Multi-core optical fiber array and alignment arrangement method thereof

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-core optical fiber array and an alignment arrangement method thereof, and the method comprises the following steps: placing each multi-core optical fiber in a clamping groove of a substrate; the relative positions of the substrate, the collimating lens array and the position sensitive photoelectric detector are adjusted, so that when light passes through the multi-core optical fiber, the position sensitive photoelectric detector obtains a corresponding light spot pattern through the collimating lens array; and the light-passing multi-core optical fiber is combined with the corresponding light spot pattern to carry out rotary adjustment on the multi-core optical fiber, so that all the multi-core optical fibers are arranged consistently. According to the invention, the fiber core position of each light-passing multi-core optical fiber is sequentially detected and calibrated through the position sensitive photoelectric detector, the corresponding light spot pattern is presented at the imaging end of the computer, and then each multi-core optical fiber is rotationally adjusted until the fiber cores are arranged consistently, so that the arrangement of the multi-core optical fiber array which is simple in process, high in precision and low in cost can be realized, and the application range is wide.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of optical communication technology, and in particular to a multi-core optical fiber array and an alignment method thereof. Background Art

[0002] A fiber array is an optical device composed of optical fibers arranged and fixed at a fixed interval, serving as a pathway for light to enter and exit the device. Multi-core optical fibers consist of multiple cores covered by a common cladding, increasing signal transmission capacity compared to single-core optical fibers, which have only a single core.

[0003] When making a multi-core optical fiber array using multi-core optical fibers, it is necessary to ensure that the arrangement directions of the cores of different multi-core optical fibers are aligned in a desired direction.

[0004] One existing solution is to design the cladding into a barrel shape, which rotates under the action of a pressing component to precisely match the specially designed trapezoidal grooves, achieving precise alignment of the multi-core fiber array. However, this method requires strict processing precision for the fiber and the grooves, and is incompatible with standard round fibers, limiting its application scenarios. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The first object of the present invention is to provide a method for aligning and arranging a multi-core optical fiber array to solve the problem of strict processing accuracy requirements and limited application scenarios.

[0006] A second object of the present invention is to provide a multi-core optical fiber array based on the above-mentioned alignment method of the multi-core optical fiber array.

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned first purpose, the present invention provides a method for aligning and arranging a multi-core optical fiber array, which includes the following steps: placing each multi-core optical fiber in a card slot of a substrate; adjusting the relative positions of the substrate, the collimating lens array, and the position-sensitive photodetector so that when the multi-core optical fiber passes light through the collimating lens array, a corresponding light spot diagram is obtained at the position-sensitive photodetector; in the light spot diagram, one light spot corresponds to one core of the multi-core optical fiber; passing light through the multi-core optical fiber and rotating the multi-core optical fiber in combination with the corresponding light spot diagram so that all multi-core optical fibers are arranged in a consistent manner; wherein, passing light through the multi-core optical fiber When the multi-core optical fiber is rotated in combination with the corresponding light spot diagram, a reference multi-core optical fiber is determined from multiple multi-core optical fibers, and the reference multi-core optical fiber is rotated so that the auxiliary straight line passing through at least two light spot centers and the center of the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber is at a preset angle to the horizontal direction, and then the reference multi-core optical fiber is fixed with glue; with the reference multi-core optical fiber as a reference, the remaining multi-core optical fibers are rotated in turn so that the auxiliary straight lines corresponding to the remaining multi-core optical fibers are parallel to the auxiliary straight line of the reference multi-core optical fiber, and it is ensured that each multi-core optical fiber is on the set light spot core line, so that all multi-core optical fibers are arranged consistently.

[0008] As can be seen from the above scheme, the present invention detects and calibrates the core position of each multi-core optical fiber that passes light in turn through a position-sensitive photoelectric detector, presents the corresponding light spot diagram on the computer, and adjusts the cores of the remaining multi-core optical fibers through the auxiliary straight lines of the determined reference multi-core optical fibers on the light spot diagram, so that the cores of all reference multi-core optical fibers are consistent. The present invention can achieve the arrangement of multi-core optical fiber arrays with simple procedures, high precision and low cost. In addition, compared with existing solutions, the present invention does not require the processing of special cladding and trapezoidal grooves, and can be directly implemented using common round optical fibers and V-groove substrates, and has a wide range of applications.

[0009] A further solution is that when adjusting the relative positions of the substrate, the collimating lens array, and the position-sensitive photodetector, a coarse adjustment process and a fine adjustment process are included; the coarse adjustment process includes: adjusting the light-transmitting surface of the optical fiber bundle of the substrate, the light-transmitting surface of the collimating lens array, and the light-receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector to be parallel and the adjacent spacing is not greater than a preset distance; the fine adjustment process includes: starting the light source output so that the light spot corresponding to each multi-core optical fiber is observed on the light-receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector and when the light-receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector is moved along the light-transmitting direction, the position of the light spot observed on the light-receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector remains unchanged.

[0010] It can be seen that through coarse adjustment and then fine adjustment, the accurate acquisition of the subsequent light spot diagram of the multi-core optical core can be guaranteed, thereby improving the efficiency of the overall alignment.

[0011] A further solution is that the fine adjustment process also includes: passing light through each multi-core optical fiber in turn, adjusting the light receiving surface of the collimating lens array and the position-sensitive photodetector, so that the light spot pattern corresponding to each multi-core optical fiber obtained by the position-sensitive photodetector is in a preset shape.

[0012] It can be seen from this that it can be ensured that the light-transmitting surface of each multi-core optical fiber, the light-transmitting surface of the collimating lens array, and the light-receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector are parallel.

[0013] A further solution is that the core line of the light spot is a straight line parallel to the horizontal direction.

[0014] A further solution is that the light spot core line is determined by connecting a first preset light spot center in a light spot diagram corresponding to a reference multi-core optical fiber and a second preset light spot center of another multi-core optical fiber.

[0015] This shows that it is convenient and intuitive to determine whether the cores of different multi-core optical fibers are offset in the vertical direction.

[0016] A further solution is that the reference multi-core optical fiber is a multi-core optical fiber at an edge of the plurality of multi-core optical fibers.

[0017] It can be seen that the spot core can be easily set starting from the reference multi-core fiber.

[0018] A further solution is that the multi-core optical fiber is a four-core optical fiber; a reference multi-core optical fiber is determined from multiple multi-core optical fibers, and the reference multi-core optical fiber is rotated so that the auxiliary straight line passing through at least two spot centers in the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber and passing through the center of the light spot diagram is at a preset angle to the horizontal direction, including: in the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, the upper left spot center is connected with the lower right spot center to obtain the auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, and the auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber passes through the center of the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber and is at a 45° or 135° angle to the horizontal direction.

[0019] A further solution is that the multi-core optical fiber is a seven-core optical fiber; a reference multi-core optical fiber is determined from multiple multi-core optical fibers, and the reference multi-core optical fiber is rotated so that in the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, an auxiliary straight line passing through at least two light spot centers and passing through the center of the light spot diagram is at a preset angle to the horizontal direction, including: in the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, the light spot center to the upper right of the center of the light spot diagram, the light spot center at the center of the light spot diagram, and the light spot center to the lower left of the center of the light spot diagram are connected to obtain an auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, and the auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber is at a 60° angle or a 120° angle to the horizontal direction.

[0020] A further solution is that the card slot is a V-shaped card slot.

[0021] In order to achieve the above second objective, the present invention provides a multi-core optical fiber array, which includes multiple multi-core optical fibers, and the cores of different multi-core optical fibers are aligned according to the above multi-core optical fiber array alignment method.

[0022] It can be seen from the above scheme that the multi-core optical fiber array of the present invention is realized through a simple process and has the advantages of high precision and low cost. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 It is a flow chart of the first embodiment of the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 It is a front view of a plurality of four-core optical fibers and a V-groove substrate in the first embodiment of the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 It is a side view of the optical fiber bundle, V-groove substrate, collimating lens array, and position sensitive photodetector in the first embodiment of the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the spot core line, the spot diagram corresponding to each four-core optical fiber, and the auxiliary straight line corresponding to each four-core optical fiber in the first embodiment of the alignment method of the multi-core optical fiber array of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 5 A front view of the adjusted four-core optical fibers and the V-groove substrate in the first embodiment of the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to the present invention.

[0028] Figure 6 It is a flow chart of the second embodiment of the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to the present invention.

[0029] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the spot core line, the spot diagram corresponding to each seven-core optical fiber, and the auxiliary straight line corresponding to each seven-core optical fiber in the second embodiment of the alignment method of the multi-core optical fiber array of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 8 A front view of the seven-core optical fibers and the V-groove substrate after adjustment in the second embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber array alignment method of the present invention.

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The multi-core optical fiber array and its alignment method of the present invention first place each multi-core optical fiber in a card slot of a substrate, then adjust the relative positions of the substrate, collimating lens array, and position-sensitive photodetector so that when the multi-core optical fiber passes light through the collimating lens array, a corresponding light spot pattern is obtained at the position-sensitive photodetector. Finally, light is passed through the multi-core optical fiber and the multi-core optical fiber is rotated in combination with the corresponding light spot pattern so that all multi-core optical fibers are arranged uniformly.

[0033] The following is a clear and complete description of the technical solutions of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the description is only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] First embodiment of the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array: The substrate of this embodiment has a V-grooved slot, comprising multiple V-grooves. The multi-core optical fiber of this embodiment is a four-core optical fiber, 30 cm in length, including the portion located within the V-grooves. It contains four fiber cores. At the end face of the optical fiber output facing the collimating lens array, these four cores can be connected in sequence to form a square. The optical fiber light source of this embodiment uses a 980 nm wavelength. The position-sensitive photodetector of this embodiment includes a PSD detector and a computer connected to the PSD detector.

[0035] In other embodiments, the PSD detector may be replaced by other detectors capable of acquiring the light spot of the multi-core optical fiber hitting the light receiving surface and the light spot diagram obtained at the computer imaging end, such as a CCD detector.

[0036] The following will be combined Figure 1 The following describes in detail the steps for implementing this embodiment.

[0037] First, step S11 is performed to place a plurality of four-core optical fibers on a V-groove substrate, and fix the V-groove substrate, a collimating lens array, and a position-sensitive photodetector.

[0038] See also Figure 2 Twelve identical, unmarked quad-core optical fibers 11 are placed horizontally in the V-grooves 21 on the V-groove substrate 2. As can be seen, the cores of each quad-core optical fiber are arranged in different directions, requiring alignment to ensure consistent core alignment. Hereinafter, the combination of 12 quad-core optical fibers 11 is referred to as a fiber bundle.

[0039] See also Figure 3 , the V-groove substrate 2 with 12 four-core optical fibers is placed horizontally on a high-level six-dimensional adjustment frame and fixed. The collimating lens array 3 and the PSD detector 41 are fixed on the six-dimensional adjustment frame. The collimating lens array 3 is located between the optical fiber bundle 1, the V-groove substrate 2 and the PSD detector 41, and is used to ensure that the propagation direction of light from each fiber core is consistent. The light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector can display the light spot when each four-core optical fiber is passing light. The PSD detector 41 is connected to a computer 42, and the computer 42 can display the corresponding light spot diagram when each four-core optical fiber is passing light based on the PSD detector 41.

[0040] Then, step S12 is performed to roughly adjust the relative positions of the V-groove substrate, the collimating lens array, and the position sensitive photodetector.

[0041] Continue to see Figure 3 By roughly adjusting the relative positions of the V-groove substrate 2, the collimating lens array 3, and the PSD detector, it can be observed with the naked eye that the light-passing surface 10 of the optical fiber bundle, the light-passing surface 31 of the collimating lens array, and the light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector are approximately parallel to each other, the light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, there is no obvious misalignment between the light-passing surface 10 of the optical fiber bundle, the light-passing surface 31 of the collimating lens array, and the light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector, the spacing between the optical fiber bundle 1 and the V-groove substrate 2, the collimating lens array 3, and the PSD detector 41 is no more than one centimeter, and the output light spot of the optical fiber bundle 1 can be completely located within the light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector and approximately at the center.

[0042] Then, step S13 is executed to start the light source output, observe the light spot on the light receiving surface of the PSD detector, and adjust the positions of the collimating lens array and the position sensitive photodetector.

[0043] Continue to see Figure 3 , start the light source to pass light through the optical fiber bundle 1, and de-energize the PSD detector 41. Observe the light spot on the light receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector, and fine-tune the positions of the collimating lens array 3 and the PSD detector 41.

[0044] The optical fiber bundle 1 and V-groove substrate 2 are positioned horizontally, the PSD detector's light-receiving surface 411 is placed in a plumb bob plane, and the collimating lens array 3 is positioned horizontally. The collimating lens array 3 is moved only in the orthogonal X, Y, and Z dimensions to create a complete light spot of 12 four-core optical fibers at the center of the PSD detector's light-receiving surface 411. Each complete light spot consists of four light spots, with one light spot corresponding to one fiber core. The following state is ensured: the position of the light spot displayed by each four-core optical fiber on the PSD detector's light-receiving surface 411 remains unchanged while the PSD detector's light-receiving surface 411 is moved along the light transmission direction of the optical fiber bundle 1 on the V-groove substrate 2.

[0045] Then, step S14 is executed to turn off the light source output and power on the position sensitive photodetector.

[0046] Therefore, the corresponding light spot pattern can be observed on the computer when light passes through each four-core optical fiber.

[0047] Then, step S15 is executed to sequentially pass light through each four-core optical fiber, and further adjust the positions of the collimating lens array and the position-sensitive photodetector so that the light spot diagram of each four-core optical fiber displayed on the computer is a square.

[0048] Continue to see Figure 3, connect each four-core optical fiber to a light source in turn, and observe the light spot diagram on a computer so that when each four-core optical fiber is individually lighted, four light spots can be observed and the position coordinates of each light spot can be measured in the corresponding light spot diagram obtained on the computer, and the arrangement of the four light spots is square. If the arrangement of the four light spots is not a square, it is necessary to further adjust the position of the light-transmitting surface 31 of the collimating lens array and the light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector, keeping the light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector located on the plumb line and parallel to the light-transmitting surface 31 of the collimating lens array, thereby ensuring that the light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector is parallel to the light-transmitting surface 10 of the optical fiber bundle and the light-transmitting surface 31 of the collimating lens array. Because when the light-receiving surface 411 of the PSD detector, the light-passing surface 10 of the optical fiber bundle, and the light-passing surface 31 of the collimating lens array are parallel, the light spot pattern obtained by the PSD detector 41 for a four-core optical fiber is consistent with the arrangement of the fiber cores, both being squares. If they are not parallel, the light spot pattern obtained by the PSD detector 41 and the arrangement of the fiber cores will be inconsistent, causing the center distance of the light spots on the light spot pattern to not match the actual core distance, resulting in the shape of the light spot pattern being a rectangle, a diamond, etc. Then, turn off the light source.

[0049] Then, step S16 is executed to rotate the reference quad-core optical fiber so that the auxiliary straight line passing through the centers of two diagonally opposite light spots in the computer's light spot diagram forms a preset angle with the horizontal direction, and then the reference quad-core optical fiber is fixed with glue.

[0050] In this embodiment, the leftmost four-core optical fiber among the multiple multi-core optical fibers is selected as the reference four-core optical fiber.

[0051] See also Figure 3 , start the power supply to pass light through the reference four-core optical fiber, the PSD detector 41 transmits the detected data to the computer 42, and the computer 42 presents the light spot diagram of the four cores of the reference four-core optical fiber on the light-receiving surface of the PSD detector.

[0052] Next, draw an auxiliary straight line through the two cores of the reference four-core fiber in the spot diagram on the computer. Figure 4 ,for Figure 4 The four light spots corresponding to the four cores of the leftmost four-core fiber (i.e., the reference four-core fiber). Connect the center of the spot at the upper left with the center of the spot at the lower right to obtain an auxiliary straight line. This auxiliary straight line passes through the center of the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference four-core fiber core. The center of the light spot corresponds to the center of the core, and the center of the light spot diagram corresponds to the center of the reference four-core fiber. See Figure 2 , Figure 2 The leftmost quad-core optical fiber 11 is a reference quad-core optical fiber. The center of each core of the reference quad-core optical fiber corresponds to the center of a light spot, and the center of the reference quad-core optical fiber corresponds to the center of the light spot diagram.

[0053] Then, the angle between the auxiliary straight line and the horizontal direction is measured, and the rightward direction of the horizontal direction of the imaging end is defined as the positive direction of the x-axis. The four-core fiber of the reference four-core fiber is rotated so that the auxiliary straight line of the light spot pattern detected by the reference four-core fiber is at a 45° or 135° angle to the positive direction of the x-axis.

[0054] Finally, the reference four-core optical fiber is fixed by glue, and the light spot pattern and the corresponding auxiliary straight line of the reference four-core optical fiber detected at the computer are retained.

[0055] Then, step S17 is performed to sequentially rotate the other four-core optical fibers so that the auxiliary straight lines of the other four-core optical fibers are parallel to the auxiliary straight line of the reference four-core optical fiber, and ensure that each four-core optical fiber is on the set light spot core line.

[0056] From left to right, perform the following operations for each quad-core fiber except the reference quad-core fiber: Power on the current quad-core fiber, pass light through it, and obtain its corresponding spot pattern on the computer. Based on the spot pattern, rotate the current quad-core fiber until the auxiliary straight line of the current quad-core fiber is parallel to the auxiliary straight line of the reference quad-core fiber, and save the spot pattern corresponding to the current quad-core fiber. The auxiliary straight lines of each multi-core fiber are determined in the same way as the auxiliary straight lines of the reference quad-core fiber. This ensures that the auxiliary straight lines of each quad-core fiber except the reference quad-core fiber are parallel to the auxiliary straight line of the reference quad-core fiber.

[0057] See also Figure 4 Place the spot patterns of the 12 four-core fibers in the same diagram. The spot center in the upper left corner of the spot pattern for the first four-core fiber (i.e., the reference four-core fiber) from left to right is used as the first preset spot center. The spot center in the upper right corner of the spot pattern for the last four-core fiber from left to right is used as the second preset spot center. Connect the first and second preset spot centers to obtain the first spot core line. The first spot core line is parallel to the horizontal direction (X-axis direction).

[0058] The spot center in the lower left corner of the spot pattern corresponding to the first four-core fiber (i.e., the reference four-core fiber) from left to right is used as the corresponding first preset spot center. The spot center in the lower right corner of the spot pattern corresponding to the last four-core fiber from left to right is used as the corresponding second preset spot center. The first preset spot center and the second preset spot center are connected to obtain a second spot core line. The second spot core line is parallel to the horizontal direction (X-axis direction).

[0059] By observing the distribution of the spot patterns of the 12 four-core optical fibers on the first and second spot cores, the parallelism of the 12 optical fibers is checked to ensure that each four-core optical fiber is on the designated spot core and to prevent vertical deviation of each four-core optical fiber. In this embodiment, by adjusting the positions of the other four-core optical fibers other than the reference four-core optical fiber, the centers of the upper left and upper right spots in the spot pattern corresponding to each four-core optical fiber are ensured to be on the first spot core, and the centers of the lower left and lower right spots in each four-core optical fiber are on the second spot core.

[0060] See also Figure 5 , it can be seen that after alignment, the arrangement of the cores of each four-core optical fiber remains consistent.

[0061] Finally, step S18 is executed to fix the other four-core optical fibers with glue.

[0062] The other quad-core fibers refer to the positions of the other quad-core fibers except the reference quad-core fiber.

[0063] Second embodiment of the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array: The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment of the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array is that the multi-core optical fiber of this embodiment is a seven-core optical fiber. The length of a seven-core optical fiber, including the portion located in the V-shaped groove, is 30 cm in total. The interior of the seven-core optical fiber includes seven fiber cores, six of which are arranged around one fiber core. At the end face of the optical fiber output, the six outer fiber cores can form a regular hexagon if connected in sequence.

[0064] See also Figure 6 , implementing this embodiment specifically includes the following steps: S21: placing multiple seven-core optical fibers on a V-groove substrate, and fixing the V-groove substrate, a collimating lens array, and a position-sensitive photodetector.

[0065] S22: Roughly adjust the relative positions of the V-groove substrate, the collimating lens array, and the position-sensitive photodetector.

[0066] S23: Start the light source output, observe the light spot on the light-receiving surface of the PSD detector, and adjust the positions of the collimating lens array and the position-sensitive photodetector.

[0067] S24: Turn off the light source output and power on the position sensitive photodetector.

[0068] S25: Light is passed through each seven-core optical fiber in turn, and the positions of the collimating lens array and the position-sensitive photodetector are further adjusted so that the light spot diagram of each seven-core optical fiber displayed on the computer is a regular hexagon.

[0069] S26: After rotating the reference seven-core optical fiber so that the auxiliary straight line passing through the centers of the three diagonally opposite light spots in the light spot diagram of the computer forms a preset angle with the horizontal direction, the reference seven-core optical fiber is fixed with glue.

[0070] S27: sequentially rotating the other seven-core optical fibers so that the auxiliary straight lines of the other seven-core optical fibers are parallel to the auxiliary straight line of the reference seven-core optical fiber, and ensuring that each seven-core optical fiber is on the set light spot core line.

[0071] S28: Fix the other seven optical fibers with glue.

[0072] In the above step S25, it is necessary to adjust the positions of the light-transmitting surface of the collimating lens array and the light-receiving surface of the PSD detector, and keep the light-receiving surface of the PSD detector on the plumb plane to ensure that the light spot pattern corresponding to each seven-core optical fiber obtained on the computer is a regular hexagon, that is, if the six light spots on the periphery of the light spot pattern are connected in sequence, they can form a regular hexagon.

[0073] In the above step S26, see Figure 7 , Figure 7 Includes the spot diagram corresponding to each seven-core fiber (i.e., reference seven-core fiber). A spot diagram includes 7 spots, one for each core of the seven-core fiber, and the center of each core corresponds to the center of a spot. The dotted circle represents the reference seven-core fiber (actually not visible in the spot diagram). The arrangement of the 7 spots is the same as the actual position of the core in the seven-core fiber. The center of the spot diagram corresponds to the center of the seven-core fiber (i.e., the same as the center of the circle of the seven-core fiber). Figure 7 After the reference seven-core fiber is determined among multiple seven-core fibers, the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference seven-core fiber (i.e. Figure 7 Connect the center of the spot to the upper right of the center of the spot pattern (in the leftmost spot pattern), the center of the spot in the center of the spot pattern, and the center of the spot to the lower left of the center of the spot pattern to obtain the auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core fiber. Ensure that the auxiliary straight line is at a 60° or 120° angle with the positive direction of the x-axis.

[0074] In step S27, the auxiliary straight lines of the other seven-core fibers are determined in the same manner as the reference seven-core fiber, and the auxiliary straight lines of the other seven-core fibers are adjusted to ensure that they are parallel to the auxiliary straight line of the reference seven-core fiber. Figure 7 , put the spot diagrams of the 12 seven-core optical fibers 110 in the same figure. The spot center of the upper left corner of the spot diagram corresponding to the first seven-core optical fiber (i.e., the reference seven-core optical fiber) from left to right is used as its corresponding first preset spot center, and the spot center of the upper right corner of the spot diagram corresponding to the last seven-core optical fiber from left to right is used as its corresponding second preset spot center. Connect the first preset spot center with the second preset spot center to obtain the spot core line (i.e. Figure 7 By observing the distribution of the spot patterns of the 12 seven-core optical fibers on the spot core line, the parallelism of the 12 seven-core optical fibers can be detected to ensure that the center of the spot corresponding to each seven-core optical fiber is on the set spot core line. In this embodiment, it is necessary to adjust the center of the two spots at the top of the spot pattern corresponding to each seven-core optical fiber to be on the spot core line, that is, Figure 7 The situation shown.

[0075] Depend on Figure 8 It can be seen that the V-groove substrate 20 is provided with 12 V-grooves 210 , each V-groove 210 is provided with a seven-core optical fiber 110 , and the cores of each seven-core optical fiber 110 are arranged in a consistent manner through the above steps.

[0076] Multi-core fiber array embodiment: This embodiment includes multiple quad-core optical fibers and a V-groove substrate, wherein each multi-core optical fiber is disposed on a V-groove of the V-groove substrate. The cores of different multi-core optical fibers are aligned according to the first embodiment of the multi-core optical fiber array alignment method.

[0077] In summary, the present invention uses a position-sensitive photodetector to sequentially detect and calibrate the core position of each multi-core optical fiber passing light, presents the corresponding light spot pattern on the computer imaging terminal, and then rotates each multi-core optical fiber to achieve a consistent core arrangement. This can achieve a simple process, high precision, and low-cost arrangement of a multi-core optical fiber array. Compared with existing solutions, the present invention does not require the processing of specific cladding and trapezoidal grooves, and can be directly implemented using common round optical fibers and V-shaped card grooves, which has a wide range of applications.

[0078] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can be subject to various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention, for example, the angle between the auxiliary straight line of the seven-core optical fiber and the horizontal direction can be 0°, should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: placing each multi-core optical fiber in a slot of the substrate; Adjusting the relative positions of the substrate, the collimating lens array, and the position-sensitive photodetector so that when light passes through the multi-core optical fiber, the collimating lens array and the position-sensitive photodetector obtain a corresponding light spot diagram; in the light spot diagram, one light spot corresponds to one core of the multi-core optical fiber; Passing light through the multi-core optical fibers and rotating the multi-core optical fibers in combination with the corresponding light spot patterns so that all the multi-core optical fibers are arranged in a consistent manner; Wherein, when passing light through the multi-core optical fiber and rotating the multi-core optical fiber in combination with the corresponding light spot diagram, a reference multi-core optical fiber is determined from the plurality of multi-core optical fibers, and the reference multi-core optical fiber is rotated so that an auxiliary straight line passing through at least two light spot centers in the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber and passing through the center of the light spot diagram forms a preset angle with the horizontal direction, and then the reference multi-core optical fiber is fixed by glue; Taking the reference multi-core optical fiber as a reference, the remaining multi-core optical fibers are rotated in sequence so that the auxiliary straight lines corresponding to the remaining multi-core optical fibers are parallel to the auxiliary straight lines of the reference multi-core optical fiber, and each multi-core optical fiber is ensured to be on the set light spot core line so that all the multi-core optical fibers are arranged consistently.

2. The method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to claim 1, wherein: When adjusting the relative positions of the substrate, the collimating lens array, and the position-sensitive photodetector, a coarse adjustment process and a fine adjustment process are included; The coarse adjustment process includes: adjusting the light-passing surface of the optical fiber bundle of the substrate, the light-passing surface of the collimating lens array, and the light-receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector to be parallel and the adjacent spacing is no greater than a preset distance; The fine adjustment process includes: starting the light source output so that when the light spot corresponding to each multi-core optical fiber is observed on the light receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector and the light receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector is moved along the light transmission direction, the position of the light spot observed by the light receiving surface of the position-sensitive photodetector remains unchanged.

3. The method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to claim 2, wherein: The fine adjustment process also includes: Light is passed through each of the multi-core optical fibers in turn, and the light receiving surfaces of the collimating lens array and the position sensitive photodetector are adjusted so that the light spot pattern corresponding to each of the multi-core optical fibers acquired by the position sensitive photodetector presents a preset shape.

4. The method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to claim 1, wherein: The light spot core line is a straight line parallel to the horizontal direction.

5. The method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to claim 1, wherein: The light spot core line is determined by connecting a first preset light spot center in the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber and a second preset light spot center of another multi-core optical fiber.

6. The method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The reference multi-core optical fiber is the multi-core optical fiber at the edge of the plurality of multi-core optical fibers.

7. The method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The multi-core optical fiber is a four-core optical fiber; Determining the reference multi-core optical fiber from the plurality of multi-core optical fibers, and rotating the reference multi-core optical fiber so that an auxiliary straight line passing through at least two of the light spot centers and the center of the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber is at a preset angle to the horizontal direction, comprising: in the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, connecting the upper left light spot center with the lower right light spot center to obtain an auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, the auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber passing through the center of the light spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber and forming an angle of 45° or 135° to the horizontal direction.

8. The method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The multi-core optical fiber is a seven-core optical fiber; Determining the reference multi-core optical fiber from the plurality of multi-core optical fibers, and rotating the reference multi-core optical fiber so that an auxiliary straight line passing through at least two of the spot centers and the center of the spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber is at a preset angle to the horizontal direction, comprising: in the spot diagram corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, connecting the spot center to the upper right of the center of the spot diagram, the spot center at the center of the spot diagram, and the spot center to the lower left of the center of the spot diagram to obtain an auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber, wherein the auxiliary straight line corresponding to the reference multi-core optical fiber is at a 60° angle or a 120° angle to the horizontal direction.

9. The method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The card slot is a V-shaped card slot.

10. A multi-core optical fiber array, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of multi-core optical fibers, wherein the cores of different multi-core optical fibers are aligned according to the method for aligning a multi-core optical fiber array according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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