High-power optical fiber connector

Abstract

The utility model discloses a high-power optical fiber connector, and relates to the technical field of optical fiber production and assembly. The technical key points are as follows: the device comprises two lens seats, mounting channels are arranged in the lens seats, and lenses and optical fibers are arranged in the mounting channels of the lens seats; a quick insertion structure is arranged in the mounting channel, and the mounting and dismounting work of the optical fiber can be quickly completed in the mounting channel through the quick insertion structure; the ends, close to each other, of the two lens holders are provided with mounting parts facilitating mounting and dismounting of the lens holders, and the ends, away from each other, of the two lens holders are provided with protection tubes. Compared with a welding connection process in the prior art, the welding connection process has the advantages that the trouble of performing high-precision welding by using special equipment is obviously saved, and the requirement on professional ability of operators during operation is not high, so that the production cost is favorably reduced, and the operators can conveniently and quickly operate the welding connection process.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of optical fiber production assembly, and particularly relates to a high-power optical fiber connector. BACKGROUND

[0002] Large-core optical fiber refers to a special optical fiber with a fiber core diameter significantly larger than that of a conventional single-mode optical fiber (usually >= 50 mu m), which is designed for high-power laser transmission and has wide application in the fields of industry, medicine, communication and the like.

[0003] In the prior art, the connection of the large-core optical fiber is usually performed by using a fusion process to connect the optical fibers, but the fusion process needs to be operated by a professional, has high requirements on the professional ability of the operator, and needs special fusion equipment, which undoubtedly increases the production cost of enterprises. Therefore, it is urgent to provide a connector for the large-core optical fiber to solve the problems. CONTENT OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present application provides a high-power optical fiber connector, which can not only reduce the demand for the professional ability of the operator in the process of optical fiber connection, but also effectively reduce the production cost.

[0005] The above object of the present application is achieved by the following technical scheme:

[0006] A high-power optical fiber connector comprises two mutually symmetrical lens seats, the center of each lens seat is provided with a penetrating mounting channel along the axial direction thereof, a lens and an optical fiber are sequentially arranged in the mounting channel along the axial direction thereof, and the two lenses are respectively arranged on the mutually close sides of the two mounting channels;

[0007] A quick insertion structure is arranged in the mounting channel, and the quick insertion structure can quickly complete the mounting and dismounting of the optical fiber in the mounting channel;

[0008] Mounting parts for facilitating the mounting and dismounting of the two lens seats are arranged on the mutually close ends of the two lens seats, and a protection tube is arranged on the mutually far ends of the two lens seats, and the protection tube is used for protecting the optical fiber exposed outside the lens seat.

[0009] Further, the quick insertion structure in the mounting channel is an aviation plug structure.

[0010] Further, the lens is a non-spherical lens.

[0011] Further, an end cap is arranged on the end of the optical fiber close to the lens, and the optical fiber is mounted in the corresponding mounting channel through the end cap.

[0012] Further, the mounting portion comprises an annular fixing plate integrally formed along the circumference of the lens seat, and a plurality of mounting through holes are uniformly arranged on the fixing plate.

[0013] Further, the mounting through holes are counterbores.

[0014] Further, a plurality of positioning holes are arranged along the circumference of the lens seat, and the positioning holes are arranged in a circumferential array outside the mounting channel on the lens seat.

[0015] Further, a fixing pin is fixedly installed in each of the positioning holes on one of the lens seats, and one end of the fixing pin is located inside the corresponding positioning hole, and the other end of the fixing pin is located outside the corresponding positioning hole.

[0016] In summary, the present application has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:

[0017] When two optical fibers need to be connected, the operator can first insert the two optical fibers into the mounting channels in the centers of the two lens seats, and then use the quick insertion structure in the mounting channels to quickly fix the inserted optical fibers, and then install a lens on each of the mutually approaching ends of the two optical fibers for collimating or coupling the light beams output or input by the optical fibers, so as to ensure that the light beams output by one of the optical fibers can be smoothly transmitted into the other optical fiber, and the two connected lens seats can be quickly installed through the mounting portions on the outer sides of the mutually approaching ends of the lens seats, so as to ensure that the two connected optical fibers are always in a debugged state. Compared with the fusion splicing process in the prior art, the present application obviously saves the trouble of high-precision fusion splicing with special equipment, and the professional skill requirement for the operator is not so high, which is not only conducive to reducing the production cost, but also facilitates the operator to quickly get started. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0019] Fig. 1 is a front view of the present application;

[0020] Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the present application;

[0021] Fig. 3 is a perspective structural schematic view of the present application.

[0022] Reference numerals: 1. Lens mount; 2. Mounting channel; 3. Lens; 4. Optical fiber; 5. Mounting part; 51. Fixing plate; 52. Mounting through hole; 6. Protective tube; 7. End cap; 8. Positioning hole; 9. Fixing pin. Detailed Implementation

[0023] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application are described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are also within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] like Figs. 1-3 As shown, a high-power fiber optic connector disclosed in this application includes two mutually symmetrical lens mounts 1. Each lens mount 1 has a through mounting channel 2 along its axial direction at its center. A lens 3 and an optical fiber 4 are sequentially arranged in the mounting channel 2 of the lens mount 1 along its axial direction, and the two lenses 3 are respectively located on the mutually close sides of the two mounting channels 2.

[0025] The installation channel 2 is equipped with a quick-connect structure, which allows for the rapid installation and removal of the optical fiber 4 within the installation channel 2.

[0026] Each of the two lens mounts 1 has a mounting part 5 on its close-to-each end to facilitate their installation and removal, and a protective tube 6 is provided on each of the two lens mounts 1's far-to-each ends. The protective tube 6 is used to protect the optical fiber 4 exposed on the outside of the lens mount 1.

[0027] In the above embodiments, when connecting traditional large-core optical fibers 4 using fusion splicing, it is necessary to first strip the fiber 4 at a designated location, then cut the end face of the stripped fiber 4 with a special tool to ensure that the end inclination is no greater than 0.5°. Finally, the fiber 4 to be connected is placed in a high-precision dedicated fusion splicer, ensuring that the end face of the fiber 4 is positioned between the electrode rod and the V-groove on the equipment, with a positional deviation of no more than ±0.5 micrometers. Only then can the windproof cover be placed on the equipment and the fusion splicing operation begin. This connection method of optical fiber 4 requires a high level of professional skill from the operator, making it difficult for new operators to learn. Moreover, the production process requires the use of high-precision fusion splicers, which typically cost over ten thousand yuan, undoubtedly increasing the company's production costs, especially for small-batch production.

[0028] When the two optical fibers 4 are connected together by the connector of the present application, the operator can first insert the two optical fibers 4 into the mounting channels 2 at the center of the two lens holders 1, and then fix the inserted optical fibers 4 by using the quick plug structure in the mounting channels 2, and then install a lens 3 at the end of each optical fiber 4, which is used to collimate or couple the light beam outputted or inputted by the optical fiber 4, so as to ensure that the light beam outputted by one of the optical fibers 4 can be smoothly transmitted into the other optical fiber 4. The two lens holders 1 connected together can be quickly mounted by the mounting portions 5 at the outer side of the end of the two lens holders 1, so as to ensure that the two optical fibers 4 connected together can always be in the debugging state. Compared with the fusion connection process in the prior art, the special equipment for high-precision fusion is not needed, which is not only beneficial to reduce the production cost, but also does not require high professional ability of the operator, and is convenient for the operator to quickly operate during production.

[0029] Further, the quick plug structure in the mounting channel 2 is an aviation plug structure.

[0030] In the above embodiment, the aviation plug structure is a kind of mechanical and electrical element commonly used to connect electrical lines in real life, which generally consists of a male head and a female head. When used, the user can complete the plug-in and pull-out action in a few seconds by using the thread, buckle or push-pull type locking design. In the present application, the aviation plug structure arranged in the mounting channel 2 can be a male head arranged at the end of the optical fiber 4 inserted into the mounting channel 2, and a female head arranged at a suitable position in the mounting channel 2. In this way, the operator can achieve the effect of quickly installing the optical fiber 4 when inserting the optical fiber 4 into the lens holder 1, and the installed optical fiber 4 is located at the center position in the mounting channel 2. This quick plug structure is the prior art, and therefore is not shown in the drawings, and the corresponding specific principle details are not described here. In addition, other structures that can achieve quick connection of cables or pipes in the prior art can also be applicable in the mounting channel 2 of the present application, and the present application does not enumerate them.

[0031] Further, as shown in Fig. 2 the lens 3 is a non-spherical lens 3.

[0032] Compared with the spherical lens 3, the aspherical lens has the following advantages in the above embodiment: first, by adjusting the curvature radius and the aspherical coefficient, the spherical aberration of the spherical lens 3 can be completely eliminated, so that the light rays with different incident angles can be accurately converged at the focal point; second, the aspherical lens is designed with asymmetric curvature, so that the refractive index of light rays with different wavelengths is consistent, which can effectively suppress chromatic aberration; the aspherical lens can provide a more flat light field distribution, and can still maintain high-quality imaging even at a large off-axis angle, which is crucial for the collimation of the optical fiber 4. Experiments show that the coupling efficiency of the aspherical lens can reach 0.99, which is 25% higher than that of the spherical lens 3; in the process of collimation of the optical fiber 4, the spherical lens 3 needs to be stacked in multiple layers to correct aberration, while the aspherical lens can achieve it in a single layer, which can effectively reduce the complexity of assembly, reduce the volume of the device, and make the application scenarios of the device more. Since the light path coupling or collimation is performed through the aspherical lens 3, the efficiency and stability of the optical fiber 4 connection can be improved, and the loss in the light path can be effectively reduced, thereby ensuring the stability of high-power transmission. Therefore, in the present application, the aspherical lens 3 is selected to be responsible for collimating or coupling the light beam output by the optical fiber 4.

[0033] Further, as shown in Fig. 2 , the optical fiber 4 is provided with an end cap 7 near one end of the lens 3, and the optical fiber 4 is installed in the corresponding mounting channel 2 through the end cap 7.

[0034] In the above embodiment, the end cap 7 is fixedly sleeved on the end face of the light beam output end or the light beam receiving end of the optical fiber 4 in the present application, because the end cap 7 can optimize the transmission of optical signals and improve the stability of the system. It not only protects the end face of the optical fiber 4 during assembly or use, but also expands the diameter of the output light beam by using the conical frustum structure thereon, reduces the end face power density, and avoids material ablation caused by high-power laser.

[0035] Further, as shown in Figs. 1-3 , the mounting portion 5 includes a ring-shaped fixed plate 51 integrally formed along the circumference of the lens seat 1, and a plurality of mounting through holes 52 are uniformly arranged on the fixed plate 51.

[0036] In the above embodiment, one fixed plate 51 is arranged on the circumference of each lens seat 1, and the mounting through holes 52 on the fixed plates 51 of the two lens seats 1 correspond one by one. In this way, after the two optical fibers 4 are aligned, a fastening bolt and a nut can be installed in one of the plurality of aligned mounting through holes 52 to fix the two lens seats 1, so as to ensure the stability and integrity of the connector of the present application during use.

[0037] Further, as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 , the mounting through hole 52 is a countersunk hole.

[0038] In the above embodiment, the mounting hole 52 is provided as a counterbore hole, so that when the connector is fixed on the equipment, the protruding part of the fastener such as a bolt can be reduced, thereby improving the overall neatness of the equipment.

[0039] Further, as shown in Fig. 2 The lens seat 1 is provided with a plurality of positioning holes 8 along the circumference thereof, and the plurality of positioning holes 8 are arranged in a circular array outside the mounting channel 2 on the lens seat 1.

[0040] In the above embodiment, when two lens seats 1 are assembled together, the operator can conveniently judge the state of the two lens seats 1 in real time by observing whether the positioning holes 8 are aligned.

[0041] Further, as shown in Fig. 2 The fixing pin 9 is fixedly installed in the positioning hole 8 on one of the lens seats 1, and one end of the fixing pin 9 is located inside the corresponding positioning hole 8, and the other end of the fixing pin 9 is located outside the corresponding positioning hole 8.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the fixing pin 9 is arranged in the positioning hole 8 on one of the lens seats 1 in the above manner, so that when the two lens seats 1 are connected, the positioning operation during the connection of the two lens seats 1 is completed after the fixing pin 9 on the lens seat 1 is inserted into the positioning hole 8 on the other lens seat 1, and then the operator only needs to press the fixing pin 9 to completely immerse it in the other lens seat 1, thereby completing the precise alignment and connection operation of the two lens seats 1, and effectively improving the convenience of the operator when connecting the two lens seats 1.

[0043] The implementation principle of the embodiment is: first, prepare two optical fibers 4 to be connected, and ensure that the end faces of the optical fibers 4 to be connected are clean and undamaged. Next, the end faces of the two optical fibers 4 to be connected are inserted into the mounting channels 2 on the two lens holders 1 respectively, and the optical fibers 4 are firmly fixed in the mounting channels 2 in the lens holders 1 by using the similar plug-in connector structure in the mounting channels 2. The similar plug-in connector structure in the mounting channels 2 is preferably a quick connection structure, so that the operator can easily realize the mounting and dismounting operation of the optical fiber 4 by a simple plug-in operation during use. Next, the protective tube 6 can be mounted on the optical fiber 4 outside the lens holder 1 to protect the optical fiber 4 from being damaged during subsequent operation. After these operations are completed, efficient coupling of the optical path can be started, and the end face of the optical fiber 4 in the mounting channel 2 can realize preliminary collimation of the optical fiber 4 by the fusion end cap 7. The fusion end cap 7 can effectively reduce the reflection loss of the end face of the optical fiber 4 and improve the transmission efficiency of the optical path. After the optical fiber 4 is fused with the end cap 7, the lens 3 can be placed on the side of the optical fiber 4 away from the protective tube 6, and the lens 3 is used to collimate the light beam output by the optical fiber 4. The design of the aspheric lens 3 can effectively reduce the divergence of the light beam and improve the collimation degree of the light beam. The collimated light beam will continue to be incident on the lens 3 in the other lens holder 1, and the lens 3 is used to continue coupling the light beam. The design of the lens 3 in the other lens holder 1 can further improve the coupling efficiency of the optical path, so as to ensure that the light beam can be efficiently transmitted to the receiving end.

[0044] During the connection of the optical fiber 4 and the coupling of the optical path, the operator can use a microscope to regularly detect the end face of the optical fiber 4, and when dirt is found on the end face, a special cleaning tool is used for cleaning. The cleaning tool can be a dust-free cloth, an alcohol cotton swab, etc., so as to ensure that the end face of the optical fiber 4 to be connected is always clean and undamaged.

[0045] During the connection of the optical fiber 4 and the coupling of the optical path, the distance between the lens 3 and the end of the optical fiber 4 needs to be adjusted. The adjustment device can adopt an adjustment frame and a micro-adjusting screw commonly used in the optical field. These devices can accurately control the distance between the lens 3 and the end cap 7, so as to ensure that the entire device after connection achieves the best optical path coupling effect. The adjustment of the gap needs to be carried out according to the actual parameters and power requirements of the optical fiber 4.

[0046] For example, the power requirement of the optical fiber 4 is 500W, and during the adjustment process, a power meter can be used for power testing to ensure that the optical path can meet the requirement of 500W power transmission. According to the test result, the entire device can be further adjusted until the best effect is achieved. Compared with the prior art, the connector of the present application can simplify the operation process of the optical fiber 4, facilitate the operator to learn and operate, improve the efficiency and stability of the connection of the optical fiber 4, and is convenient to disassemble during cleaning and maintenance, and reduces the requirement for the application environment, which can effectively expand the use range.

[0047] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and are not limited thereto; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that; it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments, or make equivalent replacement to part or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A high power fiber optic connector, characterized by: The lens seat (1) is provided with a through mounting channel (2) in the center along the axial direction, and the lens (3) and the optical fiber (4) are sequentially arranged in the mounting channel (2) along the axial direction, and two lenses (3) are arranged on the mutually close sides of the mounting channel (2). The mounting channel (2) is provided with a quick plug structure, and the quick plug structure can quickly complete the mounting and dismounting of the optical fiber (4) in the mounting channel (2). The mutually close ends of the two lens seats (1) are provided with mounting parts (5) for facilitating the mounting and dismounting, and the mutually far ends of the two lens seats (1) are provided with a protection tube (6) for protecting the optical fiber (4) exposed outside the lens seat (1).

2. The high power fiber optic connector of claim 1, wherein: The quick plug structure in the mounting channel (2) is an aviation plug structure.

3. The high-power fiber optic connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lens (3) is a non-spherical lens (3).

4. The high power fiber optic connector of claim 3, wherein: The end cap (7) is arranged on one end of the optical fiber (4) close to the lens (3), and the optical fiber (4) is mounted in the corresponding mounting channel (2) through the end cap (7).

5. The high power fiber optic connector of any one of claims 1-4, characterized by: The mounting part (5) comprises a ring-shaped fixing plate (51) integrally formed along the circumference of the lens seat (1), and a plurality of mounting through holes (52) are uniformly arranged on the fixing plate (51).

6. The high power fiber optic connector of claim 5, wherein: The mounting through hole (52) is a countersunk hole.

7. The high power fiber optic connector of claim 6, wherein: A plurality of positioning holes (8) are arranged on the lens seat (1) along the circumference, and the positioning holes (8) are arranged in a circumferential array outside the mounting channel (2) on the lens seat (1).

8. The high power fiber optic connector of claim 7, wherein: The fixing pin (9) is fixedly arranged in the positioning hole (8) on one of the lens seats (1), and one end of the fixing pin (9) is located inside the corresponding positioning hole (8), and the other end of the fixing pin (9) is located outside the corresponding positioning hole (8).

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