Full-automatic optical fiber welding all-in-one machine

Abstract

The invention discloses a full-automatic optical fiber welding all-in-one machine. The full-automatic optical fiber welding all-in-one machine comprises two groups of clamp assemblies which are respectively used for clamping an optical fiber and the two optical fibers are arranged in opposite directions; the two sets of processing mechanisms are arranged corresponding to the two sets of clamp assemblies respectively, each processing mechanism comprises a stripping module, a cleaning module and a cutting module, the stripping modules are used for stripping coating layers of the optical fibers clamped by the clamp assemblies, the cleaning modules are used for cleaning stripping areas of the optical fibers, the cutting modules are used for scratching the stripping areas of the optical fibers under preset tension, and the cutting modules are used for cutting the stripping areas of the optical fibers under the preset tension. The optical fiber is broken to form a flat welding end face; the laser device is used for emitting laser to a stripping area of the optical fiber so as to complete stress elimination before scratching; the laser device is also used for welding the two aligned optical fibers; and the coating module is used for re-coating the welded optical fiber. Through the mode, the full-automatic optical fiber fusion splicing all-in-one machine provided by the invention can automatically and orderly operate, the efficiency is greatly improved, the quality consistency is reliable, and the cost is greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the technical field of optical fiber processing, and particularly to a fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of industrial manufacturing, lasers, as an efficient and precise processing tool, have a wider and wider range of applications. From the development trend of the entire laser technology, fiber lasers represent the development direction of high-power and high-brightness lasers due to their outstanding advantages such as good beam quality, high efficiency, easy heat dissipation, compact structure, and flexible operation. Currently, the continuous output of a single fiber laser based on an all-fiber structure has reached tens of thousands of watts. For high-power lasers, a large-core-diameter fiber structure is generally adopted to reduce the power density of the laser in the fiber and improve the power tolerance limit of the fiber.

[0003] An optical fiber is composed of three main parts: a core in the center, a cladding with a lower refractive index wrapped outside, and an outer coating. The core is the main part for optical signal transmission and is usually made of a glass material with a high refractive index. The cladding is a layer of material used to protect the optical core and is usually made of a material with a lower refractive index, forming a total reflection condition with the core to ensure the transmission of optical signals in the optical fiber. The outer coating is used to protect the entire optical fiber structure and is usually made of a resin material.

[0004] In the manufacturing process of fiber lasers, it is often necessary to combine and splice multiple fiber devices, which involves the fusion splicing process of optical fibers. To fuse two optical fibers together, it is first necessary to perform processes such as coating stripping, fiber cleaning, and fiber cutting on the two optical fibers. After optical fiber fusion, it is also necessary to recoat the optical fiber. For the processing of these processes for large-core-diameter optical fibers, there are mature devices on the market, such as Fujikura's PT100 stripper, ultrasonic cleaner, LDC100 fiber cutter, 100M optical fiber fusion splicer, and optical fiber coater. However, the processes of these devices are independent, and each process requires manual operation and intervention, making it impossible to achieve automation, resulting in low efficiency and poor consistency in laser production and manufacturing, and a significant increase in labor costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application mainly provides a fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer to solve the problems of low automation, low efficiency, and poor consistency of existing devices.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, a technical solution adopted in this application is: to provide a fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer includes: two sets of fixture assemblies, each for clamping an optical fiber and the two optical fibers being arranged in opposite directions; two sets of processing mechanisms, respectively corresponding to the two sets of fixture assemblies, both including a stripping module, a cleaning module, and a cutting module. The stripping module is used to strip the coating layer of the optical fiber clamped by the fixture assembly, the cleaning module cleans the stripping area of the optical fiber, and the cutting module is used to scratch the stripping area of the optical fiber under a preset tension so that the optical fiber breaks to form a flat fusion end face; a laser device for hitting the laser on the stripping area of the optical fiber to complete stress elimination before scratching; the two sets of fixture assemblies are also used to align the fusion end faces of the two optical fibers, and the laser device is also used to fuse the two aligned optical fibers; a coating module for recoating the fused optical fiber, thereby splicing the two optical fibers into one optical fiber.

[0007] In some embodiments, the fixture assembly includes a first fixture, a second fixture, and an optical fiber support. The optical fiber support is arranged between the first fixture and the second fixture. The optical fiber support is provided with a first V-groove, and the optical fibers clamped by the first fixture and the second fixture are also located in the first V-groove;

[0008] The stripping module includes a first driving mechanism and a stripping tool. The first driving mechanism is connected to the stripping tool to drive the stripping tool to act on the coating layer to be stripped of the optical fiber and strip a preset length of the coating layer. The part of the optical fiber to be stripped is located in the first V-groove;

[0009] Among them, the first fixture and the second fixture are also used to gradually rotate the optical fiber at a preset angle so that the stripping tool can strip the new coating layer to be stripped.

[0010] In some embodiments, the stripping module further includes a tool rest seat and a tool rest cover. The first driving mechanism is connected to the tool rest seat, the stripping tool is installed on the tool rest seat, and the tool rest cover is connected to the tool rest seat and clamps and fixes the stripping tool;

[0011] The tool rest cover is provided with an air suction port, and the air suction port is stacked on the cutting edge of the stripping tool for recovering the stripped coating layer.

[0012] In some embodiments, the optical fiber support is provided with adsorption holes at the bottom of the first V-groove for adsorbing the optical fiber in the first V-groove;

[0013] Both the first fixture and the second fixture have a second V-groove for positioning and clamping both ends of the optical fiber, and the second V-groove is coaxially arranged with the first V-groove.

[0014] In some embodiments, the cleaning module includes a second driving mechanism, a wiping module, and a dropper. The second driving mechanism is connected to the wiping module, and the dropper is connected to the wiping module for dripping a cleaning liquid onto a wiping belt on the wiping module. The second driving mechanism is used to drive the wiping belt to clean the stripping area of the optical fiber.

[0015] Wherein, the first fixture and the second fixture are further used to gradually rotate the optical fiber at a preset angle so that the wiping belt can clean a new stripping area.

[0016] In some embodiments, the wiping module includes a first rotating shaft, a second rotating shaft, a movable pulley, a plurality of fixed pulleys, a first photoelectric sensor, and a second photoelectric sensor. Both ends of the wiping belt are respectively wound around the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft, and the wiping belt is further guided by the movable pulley and the plurality of fixed pulleys. The movable pulley is arranged adjacent to the first rotating shaft, and the first photoelectric sensor and the second photoelectric sensor are respectively arranged on both sides of the movable pulley.

[0017] Wherein, when the first photoelectric sensor detects the movable pulley, the first rotating shaft stops rotating, and the second rotating shaft starts to rotate, so that the wiping belt applies a pulling force to the movable pulley, thereby driving the movable pulley to move towards the second photoelectric sensor. When the second photoelectric sensor detects the movable pulley, the second rotating shaft stops rotating, and the first rotating shaft starts to rotate, so that the pulling force of the wiping belt on the movable pulley decreases, and then the movable pulley makes a reset movement towards the first photoelectric sensor.

[0018] In some embodiments, the fixture assembly applies a preset pulling force to the optical fiber after the stripping area of the optical fiber is cleaned.

[0019] The cutting module includes a third driving mechanism, a scribing driving mechanism, and a cutting tool. The third driving mechanism is connected to the scribing driving mechanism, and the cutting tool is installed on the scribing driving mechanism. The third driving mechanism is used to perform a primary drive on the scribing driving mechanism and the cutting tool, so that the cutting tool approaches the stripping area of the optical fiber. The scribing driving mechanism is used to perform a secondary drive on the cutting tool, so that the cutting tool scribes the stripping area of the optical fiber.

[0020] In some embodiments, the scribing driving mechanism includes a mounting bracket, a driving motor, and a rotating pulley. The driving motor and the rotating pulley are both disposed on the mounting bracket. The driving motor is connected to the rotating pulley through belt transmission, and the cutting tool is mounted on the rotating pulley.

[0021] Wherein, the rotating pulley drives the cutting tool to rotate a preset angle, so that the cutting tool scribes the optical fiber, and then the scribed optical fiber breaks at the scribing part under a preset tensile force, thereby forming a flat splicing end face.

[0022] In some embodiments, the laser device includes a laser, a beam splitting module, a first optical path component, a second optical path component, and a third optical path component. The beam splitting module is configured to split the laser generated by the laser into the first optical path component and the second optical path component after the cleaning module completes cleaning. The first optical path component is configured to project the laser onto the stripping area of one of the optical fibers, and the second optical path component is configured to project the laser onto the stripping area of the other optical fiber to eliminate stress before scribing. The two sets of fixture components are further configured to align the remaining optical fibers. The beam splitting module is further configured to split the laser generated by the laser into the third optical path component after the two optical fibers are aligned. The third optical path component is configured to project two beams of laser at a preset angle onto the butt-jointed two optical fibers for splicing.

[0023] In some embodiments, the coating module includes a fourth driving mechanism, a nozzle, a first coating fixture, and a second coating fixture. The fourth driving mechanism is connected to the first coating fixture and the second coating fixture. The first coating fixture and the second coating fixture are both provided with accommodation grooves. The fourth driving mechanism is configured to drive the first coating fixture and the second coating fixture to close, so as to define the stripping area of the spliced optical fiber in an accommodation cavity defined by the buckling of the two accommodation grooves. The nozzle is disposed on the first coating fixture and is configured to spray coating liquid into the accommodation cavity.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present application are as follows: Different from the prior art, the present application discloses a fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer. By setting two groups of fixture components to clamp and fix the optical fiber, the stripping module can automatically strip the coating layer of the optical fiber, and the cleaning module can automatically clean the stripped area of the optical fiber. The laser device also eliminates the stress of the optical fiber before scratching the optical fiber to release the stress during the clamping process. Stress elimination can reduce the assembly difficulty of the fixture components, improve the quality of the fusion splicing end face, make the fusion splicing end face formed by subsequent cutting smoother, reduce the damage of the optical fiber to the cutting tool, effectively improve the stability of optical fiber cutting, and extend the service life of the cutting tool; the fixture components also apply a tensile force to the optical fiber, and the cutting module scratches the stripped area of the optical fiber under a preset tensile force, causing the optical fiber to break, so that a flat fusion splicing end face can be formed. By precisely controlling the preset tensile force applied to the optical fiber and the scratching force, the cutting quality of the optical fiber can be improved, the fusion splicing end face formed after optical fiber cutting is smoother, and the damage to the cutting tool is also reduced; the fixture components further align the fusion splicing end faces of the two optical fibers, and the laser device can sequentially fuse the two aligned optical fibers, and then the coating module recoats the fused optical fiber to form a complete optical fiber. The whole process runs automatically and orderly according to the program without manual operation intervention, which greatly improves the efficiency of manufacturing optical fibers, ensures the consistency of manufacturing quality, and also greatly reduces the labor cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can also be obtained according to these drawings, where:

[0026] Figure 1 FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of Embodiment 1 of the fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer provided by the present application;

[0027] Figure 2 is Figure 1 FIG. 15 is a schematic structural diagram of the fixture component and its adjustment mechanism in the fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer;

[0028] Figure 3 is Figure 1 FIG. 21 is a schematic structural diagram of the processing mechanism in the fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer;

[0029] Figure 4 is Figure 3 FIG. 27 is a schematic structural diagram of the stripping module in the processing mechanism;

[0030] Figure 5 isFigure 3 Schematic structural diagram of the cleaning module in the processing mechanism;

[0031] Figure 6 is Figure 3 Schematic structural diagram of the cutting module in the processing mechanism;

[0032] Figure 7 is Figure 1 Schematic structural diagram of the coating module in the full-automatic optical fiber fusion splicer. Specific embodiments

[0033] Next, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0034] The terms "first", "second", and "third" in the embodiments of the present application are only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first", "second", and "third" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of such features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically defined. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but optionally further includes unlisted steps or units, or optionally further includes other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0035] Referring to "embodiment" herein means that the specific features, structures, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present application. The phrase appears in various places in the specification and does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it an independent or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. Those skilled in the art will explicitly and implicitly understand that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

[0036] The present application provides a full-automatic optical fiber fusion splicer 100. Refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of the full-automatic optical fiber fusion splicer provided by the present application.

[0037] The full-automatic optical fiber fusion splicer 100 includes two sets of fixture assemblies 10, an adjustment mechanism 20, two sets of processing mechanisms 30, a laser device 40, and a coating module 50. The two sets of fixture assemblies 10, the adjustment mechanism 20, the two sets of processing mechanisms 30, the laser device 40, and the coating module 50 are all arranged on the carrier table 101.

[0038] Among them, the two sets of fixture assemblies 10 are respectively used to clamp an optical fiber, and the two optical fibers are arranged in opposite directions. The two sets of fixture assemblies 10 are arranged in parallel, so that the two sections of optical fibers clamped and fixed are parallel, and the two clamped optical fibers are arranged in opposite directions. Thus, after cutting to form a flat fusion end face, it is convenient to butt the fusion end faces of the two optical fibers, achieving better butt joint quality between the fusion end faces, and the two optical fibers can be spliced into one optical fiber after fusion.

[0039] Refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the fixture assembly and its adjustment mechanism in the full-automatic optical fiber fusion splicer. The fixture assembly 10 includes a first fixture 11 and a second fixture 12, and the first fixture 11 and the second fixture 12 are used to clamp an optical fiber. The two sets of fixture assemblies 10 are installed on the adjustment mechanism 20, and the adjustment mechanism 20 is used to drive the two sets of fixture assemblies 10.

[0040] The adjustment mechanism 20 includes two first driving members 21 arranged side by side. The first fixtures 11 of the two sets of fixture assemblies 10 are respectively connected to a first driving member 21. Thus, the first driving member 21 can drive the first fixture 11 to move in the first direction, so that the optical fiber remaining on the first fixture 11 can be aligned and fused.

[0041] The adjustment mechanism 20 further includes a second driving member 22. The number of the second driving members 22 is four. The first fixture 11 and the second fixture 12 are respectively connected to a second driving member 22. The second driving member 22 drives the corresponding first fixture 11 or second fixture 12 to move in the second direction, and the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. Among them, driving the first fixture 11 and / or the second fixture 12 in the second direction can apply a pulling force to the clamped optical fiber or butt the two optical fibers.

[0042] Optionally, the number of the second driving members 22 is two, and the two first fixtures 11 are respectively connected to the corresponding second driving members 22.

[0043] The adjustment mechanism 20 further includes a third driving member 23. The number of the third driving members 23 is four. The first fixture 11 and the second fixture 12 are respectively connected to a third driving member 23. The third driving member 23 drives the corresponding first fixture 11 or second fixture 12 to rotate around the second direction to rotate and adjust the optical fiber.

[0044] Refer to Figure 1 andFigure 3 , wherein Figure 3 is Figure 1 a schematic structural view of a processing mechanism in a full-automatic optical fiber fusion machine. Two sets of processing mechanisms 30 are respectively arranged corresponding to two sets of fixture assemblies 10, and each includes a stripping module 32, a cleaning module 34 and a cutting module 36. The stripping module 32 is used to strip the coating layer of the optical fiber clamped by the fixture assembly 10. The cleaning module 34 cleans the stripping area of the optical fiber. The cutting module 36 is used to scratch the stripping area of the optical fiber under a preset tension, so that the optical fiber breaks and the end of the optical fiber is removed.

[0045] In this embodiment, the first set of processing mechanisms 30 are arranged vertically corresponding to the first set of fixture assemblies 10, and the second set of processing mechanisms 30 are arranged horizontally corresponding to the second set of fixture assemblies 10.

[0046] A carrier table 101 is provided with a gantry 102. The first set of processing mechanisms 30 are installed on the gantry 102 and arranged in a vertical posture, and the second set of processing mechanisms 30 are installed on the carrier table 101 and arranged in a horizontal posture, so that the two sets of processing mechanisms 30 can be staggered from each other to avoid mutual interference.

[0047] The first set of processing mechanisms 30 sequentially strip the coating layer of the optical fiber clamped on the first set of fixture assemblies 10, clean the stripping area, and scratch the stripped area after cleaning. The second set of processing mechanisms 30 sequentially strip the coating layer of the optical fiber clamped on the second set of fixture assemblies 10, clean the stripping area, and scratch the stripped area after cleaning. These two processing processes can be carried out simultaneously.

[0048] The stripping module 32, the cleaning module 34 and the cutting module 36 are arranged side by side and driven to move sequentially along the second direction, so as to act on the optical fiber sequentially.

[0049] Among them, the stripping module 32 uses a stripping tool to strip the coating layer of a preset area on the optical fiber. The tool exit position and the cutting depth of the stripping tool can be accurately controlled, so that the stripping opening of the optical fiber can be neat and smooth. The cleaning module 34 collects a wiping strip to clean the stripping area. By using the cleaning module 34 to replace manual wiping, the wiping efficiency can be improved, and the problems of unclean cleaning or missed areas caused by human factors can be avoided, and the cleaning quality and consistency are improved. The cutting module 36 uses a cutting tool to scratch the stripping area of the optical fiber, so that the optical fiber breaks from the scratch under a preset tension, thereby forming a relatively flat end face.

[0050] In addition, after the cleaning module 34 finishes cleaning the stripping area, the laser device 40 is used to irradiate the stripped area of the optical fiber with laser to eliminate stress before scratching; the two sets of fixture assemblies 10 are also used to align the remaining optical fibers, and the laser device 40 is also used to fuse the two aligned optical fibers. The coating module 50 is used to recoat the fused optical fiber, thereby splicing two optical fibers into one optical fiber.

[0051] By providing two sets of fixture assemblies 10 to clamp and fix the optical fiber, the stripping module 32 can automatically strip the coating layer of the optical fiber, the cleaning module 34 can automatically clean the stripped area of the optical fiber, and the laser device 40 also eliminates stress on the optical fiber before scratching the optical fiber to release the stress during the clamping process. Stress elimination can reduce the assembly difficulty of the fixture assembly, improve the quality of the fusion end face, make the subsequent formed fusion end face flatter, reduce the damage of the optical fiber to the cutting tool, effectively improve the stability of optical fiber cutting, and extend the service life of the cutting tool; the fixture assembly 10 also applies a tensile force to the optical fiber, and the cutting module 36 scratches the stripped area of the optical fiber under a preset tensile force, causing the optical fiber to break, thereby forming a flat fusion end face. By precisely controlling the preset tensile force applied to the optical fiber and the scratching force, the cutting quality of the optical fiber can be improved, making the fusion end face formed after optical fiber cutting flatter and reducing the damage to the cutting tool; the fixture assembly 10 further aligns the fusion end faces of the two optical fibers, and the laser device 40 can fuse the two aligned optical fibers in sequence. Subsequently, the coating module recoats the fused optical fiber, thereby forming a complete optical fiber. The entire process runs automatically and orderly according to the program without manual operation intervention, greatly improving the efficiency of manufacturing the optical fiber, ensuring the consistency of the manufacturing quality, and greatly reducing the labor cost.

[0052] In this embodiment, the fixture assembly 10 further includes an optical fiber support (not shown in the figure). The optical fiber support is disposed between the first fixture 11 and the second fixture 12. The optical fiber support is provided with a first V-groove (not shown in the figure), and the optical fiber clamped by the first fixture 11 and the second fixture 12 is also located in the first V-groove.

[0053] Refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 is Figure 3 a schematic structural view of the stripping module in the processing mechanism. The stripping module 32 includes a first driving mechanism 320 and a stripping tool 322. The first driving mechanism 320 is connected to the stripping tool 322 and is used to drive the stripping tool 322 to act on the coating layer to be stripped of the optical fiber and strip a preset length of the coating layer. The part of the optical fiber to be stripped is located in the first V-groove; wherein, the first fixture 11 and the second fixture 12 are also used to gradually rotate the optical fiber at a preset angle so that the stripping tool 322 can strip the new coating layer to be stripped.

[0054] The first V-groove holds the optical fiber, enabling the optical fiber to be collinear with the central axis of the first V-groove, and the position of the optical fiber will not shift. Thus, it can ensure that the stripping incision of the optical fiber by the stripping tool 322 and the cutting depth at each place are uniform, enabling the stripping opening of the optical fiber to be neat and smooth, and also ensuring the coaxiality of the optical fiber rotation, improving the quality stability of the optical fiber.

[0055] The first driving mechanism 320 drives the stripping tool 322 to move, controls the cutting position and cutting depth of the stripping tool 322, and with the assistance of the optical fiber bracket, can make the stripping depth of the stripping tool 322 for each place of the coating layer consistent, and the stripping opening of the optical fiber is also neat and smooth.

[0056] The first driving mechanism 320 is a three-dimensional electric sliding table, which can drive the stripping tool 322 to move forward and backward, left and right, and up and down. In this embodiment, the first direction is the front-back direction, the second direction is the left-right direction, and the third direction is the up-down direction. The first driving mechanism 320 can also be a combination of multiple driving parts, such as a combination of multiple motors and screw rod mechanisms, or a combination of multiple motors and belt mechanisms.

[0057] The specific process of stripping the coating layer is as follows: The first driving mechanism 320 lowers the stripping tool 322 along the third direction from the standby position to contact the coating layer to be stripped of the optical fiber, controls the cutting depth, moves the stripping tool 322 along the second direction, thereby stripping a preset length of the coating layer, then controls the stripping tool 322 to rise a certain height to disengage from the optical fiber, and then rotates the optical fiber by a preset angle through the fixture assembly 10. This preset angle can be determined by the number of stripping times, and the preset angle is the ratio of 360 degrees to the number of stripping times. Then, control the stripping tool 322 to return to the contact position with the coating layer to be stripped of the optical fiber, and cycle to strip the coating layer. After completing the 360-degree stripping of the optical fiber, control the stripping tool 322 to return to the standby position.

[0058] The movement accuracy of the first driving mechanism 320 is relatively high, which can accurately regulate the cutting position and cutting depth of the stripping tool 322, making the cutting position and cutting depth of the stripping tool 322 the same each time, and with the assistance of the optical fiber bracket, the stripping depth of the coating layer at each position is consistent. Therefore, the stripping opening can be made neat and the quality of stripping the coating layer is high.

[0059] After the stripping tool 322 is dulled after stripping a certain number of times at the same position, the first driving mechanism 320 can also drive the stripping tool 322 along the first direction to adjust the contact of different positions of the stripping tool 322 with the optical fiber, thereby extending the service life of the stripping tool 322.

[0060] Currently, fiber optic strippers or wire strippers with heating devices are often used to strip the coating layer of optical fibers. The stripped ends of the optical fibers obtained by these methods are not neat, and due to heating, the coating layer and the fiber cladding at the stripped end of the optical fiber will separate, generating a separation layer, resulting in poor quality of stripping the coating layer of the optical fiber. Through repeated experiments, it is found that the poor coating layer stripping method is an important reason for local heating or even burning of the optical path in high-power fiber lasers.

[0061] In this application, through the precise drive provided by the first drive mechanism 320, the stripping tool 322 is controlled to strip the coating layer of the optical fiber. It can accurately control the position and depth of each cutting, and with the assistance of the optical fiber bracket, the coaxiality of the optical fiber is ensured, making the stripped end of the optical fiber neat and smooth, and improving the stability of the fiber laser.

[0062] The optical fiber bracket is provided with adsorption holes at the bottom of the first V-groove. The adsorption holes are used to adsorb the optical fiber in the first V-groove, which can prevent the optical fiber from moving during stripping; both the first fixture 11 and the second fixture 12 have second V-grooves. The second V-grooves are used for positioning and clamping the optical fiber. The second V-grooves are arranged coaxially with the first V-groove, avoiding the risk of uneven stripping ends of the optical fiber and damage to the optical fiber caused by the deviation of the optical fiber position due to non-coaxiality of the fixtures during the rotation of the optical fiber fixtures.

[0063] Furthermore, the stripping module 32 further includes a tool holder base 324 and a tool holder cover 326. The first drive mechanism 320 is connected to the tool holder base 324, and the stripping tool 322 is installed on the tool holder base 324, so that the stripping tool 322 strips the coating layer in an inclined cutting posture, which is more convenient for cutting; the tool holder cover 326 is connected to the tool holder base 324 and clamps and fixes the stripping tool 322. The tool holder cover 326 is provided with an air suction port 327. The air suction port 327 is stacked on the cutting edge of the stripping tool 322. The air suction port 327 is used to recover the stripped coating layer, thereby ensuring the cleanliness of the stripped area of the optical fiber.

[0064] The tool holder cover 326 is also connected with an air suction device to generate negative pressure suction in the area of the cutting edge of the stripping tool 322 through the air suction port 327, so as to collect the stripped coating layer and avoid contamination of the optical fiber by coating layer debris.

[0065] Refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 is Figure 3 a schematic structural diagram of the cleaning module in the processing mechanism.

[0066] In this embodiment, the cleaning module 34 includes a second driving mechanism 340, a wiping module 342, and a dropper 344. The second driving mechanism 340 is connected to the wiping module 342, and the dropper 344 is connected to the wiping module 342 for dripping a cleaning liquid onto the wiping belt on the wiping module 342. The second driving mechanism 340 is used to drive the wiping belt to clean the stripping area of the optical fiber. Among them, the first clamp 11 and the second clamp 12 are also used to gradually rotate the optical fiber at a preset angle so that the wiping belt can clean a new stripping area.

[0067] The second driving mechanism 340 may include a vertical electric slide and a horizontal electric slide. The vertical electric slide is connected to the horizontal electric slide, and the wiping module 342 is connected to the vertical electric slide. The horizontal electric slide is used to drive the wiping module 342 to move along the second direction to adjust the cleaning position of the optical fiber, and the vertical electric slide is used to drive the wiping module 342 to move up and down along the third direction to adjust the wiping force between the wiping belt and the optical fiber.

[0068] The cleaning module 34 further includes a cleaning bottle and a pump. The cleaning bottle is connected to the pump through a pipeline, and the pump is connected to the dropper 344 through a pipeline to drip the cleaning liquid onto the wiping belt through the dropper 344. The pump can control the amount of cleaning liquid during the wiping process, and the cleaning liquid can be alcohol, clean water, etc.

[0069] Specifically, the wiping module 342 includes a first rotating shaft 341, a second rotating shaft 343, a movable pulley 345, a plurality of fixed pulleys 346, a first photoelectric sensor 347, and a second photoelectric sensor 348. Both ends of the wiping belt are respectively wound around the first rotating shaft 341 and the second rotating shaft 343, and the wiping belt is also guided by the movable pulley 345 and the plurality of fixed pulleys 346. The movable pulley 345 is arranged adjacent to the first rotating shaft 341, and the first photoelectric sensor 347 and the second photoelectric sensor 348 are respectively arranged on both sides of the movable pulley 345.

[0070] Among them, when the first photoelectric sensor 347 detects the movable pulley 345, the first rotating shaft 341 stops rotating, and the second rotating shaft 343 starts rotating, so that the wiping belt exerts a pulling force on the movable pulley 345, thereby driving the movable pulley 345 to move towards the second photoelectric sensor 348. When the second photoelectric sensor 348 detects the movable pulley 345, the second rotating shaft 343 stops rotating, and the first rotating shaft 341 starts rotating, so that the pulling force of the wiping belt on the movable pulley 345 decreases, and then the movable pulley 345 moves back towards the first photoelectric sensor 347.

[0071] The first rotating shaft 341 and the second rotating shaft 343 are respectively driven to rotate by motors. The wiping belt can be a non-dust cloth, which is installed on the first rotating shaft 341, guided by the movable pulley 345 and the plurality of fixed pulleys 346, and then conveyed to the second rotating shaft 343 for recycling.

[0072] The wiping module 342 includes a support frame. The second driving mechanism 340 is connected to the support frame. The first rotating shaft 341, the second rotating shaft 343, the movable pulley 345, a plurality of fixed pulleys 346, the first photoelectric sensor 347, the second photoelectric sensor 348, and the dropper 344 are all connected to the support frame. The movable pulley 345 is movably connected to the support frame and can reciprocate between the first photoelectric sensor 347 and the second photoelectric sensor 348 under the action of tension and elastic force. The tension is provided by the wiping belt, and the elastic force is provided by elastic members such as springs. The spring can specifically be a compression spring or a torsion spring. When the tension is greater than the elastic force, the movable pulley 345 moves towards the second photoelectric sensor 348. When the elastic force is greater than the tension, the movable pulley 345 moves towards the first photoelectric sensor 347. Inductive sheets are respectively arranged on both sides of the movable pulley 345. When the movable pulley 345 moves to the first photoelectric sensor 347 or the second photoelectric sensor 348, the inductive sheet can be detected by the first photoelectric sensor 347 or the second photoelectric sensor 348. By cyclically controlling the start and stop of the first rotating shaft 341 and the second rotating shaft 343, the consumption of the wiping belt can be saved while ensuring the cleaning quality of the optical fiber.

[0073] A plurality of fixed pulleys 346 are connected to the support frame to define the movement path of the wiping belt, so that the wiping belt can move more smoothly. Some of the fixed pulleys 346 are used to tension the wiping belt, some are used to change the movement path of the wiping belt, and some are used to make the wiping belt form an attitude that can contact the optical fiber.

[0074] In the specific wiping process, the second driving mechanism 340 drives the wiping belt to move into contact with the stripping area of the optical fiber and form a certain wiping force, and move along the extension direction of the optical fiber to wipe the optical fiber. During the movement, the first rotating shaft 341 and the second rotating shaft 343 cyclically start and stop to clean the stripping area of the optical fiber.

[0075] In the process of manufacturing high-power fiber lasers, impurities are likely to be generated in the fiber cladding after the fiber coating is stripped. Therefore, it is usually necessary to clean the optical fiber in the cladding area of the stripped fiber coating. The cleaning effect of large-core-diameter optical fibers affects the further improvement of the power of fiber lasers and the stability of products.

[0076] Compared with the defects of the current manual wiping of the optical fiber cladding: the wiping force is not easy to control, it is impossible to keep the wiping force consistent. If the force is too large, it is easy to damage the optical fiber stripping port; if the force is too small, it cannot be cleaned thoroughly. Manpower cannot accurately rotate the optical fiber, which easily leads to incomplete cleaning of some areas of the optical fiber and there are cleaning omission areas. The manual wiping efficiency is low. The cleaning module 34 provided in this application can accurately control the cleaning force of the wiping belt on the optical fiber stripping area by using the second driving mechanism 340, so as to achieve no damage to the optical fiber and clean it thoroughly. At the same time, the fixture assembly 10 can gradually rotate the optical fiber at a preset angle to ensure that the stripping area of the optical fiber is cleaned comprehensively and without dead corners, avoiding the existence of cleaning omission areas. Moreover, the cleaning module 34 operates automatically and has high cleaning efficiency.

[0077] Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 6 , in which Figure 6 is Figure 3 a schematic structural diagram of the cutting module in the processing mechanism.

[0078] After the fixture assembly 10 finishes cleaning the stripping area of the optical fiber, a preset pulling force is applied to the optical fiber; the cutting module 36 includes a third driving mechanism 360, a scratching driving mechanism 362 and a cutting tool 364. The third driving mechanism 360 is connected to the scratching driving mechanism 362, and the cutting tool 364 is installed on the scratching driving mechanism 362. The third driving mechanism 360 is used for the primary driving of the scratching driving mechanism 362 and the cutting tool 364, so that the cutting tool 364 approaches the stripping area of the optical fiber. The scratching driving mechanism 362 is used for the secondary driving of the cutting tool 364, so that the cutting tool 364 scratches the stripping area of the optical fiber.

[0079] The third driving mechanism 360 may include a vertical electric slide and a horizontal electric slide. The vertical electric slide is connected to the horizontal electric slide, and the scratching driving mechanism 362 is connected to the vertical electric slide; the third driving mechanism 360 adjusts the contact position between the cutting tool 364 and the optical fiber, and the scratching driving mechanism 362 is used to drive the cutting tool 364 to scratch the optical fiber, so that the optical fiber breaks at the scratching position under the preset pulling force to form a flat port.

[0080] Through the refined multi-stage driving of the cutting tool 364 by the third driving mechanism 360 and the scratching driving mechanism 362, the cutting tool 364 can stably scratch the optical fiber with the same scratching force to ensure that the quality of each optical fiber cutting is consistent.

[0081] The scribing drive mechanism 362 includes a mounting bracket 363, a drive motor 365, and a rotating pulley 366. The drive motor 365 and the rotating pulley 366 are both disposed on the mounting bracket 363. The drive motor 365 is connected to the rotating pulley 366 through belt drive. The cutting tool 364 is mounted on the rotating pulley 366. Wherein, the rotating pulley 366 drives the cutting tool 364 to rotate a preset angle, so that the cutting tool 364 scribes the optical fiber, and then the scribed optical fiber breaks at the scribed part under a preset tensile force.

[0082] Optical fiber cutting is an important link in the optical fiber splicing process. Optical fiber splicing almost always requires that the tip of the optical fiber has a smooth and flat end face perpendicular to the optical fiber axis. The flatness and smoothness of the optical fiber end face directly affect the performance of the splicing point of two optical fibers. The flatter and smoother the optical fiber end face is, the smaller the deformation generated by the optical fiber during the splicing hot pressing process, the lower the loss of the optical fiber, and the higher the power that the optical fiber can withstand.

[0083] The fixture assembly 10 provided in the present application applies a preset tensile force to the optical fiber. The cutting module 36 scribes the stripped area of the optical fiber with consistent force. When the set tensile force value is reached, the cutting tool is finely controlled to cut the optical fiber to break it. This method can accurately control the tensile force on the optical fiber and the scribing force of the cutting tool, so that the quality of the formed optical fiber end face is relatively high. Compared with obtaining a smooth and flat optical fiber end face by grinding, the grinding process is cumbersome, and it is easy to generate dust to pollute the optical fiber and the operating environment, and the efficiency is low. The tensile force and scribing-like cutting method adopted in the present application utilizes the fact that the main material of the optical fiber is glass material, and its property is brittle. This method can efficiently cut the optical fiber and obtain a high-quality optical fiber end face, and basically no dust will be generated.

[0084] Further, as Figure 3 shown, each set of processing mechanisms 30 further includes an observation lens 33. After the observation lens 33 moves to a specified position, it can observe the two butt-jointed optical fibers, and then control the fixture assembly 10 to align the optical fibers through the observed image. After the alignment is completed, splicing is performed.

[0085] The laser device 40 includes a laser, a beam splitting module, a first optical path component, a second optical path component, and a third optical path component. The beam splitting module is used to split the laser generated by the laser into the first optical path component and the second optical path component after the cleaning module completes cleaning. The first optical path component is used to project the laser on the stripped area of one of the optical fibers. The second optical path component is used to project the laser on the stripped area of the other optical fiber to eliminate stress before scribing. The two sets of fixture assemblies are also used to align the remaining optical fibers. The beam splitting module is also used to split the laser generated by the laser into the third optical path component after the two optical fibers are aligned. The third optical path component is used to splice the two aligned optical fibers.

[0086] The beam splitting module controllably distributes the laser to the first optical path component, the second optical path component, or the third optical path component. When eliminating stress, the stress of two optical fibers can be eliminated simultaneously, so that the beam splitting module splits the laser emitted by the laser into two beams at the same moment. The two beams of laser are respectively incident on the first optical path component and the second optical path component, so as to eliminate the stress of the two optical fibers respectively. When splicing, the beam splitting module splits the laser to the third optical path component.

[0087] Wherein, the third optical path component is used to make two beams of laser incident on the butt joint of the optical fibers at a preset angle for splicing. For example, the two beams of laser can be incident on the optical fibers at an included angle of 150 degrees, 160 degrees, or 170 degrees.

[0088] Both the first optical path component and the second optical path component include a plurality of reflectors to define two non-interfering optical paths, and respectively direct the laser to different optical fibers. The third optical path component includes a beam splitter and a plurality of reflectors. The beam splitter can split a beam of laser into two beams of laser, and the plurality of reflectors can define the optical path of the laser and make the two split beams of laser incident on the butt joint of the two optical fibers at different angles for splicing the optical fibers.

[0089] By heating the optical fiber with laser to the molten state before cutting, the torsional stress generated by the non-coaxiality of the two jigs and the pressing of the optical fiber in the jig assembly 10 for clamping the optical fiber can be released. Releasing the stress has the following main advantages: reducing the assembly difficulty of the first jig 11 and the second jig 12 for the optical fiber; improving the quality of the splicing end face, making the formed splicing end face flatter and the angle smaller; reducing the damage of the optical fiber to the cutting tool, improving the stability of optical fiber cutting, and prolonging the service life of the cutting tool.

[0090] By using two beams of laser to be incident at a preset included angle on the butt joint of the two optical fibers, that is, arranging lasers on both sides of the butt joint for splicing, the energy can be uniformly injected from both sides of the butt joint, and the butt joint ends of the two optical fibers can be melted simultaneously, so that the two optical fibers can be efficiently spliced into one optical fiber.

[0091] Refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 is Figure 1 a schematic structural diagram of the coating module in a full-automatic optical fiber splicing machine.

[0092] The coating module 50 includes a fourth driving mechanism 51, a nozzle 52, a first coating fixture 53 and a second coating fixture 54. The fourth driving mechanism 51 is connected to the first coating fixture 53 and the second coating fixture 54. The first coating fixture 53 and the second coating fixture 54 are both provided with accommodation grooves 530. The fourth driving mechanism 51 is used to drive the first coating fixture 53 and the second coating fixture 54 to close, so as to define the stripping area of the fused optical fiber in the accommodation cavity defined by the two accommodation grooves 530 buckled together. The nozzle 52 is arranged on the first coating fixture 53 and is used to spray coating liquid into the accommodation cavity.

[0093] The fourth driving mechanism 51 includes a vertical electric slide and a lifting displacement slide. The lifting displacement slide is arranged on the vertical electric slide. The first coating fixture 53 and the second coating fixture 54 are connected to the vertical electric slide. The vertical electric slide is used to drive the first coating fixture 53 and the second coating fixture 54 close to the fused optical fiber. The lifting displacement slide is used to drive the first coating fixture 53 and the second coating fixture 54 to close, so as to define the stripping area of the fused optical fiber in the accommodation cavity defined by the two accommodation grooves 530 buckled together, and separate the first coating fixture 53 and the second coating fixture 54 after coating is completed.

[0094] The fourth driving mechanism 51 may further include a horizontal electric slide, and the horizontal electric slide is used to adjust the positions of the first coating fixture 53 and the second coating fixture 54 in the horizontal direction, so as to facilitate clamping the fusion joint of the optical fiber.

[0095] Optionally, the coating module 50 and one of the processing mechanisms 30 may also be arranged on the same moving platform. Thus, driven by the moving platform, the stripping module 32, the cleaning module 34, the cutting module 36 and the coating module 50 complete their respective corresponding processes in sequence.

[0096] The moving platform may be a horizontal moving platform or a planar moving platform, and the planar moving platform can provide movement in two perpendicular directions.

[0097] The coating module 50 may further include a glue bottle and a peristaltic pump. The peristaltic pump is used to pump the coating glue in the glue bottle to the nozzle 52 to recoat the optical fiber through the nozzle 52.

[0098] Optionally, an external conduit may also be used to pump glue to the nozzle 52.

[0099] Different from the prior art, the present application discloses a fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer. By setting two sets of fixture components to clamp and fix the optical fiber, the stripping module can automatically strip the coating layer of the optical fiber, and the cleaning module can automatically clean the stripped area of the optical fiber. Before scratching the optical fiber, the laser device also eliminates the stress of the optical fiber to release the stress during the clamping process. Eliminating the stress can reduce the assembly difficulty of the fixture components, improve the quality of the fusion splicing end face, make the subsequent formed fusion splicing end face flatter, reduce the damage of the optical fiber to the cutting tool, effectively improve the stability of optical fiber cutting, and extend the service life of the cutting tool; the fixture components also apply a tensile force to the optical fiber, and the cutting module scratches the stripped area of the optical fiber under a preset tensile force, causing the optical fiber to break, so that a flat fusion splicing end face can be formed. By precisely controlling the preset tensile force applied to the optical fiber and the scratching force, the cutting quality of the optical fiber can be improved, the fusion splicing end face formed after optical fiber cutting is flatter, and the damage to the cutting tool is also reduced; the fixture components further align the fusion splicing end faces of the two optical fibers, and the laser device can sequentially fuse the two aligned optical fibers. Subsequently, the coating module recoats the fused optical fiber to form a complete optical fiber. The whole process runs automatically and orderly according to the program without manual operation intervention, greatly improving the efficiency of manufacturing the optical fiber, ensuring the consistency of the manufacturing quality, and greatly reducing the labor cost.

[0100] The above are only the embodiments of the present application, and do not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made by using the content of the specification and drawings of the present application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, shall be equally included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An all-in-one automatic optical fiber fusion splicer, characterized in that, Including: Two sets of fixture assemblies, respectively used for clamping an optical fiber and the two optical fibers are arranged in opposite directions; Two sets of processing mechanisms, respectively corresponding to the two sets of fixture assemblies, both including a stripping module, a cleaning module and a cutting module. The stripping module is used for stripping the coating layer of the optical fiber clamped by the fixture assembly. The cleaning module cleans the stripping area of the optical fiber. The cutting module is used for scratching the stripping area of the optical fiber under a preset tensile force so that the optical fiber breaks to form a flat splicing end face; A laser device, used for hitting the laser on the stripping area of the optical fiber to complete stress elimination before scratching; the two sets of fixture assemblies are also used for aligning the splicing end faces of the two optical fibers, and the laser device is also used for splicing the two aligned optical fibers; A coating module, used for recoating the spliced optical fiber, thereby splicing two optical fibers into one optical fiber.

2. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1, characterized in that The fixture assembly includes a first fixture, a second fixture and an optical fiber bracket. The optical fiber bracket is arranged between the first fixture and the second fixture. The optical fiber bracket is provided with a first V-groove, and the optical fibers clamped by the first fixture and the second fixture are also located in the first V-groove; The stripping module includes a first driving mechanism and a stripping tool. The first driving mechanism is connected to the stripping tool to drive the stripping tool to act on the coating layer to be stripped of the optical fiber and strip a preset length of the coating layer. The part of the optical fiber to be stripped is located in the first V-groove; Wherein, the first fixture and the second fixture are also used for gradually rotating the optical fiber at a preset angle so that the stripping tool can strip the new coating layer to be stripped.

3. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 2, wherein The stripping module further includes a tool rest seat and a tool rest cover. The first driving mechanism is connected to the tool rest seat, and the stripping tool is installed on the tool rest seat. The tool rest cover is connected to the tool rest seat and clamps and fixes the stripping tool; The tool rest cover is provided with an air suction port, and the air suction port is stacked on the cutting edge of the stripping tool for recovering the stripped coating layer.

4. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 2, wherein The optical fiber bracket is provided with an adsorption hole at the bottom of the first V-groove for adsorbing the optical fiber in the first V-groove; Both the first fixture and the second fixture have a second V-groove for positioning and clamping the two ends of the optical fiber. The second V-groove is arranged coaxially with the first V-groove.

5. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning module includes a second driving mechanism, a wiping module and a dropper. The second driving mechanism is connected to the wiping module. The dropper is connected to the wiping module for dripping a cleaning liquid onto the wiping belt of the wiping module. The second driving mechanism is used for driving the wiping belt to clean the stripping area of the optical fiber; Wherein, the first fixture and the second fixture are also used for gradually rotating the optical fiber at a preset angle so that the wiping belt can clean the new stripping area.

6. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 5, wherein The wiping module includes a first rotating shaft, a second rotating shaft, a movable pulley, a plurality of fixed pulleys, a first photoelectric sensor, and a second photoelectric sensor. Both ends of the wiping belt are wound around the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft respectively, and the wiping belt is also guided by the movable pulley and the plurality of fixed pulleys. The movable pulley is arranged adjacent to the first rotating shaft, and the first photoelectric sensor and the second photoelectric sensor are respectively arranged on both sides of the movable pulley. Among them, when the first photoelectric sensor detects the movable pulley, the first rotating shaft stops rotating, and the second rotating shaft starts to rotate, so that the wiping belt applies a pulling force to the movable pulley, thereby driving the movable pulley to move towards the second photoelectric sensor. When the second photoelectric sensor detects the movable pulley, the second rotating shaft stops rotating, and the first rotating shaft starts to rotate, so that the pulling force of the wiping belt on the movable pulley decreases, and then the movable pulley moves back towards the first photoelectric sensor.

7. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fixture assembly applies a preset pulling force to the optical fiber after the cleaning in the stripping area of the optical fiber. The cutting module includes a third driving mechanism, a scratching driving mechanism, and a cutting tool. The third driving mechanism is connected to the scratching driving mechanism, and the cutting tool is installed on the scratching driving mechanism. The third driving mechanism is used to perform a primary drive on the scratching driving mechanism and the cutting tool, so that the cutting tool approaches the stripping area of the optical fiber. The scratching driving mechanism is used to perform a secondary drive on the cutting tool, so that the cutting tool scratches the stripping area of the optical fiber.

8. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 7, wherein, The scratching driving mechanism includes a mounting frame, a driving motor, and a rotating pulley. Both the driving motor and the rotating pulley are arranged on the mounting frame. The driving motor is connected to the rotating pulley through belt transmission, and the cutting tool is installed on the rotating pulley. Among them, the rotating pulley drives the cutting tool to rotate a preset angle, so that the cutting tool scratches the optical fiber, and then the scratched optical fiber breaks at the scratching part under the preset pulling force, thereby forming a flat welding end face.

9. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1, characterized in that The laser device includes a laser, a beam splitting module, a first optical path component, a second optical path component, and a third optical path component. The beam splitting module is used to split the laser generated by the laser into the first optical path component and the second optical path component after the cleaning module finishes cleaning. The first optical path component is used to project the laser onto the stripping area of one of the optical fibers. The second optical path component is used to project the laser onto the stripping area of the other optical fiber to eliminate stress before scratching. The two fixture assemblies are also used to align the welding end faces of the two optical fibers. The beam splitting module is also used to split the laser generated by the laser into the third optical path component after the two optical fibers are aligned. The third optical path component is used to project two laser beams set at a preset angle onto the two butt-jointed optical fibers for welding.

10. The fully automatic optical fiber fusion splicer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coating module includes a fourth driving mechanism, a nozzle, a first coating fixture, and a second coating fixture. The fourth driving mechanism is connected to the first coating fixture and the second coating fixture. The first coating fixture and the second coating fixture are both provided with accommodation grooves. The fourth driving mechanism is used to drive the first coating fixture and the second coating fixture to close, so as to define the stripping area of the completed welded optical fiber in an accommodation cavity defined by the buckling of the two accommodation grooves. The nozzle is arranged on the first coating fixture and is used to spray coating liquid into the accommodation cavity.

Images