TWI763138B - Optical fiber protection system - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical fiber protection system includes an optical fiber, a light source, a protection circuit, and a controller. The light source is configured to transmit signal to the optical fiber. The protection circuit extends along a length direction of the optical fiber. The sensor is electrically connected to the protection circuit. The controller is electrically connected to the sensor and the light source.

Description

Fiber Protection System

The present disclosure relates to an optical fiber protection system.

The demand for optical fibers to be used in projector systems is increasing day by day. The optical transmission and flexibility of optical fibers can make the projection system more flexible. The projector system may have a separate imaging system and a light source system, and the imaging system and the light source system are connected by optical fibers for light transmission. However, if the optical fiber is used improperly, the optical transmission efficiency of the optical fiber may be deteriorated, and the temperature of the optical fiber may be increased. Therefore, the optical fiber may be internally fused or the outer casing may be fused due to high temperature, thereby causing the light to pass through the optical fiber, causing application hazards.

Therefore, in view of this, how to provide an optical fiber protection system that can avoid failure is still one of the goals that the industry needs to study urgently.

One technical aspect of the present disclosure is an optical fiber protection system.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, an optical fiber protection system includes an optical fiber, a light source, a protection circuit, a sensor, and a controller. The light source is configured to send a signal to the optical fiber. The protection line extends along the length of the fiber. The sensor is electrically connected to the protection circuit. The controller is electrically connected to the sensor and the light source.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the material for protecting the circuit includes low temperature solder.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the protection line is wound on the optical fiber.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical fiber protection system further includes a heat-shrinkable sleeve, which surrounds the low-temperature solder and the optical fiber, and the low-temperature solder is located between the heat-shrinkable sleeve and the optical fiber.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the shrinkage temperature of the heat shrinkable sleeve is higher than the melting point of the low temperature solder.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the length of the heat shrinkable sleeve is smaller than the length of the optical fiber, and both ends of the optical fiber protrude from the heat shrinkable sleeve.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a part of the protection circuit is exposed from the heat shrinkable sleeve.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensor is configured to detect the resistance value of the protection line.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the sensor is configured to determine whether the protection circuit is open circuit.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller is configured to control the light source according to the detection result of the sensor.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, when the local temperature of the optical fiber is too high, the optical fiber protection device of the present disclosure can use the characteristics of the low-temperature solder of the protection circuit to form an open circuit, and detect the change of the resistance value of the protection circuit through the sensor or detect Whether the protection circuit is open circuit. Then, the controller can transmit a signal to the light source to cut off the power supply or issue a warning to the system to achieve the effect of protecting the optical fiber. Alternatively, the heat-shrinkable sleeve can be used to squeeze the low-temperature solder melted by the high temperature, thereby changing the resistance value of the protection circuit or forming an open circuit, thereby enhancing the accuracy of the optical fiber protection system.

Several embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed in the drawings below, and for the sake of clarity, many practical details will be described together in the following description. It should be understood, however, that these practical details should not be used to limit the invention. That is, in some embodiments of the invention, these practical details are unnecessary. In addition, for the purpose of simplifying the drawings, some well-known structures and elements will be shown in a simple and schematic manner in the drawings. Also, the thicknesses of layers and regions in the drawings may be exaggerated for clarity, and like reference numerals refer to like elements in the description of the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber protection system 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The optical fiber protection system 100 includes an optical fiber 110 , a light source 120 , a protection line 130 , a sensor 140 and a controller 150 . The light source 120 is configured to send a signal to the optical fiber 110 . The protection line 130 extends in the length direction D1 of the optical fiber 110 . The sensor 140 is electrically connected to the protection circuit 130 . The controller 150 is electrically connected to the sensor 140 and the light source 120 .

The material of the protection circuit 130 includes low temperature solder. In some embodiments, the material of the low-temperature solder includes an alloy of bismuth (Bi), lead (Pb), and tin (Sn), and the melting point of the low-temperature solder is about 90∘C to 100∘C, but the present disclosure is not limited to . One of ordinary skill in the art can select a material having a specific melting point. The sensor 140 is configured to determine whether the protection line is open. The controller 150 is configured to control the light source according to the detection result of the sensor. In this way, when the local temperature of the optical fiber 110 is too high, an open circuit can be formed by utilizing the characteristics of the low-temperature solder of the protection circuit 130, and the sensor 140 can detect the change of the resistance value of the protection circuit 130 or detect whether the protection circuit 130 is not. for the disconnected state. Then, the controller 150 can transmit a signal to the light source 120 to cut off the power supply or issue a warning to the system to achieve the effect of protecting the optical fiber 110 .

The optical fiber protection device 100 of the present disclosure can be applied to a projector system. For example, the projector system may have a separate imaging system and a light source system, and the imaging system and the light source system are connected by an optical fiber 110 for light transmission. However, during use, the optical fiber 110 may be internally fused due to high temperature or the outer casing may be fused through, thereby causing light to pass through the optical fiber 110 . Therefore, by disposing the optical fiber protection system 100 in the projector system, the service life of the projector system can be prolonged, and the application flexibility of the separate projector system can be increased.

In this embodiment, the protection line 130 is wound on the optical fiber 110 in a spiral shape, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the protection line 130 is also called an on-line circuit, which can transmit a signal or serve as a medium for transmitting a specific signal, and can also be arranged parallel to the optical fiber 110 along with the optical fiber 110, as long as the protection line 130 is close to the optical fiber 110. It is sufficient that the optical fiber 110 absorbs the thermal energy of the optical fiber 110 to form an open circuit. In this embodiment in which the protection line 130 is wound in a spiral shape, when the optical fiber 110 is bent, the protection line 130 wound on the optical fiber 110 is more likely to bend with the optical fiber 110 , thus reducing the probability of the protection line 130 being broken. At the same time, it is also attached to the optical fiber 110 .

In one embodiment, the sensor 140 is configured to detect the resistance value of the protection circuit 130 . When the local temperature of the optical fiber 110 is too high, the controller 150 can monitor whether the optical fiber 110 is abnormal according to the change of the resistance value of the protection line 130 measured by the sensor 140. The sensor 140 can make the controller according to the preset resistance threshold value. 150 controls whether the light source 120 continues to supply power or issues a warning to the system.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber protection system 200 according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The light source 120 , the sensor 140 and the controller 150 of the optical fiber protection system 200 are omitted in FIG. 2 . The optical fiber protection system 200 is substantially the same as the optical fiber protection system 100 , the difference being that the optical fiber protection system 200 further includes a heat shrinkable sleeve 132 . The heat shrinkable sleeve 132 at least partially surrounds the protection circuit 130 and the optical fiber 110 . The protection line 130 is located between the heat shrinkable sleeve 132 and the optical fiber 110 . In one embodiment, the length of the heat-shrinkable sleeve 132 is less than the length of the optical fiber 110 , that is, both ends of the optical fiber 110 protrude from the heat-shrinkable sleeve 132 to reserve space for coupling with external devices. In one embodiment, a portion of the protection circuit 130 is exposed from the heat shrinkable sleeve 132 . In other words, the winding length of the protection line 130 can be adjusted according to actual needs. Likewise, the range covered by the heat shrinkable sleeve 132 can also be adjusted according to actual needs.

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the optical fiber protection system of Fig. 2 in an over-temperature state. In some embodiments, the material of the heat shrinkable sleeve 132 can be polyethylene (PE), and the shrinkage temperature of the heat shrinkable sleeve 132 is about 105∘C to 115∘C. In this embodiment, the shrinkage temperature of the heat shrinkable sleeve 132 is higher than the melting point of the low-temperature solder of the protection circuit 130 . In this way, as shown in the area R in FIG. 3, when the local temperature of the optical fiber 110 is too high, the low-temperature solder in the local position will first melt, and the resistance value of the protection circuit 130 has changed at this time, and then the heat shrinkable sleeve The tube 132 has a shrinking effect due to continuous heat transfer, and the shrinkable heat shrinkable sleeve 132 is used to squeeze the low-temperature solder melted due to high temperature, which can further change the resistance value of the protection circuit 130 or form an open circuit. In this way, when the sensor 140 detects that the resistance value of the protection circuit 130 has changed or is disconnected, it can monitor whether the optical fiber 110 is abnormal and cause the controller 150 to take corresponding measures, such as turning off the transmission of the light source or correcting the The system issues an alert. Therefore, the accuracy of the protection system of the optical fiber 110 can be enhanced by using the low temperature solder and the heat shrinkable sleeve 132 .

To sum up, when the local temperature of the optical fiber 110 is too high, the optical fiber protection device of the present disclosure can utilize the characteristics of the low-temperature solder of the protection circuit 130 to form an open circuit, and detect through the sensor 140 whether the protection circuit 130 is in an open circuit state or It is the resistance value that changes. Then, the controller 150 can transmit a signal to the light source 120 to cut off the power supply or issue a warning to the system to achieve the effect of protecting the optical fiber 110 . Alternatively, the heat shrinkable sleeve 132 can be shrunk to squeeze the low-temperature solder melted by high temperature, thereby changing the resistance value of the protection circuit 130 or forming an open circuit, thereby enhancing the accuracy of the optical fiber 110 protection system.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection of the present invention The scope shall be determined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100,200: Fiber protection device 110: Optical fiber 120: light source 130: Protection line 132: heat shrink sleeve 140: Sensor 150: Controller R: region D: direction

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber protection system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an optical fiber protection system according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the optical fiber protection system of Fig. 2 in an over-temperature state.

100: Optical fiber protection device

110: Optical fiber

120: light source

130: Protection line

140: Sensor

150: Controller

D: direction

Claims (9)

An optical fiber protection system, comprising: an optical fiber; a light source configured to send a signal to the optical fiber; a protection circuit extending in a length direction of the optical fiber, wherein the material of the protection circuit comprises a low-temperature solder; a sensor , which is electrically connected to the protection circuit; a controller is electrically connected to the sensor and the light source; and a heat-shrinkable sleeve, which surrounds the low-temperature solder and the optical fiber. The optical fiber protection system of claim 1, wherein the protection line is wound on the optical fiber. The optical fiber protection system of claim 1, wherein the low temperature solder is located between the heat shrinkable sleeve and the optical fiber. The optical fiber protection system of claim 1, wherein the shrinkage temperature of the heat shrinkable sleeve is higher than the melting point of the low temperature solder. The optical fiber protection system of claim 1, wherein the length of the heat-shrinkable sleeve is less than the length of the optical fiber, and both ends of the optical fiber protrude from the heat-shrinkable sleeve. The optical fiber protection system as claimed in claim 1, one of which is The separate protection circuit is exposed from the heat shrinkable sleeve. The optical fiber protection system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect the resistance value of the protection line. The optical fiber protection system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to determine whether the protection line is open circuit. The optical fiber protection system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the light source according to the detection result of the sensor.

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