JPH03210508A - Device for producing fiber fusion type multiplexer/ demultiplexer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To adjust a taper angle to a prescribed value by inputting the image of a fusion part of two optical fibers, executing image processing to find out the taper angle and controlling a heating range adjusting means by using the obtained taper angle. CONSTITUTION:The optical fibers 10, 20 are heated and fused by a burner 30 and the shape of the fusion part is inputted to an image processor 61 by a television camera 51 to calculate the taper angle. An interval between shielding plates 71, 72 is adjusted by moving pulse stages 73, 74 so that the calculated taper angle coincides with a previously set angle. Since a separation waveguide is determined by the taper angle when a coupling period is fixed, the taper angle can be determined in accordance with the determination of a required separation wavelength. Thus, the tape angle for determining the separation wavelength can be adjusted to an optional value.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Summary] Regarding a fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a multiplexer/demultiplexer by heating and fusing two optical fibers, a fiber fusion part that determines the separation wavelength is provided. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer manufacturing device that can automatically adjust the taper angle of the optical fibers to a predetermined value. an image input means for inputting the fused portion; an image processing means for calculating the taper angle of the fused portion by processing the image of the fused portion input by the image input means; A heating range adjusting means is configured to adjust the heating ranges of the first and second optical fibers so that the heating ranges of the first and second optical fibers are adjusted.

[Industrial application field]

The present invention relates to a fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a multiplexer/demultiplexer by heating and fusing two optical fibers.

When two optical fibers are placed in parallel and heated and fused together, the optical signal input from one end of one optical fiber is output from the other end of that optical fiber and the other end of the other optical fiber. Operates as a wave device.

It also operates as an optical multiplexer using the same principle.

Such a fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer is widely used because it has excellent fiber connection characteristics, low insertion loss, and low cost.

When the coupling period of these two fibers is kept constant, the separation wavelength changes depending on the taper angle of the fused and stretched portion.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the structure of a fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer. As shown in the figure, two optical fibers are heated and fused and drawn.

The fused and drawn portion of the optical fiber becomes thinner as shown in the figure. The angle of this narrowed portion is called the taper angle, and is defined as: taper angle=N/2)·(at ax)/z.

FIG. 4 is a diagram explaining the operation of the fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer. Figure (a) shows the coupling period and shows how many wavelengths there are in the part where the fibers are fused. The figure shows an example in which the coupling period is r 1.5 J.

The figure shows the relationship between the taper angle and the separation wavelength, where the separation wavelength shows the interval between the transmission wavelength and the blocking wavelength, and the solid line shows the characteristics of the transmission wavelength of 1.3 μm and the blocking wavelength of 1.55 μm. The broken line indicates that the blocking wavelength changes by changing the taper angle.

There is a need for a manufacturing apparatus that can adjust such a taper angle to a predetermined value.

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a conventional example.

The conventional example shown in FIG. 5 includes two optical fibers 10.20, a burner 30 that heats the two optical fibers 10.20, a gas assembly 31 as a heat source that supplies the burner 30, and a laser beam. A light source 41 that inputs to the optical fiber 20; A fiber chuck 81.82 that fixes and holds the two optical fibers 10.20; A fiber chuck 81.82 for stretching the fused portion of the two optical fibers 10.20. a pulse stage 83.84 that moves the burner 30 and the pulse stage 83.84, a dew proof stand 80 on which the burner 30 and the pulse stage 83.84 are mounted, a gas valve 32, a mass flow controller 33, a power meter (shown as PM in the figure) 42.43, and a pulse stage controller. 44, a control unit 40C and a processing device (shown as a CPU in the figure) 4
This example is composed of an interface section (shown as INF in the figure) 40B that interfaces with 0A, and a processing device 40A that performs various arithmetic operations.

In the conventional example described above, the gas from the gas assembly 31 is burned in the burner 30, and while the two optical fibers 10.20 fixed by the fiber chuck 8182 on the pulse stage 83.84 are heated and fused, Stretch.

At this time, the laser generated from the light source 41 is connected to the optical fiber 2.
0, the amount of light output from the optical fiber 10.20 is measured by a power meter 42.43, and the measurement result is input to the processing device 40A via the interface section 40B.

The processing device 40A determines the coupling period from the input measurement results, controls the mass flow controller 33 via the interface 40B, and controls the amount of fuel supplied to the burner 30 so that the coupling period is a predetermined coupling period. The pulse stage controller 44'
The optical fiber 10.20 is drawn by moving the pulse stage 83.84 through the optical fiber 10.20.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

In the conventional example described above, since the separation wavelength (transmission/blocking wavelength interval) is controlled only by the coupling period during fusion-stretching, only discrete wavelengths can be obtained.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer manufacturing apparatus that can automatically adjust the taper angle of a fiber fusion part, which determines the separation wavelength, to a predetermined value.

[Means to solve the problem]

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram illustrating the invention in detail.

10 and 2 in the block diagram of the principle of the present invention shown in FIG.
0 is an optical fiber; 30 is a burner that heats and fuses the optical fiber 10.20; 40 is a control device that controls the burner 30 and the heating range adjusting means 70; 50 is a control device that controls the optical fiber 10. 20 is an image input means 50 for inputting an image of the fused portion, and 60 is an image processing means 60 for processing the image of the fused portion inputted from the image input means 50 and calculating the taper angle of the fused portion. 70 is a heating range adjusting means for adjusting the heating range of the first and second optical fibers 10.20 so that the taper angle calculated by the image processing means 60 becomes a predetermined value; This is a means to solve this problem by providing the following.

[For production]

When the two optical fibers 10 and 20 are heated and fused using the burner 3o, an image of the fused portion is inputted to the image processing means 60 by the image input means 50.

The image processing means 60 performs image processing to obtain the taper angle, and the control device 40 uses the result to adjust the heating range adjustment means 7.
0, it is possible to change the heating range of the optical fibers 1o and 20 and adjust it to a predetermined taper angle.

〔Example〕

The gist of the present invention will be specifically explained below with reference to an embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 shows a detailed illustration of the invention.

Note that the same reference numerals indicate the same objects throughout the figures.

Optical fiber 10.20 and burner 3 of the embodiment shown in FIG.
0, gas assembly 31, light source 41, seismic stand 80, fiber chuck 81.82, pulse stage 83.84, gas valve 32, mass flow controller 33, power meter 42.43, pulse stage controller 44, control unit 4 o c, Interface unit 40B, processing device 40
A is the same as explained in the conventional example in FIG.
A television camera 51 serves as the image input means 50 explained in the figure.
, a television monitor 52 that monitors input images from a television camera 51, an image processing device 61 as the image processing means 60, and a shielding plate 71.72 mounted on a pulse stage 73.74 as the heating range adjustment means 70. It is.

In the above embodiment as well, the burner 30 burns the optical fiber 10.
．． 20 is heated and fused, the output of the laser light input from the light source 41 is measured with a power meter 42, 43, and the processing is performed so that a predetermined coupling period (usually "3" is used) is obtained. The operation of controlling the control unit 40C from the device 40A is the same as in the conventional example shown in FIG.

In this embodiment, the shape of the fused portion is
are input to the image processing device 61 to obtain al, 2, and Z as explained in FIG. 3, and calculate the taper angle.

Calculation of the taper angle by the image processing device 61 is a known technique, so it will not be described here.

The distance between the shielding plates 71 and 72 is adjusted so that the calculated taper angle becomes a preset angle.
．． Move and adjust 74.

When decreasing the taper angle, the interval between the shielding plates 71 and 72 is increased, and when increasing the taper angle, the interval between the shielding plates 71 and 72 is decreased.

When the coupling period is kept constant, the separation wavelength is
Since it is determined by the taper angle, once the required separation wavelength is determined, the taper angle is determined accordingly.

For example, by setting the coupling period to -1.5 and changing the taper angle between 0.003 and 0.006, the separation wavelength is 1.30/1.56 to 1.30/1.53.
It can be changed in the range of μm, and for the required value,
It has become possible to obtain a multiplexer/demultiplexer with an accuracy of ±0.005 μm.

By configuring as described above, it becomes possible to adjust the taper angle that determines the separation wavelength to an arbitrary value.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention as described above, in a multiplexer/demultiplexer manufacturing apparatus that heat-fuses two optical fibers, image processing of the fused portion is performed, and the interval between the shielding plates is controlled based on the processing result. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer manufacturing apparatus that can obtain an arbitrary taper angle.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram explaining the present invention in detail, FIG. 2 is a diagram explaining the present invention in detail, FIG. 3 is a diagram explaining the structure of the fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer, and FIG. In the figure, 10.20 is an optical fiber, 30 is a burner, 31 is a gas assembly, 32 is a gas valve, 33 is a mass flow controller, 40 is a control device, 40A is a processing device, 40B is an interface section, 40C is a control section, 41 is a light source, 42.43 is a power meter, 44
50 is a pulse stage controller, 50 is an image input means, 51 is a television camera, 52 is a television monitor, 60
is an image processing means, 61 is an image processing device, 70 is a heating range adjustment means, 71.72 is a shielding plate, 73.74.83.84 is a pulse stage, 80 is a seismic stand, 81.82 is a fiber chuck, respectively. show. Fig. 1 is a block diagram explaining the detailed explanation of the present invention; Figure 1 is a diagram explaining the structure of a fiber-fused type multiplexer/demultiplexer; Figure 4 is a diagram explaining the operation of a fiber-fused type multiplexer/demultiplexer.

Claims (1)

[Claims] Manufacture of a fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer in which first and second optical fibers (10, 20) are heated and fused by a burner (30) controlled by a control device (40). The apparatus includes: an image input means (50) for inputting an image of the fused portion of the first and second optical fibers (10, 20); and an image of the fused portion inputted by the image input means (50). Image processing means (
60) and the first and second optical fibers (1) so that the taper angle calculated by the image processing means (60) becomes a predetermined value.
heating range adjusting means (7) for adjusting the heating range of
0) A fiber fusion type multiplexer/demultiplexer manufacturing apparatus characterized by comprising: