JP2000338331A - Hot plate heater for terminating optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the variance of end surface processing precision owing to the variance of a pressing time of an optical fiber in the case of terminating the optical fiber with a hot plate processing method by preparing a processing time standard indicator which repeats blinking at a fixed time interval and counting the number of blinking to heat the optical fiber. SOLUTION: The end surface of an optical fiber is pressed against a heating surface 16a so as to be orthogonal to every F 07 connector plug after lighting of a heater temperature confirmation indicating lamp 15 is confirmed by an operator. Thereafter, the pressurizing part of a lever 18 is pushed down to bring a heater into contact with the rear surface of a top plate 16, and the optical fiber is heated via the heating surface 16a. At this time, the number of blinking of a processing time standard indicating lamp 11 from the time when the lever 18 is completely pushed down (heating start) is counted by the operator, the lever 18 is stopped to push down and the heater is separated from the rear surface of the top plate 16 after the passage of the optimal processing time is confirmed by the prescribed repeating number of blinking.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber used for terminating a plastic optical fiber.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical fiber made of plastic is obtained by coating a core material made of fibers such as methacrylic resin with a fluorinated methacrylic resin having a lower refractive index than the core material. It is used for optical transmission applications such as. When this kind of optical fiber is applied to optical communication or the like, it is required to treat the end face as smooth as possible. That is, if the finish of the end face is rough, it causes a coupling loss to increase. Therefore, it is necessary to finish the end face smoothly in order to suppress the loss as much as possible.

[0003] The main methods of such finishing methods include, for example, a polishing treatment method for smoothing by polishing the end face, a free cutting treatment method for smoothing by cutting the end face, and a smoothing method for smoothing the end face. There is a hot plate treatment method for smoothing by pressing against a heated surface. The polishing method is
Although it has the advantage of obtaining a smooth surface with high accuracy, it also has the disadvantage of requiring a long processing time. Further, the free cut processing method has an advantage that the processing can be performed in a short time, but also has a disadvantage that the smoothness of the processing surface is low.

On the other hand, the hot plate processing method is
It has an excellent feature that an end face with higher precision than the free cut processing method can be processed in a shorter time than the polishing processing method. For details of this hot plate processing method, refer to F0
A description will be given below with reference to the drawings, taking an example of connection of an optical cable to a 7-connector plug.

[0005] As shown in FIG.
By stripping the jacket 2a of the optical cable 2 by a predetermined length (for example, about 7 mm) using
b is partially exposed. After inserting the optical fiber 2b into the insertion hole 3a formed in the F07 connector plug 3 by a predetermined length (for example, about 0.3 mm) from the tip of the ferrule 4, the optical fiber 2b is inserted. The stopper 5 is press-fitted into the stopper mounting portion 3b. By this press-fitting, the jacket 2a in the F07 connector plug 3 is sandwiched between the F07 connector plug 3 and the stopper 5, so that the optical cable 2 is fixed to the F07 connector plug 3 so as not to be pulled out.

[0006] The optical fiber 2b of the optical cable 2 attached to the F07 connector plug 3 in this way is shown in FIG.
The end face is processed by a hot plate heater 6 for terminating an optical fiber shown in FIG. That is, the heating surface 6a provided on the hot plate heater 6 for terminating the optical fiber is heated to, for example, about 160 ° C., and the optical fiber 2b
Is pressed while holding the F07 connector plug 3 by hand for 5 to 10 seconds, for example. FIG. 5 shows the optical fiber 2 b before pressing, and as described above, the optical fiber 2 b protrudes from the tip of the ferrule 4 by about 0.3 mm. Note that the F07 connector plug 3 of the present description has a pair of ferrules 4. However, in FIGS. 5 and 6 described below, the optical fiber 2b in one ferrule 4 will be illustrated and the description will be continued.

As shown in FIG. 5, the ferrule 4 has a guide hole 4a, which is a cylindrical space through which the optical fiber 2b is inserted, and a conical opening extending from the lower end of the guide hole 4a toward the tip of the ferrule 4. Tapered hole 4 which is a trapezoidal space
b are formed. A gap 7 is formed between the tapered hole 4b and the optical fiber 2b, and the volume of the gap 7 is substantially equal to the volume of the protruding portion of the optical fiber 2b.

FIG. 6 shows the optical fiber 2b being pressed. As described above, since the volume of the gap space 7 is substantially equal to the volume of the protruding portion, the protruding portion is transmitted from the heating surface 6a. Due to the heat, it is melted and deformed so as to fill the gap space 7. The optical fiber 2 thus formed
The leading end portion b has a divergent shape that matches the shape of the tapered hole 4b, and the leading end surface 2c is formed flat by being in close contact with the smooth heating surface 6a. Thereafter, the heating of the heating surface 6a is stopped while the pressing state of FIG. 6 is maintained, whereby the distal end portion of the optical fiber 2b is cooled and solidified while maintaining the smooth distal end surface 2c, and the end surface processing is completed. I do.

[0009]

The conventional hot plate heater 6 for terminating an optical fiber described above is
It had the problem described below. The pressing of the optical fiber 2b against the heating surface 6a is performed by an operator while holding the optical fiber 2b together with the F07 connector plug 3 by hand, but the processing time (time for pressing the optical fiber 2b) is individually set for each operator. There is a problem that a difference is generated, and thus a variation may occur in a finish of the end face processing. That is,
If it is pressed longer than necessary, the ferrule 4 of the resin F07 connector plug 3 may be melted. Conversely, if the processing time is shorter than the required time, the optical fiber 2b Is not sufficiently smooth, which may cause a coupling loss when used for optical communication or the like.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and when terminating an optical fiber by a hot plate processing method, a variation in end face processing accuracy due to a variation in the pressing time of the optical fiber. It is an object of the present invention to provide a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber which can be prevented.

[0011]

The hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the present invention employs the following means in order to solve the above problems. That is, the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to claim 1 is a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber having a heating surface on which an end face of an optical fiber is pressed and smoothed.
A first processing time indicator which repeats blinking at regular time intervals is provided.

According to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the first aspect of the present invention, the operator performing the terminating process can perform the first process during an optimal time for heating the end face of the optical fiber. After checking the number of times the time indicator blinks,
The optical fiber is pressed against the heating surface. Then, the heating of the end face of the optical fiber is performed only while the first processing time reference indicator repeats blinking by the number of times, and then the heating of the end face of the optical fiber is stopped. As a result, the optical fiber end face can be terminated in an optimal time without being too long or too short.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber having a heating surface for pressing an end face of an optical fiber and smoothing the end face. The display is provided with a second processing time indication indicator which is continuously lit for a predetermined time.

According to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the second aspect of the present invention, the operator performing the terminating process requires the second time for the same time as the optimal time for heating the end face of the optical fiber. After setting the lighting time of the processing time indicator, the optical fiber is pressed against the heating surface. Then, the heating of the end face of the optical fiber is performed only while the second processing time indicator is lit, and then the heating of the end face of the optical fiber is stopped. As a result, the optical fiber end face can be terminated in an optimal time without being too long or too short.

The hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to claim 3 is the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to claim 2, wherein the lighting time of the second processing time indicator is set. The width is adjustable.

According to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the third aspect of the present invention, the same time as the optimal terminating time is set according to various conditions such as the set temperature of the heating surface and the optical fiber wire diameter. The lighting time width can be adjusted so that

The hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to claim 4 is a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heating surface is heated. A heater temperature confirmation indicator light that is turned on when the temperature of the heater reaches a predetermined set temperature.

According to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the operator performs heating of the optical fiber after confirming that the temperature of the heater has reached a predetermined set temperature. Therefore, the end face of the optical fiber can be processed at an optimum temperature, and a smoother end face can be obtained.

A hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to claim 5 is a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heating surface is heated. A heater temperature control mechanism for maintaining the temperature of the heater within a predetermined temperature range.

According to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the fifth aspect, since the temperature of the heater can be maintained within an optimal temperature range, the end face of the optical fiber is processed at an optimal temperature. And a smoother end face can be obtained.

[0021]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the present invention is provided with a heating surface for pressing an end face of an optical fiber and smoothing the end face. 1 and FIG. 2 (first embodiment), it is needless to say that the present invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a hot plate heater 10 for terminating an optical fiber according to the present embodiment is provided with a processing time indicator lamp 11 (first processing time indicator) which repeats blinking at regular time intervals. Unit) and energized state (power cable 1)
Compared to the prior art, there is provided an energization confirmation indicator light 13 that lights up when power is supplied from the power supply 2 and a heater temperature confirmation indicator light 15 that lights up when the heater 14 described below reaches a set temperature. Therefore, the description will be continued below focusing on this point. Reference numeral 16 denotes a top plate whose outer surface is a smooth heating surface 16a.
Reference numeral 7 denotes a heater temperature setting knob for setting and adjusting the temperature of the heater 14, reference numeral 18 denotes a lever for raising the heater 14 and pressing the heater 14 to contact the top plate 16, and reference numeral 19 denotes a hot plate. This is a circuit for controlling the overall operation of the heater 10.

The processing time indication indicator 11, the energization check indicator 13, and the heater temperature check indicator 15 are LEDs connected to the circuit 19, respectively, and each lighting color is used so that each indicator can be easily identified. Are different from each other. Further, these names are printed (not shown) on the upper surface of the housing 22 near the portion where they are attached, so that they can be more easily identified. The heater 14 is an electric heating element such as a ceramic heater or the like, which generates heat by electric power received through the circuit 19, and supports the supporting member 2 with a pressing angle adjusting member 20 interposed therebetween.
1 supported on. This support member 21 is
It is a component supported and fixed in a vertically movable manner on a guide member (not shown) fixed on the inner bottom wall surface 22a, and the pressing angle adjusting member 20 is fixed on the upper end thereof.

The pressing angle adjusting member 20 is a leaf spring formed by bending a thin metal plate, and deforms and absorbs the inclination when the heater 14 contacts the top plate 16 so that the entire upper surface of the heater 14 is formed. This is a component for making it possible to contact the top plate 16. In the lower part of the support member 21, a through groove 21a is provided.
Is formed in the through groove 21a, and the lever 18 rotatably supported around the pin 23 in the housing 22 is provided in the through groove 21a.
Is fitted at one end 18a. And the support member 21
Is urged downward by a spring (not shown) (that is, in the direction toward the bottom wall surface 22a).
In a state where b is not pressed, the heater 14 is maintained in a state of being pulled down so as to be separated from the top plate 16. Conversely, when the pressing portion 18b is pressed downward, the lever 18 rotates around the pin 23, and the one end 18a of the lever 18 pushes the support member 21 upward. It is designed to be pressed.

The circuit 19 is connected to the heater 1 via the connection 23a.
4 is supplied with voltage-adjusted power, and the heater 14
From the thermistor (not shown) built in
The temperature state of the heater 14 is input via the, and the power supply to the heater 14 is continued while the temperature of the heater 14 rises to the set temperature. Stop. With the heater temperature control mechanism configured as described above, while the circuit 19 is receiving power supply from the power cable 12, the heater 14 is connected to the temperature setting knob 17 (connected to the circuit 19 by a not-shown connection).
Is maintained in a predetermined temperature range centered on the set temperature set in the above.

The circuit 19 supplies electric power to the energization confirmation indicator lamp 13 in the energized state (state in which electric power is being supplied from the power cable 12) and turns it on. In a state where the temperature of the heater 14 has reached the set temperature by the thermistor, the circuit 19 supplies electric power to the heater temperature confirmation indicator lamp 15 to light it. Further, the circuit 19 also has a function of blinking the processing time indication indicator 11 at regular time intervals in an energized state (for example, turning on and off in a one-second cycle).

A method for terminating an optical fiber using the above-described hot plate heater 10 for terminating an optical fiber according to the present embodiment will be described below. The process of FIG. 3 for stripping the jacket 2a of the optical cable 2 to partially expose the optical fiber 2b and then connecting the optical fiber 2b to the F07 connector plug 3, for example, is the same as that described in the related art. The optical fiber 2b is preferably made of plastic, and its distribution and structure such as the refractive index are not particularly limited, and known optical fibers are used.

Subsequently, the worker performing the termination process inserts the power cable 12 of the hot plate heater 10 into an outlet (not shown) to turn on the circuit 19.
Then, the energization confirmation indicator light 13 is turned on, and the processing time indication indicator light 11 is turned on and off, for example, in a one-second cycle. The operator adjusts the temperature setting knob 17 to set the heater 14 to a set temperature of, for example, about 160 ° C. The heater temperature control mechanism raises the heater temperature to the set temperature, turns on the heater temperature confirmation indicator lamp 15, and maintains the heater temperature at the set temperature. That is, the circuit 19 includes the heater 1
The temperature of the heater 14 is measured by the thermistor 4 and the temperature is compared with the set temperature. Then, after confirming that the temperature of the heater 14 is equal to or higher than the set temperature, the heater temperature is controlled by turning on and off the power supply to the heater 14, and the heater temperature confirmation indicator 15 Lights up.

After confirming that the heater temperature confirmation indicator lamp 15 is turned on, the operator sets the end face of the optical fiber 2b to F0.
The 7 connector plugs 3 are pressed so as to be perpendicular to the heating surface 16a. Since the operator presses the end face of the optical fiber 2b against the heating surface 16a after confirming the lighting of the heater temperature confirmation indicator lamp 15, the end face of the optical fiber 2b can be processed at the optimum temperature, and a more smooth surface can be obtained. An end face can be obtained. Thereafter, the pressing portion 18b of the lever 18 is pushed down to bring the heater 14 into contact with the back surface of the top plate 16, and the optical fiber 2b is heated via the heating surface 16a. At this time, the worker counts the number of times the processing time indicator light 11 blinks from when the lever 18 is completely pressed down (start of heating), and indicates that the optimum processing time (for example, 5 seconds) has been reached. After confirming that the blinking has been repeated a predetermined number of times (for example, five times), the depression of the lever 18 is stopped, and the heater 14 is separated from the back surface of the top plate 16. After that, the pressing of the optical fiber 2b is continued, and by confirming that the processing time indication indicator 11 blinks, for example, five times, the cooling for 5 seconds necessary for the tip of the optical fiber 2b to be cured is similarly performed. Is confirmed, the optical fiber 2b is pulled up together with the F07 connector plug 3 from the heating surface 16a.

Then, the distal end portion of the optical fiber 2b has already been solidified by radiation cooling, and is smooth and forms a distal end surface 2c flush with the distal end of the ferrule 4. The F07 connector plug 3 after the attachment is butt-connected to another optical fiber in a receptacle (not shown), light is transmitted through this connection portion, and the amount of light coming out of the other end is measured to evaluate the coupling loss. Is performed.

According to the hot-plate heater 10 for terminating an optical fiber according to the present embodiment, the processing time indicator lamp 11 which repeats blinking at a constant time interval is provided, and the operator who performs the terminating process can blink the lamp. Since the heating and cooling of the optical fiber 2b are performed while counting the predetermined number of times, the termination process can be performed in an optimal time without being too long or too short, so that the variation in the pressing time of the optical fiber 2b can be reduced. It is possible to prevent a variation in end face processing accuracy which is a cause. Further, the hot plate heater 10 of the present embodiment is provided with the heater temperature control mechanism and the heater temperature confirmation display 15, so that not only the optical fiber 2b is heated in an optimal heating time but also the optical fiber 2b is heated at the optimal temperature. The heating of the fiber 2b can be performed, and the variation in end face processing accuracy can be more effectively prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, the processing time indicator lamp 11 is provided which repeatedly blinks at regular time intervals, and the number of times of blinking is counted by a predetermined number to confirm the optimal processing time. Alternatively, for example, when the optimal processing time is 5 seconds, a configuration may be adopted in which a second processing time indicator (not shown) is continuously turned on for a predetermined time of 5 seconds (second example). Embodiment). In this case, the operator performing the termination processing presses the end face of the optical fiber 2b against the heating surface 16a, and then the second light-emitting indicator displays 5 seconds, which is the optimal time for performing the end face processing, for 5 seconds. During continuous lighting, the lever 18 is depressed, and the heater 14 heats the optical fiber 2b via the top plate 16 for 5 seconds. After that, the pressing down of the lever 18 is stopped to stop the heating of the end face of the optical fiber 2b. Thereby, the worker who performs the termination process performs the termination process in an optimal time without being too long or too short by heating the optical fiber 2b using the continuous lighting time of the second processing time indicator as a guide. Since it can be performed, it is possible to prevent variations in end face processing accuracy due to variations in the pressing time of the optical fiber 2b as in the above embodiment. Further, in the hot plate heater provided with the second processing time indication indicator, the lighting time width of the second processing time indication indicator can be adjusted freely, so that the set temperature of the heating surface 16a and the optical fiber 2b can be controlled. The continuous lighting time width can be adjusted to be the same as the optimal termination time according to various conditions such as the wire diameter. In the second embodiment, the cooling time of the heated optical fiber 2b is set to the optimal time, so that the first
A mechanism for indicating the cooling time, such as a processing time indicator, may be further provided.

In the hot plate heater 10 for terminating an optical fiber according to the first and second embodiments, F07
The case where the optical fiber 2b is attached to the connector plug 3 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to the F07 connector plug 3 and may be used for attachment to other types of optical connectors. In the hot plate heater 10 for terminating the optical fiber according to the first and second embodiments, the processing time indicator 11, the energization indicator 13, and the heater temperature indicator 15 are LEDs. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and other lamps and liquid crystal display panels may be used. In addition, the processing time reference indicator light 11 and the heater temperature confirmation display lamp 15 are used to notify the worker of the processing time reference and the heater temperature by blinking. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Switch to red)
It is good also as what is notified by etc.

[0034]

According to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the first aspect of the present invention, a first treatment time indicator which repeats blinking at regular time intervals is provided to perform termination processing. By performing the heating of the optical fiber while counting the number of times of blinking by a predetermined number of times, the termination process can be performed in an optimal time without being too long or too short. It is possible to provide a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber that can prevent variations in end face processing accuracy due to variations in pressing time.

Further, according to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the second aspect of the present invention, by providing a second processing time indication indicator which is continuously lit for a predetermined time, the operation for performing the termination processing is provided. By heating the optical fiber with this continuous lighting time as a guide, the termination process can be performed in an optimal time without being too long or too short. It is possible to provide a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber that does not cause variations in end face processing accuracy.

According to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the third aspect of the present invention, by setting the lighting time width of the second processing time indicator to be adjustable, the set temperature of the heating surface and the temperature can be adjusted. It is possible to adjust the lighting time width so as to be the same as the optimal termination time according to conditions such as the optical fiber wire diameter.

Further, according to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the fourth aspect, the operator confirms that the temperature of the heater has reached a predetermined set temperature before heating the optical fiber. Since it can be performed, the end face of the optical fiber can be processed at the optimum temperature, and a smoother end face can be obtained.

Further, according to the hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to the fifth aspect, since the temperature of the heater can be maintained in the optimal temperature range, the end face of the optical fiber is processed at the optimal temperature. And a smoother end face can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view showing the same hot plate heater,
It is a side sectional view.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a part of an optical fiber termination processing step by a hot plate processing method.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the next step of the termination processing step.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the ferrule, showing a step subsequent to the termination processing step;

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the ferrule, showing the next step after the termination processing step.

[Explanation of symbols]

2b: Optical fiber 10: Hot plate heater for terminating optical fiber 11: Processing time indicator (first processing time indicator) 16a: Heating surface

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Hidetomo Akabane 4-1, Ushikawa-dori, Toyohashi-shi, Aichi Prefecture Sanyo Rayon Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2H038 CA23

Claims (5)

[Claims] An optical fiber termination hot plate heater provided with a heating surface for pressing an end face of an optical fiber and smoothing the end face of the optical fiber, wherein a first processing time indicator which repeats blinking at regular time intervals. A hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber, comprising: 2. A second processing time indicator for continuously lighting for a fixed time in a hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber having a heating surface for pressing an end face of an optical fiber and smoothing the end face. A hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber, comprising: 3. A hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to claim 2, wherein a lighting time width of said second processing time indicator is adjustable. Hot plate heater for edge. 4. The hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the heater is turned on when the temperature of the heater for heating the heating surface reaches a predetermined set temperature. A hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber, further comprising a temperature confirmation indicator light. 5. A heater temperature control mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a temperature of a heater for heating said heating surface is maintained within a predetermined temperature range. A hot plate heater for terminating an optical fiber, further comprising: