JPH06194538A - Fusion splicing method and fusion splicing device for optical fibers - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a specified electric discharge power by adequately correcting the fluctuating-component of the atm. pressure even if the number of coated fibers to be simultaneously fused changes. CONSTITUTION:For example, an atm. pressure sensor is used as an atm. pressure detecting section 24 and its output signal is taken as atm. pressure data into an arithmetic processing section 34 (CPU). Correction information meeting the number of the coated fibers to be simultaneously connected is previously inputted into the CPU. The adequate correction rate is determined by sending the signal meeting the number of the coated fibers to be simultaneously connected into the arithmetic processing section from an input setting section 30. The coated fibers are, therefore, simultaneously connected with low loss even if the atm. pressure and the number of the coated fibers fluctuate.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a collective fusion splicing method for multi-core optical fibers and a collective fusion splicing apparatus used directly for carrying out the invention of the method. It should be noted that the batch fusion splicer is capable of multi-core batch connection in multiple modes considered to be in demand such as single core, 2 cores, 4 cores, 6 cores, 8 cores, 10 cores and 12 cores.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art The discharge power, which is a heat source for connection, increases / decreases due to fluctuations in atmospheric pressure (for example, if the pressure remains constant, the discharge power decreases as the atmospheric pressure decreases). Therefore, it has been proposed that the atmospheric pressure fluctuation is detected by a pressure sensor and the feedback is applied to correct the atmospheric pressure fluctuation amount, and the current value is increased or decreased to obtain a constant discharge power (Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 6-58242).
3-106706).

This will be briefly described with reference to FIG. The voltage of the DC power supply 10 is supplied to the dropper circuit 12 and the chopper circuit 1
4. The required high frequency voltage is applied through the booster circuit 16 and the electrode 18 is discharged. The discharge current is detected by the resistor 20. Prior to the above proposal, the discharge control unit 22 was configured by merely feeding back the detected value of the discharge current to the dropper circuit 12, but in the above proposal, the output of the pressure sensor 24 is taken into consideration. That is, the feedback amount to the dropper circuit 12 is corrected by the output of the pressure sensor 24 (for example, when the atmospheric pressure is low, the discharge power decreases under the same conditions, so the correction amount is increased). The correction is performed by the CPU 26.

[0004]

In the conventional case, the correction amount of the discharge power with respect to the atmospheric pressure fluctuation was uniformly determined. For example, when the correction amount is adjusted for 12 cores,
The correction amount for other numbers of cores will not be appropriate (for example, the correction amount for 4 cores will be too strong). Therefore, for example, the correction amount was adjusted to an intermediate correction amount of the number of core wires, but the adjustment took a long time or the correction amount was not so appropriate (the correction amount for obtaining the appropriate discharge power is Since each core number differs depending on the number of core wires, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, adjustment was made assuming correction in the middle eight cores of the correction amount for each core wire count, resulting in a connection loss).

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

(1) The discharge current value between the discharge electrodes on which the connection end faces of the optical fibers are arranged is adjusted according to the number of optical fiber connections, and the discharge current value is corrected for atmospheric pressure fluctuations. This means is substantially the same as adjusting the discharge current value according to atmospheric pressure fluctuations and correcting the discharge current value according to the number of optical fibers connected.

(2) The discharge condition (discharge current, voltage between electrodes, discharge time, etc.) between the discharge electrodes on which the connection end face of the optical fiber is arranged is shown in FIG. 28 and the connection numerical value (the number of optical fiber cores to be connected) input 32 from the input setting section 30 to correct the discharge power so that the optical fiber connection state (loss, strength, etc.) becomes optimum. To maintain.

(3) In the fusion splicing method in which the discharge condition between the discharge electrodes on which the connection end face of the optical fiber is arranged is automatically corrected based on the atmospheric pressure output signal 28 from the atmospheric pressure detection unit 24 (FIG. 1), The correction amount is further automatically corrected by the connection numerical value input 32 from the input setting unit 30. In this case, the point is that automatic correction is performed, and the correction amounts are synergistic.

(4) The discharge power is adjusted according to the connected numerical value input 32 from the input setting section 30, and the atmospheric pressure detecting section 24
The atmospheric pressure output signal 28 from the device prevents the discharge power from changing due to the atmospheric pressure and maintains a constant power (FIG. 1). In this case, the point (1) is taken into consideration from the viewpoint of the phenomenon, and the point is to adjust so that the discharge power is increased or decreased depending on the number of connections while maintaining the stability of the discharge power due to pressure fluctuation.

(5) As shown in FIG. 1, an atmospheric pressure detection unit 24 for detecting atmospheric pressure, an input setting unit 30 for inputting at least the number of optical fibers to be connected, an arithmetic processing unit 34 and a discharge control unit 22. In the arithmetic processing unit 34, a discharge control signal 36 given to the discharge control unit 22 is supplied from the atmospheric pressure output signal 28 from the atmospheric pressure detection unit 24 and the connected numerical value input 32 from the input setting unit 30. To generate.

This is a minimum block configuration for implementing the above method devices. Generally speaking, arithmetic processing is limited to digital processing represented by a CPU, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. It can also be realized by an analog method.

The case of digital processing will be described below. In this case, the atmospheric pressure output signal 28 from the pressure detection unit 24 is digitally converted by an A / D converter (not shown), and taken into the arithmetic processing unit 34 (CPU). Various data corresponding to the number of cores to be collectively connected from the input setting unit 30 is also fetched into the arithmetic processing unit 34 as the connected numerical value output 32. The arithmetic processing unit 34 calculates these data so as to obtain the optimum connection condition, and transfers the data as discharge data to the discharge control unit 22 (outputs the discharge control signal 36). The discharge controller 22 increases or decreases the discharge current according to the discharge data (discharge control signal). In general, although not shown in the figure, the system program other than this is stored in R
An OM, a RAM for storing temporarily input information and an application program of the fusion machine are stored, first processing means for producing first discharge data based on the atmospheric pressure output signal 28, and the connected numerical value output. And a third processing means for generating a second discharge control data from the above, and a third processing means for generating a discharge control signal based on the first and second discharge control data. Although the characteristic shown in FIG. 5 is realized, the correction amount with respect to the atmospheric pressure (altitude) shows a non-linear characteristic as can be clearly seen in this figure.

[0012]

[Embodiment 1] As a concrete functional block diagram of the present invention, the one exemplified in FIG. 1 can be cited. Barometric pressure detector 2
For example, one atmospheric pressure sensor is used as 4. The output signal is amplified and taken into the arithmetic processing unit 34 (CPU) as atmospheric pressure data through an A / D conversion circuit (not shown). In the CPU, a connection numerical value input is previously input as the number of core wires from the input setting unit 30.
That is, as described above, the number of cores is single core, 2
Since there are possible input modes such as 4 cores, 4 cores, 6 cores, 8 cores, 10 cores, and 12 cores, in each case, an appropriate correction amount for the atmospheric pressure fluctuation as illustrated in FIG. 5 can be obtained. Put in a program. This program is composed of steps for realizing the means (1) to (5) for solving the problems.

As the input setting unit 30, for example, a keyboard is used. The input data includes a connection numerical value input (the number of cores to be connected), an optical fiber type, and other mode setting values. The discharge control unit 22 is, for example, the same as that shown in FIG. 4 described above, includes a discharge control circuit and a boosting power supply, and has a function of adjusting discharge conditions (particularly discharge current) by a discharge control signal. Based on the above correction, the optimum discharge current (discharge power) that minimizes the connection loss is determined.
It is necessary to input the following two types of data into the ROM of the CPU in advance as the basic data for calculating the discharge current control signal given to No. 2.

A. Recorded data of altitude and atmospheric pressure detection signal Put the fusion machine in the atmospheric pressure chamber, and at every predetermined altitude determined, the atmospheric pressure detection signal from the pressure detector (A / D conversion value shown from A to D in the table) ) Is measured and stored in the memory (ROM) of the device as recorded data. In Table 1,
An example of data measured every 1000 m from 0 m to 3000 m is shown.

[Table 1] In this case, the atmospheric pressure detection signal (A / D converted value) is a relative value, so there is no unit.

B. Recorded data of connection mode and altitude For each connection mode, at the altitude (0 m in this embodiment) set as the flat ground, the optimum discharge current that minimizes the connection loss is measured, and The difference between the optimum value and the optimum discharge value at each altitude of 1000 m (shown from F to H in the table) is stored in the memory (ROM) of the device. Table 2
An example of the connection mode and the recorded data of altitude is shown in FIG.

[Table 2] In the table, for example, the optimum value at altitude 0m is 20 (indicated by E)
Since the optimum value for altitude 1000m is 24, the difference of 4
(Shown by F) is stored as difference data (discharge power increase amount). The connection mode is, for example, the number of connections, but fiber types (for SM, MM, etc.) can be included, and a table can be created for each connection mode. The above two types of data are A / D converted values and are relative values, so there is no particular unit.

Next, based on these recorded data, the CP
U determines the optimum discharge current. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the discharge current correction, and the correction characteristic is stepwise. The altitude to be corrected is subdivided from the measured altitude from which the recorded data is collected. The correction value at each detailed altitude is obtained by calculation of the interpolation method. That is, a characteristic curve that satisfies discretely selected altitudes every 1000 m is assumed, but these values are calculated in advance and stored in the device. Then, the above-mentioned correction value is added to the atmospheric pressure data of the atmospheric pressure sensor to create a discharge power, and a discharge control signal to be given to the discharge controller is generated. However, it is also possible to determine the correction value in real time from the characteristic curve for each connection mode without using the interpolation method.

[0017]

Second Embodiment FIG. 3 will be described. Single core above, 2
Core number correction amount determination circuits 41, 42, --- corresponding to core number modes such as core, 4 core, 6 core, 8 core, 10 core and 12 core
-4n (composed of resistors) and selectors 50 and 52 for those circuits are provided. Each correction amount determination circuit 41, 4
2, ---- 4n has a function of appropriately correcting the atmospheric pressure data from the atmospheric pressure detection unit 24 according to the number of cords.

When the number of cores is input from the arithmetic processing unit 34,
The selectors 50 and 52 are switched in synchronization with each other by the control signal from the arithmetic processing unit 34, and one correction amount determination circuit is selected. This makes it possible to obtain an appropriate correction amount according to the number of cores and the atmospheric pressure.

[0019]

Since an appropriate correction amount can be determined according to the number of core wires to be connected, it is possible to achieve a low connection loss from an appropriate connection condition even under a change in atmospheric pressure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between atmospheric pressure data and optimum discharge power.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a conventional technique.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing that the correction amount for atmospheric pressure changes depending on the number of cords.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 DC power supply 12 Dropper circuit 14 Chopper circuit 16 Booster circuit 18 Electrode 20 Resistance 22 Discharge control unit 24 Atmospheric pressure detection unit 25 A / D conversion circuit 26 CPU 28 Atmospheric pressure output signal 30 Input setting unit 32 Connection numerical value input 34 Arithmetic processing unit 41, 42 ---- 4n Correction amount determination circuit 50, 52 Selector

Front page continuation (72) Inventor Mikio Yoshinuma 1440 Rokuzaki, Sakura City, Chiba Prefecture Fujikura Ltd. Sakura Factory

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A discharge current value between discharge electrodes on which a connection end face of an optical fiber is arranged is adjusted according to the number of optical fiber connections, and the discharge current value is corrected for atmospheric pressure fluctuations. A feature of the fusion splicing method for optical fibers. 2. An optical fiber, characterized in that a discharge condition between discharge electrodes on which a connection end face of an optical fiber is arranged is corrected by an atmospheric pressure output signal from an atmospheric pressure detection unit and a connection numerical value input from an input setting unit. Fiber fusion splicing method. 3. A fusion splicing method in which a discharge condition between discharge electrodes on which a connection end face of an optical fiber is arranged is automatically corrected based on an atmospheric pressure output signal from an atmospheric pressure detection unit, and the amount of the correction is A fusion splicing method for optical fibers, which is automatically corrected by inputting a connection numerical value from an input setting unit. 4. The discharge power is adjusted in accordance with a connected numerical value input from the input setting unit, and the fluctuation of the discharge power due to the atmospheric pressure is prevented by the atmospheric pressure output signal from the atmospheric pressure detecting unit to maintain the constant power. And a method for fusion splicing of optical fibers. 5. An atmospheric pressure detecting unit for detecting atmospheric pressure, and an input setting unit for inputting at least the number of optical fibers to be connected,
A discharge control signal provided to the discharge control unit from an atmospheric pressure output signal from the atmospheric pressure detection unit and a connection numerical value output from the input setting unit, the calculation processing unit and a discharge control unit. An optical fiber fusion splicing device, which is characterized in that: 6. The second discharge control data according to claim 5, wherein the arithmetic processing unit creates first discharge control data based on the atmospheric pressure output signal from the atmospheric pressure detection unit, and the connection numerical value output from the first processing unit. 2. An optical fiber fusion splicing device comprising: a second processing means for producing a discharge control signal; and a third processing means for generating a discharge control signal from the first and second discharge control data.