, which will not be repeated here.

[0051] The handling device of this embodiment includes a grasping mechanism 100 that can horizontally clamp and release the optical fiber preform. The grasping mechanism 100 drives two clamping jaw assemblies 20 to move horizontally closer to or farther from each other through a double-rod cylinder 10, thereby grasping the adapter 200 or releasing the adapter 200. This horizontal bidirectional moving grasping mechanism 100 has a large opening and closing margin, is simple to control, and will not interfere with the adapter 200 during movement, thereby avoiding damage between the adapter 200 and the grasping mechanism 100, thereby avoiding the risk of the optical fiber preform falling off.

[0052] The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present invention, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the invention patent. It should be pointed out that, for ordinary technicians in this field, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent of the present invention shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A gripping mechanism for an optical fiber preform, used for gripping an adapter fixed to the top of the optical fiber preform, characterized in that: The grabbing mechanism comprises: A double-rod cylinder, both ends of which are provided with telescopic rods that can be extended and retracted in the horizontal direction; Two clamping jaw assemblies, each of which is connected to the telescopic rod at one end of the double-rod cylinder, and each of which is provided with an opening on the side close to each other, and the two openings cooperate with the adapter. The two clamping jaw assemblies are used to fix the adapter through the two openings when they are close to each other, and release the adapter when they are far away from each other.

2. The optical fiber preform grabbing mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also included is a slide rail assembly, the slide rail assembly comprising: A guide rail, fixedly arranged on the double-rod cylinder and extending along the length direction of the telescopic rod; Two sliders, each slider is fixedly connected to each of the clamping jaw assemblies, and the two sliders are respectively slidably connected to the guide rails.

3. The optical fiber preform grabbing mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clamping jaw assembly comprises a height-adjustable clamping jaw plate, and the clamping jaw plate is provided with the opening.

4. The optical fiber preform grabbing mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The clamping jaw assembly also includes a vertical plate portion and a horizontal plate portion that are fixedly connected; The transverse plate portion is provided with a connecting surface having a horizontal surface, and the connecting surface is connected to the sliding block; The vertical plate portion is connected to the telescopic rod and is provided with a long strip hole extending in the vertical direction; The clamping claw plate has mounting holes corresponding to the elongated holes, and the clamping claw plate is fixedly connected to the vertical plate portion by fasteners passing through the elongated holes and the mounting holes.

5. The optical fiber preform grabbing mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The guide rail is arranged at the bottom of the double-rod cylinder, and the transverse plate and the sliding block are both arranged directly below the double-rod cylinder.

6. The optical fiber preform grabbing mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The transverse plate portion comprises a first transverse plate and a second transverse plate which are fixedly connected and stacked up and down; The vertical plate portion includes a first vertical plate and a second vertical plate stacked up and down, and fixedly connected to the first horizontal plate and the second horizontal plate respectively. The second vertical plate is connected to the clamping claw plate and is provided with the long strip hole.

7. The optical fiber preform grabbing mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The first transverse plate is provided with a through hole, and the guide rail is mounted on the through holes of the two first transverse plates.

8. The optical fiber preform grabbing mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The number of the elongated holes on each of the second vertical plates is not less than 2.

9. A device for transporting optical fiber preform, characterized in that: comprising an adapter and a gripping mechanism as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8; The adapter comprises: A first connecting portion, comprising a truncated cone portion and a shaft neck portion, wherein the diameter of the truncated cone portion is greater than the diameter of the shaft neck portion, and the shaft neck portion is matched with the opening of the clamping jaw assembly; The second connecting part is fixed below the first connecting part. The second connecting part is provided with a slot, and the top of the optical fiber preform is fixedly arranged in the slot.

10. The optical fiber preform transport device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The adapter further comprises a sealing cover fixedly connected to the second connecting portion, and the sealing cover is arranged on the top of the degassing furnace.

Images