Multi-Core Fiber Core Position Grasping and Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rotation alignment methods for multi-core fibers face challenges in controlling rotational and positional displacement during bonding, leading to increased connection loss due to separate steps for fiber end-face image acquisition and bonding/fixing.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that draw lines on the side surface of the multi-core fiber to recognize the rotation angle, allowing for simultaneous acquisition of the fiber end-face image and bonding/fixing, using a camera, interval measuring instrument, and calculator to calculate the rotation amount, thereby reducing rotational and positional displacement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If rotation alignment is performed according to the positions of cores using conventional methods, then the alignment can be achieved, but the acquisition of fiber end-face image and bonding/fixing are performed in different steps, leading to increased device complexity and connection loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fiber end-face image acquisition step and the bonding/fixing step into a single integrated operation. By combining these previously separate steps, the connection process complexity is reduced while maintaining alignment precision through the use of a marker on the fiber surface that enables rotation angle recognition during the unified process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a marker as an intermediary element on the fiber surface that facilitates both alignment and bonding operations. This marker serves as a reference for recognizing the rotation angle and enables the integrated process to achieve precise alignment without requiring separate measurement steps, thereby reducing overall process complexity.
2Reliability
If fiber end-face image acquisition and bonding/fixing are performed in different steps, then each step can be optimized independently, but rotational displacement and positional displacement occur during bonding, increasing connection loss
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs the fiber end-face image acquisition and rotation angle recognition as a preliminary action before bonding, but integrates it with the bonding step itself. The marker on the fiber surface allows the rotation angle to be determined in advance while maintaining the fiber in position, enabling precise alignment to be established before bonding occurs, thus preventing rotational and positional displacement during the bonding process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the marker on the fiber surface provides real-time rotation angle information during the bonding process. This feedback enables continuous monitoring and adjustment of the fiber orientation, ensuring that alignment precision is maintained throughout bonding and preventing displacement that would lead to connection loss.
3Measurement precision
If separate steps are used for image acquisition and bonding, then measurement accuracy can be maximized, but the connection operations become more complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines rotation angle measurement and bonding operations into a single integrated step. The marker-based measurement method enables accurate rotation angle determination to be performed concurrently with the bonding process rather than as a separate preliminary step, thereby maintaining measurement precision while significantly improving connection operation efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The marker on the fiber surface serves a dual function: it enables rotation angle measurement and simultaneously guides the bonding process. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate measurement and bonding steps, as the same marker infrastructure supports both functions, thereby improving productivity without sacrificing measurement accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
An object of the present invention is to provide a core position recognition method, a connection method, and a connection apparatus that can simplify connection operations, and reduce rotational displacement and positional displacement. The connection apparatus according to the present invention includes a function capable of acquiring the rotation amount of an MCF during the bonding/fixing step. Specifically, the connection apparatus of the present invention uses an MCF with lines drawn on a side surface thereof, thereby recognizing the rotation amount of the MCF from the side surface, and calculating the absolute positions of the cores. The connection apparatus according to the present invention can recognize the absolute position s of the cores from a side image of an MCF in a state in which the MCF has been rotated. By forming a waveguide on a glass substrate serving as a connection destination so as to match the absolute positions of the cores, the rotational and positional displacements of the MCF can be eliminated, thus making it possible to reduce the connection loss.