Coating jig and optical fiber connector

Abstract

The utility model discloses a coating jig which comprises a coating blocking needle and a clamping frame, the coating blocking needle is provided with a coating blocking needle body, the coating blocking needle body is cylindrical, one end of the coating blocking needle body is an umbrella-shaped part, the diameter of the umbrella-shaped part is larger than that of a needle guide hole to be shielded, the coating blocking needle body is provided with a clamping groove, and the clamping frame is arranged in the clamping groove. The clamping groove is formed in the portion, relatively exposed out of the insertion core, of the other end of the film coating blocking needle body, the clamping frame can be fixedly connected with the clamping groove in a clamped mode, and the film coating blocking needle is prevented from being separated from the insertion core. According to the utility model, the umbrella-shaped part is used for shielding the needle guide hole, the purpose that a coating material cannot enter the needle guide hole during vacuum coating is achieved, the shielding mode does not introduce dirt to influence an optical fiber in the insertion core, and meanwhile, the fixing component is used for fixing the clamping groove in the coating baffle needle, so that the coating baffle needle is prevented from being separated from the front end of the insertion core.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of optical fiber connectors and optical fiber connector manufacturing, in particular to a coating jig and an optical fiber connector. Background Art

[0002] The non-contact MPO fiber optic connector is coated with an anti-reflection film on the fiber end face, and all fiber end faces are lower than the surface of the connector plastic ferrule. The anti-reflection film can prevent multiple reflections of light, and the fiber end face is lower than the ferrule surface, which can ensure that the fiber end face is not damaged during docking.

[0003] Multi-core fiber optic ferrules usually achieve precise docking between two ferrules by passing a guide pin through the guide pin hole on the ferrule.

[0004] The existing anti-reflection film coating process often uses vacuum coating. After grinding and polishing the ferrule assembly, the coating material is deposited on the surface of the optical fiber and the ferrule surface to form an anti-reflection film layer. The inventor found that when the guide pin hole is not shielded, the coating material will enter the guide pin hole and adhere to the inside of the guide pin hole, causing the hole diameter to become smaller, and finally causing the guide pin to be unable to enter, causing the optical fiber connector to fail.

[0005] In the prior art, the first shielding method is the shielding sheet solution (Solution 1), see Figure 1A In this scheme, the ferrule 1 is first ground, then cleaned to remove the residual substances produced by grinding, and then the shielding sheet is installed, exposing only the optical fiber area 11 to be sprayed, and the front surface of the ferrule and the guide hole 12 are shielded by the shielding sheet 1a, and then the coating process is carried out. This scheme allows the coating to be applied only to the end face and surrounding of the optical fiber, but at this time, the process of installing the shielding sheet may introduce dirt (such as dust particles, etc.), and local cleaning needs to be performed again. However, due to the presence of the shielding sheet, it is easy to cause inadequate local cleaning. At this time, it becomes extremely difficult to completely ensure the cleanliness of the ferrule end face.

[0006] When solution 1 is not ideal, we consider solution 2, see Figure 1B , use the guide pin 13 to directly pass through the ferrule from the guide hole 12 behind the ferrule 1 - in this way, there is no problem of dirt introduced by the shielding sheet in solution 1, and the optical fiber is not blocked around, which is particularly convenient for cleaning. However, this solution also has the following two problems.

[0007] 1) The coated needle stopper cannot be reused multiple times

[0008] The guide pin 13 will protrude from the front surface of the ferrule, so during the coating process, a layer of film will be attached to the protruding part of the guide pin 13, and the film will become thicker and thicker. After several coatings, it will exceed the diameter of the guide pin hole. When the guide pin 13 is removed, the protruding part of the guide pin will scratch and damage the guide pin hole, resulting in a decrease in the accuracy of the ferrule docking. At this time, the guide pin cannot be used again. Therefore, there is a problem that the guide pin cannot be reused very many times.

[0009] 2) Affecting the accuracy of the guide pin hole

[0010] Since there is a gap between the guide pin and the guide pin hole, the coating material will enter the gap and deposit to form a thin film 14. The thin film 14 will still affect the accuracy of the guide pin hole to a certain extent.

[0011] Option 3, see Figure 1C In order to completely solve the problem of coating material entering the guide pin hole, the inventor designed a plastic needle stopper. The main body of the needle stopper is columnar, and one end of the columnar main body has a cap-like structure. The cap-like structure can fit the front surface of the ferrule. The cap-like structure is larger than the guide pin hole, so the coating material cannot enter the guide pin hole. The other end is composed of a prismatic fork that can be compressed to a certain extent. When the plastic needle stopper enters the guide pin hole, the prismatic fork is compressed. After the prismatic fork passes through the guide pin hole, it reopens and clamps the rear surface of the ferrule to fix it. However, this solution also has many problems.

[0012] 1) The plastic needle stopper is easy to fall off

[0013] The prismatic fork and the core are fixed by friction. Due to the high temperature environment of vacuum coating, the plastic will soften and there is a risk of falling off. After falling off, the prismatic fork may fall into the high-temperature coating material crucible in the coating equipment, which may contaminate the crucible and the inner wall of the coating equipment at the very least, and may explode at the worst, posing a serious safety problem.

[0014] 2) Small size makes it impossible to achieve

[0015] For the guide hole with a diameter of 0.55 mm, the corresponding stopper needle is too thin and the prismatic bifurcation cannot be achieved.

[0016] Therefore, a new coating process is urgently needed to prevent the film layer from entering the guide hole during coating. Utility Model Content

[0017] The utility model provides a core ferrule coating jig, a coating method and an optical fiber connector, so as to solve the problem that a film layer enters into a guide pin hole of a core ferrule component during coating, thus making it impossible for the guide pin to enter.

[0018] In the first aspect, the utility model provides a coating jig for shielding the guide pin hole of a plug core, comprising a coating stopper needle and a clamping frame, the coating stopper needle having a coating stopper needle body, the coating stopper needle body being cylindrical, one end of the coating stopper needle body being an umbrella-shaped portion, the diameter of the umbrella-shaped portion being larger than the diameter of the guide pin hole to be shielded, a clamping slot being provided on the coating stopper needle body, the clamping slot being provided at the portion of the other end of the coating stopper needle body exposed relative to the plug core, the clamping frame being able to be clamped and fixed to the clamping slot to prevent the coating stopper needle from detaching from the plug core.

[0019] Furthermore, the card frame has a bayonet, the bayonet is elastic, and the bayonet is fixedly connected to the card slot.

[0020] Furthermore, the bayonet is a structure with a large semicircular arc.

[0021] Furthermore, the umbrella-shaped portion includes a bottom contact surface and a top, the contact surface contacts the front surface of the ferrule, the top is the umbrella-shaped portion disposed away from the ferrule, and the relationship between the distance h between the contact surface and the top and the diameter D of the umbrella-shaped portion satisfies: H / D=0.2~0.6.

[0022] In the second aspect, the utility model provides a fiber optic connector, including a ferrule assembly, the ferrule assembly including a ferrule body, a plurality of fiber holes and a plurality of guide pin holes are provided in the ferrule body, optical fibers are provided in the fiber holes, the ferrule body has a front surface, the end face of the optical fiber terminates near the front surface, the end face of the optical fiber is recessed relative to the front surface, there is an unblocked area on the front surface, an anti-reflection film layer is coated in the unblocked area, a first area is provided on the front surface, the first area is provided around the guide pin holes, and there is no anti-reflection film layer in the first area.

[0023] Furthermore, there is a second area between the first area and the unblocked area, and the second area is coated with an uneven anti-reflection film layer.

[0024] Furthermore, the first area is annular.

[0025] Furthermore, the area ratio of the first region to the front surface is 0.05 to 0.8.

[0026] Beneficial Effects

[0027] When the coating fixture of the ferrule assembly provided by the utility model is used, the coating stopper needle is arranged inside the guide pin hole, and the guide pin hole is shielded by the umbrella-shaped part, and then the card slot on the coating stopper needle is locked by a fixing member to prevent the coating stopper needle from being separated from the front end of the ferrule. Such a coating solution has the following advantages:

[0028] 1) Only the guide pin hole is covered, and no new dirt, such as dust, will be introduced during the installation process to affect the optical fiber in the ferrule, thus avoiding the problem of the contaminated optical fiber needing to be cleaned again and simplifying the coating process.

[0029] 2) During the entire coating process, the coating material will be deposited on the outer surface of the umbrella-shaped part of the coating stopper needle, which will not affect the assembly of the coating stopper needle and the guide needle hole. Therefore, this type of coating stopper needle can be used many times to avoid wasting the coating stopper needle.

[0030] 3) The fixing member is fixedly engaged with the card slot on the coated stopper needle, and the mechanical card connection is firm, which can effectively prevent the coated stopper needle from being separated from the front end of the ferrule. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the utility model, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the utility model will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0032] Figure 1A It is a structural schematic diagram of a shielding sheet solution in the prior art;

[0033] Figure 1B It is a structural schematic diagram of a solution in which a guide needle blocks a guide hole;

[0034] Figure 1C It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a self-fixing plastic stopper needle;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the ferrule coating fixture of the utility model;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the coated needle stopper in Example 1 of the utility model;

[0037] Figure 4 It is a schematic structural diagram of a coated needle stopper in another embodiment of the utility model;

[0038] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A partial enlarged view of the middle coating needle stopper B area;

[0039] Figure 6 is a flow chart of the coating method in Example 1;

[0040] Figure 7 is a schematic structural diagram of the front surface of the ferrule after coating in Example 2;

[0041] Figure 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the front surface of the ferrule in another embodiment;

[0042] Fig. 9 yes Figure 8 A local schematic diagram near the middle guide pin hole.

[0043] Description of reference numerals:

[0044] 1. Insert core; 11. Optical fiber area; 12. Guide hole; 1a. Blocking piece; 13. Guide pin; 14. Film; 200. Coating fixture; 21. Coating stop pin; 211. Coating stop pin body; 212. Umbrella-shaped part; 213. Card slot; 214. Contact surface; 215. Top; 22. Card holder; 23. Insert core body; 231. Optical fiber hole; 232. Guide pin hole; 233. Unblocked area; 234. First area; 235. Second area. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects solved by the utility model more clear, the utility model is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described here are only used to explain the utility model and are not used to limit the utility model.

[0046] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "radial", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0047] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installation", "connection" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or it can be indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0048] The ferrule coating fixture, coating method and optical fiber connector of the present invention are described below.

[0049] Example 1

[0050] In view of the problems existing in the above-mentioned solutions, the inventor has redesigned a new technical solution.

[0051] This embodiment provides a coating fixture 200 for shielding the pin guide hole of the ferrule, see Figure 2-Figure 5 , including a coated needle stopper 21 and a clamping frame 22. The coated needle stopper 21 has a coated needle stopper body 211. The coated needle stopper body 211 is cylindrical. One end of the coated needle stopper body 211 is an umbrella-shaped portion 212. The diameter of the umbrella-shaped portion 212 is larger than the diameter of the guide needle hole to be shielded. A clamping slot 213 is provided on the coated needle stopper body 211. The clamping slot 213 is provided at the part of the other end of the coated needle stopper body exposed to the plug core. The clamping frame 22 can be clamped and fixed with the clamping slot 213 to prevent the coated needle stopper from detaching from the plug core.

[0052] The cross-sectional shape of the coating needle body is not limited, and can be a polygon, rectangle, circle, etc. In this example, the coating needle is designed to be cylindrical for the convenience of production and processing.

[0053] This solution of shielding the guide pin hole has the following advantages:

[0054] On the one hand, by setting the coating stopper needle inside the guide pin hole and shielding the guide pin hole through the umbrella-shaped part, the coating material cannot enter the guide pin hole during vacuum coating. On the one hand, this shielding method will not introduce new dirt to affect the optical fiber in the core, thus avoiding the problem of the contaminated optical fiber needing to be cleaned again.

[0055] Secondly, during the entire coating process, the coating material will be deposited on the outer surface of the umbrella-shaped portion of the coating stopper needle, which will not affect the assembly of the coating stopper needle and the guide pin hole. Therefore, this type of coating stopper needle can be used many times to avoid wasting the coating stopper needle.

[0056] Thirdly, the fixing member is fixed to the card slot on the coated stopper needle by card connection, and the mechanical card connection is firm, which can effectively prevent the coated stopper needle from detaching from the front end of the ferrule.

[0057] In another embodiment, the bracket has a snap-in which is elastic and is snap-fitted and fixed to the slot 213. More specifically, the snap-in is a structure with a large semicircular arc.

[0058] The elastic arc-shaped bayonet design is simple and easy to use. When fixing the card frame and the coated stopper needle, only slight force is required to push the card slot on the coated stopper needle into the bayonet and achieve mechanical fixation.

[0059] In another embodiment, each coating stopper pin has two card slots 213 , and the card frame also has two corresponding card ports, and the two card slots 213 are respectively fixedly connected with the two card ports.

[0060] In another embodiment, the bracket 22 is in contact with the back of the ferrule body 23 , so that the ferrule coating fixture 200 is completely fixed to the ferrule body 23 , further improving the shielding stability of the ferrule coating fixture.

[0061] The umbrella-shaped portion 212 includes a contact surface 214 at the bottom and a top portion 215. The contact surface 214 contacts the front surface of the plug body 23. The top portion 215 is the portion of the umbrella-shaped portion 213 away from the plug body 23. The distance between the contact surface 214 and the top portion 215 is h. The umbrella-shaped portion 212 with a certain height can form an uneven film layer near the coated stopper needle 21. The closer to the umbrella-shaped portion 212, the thinner the film layer. In this way, when the coated stopper needle 21 is disassembled, the umbrella-shaped portion 212 will be separated from the front surface of the plug body 23, and the remaining film layer on the front surface of the plug body 23 will not be seriously damaged, and the stability of the remaining film layer on the front surface of the plug can be retained to a large extent.

[0062] According to the inventor's research, the relationship between the distance h between the contact surface 214 and the top 215 and the diameter D of the umbrella-shaped portion satisfies: h / D=0.2-0.6, that is, the effect of forming an uneven film layer near the coating stopper needle 21 can be achieved. Specifically, in this embodiment, h=0.25mm, D=0.7mm.

[0063] See also Figure 6 When the ferrule coating fixture in this embodiment is used for shielding, the coating method for the ferrule assembly is as follows:

[0064] S1 Differential Polishing: The fiber optic ferrule assembly is polished to obtain a smooth surface on the front surface of the ferrule, and the end face of the optical fiber terminates near the front surface of the ferrule, and the end face of the optical fiber is recessed relative to the front surface of the ferrule.

[0065] After differentiated polishing, depending on the grinding time, the end face of the optical fiber can generally be recessed 2-10um from the front end face of the ferrule. The recessed distance is determined by the design requirements of the product.

[0066] S2 cleaning: The ferrule assembly is subjected to processes such as decontamination, clean water cleaning, deionized water cleaning, and dehydration.

[0067] The cleaning process is generally completed in an ultrasonic cleaning machine. Ultrasonic vibrations can help running water quickly remove contaminants and avoid the ferrule assembly being cleaned for too long. Detergents or solvents are adsorbed into the polymer structure of the ferrule, causing it to expand. On the one hand, this affects the size. On the other hand, the expansion and deformation of the polymer structure may cause cracking during drying.

[0068] S3 loading: Install the coated stopper needle and the clamp, insert the coated stopper needle into the guide pin hole from the front end of the ferrule until the clamping groove is exposed at the rear end of the ferrule, and then clamp it with the clamp.

[0069] S4 coating: Place the ferrule assembly into the coating tray, and then place the vacuum coating tray equipment into the vacuum coating equipment for vacuum coating.

[0070] S5 material removal: remove the coated ferrule, remove the coated stopper needle, and the coating is completed.

[0071] In another embodiment, in step S4, after the vacuum coating tray is loaded into the vacuum coating device, the front surface of the ferrule assembly and the surface of the optical fiber are subjected to glow discharge bombardment and radiation treatment. This treatment can not only make the front surface of the ferrule and the end face of the optical fiber micro-rough, but also cause surface activation and cross-linking. The cross-linking effect is beneficial to the coating surface, which can increase the surface strength of the polymer and reduce the harmful low molecular content.

[0072] Example 2

[0073] The present embodiment provides an optical fiber connector, which is manufactured by using the ferrule coating fixture and coating method of the first embodiment.

[0074] The optical fiber connector includes a ferrule assembly, which includes a ferrule body 23, in which a plurality of optical fibers 231 and a plurality of guide pin holes 232 are arranged, and optical fibers are arranged in the optical fiber holes 231. The ferrule body 23 has a front surface, and the end face of the optical fiber terminates near the front surface. The end face of the optical fiber is recessed relative to the front surface, see Figure 7 There is an unblocked area 233 on the front surface, and a uniform anti-reflection film layer is coated in the unblocked area 233. A first area 234 is arranged on the front surface, and the first area 234 is arranged around the guide pin hole 232. There is no anti-reflection film layer in the first area 234.

[0075] In another embodiment, see Figure 8 There is a second area 235 between the first area 234 and the unblocked area 233, and an uneven anti-reflection film layer is coated on the second area 235. The second area 235 is formed because the umbrella-shaped portion with a certain height can form an uneven film layer near the coating stopper needle, see Fig. 9 The closer to the umbrella-shaped part, the thinner the membrane layer.

[0076] The uneven film layer in the second area 235 can prevent serious damage to the film layer on the front surface of the ferrule during the process of the umbrella-shaped portion detaching from the front surface of the ferrule when the coated stopper is removed, and can largely retain the stability of the remaining film layer on the front surface of the ferrule.

[0077] In another embodiment, the first area 234 is annular. There is no specific requirement for the shape of the first area 234, as long as it can completely surround the guide needle hole.

[0078] In another embodiment, the area ratio of the first region 234 to the front surface of the ferrule is 0.05-0.8.

[0079] The embodiments described above are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, rather than to limit the same. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments may still be modified, or some of the technical features may be replaced by equivalents. Such modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, and should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A coating fixture, used for shielding a ferrule guide pin hole, characterized in that: It includes a coated needle stopper and a clamping frame, the coated needle stopper has a coated needle stopper body, the coated needle stopper body is cylindrical, one end of the coated needle stopper body is an umbrella-shaped portion, the diameter of the umbrella-shaped portion is larger than the diameter of the guide pin hole to be shielded, and a clamping slot is provided on the coated needle stopper body, the clamping slot is provided at the part of the other end of the coated needle stopper body exposed relative to the plug core, and the clamping frame can be clamped and fixed with the clamping slot to prevent the coated needle stopper from detaching from the plug core.

2. The coating fixture according to claim 1, characterized in that: The card frame has a bayonet, the bayonet is elastic, and the bayonet is fixedly connected with the card slot.

3. The coating fixture according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bayonet is a structure with a large semicircular arc.

4. The coating fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The umbrella-shaped portion includes a bottom contact surface and a top, wherein the contact surface contacts the front surface of the ferrule, and the top is the umbrella-shaped portion disposed away from the ferrule, and the relationship between the distance h between the contact surface and the top and the diameter D of the umbrella-shaped portion satisfies: H / D=0.2-0.

6.

5. An optical fiber connector, characterized in that: The invention comprises a ferrule assembly, wherein the ferrule assembly comprises a ferrule body, wherein a plurality of optical fiber holes and a plurality of guide pin holes are arranged in the ferrule body, optical fibers are arranged in the optical fiber holes, the ferrule body has a front surface, the end face of the optical fiber terminates near the front surface, the end face of the optical fiber is recessed relative to the front surface, an unblocked area is arranged on the front surface, an anti-reflection film layer is coated in the unblocked area, a first area is arranged on the front surface, the first area is arranged around the guide pin holes, and there is no anti-reflection film layer in the first area.

6. The optical fiber connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: There is a second area between the first area and the unblocked area, and the second area is coated with an uneven anti-reflection film layer.

7. The optical fiber connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first region is annular.

8. The optical fiber connector according to claim 5, characterized in that: The area ratio of the first region to the front surface is 0.05-0.8.

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