Method and system for quickly and automatically testing optical fiber

Abstract

The invention provides a rapid and automatic optical fiber testing method. The method comprises the steps of preprocessing and quality judgment, temporary tape forming and end face processing, and automatic testing and data management. The invention also provides a system for realizing the rapid and automatic test method for the optical fiber. The rapid and automatic optical fiber testing method is high in automation degree, detection is completed by combining an assembly line with a visual detection system and detection equipment, the problems of low manual detection efficiency and poor accuracy can be effectively avoided, the optical fiber detection efficiency is greatly improved, and the cost is reduced; bulk optical fiber bundles are made into temporary optical fiber ribbons, subsequent batch stripping and detection end face preparation are facilitated, traditional processing operation needing to be conducted many times is compressed into one-time completion, the preprocessing time before detection is greatly shortened, and meanwhile the error probability is reduced; a visual detection system is adopted to monitor and guide the whole detection process, so that the detection accuracy is ensured; according to the optical fiber rapid automatic test method, the visual system is used for identifying and recording color distribution of the optical fiber ribbon and inputting the color distribution into the database, and automatic and accurate collection and management of test data are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of optical fiber communication technology, and more specifically to a rapid automatic testing method and system for optical fibers. Background Technology

[0002] Optical fiber cables are the foundation of optical communication networks. Their basic structure uses extremely fine, high-purity glass fibers as the core, employing the principle of total internal reflection to transmit optical signals. Optical fiber cables possess significant advantages such as large transmission bandwidth, low loss, and strong resistance to electromagnetic interference. With the continuous development of information technologies such as mobile communication, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing, the demand for network bandwidth and connection density has exploded. To meet this demand, the structural design of optical cables has continuously evolved, and the number of fiber cores within the cable has increased dramatically. For example... Figure 1 As shown, existing ordinary optical cables contain only a few to dozens of cores, while... Figure 2 As shown, existing high-density optical cables can have hundreds to thousands of fiber cores. The adoption rate of high-density optical fiber continues to increase, particularly in data centers and smart cities.

[0003] However, during the manufacturing process of optical cables, the internal optical fibers may suffer defects such as breakage, deterioration, or performance degradation due to bending, compression, stretching, or external damage. Therefore, comprehensive optical performance testing of each optical fiber is required during the factory inspection of optical cables to ensure the reliability of the communication link. For optical cables with a small number of cores, traditional manual testing methods are currently generally used.

[0004] Traditional manual testing methods generally include the following process:

[0005] 1) Stripping and Cleaning: The operator first uses a special tool to strip open the loose tube to be tested and remove the bundled optical fibers. Because the loose tube is filled with fiber grease to protect the fibers, the surface of the removed fibers will be covered with a large amount of oily substance. The operator must wipe each fiber until the fiber grease is completely removed. If this step is not cleaned thoroughly, it will seriously affect the accuracy and connection quality of subsequent operations;

[0006] 2) Removing the coating: After cleaning, the polymer coating on the outer surface of the optical fiber remains. Operators must use highly precise wire strippers or blades to remove approximately 2-3 centimeters of the coating. This operation requires extremely high skill; even slight carelessness can scratch or break the fragile glass core.

[0007] 3) End-face processing: To ensure efficient coupling of optical signals into the fiber under test, the exposed core (including cladding) end face must be nearly perfectly flat and smooth. Operators must use a diamond cutter or a specialized fiber optic cleaver for this process. This is a critical step determining test accuracy; any tiny chip, burr, or scratch can introduce significant testing errors.

[0008] 4) Fiber coupling: the prepared end face of the fiber to be tested is aligned and coupled with the tail fiber (usually with a connector) output by the OTDR tester in a V-shaped groove. As a kind of temporary connecting device, the V-shaped groove needs to be adjusted manually to ensure that the cores of the two fibers are accurately aligned and that appropriate pressure is applied to make them in close contact. This "live connection" process is extremely tedious and requires high environmental cleanliness. Dust or interface gap will cause excessive Fresnel reflection and distortion of the test curve;

[0009] 5) Perform test and record data: after the coupling is stable, the operator sets the parameters on the OTDR and starts the test. After a single test is completed, the operator also needs to manually record or save the key data such as loss, length, event points (such as steps, reflection peaks) by taking screenshots. Finally, the operator needs to manually transcribe these data into the production management system, including the number of the corresponding fiber, test results, etc.

[0010] It can be seen that the traditional manual test method has many steps and each step is highly dependent on manual operation. Each step requires skilled workers to spend several minutes or even longer, and the test efficiency is low. The cost of manual operation is high, and the error rate of manual operation and recording is high. In addition, the existing test method belongs to serial operation, that is, after a fiber is tested and recorded, the connection is disconnected and the test of the next fiber begins. For optical cables with a total core number of hundreds of cores, the total test time will be very long, which seriously affects the production efficiency of the optical cable.

[0011] In summary, the traditional manual fiber test method cannot meet the needs of high-density optical cable production detection, and has problems such as low efficiency, high cost, high error rate, etc. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a fiber test method and system with high automation, higher efficiency and higher accuracy. SUMMARY

[0012] Therefore, the purpose of the present application is to provide a rapid automatic fiber test method, which adopts an automated and parallel test mechanism, reduces manual participation in the test process, improves the accuracy and reliability of the test, improves the efficiency of the test, and reduces the cost of the test.

[0013] Another purpose of the present application is to provide a rapid automatic fiber test system, which includes a manipulator, a high-pressure air blowing device, a visual detection system, a clamp assembly, a glue dropping device, a stripper, a cutting device, a detection system, and a control storage system. The rapid automatic fiber test system is used to implement the rapid automatic fiber test method.

[0014] In order to achieve the above purpose, the present application provides a rapid automatic fiber test method, which includes the following steps:

[0015] (1) placing the sleeve, the manipulator takes the optical fiber out of the sleeve, and uses clean and high-pressure gas to remove the fiber paste on the surface of the optical fiber;

[0016] (2) identifying the number and color of the optical fiber through the visual detection system, judging whether it meets the set requirements, if it meets the requirements, then entering the next step, if it does not meet the requirements, then performing alarm and rejection operations;

[0017] (3) placing a plurality of optical fibers in two clamps and arranging them flat, the two clamps move relative to each other to straighten the plurality of optical fibers, and the plurality of optical fibers form a loose optical fiber ribbon;

[0018] (4) dropping glue between the two clamps and curing, converting the loose optical fiber ribbon into an integrated temporary optical fiber ribbon;

[0019] (5) batch stripping and coating the temporary optical fiber ribbon to expose the fiber core, and batch cutting the fiber core to make the plurality of fiber core end faces flat;

[0020] (6) transferring the temporary optical fiber ribbon processed in step (5) to a test platform, guiding the test system to sequentially couple the fiber cores and perform testing through the detection system;

[0021] (7) guiding the test system to associate the test results with the optical fiber through the detection system, and recording the test results into a database, completing the detection of the optical fiber of a single sleeve.

[0022] Preferably, in step (4), fast-drying glue is dropped, and the glue is blown by airflow to make it level and accelerate curing.

[0023] Preferably, in step (4), UV-curable glue is dropped, and ultraviolet light is used for curing.

[0024] Preferably, in step (4), the uniformity and coverage of the glue are detected by a visual detection system.

[0025] Preferably, step (3) specifically includes: placing a plurality of optical fibers in A clamp and B clamp to arrange the optical fibers flat; A clamp is fixed, and B clamp moves a certain distance away from A clamp, at this time the optical fibers between A clamp and B clamp are straightened to form a loose optical fiber ribbon arranged in order.

[0026] Preferably, step (5) specifically includes: loosening B clamp, placing A clamp together with the temporary optical fiber ribbon in a stripper, and stripping a plurality of optical fibers at the same time; then placing the stripped optical fibers in a cutting knife, and cutting off the fiber cores of a plurality of optical fibers to make their end faces flat.

[0027] Preferably, the stripper is a heated stripper.

[0028] Preferably, the step (6) uses a visual detection system to identify the actual color sequence of each optical fiber in the temporary optical fiber ribbon before coupling testing.

[0029] Preferably, the visual detection system compares the color sequence with a preset standard sequence table, automatically establishes an accurate mapping relationship of "physical fiber position-color-test data", and enters the database.

[0030] The application also provides a fiber rapid automatic testing system, characterized in that it is used to implement the fiber rapid automatic testing method and comprises a manipulator, a high-pressure blowing device, a visual detection system, a clamp assembly, a glue dropping device, a stripper, a cutting device, a detection system, and a control storage system.

[0031] Compared with the prior art, the fiber rapid automatic testing method has the advantages that: the fiber rapid automatic testing method has high automation, uses a pipeline combined with a visual detection system and detection equipment to complete detection, can effectively avoid the problems of low efficiency and poor accuracy of manual detection, greatly improves the efficiency of fiber detection, and reduces the cost; the fiber rapid automatic testing method makes the loose optical fiber bundle into a temporary optical fiber ribbon, facilitates subsequent batch peeling and preparation of a detection end face, compresses the traditional processing operation which needs to be performed multiple times into a single operation, greatly shortens the pretreatment time before detection, and reduces the error probability; the fiber rapid automatic testing method uses a visual detection system based on machine vision to monitor and guide the entire detection process, ensuring the accuracy of detection; the fiber rapid automatic testing method uses a visual system to identify and record the color distribution of the optical fiber ribbon and enter the database, achieving automatic and accurate collection and management of test data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application or the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description. Obviously, the drawings in the following description only constitute some embodiments of the application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can also be obtained without creative labor on the basis of these drawings.

[0033] As Figure 1 shown is a cross-sectional view of an existing ordinary optical cable.

[0034] As Figure 2 shown is a cross-sectional view of an existing high-density optical cable.

[0035] As Figure 3 shown is a flowchart of a fiber rapid automatic testing method according to the application.

[0036] As Figure 4It is the third step of the optical fiber fast automatic testing method of the application.

[0037] As shown in the description Figure 5 It is the fourth step of the optical fiber fast automatic testing method of the application.

[0038] As shown in the description Figure 6 It is the fifth step of the optical fiber fast automatic testing method of the application.

[0039] As shown in the description Figure 7 It is the sixth step of the optical fiber fast automatic testing method of the application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the application will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the application, rather than all the embodiments of the application. Based on the embodiments in the application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts belong to the protection scope of the application.

[0041] As shown in the description Figure 3 The optical fiber fast automatic testing method of the application includes the following steps:

[0042] (1) Place the sleeve, and use the manipulator to take out the optical fibers from the sleeve and clean the fiber paste on the surface of the optical fibers by using clean and high-pressure gas;

[0043] (2) Identify the number and color of the optical fibers by using the visual detection system, determine whether the optical fibers meet the set requirements, if yes, proceed to the next step, if not, perform the alarm and rejection operations;

[0044] (3) Place a plurality of optical fibers in two clamps and arrange them flat, move the two clamps relative to each other to straighten the plurality of optical fibers, and form a loose optical fiber ribbon;

[0045] (4) Drop glue between the two clamps and solidify it, and convert the loose optical fiber ribbon into an integrated temporary optical fiber ribbon;

[0046] (5) Batch strip the temporary optical fiber ribbon to expose the fiber cores, and batch cut the fiber cores to make the plurality of fiber core end faces flat;

[0047] (6) Transfer the temporary optical fiber ribbon processed in step (5) to the test platform, guide the test system to sequentially couple the fiber cores and perform testing by using the detection system;

[0048] (7) Guide the test system to associate the test results with the optical fibers by using the detection system, and record the test results in the database, and complete the optical fiber detection of a single sleeve.

[0049] The optical fiber rapid automatic testing method only needs to place each sleeve on the assembly line, and then carries out subsequent detection steps, has high automation degree, utilizes the assembly line to combine a visual detection system and a detection device to complete detection, can effectively avoid problems of low efficiency and poor accuracy of manual detection, greatly improves the efficiency of optical fiber detection, and reduces cost.

[0050] Step (1) and step (2) belong to pre-processing and quality determination steps, identity confirmation and preliminary screening are carried out on the optical fiber, and the sleeve obviously not meeting the requirements is rejected and an alarm is issued. Through pre-processing and quality determination, the efficiency of detection can be effectively improved and the cost of detection can be reduced.

[0051] The visual detection system adopts a machine vision system based on OpenCV technology. In step (1), the visual detection system can identify the number and color of the optical fiber, complete identity confirmation and preliminary screening, and realize the pre-identification function. In step (4), during the glue dropping process, the visual detection system can monitor the uniformity and coverage of the glue flow, avoid glue deficiency or bubbles, and realize the process monitoring function. After batch cutting in step (5), the visual detection system can detect the quality of the optical fiber end face, and automatically judge whether the end face is qualified. Before the coupling test in step (6), the visual system can accurately position the three-dimensional space coordinates of each optical fiber, and guide the multi-axis platform to accurately dock. Through the visual detection system, the way of completely relying on eyes and experience for judgment in the traditional detection process can be replaced, human error is eliminated, consistency of the processing process and repeatability of the results are ensured, decision basis is provided for automatic detection, and a complete closed loop of perception-decision-execution is realized.

[0052] Steps (3) to (5) belong to temporary banding and end face preparation steps. The loose optical fiber bundle is made into a temporary optical fiber band, which facilitates subsequent batch peeling and preparation of the detection end face. The processing operation which needs to be performed multiple times in the traditional way is compressed into a single operation, the pre-processing time before detection is greatly shortened, and the error probability is reduced.

[0053] Specifically, referring to Figure 4 , step (3) specifically includes: placing 6 optical fibers or 12 optical fibers in two clamps (A and B) to arrange the optical fibers flat; the A clamp is fixed, and then the B clamp moves away from the A clamp by a certain distance, at this time the optical fibers between the A clamp and the B clamp are straightened and arranged in order, at this time a loose optical fiber band is formed.

[0054] Referring to Figure 5, step (4) specifically includes: micro-dropping fast-drying glue between the A clamp and the B clamp, and then blowing the glue with a weak air flow to make the glue flow evenly between the two clamps, increase the uniformity of the bonding, and make the glue solidify faster by increasing the air flow. It is worth noting that step (4) can use UV-curable glue and use ultraviolet light for rapid curing, or use heat curing.

[0055] Preferably, in step (4), the uniformity and coverage of the glue are detected by a visual detection system, and the air flow is controlled to prevent the occurrence of glue deficiency or air bubbles.

[0056] Referring to Figure 6 , step (5) specifically includes: loosening the B clamp, placing the A clamp together with the temporary optical fiber ribbon in a stripper, which is a heated stripper, and stripping the 6 or 12 optical fibers; then placing the stripped optical fibers in a cutting knife and cutting off the cores of the 6 or 12 optical fibers to make the end faces flat. Preferably, the coating layer of the optical fiber is stripped off 2-3 cm. Through step (5), the synchronous and one-time stripping of the coating layers of multiple optical fibers and the synchronous and one-time cutting of multiple cores can be realized. The traditional processing operation which needs to be performed multiple times is compressed into a single operation, which can greatly shorten the pretreatment time before testing and avoid damage to individual optical fibers due to skill differences of operators, reducing the error probability.

[0057] Referring to Figure 7 , steps (6) and (7) are automatic testing and data management steps. Through the automatic testing system composed of a test platform, a visual detection system and an OTDR, each optical fiber in the temporary optical fiber ribbon is aligned and coupled in turn, and the testing and data recording are automatically completed.

[0058] Before step (6) of optical testing, the actual color sequence of each optical fiber in the temporary optical fiber ribbon is identified and recorded at one time by the visual detection system. The visual detection system compares the color sequence with the preset standard sequence table, automatically establishes the accurate mapping relationship of "physical optical fiber position-color-test data", and inputs the data into the database. Through the above steps, the complex color sorting mechanism before ribbon formation can be avoided, the system hardware complexity and cost are reduced, the risk of disordered test data caused by pre-sorting errors is eliminated, the optical fiber identity is automatically and accurately confirmed at the last moment, and 100% data traceability is ensured.

[0059] The application also discloses a fast automatic optical fiber testing system for realizing the fast automatic optical fiber testing method, which comprises a manipulator, a high-pressure air blowing device, a visual detection system, a clamp assembly, a glue dropping device, a stripper, a cutting device, a detection system and a control storage system.

[0060] The foregoing description of the disclosed embodiments enables a person skilled in the art to make or use the application. Modifications of these embodiments will occur to persons of skill in the art, and that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications that do not depart from the true spirit and scope of the application. Therefore, the application is not limited to the embodiments shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers, characterized in that, Including the following steps: (1) Place the sleeve, the robot arm takes the optical fiber out of the sleeve, and uses cleaning and high pressure gas to remove the fiber grease on the surface of the optical fiber; (2) Identify the number and color of optical fibers through a visual inspection system to determine whether they meet the set requirements. If they meet the requirements, proceed to the next step. If they do not meet the requirements, trigger an alarm and remove the fiber. (3) Place several optical fibers in two clamps and arrange them flat. Move the two clamps relative to each other to straighten the optical fibers, and the optical fibers form a loose optical fiber band. (4) Drip glue between the two clamps and let it cure to transform the loose fiber ribbon into a single temporary fiber ribbon; (5) The coating layer of the temporary fiber ribbon is stripped off in batches to expose the fiber core, and the fiber core is cut in batches to make the end face of several fiber cores flat. (6) Transfer the temporary fiber ribbon processed in step (5) to the test platform, and guide the test system to couple the fiber cores in sequence and perform tests through the detection system; (7) The test system is guided by the detection system to associate the test results with the optical fiber, and the test results are entered into the database to complete the optical fiber detection of a single sleeve.

2. The rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), quick-drying adhesive is dripped in and then the adhesive is blown by airflow to make the adhesive spread evenly and accelerate curing.

3. The rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step (4), UV-curable adhesive is dripped in and cured using ultraviolet light.

4. The rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers as described in claim 2 or claim 3, characterized in that, In step (4), a visual inspection system is used to detect the uniformity and coverage of the adhesive.

5. The rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The specific steps (3) include: placing several optical fibers in clamp A and clamp B to make the optical fibers flat and arranged; clamp A is fixed, and clamp B is moved a certain distance away from clamp A. At this time, the optical fibers between clamp A and clamp B are straightened to form a neatly arranged loose optical fiber band.

6. The rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The specific steps (5) include: loosening clamp B, placing clamp A together with the temporary fiber optic strip in the stripper, and stripping several fibers at the same time; then placing the stripped fibers in the cleaver, and cutting off the fiber cores of several fibers at the same time to make their end faces flat.

7. The rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The peeler is a heated peeler.

8. The rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers as described in claim 1, characterized in that, In step (6), before the coupling test, a visual inspection system is used to identify the actual color sequence of each fiber in the temporary fiber band.

9. The rapid automatic testing method for optical fibers as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The visual inspection system compares the color sequence with a preset standard sequence list, automatically establishes a precise mapping relationship between "physical fiber location - color - test data", and enters it into the database.

10. A rapid automatic testing system for optical fibers, characterized in that, The method for implementing rapid automatic testing of optical fibers as described in any one of claims 1-9 includes a robotic arm, a high-pressure air blowing device, a vision inspection system, a fixture assembly, a dispensing device, a peeler, a cutting device, a detection system, and a control and storage system.

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