Light-guide fiber, manufacturing method thereof, and heating device and method using light-guide fiber
By converting light energy into heat energy using optical fibers, the shortcomings of existing heating devices in terms of safety and uniform heat distribution are solved, and uniform heating of objects in complex shapes is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510210665.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-02-25
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-23
AI Technical Summary
Existing heating devices have shortcomings in terms of safety and uniform heat distribution, especially in industrial production, when heating objects with complex topologies are difficult to achieve uniform heating.
Optical fibers are used, which include a core and an outer cladding layer covered on its outer contour surface. The core or outer cladding layer contains a material for absorbing light waves. By absorbing light waves, the light energy is converted into heat to achieve heating of the object to be heated.
There is no open flame or electricity during the heating process, which has good safety and can meet the uniform heating needs of objects in complex shapes due to the flexibility and adjustable topological structure of optical fibers.
Smart Images
Figure CN120028907A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber heating, and in particular to an optical fiber and a manufacturing method thereof, and a device and method for heating using the optical fiber. Background Art
[0002] In industrial production and daily life, a large number of heating devices are needed. Commonly used heating devices mostly use combustion, electric heating wire energization and other methods to obtain heat to heat objects such as parts, raw materials, water, daily necessities or the human body. The heating method based on combustion has an open flame and poses a great safety hazard. The heating method based on electric heating wire energization will cause the circuit to overheat when encountering short circuits, poor contact and other situations, which can easily induce fires. Especially in industrial scenarios where flammable and explosive materials are handled, electric sparks may induce fires or even explosions. Therefore, in areas with high safety requirements, heating methods based on combustion and electric heating wire energization are restricted in use, and are replaced by heating methods based on hot water or hot air circulation. However, the former is bulky and has high maintenance costs, while the latter has low heat transfer efficiency and uneven heat distribution.
[0003] To solve the above problems, heating methods based on microwaves, infrared light or visible light have been proposed one after another. Among them, heating devices such as microwave ovens, light wave ovens, and induction cookers have entered thousands of households. The characteristics of these heating devices are that electromagnetic waves propagate in a closed or designated space, and after reaching the heated object, they are absorbed by it and converted into heat. However, the radiation of these devices is strong, cannot heat the human body, and may cause damage to the human eye. In addition, since electromagnetic waves propagate in a straight line in free space, it is difficult for such heating devices to uniformly heat objects with complex topological structures in industrial production. Summary of the invention
[0004] In view of the deficiencies in the prior art, the present invention provides an optical fiber and a method for manufacturing the same, and a device and method for heating using the optical fiber. The optical fiber will not generate open flames during the heating process, does not require electricity to be supplied to the inside, and can have any topological structure, thereby meeting people's growing demands for performance indicators such as safety in industrial production and daily life.
[0005] To solve the above technical problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides an optical fiber, including a core and an outer cladding covering its outer contour surface, wherein the core or the outer cladding contains a material for absorbing light waves to convert light energy into heat energy.
[0006] The optical fiber converts light energy into heat energy through the light wave absorbing material in the core or outer cladding to heat the object to be heated. During the heating process, no open flame is generated and no electricity is required inside the optical fiber, so it has good safety. Since the optical fiber is soft and transparent, it can be topologically formed into various structures as needed. Therefore, it can meet the heating needs of objects of any shape and can also be used to heat transparent parts such as window glass without affecting their normal use.
[0007] As an improvement to the above optical fiber, the fiber core is doped with a first dopant for absorbing light waves, and the concentration of the first dopant increases along the extension direction of the fiber core, and the outer cladding is a reflective layer. Its function is to ensure that the optical fiber can still confine the light waves inside the fiber core when it is bent or the diameter is much larger than the wavelength of the light wave, which does not meet the total reflection angle, through the reflection effect of the reflective layer. The concentration of the first dopant increases along the extension direction of the fiber core, which can make the temperature of each part of the optical fiber tend to be constant, thereby meeting the demand for uniform heating of objects with complex topological structures in industrial production.
[0008] As another improvement to the above optical fiber, the core is doped with a second dopant for scattering light waves or has a process defect that can scatter light waves, the concentration of the second dopant or the density of the process defects increases along the extension direction of the core, the outer cladding includes an absorption layer for absorbing light waves and a reflective layer for reflecting light waves, the absorption layer and the reflective layer are both in direct contact with the outer wall of the core and extend in the same direction as the core. Its function is to use the absorption layer as the heating surface during the heating process, so that the heat is concentrated in the absorption layer, single-sided heating or directional heating is achieved, and the heating efficiency is improved. The second dopant doped in the fiber core or the process defects distributed inside the fiber core that can scatter light waves can change the propagation direction of the light waves, so that part of the light waves propagating along the extension direction of the fiber core reach the absorption layer after being scattered and / or reflected by the reflective layer, and are absorbed by the absorption layer and converted into heat. The concentration of the second dopant or the density of the process defects increases along the extension direction of the fiber core, which can make the temperature of each part of the optical fiber tend to be constant, thereby meeting the demand for uniform heating of objects with complex topological structures in industrial production.
[0009] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an optical fiber, which is used to manufacture the optical fiber in the first aspect, comprising the following steps:
[0010] S1. preparing several optical fiber raw materials containing dopants of different concentrations;
[0011] S2, dynamically adjusting the ratio of each optical fiber raw material, making the optical fiber raw material into a core containing a dopant, so that the concentration of the dopant in the formed core changes gradually;
[0012] S3. Cover the outer surface of the fiber core with an outer cladding.
[0013] As an improvement to the above-mentioned method for manufacturing the optical fiber, the dopant used in S1 is a first dopant having a light wave absorbing function, and the outer cladding in S3 is a reflective layer containing a light wave reflecting material.
[0014] As another improvement to the above-mentioned method for manufacturing the optical fiber, the dopant used in S1 is a second dopant having the function of scattering light waves, and the outer cladding in S3 includes an absorption layer containing a light wave absorbing material and a reflective layer containing a light wave reflecting material.
[0015] A third aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an optical fiber, which is used to manufacture the optical fiber in the first aspect, comprising the following steps:
[0016] S1. Prepare optical fiber raw materials;
[0017] S2, making the optical fiber raw material into a fiber core, and generating a process defect inside the fiber core that can scatter light waves through process control;
[0018] S3. Cover the outer surface of the fiber core with an outer cladding.
[0019] The fourth aspect of the present invention provides a device for heating using optical fiber, comprising the optical fiber in the first aspect, one end of the optical fiber is connected to a light source, a coupler is provided between the optical fiber and the light source, and the light source is connected to a control module.
[0020] The above-mentioned device using optical fiber for heating converts light energy into heat energy through the optical fiber and transmits it to the object to be heated. During the heating process, no open flame is generated and no power is required inside the optical fiber, which has good safety. The control module is used to control the on / off and power level of the light source. Through the coupler, most of the light energy in the designated area of the light source can enter the optical fiber without being emitted back to the light source or leaking to the outside of the heating device.
[0021] As an improvement to the above-mentioned device using optical fiber for heating, the control module is connected with a light intensity detector, and the head and tail ends of the optical fiber are respectively connected to the coupler and the light intensity detector to form an optical circuit. Its function is to monitor the light intensity change at the tail of the optical fiber through the light intensity detector, and when the optical fiber is broken, the control module is used to turn off the light source in time to ensure the safety of the device.
[0022] A fifth aspect of the present invention provides a method for heating using an optical fiber, using the optical fiber in the first aspect, and adopting the following steps:
[0023] S1. Making the optical fiber into a heating element that matches the structure of the object to be heated or the part to be heated;
[0024] S2, attaching or wrapping the heating element to the object to be heated or the part to be heated;
[0025] S3, connecting a light source to one end of the heating element, so that light waves are transmitted inside the heating element and absorbed by the heating element, thereby converting light energy into heat energy;
[0026] S4. The heating element transfers heat energy to the object to be heated or the part to be heated to achieve heating.
[0027] Combined with the above technical solutions, compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:
[0028] 1. The present invention achieves heating of the object to be heated by converting light energy into heat energy through the first dopant with light wave absorption function doped inside the core of the optical fiber or the absorption layer coated on the outer wall of the core to absorb light waves. There is no open flame during the heating process, and there is no need to energize the inside of the optical fiber, which can meet the safety requirements of industrial production and daily life.
[0029] 2. The present invention controls the ability of various parts of the optical fiber to absorb or scatter light waves by controlling the concentration of the first dopant / the second dopant in the extension direction of the optical fiber or the density of the process defects in the extension direction of the optical fiber, so that the temperature of various parts of the optical fiber can tend to be constant, which can meet the demand for uniform heating of objects with complex structures.
[0030] 3. Due to the flexible structure of the optical fiber itself, it can be made into heating elements of various shapes through weaving, knitting, spinning or injection molding, extrusion molding and other processes according to the needs of use. Therefore, it can be used to heat objects of various complex shapes and has a wide range of uses. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of a device for heating using optical fibers according to the present invention.
[0032] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of a first embodiment of an optical fiber described in the present invention.
[0033] Figure 3 It is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of an optical fiber described in the present invention.
[0034] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a third embodiment of an optical fiber described in the present invention.
[0035] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of a fourth embodiment of an optical fiber described in the present invention.
[0036] Wherein: 1-light source, 11-coupler, 2-optical fiber, 21-optical fiber tail, 3-optical circuit, 4-control module, 41-detection link, 42-control link, 5-light intensity detector, 110-fiber core, 120-first dopant, 130-reflective layer, 140-protective layer, 150-second dopant, 160-absorption layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] To explain the technical features and the achieved purposes and effects of the present invention in detail, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.
[0038] Please see attached Figure 2-4 Based on the overall concept of the present invention, an optical fiber is provided, including a core 110 and an outer cladding coated on its outer contour surface, wherein the core 110 or the outer cladding contains a material for absorbing light waves to convert light energy into heat energy.
[0039] Figure 2 , Figure 3 The optical fiber in the device has a strip-like structure. Figure 4 The optical fiber in the tube has a sheet-like structure. Figure 5 The optical fibers in the method have a mesh structure, which can be further combined or extended in a self-similar manner to wrap a heated object of any shape. After the combined topological structure forms a mold, optical fibers with corresponding topological structures can be produced through injection molding, extrusion molding and other processes. In addition, strip-shaped and / or sheet-shaped optical fibers can also be made into heating devices of various shapes through braiding, weaving, spinning and other processing processes.
[0040] Figure 2 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical fiber according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the fiber core 110 is doped with a first dopant 120 for absorbing light waves to convert light energy into heat energy, the concentration of the first dopant 120 increases along the extension direction of the fiber core 110, and the outer cladding is a reflective layer 130. In order to increase the service life of the optical fiber, a protective layer 140 is provided outside the reflective layer 130. In addition, in order to achieve single-sided heating or directional heating, the concentration of the first dopant 120 can also be gradually distributed on the cross section, so that the heat is concentrated on the side of the cross section where the concentration of the first dopant 120 is higher, thereby improving the heating efficiency.
[0041] Specifically, the first dopant 120 is a black powder with a diameter of 2 to 100 microns, including but not limited to graphite powder, iron powder, manganese dioxide powder, and ferroferric oxide powder. When ferroferric oxide powder is used as the first dopant 120, the optical fiber has anisotropy. In cooperation with a light source with polarization characteristics, the optical fiber can prevent the light wave from being reflected by the optical fiber and returning to the light source, thereby achieving the effect of protecting the light source; the reflective layer 130 can be made of a material with a reflectivity of more than 95% for the light wave within the spectrum range of the light source, ensuring that the optical fiber can still confine the light wave inside the core 110 when the total reflection angle is not met, such as when the optical fiber is bent or the diameter is much larger than the wavelength of the light wave. When in use, the end with a low concentration of the first dopant 120 is used as the incident end of the light source. At this time, the concentration of the first dopant 120 increases gradually along the irradiation direction of the light source, which can avoid reducing the heat generated due to the attenuation of the light wave, thereby making the temperature of each part of the optical fiber tend to be constant, and achieving uniform heating. Obviously, in order to achieve heating of a specific surface and / or interior of an object at different temperatures, this can also be achieved by changing the concentration of the first dopant 120 in a specific portion of the fiber core 110 .
[0042] In addition, process defects are usually generated during the molding process of the fiber core 110. Among them, some process defects (such as cracks, etc.) can scatter light waves, causing the light waves transmitted along the fiber core 110 to change direction due to the scattering effect of the process defects, thereby reaching the first dopant 120 and being absorbed and converted into heat. These process defects also have a certain absorption effect and can convert light waves into thermal energy. Therefore, these process defects in the fiber core 110 can further promote the absorption of light waves and improve the heating efficiency.
[0043] Figure 3 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an optical fiber according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein the outer cladding includes an absorption layer 160 for absorbing light waves and a reflective layer 130 for reflecting light waves, the absorption layer 160 and the reflective layer 130 are both in direct contact with the outer wall of the core 110 and extend in the same direction as the core 110, and the reflective layer 130 has a C-shaped or U-shaped cross section, and the absorption layer 160 is filled in the gap of the reflective layer 130, wherein the absorption layer 160 is used to absorb light waves and convert light energy into heat energy, and the reflective layer 130 is used to confine the light waves inside the core 110, and the core 110 is doped with a second dopant 150 for scattering light waves, and the concentration of the second dopant 150 increases along the extension direction of the core 110. When in use, the end with a low concentration of the second dopant 150 is used as the incident end of the light source, so that the temperature of each part of the optical fiber tends to be constant during the heating process, and uniform heating is achieved. Obviously, in order to achieve heating of a specific surface and / or interior of an object at different temperatures, this can also be achieved by changing the concentration of the second dopant 150 in a specific portion of the fiber core 110 .
[0044] Specifically, the second dopant 150 is a particle with a diameter of 2 to 5 microns, and an inorganic light diffuser or an organic light diffuser can be selected. The inorganic light diffuser includes but is not limited to nano barium sulfate, calcium carbonate, and silicon dioxide; the organic light diffuser includes but is not limited to PMMA and styrene. The absorption layer 160 is made of a material with an absorption rate greater than 50% for light waves within the spectrum range of the light source. The light waves transmitted along the core 110 are scattered by the second dopant 150 and change their direction so as to reach the absorption layer 160 and be absorbed by the absorption layer 160 and converted into heat energy.
[0045] In other embodiments, the second dopant 150 is replaced by a process defect that scatters light waves. The defects that can be selected include, but are not limited to, bubbles, silver streaks / cracks, streaks, haze, and poor surface gloss generated during the molding process of the optical fiber raw material. When in use, the light waves transmitted along the fiber core 110 are scattered by these process defects and change direction so that they reach the absorption layer 160 and are absorbed by the absorption layer 160 and converted into heat energy. In order to make the heating temperature of each part of the optical fiber tend to be constant, this can be achieved by using process defects whose density increases along the extension direction of the fiber core 110. In order to achieve different temperatures for heating of a specific surface of an object, this can also be achieved by changing the density of process defects in a specific area of the fiber core 110.
[0046] A second aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an optical fiber, comprising the following steps:
[0047] S1. preparing several optical fiber raw materials containing dopants of different concentrations;
[0048] S2, dynamically adjusting the ratio of each optical fiber raw material, manufacturing the optical fiber raw material into a fiber core 110 containing a dopant, and making the concentration of the dopant in the formed fiber core 110 gradually change;
[0049] S3. Cover the outer surface of the fiber core 110 with an outer cladding.
[0050] Exemplarily, when optical fiber raw materials with two different dopant concentrations are used to make optical fiber, S1 needs to prepare raw material one containing dopant with concentration one and raw material two containing dopant with concentration two, and S2 can use a two-color injection molding process to dynamically adjust the ratio of raw material one to raw material two, so as to make the optical fiber raw material into a fiber core 110 containing dopants. For example, a high-doping concentration raw material with a dopant mass percentage of 10% and a low-doping concentration raw material with a dopant mass percentage of 0.1% are prepared, and during the molding process, the ratio of the high-doping concentration raw material to the low-doping concentration raw material is dynamically adjusted through the two-color injection molding process, thereby achieving a controlled change in the dopant concentration in the extension direction or cross-section of the fiber core 110.
[0051] Specifically, the optical fiber raw materials may include: polyester materials, such as PC, TPU, PMMA, etc.; silicone materials, including PDMS, etc.; polyethylene variants, such as polytetrafluoroethylene, etc. Since these materials are insoluble in water, the formed optical fiber can be washed with water.
[0052] When the heated object is a human body, the raw material of the optical fiber can be selected from materials with a Shore hardness of less than 50 to improve the comfort of the human body when wearing it; when the heated object is an inflammable and explosive item (such as fuel oil, cotton and linen and other textiles), the optical fiber is required to have good insulation properties, and a material with a resistivity greater than 10000Ω·m should be selected; when the heated object is large, the larger the size, the smaller the light attenuation ratio per unit length of the material is required, so a material with higher transparency needs to be selected. When loopback detection is required, the unidirectional transmittance of the formed optical fiber needs to be greater than 10%.
[0053] In some of the embodiments, the dopant used in S1 is a first dopant 120 having a light wave absorbing function, and the outer cladding in S3 is a reflective layer 130 containing a light wave reflecting material. Exemplarily, the reflective layer 130 can be formed by coating a circle of a low refractive index material on the outside of the formed fiber core 110, or by coating a circle of a high reflectivity material (such as silver, nickel, or other metal) on the outside of the formed fiber core 110.
[0054] In other embodiments, the dopant used in S1 is a second dopant 150 having a light wave scattering function, and the outer cladding in S3 includes an absorption layer 160 containing a light wave absorbing material and a reflective layer 130 containing a light wave reflecting material. Specifically, a physical vapor deposition method such as magnetron sputtering, vacuum evaporation coating, and electron beam evaporation can be used to deposit a material that can absorb light waves on a single side of the formed core 110 to form the absorption layer 160, thereby achieving a directional heating effect, and a low refractive index or high reflectivity material can be plated on the remaining parts to form the reflective layer 130. For example, a physical vapor deposition method can be used to plate a layer of graphite on the top of the silica gel core 110 to absorb light waves, and a plurality of layers of low refractive index resin can be plated on the remaining parts to reflect light waves, so that the heat of the final finished optical fiber is concentrated in the upper area when heated.
[0055] A third aspect of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing an optical fiber, comprising the following steps:
[0056] S1. Prepare optical fiber raw materials;
[0057] S2, making the optical fiber raw material into a fiber core, and generating a process defect inside the fiber core that can scatter light waves through process control;
[0058] S3. Cover the outer surface of the fiber core with an outer cladding.
[0059] Specifically, in the cooling stage of S2, different cooling rates are applied to different parts of the optical fiber in the extension direction, so that the density of the process defects generated inside the optical fiber can be gradually changed. When the defect control method is used to diffuse light, the selectable process defects include but are not limited to bubbles, silver streaks / cracks, streaks, haze, and poor surface gloss generated by the optical fiber raw materials during the molding process. Among them, the bubbles are mainly generated by the moisture in the optical fiber raw materials, so controlling the drying time of the raw materials can effectively control the concentration of the bubbles, and the gradual change of the drying time of the optical fiber raw materials can generate bubbles with a gradually changing density in the molded core 110; preferably, the diameter of the bubbles is between 2 and 200 microns, and the total volume of the bubbles accounts for between 0.1% and 10% of the total volume of the optical fiber. Silver streaks or cracks are mainly generated during the condensation process of the optical fiber. Therefore, controlling the condensation time and / or speed can effectively control the concentration of the silver streaks. Gradual changes in the core condensation time and / or speed can cause silver streaks or cracks with a gradient density to be generated inside the core. In addition, after the optical fiber is manufactured or processed into a heating device, partial areas of the optical fiber can be annealed as needed to reduce the concentration of silver streaks or cracks, thereby reducing the heat generated in the area, thereby achieving the purpose of adjusting the actual temperature of different areas of the heated object.
[0060] In S2, the optical fiber raw material can be made into the fiber core 110 by extrusion or injection molding, and different cooling rates can be applied to different parts of the fiber core 110 in the extension direction during the cooling stage of the extrusion or injection molding process, so that the density of defects such as silver streaks and cracks changes gradually in the extension direction of the fiber core 110. In addition, after the fiber core 110 with the above-mentioned process defects is formed, it can be heated again, and the cooling rates of different parts can be controlled to change the density distribution of the defects. In addition, different rates of cooling can be applied to different parts in the cross-sectional direction of the fiber core 110 during the cooling stage of the extrusion or injection molding process, so that the density of the process defects changes in different parts in the cross-sectional direction of the fiber core 110. For example, a heat source or a cold source can be placed on the upper or lower side of the fiber core 110 or its mold, so that the fiber core 110 has a temperature gradient in the cross-sectional direction, thereby obtaining different cooling rates and forming process defects with a gradual density change in the cross section.
[0061] Please see attached Figure 1 The present invention provides a device for heating using an optical fiber, comprising the optical fiber 2 provided in the above embodiment, one end of the optical fiber 2 is connected to a light source 1, a coupler 11 is provided between the optical fiber 2 and the light source 1, and the light source 1 is connected to a control module 4.
[0062] Specifically, the control module 4 is connected to the light source 1 via a control link 42. The control module 4 is a circuit having a microcontroller and a software program, and is used to control the on and off of the light source 1, adjust the power of the light source, and perform loopback detection.
[0063] When in use, the light source 1 is connected to the power supply of the heating device, converts electrical energy into light energy, and guides the light energy to a designated area. The spectrum range of the light energy can be visible light or invisible light. The coupler 11 is arranged between the optical fiber 2 and the light source 1 so that most of the light energy in the designated area of the light source 1 can enter the optical fiber 2 without being reflected back to the light source 1 or leaking to the outside of the heating device. Since the optical fiber is not energized and no open flame is generated during heating, it can meet the safety requirements of industrial production and daily life.
[0064] In some of the embodiments, the control module 4 is connected to a light intensity detector 5, and the ends of the optical fiber 2 are respectively connected to the coupler 11 and the light intensity detector 5 to form an optical circuit 3. Specifically, the light intensity detector 5 is connected to the control module 4 through a detection link 41, and the optical circuit 3 is a closed loop formed by the control module 4 → light source 1 → coupler 11 → optical fiber 2 → light intensity detector 5 → control module, wherein the light intensity change of the tail 21 of the optical fiber can be used as a sign signal to detect whether the optical fiber 2 is broken. When the light intensity of the tail 21 of the optical fiber is less than a certain threshold, it is considered that the optical fiber 2 is broken and the light source is leaked, and the control module 4 can shut down the light source 1 accordingly to ensure safety.
[0065] The present invention also provides a method for heating using an optical fiber, using the optical fiber provided in the above embodiment, and adopting the following steps:
[0066] S1. Making the optical fiber into a heating element that matches the structure of the object to be heated or the part to be heated;
[0067] S2, attaching or wrapping the heating element to the object to be heated or the part to be heated;
[0068] S3, connecting a light source to one end of the heating element, so that light waves are transmitted inside the heating element and absorbed by the heating element, thereby converting light energy into heat energy;
[0069] S4. The heating element transfers heat energy to the object to be heated or the part to be heated to achieve heating.
[0070] Specifically, in S1, the topological structure formed by any combination of optical fibers of different structures can be made into a mold, and then a heating element with a corresponding topological structure can be produced through injection molding, extrusion molding and other processes, that is, the heating element can have any topological structure, so it can meet the heating needs of objects to be heated in any shape. In addition, strip-shaped and / or sheet-shaped optical fibers can also be made into heating elements of various shapes through braiding, weaving, spinning and other processing processes to meet the heating needs of objects to be heated in different shapes.
[0071] The present invention and its embodiments are described in detail above, and such description is not restrictive. The drawings show only some embodiments of the present invention, and the actual structure is not limited thereto. A person skilled in the art may be inspired by the above and make various modifications, improvements and substitutions without departing from the concept of the present invention, which shall all belong to the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. An optical fiber, characterized in that: It comprises a fiber core and an outer cladding covering its outer contour surface, wherein the fiber core or the outer cladding contains a material for absorbing light waves to convert light energy into heat energy.
2. An optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fiber core is doped with a first dopant for absorbing light waves, and the concentration of the first dopant increases along the extension direction of the fiber core. The outer cladding is a reflective layer.
3. An optical fiber according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fiber core is doped with a second dopant for scattering light waves or has a process defect that can scatter light waves, and the concentration of the second dopant or the density of the process defects increases along the extension direction of the fiber core. The outer cladding includes an absorption layer for absorbing light waves and a reflective layer for reflecting light waves, and the absorption layer and the reflective layer are both in direct contact with the outer wall of the fiber core and extend in the same direction as the fiber core.
4. A method for manufacturing an optical fiber, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. preparing several optical fiber raw materials containing dopants of different concentrations; S2, dynamically adjusting the ratio of each optical fiber raw material, making the optical fiber raw material into a core containing a dopant, so that the concentration of the dopant in the formed core changes gradually; S3. Cover the outer surface of the fiber core with an outer cladding.
5. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 4, characterized in that: The dopant used in S1 is a first dopant having a light wave absorbing function, and the outer cladding in S3 is a reflective layer containing a light wave reflecting material.
6. The method for manufacturing an optical fiber according to claim 4, characterized in that: The dopant used in S1 is a second dopant having the function of scattering light waves, and the outer cladding in S3 includes an absorption layer containing a light wave absorbing material and a reflective layer containing a light wave reflecting material.
7. A method for manufacturing an optical fiber, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. Prepare optical fiber raw materials; S2, making the optical fiber raw material into a fiber core, and through process control, causing a process defect inside the fiber core that can scatter light waves; S3. Cover the outer surface of the fiber core with an outer cladding.
8. A device for heating using optical fiber, characterized in that: The optical fiber comprises the optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, one end of the optical fiber is connected to a light source, a coupler is provided between the optical fiber and the light source, and the light source is connected to a control module.
9. The device for heating using optical fiber according to claim 8, characterized in that: The control module is connected with a light intensity detector, and the head and tail ends of the optical fiber are respectively connected to the coupler and the light intensity detector to form an optical loop.
10. A method for heating using an optical fiber, characterized in that: Using the optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, the following steps are adopted: S1, manufacturing the optical fiber into a heating element that matches the structure of the object to be heated or the part to be heated; S2, attaching or wrapping the heating element to the object to be heated or the part to be heated; S3, connecting a light source to one end of the heating element, so that light waves are transmitted inside the heating element and absorbed by the heating element, thereby converting light energy into heat energy; S4. The heating element transfers heat energy to the object to be heated or the part to be heated to achieve heating.