JP2000147316A - Tool for butt connection of optical fibers - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tool for butt connection of optical fibers which may be produced at a low cost with a simple mechanism and is capable of easily switching fiber cords and multiple fibers. SOLUTION: A mechanical splice holding part 25 is freely rotatably provided with a holder base 32 for holding fiber cord or multiple fiber optical fibers and butting both optical fibers within mechanical splices 1 and 11. A fiber cord optical fiber holder holding part 34 holding the single core optical fiber holder and a multiple fiber optical fiber holder holding part 35 for holding the multiple fiber optical fiber holder are discretely formed at the holder base 32 and are made freely switchable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical fiber butt connection tool for easily connecting single or multiple optical fiber core wires by butt connection.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of communications, optical fibers capable of high-speed and large-capacity transmission have become the mainstream of transmission lines in recent years.
Almost all of the medium- and long-distance trunk lines have already been replaced with optical fiber cables from conventional metal cables. Further, several years later, efforts are being made at a rapid pace to realize an optical subscriber transmission system in which a line to each home is converted to an optical fiber.

Conventionally, fusion splicing has been performed for connecting optical fibers. Fusion splicing is highly reliable because it melts the butted surface of the optical fiber for connection, but on the other hand, it takes time to reinforce after joining, and the equipment is expensive and requires a power supply. There was a problem.

[0004] Therefore, a mechanical splice has been devised in which a single-core or multi-core optical fiber is abutted and fixed and connected.

In this mechanical splice, the insertion angle of the optical fiber from both ends differs depending on whether the optical fiber to be connected is single-core or multi-core. The connection of the optical fiber was performed using the matching connection tool 51.

This optical fiber butt connection tool 51
Are mechanical splice holders 52 for holding mechanical splices, and mechanical splice holders 5
A holder stand 53 connected to both ends of the optical fiber 2 for holding a single-core or multi-core optical fiber and abutting both optical fibers in a mechanical splice is provided.

[0007] The optical fiber is peeled at its tip and terminal-treated, and is supported by an optical fiber holder. The optical fiber holder is held on a holder base 53. The holder base 53 is provided with a spring 54 and a pin 55 connected to the spring 54 and protruding above the holder base 53. With this spring force, the optical fiber holder is pressed against the mechanical splice holder 52. ing.

By the way, when a single-core optical fiber is inserted into a mechanical splice, it is only necessary to insert the optical fiber substantially horizontally into the mechanical splice. However, when a multi-core optical fiber is inserted into the mechanical splice, the single-core optical fiber is inserted into the mechanical splice. It is necessary to insert the optical fiber obliquely so as to press it from above. This is for aligning a plurality of core wires with each guide V-groove of the mechanical splice.

In view of this, the holder base 53 has a mechanical splice holding part provided on a base 56 on which the mechanical splice holding part 52 is pivotally supported via a pin 57. There is provided a cam mechanism 58 for inclining the cam. The cam mechanism 58 has a rotating body 59 having a substantially elliptical contact surface with the base 56. By rotating the rotating body 59, the holder base 53 is inclined.

As the optical fiber holder, a holder which has been frequently used in the conventional fusion work is used. This is because it is more cost-effective than newly developing a dedicated mechanical splice. However, in the conventional optical fiber holder for fusion, the clamping position of the optical fiber with respect to the width direction is shifted from the center due to the relationship with the fusion splicer. Is different.
Therefore, in the optical fiber butt connection tool 51 described above,
It was necessary to switch the center position of the holder stand 53 with respect to the center axis of the mechanical splice between a single core and multiple cores.

Therefore, the screw 61 is provided inside the holder base 53.
Are provided in the width direction, the screw 61 is screwed to the base 56 side, and by rotating the screw 61, the holder base 53 is moved in the width direction.

[0012]

However, the above-described optical fiber butt connection tool 51 has a problem that the number of components such as the cam mechanism 58 and the screw 61 is large, the mechanism is complicated, and the manufacturing cost is increased. there were.

Although the pressing force applied to the optical fiber holder should be changed between a single fiber and a multi-core fiber to equalize the butting force applied to the optical fiber butting portion of each fiber, In the butt connection tool 51, it was difficult to provide a mechanism for changing the pressing force of the optical fiber holder in terms of space.

For this reason, it is conceivable to replace the holder base between a single-core case and a multi-core case. However, this method has an advantage that the mechanism is simplified, but the method is simple at a high position of a utility pole. Since it is necessary to frequently switch between the mind and the multi-heart, and the work is troublesome, it was not realistic.

The present invention has been devised in order to solve the above problems, and has as its object to be able to manufacture at a low cost with a simple mechanism and to easily switch between a single core and multiple cores. It is an object of the present invention to provide a tool for optical fiber butt connection which can be used.

[0016]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a mechanical splice holder for holding a mechanical splice for connecting single-core or multi-core optical fibers while abutting each other. An optical fiber butt connection tool comprising: a holder base for holding a single-core or multi-core optical fiber connected to both ends of a mechanical splice holding portion and abutting both optical fibers in the mechanical splice; The base is rotatably provided on the mechanical splice holder, and the holder holder holds the single-core optical fiber holder and the single-core optical fiber holder holds the multi-core optical fiber holder. The parts are formed separately, and these can be switched freely.

According to the above arrangement, the single-core optical fiber holder holding portion for holding the single-core optical fiber holder on the holder base and the multi-core optical fiber holder holding portion for holding the multi-core optical fiber holder are separated. In this case, the difference between the shift amount and the angle of each optical fiber can be easily set at the time of processing the holder base, and the number of parts can be reduced. Furthermore, since the spring force for pressing the optical fiber holder can be changed in advance, the pressing force can be changed between a single core and multiple cores. In addition, the holder base is rotatably provided on the mechanical splice holder, and the rotation can be switched between single-core and multi-core, so that the switching can be easily and reliably performed.

Preferably, the mechanical splice holder is provided on a base, and the base is provided with a magnet for fixing the holder base at a switching position between the single core and the multiple core.

[0019]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view, a side view and a front view showing an embodiment of an optical fiber butt connection tool according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an optical fiber holder, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a mechanical splice for an optical fiber, FIG. 4 is a perspective view and a sectional view showing a use state of a mechanical splice for a single-core optical fiber, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a mechanical splice for a multi-core optical fiber. FIG. 6 and FIG. 6 are a perspective view and a sectional view showing a use state of a mechanical splice for a multi-core optical fiber.

First, the structure of the mechanical splice 1 for a single-core optical fiber will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a mechanical splice 1 for a single-core optical fiber has a substrate 3 divided inside a clamp spring 2 having a U-shaped cross section.
V-grooves 6 for aligning the optical axis of the single-core optical fiber 5 are formed in a row on the division surface 4 of the substrate 3 along the longitudinal direction. Tapered portions 10 for guiding the single-core optical fiber 5 to the V-groove 6 are formed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 3.

A wedge insertion groove 7 is formed at the end of the divided surface 4 of the substrate 3 on the open side of the clamp spring 2. By inserting a wedge 8 into the wedge insertion groove 7, Each substrate 3 is opened up and down in opposition to the gap 9
Is formed. The single-core optical fiber 5 having been subjected to terminal treatment is inserted into the gap 9 from both ends through the tapered portion 10, butted in the V-groove 6, the wedge 8 is removed, and the single-core optical fiber 5 is clamped between the substrates 3. Fixed and connected.

Next, the structure of the mechanical splice 11 for a multi-core optical fiber will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a mechanical splice 11 for multiple cores (here, four cores are taken as an example).
In the same manner as the mechanical splice 1 for a single core, a divided substrate 13 is provided inside a clamp spring 12 having a U-shaped cross section. A plurality of rows (four rows in this case) of V-grooves 16 for aligning the optical axis of the multi-core optical fiber 15 are formed on the divided surface 14 of the substrate 13 along the longitudinal direction thereof. At both ends in the longitudinal direction of the substrate 13, guide V-grooves 20 which are open at the top to guide the multi-core optical fiber 15 into the V-groove 16 are formed.

As in the case of the mechanical splice 1, a wedge insertion groove 17 is formed at the end of the divided surface 14 of the substrate 13 on the open side of the clamp spring 12, and a wedge 18 is inserted into the wedge insertion groove 17. By doing so, each substrate 13 is opened against the clamp spring 12 and the gap 19
Is formed. After the terminally processed multi-core optical fiber 15 is inserted into the gap 19 from obliquely above the guide V-grooves 20 at both ends and butted in the V-groove 16, the wedge 1
8 is removed, and the multi-core optical fiber 15 is sandwiched between the substrates 13 to be fixed and connected.

As shown in FIG. 2, the optical fiber holder 21
Is a box-shaped clamp portion 22 that clamps and supports the single-core optical fiber 5 or the multi-core optical fiber 15 along its axial direction.
It is constituted by.

Next, the configuration of the optical fiber butt connection tool 23 according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, a base 24 having a flat cross shape is provided.
Is provided with a mechanical splice holder 25 for holding the mechanical splices 1 and 11. The mechanical splice holder 25 is formed to be horizontally long in the left-right direction in FIG.
The L-shaped take-out lever 31 for pushing out and holding the held mechanical splices 1 and 11 from below is provided at the bottom thereof.

The mechanical splice holding portions 25 are provided with the substrates 3, 1
A substrate separation mechanism 26 that separates 3 is provided. The substrate separating mechanism 26 is provided with a mechanical splice 1, 11
Wedge 2 inserted from the side into wedge insertion grooves 7, 17
7 and a wedge slide device 28 for pushing the wedge 27 into the wedge insertion grooves 7 and 17.

The wedge slide device 28 is provided with a wedge
The wedge 27 is provided with an external thread (not shown) along the axial direction of the wedge insertion / extraction lever 29, and the wedge 27 is provided with an internal thread (not shown). Is screwed into. That is, when the wedge insertion / removal lever 29 is rotated, the wedge 27 moves. The wedge insertion / removal lever 29 is provided with a lever stopper 30 for regulating the rotation angle.

On both sides of the mechanical splice holder 25 in the longitudinal direction, holders for holding single-core or multi-core optical fibers 5 and 15 and abutting both optical fibers 5 and 15 in the mechanical splices 1 and 11 are provided. A table 32 is provided. The holder base 32 is rotatably connected to both ends of the mechanical splice holder 25 around the longitudinal direction thereof.

The holder base 32 is supported by a rotating shaft 33 extending from the mechanical splice holder 25, and is formed in a box shape with one corner chamfered in an arc shape.

On one side surface of the holder base 32, a single-core optical fiber holder holding portion 34 for holding the single-core optical fiber holder 21 is formed. A multi-core optical fiber holder holding portion 35 for holding the multi-core optical fiber holder 21 is separately formed on the other side which intersects at right angles next to this side. In the drawing, the left and right holder bases 32 are shown for single-core and multi-core, respectively, but they are unified for actual use.

The single-fiber optical fiber holder holding portion 34 has a surface formed horizontally with respect to the mechanical splice holding portion 25, and a holder pressing plate 36 for pressing the optical fiber holder 21 against the mechanical splice 1. Are provided movably in the longitudinal direction. The holder pressing plate 36 is connected to a spring member (not shown) extending from the mechanical splice holding portion 25 inside the holder base 32 so that the holder pressing plate 36 is pulled toward the mechanical splice holding portion 25 by a predetermined spring force. Has become.

When the optical fiber holder 21 is set in the optical fiber holder holder for single fiber 34, the position in the width direction is set so that the single optical fiber 5 is along the V groove 6 of the mechanical splice 1. ing.

The multi-fiber optical fiber holder holding portion 35 is formed so that the surface thereof is inclined so that the outer side thereof is higher than the mechanical splice holding portion 25.
A holder pressing plate 37 for pressing the optical fiber holder 21 against the mechanical splice 11 is provided movably in the longitudinal direction. The holder pressing plate 37 is
It is connected to a spring member (not shown) extending from the mechanical splice holder 25 side inside the holder base 32, and is pulled to the mechanical splice holder 25 side by a predetermined spring force. Note that a multi-core spring member that is stronger than a single-core spring member is used.

When the optical fiber holder 21 is set in the multi-core optical fiber holder holding portion 35, the position in the width direction is set so that the multi-core optical fiber 15 is along the V groove 16 of the mechanical splice 11. ing.

A metal plate 38 is provided on the back surface of the single-core optical fiber holder holding portion 34 of the holder base 32, and a magnet 39 is provided on the base 24 at a position corresponding to the metal plate 38. ing.

A metal plate 38 is also provided on the back surface of the multi-core optical fiber holder holding portion 35 of the holder base 32, and a magnet 39 is provided on the base 24 at a position corresponding to the metal plate 38. Have been.

That is, when the holder base 32 is rotated, the metal plate 38 is fixed to the magnet 39 so that the single-core optical fiber holder holding portion 34 or the multi-core optical fiber holder 35 is at a predetermined position. Therefore, the rotation of the holder table 32 is restricted.

Next, the operation of the optical fiber butt connection tool 23 having the above configuration will be described along the operation procedure.

In order to connect the single-core optical fibers 5, first, the ends of the single-core optical fibers 5 are peeled and terminal-processed, and are supported by the optical fiber holder 21. Then, the mechanical splice 1 for single core is held by the mechanical splice holder 25, and at the same time, the holder bases 32 on both sides thereof are rotated such that the optical fiber holder holder for single core 34 faces upward. Switch to

As described above, the single-core type and the multi-core type can be switched simply by rotating the holder base 32, so that the switching can be performed in a short time of 1 second or less. At this time, the rotation of the holder base 32 is restricted by the metal plate 38 being fixed to the magnet 39, and the single-core optical fiber holder holding portion 34 can be easily and reliably set at a predetermined position.

Next, the wedge insertion / removal lever 29 is rotated to insert the wedge 27 into the wedge insertion groove 7 of the mechanical splice 1, and each substrate 3 is opened up and down to form a gap 9 in the mechanical splice 1. Keep it.

Then, the single-core optical fiber holder holding section 3
The holder pressing plate 36 of No. 4 is pushed outward and the optical fiber holder 21 is set inside. Thereby, the optical fiber holders 21 are pressed inward, and the single-core optical fibers 5 are inserted into the gaps 9 between the substrates 3. At this time, since the position of the single-core optical fiber holder holding portion 34 in the width direction is set in advance according to the position of the single-core optical fiber 5, the single-core optical fiber 5 is suitably inserted into the V-groove 6. .

Further, since the spring force of the spring for pulling the holder pressing plate 36 is set according to the single-core type, the ends of the single-core optical fibers 5 abut against each other in the V-groove 6 with an appropriate pressing force. You.

Then, the wedge insertion / removal lever 29 is rotated, the wedge 27 is removed, the single-core optical fiber 5 is sandwiched and fixed and connected between the substrates 3, and finally, the mechanical splice is performed by the L-shaped extraction lever 31. 1 is removed from the mechanical splice holder 25, and the connection operation is completed.

The procedure for connecting the multi-core optical fibers 15 is as follows, except that the holder base 32 is rotated so that the multi-core optical fiber holder holding portion 35 faces upward to switch to the multi-core optical fiber. The same operation as the connection operation of the single-core optical fiber 5 may be performed.

As a result, the multi-core optical fiber 15 is pressed obliquely from above onto the guide V-groove 20 of the mechanical splice 11, and the respective cores thereof are respectively along the guide V-grooves 16 of the mechanical splice 11. Will be inserted.

Since the single-core optical fiber holder holding portion 34 and the multi-core optical fiber holder holding portion 35 are formed separately as in the present invention, the installation angle and the widthwise position of the optical fiber holder 21 can be changed. Since the setting can be made during the manufacturing process of the holder base 32, no adjustment is required at the time of switching, and the switching operation can be performed in a short time, which is easy and reliable. Accordingly, the burden of connecting optical fibers, which is often performed at a high place, is greatly reduced.

The single-fiber optical fiber holder holding section 34
By changing the spring inside the optical fiber holder holding portion 35 for multi-core, the holder pressing plate 36,
It is possible to change the pulling force of 37, and it is possible to easily optimize the pressing force, which has been difficult in the past, and to equalize the butting force applied to the optical fiber butting portion of each core wire. .

Further, in the optical fiber butt connection tool 23 having the above-described configuration, the number of parts in the holder base 32 is approximately 30% as compared with the conventional optical fiber butt connection tool 51.
Therefore, simplification of the mechanism and cost reduction have been achieved.

[0054]

In summary, according to the present invention, an optical fiber butt-connecting tool can be manufactured at a low cost with a simple mechanism, and the switching between single core and multiple core can be easily performed. It is effective.

[Brief description of the drawings]

1A and 1B show an embodiment of an optical fiber butt connection tool according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is a plan view, FIG.
(C) is a front view.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an optical fiber holder.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a mechanical splice for a single-core optical fiber.

4A is a perspective view and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing a use state of a mechanical splice for a single-core optical fiber.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a mechanical splice for a multi-core optical fiber.

6A is a perspective view and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view showing a use state of a mechanical splice for a multi-core optical fiber.

7A is a plan view and FIG. 7B is a side view showing a conventional optical fiber butt connection tool.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1, 11 Mechanical splice 5 Single-core optical fiber 15 Multi-core optical fiber 21 Optical fiber holder 23 Tool for optical fiber butt connection 24 Base 25 Mechanical splice holder 32 Holder 34 Single-core optical fiber holder 35 Multi core Optical fiber holder holder 39 magnet

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Hidekazu Abe 5-1-1, Hidakacho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Prefecture F-term in Opto-Systems Research Laboratory, Hitachi Cable, Ltd. 2H036 JA01 LA03 NA02

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A mechanical splice holding portion for holding a mechanical splice for connecting single-core or multi-core optical fibers in abutting state, and a single-core or multi-core optical fiber connected to both ends of the mechanical splice holding portion. An optical fiber butt connection tool comprising an optical fiber holding holder and a holder base for abutting both optical fibers in a mechanical splice, wherein the holder base is rotatably provided on a mechanical splice holding part, and The single-core optical fiber holder holding portion for holding the single-core optical fiber holder and the multi-core optical fiber holder holding portion for holding the multi-core optical fiber holder are separately formed, and these can be switched freely. An optical fiber butt connection tool characterized by the following: 2. The optical fiber butt according to claim 1, wherein the mechanical splice holding portion is provided on a base, and a magnet for fixing the holder base at a switching position between a single core and a multiple core is provided on the base. Connection tool.