A precision axial alignment clamp for a heated polarization maintaining optical fiber connector

Abstract

A kind of precision axial clamp of heated polarization maintaining optical fiber connector, including heating upper clamp, the heating upper clamp is equipped with upper positioning hole, further including heating lower clamp matched with the heating upper clamp, the heating lower clamp is equipped with lower positioning hole, further including transmission structure for driving the heating lower clamp to be close to the heating upper clamp, the present application aims at solving polarization maintaining optical fiber connector old process fixture three major core problems of low precision, low efficiency and low yield of axial alignment.This clamp is directly designed as axial, heating integration, and the whole clamp and microscope platform are installed on the same platform, relative position is particularly stable and reliable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of optical communication manufacturing, and in particular to a precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of the optical communication industry, various fields are gradually using optical fibers to replace traditional electrical signals for communication. Among these, the demand for polarization-maintaining fiber optic connectors and pigtails is increasing, and the precision requirements are becoming more stringent. Products made from polarization-maintaining fiber optic connectors represent a high-precision transmission method in optical fiber communication, widely used in aerospace, aviation, marine, and industrial manufacturing technologies. For example, polarization-maintaining butterfly lasers, in some specifications, extensively utilize polarization-maintaining fiber pigtails with connectors.

[0003] The existing solution involves threading the fiber through the connector ferrule, placing the ferrule into a curing oven heating fixture, positioning the fixture in front of a magnifying glass lens, adjusting the magnifying glass to focus on the fiber end face, rotating the connector fiber to align the polarization-maintaining fiber, and then fixing the pigtail after alignment.

[0004] This would have the following drawbacks:

[0005] 1. Low precision of the fixture to the shaft: There is a large gap between the fixture and the connector core, which makes it difficult to position the connector core well and results in poor precision of the shaft.

[0006] 2. Low clamping efficiency: The clamping fixation of the ferrule position and the relative position of the microscope lens are relatively unstable. Each time a product is made again, more time is needed to adjust the lens to find the fiber end face, resulting in a longer working time and low clamping efficiency.

[0007] 3. Low clamping yield: There is a large gap between the clamp and the connector core, and the core cannot be well fixed. The process of moving the product to the baking and curing oven and the product's own stress can easily cause the cat's eye to shift, resulting in a low final clamping yield. Utility Model Content

[0008] To address the aforementioned issues, this technical solution provides a precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution is as follows:

[0010] A precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector includes an upper heating clamp with an upper positioning hole, a lower heating clamp that cooperates with the upper heating clamp with a lower positioning hole, and a transmission structure for driving the lower heating clamp to fit tightly against the upper heating clamp.

[0011] In some embodiments, the transmission structure includes a base with an inner cavity for the lower heating clamp to slide in, and an optical axis passing through the lower heating clamp and the upper heating clamp in sequence.

[0012] In some embodiments, the optical axis is a threaded optical axis with a nut fitted on one side, and a spring is provided between the nut and the heating lower clamp.

[0013] In some embodiments, a first positioning part is provided on one side of the upper positioning hole.

[0014] In some embodiments, a second positioning part is provided on one side of the lower positioning hole.

[0015] In some embodiments, a handle connected to the heating upper clamp is also included, with a screw passing through one side of the handle.

[0016] In some embodiments, the screw is a heat-insulating screw.

[0017] In some embodiments, the lower end of the handle is provided with a step that engages with the heating upper clamp.

[0018] The beneficial effects of this application are:

[0019] This application aims to solve three core problems of the old process fixtures for polarization-maintaining fiber optic connectors: low alignment precision, low efficiency, and low yield. This fixture is designed to integrate alignment and heating, and the entire fixture and microscope platform are mounted on the same platform, resulting in a particularly stable and reliable relative position. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 1 ;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 2 ;

[0023] Figure 3 This is an exploded structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0024] To make the technical problems solved, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of this utility model clearer, the present utility model will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present utility model and are not intended to limit the present utility model.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1-3 As shown, a precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector includes an upper heating clamp 1 with an upper positioning hole 2, a lower heating clamp 3 that cooperates with the upper heating clamp 1 with a lower positioning hole 4, and a transmission structure for driving the lower heating clamp 3 to fit tightly against the upper heating clamp 1.

[0026] The polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector ferrule can be clamped by a heated fixture, thus preventing displacement and greatly improving the front-to-back stability of the polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector. The lower end of the heated fixture has two through holes, one for inserting a heating rod and the other for inserting a temperature sensor. The fixture is then heated, and a transmission structure is used to firmly attach the lower fixture to the lower fixture. Therefore, this application has the following characteristics:

[0027] It has high installation and machining accuracy in the XYZ axis directions and is a precision axis clamp for polarization-maintaining fiber optic connectors.

[0028] The fixture integrates alignment and heating functions, allowing direct baking and curing of the thermosetting adhesive inside the polarization-maintaining fiber connector after alignment, ensuring that the alignment accuracy of the polarization-maintaining fiber connector is the same as the final product accuracy.

[0029] The fixture is designed with a fixing mechanism, which makes the polarization-maintaining fiber connector highly stable during the alignment process.

[0030] In this embodiment, the transmission structure includes a base 5, which has an inner cavity for the lower heating clamp 3 to slide in, and also includes an optical axis 6 that passes through the lower heating clamp 3 and the upper heating clamp 1 in sequence, so that the positions of the upper and lower clamps are completely opposite to each other, thus ensuring the accuracy of product processing.

[0031] In this embodiment, the optical axis 6 is a threaded optical axis, and a nut 7 is sleeved on one side. A spring 8 is provided between the nut 7 and the heating lower clamp 3. By rotating the nut, the position of the nut can be changed so that the spring has different degrees of compression. During the pressing and tightening process, the spring is always in a compressed state, so that the spring always provides pressure to the heating lower clamp, causing the two to always fit and press the product.

[0032] In this embodiment, a first positioning part 9 is provided on one side of the upper positioning hole 2.

[0033] In this embodiment, a second positioning part 10 is provided on one side of the lower positioning hole 4.

[0034] The positioning part is the positioning key, and the two work together to position the polarization-maintaining fiber connector ferrule, so that the polarization-maintaining fiber connector will not rotate significantly on the R-axis. The lower part of the heating fixture is heated through the fixture heating hole, and the real-time temperature of the fixture is accurately monitored through the fixture temperature sensing hole.

[0035] In this embodiment, a handle 11 connected to the heating upper clamp 1 is also included. A screw passes through one side of the handle 11. The heat insulation handle of the heating clamp is fixed to the upper part of the heating clamp by the heat insulation handle fixing screw. The operation of pulling the handle by hand can isolate most of the heat and facilitate operation.

[0036] In this embodiment, the screw is a heat-insulating screw.

[0037] In this embodiment, the lower end of the handle 11 is provided with a step 12 that cooperates with the heating upper clamp 1.

[0038] Advantages of this application:

[0039] Higher precision: The fixture installation accuracy is higher, and the product is less likely to shift during the production process, making the product processing more stable. The axial accuracy of the polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector can reach ±5 degrees.

[0040] The operation is simpler: just place the polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector ferrule into the clamp position once, perform a simple alignment operation, and finally heat-cur it after alignment. The alignment of the polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector can be completed in three steps. Newly trained employees can operate it more easily.

[0041] More efficient: The original fixture required separate shaft alignment and heating, all operations demanding careful and slow operation from personnel; the new fixture is a one-piece heating and alignment fixture, requiring no careful or complex operational experience during operation, only real-time monitoring of the axial cat's eye position after shaft alignment. The new fixture is expected to increase production efficiency by more than 200%.

[0042] Higher yield: The original fixture was extremely unstable, with a yield rate expected to be below 50%. The current fixture's axis alignment method is highly efficient and stable, with a yield rate of over 92%.

[0043] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit the scope of implementation of this application. Any other embodiments whose principles and basic structures are the same as or similar to those of this application are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector, characterized in that, The device includes an upper heating clamp (1) with an upper positioning hole (2), a lower heating clamp (3) that cooperates with the upper heating clamp (1) with a lower positioning hole (4), and a transmission structure for driving the lower heating clamp (3) to fit against the upper heating clamp (1).

2. The precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission structure includes a base (5), which has an inner cavity for the lower heating clamp (3) to slide, and also includes an optical axis (6) that passes through the lower heating clamp (3) and the upper heating clamp (1) in sequence.

3. The precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector according to claim 2, characterized in that: The optical axis (6) is a threaded optical axis, and a nut (7) is fitted on one side. A spring (8) is provided between the nut (7) and the heating lower clamp (3).

4. The precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first positioning part (9) is provided on one side of the upper positioning hole (2).

5. A precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector according to claim 4, characterized in that: A second positioning part (10) is provided on one side of the lower positioning hole (4).

6. The precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a handle (11) connected to the heating upper clamp (1), with a screw passing through one side of the handle (11).

7. A precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: This screw is a heat-insulating screw.

8. A precision alignment clamp for a heatable polarization-maintaining fiber optic connector according to claim 6, characterized in that: The lower end of the handle (11) is provided with a step (12) that cooperates with the heating upper clamp (1).

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