Automatic core adjusting equipment for polarization maintaining optical fiber

Abstract

The invention discloses automatic core adjusting equipment for polarization maintaining optical fibers, which is characterized in that a plurality of optical fibers are fixed through a mechanical insertion core fixing mechanism, high-resolution imaging is performed on the end surfaces of the optical fibers through an optical fiber imaging mechanism, and cat eye orientation angle information is acquired in real time, so that the end surface deviation and the inclination angle of the optical fibers are accurately detected and fed back; the optical fiber rotating mechanism performs angle rotation on each optical fiber to ensure that the end face of the optical fiber keeps correct orientation, and the optical fiber locking mechanism performs stable locking on the optical fiber after angle alignment of the optical fiber is completed. And the controller automatically regulates and controls the mechanical insertion core fixing mechanism, the optical fiber imaging mechanism, the optical fiber rotating mechanism and the optical fiber locking mechanism based on the image processing result, so that the optical fiber core adjusting process does not depend on manual cat eye position adjustment, the core adjusting efficiency is improved, and the manufacturing efficiency of optical fiber devices and the product performance stability are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of optical fiber processing technology, and more specifically, relates to an automatic core-aligning device for polarization-maintaining optical fibers. Background Technology

[0002] In optical communication and fiber optic device manufacturing, precise adjustment of the fiber endface is a crucial step in ensuring fiber performance. Accurate positioning and adjustment of the fiber endface are essential for polishing quality and the accuracy of extinction ratio measurements. Existing fiber adjustment devices typically rely on a "cat's eye" device to assist operators in observing and aligning the fiber endface; however, adjusting the position of the cat's eye largely depends on manual operation.

[0003] This manual adjustment method suffers from low efficiency, long processing time, and difficulty in avoiding minor deviations, resulting in unstable fiber end-face positioning accuracy. Furthermore, the operation results are greatly affected by the operator's experience, making it difficult to guarantee consistency between batches. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide an automatic core-aligning device for polarization-maintaining optical fibers, which can simultaneously grind multiple glass cover plates to improve the grinding efficiency of the glass cover plates and ensure the uniformity of the grinding effect.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides an automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device for grinding glass cover plates, comprising: The mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism is provided with a first adjusting base and moves along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions under the adjustment of the first adjusting base. The mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism is used to fix multiple optical fibers and multi-fiber connectors. A fiber optic imaging mechanism is disposed on one side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism and is provided with a second adjustment base. Under the adjustment of the second adjustment base, the mechanism moves relative to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions. The fiber optic imaging mechanism is used to image the end face of the fiber to obtain the cat's eye orientation angle information in the fiber. An optical fiber locking mechanism is located on the other side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism and is used to lock the position of the optical fiber after the optical fiber has been angularly aligned. An optical fiber rotation mechanism is located on the side of the optical fiber locking mechanism opposite to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism, and is used to rotate each optical fiber in sequence to adjust the angle of each optical fiber. The controller is electrically connected to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism, the fiber imaging mechanism, the fiber rotation mechanism, and the fiber locking mechanism, and is used to control each actuator based on the image processing results to achieve automatic alignment and locking of the fiber.

[0006] Optionally, the fiber optic locking mechanism includes: The first fixing seat is located on the side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism that is away from the fiber optic imaging mechanism; A V-groove plate is connected to the first fixed base and has multiple parallel and spaced first V-grooves, which are used to accommodate the optical fiber. A first cover plate is connected to the V-groove plate and is used to press the optical fiber into the first V-groove. A locking cover plate is slidably connected to the V-groove plate and moves relative to the V-groove plate along the direction of the interval between the plurality of first V-grooves, for locking the position of the plurality of optical fibers after the plurality of optical fibers have completed angular alignment. A locking drive assembly, connected to the first fixed base and the locking cover plate, is used to drive the locking cover plate to move relative to the V-groove plate.

[0007] Optionally, the first cover plate is connected to the V-groove plate by magnetic attraction.

[0008] Optionally, there are two locking covers, namely a first locking cover and a second locking cover, with the first locking cover and the second locking cover located on both sides of the first cover.

[0009] Optionally, the first locking cover plate is provided with a first guide groove, and the V-groove plate or the first fixed seat is provided with a first guide rod, the first guide rod being slidably connected in the first guide groove; The second locking cover plate is provided with a second guide groove, and the V-shaped groove plate or the first fixed base is provided with a second guide rod, which is slidably connected in the second guide groove.

[0010] Optionally, the locking drive component includes: A drive motor is connected to the first fixed base; A guide rail is connected to a first fixed base, and the guide rail is provided with a guide groove with an open top. The lead screw is rotatably connected in the guide groove and connected to the motor shaft of the drive motor; The driving component is slidably connected to the guide groove at its bottom and threadedly connected to the lead screw. The top of the driving component is connected to the locking cover plate, and the driving component is used to drive the locking cover plate to move relative to the V-shaped groove plate in a direction away from or close to the V-shaped groove plate.

[0011] Optionally, the fiber optic locking mechanism further includes: A position sensor is disposed on the guide rail and is used to detect the movement position of the drive component relative to the guide rail.

[0012] Optionally, the fiber optic locking mechanism further includes: A central lighting assembly, connected to the first mounting base, is used to illuminate the optical fiber on both the upper and lower sides of the V-groove plate.

[0013] Optionally, the central lighting assembly includes: The upper cover plate is rotatably connected to the first fixed base and is located above the V-groove plate; An upper LED bead is connected to the upper cover plate and is used to illuminate the optical fiber on the upper side of the V-groove plate; The lower base is connected to the first fixed base and is located above the V-groove plate; The lower LED bead is connected to the lower base and is used to illuminate the optical fiber on the underside of the V-groove plate.

[0014] Optionally, the fiber optic rotation mechanism includes: The second fixing seat is located on the side of the optical fiber locking mechanism that is away from the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism; A lower rotating assembly is connected to the second fixed base, and the lower rotating assembly slides relative to the second fixed base along the direction of parallel spacing of the plurality of optical fibers; A rotating fixed base is connected to the lower rotating assembly; The fiber optic card slot is connected to the side of the rotating fixed base away from the lower rotating assembly, and the fiber optic card slot is provided with fiber optic card slots corresponding one-to-one with the plurality of optical fibers. The upper rotating assembly is connected to the second fixed base and located above the fiber optic slot base. It slides relative to the second fixed base along the parallel spacing of the plurality of optical fibers, and the lower rotating assembly moves in the opposite direction to the upper rotating assembly.

[0015] Optionally, the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism includes: The V-groove block is provided with a second V-groove that corresponds one-to-one with each of the multiple optical fibers; The second cover plate is connected to the V-groove block via a second locking member, and the second locking member is threadedly connected to the V-groove block. A vacuum mounting base is connected to the first adjusting base and is provided with screw holes and a first vacuum adsorption hole. The vacuum mounting base is used to vacuum adsorb and fix the V-shaped groove block through the screw holes, and the vacuum mounting base is used to vacuum adsorb and fix the multi-fiber connector through the first vacuum adsorption hole.

[0016] Optionally, The vacuum mounting base is provided with a slot, the position of which corresponds to the position of the first vacuum adsorption hole, and the multi-fiber connector is accommodated in the slot.

[0017] Optionally, the fiber optic imaging mechanism includes: The camera is connected to the second adjustment base; Front lighting panel, connected to the camera; Front lighting LED beads are connected to the front lighting panel.

[0018] The beneficial effects of the polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning device provided in this application are as follows: Compared with the prior art, the polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning device provided in this application uses a mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism to firmly fix the fiber and multi-fiber connectors. Combined with a fiber imaging mechanism that can be adjusted along the X, Y, and Z axes, this application can perform high-resolution imaging of the fiber end face and acquire the cat's eye orientation angle information in real time, thereby accurately detecting and providing feedback on the tilt angle of the fiber end face. The fiber rotation mechanism rotates each fiber at an angle to ensure that the fiber end face maintains the correct orientation. The fiber locking mechanism firmly locks the fiber after the fiber angle alignment is completed. The controller automatically controls the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism, fiber imaging mechanism, fiber rotation mechanism, and fiber locking mechanism based on the image processing results. This eliminates the need for manual adjustment of the cat's eye position during the fiber core-aligning process, improves core-aligning efficiency, reduces human error and batch-to-batch differences, and thus effectively improves the manufacturing efficiency and product performance stability of fiber optic devices. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, 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 this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning device provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the locking mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the locking mechanism provided in an embodiment of this application from another perspective; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the V-groove plate provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first V-groove provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the locking cover plate provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the central lighting assembly provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the rotating mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 1 ; Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the rotating mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 2 ; Figure 10 A schematic diagram of the rotating mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 3 ; Figure 11 A schematic diagram of the rotating mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 4 ; Figure 12 A schematic diagram of the rotating mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application. Figure 5 ; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the rotating cover plate provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fiber optic card slot provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the MT fixing mechanism provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the vacuum fixture provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the camera unit provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0021] The following are the labeling elements in the figure: 10. Workbench; 20. Mechanical insert fixing mechanism; 21. V-groove block; 211. Second V-groove; 22. Second cover plate; 23. Vacuum fixing seat; 231. Screw hole; 232. First vacuum suction hole; 233. Second vacuum suction hole; 234. Insert rod; 235. First slot; 236. Second slot; 24. Second handle; 25. Connecting bracket; 30. First adjusting base; 31. First adjusting seat; 32. Second adjusting seat; 33. Third adjusting seat; 34. First adjusting knob; 35. Second adjusting knob; 36. Third adjusting knob; 40. Fiber optic imaging mechanism; 41. Camera; 42. Front illumination panel; 43. Front illumination LEDs; 50. Fiber optic locking mechanism; 51. First fixed base; 52. V-groove plate; 521. First V-groove; 522. First guide rod; 523. Second guide rod; 53. First cover plate; 531. First handle; 54. Locking cover plate; 54a. First locking cover plate; 54a1. First guide groove; 54b. Second locking cover plate; 54b1. Second guide groove; 55. Locking drive assembly; 55a. First locking drive assembly; 55b. Second locking drive assembly; 551. Drive motor; 552. Guide rail; 553. Drive component; 554. Cylinder rod; 555. Piston rod; 56. Fixed plate; 57. First support base; 58. Position sensor; 59. Central lighting assembly; 591. Upper cover plate; 592. Upper LED bead; 593. Lower base; 594. Lower LED bead; 60. Fiber optic rotation mechanism; 61. Second fixed base; 62. Lower rotation assembly; 621. Lower coarse adjustment module; 6211. Lower coarse adjustment slide; 6212. Lower coarse adjustment support; 6213. Lower coarse adjustment servo motor; 622. Lower fine adjustment module; 6221. Lower fine adjustment fixed base; 6222. Lower fine adjustment slide; 63. Rotating fixed base; 64. Fiber optic slot; 65. Upper rotation assembly; 651. Bracket; 652. Upper coarse adjustment module; 6521. Upper coarse adjustment fixed base; 6522. Upper coarse adjustment slide; 653. Upper fine adjustment module; 6531. Upper fine adjustment fixed base; 6532. Upper fine adjustment slide; 6533. Upper fine adjustment component; 66. Rotating cover plate; 67. Rear lighting assembly; 671. Rear lighting bracket; 672. Rear lighting cover plate; 673. Rear lighting LED; 70. Second adjustment base; 71. Fourth adjustment base; 72. Fifth adjustment base; 73. Sixth adjustment base; 74. First adjustment motor; 75. Second adjustment motor; 76. Fourth adjustment knob. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the technical problems, technical solutions, and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0023] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on or indirectly on that other component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0024] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0025] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0026] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 17 The automatic core-aligning device for polarization-maintaining optical fibers provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described.

[0027] An automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device includes a worktable 10, an MT (Mechanical Transfer or Mechanical Termination, also referred to as an MT connector or multi-fiber connector) fixing mechanism, a fiber imaging mechanism 40, a fiber locking mechanism 50, a fiber rotation mechanism 60, and a controller (not shown).

[0028] In this application, the directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are respectively Figure 1 The directions of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

[0029] The mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20 is provided with a first adjusting base 30, which is connected to the worktable 10. The mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20 moves along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions under the adjustment of the first adjusting base 30. The mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20 is used to fix multiple optical fibers (not shown) and multiple optical fiber connectors (not shown).

[0030] The fiber optic imaging mechanism 40 is connected to the worktable 10 and is located on one side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20. It is provided with a second adjustment base 70 and moves relative to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20 along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions under the adjustment of the second adjustment base 70. The fiber optic imaging mechanism 40 is used to image the end face of the fiber to obtain the cat's eye orientation angle information in the fiber.

[0031] The fiber locking mechanism 50 is connected to the worktable 10 and is located on the other side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20. It is used to lock the position of the fiber after the fiber has been angularly aligned.

[0032] The fiber optic rotation mechanism 60 is connected to the worktable 10 and is located on the side of the fiber optic locking mechanism 50 away from the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20, and is used to rotate each fiber optic cable at an angle.

[0033] The controller is electrically connected to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20, the fiber imaging mechanism 40, the fiber rotation mechanism 60, and the fiber locking mechanism 50, and is used to control each actuator to achieve automatic alignment and locking of the fiber based on the image processing results.

[0034] When adjusting the optical fiber, the multi-fiber connector is fixed on the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20. Then, the multi-fiber connector and multiple optical fibers are sequentially fixed on the optical fiber rotation mechanism 60 and the optical fiber locking mechanism 50, with the ends of the optical fibers facing the optical fiber imaging mechanism 40. At the same time, the second adjustment base 70 is adjusted so that the optical fiber imaging mechanism 40 captures cat-eye images in different optical fibers. The optical fiber imaging mechanism 40 transmits the captured cat-eye images to the controller for identification and calculates the angle that needs to be adjusted. Then, the controller sends a control signal to control the optical fiber rotation mechanism 60 to rotate the optical fiber. After the angle of the optical fiber is adjusted, the controller sends a control signal to control the optical fiber locking mechanism 50 to lock the optical fiber.

[0035] Compared with existing technologies, the polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning equipment provided in this application uses a mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20 to securely fix the fiber and multi-fiber connectors. Combined with a fiber imaging mechanism 40 that can be adjusted along the X, Y, and Z axes, this application can perform high-resolution imaging of the fiber end face and acquire cat's-eye orientation angle information in real time. This allows for accurate detection and feedback of the tilt angle of the fiber end face. The fiber rotation mechanism 60 rotates each fiber at an angle to ensure that the fiber end face maintains the correct orientation. The fiber locking mechanism 50 securely locks the fiber after the fiber angle alignment is completed. The controller automatically controls the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20, the fiber imaging mechanism 40, the fiber rotation mechanism 60, and the fiber locking mechanism 50 based on image processing results. This eliminates the need for manual adjustment of the cat's-eye position during the fiber core-aligning process, improving alignment efficiency, reducing human error and batch-to-batch variations, and effectively improving the manufacturing efficiency and product performance stability of fiber optic devices.

[0036] In this application, the fiber optic locking mechanism 50 includes a first fixed base 51, a V-groove plate 52, a first cover plate 53, a locking cover plate 54, and a locking drive assembly 55.

[0037] Specifically, the lower end of the first fixing seat 51 is connected to the worktable 10 and is located on the side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20 away from the fiber optic imaging mechanism 40. The upper end of the first fixing seat 51 is connected to a fixing plate 56, and a first support seat 57 is provided on the fixing plate 56. The bottom end of the first support seat 57 is connected to the fixing plate 56.

[0038] The V-groove plate 52 is connected to the first fixed base 51 through the first support base 57 and the fixed plate 56, and the V-groove plate 52 is disposed at the top of the first support base 57. The V-groove plate 52 is provided with a plurality of parallel spaced first V-grooves 521, and the first V-grooves 521 are used to accommodate optical fibers.

[0039] The first cover plate 53 is magnetically connected to the side of the V-groove plate 52 opposite to the first fixing seat 51, so as to fix the first cover plate 53 on the V-groove plate 52.

[0040] In this application, the first cover plate 53 is provided with a first handle 531, which facilitates the operator to pick up and put down the first cover plate 53.

[0041] The locking cover plate 54 is slidably connected to the V-groove plate 52, and the locking cover plate 54 moves relative to the V-groove plate 52 along the direction of the multiple first V-grooves 521, for locking the position of the multiple optical fibers after they have been angularly aligned.

[0042] The locking drive assembly 55 is connected to the first fixed base 51 and the first cover plate 53, and is used to drive the locking cover plate 54 to move relative to the V-groove plate 52.

[0043] In this application, there are two locking covers 54, namely a first locking cover 54a and a second locking cover 54b, which are located on both sides of the first cover 53. Multiple optical fibers are simultaneously locked by the first locking cover 54a and the second locking cover 54b.

[0044] When there are two locking covers 54, the corresponding locking drive assembly 55 includes a first locking drive assembly 55a and a second locking drive assembly 55b. The first locking drive assembly 55a and the second locking drive assembly 55b control the first locking cover 54a and the second locking cover 54b separately.

[0045] The first locking drive assembly 55a is used to drive the first locking cover plate 54a to lock the optical fiber, and the second locking drive assembly 55b is used to drive the second locking cover plate 54b to lock the optical fiber.

[0046] In this application, the first locking drive assembly 55a and the second locking drive assembly 55b are symmetrically arranged on the fixed plate 56 about the first support base 57, and the first locking drive assembly 55a and the second locking drive assembly 55b have the same structure, both including a drive motor 551, a guide rail 552, a lead screw (not shown) and a drive component 553.

[0047] Specifically, the drive motor 551 is connected to the fixing plate 56 on the first fixed base 51. The guide rail 552 is connected to the fixing plate 56 on the first fixed base 51, and the guide rail 552 is provided with a guide groove with an open top. The lead screw is rotatably connected in the guide groove and is connected to the motor shaft of the drive motor 551. The bottom of the drive member 553 is slidably connected in the guide groove and is threadedly connected to the lead screw. The top of the drive member 553 is connected to the locking cover plate 54, and the drive member 553 is used to drive the locking cover plate 54 to move relative to the V-shaped groove plate 52 in a direction away from or towards the V-shaped groove plate 52.

[0048] The drive unit 553 is provided with a cylinder rod 554, and a piston rod 555 is slidably connected inside the cylinder. The top end of the piston rod 555 is connected to the locking cover plate 54. Under the drive of the cylinder rod 554, the piston rod 555 moves in extension and retraction relative to the cylinder rod 554, so as to drive the locking cover plate 54 to move relative to the V-shaped groove plate 52 in a direction away from or close to the V-shaped groove plate 52.

[0049] After the angle of the optical fiber is adjusted and clamping is required, the cylinder body drives the piston rod 555 to extend, and the piston rod 555 drives the locking cover plate 54 to move relative to the V-groove plate 52 in a direction away from the V-groove plate 52. Then, the drive motor 551 rotates, and through the wire and drive component 553, it drives the locking cover plate 54 to move relative to the V-groove plate 52 at a preset distance along the direction of multiple multi-fiber spacing. Then, the drive motor 551 stops rotating, the cylinder body drives the piston rod 555 to retract, and the piston rod 555 drives the locking cover plate 54 to move relative to the V-groove plate 52 in a direction closer to the V-groove plate 52, so that the locking cover plate 54 abuts against the optical fiber, thereby locking the optical fiber and preventing it from rotating.

[0050] In this application, a first locking cover plate 54a is provided with a first guide groove 54a1, and a first guide rod 522 is provided on a V-shaped groove plate 52 or a first support base 57. The first guide rod 522 is slidably connected within the first guide groove 54a1 to limit the movement direction of the first locking cover plate 54a relative to the V-shaped groove plate 52. A second locking cover plate 54b is provided with a second guide groove 54b1, and a second guide rod 523 is provided on a V-shaped groove plate 52 or a first support base 57. The second guide rod 523 is slidably connected within the second guide groove 54b1 to limit the movement direction of the first locking cover plate 54a relative to the V-shaped groove plate 52.

[0051] In this application, the fiber optic locking mechanism 50 also includes a position sensor 58, which is disposed on the guide rail 552 and is used to detect the movement position of the drive member 553 relative to the guide rail 552. The position sensor 58 is an infrared sensor or a Hall sensor.

[0052] In this application, the fiber optic locking mechanism 50 also includes a central lighting component 59, which is connected to the first fixed base 51 and is used to illuminate the fiber optic cable on the upper and lower sides of the V-groove plate 52.

[0053] The central lighting assembly 59 includes an upper cover plate 591, an upper LED 592, a lower base 593, and a lower LED 594.

[0054] Specifically, the upper cover plate 591 is rotatably connected to the first fixed base 51 and located above the V-groove plate 52. The upper LED bead 592 is connected to the upper cover plate 591 and is used to illuminate the optical fiber on the upper side of the V-groove plate 52. The lower base 593 is connected to the first fixed base 51 and is located above the V-groove plate 52. The lower LED bead 594 is connected to the lower base 593 and is used to illuminate the optical fiber on the lower side of the V-groove plate 52. Both the upper LED bead 592 and the lower LED bead 594 emit blue light to improve the clarity of the "cat's eye" effect in the optical fiber.

[0055] In this application, the fiber optic rotation mechanism 60 includes a second fixed base 61, a lower rotation component 62, a rotation fixed base 63, a fiber optic slot base 64, and an upper rotation component 65.

[0056] The second fixing base 61 is disposed on the side of the fiber optic locking mechanism 50 opposite to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism 20. The lower rotating assembly 62 is connected to the second fixing base 61 and slides relative to the second fixing base 61 along the parallel spacing of the multiple optical fibers. The rotating fixing base 63 is connected to the lower rotating assembly 62, and the fiber optic slot base 64 is connected to the side of the rotating fixing base 63 opposite to the lower rotating assembly 62, and the fiber optic slot base 64 is provided with fiber optic slots 641 corresponding one-to-one with the multiple optical fibers. The upper rotating assembly 65 is connected to the second fixing base 61 and is located above the fiber optic slot base 64, and slides relative to the second fixing base 61 along the parallel spacing of the multiple optical fibers, and the movement direction of the lower rotating assembly 62 is opposite to that of the upper rotating assembly 65.

[0057] Specifically, the lower rotating assembly 62 includes a lower coarse adjustment module 621 and a lower fine adjustment module 622. The lower coarse adjustment module 621 is connected to the second fixed base 61, and the lower fine adjustment module 622 is connected to the side of the lower coarse adjustment module 621 opposite to the second fixed base 61. The rotating fixed base 63 is connected to the side of the lower fine adjustment module 622 opposite to the lower coarse adjustment module 621. The upper rotating assembly 65 includes a bracket 651, an upper coarse adjustment module 652, and an upper fine adjustment module 653. The bracket 651 is connected to the second fixed base 61, the lower fine adjustment module 622 is connected to the side of the lower coarse adjustment module 621 opposite to the second fixed base 61, and the rotating fixed base 63 is connected to the side of the lower fine adjustment module 622 opposite to the lower coarse adjustment module 621.

[0058] The lower coarse adjustment module 621 includes a lower coarse adjustment slide 6211, a lower coarse adjustment support 6212, and a lower coarse adjustment servo motor 6213. The lower coarse adjustment slide 6211 is connected to the second fixed base 61, and the lower coarse adjustment support 6212 is slidably connected to the lower coarse adjustment slide 6211. The lower coarse adjustment motor drives the lower coarse adjustment support 6212 to slide relative to the lower coarse adjustment slide 6211 at a first preset distance via a lead screw. The lower fine adjustment module 622 is a linear module, including a lower fine adjustment fixed base 6221 and a lower fine adjustment slide 6222. The lower fine adjustment fixed base 6221 is connected to the lower coarse adjustment support 6212, and the servo motor in the lower fine adjustment module 622 is configured to drive the lower fine adjustment slide 6222 to slide relative to the lower fine adjustment fixed base 6221 at a second preset distance. A rotating fixed base 63 is connected to the lower fine adjustment slide 6222.

[0059] The upper coarse adjustment module 652 includes an upper coarse adjustment fixing base 6521, an upper coarse adjustment slide 6522, and an upper coarse adjustment servo motor 6523. The upper coarse adjustment fixing base 6521 is connected to the bracket 651, and the upper coarse adjustment slide 6522 is slidably connected to the upper coarse adjustment fixing base 6521. The upper coarse adjustment motor drives the upper coarse adjustment slide 6522 to slide relative to the upper coarse adjustment fixing base 6521 at a first preset distance via a lead screw. The upper fine adjustment module 653 is also a linear module. The upper fine adjustment module 653 includes an upper fine adjustment fixing base 6531, an upper fine adjustment slide 6532, and an upper fine adjustment component 6533. The upper fine adjustment fixing base 6531 is connected to the upper coarse adjustment slide 6522, the rotating fixing base 63 is connected to the lower fine adjustment slide 6222, and the upper fine adjustment component 6533 is connected to the upper fine adjustment slide 6532, and the upper fine adjustment component 6533 abuts against the upper end of the optical fiber. The servo motor in the upper fine-tuning module 653 is configured to drive the upper fine-tuning slide 6532 to slide at a second preset interval.

[0060] When the lower coarse adjustment module 621 drives the rotating fixed base 63 and the fiber optic slot base 64 to move at a first preset interval through the lower fine adjustment module 622, the fiber optic cable rotates at a first rotation angle to perform coarse adjustment of the fiber optic cable from below. When the lower fine adjustment module 622 drives the rotating fixed base 63 and the fiber optic slot base 64 to move at a second preset interval, the fiber optic cable rotates at a second rotation angle to perform fine adjustment of the fiber optic cable from below.

[0061] When the upper coarse adjustment module 652 drives the upper fine adjustment component 6533 to move at a first preset interval via the upper fine adjustment module 653, the optical fiber rotates at a first rotation angle to perform coarse adjustment of the optical fiber above it. When the upper fine adjustment module 653 drives the upper fine adjustment component 6533 to move at a second preset interval, the optical fiber rotates at a second rotation angle to perform fine adjustment of the optical fiber above it. The first angle is greater than the second angle.

[0062] The first preset spacing is greater than the second preset spacing, and the first preset spacing is 2 micrometers and the second preset spacing is 0.05 micrometers.

[0063] It should be noted that when adjusting the angle of the optical fiber, the fiber is first coarsely adjusted using the lower coarse adjustment component and the upper coarse adjustment component, and then finely adjusted using the lower fine adjustment component and the upper fine adjustment component.

[0064] In this application, the upper coarse adjustment module 652 and the upper fine adjustment module 653 are not only used for coarse and fine adjustment of the optical fiber above the optical fiber by the upper fine adjustment component 6533, but also used to drive the upper fine adjustment component 6533 to move along the parallel interval direction of the optical fibers, so that the upper fine adjustment component 6533 moves to the top of different optical fibers and abuts against them.

[0065] When adjusting multiple optical fibers, the multiple optical fibers are adjusted sequentially. That is, when the upper fine adjustment component 6533 abuts against the upper end of any optical fiber, after completing the coarse and fine adjustment of that optical fiber, it moves to the top of the adjacent optical fiber to abut against it for coarse and fine adjustment.

[0066] In this application, there are two fiber optic card slots 64, which are parallel and spaced apart along the length of the fiber.

[0067] The fiber optic card slot 64 is provided with a detachable rotating cover plate 66. One end of the rotating cover plate 66 is rotatably connected to the fiber optic card slot 64, and the rotating cover plate 66 and the fiber optic card slot 64 are fixed by magnetic attraction. There are two rotating cover plates 66, which are parallel and spaced apart along the length of the fiber optic cable, and the two rotating cover plates 66 correspond one-to-one with the two fiber optic card slots 64. The rotating cover plate 66 is used to press multiple fibers into the corresponding fiber optic card slots 641.

[0068] In this application, the fiber optic rotation mechanism 60 also includes a rear lighting assembly 67.

[0069] The rear lighting assembly 67 includes a rear lighting bracket 671, a rear lighting cover plate 672, and a rear lighting lamp 673. The rear lighting bracket 671 is connected to the bracket 651, the rear lighting cover plate 672 is rotatably connected to the rear lighting bracket 671, and the rear lighting lamp 673 is connected to the rear lighting cover plate 672. The rear lighting assembly 67 is used to illuminate the part of the optical fiber located in the optical fiber rotation mechanism 60. The light source emitted by the rear lighting lamp 673 is also blue light.

[0070] In this application, the mechanical insert fixing mechanism 20 includes a V-groove block 21, a second cover plate 22, and a vacuum fixing seat 23.

[0071] Specifically, the V-groove block 21 has a number of second V-grooves 211 corresponding to the number of optical fibers. The second cover plate 22 is magnetically connected to the V-groove block 21, and the second cover plate 22 has a second handle 24 for easy handling by the operator. The vacuum mounting base 23 is connected to the first adjusting base 30 and has screw holes 231, a first vacuum adsorption hole 232, and a second vacuum adsorption hole 233. The V-groove block 21 is connected to the screw holes 231 by bolts to achieve a fixed connection with the vacuum mounting base 23. The vacuum mounting base 23 is used to vacuum adsorb and fix the multi-fiber connector through the first vacuum adsorption hole 232.

[0072] The vacuum mounting base 23 is connected to an external vacuum generator, and the vacuum mounting base 23 is provided with a plug rod 234. When the plug rod 234 is inserted into the first vacuum adsorption hole 232 or the second vacuum adsorption hole 233, it is used to control the first vacuum adsorption hole 232 or the second vacuum adsorption hole 233 to disconnect from the vacuum generator.

[0073] In this application, the vacuum mounting base 23 is provided with a first slot 235 and a second slot 236. The position of the first slot 235 corresponds to the position of the first vacuum adsorption hole 232, and the position of the second slot 236 corresponds to the position of the second vacuum adsorption hole 233. The size of the second slot 236 is larger than that of the first slot 235, so that the vacuum mounting base 23 can vacuum adsorb multi-fiber connectors of different specifications.

[0074] It should be noted that when the multi-fiber connector is housed in the first slot 235, the insertion rod 234 is inserted into the second vacuum adsorption hole 233. When a multi-fiber connector of another specification is housed in the second slot 236, the insertion rod 234 is inserted into the first vacuum adsorption hole 232.

[0075] In this application, the first adjusting base 30 includes a first adjusting seat 31, a second adjusting seat 32, and a third adjusting seat 33. The second adjusting seat 32 is slidably connected to the first adjusting seat 31 and slides relative to the first adjusting seat 31 along the X-axis. The third adjusting seat 33 is connected to the second adjusting seat 32 and slides relative to the second adjusting seat 32 along the Z-axis. The vacuum fixing seat 23 is connected to the third adjusting seat 33 via a connecting bracket 25, and the connecting bracket slides relative to the third adjusting seat 33 along the Y-axis. The first adjusting seat 31 is provided with a first adjusting knob 34, the second adjusting seat 32 is provided with a second adjusting knob 35, and the third adjusting seat 33 is provided with a third adjusting knob 36. The first adjusting knob 34 is configured to drive the second adjusting seat 32 to slide along the X-axis, the second adjusting knob 35 is configured to drive the third adjusting seat 33 to slide along the Z-axis, and the third adjusting knob 36 is configured to drive the connecting bracket 25 to slide along the Y-axis.

[0076] In this application, the fiber optic imaging mechanism 40 includes a camera 41, a front illumination panel 42, and front illumination LEDs 43.

[0077] Camera 41 is connected to the second adjustment base 70. Camera 41 is an industrial camera used to image the end face of the optical fiber to obtain the cat's eye orientation angle information and transmit this information to the controller. A front illumination board 42 is connected to camera 41. Front illumination LED beads 43 are connected to the front illumination board 42. The light emitted by the front illumination LED beads 43 is white light, used to illuminate the end face of the optical fiber, enabling camera 41 to obtain a clear image of the fiber end face, thus facilitating the operator's inspection of the fiber end face for contaminants.

[0078] In this application, the second adjustment base 70 includes a fourth adjustment base 71, a fifth adjustment base 72, and a sixth adjustment base 73. The fifth adjustment base 72 is slidably connected to the fourth adjustment base 71, the sixth adjustment base 73 is connected to the fifth adjustment base 72, and the camera 41 is connected to the sixth adjustment base 73. The fourth adjustment base 71 slides relative to the worktable 10 along the Y-axis direction to facilitate the camera 41 focusing on the end face of the optical fiber. The fifth adjustment base 72 slides relative to the fourth adjustment base 71 along the X-axis direction to facilitate the camera 41 acquiring image information of the end face of the optical fiber in the X-axis direction, and the sixth adjustment base 73 drives the camera 41 to slide along the Z-axis direction to facilitate the camera 41 acquiring image information of the end face of the optical fiber in the Z-axis direction. The fourth adjustment seat 71 is provided with a first adjustment motor 74, the fifth adjustment seat 72 is provided with a second adjustment motor 75, and the sixth adjustment seat 73 is provided with a fourth adjustment knob 76. The first adjustment motor 74 is configured to drive the fourth adjustment seat 71 to slide along the Y-axis direction, the second adjustment motor 75 is configured to drive the fifth adjustment seat 72 to slide along the Y-axis direction, and the fourth adjustment knob 76 is configured to drive the sixth adjustment seat 73 and the camera 41 to slide along the Z-axis direction.

[0079] In this application, the polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning device also includes a light source control unit 80, which is connected to the worktable 10 and electrically connected to the front lighting lamp 43, the middle lighting assembly 59 and the rear lighting assembly 67, for unified control of the front lighting lamp 43, the middle lighting assembly 59 and the rear lighting assembly 67 throughout the entire fiber alignment and locking process.

[0080] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. An automatic core-aligning device for polarization-maintaining optical fibers, characterized in that, include: The mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism is provided with a first adjusting base and moves along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions under the adjustment of the first adjusting base. The mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism is used to fix multiple optical fibers and multi-fiber connectors. A fiber optic imaging mechanism is disposed on one side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism and is provided with a second adjustment base. Under the adjustment of the second adjustment base, the mechanism moves relative to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions. The fiber optic imaging mechanism is used to image the end face of the fiber to obtain the cat's eye orientation angle information in the fiber. An optical fiber locking mechanism is located on the other side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism and is used to lock the position of the optical fiber after the optical fiber has been angularly aligned. An optical fiber rotation mechanism is located on the side of the optical fiber locking mechanism opposite to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism, and is used to rotate each optical fiber in sequence to adjust the angle of each optical fiber. The controller is electrically connected to the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism, the fiber imaging mechanism, the fiber rotation mechanism, and the fiber locking mechanism, and is used to control each actuator based on the image processing results to achieve automatic alignment and locking of the fiber.

2. The automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fiber optic locking mechanism includes: The first fixing seat is located on the side of the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism that is away from the fiber optic imaging mechanism; A V-groove plate is connected to the first fixed base and has multiple parallel and spaced first V-grooves, which are used to accommodate the optical fiber. A first cover plate is connected to the V-groove plate and is used to press the optical fiber into the first V-groove. A locking cover plate is slidably connected to the V-groove plate and moves relative to the V-groove plate along the direction of the interval between the plurality of first V-grooves, for locking the position of the plurality of optical fibers after the plurality of optical fibers have completed angular alignment. A locking drive assembly, connected to the first fixed base and the locking cover plate, is used to drive the locking cover plate to move relative to the V-groove plate.

3. The polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first cover plate is connected to the V-groove plate by magnetic attraction.

4. The polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The number of locking covers is two, namely a first locking cover and a second locking cover, with the first locking cover and the second locking cover located on both sides of the first cover.

5. The polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first locking cover plate is provided with a first guide groove, and the V-shaped groove plate or the first fixed base is provided with a first guide rod, the first guide rod being slidably connected in the first guide groove; The second locking cover plate is provided with a second guide groove, and the V-shaped groove plate or the first fixed base is provided with a second guide rod, which is slidably connected in the second guide groove.

6. The polarization-maintaining fiber automatic core-aligning device according to claim 5, characterized in that, The locking drive component includes: A drive motor is connected to the first fixed base; A guide rail is connected to a first fixed base, and the guide rail is provided with a guide groove with an open top. The lead screw is rotatably connected in the guide groove and connected to the motor shaft of the drive motor; The driving component is slidably connected to the guide groove at its bottom and threadedly connected to the lead screw. The top of the driving component is connected to the locking cover plate, and the driving component is used to drive the locking cover plate to move relative to the V-shaped groove plate in a direction away from or close to the V-shaped groove plate.

7. The automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device according to claim 6, characterized in that, The fiber optic locking mechanism further includes: A position sensor is disposed on the guide rail and is used to detect the movement position of the drive component relative to the guide rail.

8. The automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device according to claim 7, characterized in that, The fiber optic locking mechanism further includes: A central lighting assembly, connected to the first mounting base, is used to illuminate the optical fiber on both the upper and lower sides of the V-groove plate.

9. The automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device according to claim 8, characterized in that, The central lighting assembly includes: The upper cover plate is rotatably connected to the first fixed base and is located above the V-groove plate; An upper LED bead is connected to the upper cover plate and is used to illuminate the optical fiber on the upper side of the V-groove plate; The lower base is connected to the first fixed base and is located above the V-groove plate; The lower LED bead is connected to the lower base and is used to illuminate the optical fiber on the underside of the V-groove plate.

10. The automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The optical fiber rotation mechanism includes: The second fixing seat is located on the side of the optical fiber locking mechanism that is away from the mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism; A lower rotating assembly is connected to the second fixed base, and the lower rotating assembly slides relative to the second fixed base along the direction of parallel spacing of the plurality of optical fibers; A rotating fixed base is connected to the lower rotating assembly; The fiber optic card slot is connected to the side of the rotating fixed base away from the lower rotating assembly, and the fiber optic card slot is provided with fiber optic card slots corresponding one-to-one with the plurality of optical fibers. The upper rotating assembly is connected to the second fixed base and is located above the fiber optic slot base. It slides relative to the second fixed base along the parallel spacing of the plurality of optical fibers, and the lower rotating assembly moves in the opposite direction to the upper rotating assembly.

11. The automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The mechanical ferrule fixing mechanism includes: The V-groove block is provided with a second V-groove that corresponds one-to-one with each of the multiple optical fibers; The second cover plate is connected to the V-groove block via a second locking member, and the second locking member is threadedly connected to the V-groove block. A vacuum mounting base is connected to the first adjusting base and is provided with screw holes and a first vacuum adsorption hole. The vacuum mounting base is used to vacuum adsorb and fix the V-shaped groove block through the screw holes, and the vacuum mounting base is used to vacuum adsorb and fix the multi-fiber connector through the first vacuum adsorption hole.

12. The automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The vacuum mounting base is provided with a slot, the position of which corresponds to the position of the first vacuum adsorption hole, and the multi-fiber connector is accommodated in the slot.

13. The automatic polarization-maintaining fiber core-aligning device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fiber optic imaging mechanism includes: The camera is connected to the second adjustment base; Front lighting panel, connected to the camera; Front lighting LED beads are connected to the front lighting panel.

Images