JPS63105848A - Assembly device for optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable the axial center displacement of a fiber stranded wire to be corrected, by providing a fine moving bed, which supports a clamp, and sensors which detect axial force of an optical fiber core wire and its bending moment when a ferrule is inserted. CONSTITUTION:A clamp 12, which clamps a ferrule 11, is set onto a base 10, and the right side surface of a force sensor 16 is mounted to a fine moving bed 17 in which a two-axis parallel spring mechanism is built. A slider 18, which is fixed to a side of the fine moving bed 17 opposite to its clamp 13, fits to a guide 19 vertically provided on the base 10. Here an actuator 22, if it operates, moves the fine moving bed 17 and the clamp 13 along the guide 19, and a fiber stranded wire 14B is inserted into the ferrule 11. Actuators 20, 21 fine adjust the fiber stranded wire 14B by a signal from a control unit 25.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to an optical connector assembly device used for inserting a coated optical fiber into a ferrule.

(Prior Art) Generally, an optical connector is composed of a pair of plugs and a sleeve that connects the plugs, and the coated optical fiber is connected to each plug after removing the coating from the tip. In this case, in order to reduce the connection loss of the optical connector, we prepare a precision ferrule made of stainless steel, ceramic, etc. that has a microscopic hole in the center with approximately the same diameter as the optical fiber (outer diameter 125 ± 3 μm). A bare optical fiber is inserted into it and fixed with adhesive.

The above-mentioned precision ferrules are available with microhole diameters of 122 to 128 μm, formed in approximately 1 μm steps, in consideration of variations in the diameter of the optical fibers to be inserted, and the clearance with the fiber diameter to be used. The combination that minimizes is selected in advance and used.

FIGS. 2(A), (B), and (C) are explanatory views showing conventional fiber insertion work, in which 1 is an optical fiber whose coating has been removed and cleaned, and 2 is a coated optical fiber. The coating part 3 is a ferrule, into which the optical fiber 1 is inserted.
A fine ferrule hole 4 to be fixed, a large diameter hole 5 to which the covering portion 2 is fixed, and a tapered portion 6 provided between the fine hole 4 and the large diameter hole 5 are coaxially formed.

Conventionally, as shown in Fig. 2 (B), the fiber strand 1 was inserted into a large diameter hole 5.
Insert the fiber into the ferrule 3 from the side, hit it once against the inclined surface of the tapered part 6, and guide the tip of the fiber strand 1 into the fine hole 4 by intuition as shown in FIG. 2(C), so that the insertion force is When the amount decreased slightly, the fiber wire 1 was further pushed and inserted.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, in the above-mentioned insertion method, the fiber strand 1 is made of thin and fragile glass, the clearance with the micropore 4 is very small (1 μm or less), and the surface of the strand Due to the fact that the coating material may remain on the fiber, a high level of skill is required for the insertion work, and if excessive insertion force is applied even momentarily, the fiber strand 1 may buckle at the entrance of the microhole 4. It will break.

Further, even if the strand 1 enters the fine hole 6, if the insertion position is deviated, it will break at the part 7 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. If the fiber strand 1 is damaged, the end of the optical fiber must be treated again, that is, the coating is removed, cleaned, and cut, and at the same time, the fiber piece inside the ferrule 3 must also be removed and cleaned.

In this way, conventionally, the work of inserting the fiber wire into the ferrule 3 has been done entirely manually, relying heavily on the intuition and skill of the operator, which poses a problem in making the assembly work easier and more efficient. There are many.

(Object of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide an optical connector assembly device that can prevent the breakage of fiber wires and automatically and efficiently perform the insertion work. It's about doing.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the first invention provides a fine hole for receiving a fiber strand, a large diameter hole for receiving a cored optical fiber, and an inclined tapered portion connecting both holes. An optical connector assembly device used for inserting an optical fiber into a ferrule formed on the same axis includes a clamp for gripping the ferrule, a clamp for gripping the optical fiber at the insertion position of the ferrule, and this clamp. an actuator that moves the fine movement table in three dimensions; a sensor that detects the axial force and bending moment of the optical fiber when inserting the ferrule; When the axial force reaches a set value, the control means temporarily stops the insertion of the optical fiber, moves the optical fiber in a direction in which the bending moment decreases, and causes the optical fiber to be inserted again.

Further, in the second invention, the first coated fiber is inserted into a ferrule in which a fine hole for receiving the fiber, a large diameter hole for receiving the coated optical fiber, and an inclined tapered portion connecting both holes are coaxially formed. In optical connector assembly equipment used for a sensor for detecting the axial force of the optical fiber when inserting the ferrule; and an actuator for causing the actuator to retract the optical fiber each time the axial force reaches a set value based on a signal from the sensor. and control means for causing insertion and retraction to be performed until the axial force is removed.

(Function) According to the configuration of the first invention, when the axes of the fiber strand and the ferrule do not match, the tip of the optical fiber strand held by the clamp first hits the tapered portion in the ferrule.

This creates axial force and bending moment on the optical connector.
These are detected by a sensor and sent to the control means. When the axial force reaches a set value, the control means temporarily stops the actuator for inserting the strands, and operates other actuators so that the optical fiber core wire moves in a direction to reduce the bending moment. By repeating these operations, the fiber wire is guided and inserted into the fine hole of the ferrule.

With the configuration of the second invention, the control means sends an actuation signal to the actuator until the axial force of the strand detected by the sensor disappears, and the fiber strand repeats insertion and withdrawal while changing its position until it reaches the microhole. It turns out.

(Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an optical connector assembly apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

In this assembly device, a clamp 12 for gripping the ferrule 11 is installed on a base 10, and the clamp 12 clamps and fixes the ferrule 11 from both sides using a known drive mechanism (not shown).

A fiber gripping clamp 13 is arranged above the clamp 12 and facing it. The clamp 13 is
Grasp the coated portion 14A of the optical fiber core 14 from both sides,
The fiber tip is coated and becomes a fiber wire 14B, which corresponds to the hole 15 of the ferrule 11. A force sensor 16 using a strain gauge or the like is attached to the rear end of the clamp 12, and the force sensor 16 detects the weight and moment acting on the fiber wire 14B via the clamp 13. The right side of the force sensor 16 is attached to a fine movement table 17 incorporating a known biaxial parallel spring mechanism. It is elastically deformable in this direction.

A slider 18 having a U-shaped cross section is fixed to the opposite side of the fine movement table 17 from the clamp 13, and the slider 18 is fitted into a guide 19 erected on the base 10. In addition, fine movement table 1
On the outside of 7 there are three actuators 20.21.12
is installed, and the fine movement table 1 is adjusted by the operation of each actuator.
7 and the fiber wire 14B via the clamp 12, respectively, to X+V.

It can move in two directions. These actuators 20, 21, 22 use hydraulic or air drive cylinders, motors, etc., and are driven by a control device 25. The control device 25 sends an actuation signal to each actuator 20, 21, 22 based on the detection signal of the force sensor 16.

Therefore, when the actuator 22 operates, the fine movement table 17
Then, the clamp 13 moves in the Z-axis direction (vertical direction) along the guide 19, and the fiber wire 14B is inserted into the ferrule 11.

The actuator 20.21 performs fine adjustment of the fiber wire 14B in the x and X directions in response to a signal from the control device 25.

The operation and principle of the optical connector assembly apparatus configured as above will be explained based on the flowcharts of FIGS. 4(A), (B) and FIG. 5. For convenience of explanation, two axes are taken in the horizontal direction in these figures.

In FIG. 4(A), the fiber wire 14B is connected to the ferrule 11.
This is a case where the wire 14B is inserted with a deviation of εX from the center of the fine hole 23 in the X direction, and the tip of the strand 14B hits the tapered portion 24 and is slightly deformed downward. At this time, forces Fx and Fz in the x+3' direction act on the fiber wire 14B, and the force sensor 16 detects the axial force Fz and the moment My-Fx around the y-axis caused by Fx (is the element from the gripping part of the fiber). Detect the length (to the tip of the line). When this axial force Fz reaches a certain value, the control device 25 sends the actuator 22
(FIG. 1), a stop command is sent, and the axial feeding of the fiber wire 14B by the clamp 13 is temporarily stopped.

Next, the actuator 2 is moved in a direction that reduces the bending moment My, that is, in a direction that gives -My to the fiber strand 14B.
0, when the clamp 13 and force sensor 16 are moved by δX, the tip of the wire 14B is once separated from the tapered portion 24 as shown by the imaginary line, and the loads Fx and Fz are eliminated.

Next, when the clamp 13 is moved in the Z-axis direction again by the actuator 22, the tip of the fiber wire 14B hits the tapered portion 24 near the microhole 23, and as described above, when the axial force Fz reaches the set value, the feeding stops. be done. Subsequently, the actuator 20 moves the clamp 13 in a direction that reduces the bending moment My, and the fiber wire 14 is
Release the load applied to B. When the above-described operation is repeated by each actuator 20° 21.22, the tip of the fiber wire 14B is guided from the tapered portion 24 of the ferrule 11 to the fine hole 23.

Furthermore, even if the tip of the fiber strand 14B is once introduced into the microhole 23, if the axes of the strand 14B and the microhole 23 are misaligned as shown in FIG. Fx to fiber wire 14B on the way.

Fz is added. In this case as well, the feeding of the strand 14B is temporarily stopped, and after fine adjustment is made in the direction of reducing the bending moment My, the actuator 22 (FIG. 1) is operated again to carry out the feeding operation of the fiber strand 14. . According to this embodiment, the clearance between the wire 14B and the fine hole 23 is 1 μm.
Smooth insertion is possible even if the length is less than m.

When the fine adjustment range of the fiber wire 14B is small, a considerable effect can be obtained even if only the axial force Fz is detected by the sensor 16, and this will be explained according to the flowchart of FIG. Specifically, the tip of the fiber wire 14B inserted by the actuator 22 is connected to the tapered portion 2 of the ferrule 11.
4, the wire 14B cannot be pushed in any further, so the wire 14B is pulled in once, and the wire 14B is inserted and pulled in while shifting the position of the wire 14B with the actuators 20 and 21 until no axial force Fz is detected on the wire 14B. Just repeat. At this time, when rotation or vibration is applied to the ferrule 11 side, the friction between the tip of the fiber strand 14B and the tapered part 24 is reduced, and the strand 14B moves more smoothly into the microhole 24.
You will be guided to 3.

In addition, by detecting the buckling state or bending state of the fiber strand 14B using a TV camera, it is possible to know whether the axes of the ferrule 11 and the fiber strand 14B do not match. Furthermore, the axial force Fz of the fiber wire 14B inserted into the microhole 23
By detecting this, it is possible to check the clearance between the ferrule 11 and the wire 14B, and to check dust and the like adhering to the surface of the wire.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, in the first invention, a fine hole for receiving a fiber strand, a large diameter hole for receiving a cored optical fiber, and an inclined taper portion connecting both holes are formed on the same axis. An optical connector assembly device used for inserting an optical fiber into a ferrule, comprising: a clamp for gripping the ferrule; a clamp for gripping the optical fiber at the insertion position of the ferrule; and a fine movement table for supporting the clamp; an actuator that moves the fine movement table in three dimensions; a sensor that detects the axial force and bending moment of the optical fiber when inserting the ferrule; Since the control means includes a control means for temporarily stopping the insertion of the optical fiber, moving the optical fiber in the direction of decreasing the bending moment, and reinserting the optical fiber, the misalignment of the axis of the fiber with respect to the ferrule is corrected. This prevents the fiber from breaking and allows the insertion work to be performed automatically and efficiently.

Further, in the second invention, the optical fiber is inserted into a ferrule in which a fine hole that receives the fiber, a large diameter hole that receives the optical fiber, and an inclined taper that connects both holes are coaxially formed. In the optical connector assembly device used for an actuator for moving the optical fiber to a predetermined value, a sensor for detecting the axial force of the optical fiber when inserting the ferrule, and a sensor for detecting the axial force of the optical fiber when the ferrule is inserted; Since the control means is configured to shift the position and perform the insertion and retraction until the retraction axial force disappears, the same effect as the first invention can be obtained when the adjustment range of the fiber strand is small.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an optical connector assembly apparatus to which the present invention is applied, FIGS. Figure 4 (A), (B)
is a sectional view showing the operating state of the assembly device in the present invention,
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the first invention, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the second invention. 11... Ferrule, 12.13... Clamp, 1
4... Optical fiber core wire, 14B... Fiber bare wire,
15... Large diameter hole, 16... Force sensor, 17... Fine movement table, 20.21.22... Actuator, 23.
...Minute hole of ferrule, 24...Taber part of ferrule, 25...Control device, Fz...Axial force, My...
・Bending moment.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) Used to insert the optical fiber into a ferrule formed coaxially with a fine hole that receives the fiber, a large diameter hole that receives the optical fiber, and an inclined taper that connects both holes. An optical connector assembly apparatus comprising: a clamp for gripping a ferrule; a clamp for gripping an optical fiber core at a ferrule insertion position; a fine movement table for supporting the clamp; and an actuator for moving the fine movement table in a three-dimensional direction. A sensor detects the axial force and bending moment of the optical fiber when inserting the ferrule, and the actuator temporarily stops insertion of the optical fiber when the axial force reaches a set value based on a signal from the sensor. An optical connector assembly device comprising: control means for moving the optical fiber in the direction of decreasing moment and reinserting the optical fiber. (2) Used to insert the optical fiber into a ferrule formed coaxially with a fine hole that receives the fiber, a large diameter hole that receives the optical fiber, and an inclined taper that connects both holes. An optical connector assembly apparatus comprising: a clamp for gripping a ferrule; a clamp for gripping an optical fiber core at a ferrule insertion position; a fine movement table for supporting the clamp; and an actuator for moving the fine movement table in a three-dimensional direction. A sensor detects the axial force of the optical fiber when inserting the ferrule, and when the axial force reaches a set value based on a signal from the sensor to the actuator, the optical fiber is pulled in each time the axial force is removed. An optical connector assembly device comprising: control means for inserting and retracting wires while shifting the position of the wires up to