Optical Fiber Ribbon Shadow Inspection for Coupling Resin Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods struggle to accurately detect the position of coupling resin in optical fiber ribbons due to the transparency of the resin, which makes it difficult to acquire images with high contrast, and the vibration of the optical fiber ribbon at high speeds can lead to ineffective detection of non-coupling portions.
Innovation Solution
An inspection method and device that emits light parallel to the direction of the optical fiber ribbon travel along the tangent line of the roller surface, allowing light reflection and refraction within the optical fibers and coupling resin, creating shadows for accurate detection of resin positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If light is emitted from the conventional direction (perpendicular to the optical fiber ribbon surface) to inspect the coupling resin, then the inspection process is simple, but the detection precision is poor due to the transparency of the resin
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the illumination direction from perpendicular to the optical fiber ribbon surface to parallel to the surface (tangent direction). This dimensional change in light emission angle enables the light to pass through the coupling resin and create shadows on the non-coupling portions, making the transparent resin detectable through shadow imaging rather than direct transmission imaging.
2Productivity
If the optical fiber ribbon travels at high speed through the inspection device, then the productivity increases, but the reliability of detection decreases due to vibration of the ribbon
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical support method (guide roller with step portion) with an optical detection method. By using light emission in the tangent direction and shadow imaging, the system can detect coupling resin positions and non-coupling portions without relying on mechanical separation structures, thereby enabling high-speed inspection without vibration-induced detection failures.
3Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If a guide roller with step portion is used to separate non-coupling portions, then the non-coupling portions can be identified, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the guide roller with step portion from the inspection device. Instead of using mechanical structures to separate and identify non-coupling portions, the system uses light emission in the tangent direction combined with shadow imaging to directly visualize and detect non-coupling portions, thereby simplifying the device structure while maintaining detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An inspection method for an optical fiber ribbon in which a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in parallel and intermittently coupled in a longitudinal direction by a coupling resin. The inspection method includes emitting light toward the optical fiber ribbon that travels on a roller, from a direction along a tangent line of a surface of the roller with which the optical fiber ribbon comes into contact and parallel to a direction in which the optical fiber ribbon travels, to acquire an image in which the optical fiber ribbon is projected as a shadow, based on light that passed around the optical fiber ribbon, detecting an interval between the optical fibers, based on the image, and detecting a position of the coupling resin, based on the image.