JP6207847B2 - Detection apparatus and detection method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a detection apparatus and a detection method.

  In recent years, optical communications that transport data using optical frequency carriers have become increasingly important. In such optical communication, an optical waveguide is used as a means for guiding signal propagating light propagating a signal from one point to another point.

  The optical waveguide is composed of, for example, a core layer and a pair of clad layers provided on both sides of the core layer. The core layer has a linear core portion and a clad portion, which are alternately arranged. The optical waveguide is connected in a state where the end faces of the optical fiber are abutted (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  As a connection method for connecting an optical waveguide and an optical fiber, a method of connecting an optical waveguide assembly in which a ferrule is attached to the end of the optical waveguide and an optical fiber assembly in which a ferrule is attached to the end of the optical fiber is known. Yes. Specifically, the connection method is to connect and hold by fitting a guide hole provided in one ferrule and a guide pin provided in the other ferrule.

  When the optical waveguide assembly is displaced in the positional relationship between the ferrule and the optical waveguide, the optical axis of the optical waveguide and the optical axis of the optical fiber are displaced when connected to the optical fiber assembly. As a result, the optical coupling loss in the optical connection increases. Therefore, in the optical waveguide assembly, a means for accurately detecting the positional relationship between the ferrule and the optical waveguide is required. As a conventional detection method, one having the following steps (1) to (3) is known.

(1) The end face of the optical waveguide is imaged by a camera, and the approximate position of the core portion is recognized from the obtained image.

(2) A peak search of the light intensity emitted from the core portion is performed using an optical fiber equipped with a light receiver.

(3) The position of the core part is specified based on these pieces of information.
However, such a method is troublesome and inefficient.

JP 2002-350667 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a detection device and a detection method capable of detecting the position of a core portion with respect to a ferrule relatively easily.

Such an object is achieved by the present inventions (1) to (8) below.
(1) A light guide portion having at least one core portion for transmitting light and a clad portion provided so as to surround the core portion, and a distal end portion of the light guide portion that is formed to penetrate from the distal end to the proximal end there a detection device for detecting the position of the core portion to the ferrule assembly assembled with the ferrule, the Oite, for said ferrule having an inner bore to be inserted,
A light source that emits light so as to be incident on the proximal end side of the core part;
Imaging means for imaging the light guide unit and the ferrule from the tip side of the core unit;
Position specifying means for specifying a position of the core part with respect to a reference position of the ferrule in an image picked up by the image pickup means ;
On the image, the light of the light guide unit and the other optical component is based on the brightness of the core region corresponding to the optically coupleable region of the other optical component optically coupled to the ferrule assembly. A coupling loss estimation means for estimating a coupling loss in coupling;
A detection apparatus comprising:

(2) The ferrule has a guide hole that is opened to a front end surface of the ferrule and into which a guide pin included in another optical component is inserted,
The detection device according to (1), wherein the reference position is the guide hole.

  (3) The detection device according to (1) or (2), further including a transmission loss calculation unit that calculates a transmission loss of the core unit based on a luminance of light emitted from the core unit on the image.

(4) The detection device according to (2), further including an illumination unit that illuminates the guide hole.
(5) The detection device according to (4) , further including a light diffusion portion that is provided between the guide hole and the illumination unit and diffuses light.

(6) The light guide unit includes a plurality of core units arranged in a row,
The detection device according to any one of (1) to (5) , wherein the position specifying unit specifies positions of all the core portions with respect to the reference position.

(7) The imaging unit captures a plurality of images while moving in parallel with the distal end surface of the light guide unit,
The detection device according to any one of (1) to (6) , wherein the position specifying unit specifies a position of the core portion with respect to a reference position on the ferrule by the plurality of images.

(8) A light guide part having at least one core part for transmitting light and a clad part provided so as to surround the core part, and a distal end part of the light guide part, which is formed to penetrate from the distal end to the proximal end there a method for detecting fraud and mitigating risk position of the core portion relative to the ferrule to the ferrule assembly assembled with the ferrule, the having a lumen to be inserted,
A light emitting step of emitting light so as to be incident on the base end side of the core portion;
An imaging step of imaging the light guide unit and the ferrule from the tip side of the core unit;
In the image obtained by the imaging step, a position specifying step for specifying the position of the core part with respect to a reference position of the ferrule ;
On the image, the light of the light guide unit and the other optical component is based on the brightness of the core region corresponding to the optically coupleable region of the other optical component optically coupled to the ferrule assembly. A coupling loss estimation step for estimating a coupling loss in the coupling;
A detection method characterized by comprising:

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the detection apparatus and detection method which can detect the position of the core part with respect to a ferrule comparatively easily are obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows 1st Embodiment of the detection apparatus of this invention. It is AA sectional drawing in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram of the detection apparatus shown in FIG. It is the figure seen from the arrow B direction in FIG. It is an example of the image imaged by the imaging means shown in FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows 1st Embodiment of the detection apparatus of this invention.

  DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a detection apparatus and a detection method of the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.

<First Embodiment>
1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the detection apparatus of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of the detection apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is an example of an image captured by the imaging means shown in FIG.
Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the upper side of FIGS. 2 and 3 is referred to as “upper” and the lower side is referred to as “lower”. Also, the right side in FIGS. 2 and 3 is referred to as “tip”, and the left side is referred to as “base end”.

  A detection device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is a device that detects the position of an object provided in a light guide. Here, examples of the light guide used for position detection by the detection device 1 include an optical fiber and an optical waveguide, and the form thereof is not particularly limited. However, in the following description, it is provided in the optical waveguide for convenience of explanation. A case of detecting the position of the target object will be described. In addition, the description about the optical waveguide mentioned later is applicable to an optical fiber as it is.

The detection device 1 includes a stage 2, a light source 3, an illumination unit 11, a light diffusion unit 12, a camera (imaging unit) 4, and a control unit 100. The detection device 1 is a device that specifies (detects) the position of the optical waveguide 8 with respect to the ferrule 9 in the ferrule assembly 10 in which the optical waveguide 8 and the ferrule 9 are assembled.
First, prior to the description of the detection apparatus 1, the ferrule assembly 10 and the optical fiber assembly 20 connected to the ferrule assembly 10 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ferrule assembly 10 is obtained by assembling an optical waveguide 8 and a ferrule 9 attached to a distal end portion 81 of the optical waveguide 8.
As shown in FIG. 1, the optical waveguide 8 has a strip shape as a whole.

  2 and 3, the optical waveguide 8 includes a clad layer (first clad layer (cladding portion)) 83a, a core layer 82, and a clad layer (second clad layer (cladding portion)) 83b. These layers are laminated in this order from the lower side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the core layer 82 includes a plurality of (four in the present embodiment) core portions (waveguide channels) 84a, 84b, 84c, 84d, and a plurality of (this embodiment). In the embodiment, there are five side clad portions (cladding portions) 85 a, 85 b, 85 c, 85 d, and 85 e, and these are alternately arranged in the width direction of the optical waveguide 8. Thus, the optical waveguide 8 is a multi-channel type having a plurality of core portions.

  The core portions 84a to 84d and the side cladding portions 85a to 85e have different light refractive indexes, and the difference in refractive index is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.5% or more, and 0.8%. The above is more preferable. The upper limit value may not be set, but is preferably about 5.5%.

  The core portions 84a to 84d are made of a material having a higher refractive index than the side clad portions 85a to 85e, and are also made of a material having a higher refractive index than the cladding layers 83a and 83b.

  The constituent materials of the core portions 84a to 84d and the side clad portions 85a to 85e are not particularly limited. In the present embodiment, the core portions 84a to 84d and the side cladding portions 85a to 85e are made of the same material, and the difference in refractive index between them is expressed by the difference in the chemical structure of the material constituting each portion. Yes.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, clad layers 83a and 83b are disposed on both surfaces of the core layer 82, respectively. The clad layers 83 a and 83 b constitute clad portions located below and above the core layer 82, respectively, and are in contact with the core layer 82. Thereby, each of the core portions 84a to 84d has a configuration in which the entire outer peripheral surface is surrounded by the clad portion. Therefore, each of the core portions 84a to 84d functions as a light guide path.
A ferrule 9 is attached to the distal end portion 81 of such an optical waveguide 8.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the ferrule 9 has a block shape and is configured by a housing having a lumen 91 and a pair of guide holes 92 a and 92 b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the lumen portion 91 is formed to penetrate from the distal end to the proximal end. Further, the distal end opening 910 that opens to the distal end side of the lumen 91 has a rectangular shape when viewed from the distal end side. A distal end portion 81 of the optical waveguide 8 is inserted into the lumen portion 91. The inner wall surface that defines the lumen portion 91 and the outer peripheral surface of the distal end portion 81 of the optical waveguide 8 are fixed with an adhesive (not shown) or the like.

  As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the ferrule 9 is formed with a pair of guide holes 92a and 92b. The guide holes 92 a and 92 b are disposed in the longitudinal direction of the tip opening 910 via the lumen 91. Thereby, when the ferrule assembly 10 is viewed from the front end side, the core portions 84a to 84d and the guide holes 92a and 92b are arranged in a line.

  The guide holes 92a and 92b are formed penetrating from the distal end to the proximal end, and have distal end openings 94a and 94b at the distal end and proximal end openings 95a and 95b at the proximal end. The distal end openings 94a and 94b and the proximal end openings 95a and 95b are circular when viewed from the distal end side. A pair of guide pins 203 of another optical component (for example, the optical fiber assembly 20) is inserted into the guide holes 92a and 92b from the front end side, and positioned and fixed. Thereby, the optical waveguide 8 and the optical fiber are connected.

  Next, the optical fiber assembly 20 connected (optically coupled) to the ferrule assembly 10 will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the optical fiber assembly 20 includes a plurality of (four in this embodiment) optical fibers 201a, 201b, 201c, 201d, a ferrule 202 that holds the optical fibers 201a to 201d in a lump, and a ferrule 202. And a pair of guide pins 203 fixed to each other.

  The optical fibers 201a to 201d are each used as an optical wiring. In the connected state in which the ferrule assembly 10 is connected, the optical fiber 201a is optically connected to the core portion 84a of the optical waveguide 8, the optical fiber 201b is optically connected to the core portion 84b of the optical waveguide 8, and the optical fiber 201c is optically connected to the optical waveguide 8. The optical fiber 201 d is optically connected to the core portion 84 d of the optical waveguide 8. Thereby, optical communication can be performed between the ferrule assembly 10 and the optical fiber assembly 20.

  The ferrule 202 is comprised by a housing | casing, The base end part of the optical fibers 201a-201d can be fixed inside it.

  The guide pins 203 protrude from the base end face of the ferrule 202 and are inserted into the guide holes 92 a and 92 b of the ferrule 9. Each of the guide pins 203 is a columnar (bar-shaped) member made of a metal material such as stainless steel.

  Examples of the material constituting the ferrule 202 include a phenol resin, an epoxy resin, an olefin resin, a urea resin, a melamine resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, a heat resistant nylon resin, and a PPS resin. Examples include various resin materials, various metal materials such as stainless steel and aluminum alloy, and various ceramic materials such as zirconia and alumina.

Next, the structure of each part of the detection apparatus 1 will be described.
(stage)
As shown in FIG. 1, the stage 2 is composed of a plate member and has a function of supporting the ferrule assembly 10 and the like. A slit 23 into which the ferrule 9 is inserted is formed at the distal end portion of the upper surface 22 of the stage 2, and a slit 24 into which the proximal end portion of the optical waveguide 8 is inserted at the proximal end portion of the upper surface 22 of the stage 2. Has been. Thereby, the ferrule assembly 10 is stably held on the stage 2.

  Further, the stage 2 is provided with an adhesive layer 21 at a portion in contact with the ferrule assembly 10, that is, at the bottom of the slits 23 and 24 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The ferrule assembly 10 can be easily fixed to the stage 2 through the adhesive layer 21.

  Examples of the constituent material of the adhesive layer 21 include a silicone adhesive, a polyvinyl chloride adhesive, a polyester adhesive, an elastomer adhesive, a rubber adhesive, an acrylic resin adhesive, and a polyvinyl ether resin. A system adhesive etc. are mentioned, Among these, the 1 type, or 2 or more types of mixture is used. As the adhesive layer 21, for example, a magic resin (manufactured by Daisho Electronics Co., Ltd.), a bonding sheet, a dicing film, or the like can be used.

  In the present embodiment, the method for fixing the ferrule assembly 10 to the stage 2 uses the adhesive layer 21. However, for example, a method of pressing the stage 2 with an urging member such as a leaf spring or a slit 24 is used. A method of urging and sandwiching the optical waveguide from the inner side surface in the width direction of the optical waveguide may be used.

  Examples of the material constituting the stage 2 include various metals, various glasses, various ceramics, and various resins.

(light source)
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the light source 3 is provided on the base end side of the stage 2, that is, on the base end side of the ferrule assembly 10. The light source 3 emits light so that the light enters the core portions 84a to 84d. This light source 3 is comprised by light emitting elements, such as a light emitting diode (LED), various lamps, and various laser light sources, for example. Further, the light source 3 may be a complex (unit) in which, for example, a bandpass filter, a collimating lens, a polarizer, and the like are incorporated.

  The maximum peak wavelength of the emission spectrum of the light emitted from the light source 3 is preferably about 200 to 1300 nm, and more preferably about 300 to 1100 nm. The light emitted from the light source 3 is preferably monochromatic light. As a result, blurring or the like of the image due to mixing of wavelengths is suppressed, and thus the image discrimination of the core portions 84a to 84d on the image is improved.

  The light source 3 includes a driver 30 that drives the light source 3. The driver 30 is electrically connected to a control unit 100 described later. The driver 30 drives the light source 3 based on a signal from the control unit 100, so that the light source 3 emits light.

(Lighting means)
As shown in FIG. 2, on the base end side of the ferrule assembly 10 on the upper surface of the stage 2, an illuminating unit 11 that illuminates the guide holes 92 a and 92 b and a light diffusing unit 12 are provided.

  The illumination means 11 emits light toward the upper side in FIG. The illumination unit 11 has the same configuration as the light source 3 described above. The light emitted from the illumination unit 11 is diffused by the light diffusion unit 12.

  The light diffusing unit 12 is configured by a prism that diffuses light, and is provided between the guide holes 92 a and 92 b and the illumination unit 11. In other words, it is provided on the optical path of the light emitted from the illumination means 11. Thereby, diffused light can be incident on the base end openings 95a and 95b of the guide holes 92a and 92b. By using diffused light in this way, the image discrimination of the tip openings 94a and 94b of the guide holes 92a and 92b on the image is improved.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the camera 4 is provided on the distal end side of the ferrule assembly 10. The camera 4 images the optical waveguide 8 and the ferrule 9 from the distal end side of the core portions 84a to 84d.

  As the camera 4, for example, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera can be used. Thereby, a light and shade (light / dark) image can be obtained. Therefore, in the image captured by the camera 4, an image of each part of the ferrule assembly 10 is obtained by this brightness difference, and the position of the maximum value of the brightness in the image of the emitted light of the core parts 84a to 84d can be specified. it can.

  The camera 4 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include imaging means such as a CMOS, an imaging plate, and a film. The camera 4 may be a complex (unit) in which, for example, a band-pass filter, a collimating lens, a polarizer, and the like are incorporated.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the camera 4 captures a plurality of (three in the present embodiment) images while moving in parallel along the distal end surface of the ferrule assembly 10 by the linear actuator 40. Thereby, even when the camera 4 captures images at a relatively high magnification, a wide field can be secured, and thus the resolution of each image is improved. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the positions of the core portions 84a to 84d in the image is improved.

  The linear actuator 40 moves the camera 4 based on a signal from the control unit 100 described later.

  Three images captured by such a camera 4 are transmitted to the control unit 100 and analyzed based on position information of the linear actuator 40 as necessary.

(Control unit 100)
As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 100 has a function of controlling each unit of the detection device 1. Specifically, the control unit 100 includes position specifying means 5, transmission loss calculating means 6, and coupling loss estimating means 7. Furthermore, as described above, the control unit 100 is electrically connected to the driver 30 that drives the light source and the linear actuator 40 that moves the camera 4. Thereby, the control part 100 can synchronize the drive of the light source 3 and the camera 4. FIG.

  The control unit 100 further includes a calculation unit (not shown) that performs calculation processing such as image analysis and matching. Specific examples of the calculation unit include an LSI, an IC, a CPU, an MPU, and a personal computer. Further, if necessary, an input unit (such as a keyboard) for inputting setting values and the like, a storage unit (RAM, ROM, etc.) for storing setting values and programs, and the like may be provided.

  The control unit 100 may perform image processing on the image captured by the camera 4 as necessary. Examples of this image processing include binarization processing, noise removal, pattern matching, and the like. Thereby, detection accuracy, such as a position of the core parts 84a-84d, the guide hole 92a, and the guide hole 92b, a shape (edge), can be improved.

  The position specifying means 5 is software built in the control unit 100, and specifies the positions of the core parts 84 a to 84 d with respect to the reference position of the ferrule 9 in the image captured by the camera 4.

  The transmission loss calculation means 6 is software built in the control unit 100. The transmission loss calculating means 6 calculates the transmission loss lost when passing through each core part based on the light quantity emitted from the core parts 84a to 84d in the image captured by the camera 4.

  The coupling loss estimation means 7 is software built in the control unit 100. The coupling loss estimator 7 optically couples the core portions 84a to 84d and the optical fibers 21a to 21d based on the luminance of each core portion region corresponding to the optically coupleable region 300 of the optical fiber assembly 20 in the image. Estimate the optical coupling loss at.

(Detection method)
Next, a detection method will be described. The following evaluation method for the optical waveguide 8 applies the optical tester method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-129483.

[1] The ferrule assembly 10 is fixed to the stage (installation process).
[2] The driver 30 of the light source 3 is driven so that light enters the core portions 84a to 84d. Further, the illumination unit 11 is driven so that light enters the guide holes 92a and 92b (light emission step).

  [3] The linear actuator 40 of the camera 4 is driven to move along the distal end surface of the ferrule assembly 10, and a plurality of images of the optical waveguide 8 and the ferrule assembly 10 are obtained from the distal end side of the core portions 84a to 84d ( In this embodiment, three images are captured (imaging process).

  [4] Based on the three images obtained in the imaging step, the position specifying means 5 specifies the position of each core part with respect to the ferrule assembly 10.

  Specifically, the position specifying unit 5 associates the position of each part of the ferrule assembly 10 with one coordinate system based on three images captured by the camera 4. Thereby, the coordinates of the position of each part of the ferrule assembly 10 can be obtained. Therefore, the reference positions of the core portions 84a to 84d with respect to the reference position of the ferrule 9 can be specified (detected).

  In the present embodiment, the reference position of the ferrule 9 is the center point 920a of the tip opening 94a and the center point 920b of the tip opening 94b.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the position of the core portion 84a is the position 840a of the maximum luminance value in the image of the emitted light from the core portion 84a, and the position of the core portion 84b is the position of the luminance in the image of the emitted light from the core portion 84b. The position of the maximum value 840b, the position of the core part 84c is the position of maximum brightness 840c in the output light image of the core part 84c, and the position of the core part 84d is the position of the brightness in the output light image of the core part 84d. The position 840d is the maximum value.

  In addition, the center of each core part may be the center of gravity of the area of the image of the emitted light of each core part. In this case, reproducibility of repeated measurement can be improved.

  The center of each core part may be the center of gravity of the luminance distribution of the image of the emitted light from each core part. In this case, reproducibility of repeated measurement can be improved.

  The position specifying means 5 specifies the position of the maximum value of all the luminance values of the core portions 84a to 84d with respect to the center point 920a and the center point 920b in the three images taken by the camera 4. Thereby, all the positions of the core parts 84a to 84d with respect to the ferrule 9 can be accurately specified.

  Further, as described above, the guide holes 92 a and 92 b and the core portions 84 a to 84 d are arranged in the width direction of the optical waveguide 8. Thus, three spatially continuous images can be easily acquired by a simple operation in which the linear actuator 40 moves the camera 4 in the width direction of the optical waveguide 8. Therefore, the positions of the core portions 84a to 84d with respect to the guide holes 92a and 92b can be accurately specified in the image relatively easily.

  Further, the core portions 84a to 84d with respect to the reference position of the ferrule 9 may be automatically detected by using image analysis. Thereby, automation of position detection can be achieved. Therefore, complicated operations such as manual alignment can be omitted.

  Furthermore, as long as each core part is included in the image, the position of each core part can be collectively detected regardless of the number of core parts. Therefore, according to the present invention, the time required for detection per core part can be shortened (position specifying step).

  [5] Based on the three images obtained in the imaging step, the transmission loss calculation means 6 calculates the transmission loss of light.

  Specifically, the light transmission loss of each core part is calculated based on the light quantity incident on each core part from the light source 3 and the light quantity emitted from each core part.

  In the present embodiment, the amount of light emitted from each core unit is the sum of the luminance values of the pixels included in the image of the light emitted from each core unit in the image.

  In addition, the amount of light incident on each core part may be a preset value or a value obtained by correcting the amount of light acquired by the camera 4 before the actual measurement.

  By having such a transmission loss calculating means 6, it is possible to accurately calculate the transmission loss of each of the core portions 84a to 84d. Moreover, the individual transmission loss of each core part can be collectively calculated by using image analysis. Accordingly, the transmission loss can be calculated relatively easily. In addition, the manufacturing abnormality of each core part can also be detected from the shape of the image of the emitted light from each core part (transmission loss calculation step).

  [6] Based on the three images obtained in the imaging step, the coupling loss in the optical coupling is estimated by the coupling loss estimation means 7.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, assuming an optically coupleable region 300 in the image, the coupling loss is estimated based on the brightness of the image of the emitted light of each core portion corresponding to that region.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the optically connectable region 300 is a virtual region corresponding to the light incident / exit region of each optical fiber when the ferrule assembly 10 and the optical fiber assembly 20 are connected.

  In the coupling loss calculation means 7, in the image taken by the camera 4, the sum of the luminance values of the emitted light images of the respective core portions overlaps the optically connectable region 300 and the emitted light images of the respective core portions. Estimation is based on the sum of the luminance values of the portions.

  By having such a coupling loss estimating means 7, it is possible to accurately estimate the coupling loss of light in the optical coupling between the core portions 84a to 84d and the optical fibers 21a to 21d. Moreover, the individual coupling loss of the core parts 84a to 84d can be collectively estimated by using image analysis. Thereby, it is possible to estimate the light coupling loss of each core portion relatively easily. Furthermore, it is useful in that it can be estimated in advance without actually combining the ferrule assembly 10 and the optical fiber assembly 20 (coupling loss estimation step).

  Through the above steps [1] to [6], the positional accuracy of the core portions 84a to 84d with respect to the ferrule 9, the transmission loss of each core portion, and the coupling loss between each core portion and the optical fiber assembly 20, It can be detected relatively easily and accurately.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the detection apparatus and the detection method of the present invention.

  Hereinafter, the second embodiment of the detection apparatus and the detection method of the present invention will be described with reference to this figure, but the description will focus on differences from the above-described embodiment, and the description of the same matters will be omitted.

  This embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the configuration of the camera (imaging means) is different.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the detection apparatus 1 'according to the present embodiment includes four cameras 4a, 4b, 4c, and 4d. The cameras 4 a to 4 d are provided along the width direction of the optical waveguide 8 so as to face the front end surface of the ferrule assembly 10. The cameras 4a to 4d are electrically connected to the control unit 100, respectively. Thereby, the light source 3 and the cameras 4a to 4d can be synchronized.

  By providing the four cameras 4a to 4d in this manner, the linear actuator 40 can be omitted, and the configuration of the detection device 1 'is relatively simple. Further, the time required for the movement of the camera 4 by the linear actuator 40 can be omitted. Therefore, the positions of the core portions 84a to 84d with respect to the ferrule 9 can be accurately detected in a relatively short time. Furthermore, it is possible to eliminate the positional shift caused by the driving error of the linear actuator 40.

  As mentioned above, although the detection apparatus and the detection method of the present invention have been described with respect to the illustrated embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this, and each component constituting the detection has an arbitrary configuration that can exhibit the same function. Can be substituted. Moreover, arbitrary components may be added.

  The detection result detected by the detection device can also be used in the processing process.

  Further, the reference position of the ferrule in the image of each embodiment is the center point of the tip opening of each guide hole. However, the present invention is not limited to this, for example, an alignment mark provided on the tip surface of the ferrule assembly. Alternatively, it may be an arbitrary position on the front end surface of the ferrule assembly.

  Further, the position of each core part in the image of each embodiment is the position of the maximum value of the luminance of the image of the emitted light of each core part in the image, but is not limited to this in the present invention. It may be the area center of gravity of the image of the light emitted from the core portion.

  In each embodiment, the position specifying unit specifies the positions of all the core parts with respect to the reference position of the ferrule. However, the present invention is not limited to this. About a core part, you may estimate based on acquired information.

  In addition, the position specifying unit, the transmission loss calculating unit, and the coupling loss estimating unit of each embodiment are software built in each control unit, but the present invention is not limited to this, and hardware or the like having the same function is used. It may be.

  In each embodiment, the transmission loss loss is calculated based on the sum of the luminance values of the images of the respective core portions in the image. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the image of each of the core portions in the image is calculated. You may calculate based on the highest value of a luminance value, the average value of the luminance value of the image of each core part in an image, etc.

  In the imaging process of each embodiment, three images are captured. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and two or less images or four or more images may be captured.

  In each embodiment, the guide hole uses a ferrule assembly that is disposed in a pair in the longitudinal direction of the distal end opening of the lumen through the lumen. However, the present invention is not limited to this. A ferrule assembly in which the guide hole is provided at an arbitrary position of the ferrule may be used.

  In the first embodiment, the camera is moved by a linear actuator. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any apparatus and method may be used as long as it has a function of moving the camera.

  In the second embodiment, four cameras are installed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and four or less cameras or four or more cameras may be installed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 1 'Detection apparatus 2 Stage 21 Adhesive layer 22 Upper surface 23, 24 Slit 3 Light source 30 Driver 4, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d Camera (imaging means)
40 linear actuator 5 position specifying means 6 transmission loss calculating means 7 coupling loss estimating means 8 optical waveguide 81 tip portion 82 core layer 83a cladding layer (first cladding layer (cladding portion))
83b Cladding layer (second cladding layer (cladding portion))
84a, 84b, 84c, 84d Core part (waveguide channel)
840a, 840b, 840c, 840d Maximum position 85a, 85b, 85c, 85d, 85e Side cladding (cladding)
9 Ferrule 91 Lumen 910 Tip opening 92a, 92b Guide hole 920a, 920b Center point 94a, 94b Tip opening 95a, 95b Base end opening 10 Ferrule assembly 11 Illuminating means 12 Light diffusion part 20 Optical fiber assembly 201a, 201b, 201c, 201d Optical fiber 202 Ferrule 203 Guide pin 100 Control unit 300 Optical coupling possible region

Claims (8)

A light guide part having at least one core part for transmitting light and a clad part provided so as to surround the core part, and penetrating from the distal end to the base end, and the distal end part of the light guide part is inserted Oite the ferrule assembly assembled with the ferrule, the having an inner lumen that provides a detection device for detecting the position of the core portion relative to the ferrule,
A light source that emits light so as to be incident on the proximal end side of the core part;
Imaging means for imaging the light guide unit and the ferrule from the tip side of the core unit;
Position specifying means for specifying a position of the core part with respect to a reference position of the ferrule in an image picked up by the image pickup means ;
On the image, the light of the light guide unit and the other optical component is based on the brightness of the core region corresponding to the optically coupleable region of the other optical component optically coupled to the ferrule assembly. A coupling loss estimation means for estimating a coupling loss in coupling;
A detection apparatus comprising: The ferrule has a guide hole that is opened to a front end surface of the ferrule and into which a guide pin included in another optical component is inserted,
The detection device according to claim 1, wherein the reference position is the guide hole.   The detection apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a transmission loss calculation unit that calculates a transmission loss of the core unit based on a luminance of light emitted from the core unit on the image.   The detection apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an illumination unit that illuminates the guide hole. The detection device according to claim 4 , further comprising a light diffusion portion that is provided between the guide hole and the illumination unit and diffuses light. The light guide portion has a plurality of core portions arranged in a row,
It said position specifying means, the detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5 to identify the location of all of the core portion with respect to the reference position. The imaging means captures a plurality of images while moving in parallel with the distal end surface of the light guide unit,
Said position specifying means, by the plurality of images, detecting device according to any one of claims 1 to 6 to identify the position of the core portion with respect to a reference position on the ferrule. A light guide part having at least one core part for transmitting light and a clad part provided so as to surround the core part, and penetrating from the distal end to the base end, and the distal end part of the light guide part is inserted Oite the ferrule assembly assembled with the ferrule, the having an inner lumen that provides a detection method for detecting a position of the core portion relative to the ferrule,
A light emitting step of emitting light so as to be incident on the base end side of the core portion;
An imaging step of imaging the light guide unit and the ferrule from the tip side of the core unit;
In the image obtained by the imaging step, a position specifying step for specifying the position of the core part with respect to a reference position of the ferrule ;
On the image, the light of the light guide unit and the other optical component is based on the brightness of the core region corresponding to the optically coupleable region of the other optical component optically coupled to the ferrule assembly. A coupling loss estimation step for estimating a coupling loss in the coupling;
A detection method characterized by comprising:

Images