JP2018031917A - Optical connector and method for producing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector capable of suppressing degradation in optical characteristics by repeat of attachment and detachment, and to provide a method for producing the same.SOLUTION: An optical connector 10 has an optical fiber 11 which extends in a first direction A1 and removes coating of a tip portion 11b, a resin member 14 which has a light transmission portion that includes a lens portion positioned on an optical axis of the optical fiber 11 and faces a tip surface 11a of the optical fiber 11 and covers the tip portion 11b, a fiber insertion hole 12a that extends in the first direction A1 and to which the resin member 14 and the tip portion 11b are inserted, and a ferrule 12 which has a ferrule end surface 12b that includes an opening of the fiber insertion hole 12a and crosses the first direction A1. In the first direction A1, the light transmission section is positioned on the side of the fiber insertion hole 12a with respect to the ferrule end surface 12b of the ferrule 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector and a manufacturing method thereof.

  As an optical connector used for the connection of an optical fiber, there exists a thing described in patent document 1, for example. In the optical connector described in Patent Document 1, the connection end faces of the two connector bodies inserted so that the end faces of the optical fibers are exposed are abutted against each other. That is, the end faces of the optical fibers are abutted against each other. The end face of the optical fiber is concavely curved with respect to the connection end face of the connector body, and the peripheral edge of the end face of the optical fiber is in contact with the connection end face of the connector body.

JP-A-6-289254 JP 2003-255184 A JP 2003-166464 A JP 2006-066182 A JP 2012-3245 A JP 2000-137143 A JP 2014-38128 A

  In the optical connector, when the end face of the optical fiber is brought into contact with the end face of the counterpart optical fiber, the end face of the optical fiber may be damaged if the optical connector is repeatedly attached and detached. Since the end face of the optical fiber enters or emits light, if the end face of the optical fiber is damaged by such repeated attachment and detachment, the optical coupling efficiency is lowered and the optical characteristics are deteriorated. Therefore, for example, an optical connector described in Patent Document 1 is provided. However, in the optical connector described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to make the radius of curvature of the end face of the optical fiber curved in a concave shape extremely small. It is difficult to manage such an extremely small radius of curvature because of molding convenience.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector capable of suppressing deterioration of optical characteristics due to repeated attachment and detachment, and a method for manufacturing the same.

  In order to solve the above-described problem, an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an optical fiber that extends in the first direction and from which the coating on the tip is removed, and a lens that is positioned on the optical axis of the optical fiber. A resin member covering the tip, a through-hole extending along the first direction and into which the resin member and the tip are inserted, and a through-hole And a ferrule having a front end face that intersects the first direction, and in the first direction, the light transmission part is located on the through hole side with respect to the front end face of the ferrule.

  According to the optical connector and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the optical characteristics due to repeated attachment and detachment.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an optical connection structure including an optical connector according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a cross section along a connection direction of a pair of optical connectors. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the front end surface of the ferrule included in the optical connector. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a modification in the vicinity of the front end surface of the ferrule included in the optical connector. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C are diagrams showing respective steps of a method for producing a ferrule that holds the tip portion of the optical fiber and the resin member. FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C are diagrams showing each step of a method for producing a ferrule that holds the tip portion of the optical fiber and the resin member. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C are diagrams showing respective steps of a method for producing a ferrule that holds the tip portion of the optical fiber and the resin member. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an OCT apparatus to which the optical connection structure is applied.

[Description of Embodiment of the Present Invention]
First, the contents of the embodiment of the present invention will be listed and described. An optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an optical fiber that extends in a first direction and from which a coating on a distal end portion is removed, and a distal end surface of the optical fiber that includes a lens portion positioned on the optical axis of the optical fiber; Crossing the first direction, including a resin member that has an opposing light transmission portion and covers the tip portion, a through hole that extends along the first direction and into which the resin member and the tip portion are inserted, and an opening in the through hole And in the first direction, the light transmission portion is positioned on the through hole side with respect to the front end surface of the ferrule.

  In the above optical connector, the light transmitting portion of the resin member is in close contact with the front end surface of the optical fiber, and in the first direction that is the extending direction of the optical fiber, the light transmitting portion is relative to the front end surface of the ferrule. Located on the through hole side. As a result, when the optical connector is connected, the front end surface of the ferrule is in contact with the mating optical connector, and the end surface of the optical fiber and the light transmitting portion are unlikely to contact the mating optical connector. Therefore, it is possible to suppress deterioration of optical characteristics due to damage to end faces located on the optical path, such as the end face of the optical fiber and the end face of the light transmitting portion. Further, unlike the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the management of the dimension from the front end face of the ferrule to the end face of the light transmitting portion is easy in molding, and this end is the same as the other end optical connector. It can be determined to the extent that it does not come into contact with. Therefore, according to the optical connector described above, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of the optical characteristics caused by repeated attachment and detachment.

  In the above optical connector, the resin member may further include a front end surface that is flush with the front end surface of the ferrule, and the light transmitting portion may constitute a bottom surface of a recess formed in the front end surface. Thereby, the dimension from the front end surface of the ferrule to the end surface of the light transmission part can be managed with higher accuracy.

  In the above optical connector, the normal direction of the front end surface of the optical fiber may be inclined with respect to the optical axis of the optical fiber. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the reflected return light in the front end surface of an optical fiber and the surface of the light transmission part facing this front end surface can be suppressed.

  In the above optical connector, the tip surface of the optical fiber may be perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber. In the above optical connector, the tip end face of the optical fiber and the light transmitting portion are in close contact with each other, so that the reflected return light is relatively small even with such a configuration. Therefore, it is possible to easily form the tip surface of the optical fiber while suppressing the reflected return light.

  An optical connector manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention is any one of the optical connector manufacturing methods described above, the step of accommodating the tip of the optical fiber in a mold for forming a resin member, A step of injecting a resin into the mold and curing the resin to form a resin member integrated with the tip, and a step of inserting and fixing the resin member and the tip into the through-hole of the ferrule. . By such a method, it is possible to easily form the resin member integrally with the tip portion of the optical fiber. Furthermore, since a gap is hardly generated between the front end surface of the optical fiber and the resin member, it is possible to suppress the generation of reflected return light due to Fresnel reflection.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
Specific examples of the optical connector and the manufacturing method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and intends that all the changes within the meaning and range equivalent to the claim are included. In the following description, the same reference numerals are given to the same elements in the description of the drawings, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of an optical connection structure 1A including an optical connector 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a cross section along a connection direction of a pair of optical connectors 10. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the front end surface of the ferrule 12 included in the optical connector 10. The optical connection structure 1 </ b> A of the present embodiment includes a pair of optical connectors 10 that are connected to face each other along the first direction A <b> 1 and an adapter 50 that accommodates the pair of optical connectors 10. In addition, since the structure of a pair of optical connector 10 is mutually the same, in the following description, the structure of one optical connector 10 is mainly demonstrated.

  The optical connector 10 includes a ferrule 12, a resin member 14, a flange member 16, a coil spring 18, and a housing 20. The ferrule 12 is a substantially cylindrical member having the first direction A1 as the central axis direction, and is made of an inorganic material (ceramics) such as zirconia, for example. The ferrule 12 has a fiber insertion hole 12 a that is a through hole into which the distal end portion 11 b of the optical fiber 11 and the resin member 14 are inserted, and the fiber insertion hole 12 a extends on the central axis of the ferrule 12. By inserting the distal end portion 11b of the optical fiber 11 and the resin member 14 into the fiber insertion hole 12a, the distal end portion 11b and the resin member 14 are held. Further, the ferrule 12 has a flat ferrule end surface 12b which is a tip surface at one end on the other optical connector 10 side in the first direction A1. The ferrule end surface 12b includes the opening of the fiber insertion hole 12a and intersects (for example, orthogonally) with the first direction A1. The peripheral edge portion of the ferrule end surface 12b is notched and tapered. The other end of the ferrule 12 in the first direction A1 is fixed to the flange member 16, whereby the ferrule 12 is supported by the flange member 16.

  The resin member 14 is a member that covers the distal end portion 11b of the optical fiber 11, and has a substantially cylindrical shape with one end side closed. The front end portion 11b of the optical fiber 11 is a bare fiber from which the pre-coated resin film 11f has been removed, and the resin member 14 is a re-coated resin provided in close contact with the surface of the bare fiber. The resin member 14 covers the bare fiber portion of the optical fiber 11 and is continuously formed from a pre-coated resin film 11f. In other words, the rear end of the resin member 14 is in contact with the front end of the pre-coated resin film 11f. The diameter of the bare fiber is, for example, 125 μm, the diameter of the resin film coated in advance (that is, the diameter of the optical fiber core wire) is 250 μm, and the diameter of the resin member 14 is also 250 μm, which is the same as that of the optical fiber core wire.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the resin member 14 has a light transmission portion 14 a that allows an optical path L <b> 1 extending from the distal end surface 11 a of the optical fiber 11 to pass on one end side of the cylindrical shape. The light transmissive portion 14a is made of a light transmissive material, for example, a transparent resin. The entire resin member 14 may be made of a light transmissive material. The light transmitting portion 14 a is disposed on the other optical connector 10 side with respect to the front end surface 11 a of the optical fiber 11, and has a back surface 14 b that faces the front end surface 11 a of the optical fiber 11. The back surface 14b of the light transmitting portion 14a is in close contact with the distal end surface 11a of the optical fiber 11 without a gap. In one example, the front end surface 11 a of the optical fiber 11 is perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber 11. Therefore, the back surface 14b of the light transmission portion 14a is also perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber 11. Alternatively, in order to prevent reflected return light, the normal line of the distal end surface 11a of the optical fiber 11 may be inclined with respect to the optical axis of the optical fiber 11, as shown in FIG. In this case, the normal line of the back surface 14 b of the light transmission part 14 a is also inclined with respect to the optical axis of the optical fiber 11. The inclination angle is 8 °, for example.

  The light transmitting portion 14 a includes a lens portion 14 c that is optically coupled to the optical fiber 11. The lens portion 14 c collimates the light emitted from the optical fiber 11 and condenses light incident on the optical fiber 11 from the other optical connector 10. In this embodiment, the lens part 14c is integrally molded with the other part of the light transmission part 14a in the end surface 14e by the side of the other optical connector 10 in the light transmission part 14a. That is, the lens portion 14c is configured by a substantially hemispherical convex portion formed on the end surface 14e on the optical connector 10 side of the light transmitting portion 14a. That is, in the light transmission part 14a, the tip of the lens part 14c is the part closest to the other optical connector 10. The beam diameter and the beam divergence angle are adjusted according to the shape of the lens portion 14 c and the distance between the lens portion 14 c and the distal end surface 11 a of the optical fiber 11.

  In the first direction A1, the light transmission part 14a is located on the fiber insertion hole 12a side with respect to the ferrule end face 12b. In other words, the ferrule end surface 12b is located on the other optical connector 10 side with respect to the light transmitting portion 14a. In this embodiment, the resin member 14 further has a front end surface 14d that is flush with the ferrule end surface 12b, and the end surface 14e of the light transmitting portion 14a constitutes the bottom surface of the recess formed in the front end surface 14d. . When viewed from the first direction A <b> 1, the shape of the bottom surface of the recess is a circular shape centered on the optical axis of the optical fiber 11.

  A specific constituent material of the resin member 14 is, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin.

  The flange member 16 is a member that supports the other end of the ferrule 12, and is made of, for example, metal. The flange member 16 has a cylindrical shape extending in the first direction A1, and has a through hole through which the optical fiber 11 passes. The flange member 16 has an end face 16a on the other optical fiber 11 side in the first direction A1. The ferrule 12 is supported on the end face 16a.

  The coil spring 18 is an elastic member that biases the flange member 16 toward the other optical connector 10 in the first direction A1. One end of the coil spring 18 is in contact with the flange member 16, and the other end is supported by a housing 20 described later.

  The housing 20 is a container that accommodates the ferrule 12, the resin member 14, the flange member 16, and the coil spring 18 described above. The housing 20 includes an inner housing 21 and an outer housing 22. The inner housing 21 houses the ferrule 12, the resin member 14, the flange member 16, and the coil spring 18. The outer housing 22 covers the inner housing 21 and is fitted to an adapter 50 described later.

  The adapter 50 is a member that holds the pair of optical connectors 10 in a state of being connected to each other. The adapter 50 extends in the first direction A1, and has an opening 52 that receives one optical connector 10 on one end side in the first direction A1, and an opening that receives the other optical connector 10 on the other end side in the first direction A1. Part 53. The adapter 50 further includes a cylindrical split sleeve 51 having a central axis extending in the first direction A1. When one optical connector 10 is inserted into the opening 52, the ferrule 12 of the optical connector 10 is inserted from one side of the split sleeve 51 and fitted with the split sleeve 51. When the other optical connector 10 is inserted into the opening 53, the ferrule 12 of the optical connector 10 is inserted from the other side of the split sleeve 51 and fitted with the split sleeve 51. These ferrules 12 abut against each other inside the split sleeve 51. Specifically, the end faces (ferrule end faces 12b) of these ferrules 12 in the first direction A1 are in contact with each other. As a result, a gap is formed between the one light transmission part 14a and the other light transmission part 14a, and these light transmission parts 14a face each other through this gap and are optically coupled.

  Here, the manufacturing method of the ferrule 12 holding the front end portion 11b and the resin member 14 among the manufacturing methods of the optical connector 10 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4C, FIG. 5A to FIG. 5C, and FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C are diagrams showing each step of this manufacturing method. First, as shown in FIG. 4A, an optical fiber core wire 11A in which a coating resin 11d is provided on a glass fiber 11c is prepared. Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a part of the coating resin 11d of the optical fiber core wire 11A is removed, and the glass fiber 11c is exposed to form a bare fiber 11e. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4C, the bare fiber 11e is cut at a position of a predetermined length from the end of the coating resin 11d. At this time, the cut surface of the bare fiber 11e becomes the tip surface 11a shown in FIG. 2, and the remaining bare fiber 11e becomes the tip portion 11b shown in FIG. The cut surface of the bare fiber 11e may be cut so as to be perpendicular to the optical axis (center axis) of the bare fiber 11e, and the cut surface is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. May be polished.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5C, the ferrule 12 and the resin member 14 are integrally molded using a direct mold manufacturing method. In this step, first, as shown in FIG. 5A, the bare fiber 11 e is accommodated in a mold 40 for forming the resin member 14. Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, a resin 41 is injected into the mold 40, and after the resin 41 is cured, the resin 41 is taken out from the mold 40. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 5C, the resin member 14 integrated with the bare fiber 11e is formed.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 6A to 6C, the bare fiber 11 e covered with the resin member 14 is inserted into the fiber insertion hole 12 a of the ferrule 12 and fixed. In this step, first, as shown in FIG. 6A, the bare fiber 11e covered with the resin member 14 is passed through the fiber insertion hole 12a. At this time, it is preferable that the bare fiber 11e covered with the resin member 14 passes through the fiber insertion hole 12a and reaches the outside of the ferrule 12. Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, an adhesive 42 is applied to the outer peripheral surface of the resin member 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the bare fiber 11e covered with the resin member 14 is pulled back into the fiber insertion hole 12a, and the adhesive 42 is cured. Through the above steps, the ferrule 12 that holds the tip portion 11b and the resin member 14 can be suitably manufactured.

  The effects obtained by the optical connector 10 according to the present embodiment described above will be described. In the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment, the light transmitting portion 14a of the resin member 14 is in close contact with the distal end surface 11a of the optical fiber 11, and the light transmitting portion is in the first direction A1 that is the extending direction of the optical fiber 11. 14a is located in the fiber insertion hole 12a side with respect to the ferrule end surface 12b. Thereby, when the optical connector 10 is connected, the ferrule end surface 12b comes into contact with the mating optical connector 10, and the tip surface 11a of the optical fiber 11 and the end surface 14e of the light transmitting portion 14a are unlikely to come into contact with the mating optical connector 10. Therefore, it is possible to suppress deterioration of optical characteristics due to damage to end faces located on the optical path, such as the end face 11a of the optical fiber 11 and the end face 14e of the light transmitting portion 14a. Further, unlike the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the management of the dimension from the ferrule end face 12b to the end face 14e of the light transmitting portion 14a is easy in molding, and the end face 14e is connected to the counterpart optical connector 10 in terms of molding. It can be determined to the extent that it does not touch. Therefore, according to the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment, it is possible to suppress the deterioration of optical characteristics caused by repeated attachment and detachment.

  In the present embodiment, since a general-purpose ferrule 12 can be used, the configuration of the present embodiment can be applied to a general-purpose optical connector such as an SC connector, FC connector, MU connector, or LC connector.

  In addition, as in the present embodiment, the resin member 14 further includes a front end surface 14d that is flush with the ferrule end surface 12b, and the end surface 14e of the light transmitting portion 14a has a bottom surface of a recess formed in the front end surface 14d. It may be configured. In this case, since the distance between the inner surface of the mold 40 that forms the ferrule end surface 12b and the front end surface 14d and the inner surface of the mold 40 that forms the front end surface 14d can be accurately defined, light is transmitted from the ferrule end surface 12b. The dimension to the end surface 14e of the part 14a can be managed with higher accuracy.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the normal line direction of the distal end surface 11 a of the optical fiber 11 may be inclined with respect to the optical axis of the optical fiber 11. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the reflected return light by Fresnel reflection in the front end surface 11a of the optical fiber 11 and the back surface 14b of the light transmission part 14a facing this front end surface 11a can be suppressed.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, the tip surface 11 a of the optical fiber 11 may be perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber 11. In the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment, the distal end surface 11a of the optical fiber 11 and the light transmitting portion 14a are in close contact with each other, so that the reflected return light is relatively small even with such a configuration. Therefore, it is possible to easily form the tip surface 11a while suppressing the reflected return light and making it unnecessary to obliquely polish the tip surface 11a of the optical fiber 11.

  Further, as in the present embodiment, the method for manufacturing the optical connector 10 includes the step of housing the tip end portion 11b (bare fiber 11e) of the optical fiber 11 in the mold 40 for forming the resin member 14, and the mold. The resin 41 is injected into the resin 40 and the resin 41 is cured to form the resin member 14 integrated with the tip portion 11b. The resin member 14 and the tip portion 11b are inserted into the fiber insertion hole 12a of the ferrule 12. And fixing. By such a method, the resin member 14 can be easily formed integrally with the distal end portion 11b of the optical fiber 11. Furthermore, since a gap is not easily generated between the distal end surface 11a of the optical fiber 11 and the resin member 14, generation of reflected return light due to Fresnel reflection can be suppressed. Moreover, generation | occurrence | production of the bubble in the resin member 14 and foreign material mixing can be prevented, and optical loss can be reduced. Further, since the resin member 14 is in close contact with the distal end portion 11b, peeling of the resin member 14 from the distal end portion 11b can be reduced. Furthermore, since the relative position between the optical fiber 11 and the lens portion 14c can be accurately formed by the mold 40, the optical axis of the optical fiber 11 and the optical axis of the lens portion 14c can be made to coincide with each other with high accuracy.

  In the techniques described in Patent Documents 2 and 4, a light transmissive member is interposed between the end face of the optical fiber and the ball lens. In such a configuration, since the light transmissive member contacts the end face of the optical fiber, the end face of the optical fiber may be damaged and the optical characteristics may be deteriorated by repeatedly attaching and detaching the optical connector. In the technique described in Patent Document 6, a light-transmitting elastic body is deposited on the end face of the optical fiber. In such a configuration, the surface of the elastic body may be damaged by repeatedly attaching and detaching the optical connector, and the optical characteristics may be deteriorated. According to the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment, these problems can be solved, and deterioration of optical characteristics caused by repeated attachment and detachment can be suppressed.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of an OCT (Optical Coherence Tomography) apparatus 100 to which the optical connection structure is applied. The OCT apparatus 100 includes an optical probe (catheter) 110 and a measurement unit 130, and acquires an optical coherence tomographic image of the target region 103.

  The optical probe 110 includes a proximal end 110a, a distal end 110b, and a handpiece 116 disposed between the proximal end 110a and the distal end 110b. The optical probe 110 includes an optical fiber 11 that transmits light between the proximal end 110a and the distal end 110b. The optical fiber 11 is optically connected to the measurement unit 130 at the proximal end 110a, and the optical connection structure 1A of the first embodiment is applied to the connection portion. The OCT apparatus 100 rotates the optical fiber 11 at the distal end 110b by rotating the optical connection structure 1A. By scanning the observation light in the circumferential direction, the OCT apparatus 100 acquires an optical coherence tomographic image of a predetermined range of the target region 103.

  The measurement unit 130 detects a light source 131 that generates light, a light branching unit 132 that bifurcates the light emitted from the light source 131 and outputs it as observation light and reference light, and light that has arrived from the light branching unit 132. Detected by the photodetector 133, the optical terminal 134 that outputs the reference light that has arrived from the optical branching unit 132, the reflecting mirror 135 that reflects the reference light output from the optical terminal 134 to the optical terminal 134, and the photodetector 133 And an output port 137 that outputs the result of the analysis by the analysis unit 136.

  The light output from the light source 131 in the measurement unit 130 is branched into two by the light branching unit 132 and output as observation light (L2 in the figure) and reference light. The observation light output from the optical branching unit 132 is incident on the proximal end 110a of the optical fiber 11 through the optical connection structure, is guided by the optical fiber 11 and is emitted from the distal end 110b, and is incident on the target region 103. Irradiated. The back-reflected light generated in response to the observation light irradiation on the target portion 103 is incident on the distal end 110b of the optical fiber 11, guided by the optical fiber 11, and emitted from the proximal end 110a. It is coupled to the photodetector 133 through the connection structure and the optical branching unit 132. The light generated from the light source 131 includes infrared light used as observation light and reference light, and visible light used as guide light. The guide light is light for the operator to recognize the irradiation position of the observation light, and is emitted from the distal end 110b in the same manner as the observation light.

  The reference light output from the optical branching unit 132 is emitted from the optical terminal 134, reflected by the reflecting mirror 135, and coupled to the photodetector 133 through the optical terminal 134 and the optical branching unit 132. The back reflected light from the target portion 103 and the reference light interfere with each other at the photodetector 133, and this interference light is detected by the photodetector 133. The spectrum of the interference light is input to the analysis unit 136. The analysis unit 136 analyzes the spectrum of the interference light, and calculates the distribution of the back reflection efficiency at each point inside the target region 103. A tomographic image of the target region 103 is calculated based on the calculation result, and is output from the output port 137 as an image signal.

  Strictly speaking, the mechanism in which the observation light emitted from the distal end 110b of the optical fiber 11 returns to the distal end 110b of the optical fiber 11 again through the target portion 103 includes reflection, refraction, and scattering. However, since these differences are not essential to the present invention, these are collectively referred to as back reflection for the sake of brevity.

  The optical probe 110 surrounds the optical fiber 11 and extends along the optical fiber 11 on the proximal end 110a side of the handpiece 116, and surrounds the support tube 114 and extends along the support tube 114. A jacket tube 115. The optical fiber 11 is fixed to the support tube 114 with an adhesive or the like, and can be rotated together with the support tube 114. The jacket tube 115 is connected to the measurement unit 130 at the proximal end, and is connected to the handpiece 116 at the distal end. The handpiece 116 is a portion that is grasped by the operator.

  For example, in a medical imaging system such as the OCT apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, an optical probe 110 containing an optical fiber 11 is connected to a measurement unit 130 and used. In many cases, the optical probe 110 is disposable and is replaced with a new optical probe 110 after a single use. Therefore, connection and removal of the optical connector on the optical probe 110 side are repeated. On the other hand, the use of the optical connector on the measurement unit 130 side is continued. Therefore, when the conventional optical connection structure in which the end faces of the optical fibers are in contact with each other is used, if the optical connector on the optical probe 110 side is repeatedly attached and detached, the end face of the optical fiber of the optical connector on the measurement unit 130 side is damaged. In addition, the optical characteristics may be deteriorated. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the optical connection structure 1A of the first embodiment is used, it is possible to effectively suppress the deterioration of the optical characteristics caused by repeated attachment and detachment.

  The optical connector and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention are not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various other modifications are possible. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the present invention is applied to a single-core fiber optical connector, but the present invention may be applied to a multi-core fiber optical connector. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the resin member is formed in one optical fiber inserted in a single core ferrule, a resin member is formed in each of the some optical fiber inserted in a multi-core ferrule. Also good.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1A ... Optical connection structure, 10 ... Optical connector, 11 ... Optical fiber, 11A ... Optical fiber core wire, 11a ... End surface, 11b ... End part, 11c ... Glass fiber, 11d ... Coating resin, 11e ... Bare fiber, 12 ... Ferrule, 12a ... Fiber insertion hole, 12b ... Ferrule end face, 14 ... Resin member, 14a ... Light transmission part, 14b ... Back face, 14c ... Lens part, 14d ... Front end face, 14e ... End face (of light transmission part), 16 ... Flange member, 16a ... End face, 20 ... Housing, 21 ... Inner housing, 22 ... Outer housing, 40 ... Mold, 41 ... Resin, 42 ... Adhesive, 50 ... Adapter, 51 ... Split sleeve, 52, 53 ... Opening Part, 100... OCT apparatus, A1... First direction, L1.

Claims (5)

An optical fiber extending in the first direction and having the coating on the tip removed;
A resin member that includes a lens portion that is located on the optical axis of the optical fiber and that has a light transmission portion that faces the tip surface of the optical fiber, and covers the tip portion;
A ferrule extending along the first direction and including a through hole into which the resin member and the tip end portion are inserted, and a front end surface that includes the opening of the through hole and intersects the first direction;
With
The optical connector in which the light transmission part is located on the through hole side with respect to the front end surface of the ferrule in the first direction. The resin member further has a front end surface that is flush with the front end surface of the ferrule,
The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the light transmissive portion constitutes a bottom surface of a recess formed in the front end surface.   The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein a normal direction of the tip surface of the optical fiber is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the optical fiber.   The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the tip surface of the optical fiber is perpendicular to the optical axis of the optical fiber. It is a manufacturing method of the optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Accommodating the tip of the optical fiber in a mold for forming the resin member;
Injecting resin into the mold, curing the resin, and forming the resin member integrated with the tip; and
Inserting and fixing the resin member and the tip portion into the through-hole of the ferrule;
A method for manufacturing an optical connector, comprising:

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