Alignment system and method for calibrating position of optical fiber bore ferrule

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016334583-A1
Application number	US-201515111727-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 6, 2015
Priority date	Jan 14, 2014
Publication date	Nov 17, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

The present invention discloses an alignment system for calibrating a position of an optical fiber ( 30 ) in a bore ( 31 ) of a ferrule ( 20 ), comprising: a calibration ferrule ( 200 ) having an alignment guide hole ( 201 ) formed therein; an alignment guide element ( 100 ) for calibrating a center position of a guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule, so that a center of the guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ) is aligned with a center of the alignment guide hole ( 201 ); a fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) comprising a fiber core ( 302 ) having a center positioned at a theoretical center relative to a positioning reference defined by the center of the alignment guide hole ( 201 ); an optical vision system for identifying a center position of a fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) and the center position of the fiber core ( 302 ) of the respective fiber core alignment element ( 300 ); and a controlling and moving system for actively adjusting the position of the optical fiber ( 30 ) in the bore ( 31 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ) under the guide of the optical vision system, so that the center of the fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) is aligned with the center of the fiber core ( 302 ) of the respective fiber core alignment element ( 300 ), and so that the center of the fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) is positioned at a theoretical center relative to a positioning reference defined by the center of the guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An alignment system for calibrating a position of an optical fiber ( 30 ) in a bore ( 31 ) of a ferrule ( 20 ), comprising:
a calibration ferrule ( 200 ) having an alignment guide hole ( 201 ) formed therein; an alignment guide element ( 100 ) configured to calibrate a center position of a guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ), so that a center of the guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ) is aligned with a center of the alignment guide hole ( 201 ); a fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) comprising a fiber core ( 302 ) having a center positioned at a theoretical center relative to a positioning reference defined by the center of the alignment guide hole ( 201 ); an optical vision system configured to identify a center position of a fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) and the center position of the fiber core ( 302 ) of the respective fiber core alignment element ( 300 ); and a controlling and moving system configured to actively adjust the position of the optical fiber ( 30 ) in the bore ( 31 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ) under the guide of the optical vision system, so that the center of the fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) is aligned with the center of the fiber core ( 302 ) of the respective fiber core alignment element ( 300 ), and so that the center of the fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) is positioned at a theoretical center relative to a positioning reference defined by the center of the guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ).

2 . The alignment system according to claim 1 ,
wherein the ferrule ( 20 ) comprises a plurality of bores ( 31 ) each for receiving the respective optical fiber ( 30 ) therein; and wherein the alignment system comprises a plurality of fiber core alignment elements ( 300 ) corresponding to the optical fibers ( 30 ) in the plurality of bores ( 31 ) one by one, so as to calibrate the positions of the optical fibers ( 30 ) in the bores ( 31 ), respectively.

3 . The alignment system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the plurality of fiber core alignment elements ( 300 ) are arranged in one or more rows; and wherein centers of the fiber core alignment elements ( 300 ) in each row of fiber core alignment elements ( 300 ) are equally spaced from one another.

4 . The alignment system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the alignment guide element ( 100 ) is fixed in the alignment guide hole ( 201 ) of the calibration ferrule ( 200 ) or integrally formed on the calibration ferrule ( 200 ).

5 . The alignment system according to claim 2 ,
wherein the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) is fixed in a bore of the calibration ferrule ( 200 ) or integrally formed on the calibration ferrule ( 200 ).

6 . The alignment system according to claim 4 ,
wherein the alignment guide element ( 100 ) is configured to be a positioning rod; and two ends of the positioning rod are inserted into the alignment guide hole ( 201 ) of the calibration ferrule ( 200 ) and the guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ), respectively.

7 . The alignment system according to claim 6 , wherein the optical vision system at least comprises:
a first imaging device ( 411 , 412 ) configured to pick up a first image of the optical fiber ( 30 ) and the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) in a first direction (X) perpendicular to an axis of the alignment guide element ( 100 ); a second imaging device ( 421 , 422 ) configured to pick up a second image of the optical fiber ( 30 ) and the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) in a second direction (Y) perpendicular to the axis of the alignment guide element ( 100 ) and the first direction (X); and an image recognition device configured to recognize the center position of the fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) and the center position of the fiber core ( 302 ) of the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) in the first image and recognize the center position of the fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) and the center position of the fiber core ( 302 ) of the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) in the second image.

8 . The alignment system according to claim 7 , wherein the first imaging device ( 411 , 412 ) comprises:
a first light source ( 411 ) provided at one side of the alignment guide element ( 100 ) in the first direction (X); and a first camera ( 412 ) provided at the other side, opposite to the first light source ( 411 ), of the alignment guide element ( 100 ) in the first direction (X).

9 . The alignment system according to claim 8 , wherein the second imaging device ( 421 , 422 ) comprises:
a second light source ( 421 ) provided at one side of the alignment guide element ( 100 ) in the second direction (Y); and a second camera ( 422 ) provided at the other side, opposite to the second light source ( 421 ), of the alignment guide element ( 100 ) in the second direction (Y).

10 . The alignment system according to claim 7 ,
wherein the image recognition device comprises an image processing system for processing the first image and the second image.

11 . The alignment system according to claim 9 ,
wherein an end of the optical fiber ( 30 ) protrudes from an end surface of the ferrule ( 20 ), wherein an end of the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) protrudes from an end surface of the calibration ferrule ( 200 ), and faces and is spaced from the end of the optical fiber ( 30 ).

12 . The alignment system according to claim 11 ,
wherein the first imaging device ( 412 ) and the second imaging device ( 422 ) are configured to pick up images of the ends, facing to and spaced from each other, of the optical fiber ( 30 ) and the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ).

13 . The alignment system according to claim 11 , wherein the controlling and moving system comprises:
a manipulator having a gripper for gripping the optical fiber ( 30 ); and a closed loop feedback control system configured to adjust a position of the gripper until an error, detected by the optical vision system, between the center position of the fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) and the center position of the fiber core ( 302 ) of the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) is equal to zero or within a predetermined range.

14 . The alignment system according to claim 13 , wherein the predetermined range is a range of −0.001 mm˜0.001 mm.

15 . The alignment system according to claim 14 , wherein the predetermined range is a range of −0.3 μm˜0.3 μm.

16 . A method of calibrating a position of an optical fiber in a bore of a ferrule, comprising steps of:
providing a calibration ferrule ( 200 ) with an alignment guide hole ( 201 ), an alignment guide element ( 100 ) and a fiber core alignment element ( 300 ), wherein a center of a fiber core ( 302 ) of the fiber core alignment element ( 300 ) is positioned at a theoretical center relative to a positioning reference defined by a center of the alignment guide hole ( 201 ); calibrating a center position of a guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ) with the alignment guide element ( 100 ), so that the center of the guide hole ( 21 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ) is aligned with the center of the alignment guide hole ( 201 ); and actively adjusting the position of the optical fiber ( 30 ) in the bore ( 31 ) of the ferrule ( 20 ) under the guide of an optical vision system, so that a center of a fiber core ( 32 ) of the optical fiber ( 30 ) is aligned with the center of the fiber core ( 302 ) of the respective fiber core alignment element ( 300 ).

17 . The method according to claim 16 ,
wherein the ferrule

Assignees

• Tyco Electronics Shanghai Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tong Zhaoyang
• Lin Lin
• Liu Lei

Classifications

• H04N23/90

  Arrangement of cameras or camera modules, e.g. multiple cameras in TV studios or sports stadiums · CPC title

• G02B6/3885

  Multicore or multichannel optical connectors, i.e. one single ferrule containing more than one fibre, e.g. ribbon type (optical ribbon cable G02B6/4403, G02B6/448) · CPC title

• H04N5/247

  Electricity · mapped topic

• G02B6/3843 Primary

  with auxiliary facilities for movably aligning or adjusting the fibre within its ferrule, e.g. measuring position or eccentricity (testing the alignment of axes, including eccentricity, G01B11/27) · CPC title