Screening testing device
By integrating coupler fixture module, temperature control module, light source module and signal detection module for automated control, the problems of long temperature rise and fall time of temperature chamber and frequent optical path construction are solved, realizing efficient and fully automated screening and testing of fiber optic couplers, and improving testing efficiency and accuracy.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-31
AI Technical Summary
In the existing screening and testing process for fiber optic couplers, the heating and cooling time of the chamber is long and the efficiency is low. Furthermore, the frequent setup and dismantling of the optical path leads to low testing efficiency and can easily damage the device, making it impossible to achieve efficient batch testing.
By combining a coupler clamp module, a temperature control module, a light source module, a signal detection module, and a processing module, rapid and accurate temperature control is achieved using a platinum resistance temperature sensor and a semiconductor cooling chip. Combined with automated light source driving and signal detection, fully automated coupler parameter calculation and index interpretation are realized.
It achieves rapid and accurate temperature control, simplifies the testing process, improves testing efficiency, reduces damage to devices caused by human operation, realizes fully automated screening testing of couplers, and improves the efficiency and accuracy of batch testing.
Smart Images
Figure CN121761935A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention belongs to the field of fiber optic gyroscope technology, specifically a screening and testing device that can be used for screening and testing fiber optic couplers for fiber optic gyroscopes. Background Technology
[0002] A fiber optic gyroscope is an all-solid-state structure based on the Sagnac effect that measures rotational angular velocity. It has advantages such as simple structure, small size, and high reliability, and is a core component of an inertial system.
[0003] Fiber optic couplers (or simply couplers) are a crucial component of the optical path of a fiber optic gyroscope, serving to split and combine light beams. In practical applications, the coupler guides light emitted from the light source through an integrated phase modulator (Y-waveguide) to the sensing ring, and then introduces the interfering light signal into a photodetector (PIN-FET). Because the application environment of fiber optic gyroscopes is complex, the performance and environmental adaptability requirements of the coupler are high. Before assembling the optical path of a fiber optic gyroscope, the coupler needs to undergo performance testing and environmental screening to ensure that the accuracy and reliability of the fiber optic gyroscope will not fail due to unqualified coupler specifications or poor environmental adaptability.
[0004] Existing coupler screening tests primarily utilize instruments such as light sources, temperature chambers, and optical power meters to test couplers' splitting ratio, loss, high and low temperature storage, temperature shock, and full-temperature performance at room temperature. Temperature chambers are indispensable for testing these parameters, but they suffer from uneven temperature compensation and long heating / cooling times, leading to lengthy and inefficient coupler screening tests. Furthermore, coupler testing methods require frequent optical path setup and disassembly, necessitating multiple manual splicing operations on coupler pigtails. Errors during these operations are unavoidable, potentially damaging devices or pigtails and affecting the accuracy of fiber optic gyroscopes. Moreover, each optical path setup only allows for testing a single parameter under a single environment. Batch testing of couplers consumes significant manpower and resources, resulting in extremely low efficiency. Summary of the Invention
[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention proposes a screening and testing device, comprising: a coupler clamp module, a temperature control module, a light source module, a signal detection module, and a processing module. The temperature control module is connected to the coupler clamp module, the light source module is connected to both the coupler clamp module and the signal detection module, and the signal detection module is connected to both the coupler clamp module and the processing module. The coupler clamp module is used to hold the coupler; the temperature control module is used to detect, control, and display the temperature; the light source module is used to provide a light source for the coupler; the signal detection module is used to detect the reference light emitted by the light source and provide feedback control to stabilize the output light power of the light source module, as well as to detect the light output by the coupler; the processing module is used to calculate the coupler splitting ratio and the coupler additional loss, and to interpret the results and output the interpretation results.
[0006] Furthermore, the coupler fixture module includes a platinum resistance temperature sensor, a thermoelectric cooler, a heat sink, and an insulating shell. The heat sink is divided into upper and lower parts to form a coupler groove for placing the coupler. The thermoelectric cooler is placed below the coupler, and its temperature is controlled by the temperature control unit of the temperature control module. The insulating shell covers the heat sink and the thermoelectric cooler. After the coupler is placed, the platinum resistance temperature sensor is attached to the coupler.
[0007] Furthermore, the temperature control module consists of a temperature detection unit, a timing control unit, a temperature control unit, and a temperature display unit. The temperature detection unit is used to read the temperature value output by the platinum resistance temperature sensor in the coupler fixture module; the timing control unit is used to set the clock sequence according to the coupler test conditions; the temperature control unit is used to set the temperature and control the heating, cooling, or heat preservation according to the clock sequence; and the temperature display unit is used to display the temperature value output by the platinum resistance temperature sensor.
[0008] Furthermore, the light source module consists of a beam splitting unit, light source one, light source two, a driving unit, and a timing control unit two. The beam splitting unit is used to split one light source into multiple outputs; the timing control unit two is used to set the clock sequence; and the driving unit is used to drive light source one or light source two according to the clock sequence based on whether light is transmitted in the coupler test conditions to realize the automatic switching of the light source.
[0009] Furthermore, the signal detection module is divided into two parts. The first part consists of a reference light stability control unit, a reference photodetector unit, and an AD acquisition unit. The reference light stability control unit is used to maintain a stable output of the light signal from the light source module through feedback control. The reference photodetector unit converts the reference light signal into a voltage signal. The AD acquisition unit acquires the voltage value V of the reference light. refThe second part consists of an optical coupling unit, a photoelectric detection unit, and an AD acquisition unit. The optical coupling unit couples the optical signal output from the coupler to the photoelectric detection unit; the photoelectric detection unit converts the optical signal output from the coupler into a voltage signal; and the AD acquisition unit acquires the voltage value output by the photoelectric detection unit.
[0010] Furthermore, when screening and testing the 2x2 coupler, the voltage value acquired by the second AD acquisition unit is V. i1 V i2 , i=1,2…N; When screening and testing a 1X3 coupler, the voltage value acquired by the second AD acquisition unit is V. ref V i1 V i2 V i3 , i=1,2…N.
[0011] Furthermore, the processing module consists of a 1×3 coupler data processing unit, a 2×2 coupler data processing unit, a data interpretation unit, and an output index out-of-tolerance coupler numbering unit. The 1×3 coupler data processing unit or the 2×2 coupler data processing unit is selected based on the type of coupler under test. The 1×3 coupler data processing unit or the 2×2 coupler data processing unit calculates the optical power value from the voltage values obtained by AD acquisition unit one and AD acquisition unit two based on the photodetector's no-light output voltage and responsivity. The data interpretation unit interprets the test results according to the index requirements. The output index out-of-tolerance coupler numbering unit outputs the number of coupler index out-of-tolerance values.
[0012] Furthermore, the 2×2 coupler data processing unit will process the voltage value V ref V i1 V i2 Let i = 1, 2…N. Calculate the optical power value P based on the photodetector's non-photon output voltage and responsivity. ref P i1 P i2 Let i = 1, 2, ..., N. Calculate the coupler splitting ratio using Formula 1, and calculate the coupler additional loss using Formula 2. (Formula 1) . (Formula 2) Furthermore, the 1×3 coupler data processing unit processes the voltage value V ref V i1 V i2 V i3 Let i = 1, 2…N. Calculate the optical power value P based on the photodetector's non-photon output voltage and responsivity. ref P i1 P i2 P i3Let i = 1, 2…N. Calculate the coupler splitting ratio using formula 3 and the coupler additional loss using formula 4. (Formula 3) . (Formula 4) This invention solves the problems of long heating and cooling times and low efficiency in temperature chambers, enabling rapid and precise temperature control, greatly improving testing efficiency. It also eliminates the cumbersome testing process of frequently setting up optical paths. Testers only need to perform a one-time fusion splicing of the coupler, light source, and photodetector pigtails to achieve fully automated coupler screening testing. The invention can automatically calculate coupler parameters and output the numbers of couplers with out-of-tolerance specifications, significantly improving coupler screening testing efficiency and simplifying operation. It reduces the possibility of damage to the coupler pigtails caused by frequent manual operations, enabling rapid and fully automated coupler screening testing. Attached Figure Description
[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a cross-section of a single coupler. Detailed Implementation
[0014] To make the objectives, contents, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.
[0015] In one specific embodiment, the present invention can simultaneously perform automatic screening and testing of 20 couplers, meeting the testing requirements for couplers operating at 1310nm and 1550nm wavelengths, and satisfying the screening and testing requirements for typical 1×3 and 2×2 couplers used in fiber optic gyroscopes. After selecting the operating wavelength and coupler test model, the device can automatically complete the performance tests of the couplers at various temperatures in sequence and automatically output the coupler numbers whose performance exceeds the tolerance.
[0016] like Figure 1 As shown, the device of the present invention is mainly divided into five modules: coupler clamp module, temperature control module, light source module, signal detection module and arithmetic processing module.
[0017] The coupler clamp module consists of a platinum resistance temperature sensor, a thermoelectric cooler, a coupler under test, a heat sink, and an insulating shell. The platinum resistance temperature sensor outputs the internal temperature of the device in real time via a temperature control module. The thermoelectric cooler can rapidly change its temperature by altering the magnitude or direction of its driving current. The heat sink quickly transfers the temperature of the thermoelectric cooler to the coupler. The insulating shell maintains a stable internal temperature and isolates the device from external temperature influences. The coupler clamp module can hold up to 20 couplers at a time. The heat sink is divided into upper and lower sections, serving to fix the couplers and transfer temperature. Each coupler has an individual thermoelectric cooler underneath, and all 20 coolers are controlled by the temperature control unit of the temperature control module.
[0018] A cross-section of a single coupler in the coupler fixture module is shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the blue part is the heat insulation shell, the green part is the platinum resistance temperature sensor, the yellow part is the heat sink, the black part is the coupler groove for placing the coupler, and the gray part is the semiconductor cooling chip.
[0019] The temperature control module consists of a temperature detection unit, a temperature control unit, a temperature display unit, and a timing control unit. The temperature detection unit and the temperature display unit can detect and display the temperature inside the coupler automatic screening test device in real time; the temperature control unit and the timing control unit can set the temperature and clock sequence according to the coupler test conditions, and automatically heat up, cool down, or maintain the temperature according to the sequence.
[0020] The light source module consists of a 1×20 beam splitter unit, a 1310nm light source, a 1550nm light source, a drive unit, and a timing control unit. The 1×20 beam splitter unit in the light source module can simultaneously test 20 couplers. The coupler operating wavelength can be selected as either 1310nm or 1550nm. The drive unit can automatically switch the light source (1310nm / 1550nm) on and off according to a clock sequence based on whether light is transmitted in the coupler's test conditions.
[0021] The signal detection module can be divided into the following two parts: One part consists of a reference light stability control unit, a reference photodetector unit, and an AD acquisition unit. The reference light stability control unit can stabilize the light signal through feedback, and the reference photodetector unit and AD acquisition unit can acquire the voltage value of the reference light, which can be denoted as V. ref .
[0022] The other part consists of 60 optical coupling units, photoelectric detection units, and AD acquisition units, which can detect the voltage value of the output light of the coupler under test. The voltage value of the output light of a 1×3 coupler can be denoted as V. i1 V i2 V i3 (i=1, 2…20), the voltage value of the output light of the 2×2 coupler can be denoted as V. i1V i2 (i=1, 2…20). The clock sequence can simultaneously control the AD acquisition unit to automatically start or stop data acquisition according to the sequence.
[0023] In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the computation processing module consists of a 1×3 coupler data processing unit, a 2×2 coupler data processing unit, a data interpretation unit, and an output index out-of-tolerance coupler numbering unit.
[0024] The processing module selects either a 1×3 or 2×2 coupler data processing unit based on the type of coupler under test. The data processing unit can process the voltage value (V) obtained from the AD acquisition unit. ref V i1 V i2 (i=1, 2…20) or V ref V i1 V i2 V i3 (i=1, 2…20) The optical power value (P) is calculated based on the photodetector's non-photon output voltage and responsivity. ref P i1 P i2 (i=1, 2…20) or P ref P i1 P i2 P i3 (i=1, 2…20)), the 2×2 coupler uses P ref P i1 P i2 (i=1, 2…20), calculate the coupler splitting ratio using Formula 1 and the coupler additional loss using Formula 2: (Formula 1) (Formula 2) 1×3 coupler uses P ref P i1 P i2 P i3 (i=1, 2…20), calculate the coupler splitting ratio using formula 3 and the coupler additional loss using formula 4: (Formula 3) (Formula 4) The data interpretation unit can interpret the test results according to the indicator requirements and output the number of coupler indicators that are out of tolerance through the output indicator out-of-tolerance coupler number unit.
[0025] This invention uses a platinum resistance temperature sensor to detect the temperature inside the device. The temperature control module controls the semiconductor cooling chip instead of the temperature chamber to realize the temperature performance test and environmental screening test of the coupler. It can solve the problems of long heating and cooling time and low efficiency of the temperature chamber, and can realize rapid and accurate temperature control, which greatly improves the test efficiency. This invention simplifies the existing coupler testing process. Testers only need to perform a one-time fusion splicing of the coupler, the light source, and the photodetector's pigtails to complete the fully automated screening test of the coupler according to the procedure, thus reducing costs and increasing efficiency. In one specific embodiment, the present invention can solve the problems of uneven temperature compensation in the temperature chamber and long heating and cooling times with low efficiency; it can realize the screening and testing of couplers with different working wavelengths of 1310nm or 1550nm; it can realize the screening and testing of typical 1×3 couplers and 2×2 couplers for fiber optic gyroscopes; it can reduce the number of coupler splicing operations, and realize the automated testing of couplers at room temperature, high and low temperature storage, shock and full temperature can be completed quickly according to the program after one splicing, and multiple couplers can be tested simultaneously, improving efficiency and reducing the impact of manual operation on the device.
[0026] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.
Claims
1. A screening and testing device, characterized in that, include: The system comprises a coupler clamp module, a temperature control module, a light source module, a signal detection module, and a processing module. The temperature control module is connected to the coupler clamp module, the light source module is connected to both the coupler clamp module and the signal detection module, and the signal detection module is connected to both the coupler clamp module and the processing module. Specifically, the coupler clamp module is used to hold the coupler; the temperature control module is used to detect, control, and display the temperature; the light source module provides a light source for the coupler; the signal detection module detects and provides feedback control to stabilize the output light power of the light source module and detects the light output from the coupler; and the processing module calculates the coupler's splitting ratio and additional losses, interprets the calculation results, and outputs the interpretation results.
2. The screening and testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coupler fixture module includes a platinum resistance temperature sensor, a thermoelectric cooler, a heat sink, and an insulation shell. The heat sink is divided into upper and lower parts to form a coupler groove for placing the coupler. The thermoelectric cooler is placed below the coupler, and its temperature is controlled by the temperature control unit of the temperature control module. The insulation shell covers the heat sink and the thermoelectric cooler. After the coupler is placed, the platinum resistance temperature sensor is attached to the coupler.
3. The screening and testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature control module consists of a temperature detection unit, a timing control unit, a temperature control unit, and a temperature display unit. The temperature detection unit is used to read the temperature value output by the platinum resistance temperature sensor in the coupler fixture module; the timing control unit is used to set the clock sequence according to the coupler test conditions; the temperature control unit is used to set the temperature and control the heating, cooling, or heat preservation according to the clock sequence; and the temperature display unit is used to display the temperature value output by the platinum resistance temperature sensor.
4. The screening and testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The light source module consists of a beam splitting unit, light source one, light source two, a driving unit, and a timing control unit two. The beam splitting unit is used to split one light source into multiple outputs; the timing control unit two is used to set the clock sequence; and the driving unit is used to drive light source one or light source two according to the clock sequence based on whether light is transmitted in the coupler test conditions to realize the automatic switching of the light source.
5. The screening and testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal detection module is divided into two parts. The first part consists of a reference light stability control unit, a reference photodetector unit, and an AD acquisition unit. The reference light stability control unit is used to maintain a stable output of the light signal from the light source module through feedback control. The reference photodetector unit converts the reference light signal into a voltage signal. The AD acquisition unit acquires the voltage value V of the reference light. ref The second part consists of an optical coupling unit, a photoelectric detection unit, and an AD acquisition unit. The optical coupling unit couples the optical signal output from the coupler to the photoelectric detection unit; the photoelectric detection unit converts the optical signal output from the coupler into a voltage signal; and the AD acquisition unit acquires the voltage value output by the photoelectric detection unit.
6. The screening and testing device according to claim 5, characterized in that, When screening and testing the 2x2 coupler, the voltage value acquired by AD acquisition unit two is V. i1 V i2 , i=1,2…N; When screening and testing a 1X3 coupler, the voltage value acquired by the second AD acquisition unit is V. ref V i1 V i2 V i3 , i=1,2…N.
7. The screening and testing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processing module consists of a 1×3 coupler data processing unit, a 2×2 coupler data processing unit, a data interpretation unit, and an output index out-of-tolerance coupler numbering unit. The 1×3 or 2×2 coupler data processing unit is selected based on the type of coupler under test. The 1×3 or 2×2 coupler data processing unit calculates the optical power value from the voltage values obtained by AD acquisition unit one and AD acquisition unit two, based on the photodetector's no-light output voltage and responsivity. The data interpretation unit interprets the test results according to the index requirements. The output index out-of-tolerance coupler numbering unit outputs the number of coupler indexes that are out of tolerance.
8. The screening and testing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The 2×2 coupler data processing unit processes the voltage value V ref V i1 V i2 Let i = 1, 2…N. Calculate the optical power value P based on the photodetector's non-photon output voltage and responsivity. ref P i1 P i2 Let i = 1, 2, ..., N. Calculate the coupler splitting ratio using Formula 1, and calculate the coupler additional loss using Formula 2. (Official 1) (Official 2).
9. The screening and testing device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The 1×3 coupler data processing unit processes the voltage value V ref V i1 V i2 V i3 Let i = 1, 2…N. Calculate the optical power value P based on the photodetector's non-photon output voltage and responsivity. ref P i1 P i2 P i3 Let i = 1, 2…N. Calculate the coupler splitting ratio using formula 3 and the coupler additional loss using formula 4. (Official 3) (Official 4).