Automatic beam combining equipment for passive optical fiber beams

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic passive optical fiber bundle combining device, and relates to the technical field of multi-optical fiber bundle combining of passive optical fibers, and the automatic passive optical fiber bundle combining device comprises a base, a restraining assembly and a bundle combining structure. Wherein the restraining assembly comprises a clamping tool and a sleeving part, the clamping tool is installed on the base, and the sleeving part is installed on the clamping tool in the vertical direction so as to be used for restraining an optical fiber bundle; the beam combining structure comprises a clamping part and a moving assembly, the clamping part is used for clamping and fixing a glass tube, the moving assembly is installed on the base, and the output end of the moving assembly is connected with the clamping part so as to drive the clamping part to move; according to the automatic beam assembling device, beam assembling is conducted in a vertical penetrating and inserting mode, and the stability and the beam assembling efficiency in the beam assembling process can be effectively guaranteed in cooperation with an automatic beam assembling structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of passive optical fiber multi-fiber bundling technology, and particularly to an automatic passive optical fiber bundling device. Background Technology

[0002] In existing fiber combiner manufacturing processes, (n+1)*1 fiber bundling is a crucial step, and the stability of the fiber bundle directly affects the overall economic efficiency of the device. Currently, the assembly of this fiber bundle is mostly done manually, by holding the bundle horizontally and inserting it into a glass tube. Due to the weight of the fiber, it is difficult to ensure that the pump fiber is evenly wrapped around the signal fiber. Furthermore, hand tremors or visual differences during manual operation make it difficult to ensure that the fiber bundle does not touch the inner wall of the glass tube during insertion. This traditional bundling operation is labor-intensive and inefficient. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a passive automatic fiber bundle bundling device to solve the above-mentioned problems in the actual production process. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The main objective of this invention is to propose a passive fiber bundle automatic assembly device, which aims to solve the problem that traditional multi-fiber bundle assembly operations are mostly performed manually, which is inefficient and makes it difficult to guarantee the quality of fiber bundle assembly.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention proposes a passive fiber optic bundle automatic bundling device, comprising: Base; A constraint assembly includes a clamping fixture and a sleeve, the clamping fixture being mounted on the base, and the sleeve being mounted vertically on the clamping fixture for constraining the fiber bundle; and... The assembly structure includes a clamping part and a motion component. The clamping part is used to clamp and fix the glass tube. The motion component is mounted on the base, and the output end of the motion component is connected to the clamping part to drive the clamping part to move.

[0005] In one embodiment, the clamping fixture includes a base plate and a cover plate, the cover plate being rotatably mounted on the base plate, and a connecting structure being provided between the base plate and the cover plate.

[0006] In one embodiment, a slot is provided on one end face of both the base plate and the cover plate, and the slot extends in the vertical direction; and / or, The connection structure includes two magnetic suction parts disposed on the opposite end faces of the base plate and the cover plate.

[0007] In one embodiment, the base plate is further provided with a dripping assembly, which includes a liquid storage section and a dropper section. The liquid storage section is installed on the base plate and is used to store acetone reagent. One end of the dropper section is connected to the liquid storage section, and the other end of the dropper section is located on the extension line of the lower end of the sleeve section.

[0008] In one embodiment, the clamping fixture includes a base plate portion; The base is also provided with a first driving unit, the output end of the first driving unit is movably arranged in the vertical direction, and the base plate is installed on the output end of the first driving unit.

[0009] In one embodiment, a mounting base is provided on the output end of the first drive unit, and the base plate is disposed on the mounting base; and / or, The mounting base is also provided with a fixing plate, which is used to assist in the bonding and fixing of the optical fiber bundle.

[0010] In one embodiment, the passive fiber bundle automatic bundling device further includes a cleaning device mounted on the base below the sleeve portion.

[0011] In one embodiment, the base is further provided with a vision inspection component for obtaining the coaxiality of the fiber bundle and the glass tube.

[0012] In one embodiment, the motion component is configured as a three-axis module, which is mounted on the base, and the clamping part is mounted on the vertical motion unit of the three-axis module.

[0013] In one embodiment, the base is further provided with a storage device for storing the glass tubes; and / or, The clamping part includes a clamping cylinder and two gripper parts. The clamping cylinder is mounted on the vertical motion unit of the three-axis module, and the two gripper parts are respectively mounted on the two output ends of the clamping cylinder.

[0014] In the technical solution of this invention, the longitudinal bundling method reduces the impact of gravity on the bundling process. The fiber insertion action is changed from manual handling to machine clamping, and from visual observation to machine vision algorithms, reducing the influence of hand tremors or subjective human factors. An acetone flow controller is added to replace manual dripping, controlling the output of acetone reagent. The amount of acetone reaches the critical evaporation value at the fiber tail, making the bundled fiber more even and less prone to unraveling. A three-axis gantry module combined with machine vision replaces manual labor from loading to insertion, reducing labor costs and significantly improving product yield. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the structures shown in these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of an embodiment of the passive optical fiber bundle automatic bundling device provided by the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the passive optical fiber bundle automatic bundling equipment in another direction; Figure 4 for Figure 3 A magnified view of a section at point B in the center.

[0017] Explanation of icon numbers: 100. Passive Fiber Optic Bundle Automatic Assembly Equipment; 1. Base; 11. First Drive Unit; 111. Mounting Base; 1111. Fixing Plate Unit; 2. Constraint Assembly; 21. Clamping Fixture; 211. Base Plate Unit; 212. Cover Plate Unit; 2121. Slot Unit; 22. Sleeving Unit; 3. Bundle Assembly Structure; 31. Clamping Unit; 311. Clamping Cylinder; 312. Gripper Unit; 32. Motion Assembly Unit; 4. Dropping Assembly Unit; 41. Liquid Storage Unit; 42. Dropper Unit; 5. Vision Inspection Assembly Unit; 51. Mounting Rod Unit; 511. Sleeving Fixture; 52. Camera; 53. Reflective Structure; 6. Material Storage Device; 7. Cleaning Device.

[0018] The realization of the objective, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] It should be noted that if the embodiments of the present invention involve directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.), the directional indicators are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of the components in a specific posture. If the specific posture changes, the directional indicators will also change accordingly.

[0021] Furthermore, if the embodiments of this invention involve descriptions such as "first" or "second," these descriptions are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features. Additionally, the use of "and / or" or "and / or" throughout the text includes three parallel solutions. For example, "A and / or B" includes solution A, solution B, or a solution where both A and B are satisfied simultaneously. Furthermore, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, it should be considered that such a combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by this invention.

[0022] In existing fiber combiner manufacturing processes, (n+1)*1 fiber bundling is a crucial step, and the stability of the fiber bundle directly affects the overall economic efficiency of the device. Currently, the assembly of this fiber bundle is mostly done manually, by holding the bundle horizontally and inserting it into a glass tube. Due to the weight of the fiber, it is difficult to ensure that the pump fiber is evenly wrapped around the signal fiber. Furthermore, hand tremors or visual differences during manual operation make it difficult to ensure that the fiber bundle does not touch the inner wall of the glass tube during insertion. This traditional bundling operation is labor-intensive and inefficient. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a passive automatic fiber bundle bundling device to solve the above-mentioned problems in the actual production process.

[0023] This invention proposes a passive fiber optic bundle automatic bundling device 100 to solve the above problems.

[0024] Please see Figures 1 to 2 In one embodiment of the present invention, the passive optical fiber bundle automatic bundling device 100 includes a base 1, a constraint component 2, and a bundling structure 3. The constraint component 2 includes a clamping fixture 21 and a sleeve portion 22. The clamping fixture 21 is mounted on the base 1, and the sleeve portion 22 is mounted vertically on the clamping fixture 21 to constrain the optical fiber bundle. The bundling structure 3 includes a clamping portion 31 and a motion component 32. The clamping portion 31 is used to clamp and fix a glass tube, and the motion component 32 is mounted on the base 1. The output end of the motion component 32 is connected to the clamping portion 31 to drive the clamping portion 31 to move.

[0025] Unlike the traditional horizontal fiber optic bundle installation method, this embodiment uses a vertical installation method. Specifically, when assembling the entire device, the fiber coating on the surface of the optical fiber is first removed manually. Then, the optical fiber is inserted into the sleeve portion 22, which is a cylindrical tube that can enclose multiple optical fiber units. Specifically, the signal fiber should be located in the middle, and multiple pump fibers are arranged in an enclosing shape around the outer periphery of the signal fiber. In actual operation, the optical fibers need to be adjusted according to the above positional relationship. Then, one end of the fiber bundle is inserted through the sleeve portion, and one end of the fiber bundle is made relatively flush. Then, with the flush end of the fiber bundle facing downwards, the entire sleeve portion 22 is fixedly installed on the clamping fixture 21, so that the fiber bundle is in a relatively vertical state.

[0026] After the fiber bundle is initially fixed in the above manner, the motion component 32 will drive the clamping part 31 to first pick up a glass tube needed for bundling, then adjust the glass tube to a vertical position, and the motion component 32 will drive the upward end of the glass tube to correspond with the lower end of the fiber bundle. When the fiber bundle and the glass tube are on the same axis in the vertical direction, the motion component 32 will drive the glass tube to move upward, thereby fitting the glass tube onto the outer periphery of the fiber bundle, thus completing the fiber bundling operation.

[0027] The aforementioned fiber optic cable bundling method employs a vertical bundling approach. Traditional bundling methods are mostly horizontal, which can easily cause the fiber bundle insertion ends to come into contact with the inner wall of the glass tube due to gravity, affecting assembly quality. Furthermore, during horizontal insertion, it's difficult to ensure that multiple pump fibers are tightly clustered around the signal fiber. The vertical insertion method in this solution effectively solves the problem of gravity affecting the fiber bundle insertion process, thus maximizing the quality of the fiber bundle insertion process.

[0028] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2 As shown, the clamping fixture 21 includes a base plate 211 and a cover plate 212. The cover plate 212 is rotatably mounted on the base plate 211, and a connecting structure (not shown in the figure) is provided between the base plate 211 and the cover plate 212.

[0029] In actual fixing of the sleeve part 22, it is first placed vertically on one end face of the base plate part 211. Then, by flipping the cover plate part 212 and engaging one end of the base plate part 211, the sleeve part 22 is fixed between the base plate part 211 and the cover plate part 212. Throughout the fixing process, the connection structure ensures a stable connection between the base plate part 211 and the cover plate part 212, thereby improving the fixing stability of the sleeve part 22.

[0030] Simultaneously, the aforementioned flip-top structure is used to fix the sleeve portion 22. In actual operation, the sleeve portion 22 can be fixed and released by flipping the cover plate portion 212, making the actual operation very convenient. To further improve the ease of use of the clamping fixture 21, the connection structure is preferably set as two magnetic suction portions on the opposite end faces of the base plate portion 211 and the cover plate portion 212. The connection and separation of the base plate portion 211 and the cover plate portion 212 are achieved by magnetic attraction, eliminating the need for additional snap-fit ​​or threaded installation structures, making the actual operation more convenient and the overall structure simpler.

[0031] As described above, the sleeve portion 22 is configured as a cylindrical structure. In order to improve the fixing effect of the sleeve portion 22, it is necessary to adaptively adjust the contact surface shape of the base plate portion 211 and the cover plate portion 212 according to the external structural characteristics of the sleeve portion 22.

[0032] Specifically, in some embodiments, a slot 2121 is provided on one end face of the bottom plate portion 211 and the cover plate portion 212, and the slot 2121 extends in the vertical direction.

[0033] The slot portion 2121 is a recessed structure that extends vertically and is arranged in a through-hole manner. When the end faces of the base plate portion 211 and the cover plate portion 212 are engaged, it can form a guiding and fixing effect, allowing the sleeve portion 22 to be fixed vertically. Furthermore, the contact area between the arc-shaped surface of the slot portion 2121 and the sleeve portion 22 can be effectively increased, thereby strengthening the fixing effect on the sleeve portion 22.

[0034] During the actual fiber optic bundle assembly process, the downward-facing end of the fiber bundle extends from the sleeve portion 22 and downwards by a certain length (to prepare for the insertion of the glass tube). In actual operation, it is found that the downward-facing end of the fiber bundle will have multiple fiber ends that are relatively scattered, making it difficult to insert one end of the fiber bundle into the glass tube. To solve the above problem, a liquid-dispensing assembly 4 is proposed to use the surface tension of the liquid to allow the downward-facing ends of multiple fibers in the fiber bundle to be tightly adhered together.

[0035] Specifically, in some embodiments, the base plate 211 is further provided with a dripping assembly 4, which includes a liquid storage part 41 and a dropper part 42. The liquid storage part 41 is installed on the base plate 211 and is used to store acetone reagent. One end of the dropper part 42 is connected to the liquid storage part 41, and the other end of the dropper part 42 is located on the extension line of the lower end of the sleeve part 22.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the dripping assembly 4 is mounted on the base plate 211. After the sleeve 22 is mounted on the clamping fixture 21, the liquid storage part 41 can dispense a certain amount of acetone reagent onto the optical fiber bundle through the dripping part 42. Due to gravity, the acetone reagent will flow downwards along the optical fiber bundle to its end position, thereby allowing the ends of multiple optical fibers to be aggregated together by the tension of the acetone reagent, preparing for subsequent bundle assembly operations.

[0037] In some embodiments, the clamping fixture 21 includes a base plate 211; the base 1 is further provided with a first driving part 11, the output end of the first driving part 11 is movably disposed in the vertical direction, and the base plate 211 is mounted on the output end of the first driving part 11.

[0038] To better facilitate the connection between the glass tube and the optical fiber bundle, the clamping fixture 21 is preferably configured as a movable structure. Specifically, the clamping fixture 21 can move vertically to adjust the height of the sleeve portion 22 and the optical fiber bundle.

[0039] Furthermore, in order to ensure the cleanliness of the bundled optical fibers, the passive optical fiber bundle automatic bundling equipment 100 also includes a cleaning device 7, which is installed on the base 1 below the sleeve part 22.

[0040] In actual operation, the cleaning device 7 needs to be used in conjunction with the first driving unit 11. When the sleeve part 22 is fixed on the clamping fixture 21, the first driving unit 11 will drive the clamping fixture 21 to move downwards, causing the fiber bundle to sink into the cleaning fluid in the cleaning device 7 for cleaning. After cleaning is completed, the first driving unit 11 drives the fiber bundle upwards and separates it from the cleaning device 7. The cleaning device 7 can be a dedicated fiber cleaning device, such as an ultrasonic cleaning device. It can be selected and used according to actual needs.

[0041] Cleaning the fiber bundle can improve the cleanliness of the bundled fiber to a certain extent, thereby ensuring the performance of the fiber in actual application.

[0042] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first drive unit 11 has a mounting base 111 on its output end, and the base plate 211 is mounted on the mounting base 111.

[0043] The first drive unit 11 can be configured as a linear drive structure such as a pneumatic cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder. A mounting base 111 structure is provided on its output end, and the base plate 211 is detachably mounted on the mounting base 111 by means of a threaded structure.

[0044] To ensure the stability of the optical fiber bundle in the clamping fixture 21, in some embodiments, a fixing plate 1111 is further provided on the mounting base 111, the fixing plate 1111 being used to assist in the bonding and fixing of the optical fiber bundle.

[0045] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the upward-facing end of the optical fiber bundle is fixed to the fixing plate 1111 using adhesive tape. Fixing the upward-facing end of the optical fiber bundle to the fixing plate 1111 using adhesive tape or similar structures effectively reduces the wobbling of the upper end of the optical fiber bundle, thereby improving the fixing effect.

[0046] In some embodiments, the base 1 is further provided with a vision inspection component 5 for obtaining the coaxiality of the fiber bundle and the glass tube.

[0047] like Figure 1 As shown, the visual detection component 5 is disposed on one side of the first driving part 11. Specifically, the visual detection component 5 includes a mounting rod 51, a camera 52, and a reflective structure 53. The mounting rod 51 is vertically disposed on the base 1, and a sleeve fixing member 511 is sleeved on the mounting rod 51. The vertical height of the sleeve fixing member 511 on the mounting rod 51 is adjustable. The camera 52 is mounted on the sleeve fixing member 511, and the reflective structure 53 is mounted on one end of the camera 52. The reflective structure 53 is an L-shaped reflector with an adjustable angle. The reflective structure 53 is set at the downward end of the fiber bundle. The L-shaped plate can provide image information in two directions at the same time, such as coordinate information in the horizontal X and Y directions. In actual use, the camera 52 is set facing the lower end of the fiber bundle and the upper end of the glass tube, and simultaneously acquires the position information of the two structural ends. The coaxiality between the two structures is calculated by the control device, and the position of the glass tube is adjusted by the motion component 32, so that the glass tube and the fiber bundle maintain a good coaxial relationship and avoid interference between the fiber end and the inner wall of the glass tube during the bundling process.

[0048] In some embodiments, the motion component 32 is configured as a three-axis module, the three-axis module is mounted on the base 1, and the clamping part 31 is mounted on the vertical motion unit of the three-axis module.

[0049] Specifically, the triaxial module includes a gantry structure and three linear drive units (hereinafter referred to as the first linear drive unit, the second linear drive unit, and the third linear drive unit for ease of description). The first linear drive unit is mounted on the base 1, and its output end is connected to the gantry structure to drive the gantry structure to move toward or away from the first drive unit 11. The second linear drive unit is disposed on the gantry structure, and its output end is arranged horizontally and perpendicular to the movement direction of the output end of the first linear drive unit. The third linear drive unit is disposed on the output end of the second linear drive unit, and its output end is movably arranged in the vertical direction. The clamping part 31 is mounted horizontally on the output end of the third linear drive unit. The coordinated movement of the three linear drive structures allows for arbitrary adjustment of the position of the clamping part 31, thereby achieving coaxial correspondence between the glass tube end and the fiber bundle end.

[0050] It is conceivable that the above-mentioned linear drive structures can all be configured as cylinders, electric actuators, etc., and can be selected and used according to the actual situation of the production materials.

[0051] In some embodiments, the base 1 is further provided with a storage device 6 for storing glass tubes.

[0052] like Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the storage device 6 is provided with multiple countersunk holes. In the actual production process, multiple glass tubes are stored in the multiple countersunk holes respectively. The three-axis module and the clamping part 31 cooperate with each other to realize the automatic clamping of the glass tubes.

[0053] The clamping part 31 includes a clamping cylinder 311 and two gripper parts 312. The clamping cylinder 311 is mounted on the vertical motion unit of the three-axis module, and the two gripper parts 312 are respectively mounted on the two output ends of the clamping cylinder 311.

[0054] To ensure the clamping effect, a flexible pad structure can be set on the opposite ends of the two grippers. This will protect the glass tube while improving the clamping and fixing effect.

[0055] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structural transformations made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings under the technical concept of the present invention, or direct / indirect applications in other related technical fields, are included within the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A passive optical fiber bundle automatic bundling device, characterized in that, The application relates to a passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device. The device comprises a base, a constraint assembly and a bundle assembly structure. The constraint assembly comprises a clamping tool and a sleeve part. The clamping tool is installed on the base.

2. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 1, wherein, The sleeve part is installed on the clamping tool in the up-down direction for constraining an optical fiber bundle.

3. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 2, wherein, The bundle assembly structure comprises a clamping part and a motion assembly. The clamping part is used for clamping and fixing a glass tube.

4. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 2, wherein, The motion assembly is installed on the base.

5. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 1, wherein, The output end of the motion assembly is connected with the clamping part for driving the clamping part to move. The clamping tool comprises a bottom plate part and a cover plate part.

6. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 5, wherein, The cover plate part is rotatably installed on the bottom plate part. A connecting structure is arranged between the bottom plate part and the cover plate part.

7. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 1, wherein, The connecting structure comprises two magnetic attraction parts arranged on the opposite end faces of the bottom plate part and the cover plate part.

8. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 1, wherein, The bottom plate part is further provided with a liquid drop assembly.

9. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 1, wherein, The liquid drop assembly comprises a liquid storage part and a dropper part.

10. The passive optical fiber bundle automatic assembly device of claim 9, wherein, The liquid storage part is installed on the bottom plate part for storing acetone reagent. One end of the dropper part is connected with the liquid storage part. The other end of the dropper part is arranged on the extension line of the lower end of the sleeve part. The clamping tool comprises a bottom plate part. The base is further provided with a first driving part. The output end of the first driving part is movably arranged in the up-down direction. The bottom plate part is installed on the output end of the first driving part. The output end of the first driving part is provided with a mounting seat. The bottom plate part is arranged on the mounting seat. The mounting seat is further provided with a fixing plate part. The fixing plate part is used for assisting the optical fiber bundle to be pasted and fixed. The device further comprises a cleaning device. The cleaning device is installed on the base below the sleeve part. The base is further provided with a visual detection assembly. The visual detection assembly is used for acquiring the coaxiality of the optical fiber bundle and the glass tube. The motion assembly is a three-axis module. The three-axis module is installed on the base. The clamping part is installed on the vertical motion unit of the three-axis module. The base is further provided with a storage device. The clamping part comprises a clamping cylinder and two clamping jaw parts. The clamping cylinder is installed on the vertical motion unit of the three-axis module. The two clamping jaw parts are respectively installed on the two output ends of the clamping cylinder.

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