GB2272536A - Optical fiber splicer - Google Patents
Optical fiber splicer Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2272536A GB2272536A GB9315848A GB9315848A GB2272536A GB 2272536 A GB2272536 A GB 2272536A GB 9315848 A GB9315848 A GB 9315848A GB 9315848 A GB9315848 A GB 9315848A GB 2272536 A GB2272536 A GB 2272536A
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- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- aligning unit
- unit member
- aligning
- optical fiber
- optical fibers
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Classifications
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
- G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
- G02B6/3801—Permanent connections, i.e. wherein fibres are kept aligned by mechanical means
- G02B6/3803—Adjustment or alignment devices for alignment prior to splicing
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
- G02B6/38—Mechanical coupling means having fibre to fibre mating means
- G02B6/3801—Permanent connections, i.e. wherein fibres are kept aligned by mechanical means
- G02B6/3806—Semi-permanent connections, i.e. wherein the mechanical means keeping the fibres aligned allow for removal of the fibres
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
- G02B6/3628—Mechanical coupling means for mounting fibres to supporting carriers
- G02B6/3632—Mechanical coupling means for mounting fibres to supporting carriers characterised by the cross-sectional shape of the mechanical coupling means
- G02B6/3636—Mechanical coupling means for mounting fibres to supporting carriers characterised by the cross-sectional shape of the mechanical coupling means the mechanical coupling means being grooves
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
- G02B6/00—Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings
- G02B6/24—Coupling light guides
- G02B6/36—Mechanical coupling means
- G02B6/3628—Mechanical coupling means for mounting fibres to supporting carriers
- G02B6/3648—Supporting carriers of a microbench type, i.e. with micromachined additional mechanical structures
- G02B6/3652—Supporting carriers of a microbench type, i.e. with micromachined additional mechanical structures the additional structures being prepositioning mounting areas, allowing only movement in one dimension, e.g. grooves, trenches or vias in the microbench surface, i.e. self aligning supporting carriers
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- Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
- Optics & Photonics (AREA)
- Mechanical Coupling Of Light Guides (AREA)
Description
- - 1 -- OPTICAL FIBER SPLICER 2272536 The present invention relates
generally to an optical fiber splicer to be used in an optical fiber communication circuit system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical fiber splicer of the foregoing type for permanently or temporarily connecting optical fibers, e.g., a ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord to opposed optical fibers at their foremost end faces in the face-to-face relationship to make reliable optical connection therebetween.
To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a typical conventional optical fiber splicer will be described below with reference to Fig. 12 to Fig. 17.
Fig. 12 is a plan view of an aligning unit member for a conventional optical fiber splicer of the foregoing type which serves for connecting a ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord to an opposed ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord to make optical connection therebetween, and Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the aligning unit member sectioned in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber splicer.
To connect a ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord to an opposed optical fiber cord with the aid of the optical fiber splicer, a pair of aligning unit members I are used as essential components for the optical fiber splicer in the face-to-face relationship. As shown in Fig. 12, part of a sheath 6 of each ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord covered with a polyvinyl resin is removed from it so as to allow a plurality of sheathless optical fibers 3(four sheathless optical fibers in the shown case) to be exposed to the outside.
The flat plate-shaped aligning unit member 1 has a flat working surface 2 which comes in close contact with that of an opposed aligning unit member (not shown), and the same number of substantially V-shaped aligning grooves 5 (see Fig. 15) as the number of sheathless optical fibers are formed at the central part of the flat workin'g surface 2. In addition, sheath receiving portions 7 for receiving each sheath 6 are formed on the flat working surface 2 in the form of a groove on the opposite sides of the substantially V-shaped aligning grooves 5.
After the flat working surface 2 is coated with an adhesive, a pair of aligning unit members 1A and 1B are assembled with each other in the faceto-face relationship, and subsequently, the sheathless optical fibers 3 are inserted into the V-shaped aligning grooves 5 via the sheath receiving portions 7 from both the sides of the optical fiber splicer until their foremost end faces are brought in close contact with those of opponent sheathless optical fibers 3 to make optical connection therebetween, as shown in Fig. 14. Both the aligning unit members 1A and 1B are firmly assembled together with the aid of a tightening spring 8 as shown in Fig. 16, and when it is confirmed that the adhesive is cured, an assembling operation is completed. Alternatively, both the aligning unit members 1A and 1B may firmly be assembled together with the aid of a plurality of tightening screws 9 as shown in Fig. 17.
As is apparent from the above description, with the conventional mechanical optical fiber splicer for permanently connecting a ribbonshaped optical fiber cord to an 0-pposed ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord, it is necessary that a step of assembling together both the aligning unit members each coated with an adhesive and a step of inserting the sheathless optical fibers into the substantially V-shaped aligning grooves are substantially simultaneously achieved. For this reason, an operator should be highly trained. In addition, a step of removing an extra amount of adhesive leaking from the flat working surfaces of the aligning unit members is additionally required, resulting in the whole process of permanently connecting a ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord to an opposed ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord becoming complicated and requiring many manhours.
When each component constituting the optical fiber splicer is designed with smaller dimensions, it is practically difficult to handle it with operator's fingers. Thus, since each component should be designed to have relatIvely large dimensions, designing of each component with smaller dimensions is unavoidably restricted.
In case of a multi-core optical fiber cable composed of several hundred 16-core ribbon-shaped optical fibers which is anticipated to be put in practical use in future, it is substantially impossible to practically connect an optical fiber cable of the foregoing type to an opponent optical fiber cable in outdoor field under bad environmental conditions by assembling and integrating them with each other using an adhesive in the aforementioned manner. In the circumstances as mentioned above, many requests have been raised from users for providing a mechanical type optical fiber splicer which assures that an assembling operation can simply be performed without necessity of an adhesive.
A detachable mechanical type optical fiber splicer for temporarily connecting a ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord to an opposed ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord is classified into two types, one of them being such that a tightening leaf spring 8 is employed as shown in Fig. 16 and the other one being such that a plurality of tightening screws 9 are employed as shown in Fig. 17.
However, in case of the leaf spring type, the leaf spring 8 is readily disconnected from the optical fiber splicer when the optical fiber cords are pulled for some reason. Thus, this type of optical fiber splicer is not entirely --5-- reliable. On the other hand, in case of the tightening screw type, since a connection box is unavoidably enlarged in size, it is practically difficult to design the optical fiber splicer with small dimensions.
To sum up, with the conventional optical fiber splicer for permanently connecting a ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord to an opposed ribbon-shaped optical f iber cord, since aligning unit members are assembled together using an adhesive, an assembling operation is performed at a low operational efficiency due to a necessity for a step of removing an extra amount of adhesive leaking from the periphery of the optical fiber splicer. Thus, the assembling operation should be achieved only by a welltrained operator, and it is very difficult to perform an optical fiber connecting operation in outdoor field under bad environmental conditions. Further, with the conventional optical fiber splicer for temporarily connecting a ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord to an opponent ribbonshaped optical fiber cord, it is difficult to design the optical fiber splicer with small dimensions for the aforementioned reasons. Especially, in case of a multi-core optical fiber cable, a connection box is unavoidably enlarged in size.
The present invention has been made in consideration of the foregoing background.
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber splicer for permanently or temporarily connecting various types of optical fibers, e.g., a ribbonshaped optical fiber cord composed of 4 to 16 optical fibers to opposed optical f ibers in an optical f iber communication circuit system while the foremost end faces of the firstmentioned optical fibers are brought in close contact with those of the last-mentioned optical fibers to make reliable optical connection therebetween wherein essential components constituting the optical fiber splicer can easily and simply be assembled together in outdoor field under bad environmental conditions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber splicer of the foregoing type wherein the components constituting the optical fiber splicer can be assembled together without any necessity of an adhesive or employment of a welding process.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical fiber splicer for permanently or temporarily connecting at least one pair of optical fibers to each other while the foremost end face of one optical fiber is brought in close contact with that of the opponent optical fiber to make an optical connection therebetween, wherein the optical fiber splicer includes a first aligning unit member of which i 5.
a flat working surface has at least one substantially Vshaped aligning groove. formed to receive the optical fibers therein, the first aligning unit member including outer inclined surfaces on the opposite side to the flat working surface, the outer inclined surfaces slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber spliced in such a manner that the height of each outer inclined surface is gradually reduced from the central part of the first aligning member toward the opposite ends of the same; a second aligning unit member of which &Iflat working surface has at least one substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed to receive the optical fibers therein corresponding to the substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed on the flat working surface of the first aligning unit member, the second aligning unit member including outer inclined surfaces on the opposite side to the flat working surface, the outer inclined surfaces slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber splicer in the same manner as the inclined surfaces of the first aligning unit member; and a pair of taper locking members located on the opposite sides of the optical fiber splicer and adapted to be forcibly fitted onto the first aligning unit member and the second aligning unit member in the opposite direction relative to each other so as to allow the optical fibers received in the substantially Vshaped aligning grooves on the flat working surfaces of the first aligning unit member and the second aligning unit member to be firmly held by the action of compressing forces each effective at a right angle relative to the inserting direction of the optical fibers, each of the taper locking members having a through hole formed therein which includes inner inclined surfaces corresponding to the outer inclined surfaces of the first aligning unit member and the second aligning unit member.
To firmly hold the optical fibers via their sheaths, sheath receiving grooves are preferably formed on both sides of the first aligning unit member and the second aligning unit member adjacent to the substantially V-shaped aligning grooves so as to allow the sheaths of the optical fibers to be received therein.
To assure that the first aligning unit member is correctly located relative to the second aligning unit member and vice versa when the optical fiber splicer is assembled, it is recommendable that a pair of fitting projections are projected upright from the flat working surface of each of the first aligning unit member and the second aligning unit member and pair of fitting recesses are formed on each of the first aligning unit member and the second-aligning unit member so that the fitting projections on the first aligning unit member are fitted into the fitting recesses on the second aligning unit member and vice versa.
In operation, a very small gap is provisionally formed between the flat working surfaces of the first aligning unit member and the second aligning unit member by using, e.g., a thickness gauze before both the aligning unit members are completely assembled with each other to provide a desired optical fiber splicer.
Usually, the foregoing gap is set to about 0.03 mm.
Certain preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an optical fiber splicer constructed according to a first embodiment of the present invention, particularly illustrating that ribbon-shaped optical fibers are connected to each other with the aid of the optical fiber splicer; Fig. 2 is a plan view of an aligning unit member constituting the optical fiber splicer shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the aligning unit member taken along line A - A' in Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is an enlarged front view of the aligning unit member shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a sectional view, in the disassembled state, of the optical fiber splicer shown in Fig. 1, particularly illustrating essential components constituting the optical fiber splicer in the disassembled state; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the optical fiber splicer similar to Fig. 5, particularly illustrating a process of assembling the essential components with each other while optical fibers are inserted into the optical fiber splicer; Fig. 7 is a sectional view of the optical fiber splicer on completion of the assembling operation; Fig. 8 is a sectional view of an optical fiber splicer constructed according to a second embodiment of the present invention and taken along line B - BI in Fig. 9; Fig. 9 is a front view of the optical fiber splicer shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 10 is a sectional view of an optical fiber splicer constructed according to a third embodiment of the present invention and taken along line C - C, in Fig. 11; Fig. 11 is a front view of the optical fiber splicer shown in Fig. 10; Fig. 12 is a plan view of an aligning unit member for a conventional optical fiber splicer for connecting ribbonshaped optical fiber cords, shown in the figure, to each other; Fig. 13 is a sectional view of the aligning unit member shown in Fig. 12; Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the conventional optical fiber splicer for which two aligning unit members shown in 1 Fig. 12 and Fig. 13 are used in face-to-face relationship; Fig. 15 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional view of the conventional optical fiber splicer, particularly showing that optical fibers in one ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord are connected to those in an opposed ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord; Fig. 16 shows by way of front view the conventional optical fiber splicer, particularly showing an example where the aligning unit members are firmly assembled with each other with the aid of a leaf spring; and Fig. 17 shows by way of partially exploded front view the conventional optical fiber splicer, particularly showing another example wherein the aligning unit members are firmly assembled with each other with the aid of a plurality of tightening screws.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an optical fiber splicer constructed according to a first embodiment of the present invention wherein a ribbonshaped optical fiber cord composed of a plurality of optical fibers is connected to an opposed ribbon-shaped optical fiber cord composed of a plurality of optical fibers to make optical connection therebetween.
In this embodiment, a silicon carbonate resin is employed for constituting the optical fiber splicer in the following manner. Specifically, a molten resin is injected'into an injection molding die (not shown) to mold two same aligning unit members 10A and 10B. In addition, a molten resin is injected into the foregoing injection molding die or another injection molding die to mold two-same taper locking members 18. Two ribbon-shaped optical fibers are connected to each other using the aligning unit members 10A and IOB and the taper locking members 18 in the following manner.
As shown in Fig. 2 to Fig. 4, when two aligning unit members generally designated by reference numeral 10 are assembled with each other, they are arranged in face-to face relationship with their flat working surfaces 13 interposed therebetween. As is best seen in Fig. 4, a certain number of substantially V-shaped aligning grooves 14 (four aligning grooves in the shown case) each extending in parallel with each other in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber splicer are formed at the central part of each aligning unit member 10. In addition, sheath receiving grooves 15 are formed at the opposite end parts of each aligning unit member adjacent to the substantially V-shaped aligning grooves 14 for receiving sheaths of the ribbon-shaped optical fiber cords therein. The sheath receiving grooves 15 are recessed on each aligning unit member 10 to have dimensions so as to enable a plurality of optical fibers having their sheaths removed therefrom to be firmly received in the substantially V-shaped aligning grooves 14 in cooperation with the sheath receiving grooves 15 on an opposed aligning unit member 10.
Outer inclined surfaces 16 are formed on the opposite side to the flat working surface 13 in such a manner that the height of each outer inclined surface 16 is gradually reduced from the central part of the aligning unit member 10 toward the opposite ends of the same.
Fitting projections 11 as well as fitting recesses 12 for receiving opposed fitting projections 11 therein are formed on the flat working surface 13 of each aligning unit member 10.
The fitting projections 11 are press fitted into the opposed fitting recesses 12 while a very small gap is formed between both the flat working surfaces 13 of the aligning unit members 10A and 10B as described later when both the aligning unit members 10A and 10B are assembled with each other in face-to-face relationship. Each fitting projection 11 and each fitting recess 12 may be modified such that the fitting projection is designed in the form of a tapered fitting projection, and the fitting recess is designed in the form of a tapered fitting recess corresponding to the tapered fitting projection.
A pair of taper locking members 18 are molded in the same configuration, and a through hole including inner inclined surfaces 19 is formed in each taper locking member 18 while the inner inclined surfaces 19 are formed corresponding to the outer inclined surfaces 16 of the aligning unit members 10.
Next, a process of assembling together the foregoing components each designed in the aforementioned manner will be described below with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 7.
Fig. 5 is a sectional view, in the disassembled state, of the optical fiber splicer, particularly showing that a pair of aligning unit members 10A and 10B are provisionally assembled together while the substantially V-shaped aligning grooves 14 are correctly located opposite to each other (see Fig. 15). To assure that the aligning unit members 10A and 10B are provisionally assembled together without any contact between the flat working surfaces 13, i.e., with a very small gap formed therebetween, a thickness gauge 17 having a thickness of about 0.03 mm is interposed between both the aligning unit members 10A and 10B, and after completion of the provisional assembling operation, the thickness gauge 17 is removed from the provisionally assembled structure. It is recommendable that the foregoing provisionally assembled structure is prepared in a maker's factory prior to shipment of the optical fiber splicer from the same.
Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view which shows a step of inserting optical fibers into the provisionally assembled 1 --is- structure. Part of each sheath 6 located at the foremost end part of the latter while having a predetermined length is removed from a ribbon- shaped optical fiber cord so that a plurality of sheathless optical fibers 3 (four sheathless optical fiber in the shown case) are inserted into the substantially V-shaped aligning grooves 14 from the opposite sides of the provisionally assembled structure. It is recommendable for the purpose of smooth insertion that the foremost end of each sheathless optical fiber 3 is coated with a silicone oil. Specifically, Fig. 6 shows that the foremost end faces of the sheathless optical fibers 3 come in close contact with the foremost end faces of the opposed sheathless optical fibers 3. As shown in the drawing, a pair of taper locking members 18 are preliminarily disposed on the sheaths of the ribbon-shaped optical fiber cords 6 in such a manner that each sheath 6 is located at the central part of the taper locking member 18 while it is surrounded by the taper locking member 18.
Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view which shows that as the taper locking members 18 are displaced in the X arrowmarked direction, the outer inclined surfaces 16 of the aligning unit members 10A and the 10B are thrust toward the central plane of the optical fiber splicer by the action of compressing forces generated by the inner inclined surfaces 19 of the taper locking members 18, whereby the optical fibers 3 -16and the sheaths 6 are firmly held between the flat working surfaces 13 of the aligning unit members 10A and 10B by the action of the foregoing pressing forces effective at a right angle relative to the central plane of the optical fiber splicer as represented by arrow marks Y.
Now, it is assumed that a taper ratio is set to 1: 20 and a thrusting force given by each taper locking member 18 is set to 3 Kgf. With this assumption, since a compressing force of about 60 Kgf appears across the flat working surface 13 of each aligning unit member 10, the sheathless optical fibers are firmly held between both the aligning unit members 10A and 10B.
As is apparent from the above description, the optical fiber splicer of the present invention does not require an adhesive at a step of assembling in contrast with the conventional optical fiber splicer as described above with reference to Fig. 12 to Fig. 17.
When the optical fiber splicer is to be disassembled, one of the taper locking members 18 is first drawn away from the assembled structure of both the aligning unit members 10A and 10B. Then, the remaining taper locking member 18 can easily be drawn away from the same because the pressing force substantially disappears at this time. After both the taper locking members 18 are drawn away from the assembled structure, the ribbon-shaped optical fiber cords located on the opposite sides of the optical fiber splicer can easily be drawn away from each other by displacing and removing one of the aligning unit members 10 from the other one.
Consequently, optical fiber splicer can selectively be employed as a permanent connection type or as a disconnetable type.
Next, Figs. 8 and 9 are views of an optical fiber splicer constructed according to a second embodiment of the present invention wherein only a single taper locking member is used for the optical fiber splicer.
Also in this embodiment, flat working surfaces 23 of a pair of aligning unit members 20A and 20B are designed in the same manner as those in the first embodiment so that substantially V-shaped aligning grooves 24 and sheath receiving grooves 25 are formed on both the flat working surfaces 23. An outer inclined surface 26 of each of the aligning unit members 20A and 20B is designed in the form of a tapered surface which slantwise extends from the left-hand end to the right-hand end of each aligning unit member as seen in the drawing while the height of each aligning unit member as measured from the flat working surface 23 is gradually reduced toward the right-hand end.
A single taper locking member 28 includes a through hole of which inner inclined surfaces 29 are designed to correspond to the outer inclined surfaces 28 of the aligning unit members 20A and 20B.
A process of inserting sheathless optical fibers into both the aligning unit members 20A and 20B is the same as that of that in the preceding embodiment with the exception that a single taper locking member 28 is fitted onto both the aligning unit members 20A and 20B from one side, i.e. , from the right-hand side.
Next, Fig s. 10 and 11 are views of an optical fiber splicer constructed according to a third embodiment of the present invention wherein aligning unit members and taper locking members are designed in the form of a cylindrical member.
A plurality of substantially V-shaped aligning grooves (four aligning grooves in the shown case) are formed on a flat working surface 33 of each of aligning unit members 30A and 30B at the central part of the latter. In addition, sheath receiving grooves 35 are formed on the opposite end sides of the aligning unit members 30A and 30B. Formation of the substantially V-shaped aligning grooves and the sheath receiving grooves 35 is achieved in the same manner as the preceding embodiments.
Outer inclined surfaces 36 of each aligning unit member are designed in the form of a truncated semiconical malethreaded surface of which center axis extends in parallel with the center line of each flat working surface 33 in such a __19- manner that the radius of each outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surface is gradually reduced from the central part of each aligning unit member toward the opposite ends of the same.
A pair of taper locking members 37 are used for the optical fiber splicer in the same manner as those in the first embodiment of the present invention with the exception that a through hole 38 of each taper locking member 37 is designed in the form of a truncated semiconical femalethreaded hole corresponding to the truncated semiconical male-threaded surface 36 of each aligning unit member.
With this construction, a process of assembling the foregoing components together is practiced in substantially the same manner as in the first embodiment of the present invention.
Specifically, the aligning unit members 30A and 30B are provisionally assembled together while maintaining a very small gap therebetween, and thereafter, sheathless optical fibers are inserted into the foregoing gap from the opposite sides until the foremost end faces of sheathless optical fibers come in close contact with those of opposed sheathless optical fibers. Subsequently, the taper locking members threadably fitted onto the aligning unit members 30A and 30B to firmly hold the sheathless optical fibers between the flat working surfaces 33 of both the aligning unit members 30A and -20 30B by threadable connection of male threads on each aligning member to female threads on each taper locking member.
Although illustration is neglected for the purpose of simplification, a combination of the aligning unit members 20A and 20B with the taper locking member 28 in the second embodiment shown in Fig. 8 may be modified in the same manner as the third embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 10. In this case, each of the aligning unit members 20A and 20B is designed in the form of a truncated semiconical malethreaded aligning unit member, while the taper locking member 28 is designed in the form of a taper locking member of which through hole has an inner truncated conical female-threaded surface.
Also in this case, a process of assembling together the foregoing components is achieved by threadable connection of male threads on each aligning unit member with female threads on the taper locking member.
While the present invention has been described above with respect to a few preferred embodiments thereof, it should of course be understood that the present invention should not be limited only to these embodiments but various changes - or modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
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Claims (10)
1. An optical fiber splicer for permanently or temporarily connecting at least one pair of optical fibers to each other while the foremost end face of one optical fiber is brought in close contact with that of the opposed optical f iber to make an optical connection therebetween, comprising; a first aligning unit member of which a flat working surface has at least one substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed to receive said optical fibers therein, said first aligning unit member including outer inclined surfaces on the opposite side to said flat working surface, said outer inclined surfaces slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of said optical fiber splicer in such a manner that the height of each outer inclined surface is gradually reduced from the central part of said first aligning unit member toward the opposite ends of the same, a second aligning unit member of which a flat working surface has at least one substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed to receive said optical fibers therein corresponding to said substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed on said flat working surface of said first aligning unit member, said second aligning unit member including outer inclined surfaces on the opposite side to said flat working surface, said outer inclined surfaces slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of said optical fiber splicer in the same manner as said outer inclined surfaces of said first aligning unit member, and a pair of taper locking members located on the opposite sides of said optical fiber splicer and adapted to be forcibly fitted onto said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member in the opposite direction relative to each other so as to allow said optical fibers received in said substantially V-shaped aligning grooves on said flat working surfaces of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member to be firmly held by the action of compressing forces each effective at a right angle relative to the inserting direction of said optical fibers, each of said taper locking members having a through hole formed therein which includes inner inclined surfaces corresponding to said outer inclined surfaces of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member.
2. The optical fiber splicer according to claim 1, wherein sheath receiving grooves are formed on both the sides of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member adjacent to said substantially V-shaped aligning grooves so as to allow sheaths of said optical fibers to be received therein.
3. The optical f iber splicer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a pair of fitting projections are projected upright from said flat working surface of each of said first aligning unit 1 member and said second aligning unit member and a pair of fitting recesses are formed on each of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member corresponding to said fitting projections so as to allow said first and second aligning unit members to be correctly located relative to each other when both the aligning unit nPiThers are assembled in face-to-face relationship while said fitting projections on said first aligning unit member are fitted into said fitting recesses on said second aligning unit member and vice versa.
4. The optical fiber splicer according to claim 1,2 or 3 wherei.r. o very small gap is provisionally formed between said flat working surfaces of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member before both the aligning unit members are completely assembled with each other.
5. The optical fiber splicer according to claim 4, wherein said gap is set to about 0.03 mm.
6. An optical fiber splicer for permanently or temporarily connecting at least one pair of optical fibers to each other while the foremost end face of one optical fiber is brought in close contact with that of the opposed optical fiber to make an optical connection therebetween, comprising; a first aligning unit member of which a flat working surface has at least one substantially V-shaped aligninggroove formed to receive said optical fibers therein, said first aligning unit member including an outer inclined surface on the opposite side to said flat working surface, said outer inclined surface slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of said optical fiber splicer in such a manner that the height of said outer inclined surface is gradually reduced from one end of said first aligning unit member toward the other end of the same, a second aligning unit member of which a flat working surface has at least one substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed to receive said optical fibers therein corresponding to said substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed on the first aligning unit member side, said second aligning unit member including an outer inclined surface on the opposite side to said flat working surface, said outer inclined surface slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of said optical fiber splicer in the same manner as said outer inclined surface of said first aligning unit member, and a taper locking member adapted to be forcibly fitted onto said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member in the fitting direction of said taper locking member so as to allow said optical fibers received in said substantially V-shaped aligning grooves on said flat working surfaces of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member to be firmly held by the action of compressing forces each effective at a right angle relative to the inserting direction of said optical fibers, said taper locking member having a through hole formed therein which includes inner inclined surfaces corresponding to said outer inclined surfaces of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member.
7. An optical fiber splicer for permanently or temporarily connecting at least one pair of optical fibers to each other while the foremost end face of one optical fiber is brought in close contact with that of the opposed optical fiber to make an optical connection therebetween, comprising; a first aligning unit member of which a flat working surface has at least one substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed to receive said optical fibers therein, said first aligning unit member including outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surfaces on the opposite side to said flat working surface, said outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surfaces slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of said optical fiber splicer in such a manner that the radius of each outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surface is gradually reduced from the central part of said first aligning unit member toward the opposite ends of the same, a second aligning unit member of which a flat working surface has at least one substantially V- shaped aligning groove formed to receive said optical fibers therein corresponding to said substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed on said flat working surface of said first aligning unit member, said second aligning unit member including outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surfaceson the opposite side to said flat working surface, said outer truncated semiconical malethreaded surfaces slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of said optical fiber splicer in the same manner as said outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surfaces of said first aligning unit member, and a pair of cylindrical locking members located on the opposite sides of said optical fiber splicer and adapted to-be threadably fitted onto said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member in the opposite direction relative to each other so as to allow said optical fibers received in said substantially V-shaped aligning grooves on said flat working surfaces of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member to be firmly held by the action of compressing forces each effective at a right angle relative to the inserting direction of said optical fibers, each of said cylindrical taper locking members having a through hole formed therein which includes an inner truncated semiconical female-threaded surface corresponding to said outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surface of each of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member.
8. An optical fiber splicer for permanently or temporarily connecting at least one pair of optical fibers to each other while the foremost end face of one optical fiber is brought in close contact with that of the opposed optical f iber to make an optical connection therebetween, comprising; a first aligning unit member of which a flat working surface has at least one substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed to receive said optical fibers therein, said first aligning unit member including an outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surface on the opposite side to said flat working surface, said outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surface slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of said optical fiber splicer in such a manner that the radius of said outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surface is gradually reduced from one end of said first aligning unit member toward the other end of the same, a second aligning unit member of which a flat working surface has at least one substantially V-shaped aligning groove formed to receive said optical fibers therein corresponding to said substantially V- shaped groove formed on said flat working surface of said first aligning unit member, said second aligning unit member including an outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surface on the opposite side to said flat working surface, said outer truncated semiconical malethreaded surface slantwise extending in the longitudinal direction of said optical fiber splicer in the same manner as said outer truncated semiconical male-threaded surface of said first aligning unit member, and a cylindrical taper locking member adapted to be threadably fitted onto said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member in the fitting direction of said cylindrical taper locking member so as to allow said optical fibers received in said substantially V-shaped aligning grooves on said flat working surfaces of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member to be firmly held by the action of compressing forces each effective at a right angle relative to the inserting direction of said optical fibers, said cylindrical taper locking member having a through hole formed therein which includes an inner truncated semiconical female-threaded surface corresponding to said outer male-threaded surfaces of said first aligning unit member and said second aligning unit member.
9. An optical fiber splicer for permanently or temporarily connecting at least two optical f ibers to make an optical:connection therebetween, comprising first and second aligning members each having a working surf ace provided with a longitudinally extending groove for receiving an optical fibre, the working surfaces of the first and second aligning members being arranged to be brought into facing relationship with the longitudinal grooves in alignment and the two optical fibers received therein in end-to-end relationship, the f irst and second aligning members each having an outer surface inclined relative to the longitudinal direction, and at least one locking member longitudinally movable on to the first and second aligning members and having at least one inner surface inclined relative to the longitudinal direction, whereby engagement of the inclined inner surface(s) of the locking member with the inclined outer surfaces of the first and second aligning members when the locking member is longitudinally moved on to the aligning members causes such members to be urged towards each other firmly to secure the optical fibers in the longitudinal grooves thereof.
10. An optical fiber splicer substantially as hereinbefore described with references to Figures 1 to 7 or Figures 8 and 9 or Figures 10 and 11 of the accompanying drawings.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| JP31143092A JPH06138345A (en) | 1992-10-27 | 1992-10-27 | Optical fiber splicer |
Publications (3)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB9315848D0 GB9315848D0 (en) | 1993-09-15 |
| GB2272536A true GB2272536A (en) | 1994-05-18 |
| GB2272536B GB2272536B (en) | 1996-02-28 |
Family
ID=18017116
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB9315848A Expired - Fee Related GB2272536B (en) | 1992-10-27 | 1993-07-30 | Optical fiber splicer |
Country Status (4)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPH06138345A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE4335861C2 (en) |
| FR (1) | FR2697350B1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2272536B (en) |
Families Citing this family (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP3540096B2 (en) * | 1996-05-30 | 2004-07-07 | 株式会社フジクラ | Optical fiber splicer |
| DE19830148C5 (en) * | 1998-07-06 | 2011-09-15 | Harting Electric Gmbh & Co. Kg | Connection element for a fiber optic cable |
| US7314317B2 (en) | 2004-03-25 | 2008-01-01 | Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba | Optical fiber connector and connecting method |
| JP4087856B2 (en) * | 2005-01-31 | 2008-05-21 | 株式会社ウラノス | Mechanical splice |
Citations (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4087158A (en) * | 1976-12-06 | 1978-05-02 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy | Low-loss single filament fiber optic connector with three concentric tapered members for each filaments |
| US4097129A (en) * | 1976-05-25 | 1978-06-27 | Gte Laboratories Incorporated | Coupling device for protectively jacketed fibers |
| US4447121A (en) * | 1981-11-06 | 1984-05-08 | Amp Incorporated | Connector for fiber optic member |
| US4458983A (en) * | 1981-10-05 | 1984-07-10 | Augat Inc. | Resilient ferrule connector |
| EP0324272A2 (en) * | 1987-12-25 | 1989-07-19 | Seiko Instruments Inc. | Connector for optical fiber ribbon and a method of attaching the same |
| US5005941A (en) * | 1989-09-05 | 1991-04-09 | Gte Products Corporation | Fiber optic splice assembly |
| US5115484A (en) * | 1990-12-27 | 1992-05-19 | Square D Company | Multipurpose optical fiber connector |
Family Cites Families (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4320938A (en) * | 1979-12-26 | 1982-03-23 | Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated | Resilient optical fiber connector |
| JPS5778009A (en) * | 1980-10-31 | 1982-05-15 | Inter Nitsukusu Kk | Connector for optical fiber |
| US4818058B1 (en) * | 1988-03-03 | 1995-04-25 | Bell Telephone Labor Inc | Optical connector. |
| US4946249A (en) * | 1989-09-05 | 1990-08-07 | Get Products Corporation | Fiber optic splice assembly |
| CA2020997A1 (en) * | 1989-10-02 | 1991-04-03 | Siecor Puerto Rico, Inc. | Fiber optic splice assembly |
-
1992
- 1992-10-27 JP JP31143092A patent/JPH06138345A/en active Pending
-
1993
- 1993-06-30 FR FR9307993A patent/FR2697350B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1993-07-30 GB GB9315848A patent/GB2272536B/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 1993-10-21 DE DE19934335861 patent/DE4335861C2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (7)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US4097129A (en) * | 1976-05-25 | 1978-06-27 | Gte Laboratories Incorporated | Coupling device for protectively jacketed fibers |
| US4087158A (en) * | 1976-12-06 | 1978-05-02 | The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy | Low-loss single filament fiber optic connector with three concentric tapered members for each filaments |
| US4458983A (en) * | 1981-10-05 | 1984-07-10 | Augat Inc. | Resilient ferrule connector |
| US4447121A (en) * | 1981-11-06 | 1984-05-08 | Amp Incorporated | Connector for fiber optic member |
| EP0324272A2 (en) * | 1987-12-25 | 1989-07-19 | Seiko Instruments Inc. | Connector for optical fiber ribbon and a method of attaching the same |
| US5005941A (en) * | 1989-09-05 | 1991-04-09 | Gte Products Corporation | Fiber optic splice assembly |
| US5115484A (en) * | 1990-12-27 | 1992-05-19 | Square D Company | Multipurpose optical fiber connector |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| DE4335861A1 (en) | 1994-04-28 |
| FR2697350A1 (en) | 1994-04-29 |
| FR2697350B1 (en) | 1996-08-02 |
| JPH06138345A (en) | 1994-05-20 |
| GB9315848D0 (en) | 1993-09-15 |
| DE4335861C2 (en) | 1999-06-17 |
| GB2272536B (en) | 1996-02-28 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCNP | Patent ceased through non-payment of renewal fee |
Effective date: 20060730 |