WO2014060883A1 - System and method for stripping optical cables - Google Patents

System and method for stripping optical cables Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2014060883A1
WO2014060883A1 PCT/IB2013/058880 IB2013058880W WO2014060883A1 WO 2014060883 A1 WO2014060883 A1 WO 2014060883A1 IB 2013058880 W IB2013058880 W IB 2013058880W WO 2014060883 A1 WO2014060883 A1 WO 2014060883A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
cable
kevlar
optical cables
laser
optical
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2013/058880
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Yongjun YUAN
Hang Lee
Zongshen LENG
Jianchun LV
Original Assignee
Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Tyco Electronics Uk Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Tyco Electronics Uk Ltd filed Critical Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
Publication of WO2014060883A1 publication Critical patent/WO2014060883A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
    • H02G1/00—Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines
    • H02G1/12—Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines for removing insulation or armouring from cables, e.g. from the end thereof
    • H02G1/1275—Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines for removing insulation or armouring from cables, e.g. from the end thereof by applying heat
    • H02G1/128—Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines for removing insulation or armouring from cables, e.g. from the end thereof by applying heat using radiant energy, e.g. a laser beam
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
    • G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
    • G02B6/245—Removing protective coverings of light guides before coupling
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H02—GENERATION; CONVERSION OR DISTRIBUTION OF ELECTRIC POWER
    • H02G—INSTALLATION OF ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES, OR OF COMBINED OPTICAL AND ELECTRIC CABLES OR LINES
    • H02G1/00—Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines
    • H02G1/12—Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines for removing insulation or armouring from cables, e.g. from the end thereof
    • H02G1/1202—Methods or apparatus specially adapted for installing, maintaining, repairing or dismantling electric cables or lines for removing insulation or armouring from cables, e.g. from the end thereof by cutting and withdrawing insulation
    • H02G1/1248—Machines
    • H02G1/1251—Machines the cutting element not rotating about the wire or cable
    • H02G1/1253—Machines the cutting element not rotating about the wire or cable making a transverse cut
    • H02G1/1256—Machines the cutting element not rotating about the wire or cable making a transverse cut using wire or cable-clamping means

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a system and a method for stripping optical cables.
  • a semi-automatic blade cutting tool is often used to cut a casing and a Kevlar layer of an optical cable.
  • a single optical cable is firstly placed into the blade cutting tool, and then the blade cutting tool is switched on to cut and strip the casing.
  • the blade cutting tool is switched on to cut the Kevlar.
  • the Kevlar must be separated from a bare fiber in advance, and the separation operation is rather difficult.
  • the blade cutting tool can receive only a single optical cable each time and can perform an operation on only a single optical cable each time, therefore, it is disadvantageous to the production efficiency.
  • the blade cutting tool since the cutting blade of the blade cutting tool is worn with time, the blade cutting tool has a limited life span and an unstable working performance in the whole life span.
  • the present invention has been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above mentioned disadvantages.
  • a system for stripping optical cables comprising, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber, a coating layer enclosing the bare fiber, a Kevlar layer and a casing
  • the system comprising: a cable carrier having an end surface and a cable carrying surface, the cable carrying surface being configured to fix optical cables to be stripped with ends of the optical cables to be stripped extending beyond the end surface; a blowing device adapted to blow air towards Kevlar exposed at the ends of the optical cables to be stripped to separate the Kevlar from the bare fibers; and a cutting device for cutting the separated Kevlar.
  • the cutting device may be a laser for emitting a laser beam to perform the cutting operation of the Kevlar by means of a movement of the laser beam relative to the cable carrier.
  • the system further comprises a blocking plate removably disposed between the bare fiber and the laser to protect the bare fibers from being damaged by the laser beam.
  • the system further comprises a rectangle frame member provided adjacent to the end surface of the cable carrier, located below the ends of the optical cables to be stripped, and extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface, wherein the Kevlar separated from the bare fiber drops in an opening of the rectangle frame member.
  • a guide slot is provided in the rectangle frame member; and the blocking plate is adapted to be inserted into and slid in the guide slot to block the laser beam of the laser from being emitted towards the bare fibers.
  • the laser comprises a lower laser disposed below the ends of the optical cables to be stripped, and the lower laser is also used to cut the casings of the optical cables from below by means of a movement of the lower laser relative to the cable carrier in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface.
  • the system further comprises a cable gripping device arranged to be opposite to the end surface of the cable carrier and adapted to grip the casings at the ends of the optical cables to be stripped and move away from the cable carrier to strip the cut casings from the ends of the optical cables to be stripped.
  • the system further comprises an upper laser disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped and used to emit a laser beam to cut the casings of the optical cables from above by means of a movement of the upper laser relative to the cable carrier in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface.
  • the cable carrier is configured to fix a plurality of optical cables in a row on the same cable carrying surface of the cable carrier.
  • the blowing device comprises a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface or an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface.
  • the cable carrier is supported on a base and configured to be movable relative to the base by a predetermined distance so as to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
  • a method for stripping optical cables comprising, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber, a coating layer enclosing the bare fiber, a Kevlar layer and a casing, the method comprising the following steps:
  • step S400 cutting the Kevlar with a laser.
  • the method further comprises, before the step S400, placing a blocking plate between the bare fibers and the Kevlar to protect the bare fibers from being damaged by a laser beam cutting the Kevlar.
  • step S300 blowing the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers by a blowing device disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped.
  • the blowing device comprises a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface or an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface.
  • the method further comprises, before the step S400, moving the optical cables in a longitudinal direction of the optical cable to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
  • step SI 00 fixing a plurality of optical cables in a row on a same cable carrying surface of a cable carrier with an end of each optical cable to be stripped extending beyond an end surface of the cable carrier.
  • step S400 cutting the Kevlar with a laser beam emitted from a laser by means of a movement of the laser relative to the cable carrier.
  • the separation between the Kevlar and the bare fibers is obtained in a simple and effective way, and the efficiency for cutting Kevlar during stripping the optical cables is improved.
  • the casing and the Kevlar are cut by the laser, instead of the blade, improving the reliability and stability of the system.
  • Fig.1 is an illustrative cross section view of an optical cable according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig.2 is an illustrative perspective view of a system for stripping optical cables according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention
  • Fig.3 is an illustrative side view of the system shown in Fig.2;
  • Fig.4 is an illustrative top view of the system shown in Fig.2; and Fig.5 is an illustrative view showing optical cables arranged on a cable carrier.
  • Fig.1 is an illustrative cross section view of an optical cable 20 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
  • the optical cable 20 mainly comprises, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber 24, a coating layer (including a buffer layer) 23 with a thickness of 900 ⁇ , a Kevlar layer 22 and a casing 21.
  • a coating layer including a buffer layer
  • Kevlar layer 22 with a thickness of 900 ⁇
  • a casing 21 mainly comprises, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber 24, a coating layer (including a buffer layer) 23 with a thickness of 900 ⁇ , a Kevlar layer 22 and a casing 21.
  • the above structure of the optical cable 20 is only described as an exemplary embodiment.
  • the system mainly comprising: a cable carrier 10 having an end surface 12 and a cable carrying surface 11, the cable carrying surface 11 being configured to fix optical cables 20 to be stripped while ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped extend beyond the end surface 12; a blowing device 60 adapted to blow air towards Kevlar 22 exposed at the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped to separate the Kevlar 22 from bare fibers 24; and a cutting device 32 for cutting the separated Kevlar.
  • the cutting device may be a laser 32 for emitting a laser beam to perform the cutting operation of the Kevlar by means of a movement of the laser beam relative to the cable carrier 10.
  • the laser may comprise a lower laser 32 disposed below the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped.
  • the lower laser 32 is used to cut the Kevlar of the optical cables 20 by means of a movement of the lower laser 32 relative to the cable carrier 10 in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 (that is, a direction perpendicular to the paper sheet plane of Fig.3).
  • a blocking plate 40 may be disposed between the bare fiber 24 and the Kevlar 22 to protect the bare fiber 24 from being damaged by the laser beam.
  • the blocking plate 40 is removably disposed between the bare fiber 24 and the laser 32 to protect the bare fiber 24 from being damaged by the laser beam.
  • the blocking plate 40 may be made of a material (for example, a proper metal material) that can block the laser beam and cannot be burned by the laser beam.
  • the system may comprise a rectangle frame member 50 provided adjacent to the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10.
  • the rectangle frame member 50 is located below the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped and extends in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11.
  • the Kevlar 22 separated from the bare fiber 24 drops into an opening of the rectangle frame member 50.
  • a guide slot (not shown) is provided in the rectangle frame member 50.
  • the blocking plate 40 is adapted to be inserted into and slid in the guide slot to block the laser beam of the laser 32 from being emitted towards the bare fibers 24.
  • the system may comprise only a single laser.
  • the Kevlar may be cut by only a single laser 32 shown in Fig.3.
  • the casings 21 of the optical cables 20 may be cut by only a single laser, for example, only one of the laser 31 or the laser 32 shown in Fig.3.
  • the system of the present invention uses the laser beam emitted from the laser as the cutting tool, instead of using the conventional blade as the cutting tool. Since the
  • the system of the present invention is more reliable and stable than the conventional cutting tool.
  • the blocking plate 40 may be driven to a blocking position by a special driving mechanism.
  • the blocking plate 40 may be a bar- like plate extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper sheet plane of Fig.3.
  • the blocking plate 40 may have a shape different from the bar-like shape and can be moved to block the laser beam from being emitted towards the bare fibers upon cutting the Kevlar.
  • the upper and lower lasers 31, 32 are arranged in a vertical direction perpendicular to the cable carrying surface 11 to emit laser beams in the vertical direction.
  • the lasers may be arranged to emit laser beams substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 , and the lasers cut the Kevlar by means of a movement of the lasers relative to the cable carrier 10 in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11.
  • the blowing device 60 blows air from above the cable carrier 10 towards the Kevlar so that the Kevlar is blown to a position under the bare fibers.
  • the system may use the lower laser 32 to cut the casings 21 of the optical cables 20.
  • the laser comprises the lower laser 32 disposed below the ends 25 of the optical cables to be stripped.
  • the lower laser 32 cuts the casings 21 of the optical cables 20 from below by means of a movement of the lower laser relative to the cable carrier 10 in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11.
  • the lower laser 32 is not only used to cut the casings 21, but also used to cut the Kevlar. Accordingly, the output power of the lower laser 32 can be adjusted for cutting the casings 21 and the Kevlar. In addition, in order to suitably cut the casings of different types of optical cables, it also needs to adjust the output power of the lower laser 32 and even needs to control the relative movement speed of the lower laser 32.
  • the output power of the upper laser 31 may be adjusted and the relative movement speed of the upper laser 31 may be controlled similar to the lower laser 32.
  • the system also comprises a cable gripping device 70 arranged to be opposite to the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10 and adapted to grip the casings 21 at the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped and move away from the cable carrier 10 to strip off the cut casings 21 from the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped.
  • the gripping device 70 comprises an upper gripping portion 71 and a lower gripping portion 72.
  • the upper and lower gripping portions 71, 72 are faced with each other and connected by a bolt 73 for example.
  • the bolt 73 is configured to adjust a distance between the upper and lower gripping portions 71, 72.
  • the casings 21 of the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 are placed or gripped between the upper and lower gripping portions 71, 72.
  • the gripping device 70 may be driven to move relative to the cable carrier 10 by means of, for example, a driver 74 at the other side of the gripping device 70.
  • the system further comprises an upper laser 31 disposed above the ends 25 of the optical cables to be stripped and used to emit a laser beam to cut the casings 21 of the optical cables 20 from above by means of a movement of the upper laser 31 relative to the cable carrier 10 in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11.
  • the above system may also comprising: a blowing device 60 blowing ai from above the cable carrier 10 r towards the Kevlar so that the exposed Kevlar of the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 is blown to a position under the bare fibers; and a blocking plate 40 removably disposed between the bare fiber 24 and the lower laser 32 to protect the bare fiber 24 from being damaged by the laser beam.
  • the blown down end of the Kevlar is located under the blocking plate 40, and the laser beam emitted from the lower laser 32 is adapted to cut the exposed Kevlar.
  • the movement of the laser relative to the cable carrier 10 can be achieved by individually driving the cable carrier 10 or individually driving the laser.
  • the blowing device 60 may comprise a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 to blow the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers of the optical cables.
  • the blowing device 60 may comprise an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 to blow the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers of the optical cables.
  • the movement of the spray nozzle or the spray opening relative to the cable carrier 10 can be achieved by individually driving the cable carrier 10 or individually driving the spray nozzle or the spray opening.
  • the cable carrier 10 is configured to fix a plurality of optical cables 20 in a row on the same cable carrying surface 11 of the cable carrier 10. In this way, it can strip a plurality of optical cables 20 simultaneously, increasing the production efficiency.
  • the cable carrier 10 may have a plurality of grooves 13 for receiving the plurality of optical cables 20 to be stripped therein. The grooves 13 extend in the longitudinal direction of the optical cables 20.
  • the system may further comprising: an optical cable pressing plate 81 located near the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10; and a locking member 82 adapted to releasably exert a pressing force on the optical cable pressing plate 81 towards the cable carrying surface 11 of the cable carrier 10.
  • the optical cables 20 are provided between the optical cable pressing plate 81 and the cable carrier 10.
  • the optical cable pressing plate 81 is arranged adjacent to the end surface 12 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.
  • the grooves 13 may be recesses formed in the cable carrying surface 11.
  • a row of bar- like protrusions parallel to each other may be arranged on the cable carrying surface 11, and the grooves 13 may be defined between the adjacent bar- like protrusions.
  • the groove 13 may be a V-groove, a rectangle groove or a semi-circle groove, etc.
  • the cable carrier 10 may not be provided with the longitudinal grooves 13 in the cable carrying surface 11, instead the cable carrier 10 is provided with special positioning slots each served as a fixation point. One or more positioning slots may be provided for each of the optical cables 20.
  • the cable carrier 10 is supported on a base 90 and configured to be movable relative to the base 90 by a predetermined distance so as to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
  • the rectangle frame member 50 may be disposed at an end portion of the base 90 corresponding to the end surface 12.
  • the present invention also relates to a method for stripping optical cables, comprising the following steps:
  • SI 00 fixing the optical cables 20, for example, the cable to be stripped is arranged to the carrying surface 11 of the cable carrier 10, with the end to be stripped of the cable extending beyond the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10;
  • S200 stripping the casings 21 from ends of the optical cables to be stripped to expose the Kevlar of the optical cables;
  • step S400 cutting the Kevlar with a laser.
  • the method further comprises placing a blocking plate 40 between the bare fibers and the Kevlar to protect the bare fiber 24 from being damaged by a laser beam cutting the Kevlar.
  • blowing the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers by a blowing device 60 disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped.
  • the blowing device 60 may be disposed below the ends 25 of the optical cables to be stripped or disposed at other proper positions as long as it can separate the Kevlar from the bare fibers.
  • the Kevlar on the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped is separated from the bare fibers and located under the bare fibers.
  • the Kevlar is cut off with a laser beam emitted by the laser 32.
  • the step S200 of stripping the casings 21 mainly comprising:
  • S220 pulling the cut casings off the optical cables to expose the Kevlar of the optical cables.
  • the step S220 comprising: S221 : providing a cable gripping device 70 to grip the cut casings 21 of the optical cables 20, and moving the cable gripping device 70 away from the fixed optical cables to strip off the cut casings 21 from the optical cables 20 to expose the Kevlar of the optical cables.
  • the Kevlar may be cut off with a laser beam substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 from the laser.
  • the method for stripping optical cables further comprises a step: placing a blocking plate 40 between the exposed bare fibers and the Kevlar to protect the bare fibers 24 from being damaged by the laser beam.
  • the Kevlar may be cut off with the laser beam emitted by the lower laser 32 below the ends of the optical cables to be stripped, and the laser beam is blocked by the blocking plate 40 to protect the exposed bare fibers 24 from being damaged by the laser beam.
  • the Kevlar may be blown to a position under the bare fibers by an air flow from a blowing device 60 disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped.
  • a blowing device 60 disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped.
  • the Kevlar may be manually positioned under the bare fibers by an operator.
  • the blowing device 60 comprises a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface to successively blow the Kevlar of the optical cables to the position under the exposed bare fibers.
  • the blowing device 60 comprises an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface to simultaneously blow the the Kevlar of the optical cables to the position under the exposed bare fibers.
  • the above method for stripping optical cables further comprising: before the step S400, moving the optical cables in a longitudinal direction of the optical cable to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
  • step SI 00 of the above method for stripping optical cables fixing a plurality of optical cables 20 in a row on a same cable carrying surface 11 of a cable carrier 10, with an end of each optical cable to be stripped extending beyond an end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10.
  • the cutting operation may be performed on the ends of the optical cables to be stripped with the laser beam from the laser by means of a movement of the laser relative to the cable carrier.
  • the laser carrier 90 moves a first optical cable to be cut to a position under the laser, and the laser is turned on and emits a laser beam, and the laser carrier continuously moves the optical cables relative to the laser beam by a speed of, for example, 50 ⁇ 150mm/second.
  • the laser may comprise an upper laser head and a lower laser head with a same type and a same power.
  • the upper laser head (corresponding to the upper laser 31) firstly emits a continuous laser pulse with a power of 8-15 W (for example, for an optical cable of low smoke halogen free with a diameter of 2.0mm, a laser pulse with about 10W is often selected).
  • the casings 21 of the optical cables are automatically cut during passing the optical cables through the laser pulse by the cable carrier 10.
  • the optical cables are moved back by the cable carrier 10, and at this time, the lower laser head (corresponding to the lower laser 32) emits a continuous laser pulse to cut the lower half of the casings.
  • the lower laser head (corresponding to the lower laser 32) emits a continuous laser pulse to cut the lower half of the casings.
  • two notches are formed in an upper half cylindrical surface and a lower half cylindrical surface of each optical cable. The depth of the notches may be controlled by adjusting the power of the lasers to a proper power.
  • the optical cables are clamped tightly by the upper gripping portion 71 and the lower gripping portion 72 of the gripping device 70, and a moving control device (corresponding to a gripping device driver) 74 controls the gripping device 70 to move leftward in a direction indicated by 'a' shown in Fig.3 to pull the cut casings off the optical cables, and thus simultaneously completing the stripping operation of the casings of the optical cables.
  • a moving control device corresponding to a gripping device driver
  • the cable carrier is moved rightward in a direction indicated by 'c' shown in Fig.3 by 6 ⁇ 10mm, and the position of the laser is keep unchanged, so that the cutting position of the Kevlar is located before the cutting position of the casings by 6 ⁇ 10mm. That is, there is a section of exposed Kevlar with a length of 6 ⁇ 10mm is maintained and left on the optical cables. The left length of the exposed Kevlar is slightly different among various optic fiber connectors from different producers.
  • the left length of the exposed Kevlar is about 7mm.
  • the optical cables are moved by the laser carrier to pass through a blowing device 60.
  • the blowing device 60 continuously blows a compressed air flow onto the optical cables from above in a vertical direction during the optical cables are passed through under the blowing device 60. In this way, the Kevlar is separated from a coating having a thickness of 900 ⁇ on the optical cable.
  • the compressed air flow from the blowing device 60 may have a pressure of 2 ⁇ 4kg/cm 2 .
  • the Kevlar When the Kevlar is passed through under the blowing device 60 in a direction indicated by 'd' shown in Fig.4 and blown downward, the Kevlar completely separated from the coating having the thickness of 900um drops into the rectangle frame member 50 and is clamped by the rectangle frame member 50 to prevent the Kevlar from restoring into an original state thereof.
  • the blocking plate 40 is moved in a direction indicated by 'b' shown in Fig.3 to a position between the Kevlar and the coating.
  • the blocking plate 40 is provided to block the laser beam to protect the coatings of the bare fibers from being damaged by the laser beam.
  • the lower laser head After the coatings of the bare fibers are blocked by the blocking plate 40, the lower laser head emits a laser beam, and the laser carrier moves the optical cables to pass through above the lower laser head.
  • the Kevlar is cut at a predetermined position so that a section of exposed Kevlar with a predetermined length is maintained and left on the optical cables and the other exposed Kevlar falls down and is removed. In this way, the Kevlar of the plurality of optical cables can be simultaneously cut off.
  • a plurality of optical cables can be stripped at one time, increasing the production efficiency
  • the compressed air is used to separate the Kevlar from the 0.9mm-thick coatings of the optical cables, facilitating the cutting operation of the Kevlar with the laser in high efficiency.

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Optics & Photonics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Removal Of Insulation Or Armoring From Wires Or Cables (AREA)
  • Laser Beam Processing (AREA)

Abstract

A system for stripping optical cables, the optical cable (20) comprising, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber (24), a coating layer (23) enclosing the bare fiber, a Kevlar layer (22) and a casing (21), the system comprising: a cable carrier (10) having an end surface (12) and a cable carrying surface (11), the cable carrying surface being configured to fix optical cables to be stripped with ends of the optical cables to be stripped extending beyond the end surface; a blowing device (60) adapted to blow air towards Kevlar exposed at the ends of the optical cables to be stripped to separate the Kevlar from bare fibers; and a cutting device (32) in the form a laserr for cutting the separated Kevlar. A blocker (4) protects the coated fibres from the laser during cutting of the Kevlar.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR STRIPPING OPTICAL CABLES
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201210400641.7 filed on October 19, 2012 in the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and a method for stripping optical cables.
Description of the Related Art
In prior arts, a semi-automatic blade cutting tool is often used to cut a casing and a Kevlar layer of an optical cable. During cutting the casing of the optical cable, a single optical cable is firstly placed into the blade cutting tool, and then the blade cutting tool is switched on to cut and strip the casing. During cutting the Kevlar, a single optical cable is firstly placed into the blade cutting tool, and then the blade cutting tool is switched on to cut the Kevlar.
However, during cutting the Kevlar, the Kevlar must be separated from a bare fiber in advance, and the separation operation is rather difficult.
Furthermore, during cutting the casing or the Kevlar of the optical cable, the blade cutting tool can receive only a single optical cable each time and can perform an operation on only a single optical cable each time, therefore, it is disadvantageous to the production efficiency.
Moreover, in the prior arts, since the cutting blade of the blade cutting tool is worn with time, the blade cutting tool has a limited life span and an unstable working performance in the whole life span.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above mentioned disadvantages.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and a method for stripping optical cables in high production efficiency.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for stripping optical cables, the optical cable comprising, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber, a coating layer enclosing the bare fiber, a Kevlar layer and a casing, the system comprising: a cable carrier having an end surface and a cable carrying surface, the cable carrying surface being configured to fix optical cables to be stripped with ends of the optical cables to be stripped extending beyond the end surface; a blowing device adapted to blow air towards Kevlar exposed at the ends of the optical cables to be stripped to separate the Kevlar from the bare fibers; and a cutting device for cutting the separated Kevlar.
In an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the cutting device may be a laser for emitting a laser beam to perform the cutting operation of the Kevlar by means of a movement of the laser beam relative to the cable carrier.
In an exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the system further comprises a blocking plate removably disposed between the bare fiber and the laser to protect the bare fibers from being damaged by the laser beam.
In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the system further comprises a rectangle frame member provided adjacent to the end surface of the cable carrier, located below the ends of the optical cables to be stripped, and extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface, wherein the Kevlar separated from the bare fiber drops in an opening of the rectangle frame member.
In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, a guide slot is provided in the rectangle frame member; and the blocking plate is adapted to be inserted into and slid in the guide slot to block the laser beam of the laser from being emitted towards the bare fibers.
In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the laser comprises a lower laser disposed below the ends of the optical cables to be stripped, and the lower laser is also used to cut the casings of the optical cables from below by means of a movement of the lower laser relative to the cable carrier in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface.
In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the system further comprises a cable gripping device arranged to be opposite to the end surface of the cable carrier and adapted to grip the casings at the ends of the optical cables to be stripped and move away from the cable carrier to strip the cut casings from the ends of the optical cables to be stripped.
In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the system further comprises an upper laser disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped and used to emit a laser beam to cut the casings of the optical cables from above by means of a movement of the upper laser relative to the cable carrier in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface.
In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the cable carrier is configured to fix a plurality of optical cables in a row on the same cable carrying surface of the cable carrier. In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the blowing device comprises a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface or an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface.
In another exemplary embodiment according to the present invention, the cable carrier is supported on a base and configured to be movable relative to the base by a predetermined distance so as to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for stripping optical cables, the optical cable comprising, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber, a coating layer enclosing the bare fiber, a Kevlar layer and a casing, the method comprising the following steps:
SI 00: fixing the optical cables;
S200: stripping the casings from ends of the optical cables to be stripped to expose the Kevlar of the optical cables;
S300: separating the Kevlar from the bare fibers by blowing air towards the exposed Kevlar; and
S400: cutting the Kevlar separated from the bare fibers.
Preferably, in the step S400, cutting the Kevlar with a laser.
Preferably, the method further comprises, before the step S400, placing a blocking plate between the bare fibers and the Kevlar to protect the bare fibers from being damaged by a laser beam cutting the Kevlar.
Preferably, in the step S300, blowing the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers by a blowing device disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped.
Preferably, the blowing device comprises a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface or an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface.
Preferably, the method further comprises, before the step S400, moving the optical cables in a longitudinal direction of the optical cable to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
Preferably, in the step SI 00, fixing a plurality of optical cables in a row on a same cable carrying surface of a cable carrier with an end of each optical cable to be stripped extending beyond an end surface of the cable carrier.
Preferably, in the step S400, cutting the Kevlar with a laser beam emitted from a laser by means of a movement of the laser relative to the cable carrier.
With the solution of the present invention, the separation between the Kevlar and the bare fibers is obtained in a simple and effective way, and the efficiency for cutting Kevlar during stripping the optical cables is improved. In addition, the casing and the Kevlar are cut by the laser, instead of the blade, improving the reliability and stability of the system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other features of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig.1 is an illustrative cross section view of an optical cable according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
Fig.2 is an illustrative perspective view of a system for stripping optical cables according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
Fig.3 is an illustrative side view of the system shown in Fig.2;
Fig.4 is an illustrative top view of the system shown in Fig.2; and Fig.5 is an illustrative view showing optical cables arranged on a cable carrier.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE IVENTION
Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described hereinafter in detail with reference to the attached drawings, wherein the like reference numerals refer to the like elements. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.
Fig.1 is an illustrative cross section view of an optical cable 20 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in Fig.l, the optical cable 20 mainly comprises, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber 24, a coating layer (including a buffer layer) 23 with a thickness of 900 μιη, a Kevlar layer 22 and a casing 21. Please be noted that the above structure of the optical cable 20 is only described as an exemplary embodiment.
Hereafter, it will describe the system for stripping optical cables with reference to Figs.2-4.
As shown in Figs.2-4, the system mainly comprising: a cable carrier 10 having an end surface 12 and a cable carrying surface 11, the cable carrying surface 11 being configured to fix optical cables 20 to be stripped while ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped extend beyond the end surface 12; a blowing device 60 adapted to blow air towards Kevlar 22 exposed at the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped to separate the Kevlar 22 from bare fibers 24; and a cutting device 32 for cutting the separated Kevlar.
The cutting device may be a laser 32 for emitting a laser beam to perform the cutting operation of the Kevlar by means of a movement of the laser beam relative to the cable carrier 10. In a case where the optical cables 20 are disposed on the cable carrier 10 after the Kevlar layers 22 of the optical cables 20 have been exposed, the laser may comprise a lower laser 32 disposed below the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped. The lower laser 32 is used to cut the Kevlar of the optical cables 20 by means of a movement of the lower laser 32 relative to the cable carrier 10 in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 (that is, a direction perpendicular to the paper sheet plane of Fig.3).
Preferably, a blocking plate 40 may be disposed between the bare fiber 24 and the Kevlar 22 to protect the bare fiber 24 from being damaged by the laser beam. As shown in Figs.2-3, the blocking plate 40 is removably disposed between the bare fiber 24 and the laser 32 to protect the bare fiber 24 from being damaged by the laser beam. The blocking plate 40 may be made of a material (for example, a proper metal material) that can block the laser beam and cannot be burned by the laser beam.
As shown in Figs.3-4, preferably, the system may comprise a rectangle frame member 50 provided adjacent to the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10. The rectangle frame member 50 is located below the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped and extends in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11. The Kevlar 22 separated from the bare fiber 24 drops into an opening of the rectangle frame member 50. Preferably, a guide slot (not shown) is provided in the rectangle frame member 50. The blocking plate 40 is adapted to be inserted into and slid in the guide slot to block the laser beam of the laser 32 from being emitted towards the bare fibers 24.
Please be noted that although two lasers 31 and 32 are shown in Fig.3, the system may comprise only a single laser. For example, the Kevlar may be cut by only a single laser 32 shown in Fig.3. In another example, the casings 21 of the optical cables 20 may be cut by only a single laser, for example, only one of the laser 31 or the laser 32 shown in Fig.3. The system of the present invention uses the laser beam emitted from the laser as the cutting tool, instead of using the conventional blade as the cutting tool. Since the
conventional blade is worn with time, the system of the present invention is more reliable and stable than the conventional cutting tool.
Regardless of the rectangle frame member 50, the blocking plate 40 may be driven to a blocking position by a special driving mechanism. Preferably, the blocking plate 40 may be a bar- like plate extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper sheet plane of Fig.3. In another example, the blocking plate 40 may have a shape different from the bar-like shape and can be moved to block the laser beam from being emitted towards the bare fibers upon cutting the Kevlar.
As shown in Figs.2-3, the upper and lower lasers 31, 32 are arranged in a vertical direction perpendicular to the cable carrying surface 11 to emit laser beams in the vertical direction. But the present invention is not limited to this, the lasers may be arranged to emit laser beams substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 , and the lasers cut the Kevlar by means of a movement of the lasers relative to the cable carrier 10 in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11.
Preferably, the blowing device 60 blows air from above the cable carrier 10 towards the Kevlar so that the Kevlar is blown to a position under the bare fibers.
In a case where the Kevlar layers 22 are not exposed at the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 (that is, in a case where the casings 21 of the optical cables 20 are not stripped off), the system may use the lower laser 32 to cut the casings 21 of the optical cables 20. Particularly, the laser comprises the lower laser 32 disposed below the ends 25 of the optical cables to be stripped. The lower laser 32 cuts the casings 21 of the optical cables 20 from below by means of a movement of the lower laser relative to the cable carrier 10 in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11.
As described above, the lower laser 32 is not only used to cut the casings 21, but also used to cut the Kevlar. Accordingly, the output power of the lower laser 32 can be adjusted for cutting the casings 21 and the Kevlar. In addition, in order to suitably cut the casings of different types of optical cables, it also needs to adjust the output power of the lower laser 32 and even needs to control the relative movement speed of the lower laser 32. In this way, it can avoid a case where a cutting depth is not enough to cut off the casings due to a too low output power or a too short stop time of the laser beam or a case where a cutting depth is over large that the Kevlar and bare fibers under the casings are damaged due to a too high output power or a too long stop time of the laser beam. Also, the output power of the upper laser 31 may be adjusted and the relative movement speed of the upper laser 31 may be controlled similar to the lower laser 32.
After cutting the casings 21, the casings 21 may be stripped off from the ends 25 of the optical cables. For this purpose, the system also comprises a cable gripping device 70 arranged to be opposite to the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10 and adapted to grip the casings 21 at the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped and move away from the cable carrier 10 to strip off the cut casings 21 from the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped.
As shown in Fig.3, the gripping device 70 comprises an upper gripping portion 71 and a lower gripping portion 72. The upper and lower gripping portions 71, 72 are faced with each other and connected by a bolt 73 for example. The bolt 73 is configured to adjust a distance between the upper and lower gripping portions 71, 72. The casings 21 of the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 are placed or gripped between the upper and lower gripping portions 71, 72. The gripping device 70 may be driven to move relative to the cable carrier 10 by means of, for example, a driver 74 at the other side of the gripping device 70. Also, for facilitating the stripping operation of the casings 21, the system further comprises an upper laser 31 disposed above the ends 25 of the optical cables to be stripped and used to emit a laser beam to cut the casings 21 of the optical cables 20 from above by means of a movement of the upper laser 31 relative to the cable carrier 10 in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11. The above system may also comprising: a blowing device 60 blowing ai from above the cable carrier 10 r towards the Kevlar so that the exposed Kevlar of the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 is blown to a position under the bare fibers; and a blocking plate 40 removably disposed between the bare fiber 24 and the lower laser 32 to protect the bare fiber 24 from being damaged by the laser beam. The blown down end of the Kevlar is located under the blocking plate 40, and the laser beam emitted from the lower laser 32 is adapted to cut the exposed Kevlar.
Please be noted that the movement of the laser relative to the cable carrier 10 can be achieved by individually driving the cable carrier 10 or individually driving the laser.
Hereafter, it will describe the blowing device 60 in detail. The blowing device 60 may comprise a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 to blow the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers of the optical cables. Alternatively, the blowing device 60 may comprise an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable 20 and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 to blow the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers of the optical cables.
Please be noted that the movement of the spray nozzle or the spray opening relative to the cable carrier 10 can be achieved by individually driving the cable carrier 10 or individually driving the spray nozzle or the spray opening.
In the above system, the cable carrier 10 is configured to fix a plurality of optical cables 20 in a row on the same cable carrying surface 11 of the cable carrier 10. In this way, it can strip a plurality of optical cables 20 simultaneously, increasing the production efficiency. As shown in Fig.2, the cable carrier 10 may have a plurality of grooves 13 for receiving the plurality of optical cables 20 to be stripped therein. The grooves 13 extend in the longitudinal direction of the optical cables 20.
For facilitating the cutting operation, preferably, the system may further comprising: an optical cable pressing plate 81 located near the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10; and a locking member 82 adapted to releasably exert a pressing force on the optical cable pressing plate 81 towards the cable carrying surface 11 of the cable carrier 10. The optical cables 20 are provided between the optical cable pressing plate 81 and the cable carrier 10.
Preferably, the optical cable pressing plate 81 is arranged adjacent to the end surface 12 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. The grooves 13 may be recesses formed in the cable carrying surface 11. Alternatively, a row of bar- like protrusions parallel to each other may be arranged on the cable carrying surface 11, and the grooves 13 may be defined between the adjacent bar- like protrusions. The groove 13 may be a V-groove, a rectangle groove or a semi-circle groove, etc. In another example, the cable carrier 10 may not be provided with the longitudinal grooves 13 in the cable carrying surface 11, instead the cable carrier 10 is provided with special positioning slots each served as a fixation point. One or more positioning slots may be provided for each of the optical cables 20.
As shown in Figs.2-3, the cable carrier 10 is supported on a base 90 and configured to be movable relative to the base 90 by a predetermined distance so as to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut. Preferably, the rectangle frame member 50 may be disposed at an end portion of the base 90 corresponding to the end surface 12.
The present invention also relates to a method for stripping optical cables, comprising the following steps:
SI 00: fixing the optical cables 20, for example, the cable to be stripped is arranged to the carrying surface 11 of the cable carrier 10, with the end to be stripped of the cable extending beyond the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10; S200: stripping the casings 21 from ends of the optical cables to be stripped to expose the Kevlar of the optical cables;
S300: separating the Kevlar from the bare fibers by blowing air towards the exposed Kevlar; and
S400: cutting the Kevlar separated from the bare fibers.
Preferably, in the step S400, cutting the Kevlar with a laser.
Preferably, before the step S400 of cutting the Kevlar with a laser, the method further comprises placing a blocking plate 40 between the bare fibers and the Kevlar to protect the bare fiber 24 from being damaged by a laser beam cutting the Kevlar.
Preferably, in the step S300, blowing the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers by a blowing device 60 disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped. Alternatively, the blowing device 60 may be disposed below the ends 25 of the optical cables to be stripped or disposed at other proper positions as long as it can separate the Kevlar from the bare fibers.
In a case where the Kevlar layers 22 of the optical cables 20 have been exposed, in the step S300, the Kevlar on the ends 25 of the optical cables 20 to be stripped is separated from the bare fibers and located under the bare fibers. Preferably, in the step S400, the Kevlar is cut off with a laser beam emitted by the laser 32.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the step S200 of stripping the casings 21 mainly comprising:
S210: providing an upper laser 31 above the ends 25 of the optical cables to be stripped and/or a lower laser 32 below the ends 25 of the optical cables to be stripped, and cutting off the casings of the optical cables with a laser beam(s) emitted by the laser(s); and
S220: pulling the cut casings off the optical cables to expose the Kevlar of the optical cables.
Preferably, the step S220 comprising: S221 : providing a cable gripping device 70 to grip the cut casings 21 of the optical cables 20, and moving the cable gripping device 70 away from the fixed optical cables to strip off the cut casings 21 from the optical cables 20 to expose the Kevlar of the optical cables.
Although it is not shown, in the step S400, the Kevlar may be cut off with a laser beam substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface 11 from the laser.
Particularly, in a case where the emitted laser beam is in a vertical direction, the method for stripping optical cables further comprises a step: placing a blocking plate 40 between the exposed bare fibers and the Kevlar to protect the bare fibers 24 from being damaged by the laser beam. For example, in the step S400, the Kevlar may be cut off with the laser beam emitted by the lower laser 32 below the ends of the optical cables to be stripped, and the laser beam is blocked by the blocking plate 40 to protect the exposed bare fibers 24 from being damaged by the laser beam.
Preferably, in the step S300, the Kevlar may be blown to a position under the bare fibers by an air flow from a blowing device 60 disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped. However, it is not necessary to provide the blowing device 60, that is, the Kevlar may be manually positioned under the bare fibers by an operator.
Preferably, in the step S300, the blowing device 60 comprises a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface to successively blow the Kevlar of the optical cables to the position under the exposed bare fibers. Alternatively, the blowing device 60 comprises an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface to simultaneously blow the the Kevlar of the optical cables to the position under the exposed bare fibers.
The above method for stripping optical cables further comprising: before the step S400, moving the optical cables in a longitudinal direction of the optical cable to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
In the step SI 00 of the above method for stripping optical cables, fixing a plurality of optical cables 20 in a row on a same cable carrying surface 11 of a cable carrier 10, with an end of each optical cable to be stripped extending beyond an end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10. In this way, the cutting operation may be performed on the ends of the optical cables to be stripped with the laser beam from the laser by means of a movement of the laser relative to the cable carrier.
Hereafter, it will describe an exemplary example for stripping the optical cables with reference to Figs.1-5 in detail.
Firstly, loading the optical cables
An operator successively place ends of optical cables to be stripped on the cable carrier 10, and the length of the optical cables extending beyond the end surface 12 of the cable carrier 10 is controlled by a limiting block 92 provided in front of the cable carrier 10. And then, the optical cables 20 are clamped and fixed by the cable gripping device 70.
Secondly, providing the laser for the cable carrier
Placing the cable carrier 10 on which the optical cables have been loaded in a laser carrier (corresponding to the base 90).
Thirdly, cutting the casings 21 with the laser beam
Activating a program of cutting the casings 21 with the laser, the laser carrier 90 moves a first optical cable to be cut to a position under the laser, and the laser is turned on and emits a laser beam, and the laser carrier continuously moves the optical cables relative to the laser beam by a speed of, for example, 50~150mm/second. The laser may comprise an upper laser head and a lower laser head with a same type and a same power. During cutting the casings, for example, the upper laser head (corresponding to the upper laser 31) firstly emits a continuous laser pulse with a power of 8-15 W (for example, for an optical cable of low smoke halogen free with a diameter of 2.0mm, a laser pulse with about 10W is often selected). The casings 21 of the optical cables are automatically cut during passing the optical cables through the laser pulse by the cable carrier 10. After the upper half of casings have been cut, the optical cables are moved back by the cable carrier 10, and at this time, the lower laser head (corresponding to the lower laser 32) emits a continuous laser pulse to cut the lower half of the casings. Finally, two notches are formed in an upper half cylindrical surface and a lower half cylindrical surface of each optical cable. The depth of the notches may be controlled by adjusting the power of the lasers to a proper power.
Fourthly, stripping off the casings 21
After casings 21 have been cut, the optical cables are clamped tightly by the upper gripping portion 71 and the lower gripping portion 72 of the gripping device 70, and a moving control device (corresponding to a gripping device driver) 74 controls the gripping device 70 to move leftward in a direction indicated by 'a' shown in Fig.3 to pull the cut casings off the optical cables, and thus simultaneously completing the stripping operation of the casings of the optical cables.
Fifthly, cutting the Kevlar
After the casings have been stripped off, the cable carrier is moved rightward in a direction indicated by 'c' shown in Fig.3 by 6~10mm, and the position of the laser is keep unchanged, so that the cutting position of the Kevlar is located before the cutting position of the casings by 6~10mm. That is, there is a section of exposed Kevlar with a length of 6~10mm is maintained and left on the optical cables. The left length of the exposed Kevlar is slightly different among various optic fiber connectors from different producers.
Generally, the left length of the exposed Kevlar is about 7mm.
After the optical cables are moved back by 6~10mm, the optical cables are moved by the laser carrier to pass through a blowing device 60. The blowing device 60 continuously blows a compressed air flow onto the optical cables from above in a vertical direction during the optical cables are passed through under the blowing device 60. In this way, the Kevlar is separated from a coating having a thickness of 900μιη on the optical cable. The compressed air flow from the blowing device 60 may have a pressure of 2~4kg/cm2. When the Kevlar is passed through under the blowing device 60 in a direction indicated by 'd' shown in Fig.4 and blown downward, the Kevlar completely separated from the coating having the thickness of 900um drops into the rectangle frame member 50 and is clamped by the rectangle frame member 50 to prevent the Kevlar from restoring into an original state thereof. At this time, the blocking plate 40 is moved in a direction indicated by 'b' shown in Fig.3 to a position between the Kevlar and the coating. The blocking plate 40 is provided to block the laser beam to protect the coatings of the bare fibers from being damaged by the laser beam.
After the coatings of the bare fibers are blocked by the blocking plate 40, the lower laser head emits a laser beam, and the laser carrier moves the optical cables to pass through above the lower laser head. The Kevlar is cut at a predetermined position so that a section of exposed Kevlar with a predetermined length is maintained and left on the optical cables and the other exposed Kevlar falls down and is removed. In this way, the Kevlar of the plurality of optical cables can be simultaneously cut off.
Sixthly, detaching the cable carrier 10 from the laser carrier, and finishing the process of stripping the optical cables.
The solutions of the present invention have at least one of the following advantages:
Using the laser beam to perform the cutting operation, instead of using a mechanical apparatus or a manual stripping tool with the conventional blade, which avoids the abrasion and maintenance of the conventional blade;
A plurality of optical cables can be stripped at one time, increasing the production efficiency;
The compressed air is used to separate the Kevlar from the 0.9mm-thick coatings of the optical cables, facilitating the cutting operation of the Kevlar with the laser in high efficiency.
Although several exemplary embodiments have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.
As used herein, an element recited in the singular and proceeded with the word "a" or "an" should be understood as not excluding plural of said elements or steps, unless such exclusion is explicitly stated. Furthermore, references to "one embodiment" of the present invention are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Moreover, unless explicitly stated to the contrary, embodiments "comprising" or "having" an element or a plurality of elements having a particular property may include additional such elements not having that property.

Claims

What is claimed is
1 . A system for stripping optical cables, the optical cable (20) comprising, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber (24), a coating layer (23) enclosing the bare fiber (24), a Kevlar layer (22) and a casing (21), the system comprising:
a cable carrier (10) having an end surface (12) and a cable carrying surface (11), the cable carrying surface (11) being configured to fix optical cables (20) to be stripped with ends (25) of the optical cables (20) to be stripped extending beyond the end surface (12); a blowing device (60) adapted to blow air towards Kevlar (22) exposed at the ends (25) of the optical cables (20) to be stripped to separate the Kevlar (22) from the bare fibers (24); and
a cutting device (32) for cutting the separated Kevlar.
2. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the cutting device is a laser (32) for emitting a laser beam to perform the cutting operation of the Kevlar by means of a movement of the laser beam relative to the cable carrier (10).
3. The system according to claim 2, further comprising:
a blocking plate (40) removably disposed between the bare fiber (24) and the laser (32) to protect the bare fiber (24) from being damaged by the laser beam.
4. The system according to claim 3, further comprising:
a rectangle frame member (50) provided adjacent to the end surface (12) of the cable carrier (10), located below the ends of the optical cables (20) to be stripped, and extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable (20) and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface (11),
wherein the Kevlar (22) separated from the bare fiber (24) drops in an opening of the rectangle frame member (50).
5. The system according to claim 4,
wherein a guide slot is provided in the rectangle frame member (50); and
wherein the blocking plate (40) is adapted to be inserted into and slid in the guide slot to block the laser beam of the laser (32) from being emitted towards the bare fibers (24).
6. The system according to claim 2,
wherein the laser comprises a lower laser disposed below the ends of the optical cables to be stripped, and
wherein the lower laser is also used to cut the casings (21) of the optical cables (20) from below by means of a movement of the lower laser relative to the cable carrier (10) in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable (20) and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface (11).
7. The system according to claim 6, further comprising:
a cable gripping device (70) arranged to be opposite to the end surface (12) of the cable carrier (10) and adapted to grip the casings (21) at the ends of the optical cables (20) to be stripped and move away from the cable carrier (10) to strip the cut casings (21) from the ends of the optical cables (20) to be stripped.
8. The system according to claim 7, further comprising:
an upper laser (31) disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped and used to emit a laser beam to cut the casings (21) of the optical cables (20) from above by means of a movement of the upper laser relative to the cable carrier (10) in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable (20) and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface (11).
9. The system according to any one of claims 1-8,
wherein the cable carrier (10) is configured to fix a plurality of optical cables (20) in a row on the same cable carrying surface (11) of the cable carrier (10).
10. The system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the blowing device (60) comprises a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable (20) and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface (11) or an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable (20) and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface (11).
11. The system according to any one of claims 1-10,
wherein the cable carrier (10) is supported on a base (90) and configured to be movable relative to the base (90) by a predetermined distance so as to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
12. A method for stripping optical cables, the optical cable (20) comprising, from the inside to the outside thereof, a bare fiber (24), a coating layer (23) enclosing the bare fiber (24), a Kevlar layer (22) and a casing (21), the method comprising the following steps:
SI 00: fixing the optical cables (20);
S200: stripping the casings (21) from ends of the optical cables to be stripped to expose the Kevlar of the optical cables; S300: separating the Kevlar from the bare fibers by blowing air towards the exposed Kevlar; and
S400: cutting the Kevlar separated from the bare fibers.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein,
in the step S400, cutting the Kevlar with a laser.
14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising:
before the step S400, placing a blocking plate (40) between the bare fibers and the Kevlar to protect the bare fiber (24) from being damaged by a laser beam cutting the Kevlar.
15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein,
in the step S300, blowing the Kevlar toward under the bare fibers by a blowing device (60) disposed above the ends of the optical cables to be stripped.
16. The method according to claim 15,
wherein the blowing device (60) comprises a spray nozzle movable in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable (20) and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface (11) or an elongated spray opening extending in a direction perpendicular to a longitudinal direction of the optical cable (20) and substantially parallel to the cable carrying surface (11).
17. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:
before the step S400, moving the optical cables in a longitudinal direction of the optical cable to adjust a length of the Kevlar to be cut.
18. The method according to any one of claims 12-17, wherein,
in the step SI 00, fixing a plurality of optical cables (20) in a row on a same cable carrying surface (11) of a cable carrier (10) with an end of each optical cable to be stripped extending beyond an end surface (12) of the cable carrier (10).
19. The method according to claim 18, wherein,
in the step S400, cutting the Kevlar with a laser beam emitted from a laser by means of a movement of the laser relative to the cable carrier.
PCT/IB2013/058880 2012-10-19 2013-09-26 System and method for stripping optical cables WO2014060883A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN201210400641.7A CN103777276B (en) 2012-10-19 2012-10-19 System and method for stripping optical cable
CN2012104006417 2012-10-19

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2014060883A1 true WO2014060883A1 (en) 2014-04-24

Family

ID=49911747

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/IB2013/058880 WO2014060883A1 (en) 2012-10-19 2013-09-26 System and method for stripping optical cables

Country Status (2)

Country Link
CN (1) CN103777276B (en)
WO (1) WO2014060883A1 (en)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN105551686A (en) * 2016-01-04 2016-05-04 上海安费诺永亿通讯电子有限公司 Device and method for peeling cable wires by using laser
CN106271086A (en) * 2016-10-11 2017-01-04 张家港清研再制造产业研究院有限公司 A kind of device and method removing high speed motor car motor enameled wire insulating layer
CN106532580A (en) * 2016-12-04 2017-03-22 重庆永富电线电缆有限公司 Cable cutter
WO2020158848A1 (en) * 2019-01-30 2020-08-06 株式会社フジクラ Optical fiber alignment tool, and method for setting optical fiber in fiber holder
WO2020176237A1 (en) * 2019-02-25 2020-09-03 Corning Research & Development Corporation Multi-function apparatus for processing a fiber optic cable and associated method
JP2021033166A (en) * 2019-08-28 2021-03-01 株式会社フジクラ Tool for aligning optical fibers and method for setting optical fibers to fiber holder
JP2021033168A (en) * 2019-08-28 2021-03-01 株式会社フジクラ Tool for aligning optical fibers

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN105629382A (en) * 2016-02-17 2016-06-01 东莞市翔通光电技术有限公司 Laser fiber-peeling machine and fiber-peeling method
CN106443884B (en) * 2016-09-26 2018-01-12 深圳市创鑫激光股份有限公司 A kind of film-removing device and stripping method
CN108333682B (en) * 2017-12-26 2021-05-07 武汉凌云光电科技有限责任公司 Method and device for removing optical fiber protective sleeve and coating layer by laser
DE102020134396A1 (en) * 2020-12-21 2022-06-23 Md Elektronik Gmbh Method and device for cutting and/or removing layers of a cable

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3925850A1 (en) * 1989-08-04 1991-02-07 Kabelmetal Electro Gmbh Cable laying method e.g. for optical fibre - dispensing reinforcing filaments by air jet drawn through suction air jet and then sawing to length
EP0430868A1 (en) * 1989-11-09 1991-06-05 Diamond S.A. Method and device for stripping the ends of optical cables
DE4140087A1 (en) * 1991-12-05 1993-06-09 Kabelmetal Electro Gmbh, 3000 Hannover, De Removing plastic from the ends of glass fibre - by burning with focussed laser beam
WO1999059766A1 (en) * 1998-05-18 1999-11-25 Lear Corporation Laser fiber chopper
US20050201708A1 (en) * 2002-03-18 2005-09-15 Koichi Arishima Method and device for manufacturing bare optical fiber
US20120263423A1 (en) * 2011-02-17 2012-10-18 De Jong Michael Splicing connectors along with adapters therefor

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6509547B1 (en) * 2000-04-07 2003-01-21 Resonetics, Inc. Method for laser stripping of optical fiber and flat cable
US8317972B2 (en) * 2006-11-30 2012-11-27 Corning Incorporated Method and apparatus for optical fiber coating removal
KR101646803B1 (en) * 2008-11-03 2016-08-12 쉴로이니게르 홀딩 아게 Cut and strip machine for producing cable-sections
CN202904058U (en) * 2012-10-19 2013-04-24 泰科电子(上海)有限公司 System for peeling optical cable

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3925850A1 (en) * 1989-08-04 1991-02-07 Kabelmetal Electro Gmbh Cable laying method e.g. for optical fibre - dispensing reinforcing filaments by air jet drawn through suction air jet and then sawing to length
EP0430868A1 (en) * 1989-11-09 1991-06-05 Diamond S.A. Method and device for stripping the ends of optical cables
DE4140087A1 (en) * 1991-12-05 1993-06-09 Kabelmetal Electro Gmbh, 3000 Hannover, De Removing plastic from the ends of glass fibre - by burning with focussed laser beam
WO1999059766A1 (en) * 1998-05-18 1999-11-25 Lear Corporation Laser fiber chopper
US20050201708A1 (en) * 2002-03-18 2005-09-15 Koichi Arishima Method and device for manufacturing bare optical fiber
US20120263423A1 (en) * 2011-02-17 2012-10-18 De Jong Michael Splicing connectors along with adapters therefor

Cited By (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
CN105551686A (en) * 2016-01-04 2016-05-04 上海安费诺永亿通讯电子有限公司 Device and method for peeling cable wires by using laser
CN106271086A (en) * 2016-10-11 2017-01-04 张家港清研再制造产业研究院有限公司 A kind of device and method removing high speed motor car motor enameled wire insulating layer
CN106532580A (en) * 2016-12-04 2017-03-22 重庆永富电线电缆有限公司 Cable cutter
WO2020158848A1 (en) * 2019-01-30 2020-08-06 株式会社フジクラ Optical fiber alignment tool, and method for setting optical fiber in fiber holder
US11719884B2 (en) 2019-01-30 2023-08-08 Fujikura Ltd. Optical fiber alignment tool and method of setting optical fibers in fiber holder
WO2020176237A1 (en) * 2019-02-25 2020-09-03 Corning Research & Development Corporation Multi-function apparatus for processing a fiber optic cable and associated method
JP2021033166A (en) * 2019-08-28 2021-03-01 株式会社フジクラ Tool for aligning optical fibers and method for setting optical fibers to fiber holder
JP2021033168A (en) * 2019-08-28 2021-03-01 株式会社フジクラ Tool for aligning optical fibers

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN103777276A (en) 2014-05-07
CN103777276B (en) 2017-05-10

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
WO2014060883A1 (en) System and method for stripping optical cables
US10816731B2 (en) Automatic fiber stripping system and method
JP2004038132A (en) High-density optical wiring board, and jumper connecting method of wiring board
CN110989095B (en) Optical fiber assembling mechanism with guide positioning block
WO2002073273A1 (en) Filament organizer
CN103777277A (en) Optical-cable thermal stripping machine and optical-cable stripping method
KR20080036247A (en) Device for oriented cleaving an optical fibre
US6079297A (en) Fiber optic precision linear stripper
US6311581B1 (en) Automatic optical fiber stripping machine with stripping length control means
WO2002073283A2 (en) Force equalizing filament clamp
CN108089264A (en) A kind of full-automatic butterfly covered wire cable peeling fiber-cutting machine
US7805045B2 (en) Optical fibre cleaving device
US6052880A (en) Optical fiber stripping apparatus
EP3047322B1 (en) Automatic optical fiber inserting apparatus and fiber inserting method
CN111009854B (en) Cable peeling system and material arranging method
CN202904058U (en) System for peeling optical cable
CN111025488A (en) Optical fiber and connector assembling equipment
JP2008052195A (en) Optical termination unit
US7039282B2 (en) Optical fiber array with an intermittent profile and method for manufacturing the same
CN103777289B (en) Method for fiber planted by many optical cables, many optical cables plant fine equipment and optical cable plummer
US10654076B2 (en) Automatic fiber cleaning system and method
US11789229B2 (en) Handheld tool for removing a wire from within an optical cable
EP1408357B1 (en) Optical fiber axial alignment method and related device, and optical fiber fusion splicing method
KR101826445B1 (en) Heating type fiber-optic cables peeling method and device
JP4420617B2 (en) Welding equipment

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
121 Ep: the epo has been informed by wipo that ep was designated in this application

Ref document number: 13815569

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1

NENP Non-entry into the national phase

Ref country code: DE

32PN Ep: public notification in the ep bulletin as address of the adressee cannot be established

Free format text: NOTING OF LOSS OF RIGHTS PURSUANT TO RULE 112(1) EPC (EPO FORM 1205A DATED 14.08.2015)

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 13815569

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A1