Automated Bent Tip Fiber Ball Lens Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for producing bent tip fiber ball lenses are labor-intensive and reliant on operator experience, lacking automation and repeatability, which is a concern for high-volume medical applications where precision and safety are critical due to the risk of camera fiber damage from laser beams.
Innovation Solution
An automated method using a fusion splicer to bend and heat the optical fiber, applying a controlled force and heat to create a desired angle between 30 and 90 degrees, allowing the fiber to harden and maintain the bend, ensuring separation between camera and laser fibers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual heat and bend method is used, then production flexibility is maintained, but productivity and manufacturing precision deteriorate due to reliance on operator experience
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the manual mechanical bending process with an automated fusion splicer system that uses controlled heating and mechanical positioning to create consistent bent tip fiber ball lenses, eliminating reliance on operator skill while maintaining production flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the fiber by applying controlled heat to soften it, then maintaining specific geometric parameters (bend angle, separation distance) during cooling to achieve precise bent tip configurations at high speed
2Device complexity
If manual heat and bend method is used, then equipment complexity is reduced, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to lack of automation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a fusion splicer that performs multiple functions including heating, positioning, and bending control in a single automated system, achieving high manufacturing precision without proportionally increasing equipment complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The automated system incorporates feedback control through programmable parameters that regulate heat application duration and intensity, ensuring consistent bend angles and separation distances across all produced fibers
3Stability of the object's composition
If heat is applied for longer duration, then fiber softening is improved, but production time increases reducing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies heat in a controlled periodic manner through the fusion splicer, delivering precise thermal energy for optimized durations (typically milliseconds to seconds) to achieve adequate fiber softening without excessive production time
Solution Approach 2:
The invention exploits the phase transition of the fiber material from rigid to softened state through controlled heating, then rapidly cools it to lock in the desired bent configuration, achieving both quality softening and rapid cycle times
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method enables the efficient and repeatable production of bent tip fiber ball lenses, enhancing safety and precision by automating the process, reducing the risk of fiber damage and improving production efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
applying heat, for a first time, to the optical fiber at a location that is a first distance from the ball lens
Implementation Method 2
applying heat... to the optical fiber... allowing the optical fiber to harden
Data Source
AI summary
A method of making a bent tip fiber ball lens by moving a bender to a first side of a ball lens at an end of an optical fiber that has a first axis; moving the bender in a first direction such that the bender applies a force to the ball lens, wherein the ball lens and optical fiber is bent such that a first angle between the first axis and a second axis, which extends from an end of the ball lens and the end of the optical fiber is greater than zero; applying heat, for a first time, to the optical fiber at a location that is a first distance from the ball lens; removing the heat and allowing the optical fiber to harden such that the first angle is maintained after the bender force is removed.