KR101951701B1 - Fiber guide measuring apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus capable of automatically performing an assembling state, a polishing state, and a core pitch inspection of an optical fiber assembled in an optical fiber guide. The optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus for inspecting the surface and structure of a plurality of optical fibers mounted on an optical fiber guide module according to the present invention is characterized by comprising: a jig having a plurality of mounting portions on which the optical fiber guide module is inserted; An interferometer installed in front of the optical fiber guide module and inspecting the surface and structure of the optical fiber guide through an optical signal received from the optical fiber guide module; A camera fixedly installed in the interferometer to acquire an image transmitted from the interferometer; A microprocessor for advancing the surface and structure of the optical fiber guide through an image input obtained by the camera; And a jig stage in which the jig is fixed and moved in three axial directions so that the interferometer is sequentially moved and aligned to a plurality of mounting portions of the jig.

Description

Fiber guide measuring apparatus

The present invention relates to an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus capable of automatically performing an assembling state, a polishing state, and a core pitch inspection of an optical fiber assembled in an optical fiber guide.

In general, optical fibers are replacing copper-based connections in many traditional long-haul and metropolitan communications networks for a number of reasons, such as large bandwidth capacity, dielectric characteristics, and the like. As consumers require more bandwidth for consumer electronic devices such as smart phones, laptops, displays, tablets, etc., the use of optical fibers for signal transmission is considered to replace existing copper-based connections for such applications have.

This is because high-speed communication between electronic devices is possible, but very short cable distances such as 1-2 meters are impractical. However, a very long transmission length of several tens of meters can be achieved by using an active optical fiber assembly having optical fiber as a transmission medium. Active fiber optic cable assemblies use electrical connectors to provide compatibility with electrical ports, but they convert electrical signals into optical signals in the connector for optical transmission of signals across the optical fibers between the electrical connectors on the cable ends.

Furthermore, the trend of transition from standard electrical protocols to fully optical-based connections is that the conversion of optical and electrical signals within a connector using existing protocols such as HDMI, USB, MiniDisplay ports, etc., occurs in the first few centimeters of the cable assembly, Will be lagging behind by commercialization of the assembly.

The ability to convert electrical interfaces and protocols into an appropriate bitstream and transmit them accurately to fiber optics and capture and decode them at the receiver end typically includes laser drivers, integrated circuits, clock and data recovery (CDR) ) Devices, trans-impedance amplifiers (TIAs), and suitable electrical circuits in the form of printed circuit board assemblies involving active electrical components.

A typical active type optical cable assembly includes a printed circuit board assembly carrying the above-mentioned active type electrical components, an optical cable connected thereto, and a housing for protecting the optical cable assembly and the connection terminal.

Here, an optical fiber guide is provided as a component for connecting the printed circuit board assembly and the optical cable.

The optical fiber guide is a component that functions to insert each optical fiber according to the number of optical fibers, that is, the number of channels, in the optical cable and to be connected to the printed circuit board assembly.

However, in the optical fiber guide according to the related art, the assembled state of the optical fiber, the polishing state, and the core pitch inspection should be performed according to the number of channels. However, if the number of channels is small, The number of channels is from 256 to 1350, and there is a problem in that there is an upper limit of time cost.

At present, there is a problem in that the work efficiency can not be increased because such inspection is carried out manually using a microscope vision apparatus.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve such a problem by providing an optical fiber guide which can accommodate and fix a housing module equipped with an optical fiber guide and can automatically perform inspection of assembled state of the optical fiber, And to provide an inspection apparatus.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus for inspecting the surface and structure of a plurality of optical fibers mounted on an optical fiber guide module, the optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus comprising: A jig provided; An interferometer installed in front of the optical fiber guide module and inspecting the surface and structure of the optical fiber guide through an optical signal received from the optical fiber guide module; A camera fixedly installed in the interferometer to acquire an image transmitted from the interferometer; A microprocessor for advancing the surface and structure of the optical fiber guide through an image input obtained by the camera; And a jig stage in which the jig is fixed and moved in three axial directions so that the interferometer is sequentially moved and aligned to a plurality of mounting portions of the jig.

Preferably, the interferometer stage further includes a fixed and fixed interferometer so that the interferometer can move in three axial directions.

Preferably, a first illumination for providing light to the optical fiber; A first optical loss detector for detecting reflected light reflected from the optical fiber guide and transmitting the first reflected light to the microprocessor; And a second optical loss detector for detecting incident light that is incident on the interferometer after the first illumination light passes through the optical fiber guide and transmits the detected incident light to the microprocessor.

Advantageously, said interferometer comprises: a barrel; A lens installed at the front end of the barrel to enlarge and reduce incident light; A plurality of beam splitters provided inside the barrel for polarizing incident or reflected light; At least one mirror installed inside the barrel and changing a path of incident light or reflected light; And a second illumination to provide light into the barrel.

Advantageously, the interferometer stage comprises: plates arranged to move linearly in each direction with respect to the triaxial direction; A nut provided on the plates; And a screw that is screwed to the nut so that the plates are linearly driven and rotated by a motor.

Preferably, at least two or more of the screws may be provided for each axis in parallel.

Preferably, the interferometer stage may further include a guide in the form of a pipe not parallel to the screw.

The present invention as described above has the following effects.

(1) The present invention provides a jig having a mounting portion to which a plurality of optical fiber guides are inserted and fixed, so that the surface and structure of the measuring equipment are continuously inspected while moving between the mounting portions, There is an effect that can be checked automatically.

(2) The present invention has an interferometer and an illumination device, and provides an effect of performing various tests such as surface and structure with one equipment.

1 is a perspective view of an optical fiber guide housing, which is a component of an optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
2 is a perspective view of an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus according to the present invention.
3 is a front view of an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus according to the present invention.
4 is a plan view of an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus according to the present invention.
5 is a left side view of an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus according to the present invention.
6 and 7 are block diagrams of an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a block diagram for measuring a light loss rate, and FIG. 10 is a block diagram for inspecting the surface of an optical fiber guide module.
8 and 9 are enlarged front views of an optical fiber guide portion inspected in an optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
11 to 13 are various images of an optical fiber inspected in the optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
14 is an example of a program for setting the front face of the optical fiber before inspection in the optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
15 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
16 is an enlarged view of an actual portion of the optical fiber guide in the optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
17 is a view showing another arrangement example of the optical fiber guide to be inspected in the optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
18 is an image of optical fibers supplied with light in the optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 19 is an example of a graph of optical intensity inspection and optical loss inspection for the optical fiber shown in FIG.
20 is a program operation window for determining a defect according to output light in the optical fiber guide inspection apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. The present invention may be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof. Also, where a section such as a layer, a film, an area, a plate, or the like is referred to as being "on" another section, it includes not only the case where it is "directly on" another part but also the case where there is another part in between. On the contrary, where a section such as a layer, a film, an area, a plate, etc. is referred to as being "under" another section, this includes not only the case where the section is "directly underneath"

Hereinafter, an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Referring to Figure 1, an optical fiber guide housing is shown. A 256-channel optical fiber guide module is mounted at the center of the optical fiber guide housing.

Therefore, when the optical fiber guide housing is mounted on the optical fiber guide inspection apparatus, the centering coordinates of the optical fiber guide housing and the optical fiber guide are first checked. After completing this centering coordinate test, proceed to another test.

The optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention is an optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus for inspecting the surface and structure of an optical fiber to which an optical fiber guide housing 1 is connected at both ends of the optical fiber and includes a jig 2, A camera 30, a microprocessor, and a jig stage 3.

The jig (2) has a plurality of mounting portions (2a) into which the optical fiber guide housing (1) is inserted. 2 and 3, the jig 2 is configured to include a plurality of mounting portions 2a so that a plurality of optical fiber guide housings 1 can be inserted therein.

The mounting portion 2a of the jig 2 has a structure in which the optical fiber guide housing 1 is inserted into the optical fiber guide housing 1 and fixed thereto. The structure of such a mounting portion may have the same structure as the equipment in which the optical fiber guide housing 1 is inserted.

The jig 2 is provided with a mounting portion 2a so that a plurality of the optical fiber guide housings 1 can be vertically arranged on the vertical plane. Therefore, when the interferometer 20 is positioned at a certain distance from the jig 2, the surface of each optical fiber guide housing 1 can be inspected while moving in the vertical direction, the left and the right direction without excluding the longitudinal direction. With this configuration, movement and inspection can be performed more quickly.

2 to 5, the jig stage 3 has a structure in which the jig 2 is moved so that the interferometer 20 is sequentially moved and aligned on a plurality of mounting portions 2a of the jig 2, And moves in the triaxial direction. The jig stage 3 moves so as to adjust a relative position with respect to the interferometer 20 in a state where a plurality of the optical fiber guide housings 1 are mounted.

The jig stage 3 is installed on the base frame 100 and is movable in three directions with respect to the base frame 100, that is, X, Y and Z directions. Such a stage can be manufactured by using a conventional multi-layered plate, a screw, and a nut to which the screw is screwed, and each screw is driven to rotate by a motor so as to be movable in three axis directions.

At this time, the screws provided for movement in the respective axial directions are provided with two parallel screws or at least one screw and one guide shaft to ensure the most stable movement.

The jig stage 3 is manufactured in the same manner as the interferometer stage 40 described later.

2 to 5, the interferometer 20 is installed in front of the optical fiber guide housing 1 and guides the optical fiber guide housing 1 through a signal received from the optical fiber guide housing 1, And includes a mirror barrel 21, a lens 24, a plurality of beam splitters 22 and 25, and mirrors 23 and 27.

It is preferable that the lens barrel 41 is formed in a cylindrical shape and functions as a case in which the other parts described above are mounted, and the lens barrel 41 is divided into a plurality of lens barrels so that the length thereof can be adjusted.

The lens 24 is a component installed at the front end of the barrel to enlarge and reduce the light.

The beam splitters 22 and 25 are installed inside the barrel 41 to polarize incident or reflected light. The number of the beam splitters 22 and 25 and the installed angle can be changed according to various situations.

The mirrors 23 and 27 are provided inside the lens barrel 41 to change the course of incident light or reflected light. At least one of the mirrors 23 and 27 is provided.

At this time, the mirror 27 reflects incident light passing through the optical fiber guide 1 to the second optical loss detector, and another mirror 23 is incident to the inside of the lens barrel 41 Is reflected by the optical fiber guide (1) and used to inspect the surface.

2 to 5, the interferometer 20 is configured to be supported by the interferometer stage 40 in which the interferometer 20 is seated and fixed so that the interferometer 20 can move in each triaxial direction. Is installed.

2 to 5, the interferometer stage 40 includes plates provided to linearly move in respective directions with respect to the three axial directions, a nut provided on the plates, And a screw rotated by the motor.

That is, the plate in the X-axis direction moves in the X-axis direction while supporting the interferometer, and the plate in the Y-axis direction moves linearly in the Y-axis direction. That is, the interferometer and the X-axis plate are supported by the Y-axis plate, and move together as the Y-axis plate moves in the Y-axis direction. The plate in the Z-axis direction moves linearly while supporting both the interferometer, the X-axis plate, and the Y-axis plate in the same manner.

The plates are each provided with nuts. Of course, the number of nuts is the same as the number of screws. Here, since a plurality of screws are provided in one direction, the same number of nuts are provided on each of the plates.

The screws are fixed to a plate located below the nuts to be inserted. That is, the screw driven in the X-axis direction is installed on the Y-axis plate.

At this time, each screw is connected to a driving source such as a motor so as to be rotatable, and the motor can be controlled by the microprocessor. Needless to say, the screw can be manually adjusted without being connected to a motor.

It is preferable that at least two or more of the screws are provided parallel to each axis.

In addition, the interferometer stage may further include a pipe-shaped guide in which a screw is not formed parallel to the screw. That is, the drive is driven by another parallel screw and is guided by the guide for smooth movement.

Of course, it is also possible to provide the same effect by providing a rail on which each plate is placed in addition to the guide.

The camera 30 is a component that is fixed to the interferometer 20 and acquires an image transmitted from the interferometer 20.

The camera 30 acquires an image for inspecting the surface of the optical fiber guide 1 and transmits it to the microprocessor. That is, the camera 30 acquires an image as shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, for example, and provides the acquired image to the microprocessor.

Since the camera 30 is fixed to the rear of the interferometer 20, the camera 30 moves together as the interferometer stage 40 moves.

The microprocessor is a component for inspecting the surface and the structure of the optical fiber of the optical fiber guide housing 1 via an image input obtained by the camera 30, and a commonly used computer can be used.

It is needless to say that the microprocessor may have other controls not mentioned here depending on the program.

The inspection apparatus according to the present invention further includes a first light 11, a first light loss detector 13, and a second light loss detector 13a so as to inspect the light loss.

The first illumination (11) provides light to the optical fiber of the optical fiber guide housing (1), and the first optical loss detector (13) detects the reflected light reflected from the optical fiber To the microprocessor.

The second light loss detector 13a detects the incident light incident on the interferometer 20 after the first light 11 passes through the optical fiber of the optical fiber guide housing 1 and transmits the light to the microprocessor Lt; / RTI >

In addition, a second illuminator 11a for providing light to the inside of the lens barrel 41 is further provided for the surface inspection of the optical fiber.

Referring to FIG. 6, a block diagram for measuring optical loss of the optical fiber is shown. As shown in the figure, the optical fiber guide housing 1 for inspection is mounted on the mounting portion 2a of the jig 2, and the optical fiber connected thereto is connected to another optical fiber.

In this state, the first light 11 generates light. At this time, the laser diode 1300 nm or 1500 nm is used as the first illumination 11.

The light emitted from the first light 110 passes through the circulator 12 and then is reflected at a portion where the connector is connected. The reflected light is measured by the first light loss detector 13, And sends the result to the processor.

Some of the light emitted from the first illumination 11 passes through the optical fiber connecting portion and enters the interferometer 20 through the optical fiber inserted into the mounting portion 2a of the jig 2 by the optical fiber, 27). The light reflected by the mirror 27 is measured by the second optical loss detector 13a and its value is transmitted to the microprocessor.

A value measured by the first and second optical loss detectors 13 and 13a is received by the microprocessor as a signal, and the microprocessor measures the final optical loss and outputs it to the outside through a display device do.

Referring to FIG. 7, a block diagram for measuring the ROC of the optical fiber of the optical fiber guide housing 1 is shown. As shown in the figure, the light generated from the second light 11a (for example, red LED) is partially polarized by the beam splitter 25 and is incident on the optical fiber, The filter 26, and then the beam splitter 22, 25, the image is exposed to the camera 30 as an image. This configuration uses the principle of a general interferometer.

The image obtained by the camera 30 is transmitted to the microprocessor. The microprocessor receives the signal and extracts surface inspection values such as ROC, angle, and vertex offset according to a pre-programmed algorithm, .

Referring to FIG. 1, the optical fiber guide housing is shown. In the inside of the optical fiber guide housing, as described above, an optical fiber guide module of 256 channels is mounted at the center. The surface and structure of the optical fibers arranged in the V-shaped groove are inspected in the optical fiber guide module.

Referring to FIG. 8, the optical fiber guide module is enlarged. It can be seen that the optical fiber is arranged in the V-shaped groove, and the four optical fibers are shown and indicate various kinds of defective states. The first optical fiber has scratches, the second optical fiber has a peeling failure, the third optical fiber has cracks in the optical fiber cracks, and the last fourth optical fiber has cracks in the V-shaped grooves. Referring to FIG. 9, it can be seen that the modules are provided with eight V-shaped grooves in a row. These layers constitute the module.

Referring to FIG. 10, there is shown an example for displaying surface defect detection and coordinates in an optical fiber image. It can be seen that the foreign material was found between 0 and 90 degrees on the left fiber.

Referring to FIG. 11, there is an example in which foreign matter, oil, grooves, debris, and scratches are formed on the optical fiber image.

Referring to FIG. 12, examples of optical fibers that are defective before optical fiber cleaning are shown.

Referring to Fig. 13, there is shown a case where the optical fiber ferrule is defective after cleaning.

Fig. 14 shows various options for processing the defects of the above-mentioned optical fibers into a program bad in the microprocessor.

Referring to the flowchart in Fig. 15, the above-described measurement method procedure for measuring the optical fiber defect is shown along with the program. First, it is checked whether the camera, which is a video device, operates well, and a measurement area display method is selected. Thereafter, a sample is inserted and the sample measurement center position is adjusted with a mouse.

If the center position is not correct, continue fine adjustment and continue to center. After adjusting the center position, adjust the sample measurement radius with the mouse and continue fine adjustment again until the radius is correct. When the radius is met, the program runs and the measurement result is derived and displayed.

Referring to FIG. 16, it is a partial image of the optical fiber guide module measured by an actual camera. It can be seen that the optical fibers are respectively seated in the V-shaped groove as shown in FIG. In this case, the optical fiber image, which is used as a reference when judging the failure of the optical fiber, is measured by measuring 3 points of the contact point between the upper and both grooves. Here, the pitch between the V-shaped grooves is also measured to calculate the deviation.

FIG. 17 shows the shape, size, brightness, and deviation of the pitches of the optical fiber cores. As shown, it can be seen that the shape, size, brightness, and pitch vary from core to core.

Referring to FIG. 18, after light is supplied, light having different brightness can be seen. The light intensity and the optical loss graph are shown in Fig.

Referring to Fig. 20, there is shown a case where output light is a full source and a case where it is not a full source after light is supplied. According to the determined program, if it deviates more than a certain value from the origin, the defect is judged.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1: optical fiber guide housing 2: jig
2a: mounting part 3: jig stage
11: first illumination 11a: second illumination
12: circulator 13: first optical loss detector
13a: second optical loss detector 20: interferometer
21: barrel 22, 25: beam splitter
23, 27: mirror 24: lens
26: filter 30: camera
40: Interferometer stage 41: X-axis motor
42: Y-axis motor 43: Z-axis motor
100: base frame

Claims (7)

An optical fiber guide inspecting apparatus for inspecting a surface and a structure of a plurality of optical fibers respectively mounted on the V-shaped grooves in an optical fiber guide module having a V-shaped groove with a constant pitch,
A jig having a plurality of mounting portions on which the optical fiber guide module is inserted;
An interferometer installed in front of the optical fiber guide module and inspecting the surface and structure of the optical fiber guide through an optical signal received from the optical fiber guide module;
A camera fixedly installed in the interferometer to acquire an image transmitted from the interferometer;
A microprocessor for inspecting the surface and structure of the optical fiber guide through an image input obtained by the camera;
A jig stage in which the jig is fixed so that the interferometer moves and aligns with a plurality of mounting portions of the jig, respectively, and moves in three axis directions;
An interferometer stage in which the interferometer is seated and fixed so that the interferometer can move in three axial directions;
A first illumination for providing light to the optical fiber;
A first optical loss detector for detecting the reflected light reflected from the optical fiber guide and transmitting the light to the microprocessor;
A second optical loss detector for detecting incident light that is incident on the interferometer after the light of the first illumination passes through the optical fiber guide and transmits the light to the microprocessor;
Lt; / RTI >
The interferometer stage includes:
A plurality of plates provided so as to linearly move in respective directions with respect to the triaxial direction;
A nut provided on the plurality of plates;
A screw that is screwed to the nut so that the plurality of plates are linearly driven and rotated by a motor;
Wherein the interferometer stage comprises: a pipe-shaped guide in which a screw is not formed parallel to the screw;
/ RTI >
The jig stage is installed on an upper portion of the base frame and is configured to have the same structure as the interferometer stage so as to be movable in three directions of X, Y and Z axes with respect to the base frame. The interferometer stage, Adjusts the relative position of the optical fiber guide,
The optical fiber image serving as a reference for determining the failure of the plurality of optical fibers by the image photographed by the camera has three points of the contact point between the top and both grooves in the state where the plurality of optical fibers are respectively placed in the V- And the pitch between the V-shaped grooves is also measured to calculate the deviation. delete delete delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least two or more of the screws are provided parallel to each axis. delete

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