Optical fiber coating device

Abstract

An optical fiber coating device disclosed by the present invention comprises a supporting base, an optical fiber coating mold, an optical fiber clamp and a glue injection mechanism, the optical fiber coating mold comprises a lower mold body and an upper mold body, and a coating cavity and a glue injection groove, a first exhaust groove and a second exhaust groove which are communicated with the coating cavity are formed in a mold closing surface between the lower mold body and the upper mold body; the coating cavity extends in a first direction in the mold closing surface, and the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove are located on the two opposite sides of the glue injection groove; in the second direction of the mold closing surface, the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove extend from the first side of the coating cavity to the opposite second side; the depth of the first exhaust groove and the depth of the second exhaust groove in the joint face are several times to dozens of times smaller than the depth of the coating cavity. According to the scheme, bubbles in the glue solution injected into the coating cavity are extruded and discharged to the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove in the flowing process of the glue solution, so that bubbles generated on a coating layer can be reduced or even avoided, and the quality of the coating layer is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of optical fiber processing, and particularly relates to an optical fiber coating device. Background Art

[0002] An optical fiber is an important nonlinear optical medium. During the production process of an optical fiber, a coating layer needs to be provided on the surface of the bare optical fiber to isolate external moisture, increase the mechanical strength of the optical fiber, and prevent optical fiber bending loss caused by external forces. In some application scenarios of optical fibers, such as optical fiber fusion splicing, it is necessary to strip the coating layer and then process the optical fiber, and then re-coat the optical fiber after the processing is completed. The most common processing method is to use an optical fiber coater for re-coating the optical fiber.

[0003] Currently, an optical fiber coater is provided with a coating die. The coating die is provided with a circular cross-section coating cavity. First, the exposed part of the processed optical fiber is placed in the coating cavity, and then a coating material (usually an ultraviolet curable adhesive) with a certain refractive index is injected into the coating cavity, and then the coating material is cured. In the coating die of the existing optical fiber coater, usually semi-circular grooves are respectively provided on the upper die and the lower die, and the two semi-circular grooves form a coating cavity when the dies are closed. For example, Chinese Patent Application CN113617594A provides an optical fiber automatic coating device, in which the optical fiber clamping member (i.e., the coating die) includes a first clamping member and a second clamping member arranged oppositely. Semi-circular grooves penetrating the bonding surface are provided on the bonding surfaces of the first clamping member and the second clamping member, and the upper and lower semi-circular grooves form a receiving cavity (i.e., the coating cavity). In the actual application process, it is found that for the coating die with this structure, when re-coating the optical fiber, air bubbles are likely to appear in the coating layer, and there will be defects such as bulges or depressions in the appearance of the coating layer, and the quality of the coating layer needs to be improved. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber coating device to solve the problem of how to reduce or even avoid air bubbles in the coating layer during optical fiber coating.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] An optical fiber coating device includes a support base, and an optical fiber coating die, an optical fiber fixture, and a glue injection mechanism connected to the support base. One of the optical fiber fixtures is respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the optical fiber coating die, and the glue injection mechanism is connected to the optical fiber coating die;

[0007] The optical fiber coating die includes a lower die assembly and an upper die assembly. The lower die assembly includes a lower die body, and the upper die assembly includes an upper die body. A coating cavity, a glue injection groove, a first exhaust groove, and a second exhaust groove that are respectively communicated with the coating cavity are formed on the mold clamping surface between the lower die body and the upper die body;

[0008] Wherein, the coating cavity extends along a first direction in the mold clamping surface, and in the first direction, the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove are located on opposite sides of the glue injection groove; in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in the mold clamping surface, the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove respectively extend from a first side of the coating cavity to an opposite second side; the depth of the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove in the mold clamping surface is several times to dozens of times less than the depth of the coating cavity.

[0009] In a preferred solution, the mold clamping surface includes a lower mold clamping surface located on the lower die body and an upper mold clamping surface located on the upper die body. A first arc surface groove extending along the first direction is formed on the lower mold clamping surface, and a second arc surface groove corresponding to the first arc surface groove is formed on the upper mold clamping surface. The first arc surface groove and the second arc surface groove enclose the coating cavity with a circular cross-section;

[0010] The first exhaust groove is formed on the lower mold clamping surface and communicated with the first arc surface groove, or the first exhaust groove is formed on the upper mold clamping surface and communicated with the second arc surface groove; the second exhaust groove is formed on the lower mold clamping surface and communicated with the first arc surface groove, or the second exhaust groove is formed on the upper mold clamping surface and communicated with the second arc surface groove.

[0011] In a preferred solution, both the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove are formed on the upper mold clamping surface and respectively communicated with the second arc surface groove, the glue injection groove is formed on the lower mold clamping surface and communicated with the first arc surface groove, and a glue injection port communicated with the glue injection mechanism is arranged in the glue injection groove.

[0012] In a preferred solution, the first exhaust groove has an axisymmetric figure shape with the axis of the coating cavity as the axis of symmetry, and the second exhaust groove has an axisymmetric figure shape with the axis of the coating cavity as the axis of symmetry; the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove have the same shape, and in the first direction, the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove are symmetrically arranged in a mirror image on opposite sides of the glue injection groove.

[0013] In a preferred embodiment, the dimension in the second direction is the width of the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove. The width of the first exhaust groove gradually increases from one end close to the glue injection groove to the end away from the glue injection groove, and the width of the second exhaust groove gradually increases from one end close to the glue injection groove to the end away from the glue injection groove.

[0014] In a preferred embodiment, the lower mold assembly further includes a lower mold base, and the lower mold body is connected to the lower mold base; the upper mold assembly further includes an upper mold base, and the upper mold body is connected to the upper mold base; wherein,

[0015] The cross-section of the lower mold body in the second direction is trapezoidal; in the second direction, first pressing strips are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the lower mold body. The first pressing strips extend along the first direction and have pressing inclined surfaces corresponding to the side inclined surfaces of the lower mold body. The first pressing strips are fixedly connected to the lower mold base, and the pressing inclined surfaces of the first pressing strips press against the side inclined surfaces of the lower mold body to fix the lower mold body on the lower mold base;

[0016] The cross-section of the upper mold body in the second direction is trapezoidal; in the second direction, second pressing strips are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the upper mold body. The second pressing strips extend along the first direction and have pressing inclined surfaces corresponding to the side inclined surfaces of the upper mold body. The second pressing strips are fixedly connected to the upper mold base, and the pressing inclined surfaces of the second pressing strips press against the side inclined surfaces of the upper mold body to fix the upper mold body on the upper mold base.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the lower mold base is fixedly connected to the top surface of the support base, the upper mold base is rotatably connected to the lower mold base, and a mold cover plate is fixedly connected to the upper mold base;

[0018] The lower mold base is provided with a first light passing hole extending along the first direction and allowing the curing light to enter the coating cavity. A first assembly groove corresponding to the first light passing hole is arranged on the top surface of the support base, and a first curing light source is installed in the first assembly groove;

[0019] The upper mold base is provided with a second light passing hole extending along the first direction and allowing the curing light to enter the coating cavity. A second assembly groove corresponding to the second light passing hole is arranged on the mold cover plate, and a second curing light source is installed in the first assembly groove.

[0020] In a preferred embodiment, a first support block extending upward is arranged on the top surface of the support base on the side of the lower mold base, and a second support block extending downward is arranged on the bottom surface of the mold cover plate on the side of the upper mold base;

[0021] When the optical fiber coating die is in the closed die state, the bottom surface of the second support block abuts and connects to the top surface of the first support block; wherein, a buffer mechanism is provided on the first support block, and the buffer mechanism is configured to buffer the pressing pressure of the second support block pressing on the first support block.

[0022] In a preferred embodiment, in the first direction, optical fiber guiding mechanisms are respectively provided on opposite sides of the lower die body, and the optical fiber guiding mechanisms are connected to the lower die base; the optical fiber guiding mechanism includes a supporting portion connected to the lower die base and a guiding portion protruding from one end of the supporting portion, and an optical fiber accommodating groove coaxially arranged with the coating cavity is formed in the supporting portion, and a V-shaped guiding groove communicating with the optical fiber accommodating groove is formed in the guiding portion.

[0023] In a preferred embodiment, the glue injection mechanism includes a glue container, a peristaltic pump and a gas-liquid separation module, and a liquid suction channel and a gas-liquid separation cavity are provided in the gas-liquid separation module; the inlet of the liquid suction channel is connected to the glue container, and the outlet of the liquid suction channel is connected to the inlet of the peristaltic pump; the gas-liquid separation cavity extends upward in the gas-liquid separation module, the inlet of the gas-liquid separation cavity is located at the upper end of the gas-liquid separation cavity and is connected to the outlet of the peristaltic pump, the gas-liquid separation cavity is provided with a gas phase outlet and a liquid phase outlet, the gas phase outlet is located at the upper end of the gas-liquid separation cavity and is connected to the glue container, and the liquid phase outlet is located at the lower end of the gas-liquid separation cavity and is connected to the optical fiber coating die.

[0024] In the optical fiber coating die of the optical fiber coating device provided by an embodiment of the present invention, a coating cavity, a first exhaust groove and a second exhaust groove respectively communicating with the coating cavity are formed on the mold closing surface between the lower die body and the upper die body. When coating the optical fiber, the bubbles in the glue (coating material) injected into the coating cavity are squeezed out into the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove during the flow of the glue, and the glue located in the coating cavity forms a coating layer after curing, thereby reducing or even avoiding the appearance of bubbles in the coating layer and improving the quality of the coating layer. Description of the Drawings

[0025] Figure 1 is a perspective view of the optical fiber coating device in a front view angle in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 2 is a perspective view of the optical fiber coating device in a rear view angle in an embodiment of the present invention (the rear cover is omitted);

[0027] Figure 3 is a schematic structural view of the optical fiber coating die in the closed die state in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber coating die in the closed die state in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the optical fiber coating die in the open die state in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of the lower die assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 7 is an exploded structural view of the lower die assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the lower die body in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 9 is a schematic structural diagram of the upper die assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 10 is an exploded structural view of the upper die assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 11 is a schematic structural diagram of the upper die body in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 12 is a structural view of the top surface of the support base in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the gas-liquid separation module at the liquid suction channel position in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of the gas-liquid separation module at the gas-liquid separation chamber position in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Embodiments

[0039] To make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer, the following will describe the detailed embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Examples of these preferred embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments of the present invention shown in the drawings and described according to the drawings are merely exemplary, and the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0040] It should be noted that the same or similar reference numerals in the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention correspond to the same or similar components; in the description of the present invention, it should be understood that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, it is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings. This is only for the convenience of describing 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. Therefore, the terms describing the positional relationship in the drawings are only for illustrative purposes and cannot be construed as a limitation of this patent. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0041] Here, it should also be noted that in order to avoid obscuring the present invention with unnecessary details, only the structures and / or processing steps closely related to the solution according to the present invention are shown in the drawings, while other details less related to the present invention are omitted.

[0042] An optical fiber coating device is provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the optical fiber coating device includes a support base 4, and an optical fiber coating mold 1, an optical fiber fixture 2, and a glue injection mechanism 3 connected to the support base 4. One optical fiber fixture 2 is respectively arranged on opposite sides of the optical fiber coating mold 1, and the glue injection mechanism 3 is connected to the optical fiber coating mold 1.

[0043] Specifically, in this embodiment, the support base 4 has a box structure. The optical fiber coating mold 1 and the optical fiber fixture 2 are fixedly connected to the top surface of the support base 4. The glue injection mechanism 3 is arranged inside the support base 4, and the glue injection mechanism 3 is used to supply coating glue to the optical fiber coating mold 1. Further, a control circuit board and a display panel and other structural components are also arranged inside the support base 4.

[0044] Among them, refer to Figures 3 to 11 , the optical fiber coating mold 1 includes a lower mold assembly 11 and an upper mold assembly 12. The lower mold assembly 11 includes a lower mold base 111 and a lower mold body 112 connected to the lower mold base 111. The upper mold assembly 12 includes an upper mold base 121 and an upper mold body 122 connected to the upper mold base 121.

[0045] In this embodiment, the lower die assembly 11 and the upper die assembly 12 are rotatably connected to each other through a rotating assembly 13. Specifically, the lower die base 111 and the upper die base 121 are rotatably connected to each other through the rotating assembly 13. By means of the rotating assembly 13, the upper die assembly 12 is controlled to rotate relative to the lower die assembly 11, thereby realizing the opening or closing of the optical fiber coating die 1. Further, the lower die base 111 is fixedly connected to the top surface of the support base 4, and a die cover plate 15 is fixedly connected to the upper die base 121. The die cover plate 15 can rotate relative to the lower die base 111 together with the upper die base 121.

[0046] Wherein, a coating cavity 14, a glue injection groove 113, a first exhaust groove 123 and a second exhaust groove 124 which are respectively communicated with the coating cavity 14 are formed on the mold closing surface between the lower die body 112 and the upper die body 122. The coating cavity 13 extends along a first direction (the X direction in the figure) in the mold closing surface, and in the first direction, the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 are located on opposite sides of the glue injection groove 113. In a second direction (the Y direction in the figure) perpendicular to the first direction in the mold closing surface, the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 respectively extend from a first side of the coating cavity 14 to the opposite second side. In a third direction (the Z direction in the figure) perpendicular to the mold closing surface, the depths of the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 in the mold closing surface are several times to dozens of times less than the depth of the coating cavity 14.

[0047] Wherein, the coating cavity 14 is used to accommodate the optical fiber to be coated. The glue injection groove 113 receives glue (coating material) from an external glue injection mechanism and guides the glue into the coating cavity 14. The air bubbles in the glue are squeezed out and discharged to the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 during the flow of the glue. After the glue in the coating cavity 14 is cured, a coating layer is formed. Thereby, the appearance of air bubbles in the coating layer can be reduced or even avoided, and the quality of the coating layer can be improved.

[0048] Wherein, referring to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber coating die 1 in the closed die state, Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of the optical fiber coating die 1 in the open die state, and Figure 5The structural part of the mold cover plate 15 is omitted. The mold clamping surface includes a lower mold clamping surface 115 located on the lower mold body 112 and an upper mold clamping surface 125 located on the upper mold body 122. A first arc surface groove 141 extending along the first direction is formed on the lower mold clamping surface 112, and a second arc surface groove 142 corresponding to the first arc surface groove 141 is formed on the upper mold clamping surface 125. The first arc surface groove 141 and the second arc surface groove 142 enclose the coating cavity 14 with a circular cross-section. In this embodiment, the first arc surface groove 141 and the second arc surface groove 142 are respectively semi-circular grooves.

[0049] As a preferred solution, in this embodiment, the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 are both formed on the upper mold clamping surface 125 and are respectively communicated with the second arc surface groove 142, and the glue injection groove 113 is formed on the lower mold clamping surface 115 and is communicated with the first arc surface groove 141. A glue injection port 114 communicating with the glue injection mechanism 3 is provided in the glue injection groove 113. Based on the structure that the glue injection groove 113 is formed on the lower mold clamping surface 115 while the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 are both formed on the upper mold clamping surface 125, the glue is injected from below. In the coating cavity 14, by using the characteristics that the glue is easy to sink and the bubbles are easy to float, the bubbles in the glue can be more fully discharged to the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 located relatively above. It is easy to understand that in some other embodiments, the first exhaust groove 123 may also be formed on the lower mold clamping surface 115 and be communicated with the first arc surface groove 141, and the second exhaust groove 124 may also be formed on the lower mold clamping surface 115 and be communicated with the first arc surface groove 141.

[0050] Among them, the specific depths of the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 in the mold clamping surface need to be set according to actual needs, and it is necessary to consider meeting the exhaust requirements and minimizing glue overflow as much as possible. Specifically, the depths of the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 are respectively preferably set in the range of 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm.

[0051] As a preferred solution, in this embodiment, the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 have the same shape. In the first direction, the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 are symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the glue injection groove 113 in a mirror image manner. Thus, the glue liquid introduced from the glue injection groove 113 can flow more evenly to the coating cavities 14 on both sides of the glue injection groove 113. It should be noted that in this embodiment, since the glue injection groove 113 is formed on the lower mold clamping surface 115 while the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 are both formed on the upper mold clamping surface 125, Figure 11 The projection position 113a of the glue injection groove 113 on the upper mold clamping surface 125 in the mold clamping state is shown by a dashed line in the figure.

[0052] Among them, the shapes of the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 in the mold clamping surface can be set to regular shapes, such as rectangular, oval, etc., or can also be set to other irregular shapes. As a preferred solution, the first exhaust groove 123 has an axisymmetric graphic shape with the axis of the coating cavity 14 as the axis of symmetry, and the second exhaust groove 124 has an axisymmetric graphic shape with the axis of the coating cavity 14 as the axis of symmetry. Specifically, referring to Figure 11 In this embodiment, the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 respectively have an axisymmetric graphic shape with the axis of the second arc surface groove 142 as the axis of symmetry.

[0053] Furthermore, referring to Figure 5 and Figure 11 Taking the dimension in the second direction (Y direction) as the width of the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124, the width of the first exhaust groove 123 gradually increases from the end close to the glue injection groove 113 to the end away from the glue injection groove 113, and the width of the second exhaust groove 124 gradually increases from the end close to the glue injection groove 113 to the end away from the glue injection groove 113. That is, for the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124, in the direction gradually away from the glue injection groove 113, their widths gradually increase, which is beneficial for the glue liquid introduced from the glue injection groove 113 into the coating cavity 14 to flow towards both ends of the coating cavity 14, and can make the finally formed coating layer more uniform.

[0054] It should be noted that in the prior art, the commonly used coating glue is ultraviolet curable glue. After injecting the glue into the coating cavity 14, ultraviolet light is irradiated onto the coating cavity 14 to cure the glue therein to form a coating layer. Therefore, the lower mold body 112 and the upper mold body 122 are usually made of light-transmitting materials, and the most commonly used one is glass. Moreover, except for the area corresponding to the first arc surface groove 141 on the lower mold body 112, a light-shielding coating is provided on the remaining areas; except for the area corresponding to the second arc surface groove 142 on the upper mold body 122, a light-shielding coating is provided on the remaining areas. Thus, the ultraviolet curing light irradiated from the outside can only enter the coating cavity 14.

[0055] In the existing coating molds, the connection and fixing method of the lower mold body and the upper mold body on the corresponding mold bases is usually to drill holes in the lower mold body and the upper mold body, and then fix and connect them through threaded fasteners. For example, in the solution disclosed in the Chinese patent application CN113617594A in the background art section of this application, refer to the attached Figure 3 and Figure 4 It can be seen that holes are provided near the four top corners on the first clamping member (corresponding to the lower mold body) and the second clamping member (corresponding to the upper mold body), and the first clamping member and the second clamping member are fixedly connected to the corresponding mold bases through these holes. This connection method is likely to cause damage to the upper / lower mold body, especially for the upper / lower mold body made of glass, which will affect the service life of the mold.

[0056] To address the above problems, this application provides a coating mold. Refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the cross-section of the lower mold body 112 along the second direction (Y direction) is trapezoidal. In the second direction, first pressing strips 116 are respectively provided on the opposite sides of the lower mold body 112. The first pressing strips 116 extend along the first direction (X direction) and have pressing inclined surfaces corresponding to the side inclined surfaces of the lower mold body 112. The first pressing strips 116 are fixedly connected to the lower mold base 111, and the pressing inclined surfaces of the first pressing strips 116 press against the side inclined surfaces of the lower mold body 112 to fix the lower mold body 112 on the lower mold base 111. Further, refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10, the cross-section of the upper die body 122 along the second direction is trapezoidal. In the second direction, second pressing strips 126 are respectively arranged on two opposite sides of the upper die body 122. The second pressing strips 126 extend along the first direction and have pressing inclined surfaces corresponding to the side inclined surfaces of the upper die body 122. The second pressing strips 126 are fixedly connected to the upper die base 121, and the pressing inclined surfaces of the second pressing strips 126 press against the side inclined surfaces of the upper die body 122, thereby fixing the upper die body 122 on the upper die base 121. Through the above fixed connection method, on the one hand, the lower die body 112 and the upper die body 122 can be firmly connected to the corresponding die bases, and on the other hand, drilling holes in the lower die body 112 and the upper die body 122 can be avoided, which can improve the service life of the mold.

[0057] Further, referring to Figure 4 , Figure 7 and Figure 12 , in this embodiment, the lower die base 111 is provided with a first light passing hole 117 extending along the first direction and enabling the curing light to enter the coating cavity 14. A first assembly groove 41 is arranged on the top surface of the support base 4 corresponding to the position of the first light passing hole 117, and a first curing light source 5 is installed in the first assembly groove 41. The upper die base 121 is provided with a second light passing hole 127 extending along the first direction and enabling the curing light to enter the coating cavity 14. A second assembly groove 151 is arranged on the mold cover plate 15 corresponding to the position of the second light passing hole 127, and a second curing light source 6 is installed in the first assembly groove 151. By respectively arranging the first light passing hole 117 and the second light passing hole 127 on both sides of the coating cavity 14 and setting the corresponding first curing light source 5 and second curing light source 6, when performing ultraviolet curing, ultraviolet light can be irradiated from both sides simultaneously for double-sided curing, improving the curing efficiency and having a better curing effect. Of course, in another optional embodiment, only the first light passing hole 117 and the corresponding first curing light source 5 or only the second light passing hole 127 and the corresponding second curing light source 6 may be provided.

[0058] Further, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 4 and Figure 12, in this embodiment, a first support block 42 extending upward is provided on the top surface of the support base 4 on the side of the lower die base 111, and a second support block 152 extending downward is provided on the bottom surface of the die cover plate 15 on the side of the upper die base 121. When the optical fiber coating die 1 is in the closed die state, the bottom surface of the second support block 152 abuts and connects to the top surface of the first support block 42. Among them, a buffer mechanism 43 is provided on the first support block 42, and the buffer mechanism 43 is configured to be able to buffer the pressing pressure of the second support block 151 pressing on the first support block 42.

[0059] Specifically, the buffer mechanism 43 includes a connecting bracket 431 and a swing rod 432. The connecting bracket 431 is installed in the first support block 42, and the first end of the swing rod 432 is rotatably connected to the connecting bracket 431. When the optical fiber coating die 1 is in the open die state, the end of the first end of the swing rod 432 protrudes from the top surface of the first support block 42. When closing the die, the bottom surface of the second support block 152 first presses on the end of the first end of the swing rod 432, so that the upper die assembly 12 and the lower die assembly are initially closed. Then, by rotating the swing rod 432, the end of the first end of the swing rod 432 is lowered below the top surface of the first support block 42, and the bottom surface of the second support block 152 continues to descend and abuts and connects to the top surface of the first support block 42, realizing the complete closing of the upper die assembly 12 and the lower die assembly 11. As a preferred solution, a magnetic attraction assembly (not shown in the drawings) is provided between the bottom surface of the second support block 152 and the top surface of the first support block 42. When closing the die, through the magnetic attraction fixation between the second support block 152 and the first support block 42, the upper die assembly 12 and the lower die assembly 11 are tightly fixed and fitted.

[0060] Further, in this embodiment, in the lower die assembly 11, in the first direction, optical fiber guiding mechanisms 118 are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the lower die body 112, and the optical fiber guiding mechanisms 118 are connected to the lower die base 111. The optical fiber guiding mechanism 118 includes a supporting portion 1181 connected to the lower die base 111 and a guiding portion 1182 protruding from one end of the supporting portion 1181. An optical fiber accommodating groove 1183 coaxially arranged with the coating cavity 14 is formed in the supporting portion 1181, and a V-shaped guiding groove 1184 communicating with the optical fiber accommodating groove 1183 is formed in the guiding portion 1182. By arranging the optical fiber guiding mechanism 118, when the optical fiber to be coated is placed into the lower die assembly 11, the V-shaped guiding groove 1184 can smoothly guide the optical fiber into the optical fiber accommodating groove 1183, and the optical fiber accommodating groove 1183 coaxially arranged with the coating cavity 14 can ensure that the optical fiber is accurately placed in the coating cavity 14, avoiding dislocation and damage.

[0061] Among them, referring to Figure 12 , the optical fiber fixture 2 includes a fixture base 21 and a fixture pressing plate 22. The fixture base 21 is connected to the top surface of the supporting base 4, and the fixture pressing plate 22 is rotatably connected to the fixture base 21. An optical fiber clamping groove 23 is arranged on the fixture base 21, and the optical fiber clamping groove 23 is coaxially arranged with the coating cavity 14 in the optical fiber coating die 1. An optical fiber clamping groove 24 is also arranged on the side surface of the fixture base 21. By rotating the fixture pressing plate 22 and pressing it against the fixture base 21, the optical fiber is clamped and fixed on both sides of the optical fiber coating die 1. As a preferred solution, a magnetic attraction assembly (not shown in the drawings) is arranged between the bottom surface of the fixture pressing plate 22 and the top surface of the fixture base 21. During clamping, a stable clamping force is maintained through magnetic attraction. It should be noted that, in order to show the optical fiber fixture 2, Figure 12 in, the optical fiber fixture 2 on the left is in an open state, and the optical fiber fixture 2 on the right is in a clamping state.

[0062] Among them, referring to Figure 2 , the glue injection mechanism 3 includes a glue container 31, a peristaltic pump 32, a gas-liquid separation module 33, and also includes a glue injection nozzle 34. The peristaltic pump 32 sucks the coating glue from the glue container 31, inputs it to the gas-liquid separation module 33 to separate the bubbles therein, and then injects it into the optical fiber coating die 1 through the glue injection nozzle 34. It should be noted that, Figure 2 the pipelines (such as rubber hoses) connecting various parts in the glue injection mechanism 3 are not shown in Figure 4 and Figure 12 As shown in, the glue injection nozzle 34 penetrates out from the top surface of the supporting base 4 and is inserted into the glue injection port 114.

[0063] Among them, referring to Figure 13 and Figure 14 in the gas-liquid separation module 33, a liquid suction channel 331 and a gas-liquid separation chamber 332 are provided. The inlet 331a of the liquid suction channel 331 is connected to the glue container 31, and the outlet 331b of the liquid suction channel 331 is connected to the inlet of the peristaltic pump 32. Thus, the peristaltic pump 32 sucks the coating glue from the glue container 31 through the liquid suction channel 331.

[0064] The gas-liquid separation chamber 332 extends upward in the gas-liquid separation module 33. The inlet 332a of the gas-liquid separation chamber 332 is located at the upper end of the gas-liquid separation chamber 332 and is connected to the outlet of the peristaltic pump 32. The gas-liquid separation chamber 332 is provided with a gas phase outlet 332b and a liquid phase outlet 332c. The gas phase outlet 332b is located at the upper end of the gas-liquid separation chamber 332 and is connected to the glue container 31. The liquid phase outlet 332c is located at the lower end of the gas-liquid separation chamber 332 and is connected to the glue injection nozzle 34, and is connected to the optical fiber coating mold 1 through the glue injection nozzle 34. The peristaltic pump 32 inputs the sucked coating glue into the gas-liquid separation chamber 332 from the inlet 332a. Utilizing the characteristics that the glue is easy to sink and the bubbles are easy to float, gas-liquid separation is achieved in the gas-liquid separation chamber 332. The floating bubbles return to the glue container 31 from the upper gas phase outlet 332b, and the sinking glue is output from the lower liquid phase outlet 332c and injected into the optical fiber coating mold 1 through the glue injection nozzle 34.

[0065] Based on the above-mentioned glue injection mechanism 3, by setting the gas-liquid separation module 33, a large number of bubbles in the coating glue can be initially removed. Combining with the first exhaust groove 123 and the second exhaust groove 124 provided in the optical fiber coating mold 1 during the subsequent coating process, the bubbles in the coating glue can be further removed, thereby minimizing or even avoiding the appearance of bubbles in the coating layer and improving the quality of the coating layer.

[0066] In summary, the optical fiber coating device provided in the above embodiments of the present invention can reduce or even avoid the appearance of bubbles in the coating layer, improve the quality of the coating layer and enable the recoated optical fiber to maintain good performance. Moreover, the optical fiber coating device has a compact structure, a small volume, is convenient to carry and transfer, and can be applicable to various scenarios of optical fiber processing operations.

[0067] The above are only specific embodiments of the present application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principle of the present application, several improvements and refinements can be made, and these improvements and refinements should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An optical fiber coating device, characterized in that, It includes a support base, an optical fiber coating mold, an optical fiber fixture, and a glue injection mechanism connected to the support base. One of the optical fiber fixtures is provided on each of the opposite sides of the optical fiber coating mold, and the glue injection mechanism is connected to the optical fiber coating mold; The optical fiber coating mold includes a lower mold assembly and an upper mold assembly. The lower mold assembly includes a lower mold body, and the upper mold assembly includes an upper mold body. A coating cavity, a glue injection groove, a first exhaust groove, and a second exhaust groove that are respectively communicated with the coating cavity are formed on the mold closing surface between the lower mold body and the upper mold body; Wherein, the coating cavity extends along a first direction in the mold closing surface, and in the first direction, the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove are located on the opposite sides of the glue injection groove; in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in the mold closing surface, the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove respectively extend from a first side of the coating cavity to the opposite second side; the depths of the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove in the mold closing surface are several times to dozens of times less than the depth of the coating cavity.

2. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 1, wherein The mold closing surface includes a lower mold closing surface located on the lower mold body and an upper mold closing surface located on the upper mold body. A first circular arc surface groove extending along the first direction is formed on the lower mold closing surface, and a second circular arc surface groove corresponding to the first circular arc surface groove is formed on the upper mold closing surface. The first circular arc surface groove and the second circular arc surface groove enclose the coating cavity with a circular cross-section; The first exhaust groove is formed on the lower mold closing surface and communicated with the first circular arc surface groove, or the first exhaust groove is formed on the upper mold closing surface and communicated with the second circular arc surface groove; the second exhaust groove is formed on the lower mold closing surface and communicated with the first circular arc surface groove, or the second exhaust groove is formed on the upper mold closing surface and communicated with the second circular arc surface groove.

3. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 2, characterized in that, Both the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove are formed on the upper mold closing surface and respectively communicated with the second circular arc surface groove. The glue injection groove is formed on the lower mold closing surface and communicated with the first circular arc surface groove. A glue injection port communicated with the glue injection mechanism is arranged in the glue injection groove.

4. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first exhaust groove has a shape of an axisymmetric figure with the axis of the coating cavity as the axis of symmetry, and the second exhaust groove has a shape of an axisymmetric figure with the axis of the coating cavity as the axis of symmetry; The first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove have the same shape. In the first direction, the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove are symmetrically arranged in a mirror image on the opposite sides of the glue injection groove.

5. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 4, characterized in that, Taking the dimension in the second direction as the width of the first exhaust groove and the second exhaust groove, the width of the first exhaust groove gradually increases from the end close to the glue injection groove to the end away from the glue injection groove, and the width of the second exhaust groove gradually increases from the end close to the glue injection groove to the end away from the glue injection groove.

6. The optical fiber coating die according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that The lower mold assembly further includes a lower mold base, and the lower mold body is connected to the lower mold base; the upper mold assembly further includes an upper mold base, and the upper mold body is connected to the upper mold base; wherein, The cross-section of the lower die body along the second direction is trapezoidal; in the second direction, first pressing strips are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the lower die body, the first pressing strips extend along the first direction and have pressing inclined surfaces corresponding to the side inclined surfaces of the lower die body, the first pressing strips are fixedly connected to the lower die base, and the pressing inclined surfaces of the first pressing strips press against the side inclined surfaces of the lower die body so as to fix the lower die body on the lower die base; The cross-section of the upper die body along the second direction is trapezoidal; in the second direction, second pressing strips are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the upper die body, the second pressing strips extend along the first direction and have pressing inclined surfaces corresponding to the side inclined surfaces of the upper die body, the second pressing strips are fixedly connected to the upper die base, and the pressing inclined surfaces of the second pressing strips press against the side inclined surfaces of the upper die body so as to fix the upper die body on the upper die base.

7. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lower die base is fixedly connected to the top surface of the support base, the upper die base is rotatably connected to the lower die base, and a mold cover plate is fixedly connected to the upper die base; The lower die base is provided with a first light passing hole extending along the first direction and capable of allowing the curing light to enter the coating cavity, a first assembly groove corresponding to the position of the first light passing hole is arranged on the top surface of the support base, and a first curing light source is installed in the first assembly groove; The upper die base is provided with a second light passing hole extending along the first direction and capable of allowing the curing light to enter the coating cavity, a second assembly groove corresponding to the position of the second light passing hole is arranged on the mold cover plate, and a second curing light source is installed in the first assembly groove.

8. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 7, characterized in that, On the top surface of the support base and on the side of the lower die base, a first support block extending upward is provided, and on the bottom surface of the mold cover plate and on the side of the upper die base, a second support block extending downward is provided; When the optical fiber coating mold is in the closed mold state, the bottom surface of the second support block is in top contact connection with the top surface of the first support block; wherein, a buffer mechanism is arranged on the first support block, and the buffer mechanism is configured to be able to buffer the pressing pressure of the second support block pressing on the first support block.

9. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 6, characterized in that, In the first direction, optical fiber guiding mechanisms are respectively arranged on opposite sides of the lower die body, and the optical fiber guiding mechanisms are connected to the lower die base; the optical fiber guiding mechanisms include a supporting portion connected to the lower die base and a guiding portion protruding from one end of the supporting portion, a fiber accommodating groove coaxially arranged with the coating cavity is formed in the supporting portion, and a V-shaped guiding groove communicating with the fiber accommodating groove is formed in the guiding portion.

10. The optical fiber coating device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The glue injection mechanism includes a glue container, a peristaltic pump and a gas-liquid separation module. A liquid suction channel and a gas-liquid separation chamber are arranged in the gas-liquid separation module. The inlet of the liquid suction channel is connected to the glue container, and the outlet of the liquid suction channel is connected to the inlet of the peristaltic pump. The gas-liquid separation chamber extends from bottom to top in the gas-liquid separation module. The inlet of the gas-liquid separation chamber is located at the upper end of the gas-liquid separation chamber and is connected to the outlet of the peristaltic pump. The gas-liquid separation chamber is provided with a gas phase outlet and a liquid phase outlet. The gas phase outlet is located at the upper end of the gas-liquid separation chamber and is connected to the glue container. The liquid phase outlet is located at the lower end of the gas-liquid separation chamber and is connected to the optical fiber coating die.

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