This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application NO.CN201510589471.5 filed on September 16, 2015 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 drying system, more particularly, relates to a system for drying a fiber optic ferrule cleaned by a cleaning liquid.

Dereription of the Related Art A fiber optic connector generally comprises a housing and a fiber optic ferrule mounted in the housing. The fiber optic ferrule is the most important part of the fiber optic connector. The fiber optic ferrule generally comprises a ferrule and an optical fiber inserted into a bore of the ferrule. A front end of the optical fiber protrudes from a front end face of the ferrule by a predetermined distance. The optical fiber is fixed in the bore of the ferrule by an adhesive filled in the bore of the ferrule.

After the optical fiber is fixed in the bore of the ferrule, it needs to process the front end face of the fiber optic ferrule. The processing of the front end face of the fiber optic ferrule generally comprises steps of: polishing the front end face of the fiber optic ferrule; cleaning the polished fiber optic ferrule to remove the polishing power dust from the fiber optic ferrule; drying the cleaned fiber optic ferrule; and wiping the front end face of the dried fiber optic ferrule, so as to wipe off the dust from the front end face of the fiber optic ferrule.

In the prior art, the processing of the fiber optic ferrule generally is performed by manual, which is not only low efficiency, but also difficult to control the processing quality of the fiber optic ferrule. Thereby, the manual processing in the prior art may decrease the quality of the fiber optic ferrule or even damage the fiber optic ferrule.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made to overcome or alleviate at least one aspect of the above mentioned disadvantages.

According to an object of the present invention, there is provided a drying system adapted to efficiently dry a fiber optic ferrule and reliably ensure the quality of the fiber optic ferrule without damaging the fiber optic ferrule.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a drying system, comprising: a drying box; a carrier moving and holding device configured to move a carrier, on which a plurality of fiber optic ferrules are mounted, into the drying box and hold the carrier in the drying box; and a high pressure jet device mounted in the drying box and adapted to spray a high pressure gas to the carrier held in the drying box, so as to dry the fiber optic ferrules.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the carrier moving and holding device comprises: a grabbing mechanism adapted to grab the carrier; a moving mechanism adapted to move the grabbed carrier into the drying box; and a support frame configured to support the moving mechanism and the grabbing mechanism

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drying system further comprises a carrier support table configured to support the carrier thereon.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a first sensor is provided on the carrier support table and configured to detect whether the carrier is placed on the carrier support table as well as a state of the carrier on the carrier support table.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the grabbing mechanism is adapted to grab the carrier to be dried from the carrier support table and adapted to place the dried carrier back on the carrier support table.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is supported on the carrier support table in a horizontal posture parallel to a horizontal plane; the carrier is held in the drying box in a vertical posture parallel to a vertical plane during spraying the high pressure gas to the carrier.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the moving mechanism comprises: a lift mechanism adapted to move the grabbing mechanism in a vertical direction, so as to move the carrier grabbed by the grabbing mechanism into or out of the drying box; and a rotation mechanism adapted to rotate the grabbing mechanism, so as to rotate the carrier grabbed by the grabbing mechanism to the horizontal posture or the vertical posture.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the lift mechanism is mounted on the support frame; the rotation mechanism is mounted on the lift mechanism, so as to rise or fall together with the lift mechanism; and the grabbing mechanism is mounted on the rotation mechanism, so as to rotate together with the rotation mechanism

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the lift mechanism comprises: an installation frame; a vertical rail on which the installation frame is slidably mounted; and a first driver mounted on the support frame and adapted to drive the installation frame to slide up and down along the vertical rail.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, one end of the installation frame is connected to the first driver, and the other end of the installation frame is slidably mounted on the vertical rail.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the installation frame comprises: a horizontal plate; and a vertical plate connected to one end of the horizontal plate and the first driver.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the vertical rail comprises a vertical sliding rod; a sliding bush is slidably sleeved on the vertical sliding rod, the other end of the horizontal plate is connected to the sliding bush.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the rotation mechanism comprises: a rotation shaft rotatably supported on the installation frame; and a second driver mounted on the installation frame and adapted to drive the rotation shaft to rotate.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the installation frame further comprises a pair of installation plates connected to the horizontal plate; both ends of the rotation shaft are rotatably mounted on the pair of installation plates, respectively; the second driver is mounted on the vertical plate of the installation frame.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the grabbing mechanism is connected to the rotation shaft and comprises a gripper adapted to grip the carrier.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a second sensor is provided on the grabbing mechanism and adapted to detect a state of the carrier grabbed by the grabbing mechanism.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a connection plate is provided on the grabbing mechanism, and the second sensor is mounted on the connection plate.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the high pressure jet device comprises: a horizontal moving device mounted on a top wall of the drying box; and a high pressure spray head mounted on the horizontal moving device, wherein the horizontal moving device is configured to move the high pressure spray head back and forth in a straight line.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the horizontal moving device comprises: a horizontal rail mounted on the top wall of the drying box; a sliding block slidably mounted on the horizontal rail; and a driver configured to drive the sliding block to move back and forth along the horizontal rail. According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a bracket is mounted on the sliding block, and the high pressure spray head is mounted on the bracket.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the bracket is configured to be adjustable in its position, so that an angle of the high pressure spray head with respect to the carrier is adjustable.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a circular hole and an arc slot are formed in the bracket, the circular hole is positioned as the center of the arc slot; and the bracket is connected to the sliding block by two screws passing through the circular hole and the arc slot, respectively.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drying system comprises two high pressure jet devices configured to spray the high pressure gas to both sides of the carrier, respectively.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drying system further comprises an air suction equipment connected to an exhaust port of the drying box and configured to suck gas and dust out of the drying box.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drying box has an inclined bottom wall, and the exhaust port is provided at a lowest location of the inclined bottom wall of the drying box.

In the above various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the drying system may realize the automatic dry processing of the fiber optic ferrules in batch, improving the processing efficiency of the fiber optic ferrules. Furthermore, it may effectively protect the fiber optic ferrules from being damaged during drying the fiber optic ferrules, ensuring the quality of the fiber optic ferrules.

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.l is an illustrative perspective view of a drying system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.2 is a vertical cross section view of the drying system of Fig.l;

Fig.3 is an illustrative perspective view of a high pressure jet device shown in Fig.l; Fig.4 is an illustrative view of two high pressure jet devices shown in Fig.1; and Fig.5 is another illustrative view of two high pressure jet devices shown in Fig.l.

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.

In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed

embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.

According to a general concept of the present invention, there is provided a drying system, comprising: a drying box; a carrier moving and holding device configured to move a carrier, on which a plurality of fiber optic ferrules are mounted, into the drying box and hold the carrier in the drying box; and a high pressure jet device installed in the drying box and adapted to spray a high pressure gas to the carrier held in the drying box, so as to dry the fiber optic ferrules.

Fig.l is an illustrative perspective view of a drying system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; Fig.2 is a vertical cross section view of the drying system of Fig.l; Fig.3 is an illustrative perspective view of a high pressure jet device shown in Fig.l.

As shown in Figs.1-3, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drying system is adapted to dry fiber optic ferrules, which have been cleaned by cleaning liquid, in batch.

As shown in Figs.1-3, in an embodiment, the drying system mainly comprises a drying box 200, a carrier moving and holding device, and a high pressure jet device. The carrier moving and holding device (will be described in detail later) is configured to move a carrier 400, on which a plurality of fiber optic ferrules 410 are mounted, into the drying box 200 and hold the carrier 400 in the drying box 200. The high pressure jet device (will be described in detail later) is installed in the drying box 200 and adapted to spray a high pressure gas to the carrier 400 held in the drying box 200, so as to dry the fiber optic ferrules 410.

As clearly shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, a plurality of rows of fiber optic ferrules 410 are mounted on the carrier 400. In this way, it is possible to dry the rows of fiber optic ferrules 410 on the carrier 400 at the same time, realizing the automatic dry processing of the fiber optic ferrules in batch, and improving the drying efficiency of the fiber optic ferrules.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the carrier moving and holding device mainly comprises: a grabbing mechanism 130 adapted to grab the carrier 400; a moving mechanism adapted to move the grabbed carrier 400 into the drying box 200; and a support frame 100 configured to support the moving mechanism and the grabbing mechanism 130.

As clearly shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the drying system further comprises a carrier support table 300 configured to support the carrier 400 thereon. The cleaned fiber optic ferrules 410 and the carrier 400 may be supported on the carrier support table 300.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, a first sensor 310 is provided on the carrier support table 300. The first sensor 310 is configured to detect whether the carrier 400 is placed on the carrier support table 300 as well as a state of the carrier 400 on the carrier support table 300. Herein, the state of the carrier 400 may comprise a position and a posture of the carrier 400 on the carrier support table 300. In this way, the grabbing mechanism 130 may correctly grab the carrier 400 under the guide of the first sensor 310. In an exemplary embodiment, the first sensor 310 may comprise a vision sensor, for example, a camera.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the grabbing mechanism 130 is adapted to grab the carrier 400 to be dried from the carrier support table 300 and adapted to place the dried carrier 400 back on the carrier support table 300.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the carrier 400 is supported on the carrier support table 300 in a horizontal posture parallel to a horizontal plane.

As shown in Fig.2, in an embodiment, the carrier 400 is held in the drying box 200 in a vertical posture parallel to a vertical plane during spraying the high pressure gas to the carrier 400. The high pressure jet device may spray the high pressure gas to the carrier 400 held in the vertical posture.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the moving mechanism mainly comprises: a lift mechanism adapted to move the grabbing mechanism 130 in a vertical direction, so as to move the carrier 400 grabbed by the grabbing mechanism 130 into or out of the drying box 200; and a rotation mechanism adapted to rotate the grabbing mechanism 130, so as to rotate the carrier 400 grabbed by the grabbing mechanism 130 to the horizontal posture or the vertical posture.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the lift mechanism is mounted on the support frame 100. The rotation mechanism is mounted on the lift mechanism, so as to rise or fall together with the lift mechanism. The grabbing mechanism 130 is mounted on the rotation mechanism, so as to rotate together with the rotation mechanism.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the lift mechanism mainly comprises: an installation frame 111, 112; a vertical rail 113 on which the installation frame 111, 112 is slidably mounted; and a first driver 110 mounted on the support frame 100 and adapted to drive the installation frame 111, 112 to slide up and down along the vertical rail 113.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, one end of the installation frame 111, 112 is connected to the first driver 110, and the other end of the installation frame 111, 112 is slidably mounted on the vertical rail 113.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the installation frame 111, 112 comprises a horizontal plate 112 and a vertical plate 111 connected between one end of the horizontal plate 112 and the first driver 110.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the vertical rail 113 comprises a vertical sliding rod. A sliding bush 114 is slidably sleeved on the vertical sliding rod. The other end of the horizontal plate 112 is connected to the sliding bush 114.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the rotation mechanism mainly comprises a rotation shaft 121 rotatably supported on the installation frame 111, 112 and a second driver 120 mounted on the installation frame 111, 112 and adapted to drive the rotation shaft 121 to rotate.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the installation frame 111, 112 further comprises a pair of installation plates 117, 117 connected to the horizontal plate 112. Both ends of the rotation shaft 121 are rotatably mounted on the pair of installation plates 117, 117, respectively. The second driver 120 is mounted on the vertical plate 111 of the installation frame 111, 112.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the grabbing mechanism 130 is connected to the rotation shaft 121 and comprises a gripper 131 adapted to grip the carrier 400.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, a second sensor 125 is provided on the grabbing mechanism 130. The second sensor 125 is adapted to detect a state of the carrier 400 grabbed by the grabbing mechanism 130.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, a connection plate 124 is provided on the grabbing mechanism 130. The second sensor 125 is mounted on the connection plate 124.

Fig.4 is an illustrative view of two high pressure jet devices shown in Fig.l; and Fig.5 is another illustrative view of two high pressure jet devices shown in Fig.1.

As shown in Figs.3-5, in an embodiment, the high pressure jet device mainly comprises a horizontal moving device 530, 540 mounted on a top wall of the drying box 200, and a high pressure spray head 500 mounted on the horizontal moving device 530, 540 and extending into the drying box 200 to spray the dry high pressure gas onto the carrier 400 and the fiber optic ferrules 410 on the carrier 400, which are held in the drying box. The horizontal moving device 530, 540 is configured to move the high pressure spray head 500 back and forth in a straight line.

As shown in Figs.3-5, in an embodiment, the horizontal moving device 530, 540 mainly comprises a horizontal rail 540 mounted on the top wall of the drying box 200, a sliding block 530 slidably mounted on the horizontal rail 540, and a third driver (not shown) configured to drive the sliding block 530 to move back and forth along the horizontal rail 540.

As shown in Figs.3-5, in an embodiment, a bracket 520 is mounted on the sliding block 530, and the high pressure spray head 500 is mounted on the bracket 520.

As shown in Figs.3-5, in an embodiment, the bracket 520 is configured to be adjustable in its position, so that an angle of the high pressure spray head 500 with respect to the carrier 400 is adjustable.

As shown in Figs.3-5, in an embodiment, a circular hole 521 and an arc slot 522 are formed in the bracket 520. The circular hole 521 is positioned as the center of the arc slot 522. The bracket 520 is connected to the sliding block 530 by two screws passing through the circular hole 521 and the arc slot 522, respectively. In this way, after loosening the two screws, the bracket 520 may be rotated around a center axis of the circular hole 521 within an angle range defined by the arc slot 522. As a result, the position of the bracket 520 may be adjusted by rotating it.

As shown in Figs.3-5, in an embodiment, the drying system comprises two high pressure jet devices, which are constructed to spray the high pressure gas to both sides (front side and back side) of the carrier 400, respectively, at the same time. Thereby, it may further improve the drying efficiency of the fiber optic ferrules.

As shown in Figs.3-5, in an embodiment, the drying system further comprises an air suction equipment (not shown) connected to an exhaust port 210 of the drying box 200 and configured to suck gas and dust out of the drying box 200 through the exhaust port 210. In this way, the wet and hot air and the impurities in the drying box 200 may be sucked out in time, which may further improve the drying efficiency.

As shown in Figs.3-5, in an embodiment, the drying box 200 has an inclined bottom wall, the exhaust port 210 is provided at a lowest location of the inclined bottom wall of the drying box 200. In this way, the residual liquid may smoothly flow to the exhaust port 210.

Hereafter, it will describe in detail a drying process of the drying system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figs.1-5.

Firstly, the carrier 400, on which a plurality of fiber optic ferrules 410 are mounted, is placed on the carrier support table 300, at this time, the carrier 400 is supported on the carrier support table 300 in the horizontal posture parallel to the horizontal plane;

Then, the grabbing mechanism 130 is moved up by the lift mechanism, so as to move the gripper 131 of the grabbing mechanism 130 out of the drying box 200;

Then, the grabbing mechanism 130 is rotated to the horizontal posture by the rotation mechanism;

Then, the grabbing mechanism 130 moved down by the lift mechanism so as to move the grabbing mechanism 130 onto the carrier support table 300;

Then, the carrier 400 to be dried is grabbed from the carrier support table 300 by the grabbing mechanism 130;

Then, the grabbing mechanism 130 is moved up by the lift mechanism;

Then, the grabbing mechanism 130 is rotated to the vertical posture by the rotation mechanism;

Then, the grabbing mechanism 130 is moved down by the lift mechanism, so that the gripper 131 of the grabbing mechanism 130 and the grabbed carrier 400 are moved into the held in the drying box 200;

Then, the high pressure jet device is turned on, so that the dry high pressure gas is sprayed out of a row of nozzles, arranged vertically, of the high pressure spray head 500, to dry the carrier 400 and the fiber optic ferrules 410 on the carrier 400; the dry high pressure gas may be sprayed in a direction inclined to the surface of the carrier 400; the horizontal moving device 530, 540 are controlled to move the high pressure spray head 500 back and forth in a longitudinal direction of the carrier 400 while the high pressure spray head 500 is spraying the dry high pressure gas, so as to dry all fiber optic ferrules 410 on the carrier 400; the air suction equipment connected to the exhaust port 210 of the drying box 200 is operated to suck the wet and hot air and the impurities out of the drying box 200 in time while the fiber optic ferrules 410 are dried;

Then, after the carrier 400 and the fiber optic ferrules 410 on the carrier 400 have been dried, the grabbing mechanism 130 is moved up by the lift mechanism, so as to move the carrier 400 grabbed by the grabbing mechanism 130 out of the drying box 200;

Then, the grabbing mechanism 130 and the carrier 400 grabbed by the grabbing mechanism 130 is rotated to the horizontal posture by the rotation mechanism;

Then, the grabbing mechanism 130 is moved down by the lift mechanism, so as to move the grabbing mechanism 130 onto the carrier support table 300;

Finally, the grabbing mechanism 130 is released, so as to loosen the dried carrier 400 and place the carrier 400 on the carrier support table 300.

In this way, the drying to the carrier 400 and the plurality of fiber optic ferrules 410 on it is completed.

In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the grabbing mechanism 130 may grab a plurality of carriers 400 at one time, so as to further improve the drying efficiency of the fiber optic ferrules 410.

It should be appreciated for those skilled in this art that the above embodiments are intended to be illustrated, and not restrictive. For example, many modifications may be made to the above embodiments by those skilled in this art, and various features described in different embodiments may be freely combined with each other without conflicting in configuration or principle.

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.