CN112643237B

CN112643237B - Clamping block, clamping mechanism, multi-dimensional adjusting mechanism and clamping and adjusting device

Info

Publication number: CN112643237B
Application number: CN202011448552.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 廖传武; 宋小飞; 李志超; 王志文
Original assignee: Dalian Youxun Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Dalian Youxinguang Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-12-09
Filing date: 2020-12-09
Publication date: 2022-04-15
Anticipated expiration: 2040-12-09
Also published as: CN115008047B; CN112643237A; CN115008047A

Abstract

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to the field of clamping and coupling, and more particularly to clamping blocks, clamping mechanisms, multi-dimensional adjustment mechanisms, and clamping and adjustment devices. The clamping block may comprise a body having a slot extending from a first end towards a second end into which a device to be clamped by the clamping block can be placed; an external power connection region disposed on a second side of the body opposite the first side and capable of supplying power to a device disposed within the slot; a compression device disposed on the first side of the body proximate the first end and capable of applying pressure from the first side to a device placed into the slot to firmly compress the device within the slot. By utilizing the clamping device disclosed by the invention, clamping and high-precision coupling of a multi-channel laser device can be realized.

Description

Clamping block, clamping mechanism, multi-dimensional adjusting mechanism and clamping and adjusting device

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the field of clamping and coupling of devices, and more particularly to clamping, adjusting, and automatic coupling of both a laser Transmitter (TOSA) and a laser Receiver (ROSA) to respective sockets. In particular, the laser emitting device and the laser receiving device may be multi-channel laser devices of 100G or more.

Background

The automatic coupling laser welding equipment of the traditional optical communication laser device is based on automatic coupling of single-path laser, along with large-scale commercial 5G technology, a data center, AR, artificial intelligence, the construction of the Internet of things and the like, the requirement on the data transmission rate is higher and higher, the cost of a single-path device meeting the transmission rate higher than 100Gbps is higher at present, therefore, a multi-channel (for example, four-channel) device adopting the wavelength division multiplexing technology is widely applied, but the automatic coupling laser welding technology of the single-path device is directly applied to automatic coupling laser welding of the multi-channel device, the production efficiency is very low, and a good solution mode does not exist at present.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a clamping block, a clamping mechanism, a multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism and a clamping and adjustment device, which can at least overcome or alleviate one or more technical problems of the existing automatic coupling device that are difficult to align and couple with respect to a socket of a multi-channel laser device.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a clamping block is provided. The clamping block may comprise a body having a first end and a second end opposite to each other, and a slot extending from the first end towards the second end, wherein an opening of the slot is towards a first side of the body and a side of the slot facing the first end is open, a device to be clamped by the clamping block being placeable into the slot from the opening or the first end; an external power connection region disposed on a second side of the body opposite the first side and capable of providing power to the device disposed within the slot; a compression device disposed on the first side of the body proximate the first end and capable of applying pressure to the device seated within the slot from the first side to firmly compress the device within the slot.

In some embodiments, the pressing device comprises a pressing plate disposed facing the opening of the slot and operatively movable towards the direction of the slot for pressing the device inserted into the slot.

In some embodiments, the compression device further comprises a plurality of locating pins, each locating pin having one end fixed to the side wall defining the slot and the other end passing through the pressure plate, the pressure plate being operable to move along the plurality of locating pins in a direction toward the slot.

In some embodiments, the hold-down device further comprises a plurality of compression springs disposed between the pressure plate and the sidewalls defining the slot and fitted over the corresponding locating pins.

In some embodiments, the compression device further comprises a set screw having a head positioned on the platen and a tap positioned on a sidewall of the slot, the platen capable of being forced toward the slot via rotation of the set screw and firmly pressing the device within the slot.

In some embodiments, the device further comprises a limiting part which is arranged in the main body and can limit the position of the device in the extending direction of the device in the slot.

In some embodiments, the device further comprises a power applying portion disposed within the body near the second end and electrically connected to the external power region, the power applying portion having an exposed gold finger and being capable of coupling with a gold finger on a flexible circuit board attached to the device to apply power to the flexible circuit board and the device.

In some embodiments, the clamping block further comprises a tightening part which is arranged on the first side of the main body and spans the slot, and the tightening part can be used as a clamping part of the clamping block when the clamping block is clamped.

In some embodiments, the clinch portion and the body are integrally formed.

In some embodiments, the device is a laser transmitter or a laser receiver.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a clamping mechanism is provided. The clamping mechanism may comprise a clamping block as described in the first aspect, the clamping mechanism comprising: a U-shaped bracket having a first arm and a second arm opposed to each other, an inner side of the first arm being provided with a guide groove extending along an extending direction of the first arm and capable of at least partially receiving the grip block; and the jacking cylinder is arranged on the outer side of the second arm and provided with a telescopic ejector rod, the ejector rod extends towards the first arm through the second arm, the tail end of the ejector rod is provided with a jacking part, and the device can be clamped between the jacking part and the guide groove.

In some embodiments, further comprising an L-shaped bracket comprising a lateral support table and a vertical arm coupled to each other, the U-shaped bracket being supported on the lateral support table via a spring, and the first arm being attached to the vertical arm via a rail, such that the U-shaped bracket is movable up and down along the rail relative to the L-shaped bracket, the rail extending along the direction of extension of the vertical arm.

In some embodiments, further comprising a pressure sensor disposed within the vertical arm; a pressure transmission rod having one end attached to the first arm and the other end elastically pressed against the pressure sensor; the pressure transmission rod can move up and down along with the up-and-down movement of the U-shaped bracket, and the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor changes along with the pressure transmission rod.

In some embodiments, the vertical arm has a free end and a connecting end, the connecting end being coupled to the lateral support table, the pressure sensor being disposed closer to the free end than the pressure conducting rod.

In some embodiments, the biasing portion is a U-shaped structure having one arm with a length greater than the other arm.

In some embodiments, a power-up module is disposed within the guide slot of the first arm, the power-up module being engageable with the external power region to thereby power up the device in the clamp block.

In some embodiments, the power-up module includes a plurality of power-up contacts, the external electrical region includes a plurality of power-up terminals, and the plurality of power-up contacts and the plurality of power-up terminals are electrically connectable in a one-to-one correspondence.

In some embodiments, the clamping mechanism can be supported by a multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism, and the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism can adjust the orientation of the clamping mechanism in multiple dimensions.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a material transfer system is provided. The material transfer system may be configured to transfer the clamping block according to the first aspect, and/or to perform loading or unloading according to the clamping mechanism according to the second aspect, the material transfer system includes a loading transfer module and/or an unloading transfer module, and the loading transfer module and the unloading transfer module each include: a channel block having at least two sides and a bottom defining a groove; an L-shaped transfer table which can be movably placed in the groove and has a transverse part and a vertical part which are combined into an L shape, wherein the clamping block can be placed on the L-shaped transfer table; and the transfer cylinder is fixed on one side of the groove-shaped block and is provided with a transfer rod, and the transfer rod can operate the L-shaped transfer platform to move along the extending direction of the groove so as to transfer the object.

In some embodiments, the angle between the lateral portion and the vertical portion in the infeed transfer module is greater than 90 degrees.

In some embodiments, the vertical portion of the loading and transferring module is provided with a slide rail, the extension direction of the slide rail is transverse to the extension direction of the groove, the L-shaped transfer table of the loading and transferring module can be pushed away from the area limited by the groove when loading, and the clamping block can move along the slide rail to leave the loading and transferring module.

In some embodiments, the vertical portion of the loading and transferring module includes at least two magnetic regions disposed at both sides of the slide rail, and the at least two magnetic regions can attract the clamping blocks to the vertical portion.

In some embodiments, at least one magnetic area is disposed on a lateral portion of the blanking transfer module, and the at least one magnetic area can attract the clamping block to the lateral portion during blanking.

In some embodiments, the loading transfer module and the unloading transfer module can be respectively arranged at both sides of the clamping mechanism.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism is provided. The multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism can support and multi-dimensionally adjust the chucking mechanism of the second aspect, the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism including: a Z-axis rotation stage operable to rotate about a Z-axis; both an X-axis displacement stage and a Y-axis displacement stage disposed adjacent to one another and disposed above the Z-axis rotation stage, the X-axis displacement stage operable to translate along an X-axis, the Y-axis displacement stage operable to translate along a Y-axis, both the X-axis displacement stage and the Y-axis displacement stage disposed in: the X-axis displacement table is arranged above the Y-axis displacement table, or the Y-axis displacement table is arranged above the X-axis displacement table; both an X-axis arc swing table and a Y-axis arc swing table disposed adjacent to each other and disposed over both the X-axis displacement table and the Y-axis displacement table, the X-axis arc swing table operable to arc in an X-axis direction, the Y-axis arc swing table operable to arc in a Y-axis direction, the X-axis arc swing table and the Y-axis arc swing table both disposed in the following manner: the X-axis arc swing table is arranged on the Y-axis arc swing table, or the Y-axis arc swing table is arranged on the X-axis arc swing table; the X, Y and Z axes are orthogonal to each other.

In some embodiments, further comprising both a 45 ° arc and a 135 ° arc positioned adjacent to each other between the combination of the X-axis and Y-axis displacement tables positioned adjacent to each other and the combination of the X-axis and Y-axis arc tables positioned adjacent to each other, the 45 ° arc table being operable to arc at an angle of 45 ° to the positive direction of the Y-axis, the 135 ° arc table being operable to arc at an angle of 135 ° to the positive direction of the Y-axis, the 45 ° arc table and the 135 ° arc table being positioned in the following manner: the 45-degree axial arc swing table is arranged on the 135-degree axial arc swing table, or the 135-degree axial arc swing table is arranged on the 45-degree axial arc swing table.

In some embodiments, the Z-axis rotation stage, any displacement stage, and any arc swinging stage are all electrically actuated.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a device clamping and adjusting apparatus is provided. The device holding and adjusting apparatus may comprise a holding block according to the first aspect, a holding mechanism according to the second aspect, and a multi-dimensional adjusting mechanism according to the fourth aspect.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an automatic coupling apparatus of a multichannel laser device and a socket. The automatic coupling device may include: the device holding and adjusting apparatus according to the fifth aspect, which is capable of holding and adjusting a multichannel laser device; a socket clamping and adjustment device positioned above the device clamping and adjustment device and capable of clamping a socket, the socket clamping and adjustment device comprising a socket gripper, a Z-axis translation stage, and a socket self-rotation stage, wherein the socket gripper is coupled to the socket self-rotation stage to allow the socket to be operably spun, wherein the socket self-rotation stage is coupled to the Z-axis translation stage to allow the socket to move up and down along a Z-axis; and a control system coupled to the device holding and adjusting apparatus for adjusting the position and/or orientation of the held multichannel laser device and to the socket holding and adjusting apparatus for adjusting the position and/or orientation of the held socket.

In some embodiments, the socket clamping and adjusting device further comprises a tightening device coupled to the Z-axis displacement stage and disposed outside the socket clamp, the tightening device being capable of tightening the transition ring against the socket with the transition ring fitted over the socket.

In some embodiments, at least three sets of welding gun devices are also included, coupled to the control system, and arranged centered about the device holding and adjusting device and at an angle of 120 ° to each other.

In some embodiments, each set of welding gun devices comprises at least a welding gun, a welding gun lifting table, a camera device and a welding gun advancing and retreating table, wherein the welding gun lifting table is installed on the welding gun advancing and retreating table, the welding gun is installed on the welding gun lifting table, the control system can adjust the position of the welding gun through the welding gun lifting table and the welding gun advancing and retreating table and control the welding gun to weld, and the camera device can monitor the welding position to be welded on the multi-channel laser device.

In some embodiments, a material transfer system as described above is also included.

According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of automatic coupling of a multichannel laser receiver and a corresponding socket. The method may use the automatic coupling apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the automatic coupling method comprising: adjusting at least one of the Z-axis, X-axis, and Y-axis translation stages to bring the socket with the optical fiber held on the socket holding and adjusting device and the laser receiver held by the device holding and adjusting device into a predetermined coupling position; and at the preset coupling position, at least one of the X-axis arc placing table and the Y-axis arc placing table is repeatedly adjusted to obtain a corresponding feedback signal from the pressure sensor, and whether the light emergent surface of the socket is parallel to the light incident surface of the laser receiver is judged based on the feedback signal.

In some embodiments, further comprising: according to the set value of the laser receiver, one laser channel of the laser receiver is selected, the socket is rotated from the rotating table to automatically find light, so that the position point with the maximum photocurrent of the selected laser channel, namely the optimal laser receiving position, is obtained, and therefore the initial position of the socket is determined.

In some embodiments, further comprising: and adjusting at least one of an X-axis displacement table, a Y-axis displacement table, an X-axis arc placing table, a Y-axis arc placing table, a 45-degree axis arc placing table, a 135-degree axis arc placing table, a Z-axis displacement table and a socket self-rotating table to determine that the photocurrents or the optical powers of all the channels of the laser receiver reach a set value range.

In some embodiments, further comprising: the sockets are trimmed from both the rotary stage and the Z-axis displacement stage to determine whether the rate of change of photocurrent is within a predetermined range.

In some embodiments, further comprising: and welding the coupled socket and the laser receiver.

According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of automatic coupling of a multi-channel laser transmitter and a corresponding jack. The method may use the automatic coupling apparatus according to the sixth aspect, the automatic coupling method comprising: adjusting at least one of the Z-axis, X-axis, and Y-axis translation stages to bring a socket with an optical fiber and a transition ring held on the socket holding and adjusting device and a laser emitter held by the device holding and adjusting device into a predetermined coupling position; at the preset coupling position, enabling the transition ring to fall on a welding surface of the laser transmitter to be coupled; repeatedly adjusting at least one of the X-axis arc and Y-axis arc pendulums to obtain corresponding feedback signals from the pressure sensors; and determining whether the light incident surface of the socket is parallel to the light emergent surface of the laser emitter based on the corresponding feedback signal of the pressure sensor.

In some embodiments, further comprising: and adjusting at least one of the X-axis displacement table and the Y-axis displacement table based on the set value of the laser transmitter to couple and find a set path of laser.

In some embodiments, further comprising: and adjusting at least one of an X-axis displacement table, a Y-axis displacement table, an X-axis arc placing table, a Y-axis arc placing table, a 45-degree axis arc placing table, a 135-degree axis arc placing table, a Z-axis displacement table and a socket self-rotating table to determine that the photocurrents or the optical powers of the lasers of all channels of the laser transmitter reach a set value range.

In some embodiments, further comprising: the sockets are fine-tuned from the rotary stage and the Z-axis displacement stage to determine whether the photocurrent or optical power rate of change is within a predetermined range.

In some embodiments, further comprising: welding a socket and the transition ring so that the socket and the transition ring are welded into a whole; and welding the transition ring and the laser emitter.

According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a computing device is provided. The computing device may include: a memory configured to store one or more computer programs; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the one or more computer programs to cause an apparatus to perform the aforementioned auto-coupling method.

According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium is provided. The medium has stored thereon machine-readable program instructions configured to cause an apparatus to perform the aforementioned auto-coupling method.

According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a clamping mechanism is provided. The clamping mechanism may include: a U-shaped bracket having a first arm and a second arm opposed to each other, an inner side of the first arm being provided with a guide groove extending along an extending direction of the first arm and capable of at least partially receiving the device to be clamped; and the jacking cylinder is arranged on the outer side of the second arm and provided with a telescopic ejector rod, the ejector rod extends towards the first arm through the second arm, the tail end of the ejector rod is provided with a jacking part, and the device can be clamped between the jacking part and the guide groove.

In some embodiments, further comprising: an L-shaped bracket comprising a lateral support table and a vertical arm coupled to each other, the U-shaped bracket being supported on the lateral support table via a spring and the first arm being attached to the vertical arm via a guide rail such that the U-shaped bracket is movable up and down along the guide rail relative to the L-shaped bracket, the guide rail extending along an extension direction of the vertical arm.

In some embodiments, further comprising: a pressure sensor disposed within the vertical arm; a pressure transmission rod having one end attached to the first arm and the other end elastically pressed against the pressure sensor; the pressure transmission rod can move up and down along with the up-and-down movement of the U-shaped bracket, and the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor changes along with the pressure transmission rod.

In some embodiments, a power-up module is disposed in the guide slot of the first arm, and the power-up module is capable of powering up the clamped device.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a material transfer system is provided. The material transfer system may include a loading transfer module and/or a unloading transfer module, each of the loading transfer module and the unloading transfer module including: a channel block having at least two sides and a bottom defining a groove; an L-shaped transfer table which can be movably placed in the groove and has a transverse portion and a vertical portion which are combined with each other to form an L shape, and on which an object to be transferred can be placed; and the transfer cylinder is fixed on one side of the groove-shaped block and is provided with a transfer rod, and the transfer rod can operate the L-shaped transfer platform to move along the extending direction of the groove so as to transfer the object.

In some embodiments, the vertical portion of the loading and transferring module is provided with a slide rail, the extension direction of the slide rail is transverse to the extension direction of the groove, the L-shaped transfer table of the loading and transferring module can be pushed away from the area limited by the groove when loading, and the object can move along the slide rail to leave the loading and transferring module.

In some embodiments, the vertical portion of the loading transfer module includes at least two magnetic regions disposed at both sides of the slide rail, the at least two magnetic regions being capable of attracting the object to the vertical portion.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism is provided. The mechanism may include: a Z-axis rotation stage operable to rotate about a Z-axis; both an X-axis displacement stage and a Y-axis displacement stage disposed adjacent to one another and disposed above the Z-axis rotation stage, the X-axis displacement stage operable to translate along an X-axis, the Y-axis displacement stage operable to translate along a Y-axis, both the X-axis displacement stage and the Y-axis displacement stage disposed in: the X-axis displacement table is arranged above the Y-axis displacement table, or the Y-axis displacement table is arranged above the X-axis displacement table; both an X-axis arc swing table and a Y-axis arc swing table disposed adjacent to each other and disposed over both the X-axis displacement table and the Y-axis displacement table, the X-axis arc swing table operable to arc in an X-axis direction, the Y-axis arc swing table operable to arc in a Y-axis direction, the X-axis arc swing table and the Y-axis arc swing table both disposed in the following manner: the X-axis arc swing table is arranged on the Y-axis arc swing table, or the Y-axis arc swing table is arranged on the X-axis arc swing table; the X, Y and Z axes are orthogonal to each other.

In some embodiments, further comprising: both a 45 ° arc and a 135 ° arc disposed adjacent to each other between the combination of the X-axis and Y-axis displacement tables disposed adjacent to each other and the combination of the X-axis and Y-axis arc tables disposed adjacent to each other, the 45 ° arc table being operable to arc in an angular direction of 45 ° from a positive direction of the Y-axis, the 135 ° arc table being operable to arc in an angular direction of 135 ° from a positive direction of the Y-axis, both the 45 ° arc table and the 135 ° arc table being disposed in the following manner: the 45-degree axial arc swing table is arranged on the 135-degree axial arc swing table, or the 135-degree axial arc swing table is arranged on the 45-degree axial arc swing table.

In some embodiments, the Z-axis rotation stage, any displacement stage, any arc swinging stage are all electrically actuated.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, an automatic coupling device is provided. The automatic coupling device comprises a multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism according to the foregoing.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of automatic coupling of a multichannel laser receiver and a corresponding socket. The method uses the automatic coupling device described above. The automatic coupling device further comprises a lower clamping structure for clamping the multi-channel laser receiver and an upper clamping structure for clamping the socket, and the lower clamping structure is arranged on the multi-dimensional adjusting mechanism; the automatic coupling method comprises the following steps: adjusting at least one of the Z-axis displacement stage, the Z-axis rotation stage, the X-axis displacement stage and the Y-axis displacement stage to enable the socket clamped by the upper clamping mechanism and provided with the optical fiber and the laser receiver clamped by the lower clamping mechanism to be in a preset coupling position; at the preset coupling position, at least one of the X-axis arc placing table and the Y-axis arc placing table is adjusted repeatedly to obtain a corresponding pressure feedback signal from a contact surface between the socket and the laser receiver, and whether the light emergent surface of the socket is parallel to the light incident surface of the laser receiver is judged based on the pressure feedback signal.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of automatic coupling of a multichannel laser transmitter and a corresponding receptacle. The method uses the automatic coupling device, the automatic coupling device further comprises a lower clamping structure for clamping the multi-channel laser transmitter and an upper clamping structure for clamping the multi-channel laser transmitter and the transition ring, and the lower clamping structure is arranged on the multi-dimensional adjusting mechanism; the automatic coupling method comprises the following steps: adjusting at least one of the Z-axis displacement table, the Z-axis rotation table, the X-axis displacement table and the Y-axis displacement table to enable the socket with the optical fiber and the transition ring clamped by the upper clamping mechanism and the laser emitter clamped by the lower clamping mechanism to be in a preset coupling position; at the preset coupling position, enabling the transition ring to fall on a welding surface of the laser transmitter to be coupled; repeatedly adjusting at least one of the X-axis arc and Y-axis arc pendulums to obtain corresponding pressure feedback signals originating from an interface between the socket and the laser transmitter; and judging whether the light incident surface of the socket is parallel to the light emergent surface of the laser emitter or not based on the pressure feedback signal.

In some embodiments, the method further comprises adjusting at least one of the X-axis and Y-axis displacement stages to couple to find a set path of laser light based on a set value of the laser transmitter.

According to a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a computing device is provided. The computing device includes: a memory configured to store one or more computer programs; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the one or more computer programs to cause an apparatus to perform the aforementioned auto-coupling method.

According to a seventeenth aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon machine-readable program instructions configured to cause an apparatus to perform the aforementioned auto-coupling method.

It should be understood that the statements herein reciting aspects are not intended to limit the critical or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor are they intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description.

Drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent by referring to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements.

Fig. 1 shows an overall structural schematic diagram of an automatic coupling apparatus of a laser device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic structural diagram of a welding gun device in an automatic coupling device of a laser device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic structural view of a socket clamping and adjusting apparatus in an automatic coupling apparatus of a laser device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a device holding and adjusting apparatus in an automatic coupling apparatus of a laser device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic structural view of a clamping block with a laser receiver clamped according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 shows a schematic structural view of a clamping block with a laser emitter clamped according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic front view of a clamping block according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic view of a structure in which a clamping block is mounted on a clamping mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 9 illustrates a side view of a clamping block mounted on a clamping mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 10 shows a side schematic view of an L-shaped bracket showing a pressure sensor in a clamping mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 11 illustrates a schematic structural view of an L-shaped transfer table in a material loading transfer module in a material transfer system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 12 illustrates a schematic structural view of an L-shaped transfer table in a blanking transfer module in a material transfer system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 13 shows a schematic structural diagram of a multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 14 shows a flow diagram of a method of automatic coupling of a multi-channel laser receiver and a corresponding receptacle according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 15 shows a flow diagram of a method of automatic coupling of a multi-channel laser transmitter and a corresponding receptacle according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While certain embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it is to be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein, but rather are provided for a more thorough and complete understanding of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the disclosure are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.

It is noted herein that although the present disclosure describes the structure of the automatic coupling device of the present disclosure primarily with reference to the automatic coupling and welding of a socket of a laser device (e.g., a laser Transmitter (TOSA) or a laser Receiver (ROSA)), it will be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are in no way limited thereto and that in other application scenarios, the clamping block, the device clamping and adjusting device, the socket clamping and adjusting device, the multi-dimensional adjusting mechanism, the material transfer system, which will be described later herein, may exist separately from the laser device (e.g., a laser transmitter or a laser receiver), or individual ones thereof or combinations of one or more thereof may exist separately or be applied separately, i.e., may exist independently of each other and not only be applicable to the coupling and welding of a socket of a laser device.

As shown in fig. 1, the automatic coupling device 10 of the present disclosure may mainly include the following parts: a device holding and adjusting apparatus 100, a socket holding and adjusting apparatus 200, and at least one set of welding gun apparatus 300, and a control system (not shown).

In some embodiments, the device holding and adjusting apparatus 100 may be used, for example, to hold and adjust a (multi-channel) laser device to be welded, such as a four-channel laser device. The socket gripping and adjusting device 200 may be positioned above the device gripping and adjusting device 100 for gripping a socket that needs to be welded to a laser device, for example. At least one welding gun device 300 may be disposed about the device holding and adjusting device 100. By way of example only, the at least one set of welding gun devices 300 may, for example, include at least three sets of welding gun devices 300, which may be arranged centered on the clamping and adjustment device 100 and at an angle of 120 ° to each other. In this way, easier soldering and control of the device can be achieved.

In some embodiments, all three of the device holding and adjusting apparatus 100, the socket holding and adjusting apparatus 200, and the at least one set of welding gun apparatus 300 may be coupled to a control system (not shown), and the control system may enable individual control as well as coordinated control of all three.

To more clearly illustrate the structure of the welding gun device, fig. 2 simply shows a schematic structural view of only one set of welding gun device 300 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 2, the set of welding gun apparatus 300 may mainly include a welding gun 310, a welding gun lifting table 330, an image pickup apparatus 320, and a welding gun advancing and retreating table 340, wherein the welding gun advancing and retreating table 340 may be placed on an (optical) platform for realizing the movement of the welding gun back and forth, left and right, rotation, and the like; the welding gun lifting table 330 can be arranged on the welding gun advancing and retreating table 340 to realize the up-and-down movement of the welding gun; the torch 310 may be mounted on the torch lift table 330 for welding of the target device; the camera 320 may be mounted at the rear end of the welding gun 310 and thus may move along with the movement of the welding gun 310. For example only, the camera 320 may be a CCD camera. In the exemplary embodiment shown in fig. 1, 3 sets of welding guns may be distributed at 120 ° centered on the socket clamping and adjusting device 200, the welding guns may be at an angle of, for example, 18 ° to the horizontal, and a CCD camera arranged at the rear end of the welding guns may clearly observe the welding spot position.

It will be appreciated that other sets of welding gun devices may be arranged in the same or similar manner. Meanwhile, the structure of the welding gun apparatus described above is not intended to limit the structure of the welding gun apparatus of the present disclosure, and in other embodiments, the structure of the welding gun apparatus may be modified or adjusted as necessary, which is within the scope of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 3, the socket gripping and adjusting device 200 may mainly include a socket gripper 230, a Z-axis displacement stage 210, and a socket self-rotation stage 220. As an embodiment of the present disclosure, the socket holder 230 is mainly used for holding a socket of a laser device for subsequent coupling and welding of the socket to the laser device, but as mentioned above, this does not constitute a limitation of the socket holding device of the present disclosure, and in other embodiments, the socket holder 230 may be used for holding other components.

As an example, Z-axis displacement stage 210 may be mounted on the platform by a mount for effecting up and down movement of the socket along the Z-axis; the socket self-rotation stage 220 may be mounted on a Z-axis displacement stage for enabling self-rotation of the socket, e.g., 360 degrees; and the socket holder 230 may be mounted on the socket self-rotating table 220 to hold the socket.

In a further embodiment, socket gripping and adjustment device 200 may also include a tightening device 240, which may be located outside socket gripper 230. The function of the abutting device 240 is to abut the transition ring against the socket in a situation such as welding the transition ring (described further below) with the transition ring fitted on the socket. As an example, the tightening device 240 may comprise a retractable pin, by means of which the tightening of the transition ring by the tightening device described above may be achieved. In still further embodiments, the control system may control the tightening or loosening operation of the tightening device.

As shown in fig. 4, the device holding and adjusting apparatus 100 may generally include a holding block 140 capable of holding a device, a holding mechanism 110 capable of holding the holding block 140, an optional material transfer system 160, and a multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism 150 capable of supporting and/or adjusting the position and/or orientation of the holding mechanism 110 and/or the material transfer system 160.

It is still emphasized herein that although the clamp block 140, the clamp mechanism 110, the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism 150, and the material transfer system 160 are described herein with respect to laser devices, it is to be understood that in other application scenarios, in one aspect, the clamp block 140 may clamp devices other than laser devices, the clamp mechanism 110 may clamp devices other than the clamp block 140 of the present disclosure, and the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism 150 may support and/or adjust the position and/or orientation of other clamp mechanisms (or devices) other than the clamp mechanism 110 of the present disclosure and/or other material transfer systems other than the material transfer system 160; on the other hand, the clamping block 140 may be clamped by other clamping mechanisms than the clamping mechanism 110 of the present disclosure; the gripper mechanism 110 may be supported and positionally and/or directionally adjusted by other multi-dimensional adjustment mechanisms than those disclosed herein, and the material transfer system 160 may also be supported and positionally and/or directionally adjusted by other multi-dimensional adjustment mechanisms than those disclosed herein, i.e., each may be independent and may have a broader range of applications without being limited to the example embodiments described herein.

The structure of the clamping block of the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described below mainly with reference to fig. 5 to 7, wherein fig. 5 shows a schematic structural view of the clamping block with the laser receiver clamped according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 6 shows a schematic structural diagram of a clamping block with a laser emitter clamped therein according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and fig. 7 shows a schematic front view of a clamping block according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 5 to 7, the clamping block 140 may mainly include a body 141, an external power connection region 136, and a pressing device 130.

The body 141 functions to house or position the device to be held. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the device to be clamped may be, for example, a (multi-channel) laser device, which may comprise a laser emitter or a laser receiver. This is not a limitation, and as described above, the clamping block 140 or the body 141 may be used to receive and clamp other suitable devices in other application scenarios. By way of example only, the body 141 may be in the shape of an elongated bar and may be made of a rigid material, which may include, for example, stainless steel, or other metallic materials. The body 141 may have a first end 142 and a second end 143 opposite each other, and a slot 144 extending from the first end 142 toward the second end 143. The slot 144 serves to receive the device to be clamped. Further, the slot 144 may have an opening toward the first side 145 of the body 141, and a side of the slot 144 facing the first end 142 is open. It will be appreciated that in this manner, the device to be clamped may be allowed to seat or be inserted into the slot 144 from an opening facing the first side 145 or from an open first end.

In order to protect the device to be clamped, the opening of the slot 144 may be slightly larger than the width of the laser device to be clamped, i.e., so that the device to be clamped has clearance areas on both sides thereof when being placed in the slot 144 so as not to touch the device. Further, in order to limit the position of the device to be clamped in the slot, in some embodiments, a limiting portion 147 may be provided at a suitable position in the extending direction in the slot 144, so that one end of the device to be clamped may abut on the limiting portion 147 while the other end of the device is exposed outward from the first end 142, so as to facilitate subsequent coupling and welding with the socket. For example only, the stop 147 may be, for example, a stop step disposed within the slot 144. The limiting step can be arranged transversely to the extending direction of the slot 144, and two ends of the limiting step can be provided with digging holes to avoid the contact of the corners of the limiting step with the device to be clamped.

The purpose of the breakout region 136 is to provide power to the device that is placed into the slot 144. In some embodiments, the external power region 136 may be disposed on a second side 146 of the body 141 opposite the first side. By way of example only, the external power region 136 may be, for example, a power-up board embedded into the second side 146, which may have a plurality (e.g., 9) power-up terminals thereon. Further, the external power connection area 136 may be connected to the power connection terminal of the device to be clamped via a wire slot 137 provided in the body 141. Generally, in an embodiment of a laser device such as a laser transmitter or a laser receiver, a flexible circuit board 25 is attached to one end of the

laser device

20, 40, and an exposed gold finger may be provided on the flexible circuit board 25. In these embodiments, in order to facilitate electrical connection with the flexible circuit board 25, for example, an energizing portion 148 may be disposed near the second end 143 of the main body 141, wherein the electrical connection region 136 may be electrically connected to the energizing portion 148 via the wire slot 137, and a gold finger facing the first side 145 may also be disposed on the energizing portion 148. When the laser device is positioned within the slot 144, the flexible circuit board 25 may be positioned near the second end 143 of the body 141, where power to the device to be clamped may be provided by pressing on the gold fingers of both the flexible circuit board 25 and the power-up portion 148, as will be described further below.

The function of the compression device 130 is to press the device seated in the slot 144 to effect a grip on the device. In some embodiments, the compression device 130 may be disposed on the first side 145 of the body 141 proximate the first end 142 such that pressure may be applied from the first side 145 to a device disposed within the slot 144, thereby effecting clamping of the device by the clamp block 140.

By way of example only, the pressing device 130 may include, for example, a pressing plate 131 disposed facing the opening of the slot 144, the pressing plate 131 being operable to move the pressing plate 131 toward the slot 144. By means of the pressure plate 131, the operator can effect a pressing of the component placed in the slot 144. In a further example, the pressing device 130 can further include a plurality of (e.g., four) positioning pins 132, each of which can be fixed at one end to a side wall of the slot 144, for example, and can pass through the pressing plate 131 (e.g., four corners of the pressing plate) at the other end. The press plate 131 may be movably disposed relative to the positioning pins 132, whereby the press plate 132 is operable to move along the plurality of positioning pins 132 in a direction toward the slot 144, thereby effecting pressing of the device within the slot 144. In a further example, the pressing device 130 may further include a tightening screw 133, a side of a head portion of the tightening screw 133 may be positioned on the pressing plate 131, and a side of the tapping portion may be positioned on a sidewall of the slot 144, whereby an operator may implement the movement of the pressing plate 131 toward the slot 144 by operating the tightening screw 133. In yet a further example, the compression device 130 can further include a plurality of compression springs 134, and the plurality of compression springs 134 can be disposed between the pressure plate 131 and the sidewalls defining the slots 144 and sleeved over the corresponding locating pins 132. The compression spring 134 is advantageously used to allow the pressing plate 131 to spring away from the slot 144 when the clamped device needs to be removed from the clamping block 140, thereby facilitating the removal of the clamped device. In still other embodiments, to protect the clamped device, a spacer may be provided on the inside of the pressure plate 131 to avoid damage to the device to be clamped.

As described later, the clamp block 140 of the present disclosure can also be clamped on another clamping mechanism. Thus, in some embodiments, the clamping block 140 may also have a clinch 139 that can be clamped. By way of example only, the clinch 139 may be disposed on the first side 145 of the body and across the slot 144, for example. That is, the slot 144 passes below the clinch portion 139. In order to secure the strength of the tightening part 139, the tightening part 139 may be integrally formed with the main body 141, and may be made of stainless steel, for example.

The structure of the clamping block of the present disclosure is described above in detail. It will be appreciated that the clamping block may be particularly useful for clamping a device such as a laser transmitter or laser receiver. A clamping mechanism of the present disclosure capable of clamping the above-described clamping block will be described below with reference to fig. 8 to 10, in which fig. 8 shows a structural schematic view of a clamping block according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure mounted on the clamping mechanism; FIG. 9 shows a side view schematic of a clamp block mounted on a clamping mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; fig. 10 shows a side schematic view of an L-shaped bracket showing a pressure sensor in a clamping mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Similarly, it should be noted that although the clamping mechanism of the present disclosure is described herein with reference to the clamping block described above, it should be understood that the clamping mechanism of the present disclosure may be used to clamp other devices or objects in other application scenarios.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, the clamping mechanism 110 may mainly include a U-shaped bracket 115 and a jacking cylinder 120.

The U-shaped bracket 115 may have a first arm 116 and a second arm 117 opposite each other. The inner side of the first arm 116 is provided with a guide groove 118, and the guide groove 118 extends along the extension direction of the first arm 116 and is capable of at least partially receiving a device to be clamped. The component to be clamped may be, for example, the clamping block 140 described above.

The jacking cylinder 120 may be disposed (e.g., fixed) on the outside of the second arm 117 and have a retractable jacking rod 121. By way of example only, the push rod 121 may extend through the second arm 117 towards the first arm 116, and the end of the push rod 121 may be provided with a press 125, for example, whereby the device to be clamped may be clamped between the press 125 and the guide slot 118.

In an embodiment where the clamping mechanism 110 is used to clamp the clamping block 140, the pressing portion 125 may be further configured to have an upper pressing portion 126 and a lower pressing portion 127 in a U-shaped structure with respect to each other, wherein the upper pressing portion is capable of pressing against the pressing portion 139 of the clamping block 140, and the lower pressing portion is capable of pressing the gold fingers of the flexible circuit board 25 (e.g., flexible printed circuit board) attached to the device clamped by the clamping block 140 against the gold fingers of the power-up portion 148 of the clamping block 140, thereby achieving electrical coupling of the flexible circuit board 25 and the power-up portion 148.

In a further embodiment, the clamping mechanism 110 may further include an L-shaped bracket 111, which may include a lateral support table 112 and a vertical arm 113 coupled to each other. The L-shaped bracket 111 serves to elastically support the U-shaped bracket 115.

By way of example only, the U-shaped bracket 115 may be supported on the above-mentioned lateral support table 112 via one or more springs 105, while the first arm 116 of the U-shaped bracket 115 may be attached to the vertical arm 113 of the L-shaped bracket via a guide rail 108, wherein the guide rail 108 extends in the direction of extension of the vertical arm 113. In this way, the U-shaped bracket 115 can be made to move up and down along the guide rail 108 relative to the L-shaped bracket 111 while compressing or extending the spring 105.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 10, the clamping mechanism 110 may further include a pressure sensor 107 and a pressure conducting rod 109, the pressure sensor 107 may be disposed within the vertical arm 113 of the L-bracket, and one end of the pressure conducting rod 109 may be attached to the first arm 116 of the U-bracket 115 and the other end may press against the pressure sensor 107. Since the pressure transmission rod 109 can move up and down with the U-shaped bracket 115 relative to the L-shaped bracket 111, the pressure sensor 107 can sense the pressure change caused by the up and down movement. In particular, the pressure sensor 107 may be disposed at a position closer to a free end of the vertical arm 113 than the pressure conducting rod 109, wherein the vertical arm 113 includes a free end and a connection end opposite to each other, the connection end being coupled to the lateral support table 112. The pressure signal sensed by the pressure sensor 107 can be fed back to the control system.

In some embodiments, the clamping mechanism 110 may further include a power-up module 114 for engaging the external power region 136 of the clamping block 140, thereby powering up the device clamped by the clamping block 140. For example only, the power up module 114 may be disposed within the guide slot 118 of the first arm 116. In particular, the power-up module 114 may include a plurality of power-up contacts corresponding to a plurality of power-up terminals of the external power region 136, and when the clamping block 140 is pressed or clamped between the pressing portion 125 of the clamping mechanism 110 and the guiding slot 118, the plurality of power-up terminals of the external power region 136 and the plurality of power-up contacts of the power-up module 114 may be electrically engaged in a one-to-one correspondence, thereby implementing power supply to the clamped device.

A clamping mechanism suitable for clamping the clamping block has been described in detail above. It will be appreciated that with the clamping mechanism of the present disclosure, sensitive sensing of changes in external pressure to the U-shaped bracket and the clamped device described above can be achieved.

In addition to the clamping mechanism described above, as previously described, the device clamping and adjustment apparatus 100 of the present disclosure may optionally include a material transfer system 160, as shown in fig. 4. The material transfer system 160 may specifically transfer material to the gripper blocks described above, and/or load or unload material to the gripper mechanism 110 above. Likewise, it should be noted that although the material transfer system is described herein with reference to the clamping block and the clamping mechanism described above, it does not constitute any limitation on the material transfer system of the present disclosure, and in other application scenarios, transfer of other materials, as well as loading or unloading for other devices, may be implemented.

As seen with reference to fig. 4, the material transfer system 160 may include an upper feed transfer module 170 and/or a lower feed transfer module 180. In some embodiments, the structure of the loading transfer module 170 and the unloading transfer module 180 may be substantially the same.

For example only, the loading and transferring module 170 and the unloading and transferring module 180 may each include a slot-shaped

block

161, 162, an L-shaped transfer table 171, 181 and a

transfer cylinder

163, 164, wherein the L-shaped transfer table 171, 181 may receive an object to be transferred and may be movably disposed in a groove defined by each of the slot-shaped

blocks

161, 162, and the

transfer cylinder

163, 164 may operate the L-shaped transfer table 171, 181 to move in a direction in which the groove extends, thereby achieving the transfer of the object to be transferred. In some scenarios, the item to be moved may be, for example, a gripper block as described above. In the embodiment of feeding and discharging for the above-described clamping mechanism, the feeding and transferring module 170 and the discharging and transferring module 180 can be disposed at both sides of the clamping mechanism 110, thereby facilitating the feeding and discharging of the clamping mechanism 110.

As a further example, as shown in connection with fig. 11 and 12, the channel blocks 161, 162 may have at least two sides and a bottom defining a groove; the L-shaped transfer tables 171, 181 may be movably placed in the grooves, wherein the L-shaped transfer table 171 has a lateral part 173 and a vertical part 172 that are L-shaped with respect to each other, and the L-shaped transfer table 181 has a lateral part 182 and a vertical part 183 that are L-shaped with respect to each other; the article to be transferred may be placed on the

lateral portions

173, 182 on the L-shaped transfer tables 171, 181; the

transfer cylinders

163 and 164 may be respectively fixed to one side of the channel blocks 161 and 162 and may respectively have

transfer bars

165 and 166, and the transfer bars 165 and 166 may operate the L-shaped transfer tables 171 and 181 to move in a direction in which the grooves extend, so as to transfer the objects.

As a further example, as shown in connection with fig. 11 and 12, slide rails may be provided on the upper surfaces of the bottoms of the groove-shaped

blocks

161, 162 and the lower surfaces of the bottoms of the L-shaped transfer tables 171, 181, respectively, so that the L-shaped transfer tables 171, 181 may be moved in the direction in which the slide rails extend in the grooves. In some examples, the structure of the L-shaped

transfer stations

171, 181 may be different. In particular, with the L-shaped transfer table 171 in the loading transfer module 170, when the lateral portion 173 is placed horizontally, the upper surface (or receiving surface) 174 of the lateral portion 173 thereof may be gradually distant from the horizontal plane from the vertical portion 172, or the angle between the lateral portion 173 and the vertical portion 172 may be greater than 90 degrees. In this way, the articles to be transferred can be detached quickly and without hindrance after loading.

Further, in an embodiment of loading the clamping mechanism 110, a slide rail 176 may be disposed on the vertical portion 172 of the L-shaped transfer table 171, an extending direction of the slide rail may be transverse to an extending direction of the groove, a side portion of the article to be transferred may be aligned with the vertical portion 172 when the article to be transferred is seated on the L-shaped transfer table 171, and the side portion of the article to be transferred may have a fitting arrangement corresponding to the slide rail 176. The function of the slide rail 176 is: when the L-shaped transfer table 171 of the loading and transferring module 170 is pushed away from the area defined by the groove, the object to be transferred can move away from the loading and transferring module 170 along the slide rail 176, thereby realizing loading of the object to be transferred. In order to achieve a more secure and precise placement of the object to be transferred on the L-shaped transfer table 171, the vertical portion 172 of the loading and transferring module 170 may include at least two magnetic regions 177, and the at least two magnetic regions 177 may be disposed at both sides of the slide rail 176, so that the clamping block 140 may be adsorbed on the vertical portion 172 by means of the at least two magnetic regions 177. For example only, the at least two magnetic regions 177 may be formed by permanent magnets embedded on the surface of the vertical portion 172.

Further, in embodiments where the clamping mechanism 110 is blanked, the upper surface 185 of the transverse portion 182 of the L-shaped transfer table 181 may be used to receive the blanked articles. In some embodiments, to provide cushioning of the received items, a cushion may be provided on the upper surface 185. In some embodiments, in order to achieve more secure and accurate receiving of the articles to be discharged on the L-shaped transfer table 181, the transverse portion 182 may be provided with at least one magnetic region 184, and the at least one magnetic region 184 may attract the articles to be discharged on the transverse portion 182 during discharging, and then may perform the transferring of the articles. For example only, the at least one magnetic region 184 may be formed by permanent magnets embedded on the transverse portion 182.

It should be further noted that, when the material conveying system 160 is used to load, unload and transfer the clamping mechanism 110, the U-shaped frame 115 may be configured to allow the

lateral portions

173 and 182 of the loading and transferring module 170 and the unloading and transferring module 180 to extend between the two arms of the U-shaped frame 115, thereby facilitating the loading, unloading and transferring of the material conveying system 160.

In some embodiments, to monitor the loading and unloading, sensors may also be provided at appropriate locations on the material transfer system 160 and/or the gripper mechanism 110 to monitor the transfer positions of the L-shaped transfer tables 171, 181. By way of example only, infrared sensors may be provided, for example, on the sides of the channel-shaped

blocks

161, 162 of the infeed and

transfer module

170, 180 defining the grooves; and/or infrared sensors may be provided on the second arm 117 of the U-shaped bracket 115 of the gripper mechanism 110 to monitor the position of the item to be moved, e.g., initial forward position, stop position, and whether the item to be gripped is in place on the gripper mechanism 110, etc.

The operation of the material transfer system 160 for loading and unloading the clamping mechanism 110 is briefly described below by taking the clamping block 140 as an example:

when loading, firstly, the clamping block 140 to be transferred is placed on the upper surface 174 of the transverse part 173 of the L-shaped transfer table 171 of the loading and transferring module 170, and the magnetic area 177 of the vertical part 172 of the L-shaped transfer table 171 magnetically attracts the side part of the clamping block 140, and at this time, the slide rail with the vertical part 172 is matched with the slide rail on the side part of the clamping block 140. Subsequently, the transfer cylinder 163 is controlled to push the L-shaped transfer table 171 so that the upper surface 174 of the lateral portion 173 and the clamp block 140 thereon are positioned between the U-shaped brackets 115. Then, the abutting upper part 126 of the ejector rod 121 of the abutting cylinder 120 is controlled to abut against the abutting part 139 of the clamping block 140 and the abutting lower part 127 is made to abut the golden finger of the flexible circuit board 25 against the golden finger of the electrifying part 148 of the clamping block 140, the clamping block 140 is pushed to leave the L-shaped transfer table 171 and move to the guide groove 118 of the first arm 116 of the U-shaped bracket 115, so that the abutting of the clamping block 140 on the U-shaped bracket 115 and the electrical connection between the external connection area 136 on the clamping block 140 and the electrifying module 114 on the first arm 116 are realized, and the loading and clamping of the clamping block 140 on the clamping mechanism 110 are completed; finally, the L-shaped transfer table 171 is operated to be reset to wait for the loading of the next gripper block.

During blanking, the transfer cylinder 164 of the blanking transfer module 180 is controlled such that the lateral portion 173 of the L-shaped transfer table 181 is pushed between the two arms of the U-shaped bracket 115 and below the clamped clamping block 140. Next, the pressing cylinder 120 of the clamping mechanism 110 is controlled to release the lift pin 121 from the clamped clamping block 140. In this way, the clamped clamping block 140 may fall down on the lateral portion 182 of the L-shaped transfer table 181 by gravity, and the magnetic region 184 on the lateral portion 182 may attract the clamping block 140. Then, the transfer cylinder 164 is operated to move the lateral portion 173 of the L-shaped transfer table 181 away from the U-shaped bracket 115 to return to its original position, thereby completing the blanking of the grip block 140.

As previously described, the device holding and adjusting apparatus 100 of the present disclosure may further include a multi-dimensional adjusting mechanism 150, as shown in fig. 4, and fig. 13 illustrates a structural schematic view of the multi-dimensional adjusting mechanism according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in fig. 4, the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism 150 of the present disclosure may be used to support the gripper mechanism 110 and/or the material transfer system 160. However, it will be appreciated that in other application scenarios, the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism 150 of the present disclosure may also be used to support other structures to enable multi-dimensional adjustment of other structures.

As shown in fig. 13, the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism 150 may mainly include the following structure: a Z-axis rotation stage 151 operable to rotate about a Z-axis; both an X-axis displacement stage 153 and a Y-axis displacement stage 152 disposed adjacent to each other and disposed above the Z-axis rotation stage 151, wherein the X-axis displacement stage 153 is operable to translate along the X-axis and the Y-axis displacement stage 152 is operable to translate along the Y-axis; and both an X-axis arc swing table 157 and a Y-axis arc swing table 156 disposed adjacent to each other and disposed above both the X-axis displacement table 153 and the Y-axis displacement table 152, wherein the X-axis arc swing table 157 is operable to swing in an arc in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis arc swing table 156 is operable to swing in an arc in the Y-axis direction; wherein the X, Y and Z axes are orthogonal to each other.

In further examples, both the X-axis displacement stage 153 and the Y-axis displacement stage 152 may be arranged in any one of the following ways: the X-axis displacement stage 153 is disposed on the Y-axis displacement stage 152, or the Y-axis displacement stage 152 is disposed on the X-axis displacement stage 153. In a further example, both the X-axis arc swing 157 and the Y-axis arc swing 156 may be arranged in any of the following ways: the X-axis arc mount 157 is disposed above the Y-axis arc mount 156, or the Y-axis arc mount 156 is disposed above the X-axis arc mount 157.

It will be appreciated that through the arrangement of the Z-axis rotation stage 151, X-axis displacement stage 153, Y-axis displacement stage 152, X-axis arc swing stage 157, and Y-axis arc swing stage 156 described above, five-dimensional adjustment may be provided to the mechanism (e.g., the clamping mechanism 110 described above) that it supports.

In some embodiments, the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism 150 may further include: both a 45 ° arc oscillating table 154 and a 135 ° arc oscillating table 155 disposed adjacent to each other, which are disposed between a combination of both the above-described X-axis displacement table 153 and Y-axis displacement table 152 disposed adjacent to each other and a combination of both the above-described X-axis arc oscillating table 157 and Y-axis arc oscillating table 156 disposed adjacent to each other, wherein the 45 ° arc oscillating table 154 is operable to oscillate arcuately in an angular direction of 45 ° from a positive direction of the Y-axis, and the 135 ° arc oscillating table 155 is operable to oscillate arcuately in an angular direction of 135 ° from a positive direction of the Y-axis, wherein both the 45 ° arc oscillating table 154 and the 135 ° arc oscillating table 155 are disposed in the following manner: the 45 ° arc pendulum platform 154 is disposed on the 135 ° arc pendulum platform 155, or the 135 ° arc pendulum platform 155 is disposed on the 45 ° arc pendulum platform 154.

It will be appreciated that through the arrangement of the Z-axis rotation stage 151, the X-axis and Y-axis displacement stages 153, 152, the 45 and 135 arc pendulums 154, 155, and the X and Y arc pendulums 157, 156 described above, seven dimensional adjustments may be provided to the mechanism (e.g., the clamping mechanism 110 described above) that it supports.

In accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure, the Z-axis rotating table 151, any displacement table, any arc swinging table, may be electrically actuated or manually actuated. Further, in the case of electric braking, the Z-axis rotation table 151, any of the displacement tables, and any of the arc swinging tables can be automatically controlled by the control system.

The following will describe, with reference to fig. 14 and 15, how to implement the exemplary steps of the automatic coupling method of the laser device and the socket of the present disclosure by using the automatic coupling apparatus described above.

Fig. 14 shows a flow diagram of a method of automatic coupling of a multi-channel laser receiver and a corresponding receptacle according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the dashed box in fig. 14 represents optional steps that need to be further performed in some embodiments.

As shown in fig. 14, at block 1410, at least one of the Z-axis displacement stage 210, the Z-axis rotation stage 151, the X-axis displacement stage 153, and the Y-axis displacement stage 152 may be adjusted to bring the optical fiber-carrying socket held on the socket holding and adjusting device 200 and the laser receiver 20 held by the device holding and adjusting device 100 into a predetermined coupling position.

It will be appreciated that prior to block 1410, it is self-evident that the steps of clamping the laser receiver 20 to the clamping block 140, clamping the corresponding laser receiver receptacle 30 (see fig. 5) to the receptacle clamping and adjustment device 200, and clamping the clamping block 140 to the clamping mechanism 110 also need to be performed. In particular, the control system may control the automatic locking operation of the corresponding laser receiver socket 30 at the socket holder 230. Optionally, in some embodiments, the loading and gripping steps of the gripper blocks 140 to the gripper mechanism 110 may also be accomplished by the material transfer system 160. In addition, the laser receiver 20 may be powered up after the step of block 1410 and the photocurrent generated thereby fed back to the control system to enable automatic control of the coupling.

At block 1420, at least one of the X-axis arc wobble table 157 and the Y-axis arc wobble table 156 is iteratively adjusted at the predetermined coupling position to obtain a corresponding feedback signal from the pressure sensor 107. It will be appreciated that the purpose of this step is to adjust the angle of the laser receiver to be welded, in order to expect that the light exit surface of the socket is then parallel to the light entry surface of the laser receiver in accordance with the feedback signal, i.e. to be automatically flattened.

At block 1430, based on the feedback signal, it is determined whether the light exit surface of the socket is parallel to the light entrance surface of the laser receiver. This step is accomplished by determining the maximum pressure value of the pressure sensor 107 as described above. That is, by repeatedly adjusting at least one of the X-axis arc swing table 157 and the Y-axis arc swing table 156, once it is determined that the value of the pressure sensor at a certain position is maximum, it can be determined that the light-emitting surface of the socket is parallel to the light-entering surface of the laser receiver.

Next, at block 1440, a laser channel of the laser receiver may be selected based on the settings of the laser receiver and the socket is rotated from the rotary stage 220 to automatically find the light to obtain the location point where the photocurrent of the selected laser channel is maximum, i.e., the best laser receiving location, to determine the preliminary location of the socket. Prior to this step, the Z-axis translation stage 210 may be controlled to lift the socket from the rotation stage 220, thereby removing the flattened socket from contact with the laser receiver, which may avoid the adverse effects of continued movement or rotation under the contact operation.

It will be appreciated that the steps in blocks 1420 through 1440 above are coarse tuning steps of the coupling of the multi-channel laser receiver, and the steps in blocks 1450 through 1460 below are fine tuning steps of the coupling of the multi-channel laser receiver.

At block 1450, at least one of the X-axis displacement stage 153, the Y-axis displacement stage 152, the X-axis arc swing stage 157, the Y-axis arc swing stage 156, the 45-degree axis arc swing stage 154, the 135-degree axis arc swing stage 155, the Z-axis displacement stage 210, and the socket self-rotation stage 220 is adjusted to determine that the photocurrents or optical powers of all channels of the laser receiver reach a set range of values. That is, in this step, eight-dimensional auto-coupling can be performed on the multi-channel laser receiver; when the responsivity of a plurality of channels (for example, four channels) of the laser receiver is optimized, that is, the photocurrents of the plurality of channels all reach the set value of the laser receiver to be coupled (more specifically, it may be further required that the photocurrents of the plurality of channels all reach the maximum value as much as possible). In this step, this indicates that the multiple channels have been preliminarily auto-coupled.

At block 1460, the fine tuning jacks are adjusted from the rotation stage 220 and the Z-axis displacement stage 210 to determine whether the rate of change of photocurrent is within a predetermined range. The purpose of this step is to make the laser angle determination and the laser focus determination separately so that the coupled product has the best stability or immunity. And if the photocurrent change rate is within the parameter requirement range, finishing the coupling when the responsivity of the channels meets the index requirement.

And then, entering a welding step after the coupling is finished. At block 1470, the coupled socket and laser receiver may be welded. In this step, the three sets of welding gun devices 300 may be controlled by the control system to weld one weld point per gun, and then the socket holder 230 is released to allow the Z-axis rotating table 151 to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise by a certain angle, respectively, to weld two more sets of weld points, thereby totaling 9 weld points, to complete the laser welding.

After laser welding is completed, the optional blanking transfer module 180 can be operated to the blanking position, the jacking cylinder 120 is loosened, the clamping block 140 falls on the L-shaped transfer table 181 due to gravity, and the L-shaped transfer table 181 can convey the clamping block 140 back to the original position. With the entire coupling device automatically controlled, the socket holder 230 and the device holding and adjusting device 100 will automatically return to the original clamping position in preparation for coupling and welding the socket of the next laser receiver.

Fig. 15 shows a flow diagram of a method of automatic coupling of a multi-channel laser transmitter and a corresponding receptacle according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the dashed box in fig. 15 represents optional steps that need to be further performed in some embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 15, at block 1510, at least one of Z-axis displacement stage 210, Z-axis rotation stage 151, X-axis displacement stage 153, and Y-axis displacement stage 152 is adjusted to bring laser emitter socket 50 with fiber and transition ring 60 held on socket clamping and adjusting device 200 and laser emitter 40 held by device clamping and adjusting device 100 into a predetermined coupling position.

It will be appreciated that prior to block 1510, it is self-evident that the steps of clamping the laser emitter 20 to the clamping block 140, clamping the corresponding laser emitter socket 50 and transition ring 60 (see FIG. 6) to the socket clamping and adjustment device 200, and clamping the clamping block 140 to the clamping mechanism 110 also need to be performed. In particular, the control system may control the automatic locking operation of the corresponding laser transmitter socket 50 in the socket holder 230, and after the transition ring 60 is fitted over the laser transmitter socket 50, the control system may control the tightening mechanism 240 to automatically eject to abut against the transition ring to secure the laser transmitter socket 50 and the transition ring 60. Optionally, in some embodiments, the loading and gripping steps of the gripper blocks 140 to the gripper mechanism 110 may also be accomplished by the material transfer system 160.

At block 1520, at the predetermined coupling location, the transition ring 60 is dropped onto a bonding surface of the laser transmitter to be coupled. This step may be accomplished by retracting the tightening mechanism 240.

At block 1530, at least one of the X-axis arc wobble table 157 and the Y-axis arc wobble table 156 is iteratively adjusted to obtain corresponding feedback signals from the pressure sensor 107. The purpose of this step is to adjust the angle of the laser emitter to be welded, so that whether the light incident surface of the socket is parallel to the light emergent surface of the laser emitter, that is, whether the light incident surface is automatically flattened can be determined based on the feedback signal of the corresponding pressure sensor.

At block 1540, based on the feedback signal, it is determined whether the light incident surface of the receptacle is parallel to the light emitting surface of the laser emitter. Similar to block 1420 above, the steps in this block are also performed by determining the maximum pressure value of the pressure sensor 107 described above. That is, by repeatedly adjusting at least one of the X-axis arc oscillating table 157 and the Y-axis arc oscillating table 156 to feed back the signal of the pressure sensor, once it is determined that the value of the pressure sensor at a certain position is maximum, it can be determined that the light incident surface of the socket is parallel to the light emitting surface of the laser receiver.

Then, at block 1550, based on the settings of the laser transmitter, at least one of the X-axis displacement stage 153 and the Y-axis displacement stage 152 is adjusted to couple to find a set path of laser light. Prior to this step, the Z-axis translation stage 210 may be controlled to lift the socket from the rotation stage 220, thereby removing the flattened socket from contact with the laser emitting device, which may avoid the adverse effects of continued movement or rotation under the contact operation.

It will be appreciated that the steps in blocks 1530 to 1550 above are coarse tuning steps for the jack coupling of the multichannel laser transmitter and the steps in blocks 1560 to 1570 below are fine tuning steps for the jack coupling of the multichannel laser transmitter.

At block 1560, at least one of the X-axis displacement stage 153, the Y-axis displacement stage 152, the X-axis arc tilt stage 157, the Y-axis arc tilt stage 156, the 45 ° arc tilt stage 154, the 135 ° arc tilt stage 155, the Z-axis displacement stage 210, and the socket rotation stage 220 is adjusted to determine that the photocurrent or optical power of the laser light of all channels of the laser emitter reaches a set range of values. That is, in this step, the lasers of all channels of the multi-channel laser transmitter can be auto-coupled in eight dimensions; when the laser light of all channels (for example, four laser lights in total) reaches the optimum overall index, that is, the photocurrent or optical power of the laser light of all channels is required to be within a set value range (more specifically, the photocurrent or optical power of the laser light of multiple channels may be further required to reach the maximum value as much as possible). In this step, this indicates that the multiple channels of laser light have been preliminarily auto-coupled.

At block 1570, the sockets are trimmed from the rotation stage 220 and the Z-axis displacement stage 210 to determine whether the photocurrent or optical power rate of change is within a predetermined range. The purpose of this step is to make the laser angle determination and the laser focus determination separately so that the coupled product has the best stability or immunity. If the photocurrent or the optical power change rate is within the parameter requirement range, the laser coupling of all the channels is finished.

Next, at block 1580, the laser emitter socket 50 and the transition ring 60 are welded such that the socket and the transition ring 60 are welded together; and welding the transition ring 60 and the laser emitter 40. Here, the step of welding the laser emitter socket 50 and the transition ring 60 may be performed by the control system controlling the three welding gun devices 300 and the socket to automatically perform multi-spot penetration welding from the rotary table 220 according to a predetermined program. Further, the step of welding the transition ring 60 and the laser transmitter 40 may further include the step of re-coarse and fine tuning the laser transmitter socket 50 and the laser transmitter 40 to which the transition ring 60 is welded, because the welding process of the above laser transmitter socket 50 and the transition ring 60 may affect the coupling state of the socket and the laser transmitter 40.

Thus, the steps of re-coarse and fine tuning the laser transmitter socket 50 and the laser transmitter 40 to which the transition ring 60 is welded may include: the socket welded with the transition ring 60 and the laser transmitter are automatically leveled again, and then seven-dimensional automatic coupling is performed by controlling the movement of the X-axis displacement table, the Y-axis displacement table, the X-axis arc placing table, the Y-axis arc placing table, the 45-degree axis arc placing table, the 135-degree axis arc placing table and the socket from the rotating table, so that all channel lasers (for example, four paths of lasers in total) reach the optimal comprehensive index, that is, the photocurrent or the optical power of all channel lasers is within a set value range (more particularly, the photocurrent or the optical power of all channel lasers can be further required to reach the maximum value as much as possible). The sockets are then fine-tuned from the rotary stage and the Z-axis displacement stage to determine whether the photocurrent or optical power rate of change is within a predetermined range. This operation also performs laser angle determination and laser focal length determination. And if the optical power or the photocurrent meets the parameter condition, the coupling of the transition ring and the laser transmitter is completed. And then, entering a welding step of the coupled transition ring and the laser emitter. In this step, the welding of the transition ring and the laser emitter may be a lap weld. Similarly, the three sets of welding gun devices 300 may be controlled by the control system to weld one weld spot per gun and then release the socket holder 230 to allow the Z-axis rotary table 151 to rotate clockwise and counterclockwise, respectively, through an angle, thereby welding two more sets of weld spots, resulting in a total of 9 weld spots, to complete the weld of the transition ring and the laser transmitter.

Likewise, after laser welding is completed, the optional blanking transfer module 180 may be moved to the blanking position, the jacking cylinder 120 is released, the clamping block 140 falls on the L-shaped transfer table 181 due to gravity, and the L-shaped transfer table 181 may transport the clamping block 140 back to the home position. With the entire coupling device automatically controlled, the socket holder 230 and the device holding and adjusting device 100 will automatically return to the original clamping position in preparation for coupling and welding the socket of the next laser device.

The automatic coupling method of socket soldering of the multi-channel laser device of the present disclosure has been described above in detail. It should be understood that the automatic coupling method of the present disclosure may be programmed as a computer program which, when executed, may cause an apparatus to perform the automatic coupling method of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure may also relate to a computing device, which may include a memory configured to store one or more computer programs; and a processor coupled to the memory and configured to execute the one or more computer programs to cause an apparatus to perform the auto-coupling method of the present disclosure. The present disclosure may also relate to a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium having stored thereon machine-readable program instructions configured to cause an apparatus to perform the auto-coupling method of the present disclosure.

It should also be noted that although the automatic coupling method of the present disclosure is described herein using the embodiment of the automatic coupling apparatus shown in fig. 1, it should be understood that the automatic coupling method of the present disclosure may not be limited to the automatic coupling apparatus shown in fig. 1 of the present disclosure. The automatic coupling device suitable for the automatic coupling method of the present disclosure may have various modifications.

For example, in some embodiments, the modified automated coupling apparatus may include a combination of only one or more of the various components shown in fig. 1, such as a socket gripping and adjustment apparatus, a gripping block for gripping a laser device, a device gripping and adjustment structure for gripping the gripping block, a material handling system for loading and unloading, and a multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism for supporting the device gripping and adjustment structure. By way of example only, in embodiments where the automated coupling device includes only the multi-dimensional adjustment mechanism described above, the automated coupling device may further employ a different configuration than the socket gripping and adjustment device, gripping block, device gripping and adjustment device, and material transfer system described above.

For example, in such embodiments, the automated coupling device may employ upper and lower clamping mechanisms having a wider range of applications, wherein the upper clamping mechanism may be used to clamp the socket and/or transition ring; and the lower clamping structure may be used to clamp a device (e.g., a laser device) to be clamped and coupled to the socket, wherein the lower clamping structure may monitor, output, and/or feedback a pressure signal of a contact or bonding surface of the socket and the device to be coupled at a predetermined coupling location. It should be understood that the upper clamping mechanism may include, but is not limited to, the socket clamping and adjustment arrangement described above, while the lower clamping mechanism may include, but is not limited to, the device clamping and adjustment arrangement described above for clamping the clamping block. It should also be understood that the auto-coupling method of the present disclosure may further adjust the position and/or orientation of the socket and/or device held by the upper and lower clamping structures based on the pressure signal fed back or output from the lower clamping structure as described above with reference to fig. 14 and 15.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, such illustration and description are to be considered illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive; the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Other variations and combinations of the disclosed embodiments can be understood and effected by those skilled in the art in practicing the claimed invention, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims.

Embodiments encompassed by the present disclosure may be defined by at least the following clauses or combinations thereof.

In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality. A single element or other unit may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain features are recited in mutually different embodiments or in dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these features cannot be used to advantage. The scope of protection of the present application covers any possible combination of features recited in the various embodiments or in the dependent claims, without departing from the spirit and scope of the application.

Any reference signs in the claims shall not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A clamping mechanism (110) capable of clamping a clamping block (140), the clamping block (140) comprising:

a body (141) having a first end (142) and a second end (143) opposite to each other, and a slot (144) extending from the first end (142) towards the second end (143), wherein an opening of the slot (144) is towards a first side (145) of the body (141) and a side of the slot (144) facing the first end (142) is open, a device (20, 40) to be clamped by the clamping block (140) being placeable into the slot (144) from the opening or the first end (142);

-an external electrical connection region (136) arranged at a second side (146) of the body (141) opposite the first side (145) and able to supply power to the device (20, 40) placed into the slot (144); and

-a pressing device (130) arranged at the first side (145) of the body (141) in proximity to the first end (142) and capable of applying pressure from the first side (145) to the means (20, 40) placed in the slot (144) so as to press the means (20, 40) firmly in the slot (144);

the clamping mechanism (110) comprises:

a U-shaped bracket (115) having a first arm (116) and a second arm (117) opposite to each other, the inner side of the first arm (116) being provided with a guide groove (118), the guide groove (118) extending along the extension direction of the first arm (116) and being capable of at least partially receiving the clamping block (140);

a jacking cylinder (120) which is arranged on the outer side of the second arm (117) and is provided with a telescopic ejector rod (121), the ejector rod (121) passes through the second arm (117) and extends towards the first arm (116), the tail end of the ejector rod (121) is provided with a jacking part (125), wherein the clamping block can be clamped between the jacking part (125) and the guide groove (118); and

an L-shaped bracket (111) comprising a transverse support table (112) and a vertical arm (113) coupled to each other,

the U-shaped bracket (115) is supported on the lateral support table (112) via a spring (105), and the first arm (116) is attached to the vertical arm (113) via a guide rail (108) such that the U-shaped bracket (115) can move up and down along the guide rail (108) relative to the L-shaped bracket (111), the guide rail (108) extending in the direction of extension of the vertical arm (113).

2. The clamping mechanism (110) of claim 1, further comprising:

a pressure sensor (107) disposed within the vertical arm (113);

a pressure-conducting rod (109) attached at one end to the first arm (116) and elastically pressed at the other end against the pressure sensor (107);

the pressure transmission rod (109) can move up and down along with the up and down movement of the U-shaped bracket (115), and the pressure sensed by the pressure sensor (107) is changed along with the up and down movement.

3. The clamping mechanism (110) of claim 1, wherein the compression device (130) comprises:

a pressure plate (131) disposed facing an opening of the slot (144) and operatively movable toward the slot (144) for pressing the device inserted into the slot (144).

4. The clamping mechanism (110) of claim 3, wherein the compression device (130) further comprises:

a plurality of positioning pins (132), each positioning pin (132) having one end fixed to a side wall defining the slot (144) and the other end penetrating through the pressing plate (131);

the pressure plate (131) is operably movable along the plurality of locating pins (132) in a direction toward the slot (144).

5. The clamping mechanism (110) of claim 4, wherein the compression device (130) further comprises:

a plurality of compression springs (134) disposed between the pressure plate (131) and the sidewalls defining the slots (144) and fitted over the corresponding locating pins (132).

6. The clamping mechanism (110) of claim 3, wherein the compression device (130) further comprises:

a jacking screw (133) having a head portion positioned on the pressure plate (131) and a tap portion positioned on a sidewall of the slot (144),

the platen can be forced toward the slot (144) via rotation of the jacking screw (133) and firmly press the device within the slot (144).

7. The clamping mechanism (110) of claim 1, wherein the clamping block further comprises:

a power application portion (148) disposed within the body (141) near the second end (143) and electrically connected to the external power region (136), the power application portion (148) having exposed gold fingers and being capable of coupling with gold fingers on a flexible circuit board (25) attached to the device to apply power to the flexible circuit board (25) and the device.

8. The clamping mechanism (110) of claim 1, wherein the clamping block further comprises:

and a tightening part (139) which is provided on the first side (145) of the main body (141) and which straddles the slot (144), wherein the tightening part (139) can serve as a clamping point of the clamping block (140) when the clamping block (140) is clamped.

9. The clamping mechanism (110) according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the device is a laser emitter or a laser receiver.