Disclosure of Invention
Accordingly, it is necessary to provide a fiber stripping device and a fiber stripping method thereof, which can solve the problem of low fiber stripping efficiency of the existing equipment.
A fiber stripping device comprising:
a support;
the fixing assembly comprises a plurality of clamping units, and the clamping units are arranged on the bracket at intervals and used for clamping and fixing the optical fiber; and the number of the first and second groups,
shell fine subassembly, including mount pad, connecting block, a plurality of guide post and cutter, mount pad sliding connection in the support, the connecting block with the mount pad sets up relatively, the guide post is located the mount pad with between the connecting block, the connecting block can be followed the guide post motion is in order to be close to or keep away from the mount pad, the cutter includes first section and second section, first section is located on the mount pad, the second section is located on the connecting block.
According to the fiber stripping device, the knife edges of the first section and the second section are always kept parallel to each other, the depths of the cuts formed on the optical fibers by the first section and the second section are consistent, and the thicknesses of the coating layers scraped on the optical fibers are consistent, so that synchronous fiber stripping operation of the optical fibers can be realized, and fiber stripping efficiency is improved.
In one embodiment, the tool further comprises a holding unit, the holding unit comprises a first holding handle and a second holding handle which are hinged to each other, the end of the first holding handle is connected to the mounting seat, and the end of the second holding handle is connected to the connecting block.
In one embodiment, the number of the cutters is 2, the cutters are respectively a first cutter and a second cutter, the hardness of the first cutter is greater than that of the second cutter, the first cutter can move to the first end and the second end of the portion, to be stripped, of the optical fiber to form a notch, and the second cutter is used for removing a coating layer of the portion, to be stripped, of the optical fiber.
In one embodiment, the fixing assembly further includes a plurality of auxiliary plates, at least one auxiliary plate is correspondingly disposed on each clamping unit, and a plurality of limiting portions are disposed on the auxiliary plates to enable the plurality of optical fibers to be arranged in parallel.
In one embodiment, the fiber stripping assembly further comprises a carrier plate for carrying the optical fiber to join the optical fiber to the first chip.
In one embodiment, the fiber stripping assembly further comprises a heating unit, and the heating unit is arranged on one side of the bearing plate and used for heating the optical fiber.
In one embodiment, the fiber stripping assembly further comprises a first positioning block and a second positioning block, and the first positioning block and the second positioning block are used for limiting the limit position of the mounting seat.
In one embodiment, the fiber stripping device further comprises a transfer assembly, wherein the transfer assembly comprises a mounting plate and two retainers, the mounting plate is connected to the support, the retainers are detachably connected with the mounting plate, and the retainers are used for clamping the optical fibers.
In one embodiment, the fiber stripping device further comprises a tensioning assembly, wherein the tensioning assembly comprises a plurality of weight pieces, and each weight piece is provided with a mounting part for the optical fiber to pass through.
A method for stripping fibers by using the fiber stripping device comprises the following steps:
placing a plurality of optical fibers in a clamping unit, and enabling the parts of the optical fibers to be stripped to be in the processing range of a cutter;
fixing the position of the optical fiber through a clamping unit;
bringing a second slice close to the first slice to form a cut at the end of the portion of the plurality of optical fibers to be stripped;
and moving the first slice and the second slice along the axial direction of the optical fiber to remove the coating layer of the part of the optical fiber to be stripped.
Detailed Description
In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.
In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "central," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the invention and to simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced device or element must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and are not to be considered limiting of the invention.
Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.
In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be connected internally or in any other suitable relationship, unless expressly stated otherwise. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific situations by those of ordinary skill in the art.
In the present invention, unless expressly stated or limited otherwise, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may be directly contacting the second feature or the first and second features may be indirectly contacting each other through intervening media. Also, a first feature "on," "over," and "above" a second feature may be directly or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply indicate that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature may be directly under or obliquely under the first feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.
It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "secured to" or "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. When an element is referred to as being "connected" to another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. The terms "vertical," "horizontal," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," and the like as used herein are for illustrative purposes only and do not denote a unique embodiment.
Referring to fig. 1, the present invention provides a fiber stripping apparatus 100 capable of simultaneously stripping coating layers of a plurality of optical fibers. For ease of understanding, the following description will be made in conjunction with the structure of an existing optical fiber, but not as a limitation to the embodiment of the present invention.
The optical fiber comprises a core layer, a cladding layer and a coating layer, wherein the cladding layer surrounds the outside of the core layer and is used for forming an optical waveguide. The coating layer is wrapped outside the cladding layer and used for protecting the core layer and the cladding layer integrally. Typically, the core and cladding of the optical fiber are made of quartz and the coating is made of a polymer, which may be specifically epoxy, polyurethane, silicone. Optical fibers have many different applications, and in some applications, an optical waveguide formed by a core layer and a cladding layer needs to be operated, and a coating layer wrapping the outer portion of the optical waveguide needs to be stripped.
In one embodiment, the fiber stripping device 100 includes a bracket 10, a fixing assembly 20 and a fiber stripping assembly 30. The holding assembly 20 is disposed on the support 10 for holding and fixing the optical fiber 200 so that the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped is maintained at a certain tension to ensure a constant position of the optical fiber 200 during the whole stripping process. The fiber stripping assembly 30 is arranged on the bracket 10 and is used for stripping coating layers.
The support 10 is formed by splicing aluminum alloy sections and comprises a cross beam 11 and a plurality of supporting legs 12, wherein the cross beam 11 is erected above the supporting legs 12 and serves as an installation carrier for the fixing assembly 20 and the fiber stripping assembly 30.
The fixing assembly 20 includes a plurality of clamping units 21, and the clamping units 21 are disposed on the bracket 10 at intervals for clamping and fixing the optical fiber 200. In one embodiment, the number of the clamping units 21 is 2, wherein one clamping unit 21 fixes one end of the optical fiber 200, and the other clamping unit 21 fixes the other end of the optical fiber 200, so that the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped is in a tensioned state. In other embodiments, more than 2 clamping units 21 may be provided according to actual needs, and the number of the clamping units 21 is not limited herein.
As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, the clamping unit 21 includes a first clamping portion 211, a second clamping portion 212, and a pressing handle 213. The first clamping portion 211 is fixed on the beam 11, the second clamping portion 212 is rotatably connected to the first clamping portion 211, and the pressing handle 213 can rotate relative to the first clamping portion 211 and press the second clamping portion 212 against the first clamping portion 211, so that the optical fiber 200 is clamped and fixed between the first clamping portion 211 and the second clamping portion 212. It will be appreciated that the surfaces of the first and second clamping portions 211 and 212 are provided with a rubber coating to ensure that the optical fibre 200 is clamped.
Each clamping unit 21 is correspondingly provided with at least one auxiliary plate 22, the auxiliary plate 22 is provided with a plurality of limiting parts 221, each optical fiber 200 is respectively placed in one of the limiting parts 221, and the optical fibers 200 are arranged in parallel, so that the shearing direction of the cutter 34 can be perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fibers 200, and the stripping assembly 30 can conveniently strip the optical fibers 200 at the same time. When stripping, the cutter 34 moves along the axial direction of the optical fiber 200 to strip the coating layer on the optical fiber 200, and since the plurality of optical fibers 200 are arranged in parallel, the stripped part of each optical fiber 200 has the same length, and the stripping length of the fiber stripping device 100 of the present invention has good consistency. In addition, in the fiber stripping process, the relative positions of the optical fibers 200 are kept unchanged, so that the optical fibers 200 are convenient to transfer to the next process.
In one embodiment, the position-limiting portion 221 is a position-limiting hole penetrating through the auxiliary plate 22 along the thickness direction, and the centers of the position-limiting holes are arranged in a straight line. It will be appreciated that the diameter of the stop hole is greater than or equal to the cross-sectional diameter of the optical fiber 200.
In other embodiments, the position-limiting portion 221 may also be a V-shaped groove or a groove penetrating the upper end surface of the auxiliary plate 22. It should be noted that the limiting portions 221 on the plurality of auxiliary plates 22 correspond to each other one by one, and a central connecting line of the limiting portions 221 correspondingly disposed on two adjacent auxiliary plates 22 is parallel to the extending direction of the support 10. The height of the stopper 221 is kept equal to the height of the clamping surface of the first clamping portion 211.
Referring to fig. 3 and 4, the fiber stripping assembly 30 includes a mounting seat 31, a connecting block 32, a plurality of guiding columns 33 and a cutter 34, the mounting seat 31 is slidably connected to the bracket 10, the connecting block 32 is disposed opposite to the mounting seat 31, the guiding columns 33 are disposed between the mounting seat 31 and the connecting block 32, the connecting block 32 can move along the guiding columns 33 to approach or separate from the mounting seat 31, the cutter 34 includes a first cutting piece 341 and a second cutting piece 342, the first cutting piece 341 is disposed on the mounting seat 31, and the second cutting piece 342 is disposed on the connecting block 32.
Due to the limiting effect of the bracket 10, the displacement of the mounting seat 31 in the direction perpendicular to the bracket 10 is 0, i.e. the mounting seat 31 is stationary relative to the connecting block 32. The action flow of fiber stripping comprises the following steps: the connecting block 32 moves towards the direction close to the mounting seat 31 under the guiding action of the guiding column 33, so as to drive the second slice 342 to be close to the first slice 341, and the gap between the second slice 342 and the first slice 341 is equal to the diameter of the optical fiber 200 after the coating layer is removed, so as to form a notch on the optical fiber 200; then, the cutter 34 is moved along the axial direction of the optical fiber 200 by the mount 31, and the coating layer on the optical fiber 200 is stripped.
In the fiber stripping assembly 30, the knife edges of the first section 341 and the second section 342 are always kept parallel to each other, so that the depths of the cuts formed on the optical fibers 200 by the first section 341 and the second section 342 are consistent, and the thicknesses of the coating layers scraped from the optical fibers 200 are consistent, thereby realizing synchronous fiber stripping operation on the optical fibers 200 and improving the fiber stripping efficiency.
The cutter 34 further comprises a holding unit 343, and the holding unit 343 comprises a first holding handle 343a and a second holding handle 343b hinged to each other, one end of the first holding handle 343a is connected to the mounting seat 31, and the other end is a free end for holding. One end of the second holding handle 343b is connected to the second slice 342, and the other end is a free end, so that the holding is convenient. The holding unit 343 is provided to facilitate the corresponding operation of the fiber stripping assembly 30 by the operator. It is understood that a linear motion module, such as an air cylinder, can be used to drive the fiber stripping assembly 30, so as to achieve automatic production.
In one embodiment, the number of the cutters 34 is 2, which are a first cutter 34a and a second cutter 34b, respectively, the hardness of the first cutter 34a is greater than that of the second cutter 34b, the first cutter 34a can move to the first end and the second end of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped to form a notch, and the second cutter 34b is used for removing the coating layer of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped. A notch is formed on the optical fiber 200 through the first cutter 34a, and then the coating layer is scraped at the depth corresponding to the notch through the second cutter 34b, so that the optical waveguide structure in the optical fiber 200 is prevented from being damaged in the fiber stripping process due to the fact that the hardness of the second cutter 34b is low, and the fiber stripping yield is improved.
Specifically, the first cutter 34a is made of metal, and the second cutter 34b is made of plastic. The first cutter 34a is disposed at one side of the mount 31, and the second cutter 34b is disposed at the other side of the mount 31. Firstly, moving the first cutter 34a to the first end of the part of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped to form a cut, then moving the first cutter 34a to the second end of the part of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped to form a cut, and loosening the first cutter 34 a; the second blade 34b is moved to the second end of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped, the second blade 34b is closed, and moved in the axial direction of the optical fiber 200 toward the first end of the portion to be stripped to scrape off the coating.
The fiber stripping assembly 30 further includes a carrier plate 35, and the carrier plate 35 is used for carrying the optical fiber 200 so as to couple the optical fiber 200 with the first cut piece 341. The carrier plate 35 is located between the first cutter 34a and the second cutter 34b, and the upper surface of the carrier plate 35 lifts the optical fiber 200, so that the optical fiber 200 is engaged with the first section 341 of the first cutter 34a or the second cutter 34b, and thus the moving stroke of the second section 342 can be adjusted with the first section 341 as a reference to adjust the distance between the first section 341 and the second section 342 to a target value.
In one embodiment, the fiber stripping assembly 30 further comprises an elastic member 38, and the elastic member 38 is disposed between the mounting seat 31 and the bearing plate 35.
The fiber stripping assembly 30 further includes a heating unit (not shown) disposed at one side of the carrier plate 35 for heating the optical fiber 200. The polymer coating layer of the optical fiber 200 is melted by heating, and is conveniently stripped.
Referring to fig. 1, the fiber stripping assembly 30 further includes a first positioning block 36 and a second positioning block 37, and the first positioning block 36 and the second positioning block 37 are used for defining the limit position of the mounting seat 31. In stripping, the cutter 34 is moved to the first end and the second end of the stripped portion of the optical fiber 200. The positions of the first positioning block 36 and the second positioning block 37 are set so that the cutter 34 reaches the first end of the portion to be stripped when the mounting seat 31 moves to the position of the first positioning block 36, and the cutter 34 reaches the second end of the portion to be stripped when the mounting seat 31 moves to the position of the second positioning block 37. The limit position of the cutter 34 in the fiber stripping process is conveniently controlled by setting the positions of the first positioning block 36 and the second positioning block 37.
It can be understood that the distance between the first positioning block 36 and the second positioning block 37 is properly set according to the length of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped.
Referring to fig. 1 and 5, the fiber stripping device 100 further includes a tensioning assembly 40, the tensioning assembly 40 includes a plurality of weight plates 41, and the weight plates 41 are provided with mounting portions 411 for the optical fibers 200 to pass through. The gravity piece 41 is supported on the optical fiber 200, and generates a radial tensile action on the optical fiber 200, thereby placing the optical fiber 200 in a tensioned state. The tensioning assembly 40 further includes a support base 42, the support base 42 being slidably connected to the bracket 10. The support table 42 is located below the weight plate 41 to bear the weight of the weight plate 41. When a force is required to be applied to the optical fiber 200, the support table 42 is moved away so that the weight of the weight plate 41 is borne on the optical fiber 200.
Referring to fig. 1 and 6, the optical fiber 200 stripping device 100 further includes a transferring assembly 50, the transferring assembly 50 includes a mounting plate 51 and two holders 52, the mounting plate 51 is connected to the support 10, the holders 52 are detachably connected to the mounting plate 51, and the holders 52 are used for holding the optical fiber 200. After the coating layer of the optical fiber 200 is stripped, the clamping unit 21 is opened, the plurality of optical fibers 200 are synchronously moved to the area where the transfer member 50 is located, the holders 52 are closed to fix both ends of the stripped portion of the optical fiber 200, and then the holders 52 are removed from the mounting plate 51, and both ends of the optical fiber 200 are extracted from the clamping unit 21 and the auxiliary plate 22. The stripped optical fiber 200 is removed by the transfer module 50 for the next process operation. The operation time of fiber threading in the next procedure is saved, the coating layer is prevented from being scratched by human introduction in the fiber threading process, and the working efficiency and the product yield are improved.
It will be appreciated that the spacing between the two holders 52 is greater than or equal to the length of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped. A magnetic clasp is provided between the holder 52 and the mounting plate 51 to facilitate removal of the holder 52.
A method for stripping fibers by using the fiber stripping device comprises the following steps:
s100: a plurality of optical fibers 200 are placed in the holding unit 21 such that the portions of the optical fibers 200 to be stripped are within the processing range of the cutter 34.
Specifically, the pressing handle 213 of the clamping unit 21 is released, so that the second pressing portion is away from the first pressing portion, that is, the clamping unit 21 is in the open state. The optical fiber 200 is placed above the first pressing part, and the optical fiber 200 is pulled, so that the part of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped is positioned in the area where the fiber stripping assembly 30 is positioned.
In some embodiments, the fixation assembly 20 further includes an auxiliary plate 22. Step S100 is preceded by step S110: one end of the optical fiber 200 is sequentially passed through the stopper portions 221 of the plurality of auxiliary plates 22.
S200: the position of the optical fiber 200 is fixed by the clamping unit 21.
The pressing handle 213 of the clamping unit 21 is pressed to make the second pressing portion fit the first pressing portion, that is, the clamping unit 21 is in the closed state, thereby fixing the position of the optical fiber 200.
S300: the second cut piece 342 is brought close to the first cut piece 341 to form a cut at the end of the portion of the plurality of optical fibers 200 to be stripped.
Specifically, the connecting block 32 moves towards the direction close to the mounting seat 31 under the guiding action of the guiding column 33, so as to drive the second slice 342 to be close to the first slice 341, and the gap between the second slice 342 and the first slice 341 is equal to the diameter of the optical fiber 200 after the coating layer is removed, so as to form a notch on the optical fiber 200. Since the knife edges of the first and second slices 341 and 342 are always kept parallel to each other, the cuts formed on the plurality of optical fibers 200 by the first and second slices 341 and 342 have the same depth.
S400: the first and second slices 341 and 342 are moved in the axial direction of the optical fiber 200 to remove the coating layer of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped.
Specifically, the cutter 34 is driven by the mounting seat 31 to move along the axial direction of the optical fiber 200, so as to strip the coating layer on the optical fiber 200. Since the knife edges of the first and second slices 341 and 342 are always kept parallel to each other and the thickness of the coating layer scraped from the plurality of optical fibers 200 is uniform, the synchronous fiber stripping operation of the plurality of optical fibers 200 can be realized, and the fiber stripping efficiency is improved.
In this embodiment, the same tool 34 is used to strip the coating of the optical fiber 200. In other embodiments, a first cutter 34a is used to form a cut at the first end and the second end of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped; and then removing the coating layer by the second cutter 34b, wherein the hardness of the second cutter 34b is less than that of the first cutter 34a, so that the optical waveguide structure in the optical fiber 200 is prevented from being damaged in the fiber stripping process, and the fiber stripping yield is improved. Accordingly, the aforementioned steps S300, S400 should be replaced with S300a, S400 a.
Step S300a is: the first cutter 34a is moved to the first end of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped to form a cut, and then the first cutter 34a is moved to the second end of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped to form a cut, and the first cutter 34a is released. Step S400a is: the second blade 34b is moved to the second end of the portion of the optical fiber 200 to be stripped, the second blade 34b is closed, and moved in the axial direction of the optical fiber 200 toward the first end of the portion to be stripped to scrape off the coating.
The technical features of the embodiments described above may be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above are not described, but should be considered as being within the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.
The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept, which falls within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent should be subject to the appended claims.