Flexible optical fiber ribbon and bonding effect testing system and method thereof

Abstract

A flexible optical fiber ribbon and a bonding effect testing system and method thereof. The flexible optical fiber ribbon comprises multiple optical fibers arranged side by side, and intermittent bonding portions are arranged between adjacent optical fibers; the transmittance of the intermittent bonding portions to the testing optical wavelength band is 50% or below; an optical fiber coating layer is wrapped by a colored layer, and the colored layer is wrapped by a light transmissive layer; the transmittance of the colored layer to the testing optical wavelength band is 30% or below, and the transmittance of the light transmissive layer to the testing optical wavelength band is 85% or above; and the bonding portions having standard conforming bonding effect cover the light transmissive layer in the direction of the testing light. In the present invention, a photosensitive component is used in conjunction to implement continuity testing by utilizing an optical signal, and thus the sensitivity, accuracy, and speed far exceed imaging testing. In the present invention, an optical signal continuity test is used to avoid defects such as image smearing and image retention caused by traditional imaging testing, significantly increasing testing efficiency, removing the manufacturing speed bottleneck caused by quality monitoring in a production line, and enhancing the manufacturing efficiency.

Description

A flexible optical fiber ribbon, and its bonding effect detection system and method

Technical field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of optical communications, and more particularly, relates to a flexible optical fiber ribbon, and a method and system for detecting the bonding effect thereof. [Background Technology]

[0002] Flexible fiber optic ribbons have intermittent joints between adjacent fibers. These joints are formed by applying a bonding material or glue in a regular pattern between the fibers using a machine. Due to issues with equipment stability and glue quality, glue dots can be sprayed skewed, crossing over other fibers and creating bonds between fibers that don't need to be bonded. This can even result in defective products, such as missing glue dots or abnormal glue dot lengths. The bonding quality of flexible fiber optic ribbons is crucial to the structural stability of the ribbon and even the cable itself.

[0003] Because flexible fiber optic ribbon production lines run at high speeds, reaching 2 to 10 m / s, and the dispensing pitch is relatively small, approximately 40 to 100 mm, visual inspection struggles to keep up with the dispensing speed, even with high-speed cameras. Furthermore, due to limited shutter speeds, captured images exhibit smearing and artifacts, making it impossible to accurately identify locations of poor bonding using intelligent algorithms or even the naked eye.

[0004] [Summary of the invention]

[0005] In response to the above-mentioned defects or improvement needs of the prior art, the present invention provides a flexible optical fiber ribbon, a bonding effect detection method and system thereof, the purpose of which is to form a transparent layer on the outside of the colored optical fiber, which is used as a signal light receptor, and cooperate with the opaque bonding part, and use the on and off of the signal light and the intensity as the detection signal to detect the bonding effect of the bonding part without the need for imaging or image analysis, thereby greatly improving the speed of the bonding effect quality detection of the bonding part without limiting the production line speed of the flexible optical fiber ribbon, thereby solving the existing technical problem that the bonding parts of the flexible optical fiber ribbon cannot be detected online one by one, resulting in the undetectable bonding effect.

[0006] To achieve the above object, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible optical fiber ribbon comprising a plurality of optical fibers arranged side by side, with intermittent bonding portions between adjacent optical fibers;

[0007] The transmittance of the intermittent bonding portion to the detection light band is less than 50%;

[0008] The optical fiber coating is coated with a coloring layer, and the coloring layer is coated with a light-transmitting layer;

[0009] The transmittance of the colored layer for the detection light band is less than 30%, and the transmittance of the light-transmitting layer for the detection light band is more than 85%;

[0010] The bonding portion with a qualified bonding effect covers the light-transmitting layer in the direction of the detection light.

[0011] Preferably, the thickness of the light-transmitting layer of the flexible optical fiber ribbon is 10-50 μm, and the thickness d of the light-transmitting layer should be greater than or equal to the bonding portion width threshold D / 2.

[0012] Preferably, the modulus of the light-transmitting layer of the flexible optical fiber ribbon is greater than 500 MPa, and the material is a light-curing acrylic resin; the modulus of the coloring layer is greater than 600 MPa, and the material is a light-curing acrylic ink.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system, comprising a light detection device arranged downstream of a bonding portion forming device of a production line, the light detection device comprising a detection light source and a light receiver;

[0014] The detection light source is arranged above the flexible optical fiber ribbon and emits detection light of a preset wavelength band; the light receiver is arranged below the bonding portion of the detection position and is located in the light path of the detection light source;

[0015] At the expected moment when the bonding portion appears at the detection position, when the width of the bonding portion is less than the width of the qualified threshold of the bonding portion, the detection light passes through the optical fiber light-transmitting layer and the optical signal is detected by the optical receiver, and it is judged that the bonding effect of the bonding portion is unqualified.

[0016] Preferably, in the flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system, the wavelength band of the detection light is in the visible light range.

[0017] Preferably, in the flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system, the detection range of the optical receiver covers the width range of adjacent optical fibers.

[0018] Preferably, in the flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system, the light receiver is 0.5 to 30 mm away from the flexible optical fiber ribbon.

[0019] Preferably, in the flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system, the optical receivers are arranged in a staggered manner in the optical fiber arrangement direction.

[0020] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for detecting the bonding effect of a flexible optical fiber ribbon is provided, wherein detection light is irradiated from one side of the flexible optical fiber ribbon along a detection direction onto the bonding portion to be detected of the flexible optical fiber ribbon, and the detection light is detected from the other side; when the detection light is detected to be transmitted, it is determined that the bonding effect of the bonding portion to be detected is unqualified.

[0021] Preferably, the flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection method is characterized by applying the flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system provided by the present invention.

[0022] In general, the above technical solutions conceived by the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art:

[0023] This invention improves the structure of the fiber coating used in flexible fiber ribbons and the light transmittance of the bonding section. It also uses a photosensitive element to detect continuity using optical signals, resulting in a more sensitive and accurate detection method that far exceeds imaging detection. This optical signal detection method avoids the drawbacks of traditional imaging detection, such as tailing and image retention, significantly improving detection efficiency and eliminating the manufacturing speed bottleneck caused by quality monitoring on production lines, thereby increasing manufacturing efficiency.

[0024] The flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system provided by the present invention has hardware and software costs far lower than the traditional optical imaging + image recognition system combination, thereby reducing the cost of the flexible optical fiber ribbon production line.

[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the flexible optical fiber ribbon provided by the present invention simplifies the bonding strength of the optical fiber bonding portion from a combination of bonding resin + a multi-color resin surface to a combination of bonding resin + a high-transmittance resin. This eliminates the need to consider the effects of different optical fiber coloring pigments on the bonding strength between the optical fiber coating and the bonding portion, thereby reducing the difficulty in material development, manufacturing, and ribbonizing process control associated with the delicate balance between bonding strength and tearing strength, and thus helps ensure stable product quality.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] FIG1 is a plan view of a flexible optical fiber ribbon provided by the present invention;

[0027] FIG2 is a cross-sectional view AA of the flexible optical fiber ribbon provided by the present invention;

[0028] FIG3 is a schematic structural diagram of a flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system provided by the present invention;

[0029] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a detection signal of the bonding effect of a flexible optical fiber ribbon provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same elements or structures, wherein: 1 is an optical fiber, 2 is a bonding portion of a first arrangement, 3 is a bonding portion of a second arrangement, 4 is an optical fiber glass portion, 5 is a natural optical fiber resin, 6 is a colored layer, 7 is a bonding resin, 8 is a high light transmittance layer, 9 is a light source, 10 is a detection light, and 11 is a light receiver. [Specific implementation method]

[0031] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the following embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely for the purpose of explaining the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, the technical features involved in the various embodiments of the present invention described below may be combined with each other as long as they do not conflict with each other.

[0032] The flexible optical fiber ribbon provided by the present invention, as shown in FIG1 , comprises a plurality of optical fibers arranged side by side, with intermittent bonding portions between adjacent optical fibers;

[0033] The transmittance of the intermittent bonding portion to the detection light band is less than 50%;

[0034] The optical fiber coating is coated with a coloring layer, and the coloring layer is coated with a light-transmitting layer;

[0035] The transmittance of the colored layer for the detection light band is less than 30%, and the transmittance of the light-transmitting layer for the detection light band is more than 85%;

[0036] A bonding part with acceptable bonding performance covers the light-transmitting layer in the direction of the test light. The thickness of the light-transmitting layer ranges from 10 to 50 μm, and the thickness d of the light-transmitting layer should be greater than or equal to the bonding part width threshold D / 2. The light-transmitting layer on the outside of the optical fiber serves as a detection signal receptor. When the light-transmitting layer transmits the test light, it indicates that the bonding part has poor bonding performance. Therefore, the thickness of the light-transmitting layer determines the accuracy of the test. The thicker the layer, the higher the test standard and the higher the bonding performance requirements of the bonding part. Conversely, the requirements for the bonding part are reduced.

[0037] The light-transmitting layer has a modulus greater than 500 MPa and is made of a light-curing acrylic resin. The coloring layer has a modulus greater than 600 MPa and is made of light-curing acrylic ink. The light-transmitting layer has a lower modulus than the coloring layer. When the optical fibers are split, the transparent layer breaks before the coloring layer, preventing the coloring layer from tearing and affecting identification after the fibers are branched.

[0038] The flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system provided by the present invention, as shown in FIG3 , includes a light detection device arranged downstream of a forming device in a bonding portion of a production line, the light detection device including a detection light source and a light receiver;

[0039] The detection light source is arranged above the flexible optical fiber ribbon and emits detection light of a preset band. The light spot of the light source needs to be emitted vertically and focused on the center of the adjacent optical fiber to be detected, and its light spot diameter is less than or equal to the spacing between adjacent optical fibers in the flexible optical fiber ribbon; the light receiver is arranged below the bonding portion of the detection position and is in the optical path of the detection light source; the wavelength band of the detection light is preferably in the visible light range to facilitate observation and imaging.

[0040] The detection range of the optical receiver covers the width range of adjacent optical fibers. Preferably, the optical receiver is 0.5 to 30 mm away from the flexible optical fiber ribbon to avoid receiving stray light signals and causing false detection. The space for setting the optical receiver usually exceeds the width of the flexible optical fiber ribbon, resulting in spatial obstruction, and the use of area array photosensitive elements limits the detection speed. In the preferred solution, the optical receivers are staggered in the direction of optical fiber arrangement to solve the spatial steric obstruction while performing on-off detection without interfering with each other (only detecting light intensity, not detecting the shape of the light signal). The detection speed and sensitivity far exceed those of imaging detection.

[0041] At the expected moment when the bonding portion appears at the detection position, when the width of the bonding portion is less than the width of the qualified threshold of the bonding portion, the detection light passes through the optical fiber light-transmitting layer and the optical signal is detected by the optical receiver, and it is judged that the bonding effect of the bonding portion is unqualified.

[0042] The present invention provides a method for detecting the bonding effect of a flexible optical fiber ribbon, comprising the following steps: irradiating a detection light from one side of the flexible optical fiber ribbon along a detection direction onto a bonding portion to be detected of the flexible optical fiber ribbon, and detecting the detection light from the other side; and determining that the bonding effect of the bonding portion to be detected is unqualified when the detection light is detected to be transmitted.

[0043] The present invention uses the light-transmitting layer as a sensor and uses light signals through photosensors to perform on-off detection. It is sensitive and accurate, and its speed far exceeds that of imaging detection. It is suitable for high-speed flexible optical fiber ribbon production lines.

[0044] The following are examples:

[0045] Example 1

[0046] The flexible optical fiber ribbon provided in this embodiment is a 12-core ribbon with a 250µm spacing between the optical fibers. The 250µm colored optical fiber used in this embodiment consists of a 210µm natural fiber with a 125µm diameter glass portion. The glass is coated with inner and outer coatings, resulting in a 210µm diameter. The fiber is then colored with acrylic ink, resulting in a 220µm outer diameter. A further 15µm thick layer of acrylic photocurable, high-transmittance resin is applied to the outer surface of the colored fiber. The transmittance of this resin is above 85%, reducing the fiber diameter to 250µm. After this coloring, the transparent layer does not affect the ability to distinguish between the fibers through the colored layer. The transmittance of the colored layer is 25%. The modulus of the highly transparent cured resin is 550 MPa, while the modulus of the transparent layer is lower than that of the colored layer, which is 650 MPa. When the fibers are separated, the transparent layer breaks before the colored layer, preventing the colored layer from tearing and affecting identification after branching. Bonding resin, or intermittent connections, is intermittently distributed between the optical fibers. The first arrangement of bonding resin is located at position AA, and the second arrangement of bonding resin is located at position BB, as shown in Figure 1. The length of the bonding resin is 5 to 20 mm, and the spacing between the resins is 50 to 100 mm.

[0047] Example 2

[0048] The flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system provided in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, comprises N-1 light sources arranged vertically directly above the plane of the fiber ribbon. These light sources are staggered, corresponding to the first and second bonding sections, with a staggered distance greater than the length of the light sources along the fiber's length. They are staggered at intervals along the fiber's width. If necessary, the bonding sections of either the first or second arrangement can be staggered at multiple locations along the length. The light sources are calibrated, with their beams emitted vertically and focused at the center of the adjacent optical fiber being tested. The beam diameter should be less than 200 μm to avoid overlapping other optical fibers. Optical receivers are placed directly below the light sources, approximately 10 mm from the plane of the fiber ribbon. These receivers are staggered along the fiber's length, aligned with the light sources above them, to prevent interference. The staggered distances prevent them from receiving optical beams from nearby light sources. During testing, the light source remains on and continuously emits laser light after the device is turned on. When the optical fiber of the corresponding channel moves into the laser range along with the bonding portion, the optical receiver directly below cannot receive the light signal due to its extremely low light transmittance. However, when the non-bonded portion of the optical fiber moves into the laser range, the optical receiver directly below can receive the signal. The on / off signal can be converted into whether a bonding portion exists between the optical fibers or whether the bonding portion is satisfactory.

[0049] Example 3

[0050] The process of using the detection system provided in Example 2 to detect the bonding effect of the flexible optical fiber ribbon provided in Example 1 is as follows:

[0051] The 12-core fiber ribbon under test was equipped with an optical detection device consisting of 11 light sources and a light receiver system. The bonding section of the fiber ribbon was 10 mm long and spaced 60 mm apart.

[0052] The manufacturing speed of the optical fiber ribbon is 5m / s. When the bonding part moves under the laser spot, the optical receiver will be unable to receive the optical signal for approximately T1 = 2ms, indicating a pulse silent state. After that, it will be able to receive the optical signal for T2 = 10ms, indicating a pulse active state. At the same time, the phases of the optical signal pulses received by the optical receivers of the 11 light sources + optical receivers are compared. After computer data processing, the misalignment distance of the bonding part on any optical fiber channel can be calculated. This misalignment distance can be compared with the preset bonding part misalignment distance. If a deviation occurs, an alarm will be issued. At this time, it is necessary to check whether there is a blockage in the bonding part forming device or a cumulative error in the control between the mold and the nozzle.

[0053] When the nozzle or mold is partially blocked and the resin is partially ejected, it will affect the pulse activation and pulse silence time. The actual signal time periods received by the optical receiver are t1 and t1 respectively. When t1 / T1-1 and t2 / T2-1 exceed ±10%, an alarm will occur and the machine needs to be stopped for inspection.

[0054] When cumulative errors occur in the control between the mold and the nozzle, an alarm will be triggered when the phase difference t3 / T3-1 between different channels exceeds ±20%, and the machine needs to be stopped for inspection.

[0055] When the nozzle or mold is clogged and the bonding resin cannot be sprayed out at all, no bonding part is formed between the optical fibers. At this time, the intensity received by the optical receiver is P1. Because the pulse silence state far exceeds the specified T2, an alarm will be triggered and the machine needs to be shut down for inspection.

[0056] When the nozzle or mold becomes clogged and the bonding resin is partially ejected, a limited bond exists between the optical fibers. The width of the bonded area may fall below the 20µm threshold. The bonding strength between the optical fibers is low, and the fibers cannot be guaranteed to remain in the ribbon shape during ribbon manufacturing, cabling, and use. The intensity of the optical receiver at this time is P2. If P2 / P1 exceeds 80%, an alarm will still be generated, requiring the machine to be shut down for inspection.

[0057] It will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A flexible optical fiber ribbon, characterized in that: It comprises a plurality of optical fibers arranged side by side, and intermittent bonding portions are provided between adjacent optical fibers; The transmittance of the intermittent bonding portion to the detection light band is less than 50%; The optical fiber coating is coated with a coloring layer, and the coloring layer is coated with a light-transmitting layer; The transmittance of the colored layer to the detection light band is less than 30%, and the transmittance of the light-transmitting layer to the detection light band is more than 85%; The bonding portion with a satisfactory bonding effect covers the light-transmitting layer in the direction of the detection light.

2. The flexible optical fiber ribbon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the light-transmitting layer is between 10 and 50 um, and the thickness d of the light-transmitting layer should be greater than or equal to a bonding portion width threshold D / 2.

3. The flexible optical fiber ribbon according to claim 1, characterized in that: The modulus of the light-transmitting layer is greater than 500 Mpa, and the material is a photocurable acrylic resin; the modulus of the coloring layer is greater than 600 Mpa, and the material is a photocurable acrylic ink.

4. The flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: It includes a light detection device arranged downstream of the bonding part forming device of the production line, and the light detection device includes a detection light source and a light receiver; The detection light source is arranged above the flexible optical fiber ribbon and emits detection light of a preset wavelength band; The optical receiver is arranged below the adhesive portion of the detection position and is located in the optical path of the detection light source; At the expected moment when the bonding part appears at the detection position, when the width of the bonding part is less than the qualified width threshold of the bonding part, the detection light passes through the optical fiber light-transmitting layer and the optical receiver detects the optical signal, judging that the bonding effect of the bonding part is unqualified.

5. The flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The wavelength band of the detection light is in the visible light range.

6. The flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The detection range of the optical receiver covers the width of adjacent optical fibers.

7. The flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The optical receiver is 0.5 to 30 mm away from the flexible optical fiber ribbon.

8. The flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The optical receivers are arranged alternately in the optical fiber arrangement direction.

9. The method for detecting the bonding effect of a flexible optical fiber ribbon according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The detection light is irradiated from one side of the flexible optical fiber ribbon along the detection direction onto the bonding portion to be detected of the flexible optical fiber ribbon, and the detection light is detected from the other side; when the detection light is detected to be transmitted, it is determined that the bonding effect of the bonding portion to be detected is unqualified.

10. The method for detecting the bonding effect of a flexible optical fiber ribbon according to claim 9, characterized in that: A flexible optical fiber ribbon bonding effect detection system as described in any one of claims 4 to 8 is used.