Optical fiber fused biconical taper method

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical fiber fused biconical taper method which comprises the following steps: connecting a light source at a fixed end of an optical fiber roll, sequentially drawing out two optical fibers from a movable end of the optical fiber roll, selecting two areas on each optical fiber to remove a coating layer, taking the coating layer removal area close to the optical fiber roll as a first smooth area, and taking the other coating layer removal area as a second smooth area; the first bright and clean areas of the two optical fibers are sequentially placed on a tapering mechanism, the two ends of the first bright and clean areas are fixed to the two optical fiber clamping bases respectively, and one optical fiber and the optical fiber roll are kept in a connection state; the second bright and clean areas of the two optical fibers are cut off respectively, and two fractures close to one side of the first bright and clean area are placed on two optical power detection probes respectively; the attached position of the two first smooth areas is heated through a fire head, and in the heating process, the two optical fiber clamping bases move in the opposite directions for tapering; in the tapering process, the light intensity of the two optical fibers is detected in real time through the two optical power detection probes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber taper drawing, and in particular to an optical fiber fusion taper drawing method. Background Art

[0002] Optical fiber is the abbreviation of optical fiber, which is a fiber made of glass or plastic and can be used as a light transmission tool. The fused taper manufacturing process is to bring two (or more) single-mode (or multi-mode) optical fibers with the coating removed close together in a certain way, heat and melt them at high temperature, and stretch them to both sides at the same time to form a bidirectional cone structure to realize the manufacturing of optical fiber devices. The equipment used for the fused taper manufacturing of optical fiber devices is the fused taper machine.

[0003] During the stretching process, the two ends of the optical fiber are fixed by optical fiber clamping seats (sometimes called optical fiber clamps or optical fiber fixing plates), and the distance between the two optical fiber clamping seats is increased to achieve taper. For example, in CN201120090967.5-optical fiber fusion taper machine, taper is achieved by two optical fiber clamps; in CN202122042834.7-a three-mode optical fiber taper and beam combining fixture, taper is achieved by two optical fiber fixing plates.

[0004] The current taper method is generally unable to accurately control the optical splitting of the two optical fibers in the fusion region, and is unable to meet the optical splitting requirements of customers. In addition, the taper region lacks protection, which can easily lead to damage to the taper region. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims at the deficiencies of the prior art and provides a method for fusion tapering of optical fiber.

[0006] The present invention is implemented by the following technical scheme, and provides a method for melting and tapering an optical fiber, comprising the following steps: a. Connect a light source to the fixed end of the optical fiber roll, and pull out two optical fibers from the movable end of the optical fiber roll in sequence. Select two areas on each optical fiber to remove the coating layer. The area where the coating layer is removed near the optical fiber roll is the first smooth area, and the other area where the coating layer is removed is the second smooth area. b. Place the first smooth areas of the two optical fibers on the taper mechanism in sequence, and fix the two ends of the first smooth area on two optical fiber clamping seats respectively, and keep one of the optical fibers connected to the optical fiber coil; c. Cut off the second smooth areas of the two optical fibers respectively, and place the two cut ends close to the first smooth area on two optical power detection probes respectively; d. The joining part of the two first smooth areas is heated by a torch, and during the heating process, the two optical fiber clamping seats move in opposite directions to perform taper drawing; e. During the taper pulling process, the light intensity of the two optical fibers is detected in real time through two optical power detection probes, and the position of the flame head is adjusted according to the real-time detection results.

[0007] As an optimization, a V-shaped groove is provided on the upper end surface of the optical fiber clamping seat, the optical fiber is placed at the bottom of the V-shaped groove, and an air suction hole is provided at the bottom of the V-shaped groove.

[0008] As an optimization, two opposing ceramic rods are mounted on the optical fiber clamping seat, and the two optical fibers are clamped by the relative movement of the ends of the two ceramic rods.

[0009] As an optimization, the operation of removing the coating in step a includes: pressing both ends of the optical fiber to straighten the optical fiber, wrapping the optical fiber with a stripping pliers, and removing the coating by moving the stripping pliers along the length direction of the optical fiber.

[0010] As an optimization, after the coating layer is removed in step a, the coating layer area is removed by wrapping it with two cloth strips, and the two cloth strips are moved along the length direction of the optical fiber to achieve cleaning, and cleaning liquid is sprayed during the cleaning process.

[0011] As an optimization, after the cloth strip completes one cleaning, the cloth strip is pulled a certain distance so that another area of ​​the cloth strip can be cleaned next time.

[0012] As an optimization, the operation of cutting the second smooth area of ​​the optical fiber in step c includes: clamping the two sides of the second smooth area by two pneumatic clamps, and moving to the rotating cutter position for cutting. After cutting, the fracture close to the first smooth area is placed on the optical power detection probe by transferring the pneumatic clamps.

[0013] As an optimization, after step e is completed, use a U-shaped groove to wrap the taper area and fix it with glue.

[0014] As an optimization, a U-groove fixing frame that moves up and down is set between the two optical fiber clamping seats, a U-groove through hole is opened on one of the optical fiber clamping seats and a U-groove bin is set on the outer side of the optical fiber clamping seat, a plurality of U-groove placement holes are opened on the U-groove bin, a U-groove is placed in the U-groove placement hole, the U-groove in the U-groove placement hole is ejected by a pin and passed through the U-groove through hole and then placed on the U-groove fixing frame, then the U-groove bin is moved to align the U-groove placement hole with another U-groove with the U-groove through hole, after step e is completed, the U-groove fixing frame rises to wrap the U-groove around the tapered area, and is fixed by glue spraying gun.

[0015] As an optimization, a positioning protrusion is provided at the upper end of the U-shaped groove placement hole, so that the U-shaped groove remains open upward.

[0016] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: a method for melting and tapering optical fibers of the present invention detects the light intensity of the two output optical fibers during the taper process, thereby dynamically controlling the taper process so that the photometric degree of the final product reaches the required ratio. In addition, the taper area is encapsulated and coated with glue for protection through a U-shaped groove, thereby improving the quality of the finished product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the process of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the stripping forceps of the present invention; Figure 3 A schematic diagram of cleaning an optical fiber according to the present invention; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the taper pulling mechanism of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the optical power detection probe of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the U-shaped trough feeding process of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a U-shaped trough bin of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the U-shaped groove placement hole of the present invention; As shown in the figure: 1. Optical fiber, 2. Stripping pliers, 3. Cloth strip, 4. Cleaning liquid nozzle, 5. Cleaning jaws, 6. Cloth strip rack, 7. Fiber optic clamping seat, 8. Ceramic rod, 9. Flame head, 10. Optical power detection probe, 11. Probe base, 12. U-shaped groove, 13. U-shaped groove fixing bracket, 14. U-shaped groove through hole, 15. U-shaped groove bin, 16. Ejector pin, 17. U-shaped groove placement hole, 18. Positioning protrusion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] In order to clearly illustrate the technical features of this solution, this solution is described below through a specific implementation method.

[0019] like Figures 1 to 8 As shown, a method for melting and tapering an optical fiber of the present invention comprises the following steps: The raw material optical fiber is wound on an optical fiber roll, wherein the outer end can be pulled out and the inner end is fixed. A light source is connected to the fixed end of the optical fiber roll, so that light is emitted from the end of the pulled-out optical fiber.

[0020] Two optical fibers 1 are sequentially drawn out from the active end of the optical fiber reel, wherein the optical fiber 1 drawn out last remains connected to the optical fiber reel.

[0021] Two areas are selected on each optical fiber to remove the coating. The area near the fiber coil where the coating is removed is the first smooth area, and the other area where the coating is removed is the second smooth area. The first smooth areas of the two optical fibers are melted, so the surface coating needs to be removed to ensure a smooth melting process. The second smooth area is used to detect the light intensity after cutting, so the surface coating needs to be removed to ensure that the detected light intensity value is accurate.

[0022] The operation of removing the coating layer includes: pressing the two ends of the optical fiber to straighten the optical fiber, wrapping the optical fiber with a stripping pliers, and removing the coating layer by moving the stripping pliers along the length of the optical fiber. The stripping pliers can be used Figure 2 In the structure, the optical fiber is inserted after the jaws are opened, and the coating is removed after the jaws are closed.

[0023] After the coating is stripped off the optical fiber, only the bare fiber is left; at this time, the stripped coating is still attached to the optical fiber and needs to be cleaned. The cleaning process is to wrap the coating removal area with two cloth strips, move the two cloth strips along the length of the optical fiber to achieve cleaning, and spray cleaning fluid during the cleaning process.

[0024] For example Figure 3 As shown in FIG, the cloth strip 3 passes through two fixed cloth strip racks 6 and enters between two cleaning clamps 5. After the two cleaning clamps 5 are closed, the cloth strip is clamped between the two cloth strips. Figure 3 The middle structure moves as a whole along the length direction of the optical fiber to achieve cleaning, and the cleaning liquid is sprayed through the cleaning liquid nozzle.

[0025] Since the cloth strip 3 bypasses the cloth strip holder 6, after the cloth strip 3 completes one cleaning, the cloth strip is pulled a certain distance so that another area of ​​the cloth strip is cleaned next time. Therefore, a clean cloth strip is used to clean the optical fiber each time, for example Figure 3 The two cloth strips are pulled a certain distance at one end after being merged between the two cleaning clamping jaws 5.

[0026] The first smooth regions of the two optical fibers 1 are sequentially placed on the taper mechanism, and the two ends of the first smooth regions are respectively fixed on two optical fiber clamping seats. The top view of the two optical fiber clamping seats 7 is as shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, a V-shaped groove is provided on the upper end surface of the optical fiber clamping seat, and the optical fiber is placed at the bottom of the V-shaped groove, so as to facilitate the bonding of the two optical fibers. An air suction hole is provided at the bottom of the V-shaped groove, and the optical fiber is adsorbed to the bottom of the V-shaped groove by air suction, thereby achieving fixation of the two ends of the first smooth area.

[0027] Two ceramic rods 8 are mounted on the optical fiber clamping seat, and the ends of the two ceramic rods 8 move relative to each other to clamp the two optical fibers, thereby achieving the bonding of the two optical fibers. The ceramic rod 8 is located between the two optical fiber clamping seats 7, making it closer to the melting area. The ceramic rod 8 is a round rod with a diameter of 0.3-1.5 mm.

[0028] During the tapering process, one of the optical fibers is kept connected to the optical fiber coil, so the light source is dispersed from the optical fiber through the molten area to the two optical fibers. The light intensity output by the two optical fibers is detected to control the spectrophotometry of the tapering area.

[0029] The second smooth areas of the two optical fibers are cut off respectively. The cutting process can be performed by clamping the two sides of the second smooth area with two pneumatic clamps and moving to the rotary cutter position for cutting. Therefore, the fracture position is located between the two pneumatic clamps. The two pneumatic clamps are not loosened and the two fractures will not fall off. After cutting, the transport pneumatic clamps clamp the fracture close to the first smooth area, and the two pneumatic clamps can be loosened at this time.

[0030] Use the pneumatic gripper to transfer the two fractures close to the first smooth area and place them on the two optical power detection probes. Figure 5 As shown, two optical power detection probes 10 are placed side by side on the side of the probe base 11. In this embodiment, the end of the optical fiber is placed in the V-shaped groove on the top of the probe base 11, and an air suction hole is opened at the bottom of the V-shaped groove. The optical fiber is adsorbed to the bottom of the V-shaped groove by air suction to fix the end of the optical fiber.

[0031] like Figure 4 As shown, the torch 9 moves between the two optical fiber clamping seats 7, and the joint of the two first smooth areas is heated by the torch. During the heating process, the two optical fiber clamping seats 7 move in opposite directions to perform taper. The torch 9 in this embodiment is connected to a hydrogen tank, and heating is achieved by hydrogen combustion.

[0032] During the taper process, the light intensity of the two optical fibers is detected in real time by two optical power detection probes, and the position of the flame head is adjusted according to the real-time detection results.

[0033] After the taper is completed, the U-shaped groove 12 is used to wrap the taper area and fix it with glue. The U-shaped groove 12 is long and has a long groove. The long groove wraps the taper area, and the taper area is fixed in the U-shaped groove by glue, which plays a protective role.

[0034] like Figure 6-8 As shown, in order to realize automatic loading of the U-shaped groove 12, a U-shaped groove fixing frame 13 that moves up and down is set between the two optical fiber clamping seats. The U-shaped groove 12 is placed on the upper end surface of the U-shaped groove fixing frame 13, and the upper end surface is provided with an air suction hole to adsorb and fix the U-shaped groove 12 so that its opening faces upward.

[0035] like Figure 6As shown, a U-shaped groove through hole 14 is opened on one of the optical fiber clamping seats 7 and a U-shaped groove magazine 15 is arranged on the outer side of the optical fiber clamping seat, and a plurality of U-shaped groove placement holes 17 are opened on the U-shaped groove magazine 15. The U-shaped groove 12 is placed in the U-shaped groove placement hole 17, and the U-shaped groove 12 in the U-shaped groove placement hole 17 is ejected by a ejector pin 16 and passed through the U-shaped groove through hole 14 and then placed on the U-shaped groove fixing frame 13. After the taper is completed, the U-shaped groove fixing frame rises to wrap the U-shaped groove around the taper area, and is fixed by glue spraying gun.

[0036] like Figure 8 As shown, a positioning protrusion 18 is provided at the upper end of the U-shaped groove placement hole 17, so that the U-shaped groove 12 remains in an upwardly opened state.

[0037] After the ejector pin 16 ejects the U-shaped groove 12 in the U-shaped groove placement hole 17, the U-shaped groove bin moves to align another U-shaped groove placement hole with a U-shaped groove with the U-shaped groove through hole, thereby ejecting the U-shaped grooves in all U-shaped groove bins in turn.

[0038] Of course, the above description is not limited to the above examples. Technical features not described in the present invention can be achieved by or by using existing technologies, which will not be described here. The above embodiments and drawings are only used to illustrate the technical scheme of the present invention and are not limitations of the present invention. The present invention is described in detail with reference to the preferred implementation methods. Ordinary technicians in this field should understand that changes, modifications, additions or substitutions made by ordinary technicians in this technical field within the essential scope of the present invention do not depart from the purpose of the present invention, and should also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for fusion tapering of an optical fiber, characterized in that: The steps include: a. Connect a light source to the fixed end of the optical fiber roll, and pull out two optical fibers from the movable end of the optical fiber roll in sequence. Select two areas on each optical fiber to remove the coating layer. The area where the coating layer is removed near the optical fiber roll is the first smooth area, and the other area where the coating layer is removed is the second smooth area. b. Place the first smooth areas of the two optical fibers on the taper mechanism in sequence, and fix the two ends of the first smooth area on two optical fiber clamping seats respectively, and keep one of the optical fibers connected to the optical fiber coil; c. Cut off the second smooth areas of the two optical fibers respectively, and place the two cut ends close to the first smooth area on two optical power detection probes respectively; d. The joining part of the two first smooth areas is heated by a torch, and during the heating process, the two optical fiber clamping seats move in opposite directions to perform taper drawing; e. During the taper pulling process, the light intensity of the two optical fibers is detected in real time through two optical power detection probes, and the position of the flame head is adjusted according to the real-time detection results.

2. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: A V-shaped groove is arranged on the upper end surface of the optical fiber clamping seat, the optical fiber is placed at the bottom of the V-shaped groove, and an air suction hole is arranged at the bottom of the V-shaped groove.

3. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two ceramic rods facing each other are arranged on the optical fiber clamping seat, and two optical fibers are clamped by the relative movement of the ends of the two ceramic rods.

4. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operation of removing the coating layer in step a includes: pressing the two ends of the optical fiber to straighten the optical fiber, wrapping the optical fiber with a stripping clamp, and removing the coating layer by moving the stripping clamp along the length direction of the optical fiber.

5. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: After the coating layer is removed in step a, the coating layer removal area is wrapped with two cloth strips, and the two cloth strips are moved along the length direction of the optical fiber to achieve cleaning, and cleaning liquid is sprayed during the cleaning process.

6. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 5, characterized in that: After the cloth strip completes one cleaning, the cloth strip is pulled a certain distance so that another area of ​​the cloth strip can be cleaned next time.

7. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The operation of cutting the second smooth area of ​​the optical fiber in step c includes: clamping the two sides of the second smooth area by two pneumatic clamps, and moving to the rotating cutter position for cutting. After cutting, the fracture close to the first smooth area is placed on the optical power detection probe by transferring the pneumatic clamps.

8. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: After step e is completed, use a U-shaped groove to wrap the taper area and secure it with glue.

9. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 8, characterized in that: A U-groove fixing frame that moves up and down is set between the two optical fiber clamping seats, a U-groove through hole is opened on one of the optical fiber clamping seats and a U-groove bin is set on the outer side of the optical fiber clamping seat, a plurality of U-groove placement holes are opened on the U-groove bin, a U-groove is placed in the U-groove placement hole, the U-groove in the U-groove placement hole is ejected by a pin and passed through the U-groove through hole and then placed on the U-groove fixing frame, then the U-groove bin is moved to align the U-groove placement hole with another U-groove with the U-groove through hole, after step e is completed, the U-groove fixing frame rises to wrap the U-groove around the tapered area, and is fixed by glue spraying gun.

10. The method for fusion tapering an optical fiber according to claim 9, characterized in that: A positioning protrusion is arranged at the upper end of the U-shaped groove placement hole, so that the U-shaped groove is kept in an upwardly facing state.

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