CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No.CN201510589340.6 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 an integrated equipment for processing a fiber optic ferrule.

Description 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 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, decreasing the efficiency. Furthermore, the fiber optic ferrule is easily damaged during processing the fiber optic ferrule generally is performed by manual.

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 an integrated equipment adapted to effectively process a plurality of fiber optic ferrules and reliably ensure the quality of the fiber optic ferrules without damaging the fiber optic ferrule.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an integrated equipment for processing a plurality of fiber optic ferrules, comprising: a polishing system configured to polish front end faces of a plurality of fiber optic ferrules mounted on a carrier; a ferrule cleaning system configured to clean the carrier and the polished fiber optic ferrules on the carrier; a drying system configured to dry the cleaned carrier and the cleaned fiber optic ferrules on the carrier; a wiping system configured to wipe the front end faces of the dried fiber optic ferrules on the carrier; and a robot system configured to transfer the carrier to the polishing system, the ferrule cleaning system, the drying system and the wiping system.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the integrated equipment further comprises a carrier loading system adapted to load and store a plurality of carriers, wherein the robot system is adapted to pick up the carrier from the carrier loading system and transfer the picked carrier to the polishing system.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the integrated equipment further comprises a polishing film loading system adapted to load and store a plurality of polishing films, wherein the robot system is further adapted to pick up the polishing film from the polishing film loading system and transfer the picked polishing film to the polishing system.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the integrated equipment further comprises a polishing film cleaning system adapted to clean the used polishing film, wherein the robot system further is adapted to transfer the used polishing film from the polishing system to the polishing film cleaning system.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the carrier loading system, the polishing film loading system, the polishing system, the ferrule cleaning system, the polishing film cleaning system, the drying system and the wiping system are arranged around the robot system.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the carrier loading system is located near the polishing film loading system, the polishing film loading system is located near the wiping system, the wiping system is located near the polishing system, the polishing system is located near the polishing film cleaning system, the polishing film cleaning system is located near the ferrule cleaning system, the ferrule cleaning system is located near the drying system, the drying system is located near the carrier loading system.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the robot system, the carrier loading system, the polishing film loading system, the polishing system, the ferrule cleaning system, the polishing film cleaning system, the drying system and the wiping system are mounted on a common support base.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing system comprises of: a polishing film installation plate on which the polishing films are adapted to be installed; a carrier holder adapted to hold the carriers and press the carriers on the polishing films; and a driving mechanism adapted to drive the polishing film installation plate to move fore and aft relative to the carrier holder, wherein the polishing films installed on the polishing film installation plate moves fore and aft with the polishing film installation plate, so as to polish the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules mounted on the carrier.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing system further comprises a position sensor adapted to detect the positions of the polishing film installation plate and the polishing film. The robot system is further adapted to pick up and place the polishing film under the guide of the position sensor.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing system further comprises a liquid spray head adapted to spray a working fluid to the polishing films during polishing the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules, so as to cool and lubricate the polishing films and the fiber optic ferrules.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing system further comprises a gas spray head adapted to spray a gas to the polishing films after polishing the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules, so as to dry the polishing films.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing film loading system comprises a polishing film installation table on which the polishing films are loaded and stored.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing film installation table is adapted to load and store different types of polishing films.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing film installation table comprises a plurality of polishing film installation regions corresponding to the different types of polishing films, respectively; a slot is formed in each type of polishing film, a pin to be fitted in the slot is provided on each of the polishing film installation regions; the pin on one of the polishing film installation regions is configured to mate with only the slot of the type of polishing film corresponding to the one region, so that the type of polishing film is not capable of being installed on the polishing film installation region not corresponding the type of polishing film.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a sensor is provided under each of the polishing film installation regions and configured to detect whether the polishing film is installed on the polishing film installation region.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the carrier loading system comprises a carrier support table on which the carriers are loaded and stored.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the robot system comprises: a multi-freedom robot; a carrier griper mounted on the robot and adapted to grip the carrier; and a polishing film griper mounted on the robot and adapted to grip the polishing film.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the robot system further comprises: a carrier sensor adapted to detect whether the carrier griper grips the carrier; and a polishing film sensor adapted to detect whether the polishing film gripper grips the polishing film.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the carrier gripper comprises a positioning pin adapted to be inserted into a positioning hole formed in the carrier, so as to prevent the carrier from being moved.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the ferrule cleaning system comprises: a ferrule cleaning box in which a cleaning liquid is contained; a carrier moving and holding device adapted to move the carrier into the ferrule cleaning box and hold the carrier in the ferrule cleaning box; and an ultrasonic generator mounted in the ferrule cleaning box and adapted to emit an ultrasonic wave into the cleaning liquid, so as to clean the carrier and the fiber optic ferrules on the carrier immersed in the cleaning liquid of the ferrule cleaning box.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing film cleaning system comprises: a polishing film cleaning box; a polishing film moving and holding unit adapted to move the polishing films into the polishing film cleaning box and hold the polishing films in the polishing film cleaning box; a cleaning liquid spray head adapted to spray a cleaning liquid to the polishing films held in the polishing film cleaning box; and a rolling brush unit adapted to brush the polishing films while spraying the cleaning liquid to the polishing films.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drying system comprises: a drying box; a carrier moving and holding unit adapted to move the carrier into the drying box and hold the carrier in the drying box; and a high pressure jet device mounted on the drying box and adapted to spray a high pressure gas to the carrier held in the drying box, so as to dry the carrier and the fiber optic ferrules on the carrier.

According to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the wiping system comprises: a support table; a wiping belt conveying unit adapted to convey a wiping belt onto the support table; a carrier holding device adapted to holding the carrier; a carrier pressing device adapted to press the carrier on the support table, so that the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules on the carrier directly contact the wiping belt on the support table; and an installation base on which the support table is fixed, wherein the carrier holding device and the carrier pressing device are slidably mounted on the installation base, so that the carrier pressed on the support table is movable fore and aft relative to the support table, so as to wipe the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules on the carrier by use of the wiping belt.

In the above various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the integrated equipment realizes the automatic processing of the fiber optic ferrules in batch, improving the processing efficiency of the fiber optic ferrules. Furthermore, it may protect the fiber optic ferrules from being damaged during processing 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 an integrated equipment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig.2 is an illustrative perspective view of a polishing film loading system shown in Fig. l; and

Fig.3 is an illustrative perspective view of a robot system 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 an integrated equipment for processing a plurality of fiber optic ferrules, comprising: a polishing system configured to polish front end faces of a plurality of fiber optic ferrules mounted on a carrier; a ferrule cleaning system configured to clean the carrier and the polished fiber optic ferrules on the carrier; a drying system configured to dry the cleaned carrier and the cleaned fiber optic ferrules on the carrier; a wiping system configured to wipe the front end faces of the dried fiber optic ferrules on the carrier; and a robot system configured to transfer the carrier to the polishing system, the ferrule cleaning system, the drying system and the wiping system.

Fig. l is an illustrative perspective view of an integrated equipment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Fig.l, the integrated equipment is used to process fiber optic ferrules of fiber optic connector in batch. The integrated equipment mainly comprises a polishing system 400, a ferrule cleaning system 500, a drying system 700, a wiping system 800 and a robot system 100.

As shown in Fig. l, in an embodiment, the polishing system 400 is configured to polish front end faces of a plurality of fiber optic ferrules 21 mounted on a carrier 20. In various embodiments of the present invention, each carrier 20 transferred by the robot system 100 is mounted with the plurality of fiber optic ferrules 21. As result, the integrated equipment may process the plurality of fiber optic ferrules 21 on the carrier 20 in batch, increasing the processing efficiency.

As shown in Fig. l, in an embodiment, the ferrule cleaning system 500 is configured to clean the carrier 20 and the polished fiber optic ferrules 21 on the carrier 20. The drying system 700 is configured to dry the cleaned carrier 20 and the cleaned fiber optic ferrules 21 on the carrier 20. The wiping system 800 is configured to wipe the front end faces of the dried fiber optic ferrules 21 on the carrier 20. The robot system 100 is configured to transfer the carrier 20 to the polishing system 400, the ferrule cleaning system 500, the drying system 700 and the wiping system 800.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the integrated equipment further comprises a carrier loading system 200 adapted to load and store a plurality of carriers 20. The robot system 100 is adapted to pick up the carrier 20 from the carrier loading system 200 and transfer the picked carrier 20 to the polishing system 400.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the integrated equipment further comprises a polishing film loading system 300 adapted to load and store a plurality of polishing films 30. The robot system 100 is adapted to pick up the polishing film 30 from the polishing film loading system 300 and transfer the picked polishing film 30 to the polishing system 400.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the integrated equipment further comprises a polishing film cleaning system 600 adapted to clean the used polishing film 30. The robot system 100 is adapted to transfer the used polishing film 30 from the polishing system 400 to the polishing film cleaning system 600.

As shown in Fig. l, in an embodiment, the carrier loading system 200, the polishing film loading system 300, the polishing system 400, the ferrule cleaning system 500, the polishing film cleaning system 600, the drying system 700 and the wiping system 800 are arranged in a circle around the robot system 100. In this way, it may greatly reduce the moving distance of the robot system 100 during transferring the carrier 20 or the polishing film 30, further improving the processing efficiency of the fiber optic ferrules 21.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, in a counterclockwise direction, the carrier loading system 200 is located near the polishing film loading system 300, the polishing film loading system 300 is located near the wiping system 800, the wiping system 800 is located near the polishing system 400, the polishing system 400 is located near the polishing film cleaning system 600, the polishing film cleaning system 600 is located near the ferrule cleaning system 500, the ferrule cleaning system 500 is located near the drying system 700, the drying system 700 is located near the carrier loading system 200. In this way, by properly arranging the above systems in the circle, the working process of the integrated equipment is optimized, further improving the processing efficiency of the fiber optic ferrules.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the robot system 100, the carrier loading system 200, the polishing film loading system 300, the polishing system 400, the ferrule cleaning system 500, the polishing film cleaning system 600, the drying system 700 and the wiping system 800 are mounted on a common support base 10.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the polishing system 400 mainly comprises a polishing film installation plate (not shown), a carrier holder 430 and a driving mechanism 410. The polishing films 30 are installed on the polishing film installation plate. The carrier holder 430 is adapted to hold the carriers 20 and press the carriers 20 on the polishing films 30. The driving mechanism 410 is adapted to drive the polishing film installation plate to move fore and aft relative to the carrier holder 430. In this way, the polishing films 30 installed on the polishing film installation plate may move fore and aft with the polishing film installation plate, so as to polish the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21 mounted on the carrier 20.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the polishing system 400 further comprises a position sensor 420 adapted to detect the positions of the polishing film installation plate and the polishing film 30. The robot system 100 is adapted to pick up and place the polishing film 30 under the guide of the position sensor 420.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the polishing system 400 further comprises a liquid spray head 440 adapted to spray a working fluid to the polishing films 30 during polishing the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21, so as to cool and lubricate the polishing films 30 and the fiber optic ferrules 21.

As shown in Fig.l, in an embodiment, the polishing system 400 further comprises a gas spray head adapted to spray a gas to the polishing films 30 after polishing the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21, so as to dry the polishing films 30.

Fig.2 is an illustrative perspective view of a polishing film loading system 300 shown in Fig.l. As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the polishing film loading system 300 mainly comprises a polishing film installation table 310 on which the polishing films 30 are loaded and stored.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the polishing film installation table 310 is adapted to load and store different types of polishing films 30.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, the polishing film installation table 310 comprises a plurality of polishing film installation regions A, B, C, D, E corresponding to the different types of polishing films 30, respectively. A slot 31 is formed in each type of polishing film 30, a pin 311 to be fitted in the slot 31 is provided on each of the polishing film installation regions A, B, C, D, E. The pin 311 on one of the polishing film installation regions A, B, C, D, E is configured to mate with only the slot 31 of the type of polishing film 30 corresponding to the one region, so that the type of polishing film 30 is not capable of being installed on the polishing film installation region not corresponding the type of polishing film 30. That is, the type of polishing film 30 is only capable of being installed on the one region corresponding the type of polishing film 30.

As shown in Figs.1-2, in an embodiment, a sensor 312 is provided under each of the polishing film installation regions A, B, C, D, E and configured to detect whether the polishing film 30 is installed on the polishing film installation region in position.

As shown in Fig. l, in an embodiment, the carrier loading system 200 comprises a carrier support table 210 on which the carriers 20 are adapted to be loaded and stored.

Fig.3 is an illustrative perspective view of a robot system 100 shown in Fig. l. As shown in Figs. l and 3, in an embodiment, the robot system 100 mainly comprises: a multi-freedom robot; a carrier griper 120 mounted on the robot and adapted to grip the carrier 20; and a polishing film griper 130 mounted on the robot and adapted to grip the polishing film 30.

As shown in Figs.l and 3, in an embodiment, the robot system 100 further comprises: a carrier sensor 121 adapted to detect whether the carrier griper 120 grips the carrier 20; and a polishing film sensor 131 adapted to detect whether the polishing film gripper 130 grips the polishing film 30.

As shown in Figs.l and 3, in an embodiment, the carrier gripper 120 comprises a positioning pin 122 adapted to be inserted into a positioning hole formed in the carrier 20, so as to prevent the carrier 20 from being moved.

Although it is not shown, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the ferrule cleaning system 500 may comprise of: a ferrule cleaning box in which a cleaning liquid for cleaning the fiber optic ferrules 21 is contained; a carrier moving and holding device adapted to move the carrier 20 into the ferrule cleaning box and hold the carrier 20 in the ferrule cleaning box; and an ultrasonic generator mounted in the ferrule cleaning box and adapted to emit an ultrasonic wave into the cleaning liquid, so as to clean the carrier 20 and the fiber optic ferrules 21 on the carrier 20 immersed in the cleaning liquid contained in the ferrule cleaning box.

Although it is not shown, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the polishing film cleaning system 600 may comprise of: a polishing film cleaning box; a polishing film moving and holding unit adapted to move the polishing films 30 into the polishing film cleaning box and hold the polishing films 30 in the polishing film cleaning box; a cleaning liquid spray head adapted to spray a cleaning liquid to the polishing films 30 held in the polishing film cleaning box; and a rolling brush unit adapted to brush the polishing films 30 while spraying the cleaning liquid to the polishing films 30.

Although it is not shown, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the drying system 700 may comprise: a drying box; a carrier moving and holding unit adapted to move the carrier 20 into the drying box and hold the carrier 20 in the drying box; and a high pressure jet device mounted on the drying box and adapted to spray a high pressure gas to the carrier 20 held in the drying box, so as to dry the carrier 20 and the fiber optic ferrules 21 on the carrier 20.

Although it is not shown, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the wiping system 800 may comprise: a support table; a wiping belt conveying unit adapted to convey a wiping belt onto the support table; a carrier holding device adapted to holding the carrier 20; a carrier pressing device adapted to press the carrier 20 on the support table, so that the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21 on the carrier 20 become directly contact with the wiping belt on the support table; and an installation base on which the support table is fixed. The carrier holding device and the carrier pressing device are slidably mounted on the installation base, so that the carrier 20 pressed on the support table is movable fore and aft relative to the support table, so as to wipe the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21 on the carrier 20 by use of the wiping belt.

Hereafter, it will describe in detail the processing of the fiber optic ferrules 21 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention with reference to Figs.1-3.

Firstly, the robot systemlOO is operated to pick up the polishing film 30 from the polishing film loading system300 and transfer the picked polishing film 30 to the polishing system 400.

Then, the robot systemlOO is further operated to pick up the carrier 20 from the carrier loading system 200 and transfer the picked carrier 20 to the polishing system 400.

Then, the polishing system 400 is operated to polish the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21 mounted on the carrier 20 by use of the polishing films 30.

Then, the robot system 100 is further operated to transfer the carrier 20 from the polishing system 400 to the ferrule cleaning system 500 after the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21 mounted on the carrier 20 have been polished.

Then, the ferrule cleaning system 500 is operated to clean the carrier 20 and the fiber optic ferrules 21 mounted on the carrier 20, so as to clean off the polishing power from the carrier 20 and the fiber optic ferrules 21.

Then, the robot system 100 is further operated to transfer the carrier 20 from the ferrule cleaning system 500 to the drying system 700.

Then, the drying system 700 is operated to dry the carrier 20 and the fiber optic ferrules

21 mounted on the carrier 20.

Then, the robot system 100 is further operated to transfer the carrier 20 from the drying system 700 to the wiping system 800.

Finally, the wiping system 800 is operated to wipe the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21 mounted on the carrier 20, so as to wipe off the dust from the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21.

Please be noted that if the polishing films 30 used in the polishing system 400 has become very dirty (too much polishing powder attached thereon) and cannot effectively polish the front end faces of the fiber optic ferrules 21, it needs to replace these used dirty polishing films 30 with unused clean polishing films 30, and clean the used dirty polishing films 30. Thereby, the above processing of the fiber optic ferrules may further comprise steps of:

transferring the used dirty polishing films 30 from the polishing system 400 to the polishing film cleaning system 600 by use of the robot system 100, so as to clean the used dirty polishing films 30; and

transferring the cleaned polishing films 30 from the polishing film cleaning system 600 to the polishing system 400 or the polishing film loading system 300 by use of the robot systemlOO.

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.