Using optical fusion splicer is one of the mainstream methods for optical splicing in the field, therefore there are various types of optical splicers on the market, which can be overwhelming when choosing a cost-effective one. We know that the alignment accuracy of the optical splicer is crucial to the quality of the optical splicing. This article will introduce two optical alignment methods of optical splicers to help you choose the right one.
Optical fusion splicers are mainly used for the construction and maintenance of optical cables in optical communication. It is also called optical optic splicer. Its general working principle is to use high-pressure arc to melt the surface of two optical opticals, while smoothly pushing the two opticals with high-precision motion mechanism to fuse them into one, in order to achieve the coupling of the optical mode field. It can be seen that the alignment degree of the two opticals is an important factor that determines the quality of optical splicing. The alignment methods of optical splicers can be classified into two categories: core alignment and cladding alignment.
The core alignment type optical splicer uses a core detection system, sometimes called a contour alignment system, which is built in with 6 motors and 2 CCD cameras, and aligns the opticals through a side projection system. The optical alignment process is that the internal red light source of the splicer is projected onto the optical through a reflector, converges after entering the objective lens, is imaged on the charge coupling device of the X and Y cameras, and forms bright and dark stripes due to the different refractive indices of the optical core and cladding. These stripes are aligned by certain algorithms.
The cladding alignment type optical splicer is built in with 2 motors and 1 camera. The optical alignment process is to place the opticals to be spliced in a fixed V-groove, and adjust the position of the fixed V-groove based on the concentricity of the optical using a camera to align the cladding of the two opticals. Finally, two motors push the opticals for electrode discharge fusion splicing.
The cladding alignment type optical splicer requires high precision and cleanliness for the fixed V-groove, and the optical splicing loss is relatively high since it aligns the cladding instead of the core of the optical. Generally, it is suitable for single-mode and multi-mode optical splicing applications for short-distance transmission.
The cladding alignment type optical splicer is mainly used in occasions where the quality of optical splicing is not too high, such as optical into the home. It is relatively cheap. The core alignment type optical splicer is equipped with a precision six-motor alignment system including a focusing motor, and specially designed optical lenses and software algorithms to accurately identify the optical type and automatically select the matching splicing mode to ensure the splicing quality. Its technical content is relatively high and it can be used for backbone optical splicing in addition to optical into the home, so the price is relatively high as well.
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