JP2017009967A - Optical fiber device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber device with simple and compact configurations, that can hold an optical fiber.SOLUTION: The optical fiber device includes: a base plate; and an optical fiber on the base plate, of which part being wound in a circular pattern. The base plate has a groove 72a, capable of containing one of the optical fibers (62) where the optical fibers intersect with each other, for avoiding mutual contact of the optical fibers where the optical fibers intersect with each other.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber device.

  Laser oscillators using optical fibers are widely used. This laser oscillator oscillates laser light by an optical fiber using excitation light oscillated from a light source. The optical fiber used for this laser oscillator is formed of fluoride glass such as ZBLAN glass doped with a laser active material such as erbium.

  Here, this type of optical fiber has a relatively long length in order to obtain a desired performance. In order to incorporate such a long optical fiber into the apparatus, for example, a structure as shown in Patent Document 1 or Patent Document 2 is provided.

  In the optical fiber holding structure of Patent Document 1, the reel body is formed in a stepped shape or a tapered shape, and the optical fiber is wound around the body and held. In the optical fiber holding structure of Patent Document 2, a spiral groove is formed in the fiber bobbin, and the optical fiber is accommodated and held in this spiral groove.

JP 2000-12928 A JP 2012-247550 A

  In the holding structure of Patent Document 1, by wrapping and holding the optical fiber around the drum of the reel, the optical fibers do not overlap and come into contact with each other, and damage to the contact portion can be prevented. Also in Patent Document 2, since the optical fiber is accommodated in the spiral groove, as in Patent Document 1, contact between the optical fibers can be eliminated, and damage to the contact portion can be prevented. .

  However, in the holding structure of Patent Document 1, the drum of the reel becomes long in the axial direction, and it is difficult to downsize the entire structure. Moreover, in the holding structure of patent document 2, it is necessary to form a helical groove | channel, and manufacture is difficult.

  An object of the present invention is to enable an optical fiber to be held with a simple and compact configuration.

  (1) An optical fiber device according to one aspect of the present invention includes a base plate and an optical fiber that is partly wound and placed on the base plate. The base plate has a groove that can accommodate one of the intersecting portions of the optical fibers in order to prevent the intersecting portions of the optical fibers from contacting each other.

  In this apparatus, a part of the optical fiber is wound in an annular shape and placed on a base plate. For this reason, the part wound circularly and the one edge part extended from this annular part cross | intersect. Therefore, a groove is formed in the base plate, and one of the intersecting portions of the optical fibers is accommodated in the groove. Therefore, the optical fibers can be prevented from contacting each other at the portion where the optical fibers intersect.

  Here, only by forming a groove in the base plate, it is possible to avoid contact at a portion where the optical fibers intersect. Therefore, a simple structure and a compact configuration can be achieved.

  (2) Preferably, the optical fiber has a first end portion and a second end portion, an annular portion wound in an annular shape, a first straight portion, and a second straight portion. The first straight portion extends linearly between the first end and the annular portion. The second straight portion extends linearly between the second end portion and the annular portion. And the groove | channel of the baseplate is formed along the 1st linear part or the 2nd linear part.

  Here, the first or second straight portion of the optical fiber can be accommodated in the groove of the base plate. For this reason, even when the optical fiber is wound a plurality of times in the annular portion, it is possible to avoid contact of the optical fiber at a plurality of intersecting portions only by forming one groove.

  (3) Preferably, the base plate has a main body part and a detachable part that is detachable from the main body part. And the groove | channel is formed in the attachment or detachment part.

  The groove for accommodating the optical fiber of the base plate needs to be formed corresponding to the diameter of the optical fiber. Therefore, if the diameter of the optical fiber to be used changes, it is necessary to change the dimension of the groove formed in the base plate.

  Therefore, here, the base plate is composed of a main body portion and an attachment / detachment portion, and a groove is formed in the attachment / detachment portion. For this reason, even if the diameter of the optical fiber to be used changes, only the attaching / detaching portion can be changed.

  (4) Preferably, at the upper part of the groove | channel in which the optical fiber was accommodated, the cover member which block | closes at least the part which an optical fiber cross | intersects is further provided.

  Here, since the upper part of the optical fiber accommodated in the groove is covered with the lid member, the lid member is disposed between the upper and lower optical fibers at the portion where the optical fibers intersect. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent contact between the optical fibers at the portion where the optical fibers intersect.

  (5) Preferably, the lid member is arranged so that the upper surface is flush with the surface of the base plate.

  Here, since the upper surface of the lid member is flush with the surface of the base plate, there is no step between the lid member and its peripheral portion. For this reason, an optical fiber does not contact a level | step-difference part and an optical fiber is not damaged.

  (5) Preferably, in the groove | channel of a baseplate, it provided in the upper part of the optical fiber accommodated in the groove | channel, and is further provided with the heat conductive resin for closely_contact | adhering an optical fiber to the bottom face of a groove | channel.

  Here, the optical fiber accommodated in the groove is pressed against the bottom surface of the groove by the heat transfer resin. Therefore, the optical fiber can be prevented from floating from the bottom surface of the groove, and the optical fiber can be reliably cooled.

  (6) Preferably, in the groove | channel of a baseplate, the heat conductive adhesive with which it filled between the optical fiber accommodated in the groove | channel and the bottom face of a groove | channel is further provided.

  Here, heat conduction between the optical fiber accommodated in the groove and the bottom surface of the groove is ensured through the heat conductive adhesive. Therefore, the optical fiber in the groove can be reliably cooled.

  In the present invention as described above, the optical fiber can be held with a simple and compact configuration.

The schematic block diagram of the laser oscillator by which position embodiment of this invention was employ | adopted. Sectional drawing along the 2nd linear part of FIG. Sectional drawing of the direction which cross | intersects the 2nd linear part of FIG. Other examples of optical fiber The figure corresponding to FIG. 3 of other embodiment.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a laser oscillator according to an embodiment of the present invention. The laser oscillator 1 includes an excitation light source 2, first to third lenses 3a, 3b, 3c, first and second dichroic mirrors 4a, 4b, a damper 5, an optical fiber 6, a housing 7, and a chiller device 8. Yes.

  The excitation light source 2 oscillates excitation light and can be constituted by, for example, a lamp or a semiconductor laser. The excitation light oscillated by the excitation light source 2 is output through the excitation light transmission fiber 2a.

  The 1st lens 3a is a lens which functions as a collimating lens, and is arrange | positioned between the excitation light transmission fiber 2a and the 1st window part 7a of the housing | casing 7 mentioned later. The first lens 3a converts the excitation light from the excitation light source 2 from a divergent light state to a parallel light state.

  The second lens 3 b is a lens that functions as a condenser lens and a collimator lens, and is disposed between the first dichroic mirror 4 a and the first end 11 of the optical fiber 6. The second lens 3b collects the excitation light converted into the parallel light by the first lens 3a and radiates it to the optical fiber 6, and converts the laser light emitted from the optical fiber 6 into a parallel light state. .

  The third lens 3 c is a lens that functions as a condenser lens and a collimating lens, and is disposed between the second dichroic mirror 4 b and the second end portion 12 of the optical fiber 6. The third lens 3 c converts the excitation light and laser light from the optical fiber 6 into a parallel light state, and condenses the laser light from the second dichroic mirror 4 b and emits it to the optical fiber 6.

  The first dichroic mirror 4a is disposed between the first lens 3a and the second lens 3b. The first dichroic mirror 4 a transmits the excitation light from the excitation light source 2 and reflects it so as to change the traveling direction of the laser light from the optical fiber 6.

  The second dichroic mirror 4 b is disposed between the third lens 3 c and the damper 5. The second dichroic mirror 4 b is configured to transmit the excitation light from the optical fiber 6 and reflect the laser light from the optical fiber 6.

  The damper 5 is a member that is disposed on the downstream side of the second dichroic mirror 4b and absorbs excitation light transmitted through the second dichroic mirror 4b.

  Although the detailed description is omitted, the optical fiber 6 has a core and a clad formed so as to cover the core. As described above, the optical fiber 6 has the first end 11 and the second end 12 at both ends. The optical fiber 6 includes an annular portion 60 that is wound in an annular shape, a first straight portion 61, and a second straight portion 62. The first straight portion 61 is a portion between the first end portion 11 and the annular portion 60 and extends linearly. The second straight portion 62 is a portion between the second end portion 12 and the annular portion 60 and extends linearly.

  The housing 7 is formed in a box shape, and a base plate 70 is disposed on the bottom surface. The base plate 70 has a flat surface, and the optical fiber 6 is placed thereon. Further, a heat sink (not shown) for cooling the optical fiber 6 via the base plate 70 is disposed on the lower surface of the base plate 70. The heat sink has a flow path through which the coolant flows.

  The base plate 70 has a main body portion 71 and an attachment / detachment portion 72. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body 71 is formed with a rectangular recess 71a. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the second linear portion 62 of FIG. The detachable part 72 is accommodated in the recess 71a of the main body 71 and can be removed. The detachable portion 72 is disposed at a position where a part of the second straight portion 62 of the optical fiber 6 is placed, and extends along the second straight portion 62.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the attaching / detaching portion 72 is formed with a groove 72 a extending along the second straight portion 62 of the optical fiber 6. The groove 72 a has a width corresponding to the diameter of the optical fiber 6 and has a depth that can sufficiently accommodate the optical fiber 6. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in a direction orthogonal to the second straight portion 62 of the detachable portion 72.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the attaching / detaching portion 72 is provided with a lid member 73. Specifically, in the detachable portion 72, a recess 72b having a shallower depth than the groove 72a is formed in a portion including the groove 72a. The lid member 73 is mounted in the recess 72b and is fixed to the detachable portion 72 with a screw or the like (not shown). The thickness of the lid member 73 is set so that the upper surface of the lid member 73 is flush with the surface of the peripheral attaching / detaching portion 72 in a state where the lid member 73 is mounted in the recess 72b.

  A heat transfer resin 74 is provided between the optical fiber 6 accommodated in the groove 72a and the lid member 73, and the second linear portion 62 of the optical fiber 6 is pressed against the inner surface of the groove 72a. As a result, the second linear portion 62 of the optical fiber 6 directly contacts the inner surface of the groove 72a, heat conduction between the inner surface of the groove 72a and the optical fiber 6 is ensured, and the optical fiber 6 in the groove 72a is stabilized. Can be cooled.

  Further, instead of providing the heat conductive resin 74 between the optical fiber 6 and the lid member 73, the heat conductive resin 74 is provided between the second straight portion 62 of the optical fiber 6 accommodated in the groove 72a and the inner surface of the groove 72a. The adhesive 75 may be filled. Thereby, the heat conduction between the inner surface of the groove 72a and the optical fiber 6 is ensured through the filled adhesive 75, and the optical fiber 6 in the groove 72a can be cooled stably.

  The chiller device 8 is connected to the housing 7 via a pipe 8a. The chiller device 8 adjusts the temperature of the refrigerant flowing in the heat sink of the housing 7. Specifically, the chiller device 8 cools the refrigerant sent from the heat sink of the housing 7 through the pipe 8a. The refrigerant cooled in the chiller device 8 is returned to the heat sink of the housing 7 through the pipe 8a.

[Operation]
The excitation light oscillated in the excitation light source 2 is output from the excitation light transmission fiber 2a, becomes a parallel light state in the first lens 3a, and enters the housing 7 through the first window portion 7a. The excitation light that has entered the housing 7 passes through the first dichroic mirror 4 a, is collected by the second lens 3 b, and enters the optical fiber 6 from the first end 11 of the optical fiber 6.

  The excitation light incident on the optical fiber 6 propagates in the core, and the laser active material doped in the core is excited to output laser light. And the excitation light radiated | emitted from the 2nd end part 12 of the optical fiber 6 permeate | transmits the 3rd lens 3c and the 2nd dichroic mirror 4b, and is absorbed by the damper 5. FIG.

  On the other hand, the laser beam generated in the core of the optical fiber 6 is emitted from the second end portion 12 of the optical fiber 6 and converted into a parallel light state by the third lens 3c. Then, the laser light is reflected by the second dichroic mirror 4b, condensed by the third lens 3c, and enters the optical fiber 6 from the second end 12 side. The laser light incident on the optical fiber 6 propagates in the core and is emitted from the first end portion 11 of the optical fiber 6. Then, the laser light is converted into a parallel light state by the second lens 3b, reflected in the first dichroic mirror 4a, and the traveling direction is changed so as to go to the second window portion 7b. Is radiated to the outside of the housing 7.

  In the laser oscillation operation described above, if the optical fibers contact each other at the intersection of the optical fibers 6, the contacted portion may be damaged. However, in this embodiment, at the portion where the optical fibers 6 intersect, the lower optical fiber 6 (more specifically, the second linear portion 62) is accommodated in the groove 72a of the attaching / detaching portion 72. Contact with the fiber 6 (more specifically, the annular portion 60) can be avoided. Moreover, since the lid member 73 is disposed above the optical fiber 6 accommodated in the groove 72a, the intersecting portions of the optical fibers 6 do not contact each other.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the groove 72 a formed in the attaching / detaching portion 72 is formed along the second linear portion 62. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, even when the annular portion 60 ′ of the optical fiber 6 ′ is wound around two turns, the optical fiber 6 can be formed only by forming one groove in the attaching / detaching portion 72. You can avoid contact at the intersection of '.

  Further, in this embodiment, since the groove 72a is formed in the attaching / detaching portion 72, even when the diameter of the optical fiber to be used is changed, only the attaching / detaching portion 72 needs to be replaced, and there is no need to replace the entire base plate. .

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the thickness of the lid member 73 and the depth of the recess 72 b of the detachable portion 72 are set so that the upper surface of the lid member 73 is flush with the surface of the detachable portion 72. Therefore, there is no step in the portion where the lid member 73 is mounted. For this reason, it is possible to prevent damage to the optical fiber 6 caused by the occurrence of the step.

[Other Embodiments]
As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not limited to these, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning of this invention.

  (1) The length of the optical fiber (for example, the number of turns of the annular portion) is not limited to the above embodiment.

  (2) Although the base plate is composed of the main body portion and the detachable portion, it may be composed of a single plate with a groove formed in part. That is, the detachable part is not an essential configuration. In addition, when not providing an attachment / detachment part, you may make it mount | wear with a cover member so that the groove | channel formed in the baseplate may be covered.

  (3) The lid member is not an essential component. By forming the depth of the groove sufficiently deeper than the diameter of the optical fiber, the lid member can be eliminated.

  (4) Although the present invention is applied to the laser oscillator in the above embodiment, it can be applied to other apparatuses as well.

6 optical fiber 7 housing 60 annular portion 61 first straight portion 62 second straight portion 70 base plate 71 main body portion 72 detachable portion 73 lid member 74 heat conductive resin 75 heat conductive adhesive

Claims (7)

A base plate;
On the base plate, an optical fiber partly wound in a ring and placed;
With
The base plate has a groove that can accommodate one of the intersecting portions of the optical fibers in order to prevent the intersecting portions of the optical fibers from contacting each other.
Optical fiber device. The optical fiber includes a first end and a second end, an annularly wound annular portion, a first straight portion extending linearly between the first end and the annular portion, and the first A second linear portion extending linearly between the two end portions and the annular portion,
The groove of the base plate is formed along the first straight portion or the second straight portion.
The optical fiber device according to claim 1. The base plate has a main body part, and a detachable part that is detachable from the main body part,
The groove is formed in the detachable part,
The optical fiber device according to claim 1.   4. The optical fiber device according to claim 1, further comprising a lid member that closes at least a portion where the optical fibers intersect at an upper portion of the groove in which the optical fibers are accommodated. 5. The lid member is disposed such that the upper surface is flush with the surface of the base plate.
The optical fiber device according to claim 4.   6. The heat transfer resin according to claim 1, further comprising a heat transfer resin provided in an upper portion of the optical fiber accommodated in the groove in the groove of the base plate and for closely attaching the optical fiber to a bottom surface of the groove. An optical fiber device according to the above.   The optical fiber device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a heat conductive adhesive filled between the optical fiber accommodated in the groove and the bottom surface of the groove in the groove of the base plate. .

Images