Portable Optical Fiber Processing Apparatus Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional optical fiber processing methods require separate devices for stripping sheathing, cutting, cleaning, and welding, making them inconvenient and inefficient, especially for single-core and multicore fibers, and difficult to use in portable settings due to the need for high voltage and complex equipment.
Innovation Solution
A portable optical fiber processing apparatus that integrates sheathing stripping, cutting, cleaning, and welding into a single device, using a cutting blade made of synthetic diamond for durability and reduced maintenance, and ultrasonic cleaning for efficient residue removal, with automatic chip collection to enhance safety and convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate devices are used for sheathing stripping, cutting, cleaning, and welding, then each process can be performed with dedicated equipment, but the worker must carry and switch between multiple devices, reducing convenience and increasing time consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple optical fiber processing functions (sheathing stripping, cutting, cleaning, and welding) into a single integrated device. The device includes a sheathing stripping unit with heating element, a cutting unit with cutting blade, a cleaning unit with cleaning cloth, and a welding unit with welding electrodes, all integrated into one handheld tool that workers can carry and operate sequentially without switching between multiple separate devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical fiber processing device is designed as a universal multi-functional tool that can perform four different processing operations on optical fibers. Each functional unit is equipped with appropriate components (heating element for stripping, cutting blade for cutting, cleaning cloth for cleaning, welding electrodes for welding) to handle different stages of optical fiber installation and maintenance tasks.
2Extent of automation
If hot blast is used for sheathing stripping and cleaning, then the process can be automated, but high voltage and a separate generator are required, making the equipment difficult to apply in cable network construction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the hot blast system with simpler mechanical and thermal components. Instead of using high-voltage hot blast for sheathing stripping, the device uses a heating element that provides controlled localized heating. For cleaning, instead of hot blast, a cleaning cloth mechanism is used. This substitution eliminates the need for high voltage and separate generators, making the device more suitable for field operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If a cutting blade is made of conventional material, then the device structure can be simpler, but the blade durability is insufficient and requires frequent replacement, increasing maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting blade is manufactured using composite materials, specifically synthetic diamond particles embedded in a metal matrix or ceramic substrate. This composite structure provides exceptional hardness and wear resistance, enabling the blade to maintain sharpness and cutting effectiveness over extended periods of use without frequent replacement, thereby reducing maintenance costs while keeping the overall device structure relatively simple.
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
The apparatus allows for efficient, lightweight, and convenient processing of optical fibers at construction sites, reducing maintenance costs and environmental impact while promoting continuous process continuity and cost reduction.
Implementation Method 1
a sheathing stripping unit provided on the base, holding the optical fiber such that an end of the optical fiber protrudes a predetermined length therefrom, and stripping sheathing from the optical fiber using a heating motion method, in which the protruding end of the optical fiber is heated and moved while being held by a stripping tool
Implementation Method 2
an ultrasonic cleaning unit provided on the base, generating ultrasonic waves, and cleaning the protruding end of the optical fiber
Implementation Method 3
a welding unit provided on the base so that a pair of optical fibers may be placed at opposite sides such that ends of the optical fibers face and contact each other, so as to weld junction portions of the optical fibers using an arc generated by a welding device of the welding unit
Data Source
AI summary
A portable optical fiber processing apparatus is disclosed. The portable optical fiber processing apparatus of the present invention includes a base (1), which provides a space in which components are installed, and a sheathing stripping unit (10), which is provided on the base and strips sheathing from an optical fiber (R). The apparatus further includes an optical fiber cutting unit (40), which is provided on the base and cuts a portion of the optical fiber, from which the sheathing has been stripped, using a sliding cutter (43) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber, and a welding unit (50), which is provided on the base and welds junction portions of two optical fibers. The present invention is characterized in that a process of stripping sheathing from an optical fiber and cutting, cleaning and welding processes can be conducted using a single apparatus.