Guidance optical fiber connection method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber communication, and provides a guidance optical fiber connection method, which comprises the following steps: aligning the free end of an underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber with the free end of a launching platform guidance optical fiber in a straight line; the end face of the free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the end face of the free end of the launching platform guidance optical fiber are subjected to fusion welding treatment, and a fusion welding treatment area is formed; coating the welding processing area with an adhesive, and sleeving and adhering the protective connection protective tube to the outside of the welding processing area to form a guide optical fiber protective layer; carrying out curing treatment on the guidance optical fiber protection layer; and sequentially arranging a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured guide optical fiber protection layer in a sleeving manner, and performing thermal shrinkage treatment on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature to enable the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath to shrink and wrap the guide optical fiber protection layer so as to seal the guide optical fiber protection layer. Guidance optical fiber on-site rapid connection maintenance is achieved, and the maintenance period and the maintenance cost are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of optical fiber communication, and particularly relates to a connection method for guiding optical fibers. Background Art

[0002] At present, in the related art, for the connection of the free ends of the guiding optical fibers between an underwater vehicle and a launch platform, a watertight fiber optic connector is usually used for docking. However, if the watertight fiber optic connector fails during use or due to transportation and operation, it can only be returned to the factory for maintenance testing and remanufacture of the watertight fiber optic connector, resulting in a long repair cycle and high maintenance costs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] An embodiment of the present invention provides a connection method for guiding optical fibers. The connection method for guiding optical fibers includes: linearly aligning the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber with the free end of the launch platform guiding optical fiber; performing fusion splicing on the end face of the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the end face of the free end of the launch platform guiding optical fiber to form a fusion splicing area; coating an adhesive on the fusion splicing area, sleeving and bonding a protective connection tube on the outside of the fusion splicing area to form a guiding optical fiber protective layer; performing a curing treatment on the guiding optical fiber protective layer; sequentially sleeving a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath on the outside of the cured guiding optical fiber protective layer, and performing a heat shrinkage treatment on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and wrap around the outside of the guiding optical fiber protective layer to seal the guiding optical fiber protective layer.

[0004] In addition, the connection method for guiding optical fibers in the above embodiment provided by the present invention may further have the following additional technical features:

[0005] In some embodiments, optionally, performing fusion splicing on the end face of the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the end face of the free end of the launch platform guiding optical fiber specifically includes: using an optical fiber fusion splicing device to perform positioning fusion splicing on the end face of the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the end face of the free end of the launch platform guiding optical fiber, and the fusion splicing duration is 1 min.

[0006] In some embodiments, optionally, the protective connection tube is an aramid braided sheath, the aramid braided sheath is made of 8 strands of Kevlar49 material, the outer diameter of the protective connection tube is 0.6 mm to 0.8 mm, the length of the protective connection tube is 200 mm, and the diameters of the free ends of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the launch platform guiding optical fiber are 0.4 mm.

[0007] In some embodiments, optionally, the adhesive is a coating glue, and the coating glue includes polyurethane and epoxy-based polyacrylate materials.

[0008] In some embodiments, optionally, the curing treatment is performed on the guiding optical fiber protective layer, which specifically includes: using an ultraviolet curing device to cure the guiding optical fiber protective layer for a first duration so that the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber, the launching platform guiding optical fiber and the protective connecting pipe are adhesively fixed together, wherein the first duration is 25 min.

[0009] In some embodiments, optionally, the heat shrinkage treatment is performed on the sealant tube and the seal sheath at a preset temperature, which specifically includes: using a heat shrinkage device to heat the sealant tube and the seal sheath at the preset temperature for a second duration, and sealing the guiding optical fiber protective layer through the shrinkage of the sealant tube and the seal sheath, wherein the preset temperature is 80°C to 150°C, and the second duration is 3 min.

[0010] In some embodiments, optionally, the sealant tube is a hot melt sealant tube, the seal sheath is a polyolefin heat shrink outer sheath tube, the outer diameter of the sealant tube is 1 mm to 2 mm, and the length of the sealant tube is 240 mm.

[0011] In some embodiments, optionally, before the step of linearly aligning the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber with the free end of the launching platform guiding optical fiber, it further includes: preprocessing the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the free end of the launching platform guiding optical fiber.

[0012] In some embodiments, optionally, preprocessing the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the free end of the launching platform guiding optical fiber specifically includes: peeling the protective layers of the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the free end of the launching platform guiding optical fiber, and cutting the end faces to be welded flat.

[0013] In some embodiments, optionally, applying an adhesive to the fusion splicing area specifically includes: evenly applying the adhesive within a preset length of the fusion splicing area, and the preset length is 100 mm to 200 mm.

[0014] The beneficial effects brought by the present invention are as follows:

[0015] As can be seen from the above solutions, the embodiments of the present invention provide a connection method for guiding optical fibers, which can solve the problem that the maintenance cycle is long due to the inability to manufacture a watertight optical fiber connector when the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber is in use, realize the on-site rapid connection and repair of the guiding optical fiber, reduce the repair cycle and maintenance cost. At the same time, it can eliminate the additional insertion loss of the watertight optical fiber connector, quickly perform the connection operation on the guiding optical fiber during the use at the base, effectively improve the connection strength of the guiding optical fiber, and greatly reduce the repair cycle of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber coil. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1One of the schematic flowcharts of a connection method for a guided fiber provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 One of the schematic flowcharts of a connection method for a guided fiber provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3 One of the schematic flowcharts of a connection method for a guided fiber provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 4 One of the schematic flowcharts of a connection method for a guided fiber provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 5 One of the schematic flowcharts of a connection method for a guided fiber provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 6 One of the schematic flowcharts of a connection method for a guided fiber provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 7 One of the schematic flowcharts of a connection method for a guided fiber provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 8 Schematic structural diagram of the connection between the free end of the guided fiber of the underwater vehicle and the free end of the guided fiber of the launch platform provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 9 Schematic structural diagram of the connection between the fiber coil of the underwater vehicle and the fiber coil of the launch platform provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Among them, Figure 8 and Figure 9 The corresponding relationship between the reference numerals and the component names in the figures is as follows:

[0026] 810 Guided fiber of the underwater vehicle, 820 Fusion joint, 830 Adhesive, 840 Guided fiber of the launch platform, 850 Protective connection tube, 860 Sealing rubber tube, 870 Sealing sheath, 880 Fusion processing area, 890 Guided fiber protective layer, 910 Fiber coil of the underwater vehicle, 920 Free end of the guided fiber of the underwater vehicle, 930 Heat shrinkage device, 940 UV curing equipment, 950 Free end of the guided fiber of the launch platform, 960 Fiber coil of the launch platform. Detailed implementation manners

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clear, the following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0028] The following refers to Figures 1 to 9 , and will elaborate on the connection method of the guided optical fiber provided in the embodiments of the present application through specific embodiments and their application scenarios.

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention provide a connection method for a guided optical fiber. The connection method of the guided optical fiber includes: linearly aligning the free end of the underwater vehicle guided optical fiber with the free end of the launch platform guided optical fiber; performing a fusion splicing process on the end face of the free end of the underwater vehicle guided optical fiber and the end face of the free end of the launch platform guided optical fiber, and forming a fusion splicing area; coating an adhesive on the fusion splicing area, sleeving and bonding a protective connection tube outside the fusion splicing area to form a guided optical fiber protective layer; performing a curing process on the guided optical fiber protective layer; successively sleeving a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured guided optical fiber protective layer, and performing a heat shrinkage process on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and wrap outside the guided optical fiber protective layer to seal the guided optical fiber protective layer.

[0030] The connection method of the guided optical fiber provided by the present invention specifically relates to a method for fusion splicing enhancement and watertight protection of the free pay-off end of the wired guided optical fiber between an underwater vehicle and a launch platform, and is used to solve the problem that it is difficult to fabricate a watertight optical fiber connector for the underwater vehicle guided optical fiber when used at the base, and it is difficult to quickly connect and repair on-site.

[0031] Specifically, referring to Figure 1 , the embodiments of the present application provide a connection method for a guided optical fiber. The method may include the following steps:

[0032] S102. Linearly align the free end of the underwater vehicle guided optical fiber with the free end of the launch platform guided optical fiber;

[0033] S104. Perform a fusion splicing process on the end face of the free end of the underwater vehicle guided optical fiber and the end face of the free end of the launch platform guided optical fiber, and form a fusion splicing area;

[0034] S106. Coat an adhesive on the fusion splicing area, sleeving and bonding a protective connection tube outside the fusion splicing area to form a guided optical fiber protective layer;

[0035] S108. Cure the protective layer of the guidance optical fiber;

[0036] S110. Sequentially sleeved a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured protective layer of the guidance optical fiber, and perform heat shrinkage treatment on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature, so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and cover the outside of the protective layer of the guidance optical fiber to seal the protective layer of the guidance optical fiber.

[0037] For the connection method of the guidance optical fiber of the present application, in step 102, first, the free end of the guidance optical fiber on the underwater vehicle needs to be precisely aligned with the free end of the guidance optical fiber on the launch platform to ensure that the guidance optical fiber can maintain a straight alignment during connection and avoid signal loss caused by bending or twisting. In step 104, after the optical fibers are aligned, use an optical fiber fusion device to perform fusion treatment on the end faces of the two guidance optical fibers. During the fusion process, it is necessary to ensure that the end faces of the optical fibers are flat and clean, and control the fusion parameters, such as fusion time, temperature, and pressure, etc., to form a high-quality fusion treatment area. As shown in Figure 8 shown, the fusion treatment area is the range delimited by the dashed box. In step 106, after the fusion is completed, a layer of adhesive needs to be applied to the fusion treatment area. The selection of the adhesive should consider factors such as its strength, water resistance, and corrosion resistance after curing. Then, sleeve the protective connection pipe outside the fusion treatment area and fix it with the adhesive. The protective connection pipe is usually made of high-strength and corrosion-resistant materials to provide additional protection. In step 108, after the adhesive is applied and the protective connection pipe is fixed, a protective layer of the guidance optical fiber is formed. At this time, it is necessary to cure the entire protective layer of the guidance optical fiber. The curing treatment can be achieved by heating, ultraviolet irradiation, or other methods, depending on the type of adhesive and the curing requirements. The cured adhesive and the protective connection pipe will form a strong and durable protective layer of the guidance optical fiber. In step 110, it is necessary to sequentially sleeve a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the protective layer of the guidance optical fiber. The sealing rubber tube is usually made of a soft and elastic material, which can closely fit the outside of the protective layer of the guidance optical fiber and provide an additional sealing effect. The sealing sheath is made of high-strength and corrosion-resistant materials to protect the entire connection area from the erosion of the external environment. After the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath are sleeved, it is necessary to perform heat shrinkage treatment on them at a preset temperature. The heat shrinkage treatment can be achieved by heating equipment, such as a heat shrinkage device. During the heating process, the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath will shrink and closely cover the outside of the protective layer of the guidance optical fiber, thereby forming a complete and water-sealed connection area.

[0038] Through the connection method of the guided optical fiber provided by the present invention, the following beneficial effects can be achieved: rapid connection and repair, without the need to return to the factory for maintenance testing and remaking the watertight optical fiber connector, thus greatly shortening the repair cycle. Reducing the maintenance cost, since there is no need to return to the factory for repair, a large amount of transportation, testing and manufacturing costs can be saved, reducing the maintenance cost. Improving the connection strength, through fusion splicing treatment, adhesive fixation and the protection of the protective connection tube, the connection strength of the guided optical fiber can be significantly improved, making it more durable and reliable. Eliminating the additional insertion loss, the method of the present invention avoids the additional insertion loss caused by using the watertight optical fiber connector, thereby improving the quality and stability of optical fiber communication.

[0039] Specifically, at present, for the free end of the wire-guided optical fiber of the underwater vehicle and the launch platform, a watertight optical fiber connector is usually used for docking to enhance the connection strength of the guided optical fiber and avoid damage and disconnection of the connection point of the guided optical fiber under the action of the laying tension during the laying of the guided optical fiber by the underwater vehicle and the launch platform. Usually, the watertight optical fiber connector is manufactured using a special assembly process equipment before leaving the factory. Operations such as coating, potting, curing, grinding, and assembly are performed on the guided optical fiber and the connector structural parts, and the watertight optical fiber connector and the guided optical fiber are encapsulated as a whole to improve the connection strength. Therefore, manufacturing a watertight optical fiber connector requires multiple process steps such as optical fiber cutting, curing aging of optical glue coating, degassing of the connector potting glue, curing aging of the connector potting, and grinding and manufacturing of the connector. The average complete manufacturing time takes 2 to 3 hours, and special operation tables and connector manufacturing process equipment are required. On the one hand, using a watertight optical fiber connector will introduce additional insertion loss, and the insertion loss index is usually about 1 dB to 2 dB, increasing the requirements for the transmitted power research and development of the optoelectronic conversion communication module. On the other hand, the manufacturing of the watertight optical fiber connector brings great difficulties to the use and maintenance support of the delivered products. For the watertight optical fiber connector of the guided optical fiber coil supporting the underwater vehicle, after use or due to faults caused by transportation and operation, it can only be returned to the factory for maintenance testing and remaking the connector at present, increasing the repair cycle and usage cost.

[0040] And how to solve the problem of the long maintenance cycle caused by the inability to manufacture the watertight optical fiber connector during the use of the guided optical fiber of the underwater vehicle, and achieve rapid on-site connection and repair of the guided optical fiber, reducing the repair cycle and maintenance cost, is the problem to be solved by this application.

[0041] The present application provides a method for connecting guided optical fibers, aiming to solve the problems of long maintenance cycle and high cost caused by the inability to fabricate watertight fiber optic connectors on-site during the use of guided optical fibers for underwater vehicles. Specifically, first, the free ends of the guided optical fibers of the underwater vehicle are precisely aligned with the free ends of the guided optical fibers of the launch platform to ensure that the fibers are fused in a straight state. A fiber optic fusion splicer is used to perform fusion splicing on the two fiber end faces to form a fusion splice point. A high-strength adhesive is applied around the fusion splice point, i.e., in the fusion splicing area, and a special protective connection tube is sleeved. The tube is tightly bonded to the fiber by the adhesive to form a solid protective layer, so as to enhance the connection strength and corrosion resistance of the fusion splice point. The protective connection tube coated with the adhesive is subjected to rapid curing treatment, and methods such as ultraviolet curing and heat curing can be used to shorten the curing time and improve the curing efficiency. Outside the cured protective layer, a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath are sequentially sleeved. The sealing rubber tube has good elasticity and sealing performance and can closely fit outside the protective layer to prevent moisture and humidity from invading. The sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath are subjected to heat shrinkage treatment at a preset temperature so that they shrink and tightly cover the outside of the protective layer to form a complete sealing layer, further improving the waterproof performance and connection strength of the connection point. Compared with the fabrication of traditional watertight fiber optic connectors, this method does not require complex process steps such as cutting, coating, potting, curing, grinding, and assembly, greatly simplifying the operation process. Through on-site fusion splicing and strengthening treatment, rapid connection and repair of guided optical fibers can be achieved without returning to the factory for maintenance testing and remanufacturing of connectors, thus significantly shortening the maintenance cycle and reducing the usage cost. Since this method avoids the use of watertight fiber optic connectors, the additional insertion loss introduced by the connectors is eliminated, improving the transmission power utilization rate and communication quality of the optoelectronic conversion communication module.

[0042] In some embodiments, optionally, as Figure 2 shown, the fusion splicing process for the end faces of the free ends of the guided optical fibers of the underwater vehicle and the end faces of the free ends of the guided optical fibers of the launch platform specifically includes:

[0043] S202. Align the free end of the guided optical fiber of the underwater vehicle and the free end of the guided optical fiber of the launch platform in a straight line;

[0044] S204. Use fiber optic fusion splicing equipment to perform positioning fusion splicing on the end faces of the free ends of the guided optical fiber of the underwater vehicle and the end faces of the free ends of the guided optical fiber of the launch platform for 1 minute to form a fusion splicing area;

[0045] S206. Apply adhesive to the fusion splicing area, sleeve and bond the protective connection tube to the outside of the fusion splicing area to form a guided optical fiber protective layer;

[0046] S208. Perform curing treatment on the guided optical fiber protective layer;

[0047] S210. Outside the cured guiding optical fiber protective layer, a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath are successively sleeved, and the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath are heat-shrunk at a preset temperature so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and wrap around the outside of the guiding optical fiber protective layer to seal the guiding optical fiber protective layer.

[0048] In this embodiment, first, the free ends of two optical fibers are aligned linearly; then, an optical fiber fusion splicing device is used for positioning and fusion splicing, and the fusion splicing duration is 1 minute to form a fusion splicing processing area; then, an adhesive is applied to the fusion splicing area, and a protective connection tube is sleeved for bonding to form a guiding optical fiber protective layer; after that, the protective layer is cured to enhance its strength; finally, a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath are successively sleeved outside the cured protective layer, and heat shrinkage treatment is carried out at a preset temperature so that they tightly wrap around the outside of the protective layer to achieve a sealing effect. Through precise alignment, efficient fusion splicing, reliable bonding and curing, and strict sealing treatment, a fast and reliable guiding optical fiber connection method is provided. This method not only simplifies the manufacturing process of traditional watertight optical fiber connectors, reduces costs, but also significantly improves the connection strength and waterproof performance.

[0049] In some embodiments, optionally, the protective connection tube is an aramid braided sheath, the aramid braided sheath is made of 8 strands of Kevlar49 type material, the outer diameter of the protective connection tube is 0.6 mm to 0.8 mm, the length of the protective connection tube is 200 mm, and the diameters of the free ends of the guiding optical fibers of the underwater vehicle and the guiding optical fibers of the launch platform are 0.4 mm.

[0050] In this embodiment, the protective connection tube adopts an aramid braided reinforced sheath, specifically made of 8 strands of Kevlar49 type material, and has excellent properties such as high strength, high modulus, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. The outer diameter of the protective connection tube is designed to be between 0.6 mm and 0.8 mm, and the length is 200 mm. Such a design not only ensures sufficient protection strength but also ensures good adaptability to the free ends (with a diameter of 0.4 mm) of the guiding optical fibers of the underwater vehicle and the guiding optical fibers of the launch platform. By selecting a high-performance aramid braided reinforced sheath as the protective connection tube, not only the physical protection level of the guiding optical fiber connection point is improved, but also the overall strength and durability of the connection are enhanced. In addition, the precisely designed tube size ensures good cooperation with the optical fiber, which helps to further improve the stability and reliability of the connection.

[0051] In some embodiments, optionally, the adhesive is a coating glue, and the coating glue includes polyurethane and epoxy-based polyacrylate materials.

[0052] In this embodiment, the adhesive used is a UV coating adhesive, which is made by mixing polyurethane and epoxy-based polyacrylate materials. Polyurethane has excellent adhesion, weather resistance and elasticity, while epoxy-based polyacrylate has the characteristics of high strength, chemical corrosion resistance and rapid curing. The combination of these two materials enables the coating adhesive to provide strong adhesion while ensuring good weather resistance and chemical stability. By selecting the coating adhesive mixed with polyurethane and epoxy-based polyacrylate as the adhesive, not only the bonding strength and durability of the guided optical fiber connection point are improved, but also the waterproof performance and chemical corrosion resistance of the connection are enhanced.

[0053] In some embodiments, optionally, as Figure 3 shown, the curing process of the guided optical fiber protective layer is carried out, which specifically includes:

[0054] S302. Align the free end of the underwater vehicle guided optical fiber and the free end of the launch platform guided optical fiber in a straight line;

[0055] S304. Perform fusion splicing on the end faces of the free end of the underwater vehicle guided optical fiber and the free end of the launch platform guided optical fiber to form a fusion splicing area;

[0056] S306. Apply the adhesive to the fusion splicing area, and sleeved and bond the protective connection tube outside the fusion splicing area to form the guided optical fiber protective layer;

[0057] S308. Use ultraviolet curing equipment to cure the guided optical fiber protective layer for the first duration, so that the underwater vehicle guided optical fiber, the launch platform guided optical fiber and the protective connection tube are bonded and fixed together, where the first duration is 25 min;

[0058] S310. Sequentially sleeve a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured guided optical fiber protective layer, and perform heat shrinkage treatment on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature, so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and wrap outside the guided optical fiber protective layer to seal the guided optical fiber protective layer.

[0059] In this embodiment, first, ensure that the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the launch platform guidance optical fiber are linearly aligned; then, perform a fusion splicing process to form a fusion splicing area; next, apply an adhesive to this area and sleeve a protective connection tube to form a guidance optical fiber protective layer; subsequently, use an ultraviolet curing device to cure the protective layer for 25 minutes to ensure that the guidance optical fiber, the adhesive, and the protective connection tube are firmly bonded together; finally, sequentially sleeve a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured protective layer and perform a heat shrinkage process to achieve sealing. By introducing an ultraviolet curing device and setting a specific curing duration (25 minutes), the rapid and effective curing of the guidance optical fiber protective layer is ensured. This method not only improves the curing efficiency but also guarantees the stability and reliability of the connection point.

[0060] In some embodiments, optionally, as Figure 4 shown, perform a heat shrinkage process on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature, which specifically includes:

[0061] S402. Linearly align the free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber with the free end of the launch platform guidance optical fiber;

[0062] S404. Perform a fusion splicing process on the end faces of the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the launch platform guidance optical fiber to form a fusion splicing area;

[0063] S406. Apply an adhesive to the fusion splicing area, sleeve and bond the protective connection tube outside the fusion splicing area to form a guidance optical fiber protective layer;

[0064] S408. Cure the guidance optical fiber protective layer;

[0065] S410. Sequentially sleeve a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured guidance optical fiber protective layer, and use a heat shrinkage device to heat the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature for a second duration. Through the shrinkage of the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath, seal the guidance optical fiber protective layer, where the preset temperature is 80°C to 150°C and the second duration is 3 minutes, so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and wrap outside the guidance optical fiber protective layer to seal the guidance optical fiber protective layer.

[0066] In this embodiment, first, ensure that the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the launch platform guidance optical fiber are linearly aligned; then, perform a fusion splicing process to form a fusion splicing area; then, apply an adhesive to this area and sleeve a protective connection tube to form a guidance optical fiber protective layer; subsequently, cure the protective layer; finally, successively sleeve a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured protective layer, and use a heat shrinkage device to perform a 3-minute heating process on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature of 80°C to 150°C, so that they shrink and tightly wrap around the outside of the protective layer, thereby achieving the sealing of the guidance optical fiber protective layer. By setting a specific heat shrinkage temperature (80°C to 150°C) and heating duration (3 minutes), the effective shrinkage and tight fitting of the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath are ensured. This method not only improves the sealing performance but also guarantees the waterproofness and durability of the connection point.

[0067] In some embodiments, optionally, the sealing rubber tube is a hot melt sealing rubber tube, the sealing sheath is a polyolefin heat shrinkable outer protective tube, the outer diameter of the sealing rubber tube is 1 mm to 2 mm, and the length of the sealing rubber tube is 240 mm.

[0068] In this embodiment, the sealing rubber tube is a hot melt sealing rubber tube, and the sealing sheath is a polyolefin heat shrinkable outer protective tube. The hot melt sealing rubber tube has good sealing performance and thermoplasticity, and can quickly soften and tightly fit around the outside of the guidance optical fiber protective layer after heating to form an effective waterproof barrier. The polyolefin heat shrinkable outer protective tube has excellent weather resistance, chemical corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, and can tightly wrap around the outside of the sealing rubber tube during the heat shrinkage process to further enhance the stability and durability of the connection. In addition, the outer diameter of the sealing rubber tube is designed to be between 1 mm and 2 mm, and the length is 240 mm. Such a dimension design not only ensures sufficient sealing performance but also ensures good adaptability to the guidance optical fiber protective layer. By selecting high-performance hot melt sealing rubber tubes and polyolefin heat shrinkable outer protective tubes, and precisely designed dimension parameters, an efficient and reliable sealing solution is provided for the connection of the guidance optical fiber between the underwater vehicle and the launch platform. It not only improves the waterproof performance and durability of the connection but also reduces the maintenance cycle and maintenance cost.

[0069] In some embodiments, optionally, as Figure 5 shown, before the step of linearly aligning the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free ends of the launch platform guidance optical fiber, it further includes:

[0070] S502. Pretreat the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free ends of the launch platform guidance optical fiber;

[0071] S504. Linearly align the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free ends of the launch platform guidance optical fiber;

[0072] S506. Perform fusion splicing on the end faces of the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free ends of the launch platform guidance optical fiber, and form a fusion splicing area;

[0073] S508. Coat the fusion splicing area with an adhesive, sleevingly arrange and bond a protective connection pipe on the outside of the fusion splicing area to form a guidance optical fiber protection layer;

[0074] S510. Perform curing treatment on the guidance optical fiber protection layer;

[0075] S512. Sleevingly arrange a sealant tube and a seal sheath in sequence on the outside of the cured guidance optical fiber protection layer, and perform heat shrinkage treatment on the sealant tube and the seal sheath at a preset temperature, so that the sealant tube and the seal sheath shrink and wrap on the outside of the guidance optical fiber protection layer to seal the guidance optical fiber protection layer.

[0076] In this embodiment, first, pre-treat the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the launch platform guidance optical fiber to ensure the quality of the optical fiber end faces; then, align the two linearly to ensure the accuracy during fusion splicing; then, perform fusion splicing to form a fusion splicing area; coat the area with an adhesive and sleevingly arrange a protective connection pipe to form a guidance optical fiber protection layer; subsequently, perform curing treatment on the protection layer to enhance its strength and stability; finally, sleevingly arrange a sealant tube and a seal sheath in sequence on the outside of the cured protection layer and perform heat shrinkage treatment to achieve the sealing of the guidance optical fiber protection layer. By adding pre-treatment steps, the quality and stability of optical fiber fusion splicing are further improved, thereby enhancing the reliability and durability of the entire connection system.

[0077] In some embodiments, optionally, as Figure 6 shown, pre-treat the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free ends of the launch platform guidance optical fiber, which specifically includes:

[0078] S602. Strip the protective layers of the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free ends of the launch platform guidance optical fiber, and cut the end faces to be fused flat;

[0079] S604. Align the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free ends of the launch platform guidance optical fiber linearly;

[0080] S606. Perform fusion splicing on the end faces of the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free ends of the launch platform guidance optical fiber, and form a fusion splicing area;

[0081] S608. Coat the fusion splicing area with an adhesive, sleevingly arrange and bond a protective connection pipe on the outside of the fusion splicing area to form a guidance optical fiber protection layer;

[0082] S610. Cure the protective layer of the guiding optical fiber;

[0083] S612. Sequentially sleev a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured protective layer of the guiding optical fiber, and perform heat shrinkage treatment on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature, so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and wrap outside the protective layer of the guiding optical fiber to seal the protective layer of the guiding optical fiber.

[0084] In this embodiment, first, strip the protective layers at the free ends of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the launching platform guiding optical fiber to expose the optical fiber cores; then, use a professional cutting tool to cut the end faces to be welded flat to ensure that there are no defects such as burrs and cracks on the end faces; next, align the two guiding optical fibers in a straight line to prepare for the welding process; after that, perform the welding process to form a welding process area; apply an adhesive to this area and sleev a protective connection tube to form a protective layer for the guiding optical fiber; subsequently, cure the protective layer to enhance its strength and stability; finally, sequentially sleev a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured protective layer and perform heat shrinkage treatment to achieve the sealing of the protective layer of the guiding optical fiber. Through the pretreatment and subsequent processing steps, the high quality, high stability and high reliability of the connection of the guiding optical fiber between the underwater vehicle and the launching platform are ensured.

[0085] In some embodiments, optionally, as Figure 7 shown, applying the adhesive to the welding process area specifically includes:

[0086] S702. Align the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the free end of the launching platform guiding optical fiber in a straight line;

[0087] S704. Weld the end faces of the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the free end of the launching platform guiding optical fiber to form a welding process area;

[0088] S706. Uniformly apply the adhesive within a preset length of the welding process area, the preset length is 100 mm to 200 mm, sleev and bond the protective connection tube outside the welding process area to form a protective layer for the guiding optical fiber;

[0089] S708. Cure the protective layer of the guiding optical fiber;

[0090] S710. Sequentially sleev a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath outside the cured protective layer of the guiding optical fiber, and perform heat shrinkage treatment on the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature, so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and wrap outside the protective layer of the guiding optical fiber to seal the protective layer of the guiding optical fiber.

[0091] In this embodiment, first, the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the launch platform guidance optical fiber are linearly aligned; then, fusion splicing is performed to form a fusion splicing area; then, an adhesive is evenly applied within a preset length (100 mm to 200 mm) of the fusion splicing area to ensure that the adhesive can fully penetrate and bond the optical fiber and the protective connection pipe; subsequently, the protective connection pipe is sleeved and bonded to the outside of the fusion splicing area to form a guidance optical fiber protection layer; then, the protection layer is cured to enhance its strength and stability; finally, a sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath are sequentially sleeved on the outside of the cured protection layer, and heat shrinkage treatment is performed to achieve the sealing of the guidance optical fiber protection layer. Through the above steps, the high quality, high stability, and high reliability of the connection of the guidance optical fiber between the underwater vehicle and the launch platform are ensured.

[0092] In addition, in actual specific applications, such as Figure 8 and Figure 9 shown, Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the connection between the free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free end of the launch platform guidance optical fiber provided by the embodiment of the present application; Figure 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the connection between the underwater vehicle optical fiber coil and the launch platform optical fiber coil provided by the embodiment of the present application. The present invention provides a method for fusion splicing enhancement and underwater sealing protection between the free end 920 of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free end 950 of the launch platform guidance optical fiber. A protective connection pipe 850 (i.e., aramid braided reinforced sheath), a sealing rubber tube 860 (i.e., hot melt sealing rubber tube), and a sealing sheath 870 (i.e., polyolefin heat shrink outer sheath) of a certain length are passed through and sleeved on one end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber 810. A stripping tool is used to strip the LCP protection layers on the outer layers of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber 810 and the launch platform guidance optical fiber 840 and cut the fusion splicing end faces flat. A general optical fiber fusion splicing device is used to position and splice the end faces of the guidance optical fibers at the fusion splicing point 820. The protective connection pipe 850 is sleeved on both sides of the fusion splicing point in equal proportion, and an adhesive 830 (i.e., coating glue) is evenly applied to cover the connection area between the protective connection pipe 850 and the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber 810 and the launch platform guidance optical fiber 840. The connection area is the fusion splicing area 880, as shown in the position indicated by the dotted line box in Figure 8 and a special ultraviolet curing device 940 is used to cure the coating glue to bond the three into one body to form a guidance optical fiber protection layer 890, improving the tensile and bending resistance strengths at the fusion splicing point. A hot melt sealing rubber tube and a polyolefin heat shrink outer sheath are covered on the aramid braided reinforced sheath, and heated at a certain temperature to cause the hot melt sealing rubber tube and the polyolefin heat shrink outer sheath to undergo phase change shrinkage and tightly wrap around the outside of the aramid braided reinforced sheath for underwater encapsulation and environmental protection of the aramid braided reinforced sheath.

[0093] Compared with the prior art, an underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber fusion enhancement and underwater sealing protection method provided by the present invention has the following remarkable advantages: it can eliminate the additional insertion loss of the watertight fiber optic connector, quickly connect the optical fiber during the use at the base, effectively improve the connection strength of the guidance optical fiber, and greatly reduce the maintenance cycle of the connection between the underwater vehicle optical fiber coil 910 and the launch platform optical fiber coil 960.

[0094] As Figure 9 shown, in this embodiment, the diameter of the guidance optical fiber is 0.4 mm, the tensile strength of the optical fiber is 60 N, and the tensile strength index of the connection point achieved by using the watertight fiber optic connector is 55 N. The free end 920 of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber of the underwater vehicle optical fiber coil 910 and the free end 950 of the launch platform guidance optical fiber of the launch platform optical fiber coil 960 are fusion enhanced. 8 strands of Kevlar49 material are selected as the aramid braided reinforcement sheath, with an outer diameter of the sheath of 0.7 mm and a length of 200 mm. A UV coating adhesive mixed with polyurethane and epoxy-based polyacrylate as the main materials is selected to enhance the fusion joint of the guidance optical fiber. After 25 minutes of ultraviolet curing, the guidance optical fibers are bonded together. A hot-melt sealing adhesive tube with an outer diameter of 1.5 mm and a length of 240 mm and a polyolefin heat-shrinkable outer sheath are used, and the aramid braided reinforcement sheath part is heat-shrunk and made watertight by the heat-shrinking device 930. The time allocation of the manufacturing process is as follows:

[0095] a) Stripping of the LCP protective layer at both ends of the guidance optical fiber and end face cutting: 3 min;

[0096] b) Fusion splicing of the guidance optical fiber: 1 min;

[0097] c) Uniformly applying the coating adhesive to cover the aramid braided reinforcement sheath: 2 min;

[0098] d) Ultraviolet curing of the coating adhesive: 25 min;

[0099] e) Heat-melting and making watertight of the hot-melt sealing adhesive tube and the polyolefin heat-shrinkable outer sheath: 3 min.

[0100] The process of guidance optical fiber fusion enhancement and watertight protection takes about 34 min. Making a sample of the guidance optical fiber fusion enhancement for tensile strength testing, the traction speed of the tensile testing machine is 20 mm / min, and the average value of the tensile strength test result is 48.3 N, reaching about 88% of the tensile strength of the watertight fiber optic connector, meeting the requirements of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber laying tension. And the operation time is only 1 / 6 - 1 / 4 of the total production time of the watertight fiber optic connector, greatly improving the shipping and maintenance cycle during the daily maintenance of the underwater vehicle optical fiber coil.

[0101] In this application, the term "a plurality of" refers to two or more, unless otherwise clearly defined. Terms such as "installed", "connected", "coupled", "fixed", etc. shall be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connected" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; "coupled" can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0102] In the description of this specification, the descriptions of terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "specific embodiments", etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or instance. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described can be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0103] The above are the preferred embodiments of the present invention. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present invention, several improvements and refinements can be made, and these improvements and refinements should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for connecting a guiding optical fiber, characterized in that: The connecting method of the guiding optical fiber comprises: Aligning the free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber with the free end of the launch platform guidance optical fiber in a straight line; Performing a fusion splicing process on the end face of the free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the end face of the free end of the launch platform guidance optical fiber to form a fusion splicing process area; Applying adhesive to the fusion processing area, sleeve and bond the protective connection tube to the outside of the fusion processing area to form a guiding optical fiber protective layer; Performing a curing treatment on the guiding optical fiber protective layer; A sealing rubber tube and a sealing sheath are sequentially sleeved on the outside of the guiding optical fiber protective layer after curing treatment, and the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath are heat-shrunk at a preset temperature so that the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath shrink and cover the outside of the guiding optical fiber protective layer, so as to seal the guiding optical fiber protective layer.

2. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of fusing the free end face of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber and the free end face of the launching platform guiding optical fiber comprises: The end face of the free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the end face of the free end of the launch platform guidance optical fiber are positioned and fused using optical fiber fusion splicing equipment, and the fusion splicing time is 1 minute.

3. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The protective connecting tube is an aramid braided sheath, which is made of 8 strands of Kevlar49 material. The outer diameter of the protective connecting tube is 0.6mm-0.8mm, the length of the protective connecting tube is 200mm, and the free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free end of the launch platform guidance optical fiber have a diameter of 0.4mm.

4. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adhesive is a coating adhesive, and the coating adhesive includes polyurethane and epoxy polyacrylate materials.

5. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The curing treatment of the guiding optical fiber protective layer specifically includes: The guiding optical fiber protective layer is cured for a first period of time using ultraviolet curing equipment so that the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber, the launching platform guiding optical fiber and the protective connecting tube are bonded and fixed as one. The first period of time is 25 minutes.

6. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heat shrinking treatment of the sealing rubber tube and the sealing sheath at a preset temperature specifically includes: The sealing hose and the sealing jacket are heated for a second period of time at the preset temperature using a heat shrink device, and the guiding optical fiber protective layer is sealed by shrinking the sealing hose and the sealing jacket, wherein the preset temperature is 80°C to 150°C, and the second period of time is 3 minutes.

7. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to claim 6, characterized in that: The sealing rubber tube is a hot-melt sealing rubber tube, the sealing sheath is a polyolefin heat-shrinkable outer sheath tube, the outer diameter of the sealing rubber tube is 1 mm to 2 mm, and the length of the sealing rubber tube is 240 mm.

8. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the step of linearly aligning the free end of the underwater vehicle guiding optical fiber with the free end of the launching platform guiding optical fiber, the guiding optical fiber connection method further comprises: The free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free end of the launch platform guidance optical fiber are pre-processed.

9. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to claim 8, characterized in that: The pre-processing of the free end of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the free end of the launch platform guidance optical fiber specifically includes: The protective layers of the free ends of the underwater vehicle guidance optical fiber and the launch platform guidance optical fiber are peeled off, and the end faces to be fused are cut flat.

10. The method for connecting guiding optical fibers according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The step of applying an adhesive to the welding process area specifically includes: The adhesive is evenly applied within a preset length of the welding treatment area, and the preset length is 100 mm to 200 mm.

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