Optical fiber array arrangement structure and method with variable core spacing

Abstract

The invention discloses an optical fiber array arrangement structure and method with variable core spacing, and belongs to the field of optical fiber arrays. A first clamping base of the structure is located at the first end of a groove body and provided with a first V-shaped through groove. The first cover plate is arranged above the first clamping seat, a second V-shaped through groove is formed in the bottom of the first cover plate, and the length M of a straight line where a second inclined plane is located is D / N; the second clamping seat is arranged on the bottom plate, located at the second end of the groove body and provided with a third V-shaped through groove. The inner cover plate is concaved upwards from the bottom surface to form a first through groove; two fourth inclined planes of the first through groove form a fourth V-shaped through groove, and the length L of a straight line where the fourth inclined planes are located is equal to d square root of N; arranging an inner cover plate at a position far away from the second clamping seat, sliding back and forth along the length direction of the optical fibers and continuously pressing the inner cover plate, and fixing the inner cover plate after the arrangement structure of the second ends of the N optical fibers is stable; the second cover plate is configured to seal the top surface of the tank body. According to the invention, the core spacing of the equidistantly arranged optical fibers can be more accurate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of optical fiber arrays, and in particular to an optical fiber array arrangement structure and method with a variable core spacing. Background Art

[0002] With the development of the times, optical fiber communication technology has made great progress. In order to continuously promote the evolution of optical fiber communication technology, integrated optical path technology has gradually received widespread attention. At the same time, with the continuous growth of network data traffic, high speed, high integration, miniaturization and low power consumption have become the core requirements in the field of network communication. In this context, photonic integration technology has become an effective way to solve the above challenges with its excellent performance advantages, and has therefore attracted much attention and favor from the industry.

[0003] As a key optical passive component of photonic integration technology, fiber arrays are increasingly used in photonic integrated devices and optical communication device modules due to their low insertion loss, high reliability, high integration and miniaturization. Equally spaced fiber arrays have the advantages of uniform performance, improved reliability, compact layout to reduce crosstalk, and improved transmission efficiency, and are being used more and more widely.

[0004] Currently, the proposed fiber arrays with varying core spacing include three situations: large diameter fiber to small diameter fiber, small diameter fiber to large diameter fiber, and no change in fiber diameter. The radius of curvature is the most important issue affecting the arrangement of optical fibers, especially when large diameter fiber is changed to small diameter fiber. The influence of the radius of curvature is particularly serious and difficult to resolve, which makes it difficult to achieve the desired tightness in the core spacing. The existing optical fibers with varying core spacing are arranged in an array of multiple V-grooves with equal spacing of small diameter optical fibers, and a small diameter optical fiber is inserted in each groove to achieve an equally spaced array arrangement of multiple small diameter optical fibers. The existing method has a relatively large error in core spacing and is relatively difficult, resulting in low precision and higher losses in components made in this way. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides a structure and method for arranging an optical fiber array with a variable core spacing, which solves the problem of existing optical fibers with variable core spacing. The small-diameter optical fibers are arranged in an array of multiple V-grooves with equal spacing, and a small-diameter optical fiber is clamped in each groove to achieve an equal-spacing array arrangement of multiple small-diameter optical fibers. The existing method has a relatively large core spacing error and is difficult, resulting in low precision and higher loss of components made in this way.

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present invention is:

[0007] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an optical fiber array arrangement structure with a variable core spacing, comprising a slot body, a first cover plate, a second card seat, an inner cover plate, and a second cover plate;

[0008] The slot body includes a bottom plate and a first clamping seat;

[0009] The first clamping seat is located at the first end of the slot body and is provided with two mutually perpendicular first inclined planes downward from the top surface to form a first V-shaped through groove;

[0010] The first cover plate is arranged above the first clamping seat, and the bottom is provided with a second V-shaped through groove formed by two mutually perpendicular second inclined planes. And in the cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the first cover plate, the length of the straight line where the second inclined plane is located N is the number of optical fibers, and D is the diameter of the first end of the optical fiber; the remaining positions at the bottom of the first cover plate are adapted to the shape of the slot body;

[0011] The second clamping seat is arranged on the bottom plate and is located at the second end of the slot body, and is provided with two mutually perpendicular third inclined planes downward from the two side edges at the top to form a third V-shaped through groove;

[0012] The inner cover plate is recessed upward from the bottom surface to form a first through groove;

[0013] The first through groove includes a first plane, two fourth inclined planes and a second plane connected in sequence;

[0014] The first plane and the second plane are parallel to each other, and the two fourth inclined planes are perpendicular to each other to form a fourth V-shaped through groove. And in the cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the inner cover plate, the length of the straight line where the fourth inclined plane is located N is the number of optical fibers, and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber;

[0015] The inner cover plate is arranged at a position away from the second clamping seat, and is slid back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber and the inner cover plate is continuously pressed down. After the arrangement structure of the second ends of the N optical fibers is stable, the inner cover plate is fixed;

[0016] The second cover plate is configured to close the top surface of the slot body.

[0017] Combined with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the optical fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch further includes a third cover plate;

[0018] The third cover plate is provided with a second through groove recessed inward from the bottom surface;

[0019] The second through groove includes a third plane, a fifth inclined plane, a sixth inclined plane, a seventh inclined plane, an eighth inclined plane and a fourth plane arranged in sequence;

[0020] The third plane and the fourth plane are parallel to each other and are both perpendicular to the bottom surface;

[0021] The fifth inclined plane and the sixth inclined plane are perpendicular to each other;

[0022] The sixth inclined plane and the seventh inclined plane are perpendicular to each other;

[0023] The seventh inclined plane and the eighth inclined plane are perpendicular to each other;

[0024] On a cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the third cover plate, the lengths of the straight lines where the sixth inclined plane and the seventh inclined plane are located N is the number of optical fibers, and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber;

[0025] The third cover plate is arranged at the position where the second card holder is located so that the sixth inclined plane, the seventh inclined plane and the third V-shaped through groove clamp the second ends of N optical fibers.

[0026] Combined with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, when the third cover plate is arranged at the position where the second card holder is located, there is a gap between the inner cover plate and the third cover plate in the length direction.

[0027] Combined with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch further includes a guide rail;

[0028] The distance between the first plane and the second plane of the first through groove is consistent with the width of the guide rail;

[0029] One end of the guide rail abuts against the end face of the second card holder, is clamped in the first through groove, and the inner cover plate can slide along the guide rail.

[0030] Combined with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the edge height of the inner cover plate is consistent with the depth of the groove body.

[0031] Combined with the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner, the height of the bottom point of the second card holder is where D is the diameter of the first end of the optical fiber and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber.

[0032] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for arranging a fiber array with variable core pitch, based on the above-mentioned fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch, including:

[0033] Placing the first ends of N optical fibers in the first V-shaped through groove of the first card holder;

[0034] Placing the first cover plate on the first card holder and pressing and fixing the first ends of the optical fibers and the first cover plate;

[0035] Insert the second ends of the N optical fibers into the third V-shaped through groove of the second card holder;

[0036] Set the inner cover plate at a position away from the second card holder, slide the inner cover plate back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber and continuously press down the inner cover plate, and fix the inner cover plate after the arrangement structure of the second ends of the N optical fibers is stable;

[0037] Inject the first adhesive into the inner cavity of the groove body, apply the second adhesive on the upper surface of the side plate, cover the second cover plate on the groove body, continuously apply pressure and heat for curing so that the second cover plate closes the upper part of the groove body.

[0038] Combined with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, fill the space formed by the first V-shaped through groove and the second V-shaped through groove with the second adhesive and cure it to fix the first end of the optical fiber.

[0039] Combined with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, apply the second adhesive on the outside of the contact between the first cover plate and the groove body and cure it to fix the first cover plate.

[0040] Combined with the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner, before injecting the first adhesive into the inner cavity of the groove body, further include: cover the third cover plate above the second card holder, apply the second adhesive on the outside of the contact between the third cover plate and the groove body, and cure it.

[0041] One or more technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0042] The fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present invention. When actually used, the first ends of N optical fibers are placed in the first V-shaped through grooves of the first card holder. The first cover plate is placed on the first card holder to press and fix the first ends of the optical fibers and the first cover plate. In practice, whether the first ends of the optical fibers are arranged in an equidistant array or a non-equidistant array, when the second ends of the optical fibers are rearranged, the curvature radius will change greatly. Especially, the curvature radius of the second ends of the optical fibers farther away from the center position changes the most, resulting in a change in the core pitch, and it is difficult to achieve the desired tightness of the core pitch. The second ends of N optical fibers are inserted and placed in the third V-shaped through grooves of the second card holder. The inner cover plate is arranged at a position far from the second card holder, and the inner cover plate is slid back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber and continuously pressed down, so that a force naturally arranges the second ends of N optical fibers. After the arrangement structure of the second ends of N optical fibers is stable, the inner cover plate is fixed. At this time, the inner cover plate and the second card holder are buckled and closely attached in a shear shape. Through the design of the inner cover plate and the second card holder, the second ends of N optical fibers are arranged in an equidistant array in a state of reducing stress and internal distortion, the core pitch of the second ends of the optical fibers is more accurate, and the inner cover plate and the second card holder are closely attached in a shear shape, thereby avoiding excessive extrusion force between the inner cover plate and the second card holder during the assembly process. After the overall structure is stable, the first adhesive is injected into the inner cavity of the groove to keep the position of the optical fibers inside the groove stable. The second adhesive is coated on the upper surface of the side plate, and the second cover plate is covered on the groove, and continuously extruded and heated and cured so that the second cover plate closes the upper part of the groove to form a stable rectangular component. The fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present invention solves the problem of equidistant array arrangement after the curvature radius of the optical fiber with variable core pitch changes, makes the core pitch more accurate after the second ends of the optical fibers are arranged equidistantly, realizes high precision, reduces the preparation difficulty, also improves the precision of the components made of optical fibers, reduces the transmission loss, has a lower preparation cost, and has a higher preparation efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0043] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required to be used in the description of the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0044] Figure 1 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 1 ;

[0045] Figure 2 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present applicationFigure 2 ;

[0046] Figure 3 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 3 ;

[0047] Figure 4 is Figure 3 The enlarged view at position A in

[0048] Figure 5 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 4 ;

[0049] Figure 6 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 5 ;

[0050] Figure 7 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 6 ;

[0051] Figure 8 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 7 ;

[0052] Figure 9 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 8 ;

[0053] Figure 10 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 9 ;

[0054] Figure 11 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 10 ;

[0055] Figure 12 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 10 One;

[0056] Figure 13 Structural schematic of the fiber array arrangement structure with varying core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 10 Two;

[0057] Figure 14 Structural schematic of the third cover plate provided by the embodiment of the present application;

[0058] Figure 15Structural schematic of the fiber optic array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 10 Three;

[0059] Figure 16 Structural schematic of the fiber optic array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 10 Four;

[0060] Figure 17 Structural schematic of the fiber optic array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 10 Five;

[0061] Figure 18 Structural schematic of the fiber optic array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present application Figure 10 Six.

[0062] Icon: 1 - Slot body; 11 - Bottom plate; 12 - Side plate; 13 - First card seat; 131 - First inclined plane; 2 - First cover plate; 21 - Second inclined plane; 3 - Second card seat; 31 - Third inclined plane; 4 - Inner cover plate; 41 - First plane; 42 - Fourth inclined plane; 43 - Second plane; 5 - Second cover plate; 6 - Third cover plate; 61 - Third plane; 62 - Fifth inclined plane; 63 - Sixth inclined plane; 64 - Seventh inclined plane; 65 - Eighth inclined plane; 66 - Fourth plane; 7 - Guide rail; 8 - Optical fiber. Detailed implementation manners

[0063] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0064] In the description of the embodiments of the present invention, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. It is only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention. The terms "first", "second", "third" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. In addition, the terms "installation", "connection", "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present invention can be understood according to specific situations.

[0065] Please refer to Figures 1 to 18 As shown, the embodiments of the present invention provide an optical fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch, including a groove body 1, a first cover plate 2, a second card seat 3, an inner cover plate 4, and a second cover plate 5.

[0066] As Figure 15 shown, the groove body 1 includes a bottom plate 11 and a first card seat 13. The bottom plate 11 is generally a cuboid.

[0067] As Figures 1 to 13 shown, the groove body 1 further includes side plates 12. Two side plates 12 are arranged parallel to each other on the opposite sides of the bottom plate 11 and are perpendicular to the bottom plate 11. The first card seat 13 is clamped between the two side plates 12. The setting of the side plates 12 makes the overall structure more regular, and the side plates 12 can also protect the components arranged inside the groove body 1 from being damaged.

[0068] The first card seat 13 is located at the first end of the groove body 1 and is provided with two mutually perpendicular first inclined planes 131 downward from the top surface to form a first V-shaped through groove. The extending direction of the first V-shaped through groove is parallel to the length direction of the card slot ( Figure 1 in the OX direction in Figures 1 to 3 ). The first card seat 13 can be integrally formed with the groove body 1 (as

[0069] shown in the schematic structural diagram of the integral setting of the first card seat 13 and the groove body 1), or can be separately formed. Figure 1 The first cover plate 2 is arranged above the first card seat 13, and the bottom is provided with a second V-shaped through groove formed by two mutually perpendicular second inclined planes 21, and in the cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the first cover plate 2 (such as N is the number of optical fibers 8, and D is the diameter of the first end of the optical fiber 8. N can be four, nine, twenty-five, etc.

[0070] The remaining positions at the bottom of the first cover plate 2 are adapted to the shape of the groove body 1. Specifically, the first cover plate 2 is a prism, that is, a closed geometric figure with parallel and congruent upper and lower bases, and parallel and equal lateral edges. The sides of the upper or lower base include the first to ninth straight lines connected in sequence. The first straight line and the second straight line are perpendicular to each other, the second straight line and the third straight line are perpendicular to each other, the included angle between the third straight line and the fourth straight line is 135°, the fourth straight line and the fifth straight line are perpendicular to each other, the fifth straight line and the sixth straight line are perpendicular to each other (the plane where the fifth straight line and the sixth straight line are located is the straight line where the two second inclined planes 21 are located), the sixth straight line and the seventh straight line are perpendicular to each other, the included angle between the seventh straight line and the eighth straight line is 135°, the included angle between the eighth straight line and the ninth straight line is perpendicular to each other, and the ninth straight line and the first straight line are perpendicular to each other to form a closed surface.

[0071] The first cover plate 2 is arranged above the first card seat 13, and the second V-shaped through groove and the first V-shaped groove of the first card seat 13 can form a first placement space with a square cross-section and a side length of 2D. Placing the first ends of N optical fibers 8 in this first placement space, the first ends of N optical fibers 8 can be placed as an array arrangement.

[0072] For example, as Figures 1 to 3 shown in FIGS. 7-11, prepare four etched optical fibers with a length of one meter and an outer diameter of 250 um. The etched optical fiber is divided into a core layer, a cladding layer, and a coating layer. Generally, the coating layer can be directly stripped. The cladding layer can be thinned by etching. Etch away part of the cladding layer of the etched optical fiber to make it thinner until the desired diameter is reached, which is the etched optical fiber. The length of the straight line where the second inclined plane 21 is located Place the first ends of the four optical fibers 8 in the first V-shaped groove of the first card seat 13, and arrange the first cover plate 2 above the first card seat 13. The first ends of the four optical fibers 8 can be placed in a 2×2 array arrangement.

[0073] The second card seat 3 is arranged on the bottom plate 11 and is located at the second end of the groove body 1 (if the groove body 1 includes a side plate 12, the second end of the groove body 1 is U-shaped before the second card seat 3 is set. The second card seat 3 can be integrally provided with the bottom plate 11 of the groove body 1 or can be a split setting. For example, Figures 1 to 3 shown in FIGS. 5-9 shows a schematic structural diagram of the second card seat 3 integrally formed with the bottom plate 11 of the groove body 1), as Figure 2 shown, the second card seat 3 is provided with two mutually perpendicular third inclined planes 31 extending downward from the two side edges at the top to form a third V-shaped through groove.

[0074] The inner cover plate 4 is recessed upward from the bottom surface to form a first through groove.

[0075] As Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the first through slot includes a first plane 41, two fourth inclined planes 42 and a second plane 43 that are connected in sequence. The first plane 41 and the second plane 43 are parallel to each other, and the two fourth inclined planes 42 are perpendicular to each other to form a fourth V-shaped through slot. Moreover, in a cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the inner cover plate 4, the length of the straight line where the fourth inclined plane 42 is located N is the number of optical fibers 8, and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber 8.

[0076] The diameter of the first end to the second end of the optical fiber 8 can increase, decrease or remain unchanged.

[0077] Set the inner cover plate 4 at a position away from the second card holder 3, slide back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber 8 (such as Figure 1 the OX axis direction shown) and continuously press down the inner cover plate 4. After the arrangement structure of the second ends of the N optical fibers 8 is stable, fix the inner cover plate 4. Since the inner cover plate 4 is movable, it needs to be tightly pressed. Apply a second adhesive to the outer edge at the joint between the inner cover plate 4 and the bottom plate 11 and cure it.

[0078] If the diameter d of the second end of the optical fiber 8 is 40um, the length of the straight line where the fourth inclined plane 42 is located is At this time, after the inner cover plate 4 is fixed, the closed shape of the projections of the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3 in a cross-section perpendicular to the bottom surface of the groove body 1 is a square, and the side length of the square is 80um.

[0079] The second cover plate 5 is configured to close the top surface of the groove body 1. As Figures 11 to 13 shown, the first cover plate 2 has closed a part of the top surface of the groove body 1, and the second cover plate 5 closes the remaining part of the top surface of the groove body 1. The sum of the lengths of the first cover plate 2 and the second cover plate 5 is consistent with the length of the groove body 1.

[0080] In the fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present invention, during actual use, as Figures 1 to 3 shown, place the first ends of the N optical fibers 8 in the first V-shaped through slot of the first card holder 13. Place the first cover plate 2 on the first card holder 13 and press and fix the first ends of the optical fibers 8 and the first cover plate 2. In practice, whether the first ends of the optical fibers 8 are arranged in an equally spaced array or a non-equally spaced array, when the second ends of the optical fibers 8 are rearranged, the curvature radius will change greatly. Especially, the curvature radius of the second end of the optical fiber 8 farther away from the center position changes the most, resulting in a change in the core pitch, and it is difficult to achieve the desired tightness of the core pitch. Pass the second ends of the N optical fibers 8 through and place them in the third V-shaped through slot of the second card holder 3. As Figures 7 to 9As shown, the inner cover plate 4 is arranged at a position far from the second card holder 3. Slide the inner cover plate 4 back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber 8 and continuously press down the inner cover plate 4, so that a force naturally arranges the second ends of N optical fibers 8. After the arrangement structure of the second ends of N optical fibers 8 is stable, fix the inner cover plate 4. At this time, the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3 are buckled and closely attached in a shear shape. Through the design of the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3, the second ends of N optical fibers 8 are arranged in an equidistant array in a state of reducing stress and internal distortion, the core pitch of the second ends of the optical fibers 8 is more accurate, and the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3 are closely attached in a shear shape, thus avoiding excessive extrusion force between the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3 during the assembly process. After the overall structure is stable, inject the first adhesive into the inner cavity of the groove body 1 to keep the position of the optical fiber 8 inside the groove body 1 stable. Coat the second adhesive on the upper surface of the side plate 12, cover the second cover plate 5 on the groove body 1, continuously apply pressure and heat for curing, so that the second cover plate 5 closes the upper part of the groove body 1 to form a stable rectangular component, as Figures 11 to 13 shown. The optical fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present invention solves the problem of equidistant array arrangement after the curvature radius of the optical fiber 8 with variable core pitch changes. After the second ends of the optical fibers 8 are arranged equidistantly, the core pitch is more accurate, high precision is achieved, the preparation difficulty is reduced, the precision of the component made of the optical fiber 8 is improved, the transmission loss is reduced, the preparation cost is lower, and the preparation efficiency is higher.

[0081] As Figures 12 to 14 shown, the optical fiber array arrangement structure further includes a third cover plate 6. The third cover plate 6 is provided with a second through groove recessed inward from the bottom surface.

[0082] As Figure 14 shown, the second through groove includes a third plane 61, a fifth inclined plane 62, a sixth inclined plane 63, a seventh inclined plane 64, an eighth inclined plane 65 and a fourth plane 66 arranged in sequence. The third plane 61 and the fourth plane 66 are parallel to each other and are both perpendicular to the bottom surface. The fifth inclined plane 62 and the sixth inclined plane 63 are perpendicular to each other. The sixth inclined plane 63 and the seventh inclined plane 64 are perpendicular to each other. The seventh inclined plane 64 and the eighth inclined plane 65 are perpendicular to each other, forming a "W" shape.

[0083] On the cross-section along the length direction perpendicular to the third cover plate 6 (such as the OX axis direction shown Figure 1 ), the length of the straight line where the sixth inclined plane 63 and the seventh inclined plane 64 are located N is the number of optical fibers 8, and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber 8.

[0084] The third cover plate 6 is arranged at the position where the second card holder 3 is located so that the sixth inclined plane 63, the seventh inclined plane 64 and the third V-shaped through groove clamp the second ends of N optical fibers 8.

[0085] In practice, if there is no third cover plate 6, the space above the second card holder 3 is empty, and the second end of the optical fiber 8 is easily damaged. Moreover, ideally, the second ends of the optical fibers 8 should be arranged at equal intervals exactly, but there may be a shearing force that causes the second ends of the optical fibers 8 to tilt slightly. In addition, the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3 are fixed by a shearing method instead of a covering and pressing method, and there is no direct pressure for the second ends of the optical fibers 8 to penetrate into the holes. Therefore, the second ends of the optical fibers 8 are more unevenly stressed towards the front end, and there is a possibility of shaking.

[0086] By providing the third cover plate 6 and arranging the third cover plate 6 above the second card holder 3, on the one hand, the structure below the third cover plate 6 is protected. In addition, the third cover plate 6 can be used as an independent structure to stabilize the front ends of the second ends of the already arranged optical fibers 8.

[0087] Furthermore, when the third cover plate 6 is arranged at the position of the second card holder 3, there is a gap between the inner cover plate 4 and the third cover plate 6 along the length direction. This does not affect the application of the second adhesive at the outer vertical angle of the contact area when the third cover plate 6 is fixed to the second card holder 3, nor does it affect the application of the second adhesive at the outer vertical angle of the contact area when the inner cover plate 4 is fixed to the second card holder 3. After applying the second adhesive, the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3 are closely attached, and the overall fixing effect is good. In short, this gap facilitates the fixing with the colloid and prevents the thickness of the colloid after fixing from affecting the structural precision.

[0088] The fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present invention further includes a guide rail 7. The distance between the first plane 41 and the second plane 43 of the first through groove is the same as the width of the guide rail 7. One end of the guide rail 7 abuts against the end face of the second card holder 3, is clamped in the first through groove, and the inner cover plate 4 can slide along the guide rail 7. The guide rail 7 plays a role in guiding the inner cover plate 4, enabling the inner cover plate 4 to move back and forth along the length direction of the small-diameter optical fiber 8 without shaking.

[0089] As Figure 15 and Figure 16 shown, the guide rail 7 is sheet-shaped, and the cross-sections along the direction perpendicular to the length direction (such as the OX axis direction shown in Figure 15 and Figure 16 shown) are all similar. As Figure 15 shown, this cross-section is congruent, that is, the guide rail 7 is a cuboid. As Figure 16 shown, in the direction from the second card holder 3 to the first card holder 13, this cross-section is first congruent and then the area gradually decreases, that is, one end of the guide rail 7 is V-shaped, so as to facilitate the smooth sliding of the first through groove after being clamped in the guide rail 7.

[0090] Furthermore, the edge height of the inner cover plate 4 is consistent with the depth of the groove body 1. If the edge height of the inner cover plate 4 is lower than the depth of the groove body 1, when a downward pressure is applied to the inner cover plate 4, due to the existence of shear force, it will cause extrusion damage to the second end of the optical fiber 8, and cause the second placement space formed by the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3 to become smaller, resulting in distortion and affecting the core pitch after the arrangement of the second end of the optical fiber 8.

[0091] The edge height of the inner cover plate 4 is consistent with the depth of the groove body 1. Thus, when a downward pressure is applied to the inner cover plate 4, there will be no extrusion damage to the second end of the optical fiber 8, and the second placement space formed by the inner cover plate 4 and the second card holder 3 will not become smaller, and there will be no excessive shear force on the second end of the optical fiber 8, which can better stabilize the core pitch after the arrangement of the second end of the optical fiber 8, so as to achieve a high-precision equidistant optical fiber 8 array arrangement.

[0092] Optionally, as Figure 17 shown, the height of the bottom point M of the second card holder 3 is wherein, D is the diameter of the first end of the optical fiber 8, and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber 8. Thus, when the first end of the optical fiber 8 located at the bottom of the first V-shaped through groove of the first card holder 13 becomes a small-diameter optical fiber 8 and is placed on the third V-shaped through groove of the second card holder 3, the curvature radius of the bottom optical fiber 8 changes very little or does not change, which can be used as the base for the overall arrangement of the optical fiber 8. Therefore, the change in the curvature radius when the first end of other optical fibers 8 becomes a small-diameter optical fiber 8 is also the smallest compared to other situations, so that the core pitch arrangement accuracy when the second end of the final optical fiber 8 is arranged is higher.

[0093] Another embodiment of the present invention provides a method for arranging an optical fiber 8 array with variable core pitch. Based on the above-mentioned optical fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch, it includes:

[0094] As Figures 1 to 3 shown, place the first ends of N optical fibers 8 in the first V-shaped through grooves of the first card holder 13.

[0095] Exemplarily, prepare four etched optical fibers 8 with a length of one meter and an outer diameter of 250 um. Place the first ends of the four optical fibers 8 in the first V-shaped through grooves of the first card holder 13.

[0096] Place the first cover plate 2 on the first card holder 13 and press and fix the first ends of the optical fibers 8 and the first cover plate 2.

[0097] Specifically, fill the space formed by the first V-shaped through groove and the second V-shaped through groove with a second adhesive (the second adhesive can be UV glue, thermosetting glue, etc.), and cure it (such as using UV light curing, heat curing, and select the appropriate curing method according to the type of the second adhesive), to achieve the fixation of the first ends of the optical fibers 8, with good fixation effect and strong stability.

[0098] Apply a second adhesive on the outer side of the contact between the first cover plate 2 and the tank body 1, and cure it (such as curing by light or heat, and select the appropriate curing method according to the type of the second adhesive) to fix the first cover plate 2. For example, as Figure 1 shown, apply the second adhesive at the outer right-angle of the contact between the first cover plate 2 and the side plate 12 and the first card seat 13 of the tank body 1. Since the second adhesive is fixed on the outer side and not injected at the joint surface, it will not affect the overall height, width or length.

[0099] Insert the second ends of N optical fibers 8 into the third V-shaped through groove of the second card seat 3.

[0100] As Figures 7 to 9 shown, the unfixed parts of the first ends of N optical fibers 8 are processed by outer layer stripping / chemical etching / fusion tapering to obtain N small-diameter optical fibers 8 with the required diameter. After wiping N small-diameter optical fibers 8 clean, insert them into the third V-shaped through groove of the second card seat 3.

[0101] In practice, whether the first ends of the optical fibers 8 are arranged in an equally spaced array or a non-equally spaced array, when the second ends of the optical fibers 8 are rearranged, the radius of curvature will change greatly. Especially, the radius of curvature of the second ends of the optical fibers 8 far from the center position changes the most, resulting in a change in the core pitch, and it is difficult to achieve the desired tightness of the core pitch. Therefore, the four obtained small-diameter optical fibers 8 will all become non-equally spaced array arrangements. After wiping the four small-diameter optical fibers 8 clean, insert them into the third V-shaped through groove of the second card seat 3.

[0102] Place the inner cover plate 4 at a position away from the second card seat 3, slide it back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber 8 and continuously press down the inner cover plate 4 so that a force naturally arranges the second ends of N optical fibers 8. After the arrangement structure of the second ends of N optical fibers 8 is stable, fix the inner cover plate 4. At this time, the inner cover plate 4 and the second card seat 3 are buckled and closely attached in a shear shape. Through the design of the inner cover plate 4 and the second card seat 3, the second ends of N optical fibers 8 are arranged in an equally spaced array in a state of reducing stress and internal distortion, the core pitch of the second ends of the optical fibers 8 is more accurate, and the inner cover plate 4 and the second card seat 3 are closely attached in a shear shape, thus avoiding excessive extrusion force between the inner cover plate 4 and the second card seat 3 during the assembly process.

[0103] The inner cover plate 4 mainly plays an auxiliary fixing role, which is more conducive to the close arrangement of the small-diameter optical fibers 8 so that the small-diameter optical fibers 8 are arranged equally spaced within a range of 40um. Continuously press the inner cover plate 4 to make the inner cover plate 4 fully fit with the bottom plate 11 and the second card seat 3. Apply a second adhesive on the outer side of the fitting place and cure it to fix the structure.

[0104] After the overall structure is stable, inject the first adhesive (the first adhesive can be silicone, thermosetting glue, etc.) into the inner cavity of the groove body 1 to keep the position of the optical fiber 8 inside the groove body 1 stable. Apply the second adhesive on the upper surface of the side plate 12, cover the second cover plate 5 on the groove body 1, continuously apply pressure and heat for curing, so that the second cover plate 5 closes the upper part of the groove body 1 to form a stable rectangular component, such as Figures 11 to 13 shown.

[0105] The method for arranging the optical fiber 8 array with variable core pitch provided by the embodiment of the present invention solves the problem of equal-spacing array arrangement after the curvature radius of the optical fiber 8 with variable core pitch changes. After the second ends of the optical fibers 8 are arranged at equal intervals, the core pitch is more accurate, achieving high precision, reducing the preparation difficulty, and also improving the precision of the components made of the optical fiber 8, reducing the transmission loss, having lower preparation cost, and higher preparation efficiency.

[0106] Before injecting the first adhesive into the inner cavity of the groove body 1, it further includes: covering the third cover plate 6 above the second card holder 3, applying the second adhesive on the outside of the contact between the third cover plate 6 and the groove body 1, and curing (such as using light curing or heat curing, and selecting the appropriate curing method according to the type of the second adhesive).

[0107] Thus, it does not affect the overall height after the third cover plate 6 is covered above the second card holder 3 and no extrusion force will be generated. Covering the third cover plate 6 above the second card holder 3, on the one hand, protects the structure below the third cover plate 6. In addition, the third cover plate 6 can be used as an independent structure to stabilize the front end of the arranged small-diameter optical fibers 8.

[0108] In practice, as Figure 18 shown, vertical holes can also be provided on the first cover plate 2 and the third cover plate 6 to facilitate the injection of the adhesive.

[0109] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. For the same or similar parts between the various embodiments, reference can be made to each other. The key points described in each embodiment are the differences from other embodiments.

[0110] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit the present application; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art should understand that: they can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or perform equivalent replacements on some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the present application.

Claims

1. An optical fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch, characterized in that, It includes a trough body, a first cover plate, a second card holder, an inner cover plate and a second cover plate; The trough body includes a bottom plate and a first card holder; The first card holder is located at the first end of the trough body and is provided with two mutually perpendicular first inclined planes downward from the top surface to form a first V-shaped through groove; The first cover plate is arranged above the first card holder, and the bottom is provided with a second V-shaped through groove formed by two mutually perpendicular second inclined planes. And in the cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the first cover plate, the length M of the straight line where the second inclined plane is located = D√N, N is the number of optical fibers, and D is the diameter of the first end of the optical fiber; the remaining positions at the bottom of the first cover plate are adapted to the shape of the trough body; The second card holder is arranged on the bottom plate and is located at the second end of the trough body, and is provided with two mutually perpendicular third inclined planes downward from the two side edges at the top to form a third V-shaped through groove; The inner cover plate is recessed upward from the bottom surface to form a first through groove; The first through groove includes a first plane, two fourth inclined planes and a second plane connected in sequence; The first plane and the second plane are parallel to each other, and the two fourth inclined planes are perpendicular to each other to form a fourth V-shaped through groove. And in the cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the inner cover plate, the length L of the straight line where the fourth inclined plane is located = d√N, N is the number of optical fibers, and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber; The inner cover plate is arranged at a position away from the second card holder, and the inner cover plate is slid back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber and continuously pressed down. After the arrangement structure of the second ends of the N optical fibers is stable, the inner cover plate is fixed; The second cover plate is configured to close the top surface of the trough body.

2. The fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a third cover plate; The third cover plate is provided with a second through groove recessed inward from the bottom surface; The second through groove includes a third plane, a fifth inclined plane, a sixth inclined plane, a seventh inclined plane, an eighth inclined plane and a fourth plane arranged in sequence; The third plane and the fourth plane are parallel to each other and are both perpendicular to the bottom surface; The fifth inclined plane and the sixth inclined plane are perpendicular to each other; The sixth inclined plane and the seventh inclined plane are perpendicular to each other; The seventh inclined plane and the eighth inclined plane are perpendicular to each other; In the cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the third cover plate, the length K of the straight lines where the sixth inclined plane and the seventh inclined plane are located = d√N, N is the number of optical fibers, and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber; The third cover plate is arranged at the position where the second card holder is located so that the sixth inclined plane, the seventh inclined plane and the third V-shaped through groove clamp the second ends of the N optical fibers.

3. The fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch according to claim 2, wherein When the third cover plate is arranged at the position where the second card holder is located, there is a gap between the inner cover plate and the third cover plate along the length direction.

4. The fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch according to claim 1, characterized in that It further includes a guide rail; The distance between the first plane and the second plane of the first through groove is the same as the width of the guide rail; One end of the guide rail abuts against the end face of the second card holder, is clamped in the first through groove, and the inner cover plate can slide along the guide rail.

5. The fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch according to claim 1, characterized in that The edge height of the inner cover plate is the same as the depth of the trough body.

6. The fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the bottom point of the groove of the second card seat is √2(D - d), where D is the diameter of the first end of the optical fiber and d is the diameter of the second end of the optical fiber.

7. A method for arranging an optical fiber array with a varying core pitch, characterized in that, Based on the optical fiber array arrangement structure with variable core pitch according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising: Placing the first ends of N optical fibers in the first V-shaped through groove of the first card seat; Placing the first cover plate on the first card seat and pressing and fixing the first ends of the optical fibers and the first cover plate; Threading and placing the second ends of the N optical fibers in the third V-shaped through groove of the second card seat; Setting the inner cover plate at a position away from the second card seat, sliding the inner cover plate back and forth along the length direction of the optical fiber and continuously pressing down the inner cover plate, and fixing the inner cover plate after the arrangement structure of the second ends of the N optical fibers is stable; Injecting a first adhesive into the inner cavity of the groove body, applying a second adhesive on the upper surface of the side plate, covering the second cover plate on the groove body, continuously applying pressure and heating for curing so that the second cover plate closes the upper part of the groove body.

8. The method for arranging an optical fiber array with a varying core pitch according to claim 7, wherein Filling a second adhesive in the space formed by the first V-shaped through groove and the second V-shaped through groove and curing to fix the first ends of the optical fibers.

9. The method for arranging an optical fiber array with variable core pitch according to claim 7, characterized in that Applying a second adhesive on the outside of the contact between the first cover plate and the groove body and curing to fix the first cover plate.

10. The method for arranging an optical fiber array with a varying core pitch according to claim 7, wherein, Before injecting the first adhesive into the inner cavity of the groove body, further comprising: covering a third cover plate above the second card seat, applying a second adhesive on the outside of the contact between the third cover plate and the groove body and then curing.

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