JP2002243951A - Optical cable closure and method for connecting optical cable - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical cable closure with which the working efficiency of the pulling-down operation of an optical fiber from an optical cable can be improved, the branching part of the fiber is reliably protected in a usual state, and a branch operation can immediately be performed when the fiber is branched again. SOLUTION: The optical cable closure 1 is for branching a prescribed optical fiber in an optical cable 7, and is provided with a frame 2 which has clamping parts 20 at the both ends thereof to hold the optical cable 7, a connecting part housing tray 3 which is arranged under a held optical cable 7, is attached to the frame 2, and houses the connecting part of an optical fiber 7a with a branched optical fiber 8a in the optical cable 7, an extra length housing part 4 which is arranged at the both ends of the connecting part housing tray 3, and houses the extra length of branched optical fibers 7a and 8a, and a sleeve 5 which houses all of the frames 2, the connecting part housing trays 3, and the extra length housing parts 4 inside, and can easily be put on and off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical cable closure used for branching a predetermined optical fiber from a plurality of optical fibers in an optical cable.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An optical cable closure is used to connect ends of a pair of optical cables or to branch one or a plurality of optical fibers from inside one optical cable. As conventional optical cable closures, those described in JP-A-9-80239, JP-A-9-274122, and JP-A-8-262238 are known. As described above, the form of the connection portion of the optical cable may be a case where a plurality of optical fibers in the optical cable are connected to each other, or a case where only a specific optical fiber is branched from the inside of the optical cable (expressed as “pull down”). is there.

[0003]

In recent years, with the development of information communication technology, information communication has penetrated into ordinary households, and there has been a lot of work to drop a specific optical fiber from inside an already installed optical cable. Is to occur. The dropped optical fiber is connected to each home. An optical cable closure is also used in such a branch portion, but a conventional optical cable closure is
It is not always suitable for such a branching (connection) form, and is not always optimal from the viewpoint of improving work efficiency. Therefore, there has been a demand for the development of an optical cable closure that can be suitably used in such a branching mode.

[0004] An object of the present invention is to improve the work efficiency of the work of dropping an optical fiber from an optical cable, to normally protect this branch part, and to perform the branching operation immediately at the time of re-branching. An optical cable closure is provided.

[0005]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an optical cable closure for branching a predetermined optical fiber from a plurality of optical fibers in an optical cable, the frame having grip portions at both ends for gripping the optical cable. A connection portion storage tray that is disposed below the optical cable gripped by the pair of grip portions and attached to the frame, and stores a connection portion between the optical fiber in the optical cable and the branched optical fiber, and both ends of the connection portion storage tray The extra length storage portion that accommodates the extra length of the branched optical fiber arranged in the portion and the easily detachable sleeve that can accommodate all of the frame, the connection portion storage tray, and the extra length storage portion inside. It is characterized by having.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the optical cable closure according to the first aspect, the optical cable closure has a plurality of fiber storage portions parallel to the extending direction of the optical cable held by the frame. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the optical cable closure according to the first aspect, a plurality of cable holding grooves for holding an optical cable having a branched optical fiber therein are formed in the holding portion. It is characterized by.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the optical cable closure according to the third aspect of the present invention, wherein a claw portion for retaining the optical cable held in the cable holding groove is formed in each cable holding groove. It is characterized by having.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the optical cable closure according to the first aspect, the sleeve is made of resin and has a resin hinge portion for opening and closing at an upper portion.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for connecting an optical cable, comprising the steps of:
This is a method of connecting an optical cable in which a predetermined optical fiber is branched from a plurality of optical fibers in an optical cable, the branched optical fiber is pulled down and led out from a closure as a cable, and the optical fiber branched from the optical cable is stored in an extra length. Instead, the branched optical fiber on the dropped cable side is processed with extra length in the extra length storage section and connected, and the connection section between the optical fiber in the optical cable and the optical fiber of the branched dropped cable is stored in the connection section storage tray. It is characterized by:

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of an optical cable closure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention in use. 1 to 3, only a sleeve described later is shown as a cross section.

The optical cable closure 1 according to the present embodiment comprises:
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, mainly the frame 2,
Connection section storage tray 3, extra length storage section (extra length storage tray)
4 and a sleeve 5. After the connection operation is completed, the closure 1 of the present embodiment is in a state of being suspended by the suspension hook (support line) by the suspension hook 6.
Hereinafter, each component will be described in detail. FIG.
In FIG. 2 and FIG. 2, a main optical cable 7 and an optical cable (hereinafter, also referred to as a dropped cable) 8 pulled down from the optical cable 7 are indicated by dotted lines. Also,
3 and 4, the cross section of the optical cable 7 is omitted, and the drawn-down cable 8 is not shown.

As shown in FIG. 5, the main part of the frame 2 has a frame structure made of metal (made of aluminum die-cast). The frame 2 has grip portions 20 at both ends for gripping the optical cable 7. FIG. 5 shows only a part of the grip 20. Gripper 20
Is constituted by a gripping member 21 and a gripping band 22, which will be described later, and a mounting hole 23 for mounting the gripping member 21 formed on the frame 2. In addition, the upper part of the frame 2 (the upper part in the state of use) has a regulating part 24 for regulating the position of the sleeve 5 when the sleeve 5 described later is locked. The regulating portion 24 is thicker than its front and rear portions.

When the pair of locking claws 53 of the sleeve 5 are locked on the upper portion of the frame 2, the respective regulating portions 24 are formed at positions just in contact with the respective locking claws 53, so that the frame 2 Position of the sleeve 5 can be restricted. Lower part of frame 2 (lower part in use state)
Has a locking portion 25 that locks with the sleeve 5 when the sleeve 5 is closed. The locking portion 25 is formed in a form in which the frame is partially bent, and is locked with the sleeve 5 by being sandwiched between the sleeve 5 when the sleeve 5 is closed.

In the center of the lower part of the frame 2, a positioning hole 2 for positioning a connecting portion storage tray 3 described later is provided.
6 are perforated. Further, positioning holes 27 for positioning the extra-length storage tray 4, which will be described later, are formed near the lower ends of the frame 2 near the locking portion 24. Further, curved positioning portions 28 for positioning the optical cable 7 are formed on both sides of the frame 2.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the connection portion storage tray 3 is a rectangular plate-shaped member made of resin. When the closure 1 is used, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the connection portion storage tray 3 is attached to a lower portion of the frame 2 described above. In the center of the lower surface of the connection portion storage tray 3, a positioning projection 30 inserted into the positioning hole 26 of the frame 2 is provided so as to project therefrom. In addition, connection part storage tray 3
Locking claw portions 31 for locking to the lower portion of the frame 2 are formed near both ends of the lower surface of the frame 2, respectively. Each locking claw 31
Is formed by a pair of opposed cantilevered L-shaped claws, and the connection portion storage tray 3 is locked to the frame 2 by sandwiching the frame 2 between the pair of claws.

The central portion of the upper surface of the connection portion storage tray 3 has a plurality of parallel fiber storage portions 32 in the longitudinal direction of the connection portion storage tray 3, that is, in the extending direction of the optical cable 7 when used. In the case of the present embodiment, twelve fiber storage portions 32 are formed. Each fiber storage section 32 is formed by a plurality of walls 32a standing upright from the tray bottom surface. The wall portion 32 a is formed by being divided in the longitudinal direction of the connection portion storage tray 3, so that a finger can easily enter when taking out the optical fiber from the fiber storage portion 32. On the outer side of the fiber storage portion 32, without interfering with the optical fiber stored in the fiber storage portion 32,
Sub-storages 33 for storing optical fibers are formed from one end to the other end of the connection storage tray 3.

At the center of each sub-housing section 33 and near both ends,
A drop-off preventing portion 34 for holding the optical fiber in each sub-housing portion 33 is formed. Each drop prevention unit 34
It is formed by a pair of plates protruding in the horizontal (horizontal in use state) direction. The optical fiber is accommodated in the drop-off preventing portion 34 from the gap between the pair of plates, that is, in the sub-housing portion 33. The gap is formed so as to be inclined with respect to the optical fiber after being housed, so that the optical fiber is hardly dropped. A hole 35 is formed below the pair of plates. This is a contrivance for forming the falling-off preventing portion 34 without complicating the mold structure when the connecting portion storage tray 3 is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the extra length storage tray 4 is a resin member molded of the same material as the connection portion storage tray 3. In the present embodiment, the extra length storage tray 4 forms an extra length storage portion.
In this embodiment, the connection portion storage tray 3 and the extra length storage portion are provided separately, but the extra length storage portion is integrally formed at both ends of the connection portion storage tray 3 described above. May be. When the closure 1 is used, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, each extra length storage tray 4 is attached to the lower portion of the frame 2 described above.

On the lower surface of each extra length storage tray 4, a positioning projection 40 inserted into the positioning hole 27 of the frame 2 is provided so as to project therefrom. At the center of the lower surface of each extra length storage tray 4, a locking claw portion 41 that locks to the lower portion of the frame 2 is formed. The locking claw portion 41 is formed by a pair of opposed cantilever-shaped claws. The extra length storage tray 4 is locked to the frame 2 by sandwiching the frame 2 between the pair of claws. At the end of the extra length storage tray 4 which is in contact with the connection portion storage tray 3 at the time of use, a fiber pressing portion 42 for suppressing flapping of the optical fiber storing the extra length is formed.

The fiber pressing portion 42 is provided upright from the bottom of the extra length storage tray 4 and has a gate shape.
A slit for inserting an optical fiber into the fiber holding portion 42 is formed at the center of the fiber holding portion 42. Note that no bottom surface is formed below the fiber pressing portion 42. This is also possible when the extra-length storage tray 4 is formed without complicating the mold structure.
2 is formed.

At approximately the center of the bottom of the extra storage tray 4,
A pair of substantially C-shaped walls 43 are erected facing each other in plan view. The extra length of the optical fiber stored in the extra length storage tray 4 is disposed around the pair of walls 43 in a wound state, and the minimum winding radius is not unnecessarily reduced.
The wound state is maintained by the wall 43. The extra length is the extra length required during the connection work.
Except at the time of connection, it is necessary to collect this extra length. Since the optical fiber has a property that the transmission loss is deteriorated (worst case breakage) when the optical fiber is bent to a predetermined bending curvature or more, the winding radius of the optical fiber is reduced when the excess length is put together. It must be kept from being unnecessarily small. In the present embodiment, the wall portion 43 (and the wall portion 44 described later) prevents the winding radius from being reduced.

A wall 44 is also provided upright at the bottom of the extra length storage tray 4 on the tip side to guide the stored optical fiber so that the winding radius does not become small. The optical fiber may be disposed between the wall portion 44 and the outer peripheral wall portion. Further, a peripheral wall is provided upright from the bottom peripheral edge of the extra length storage tray 4 other than the side where the fiber pressing portion 42 is formed, and a plurality of pieces are horizontally arranged from the upper end of the peripheral wall toward the inside. A holding fiber holding piece 45 extends.

A similar fiber pressing piece 46 extends horizontally from the upper end of one wall 43 toward the fiber pressing section 42. In addition, gate-shaped fiber pressing portions 47 facing each other are erected between the pair of wall portions 43. A gap for inserting an optical fiber is formed between the pair of fiber pressing portions 47, and this gap is
The optical fiber is formed so as to be angled with respect to the optical fiber after being stored so that the optical fiber once inserted does not fall off.

Further, a pair of fiber pressing pieces 48 extend horizontally from the upper ends of the other walls 43 and 44 to each other. Further, a pair of fiber pressing pieces 49 extend horizontally from the upper end of each of the pair of fiber pressing pieces 49 between the wall section 44 and the outer peripheral wall section. A gap for inserting an optical fiber is formed between each of the pair of fiber pressing pieces 48 and the pair of fiber pressing pieces 49, and the gap is formed so that the once inserted optical fiber does not fall off. The optical fiber is formed so as to be angled with respect to the stored optical fiber.

The fiber pressing portions 42, 47 and the fiber pressing pieces 45, 46, 48, 49 prevent the optical fibers stored in the extra length storage tray 4 from being lifted upward and from falling off. ing. These fiber pressing portions 42, 47 and fiber pressing pieces 45, 4
Holes are formed below 6,48,49. These holes are also contrived for forming the fiber pressing portions 42, 47 and the fiber pressing pieces 45, 46, 48, 49 without complicating the mold structure when forming the extra-length storage tray 4. .

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 15, the sleeve 5 has a form in which a cylindrical member is divided and opened, and is made of an elastically deformable resin. The sleeve 5 mainly includes an upper portion 50 that is locked on the upper portion of the frame 2 and a resin hinge 5 with respect to the upper portion 50.
1, an opening / closing portion 52a integrally connected to be openable / closable via
52b. The resin hinge 51 has a locally reduced member thickness at that portion, and functions as a hinge by deformation of this portion.

The closure 1 is often hung outdoors and exposed to the weather. At this time, since the hinge portion is located on the upper side in the use state, the work becomes easier, but it is difficult for rain or the like to seep into the inside from the hinge portion. In the present embodiment, the hinge portion is a resin hinge 51 having no gap, thereby completely preventing rainwater from penetrating into the interior from the hinge portion.

Inside the upper part 50, a pair of locking claws 5 are provided.
3 are formed. This is used to lock the upper part of the frame 2 and fix the sleeve 5 to the frame 2. As described above, since the pair of restricting portions 24 of the frame 2 are located immediately inside the pair of locking claws 53, the displacement of the sleeve 5 is restricted. The work can be easily performed by removing the entire sleeve 5 from the frame 2 at the time of branching the optical cable. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 14, a tab 53 for easily releasing the locked state with the frame 2 is provided on the locking claw 53.
a is formed.

Inside the pair of opening / closing portions 52a, 52b,
The deformation of the opening / closing portions 52a, 52b is suppressed and the sleeve 5
A plurality of ribs are formed to improve the mechanical strength of the. Side walls are provided at both ends of the pair of opening / closing portions 52a and 52b, and seal member storage portions 55 for storing the seal members 54 (see FIG. 13) are formed inside the side walls. The seal member storage section 55 is
Is closed so that the sealing member 54 is
So that rainwater or the like does not enter the inside of the closure 1 along the cables 7 and 8.

A short rib is also formed on the inner surface of the seal member storage portion 55, and this rib is cut into the rubber seal member 54 when the sleeve is closed. By doing so, the infiltration of rainwater into the inside of the closure 1 from between the sleeve 5 and the seal member 54 is suppressed. The seal member 54 itself will be described later. At a position corresponding to the locking claw 53 at the opening edge of the one opening / closing portion 52a, a locking claw 56 that locks with the lower portion of the frame 2 when the sleeve 5 is closed is formed. As shown in FIG. 14, a knob 56a for easily releasing the locked state with the frame 2 is also formed on the locking claw 56.

At the center and both ends of the opening edge of the other opening / closing portion 52b, a locking piece 57 for engaging with one opening / closing portion 52a to maintain the closed state when the sleeve 5 is closed. Are formed. The lock piece 57 has a first locking hole 57a on the base end side, and a second locking hole 57a on the distal end side.
b. At the position corresponding to each lock piece 57 on the opening edge of one opening / closing portion 52a, the first locking projection 57c that locks in the first locking hole 57a and the second locking hole 57b lock. The second locking projections 57d are respectively formed (see FIG. 15). These locked states are shown in FIGS.
Is shown in

As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, the seal member 54 is a hard rubber member having a substantially cylindrical outer diameter. The seal member 54 has an internal space 54a, and a pair of through holes 54b whose diameter is reduced with respect to this space are formed. A slit 54c is formed from the through hole 54b toward the outer peripheral surface. The slit 54c is opened to attach the seal member 54 to the optical cable 7. The portion of the through hole 54 b having the smallest inner diameter is smaller than the outer diameter of the optical cable 7. For this reason, the sealing member 54 is attached to the optical cable 7,
When the sleeve 5 is attached, the seal member 54 is pressed against the outer surface of the optical cable 7 to be in a watertight state.

Even if rainwater or the like enters from this portion, the infiltrated rainwater collects downward in the internal space 54a.
The infiltration water collected below the internal space 54a is
The water is discharged downward from a pair of water discharge ports 54d formed so as to straddle the 4c, and is discharged from the inside of the closure 1 via the space below the seal member storage portion 55 of the sleeve 5. On each side of the through hole 54b, six sub through holes 54e are formed in parallel with the through hole 54b. The sub through hole 54 e is used when the drop-down cable 8 is pulled out of the closure 1.

A partition 54f having a cross slit is formed at the center of each sub through hole 54e. Therefore, the partition wall 54f is not used in the sub through hole 54e that is not used.
Is closed, so that intrusion of rainwater or the like is prevented. On the other hand, in the sub through hole 54e into which the drop-down cable 8 is inserted and used, the cross slit is pushed open by the inserted drop-down cable 8, and the partition wall 54f
Is pulled down and pressed against the cable 8 to be in a watertight state.

The grip 20 of the frame 2 will be described in detail. FIGS. 18 and 19 show a gripping member 21 which is a component of the gripping portion 20. FIG. Gripping member 21
Is composed of a pair of gripping members 21a and 21b. FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the grip 20. However, in FIG. 20, the frame 2 is not shown in order to make the situation of the grip portion 20 easy to understand (actually, the end of the frame 2 is arranged between the pair of grip members 21a and 21b). ). In FIG. 20, details of the gripping member 21 are omitted (for example, a flange 21 described later).
g etc.). Further, in FIG. 20, the cross sections of the optical cable 7 and the pull-down cable 8 are omitted.

Since the pair of grip members 21a and 21b are basically in a mirror image relationship, only one grip member 21a will be described. The only difference between the pair of gripping members 21a, 21b is the bolt 9 insertion hole 21e. Nut 1
The insertion hole 21e is formed slightly larger in the gripping member 21b located on the 0 side. The holding member 21a is roughly composed of a fastening portion 21c and a cable holding portion 21d.
The gripping member 21a is integrally formed by resin molding, and has a fastening portion 21c and a cable holding portion 21d.
Are also integrally connected.

The fastening portion 21c has a shape in which the central portion of a rectangular parallelepiped is curved, and insertion holes 21e for the bolts 9 are formed at both ends. On the other hand, the cable holding part 2
1d protrudes outward from the above-described fastening portion 21c, and six cable holding grooves 21f parallel to the outwardly protruding portion are formed. The cable holding groove 21f is for holding the drop cable 8. The flanges 2 projecting further outward from the outer surface of the cable holding portion 21d are provided at both end edges of the cable holding portion 21d.
1 g are each formed. The flange 21g functions as a retaining band for the gripping band 22, which will be described later.

If the side on which the above-described cable holding groove 21f is formed is the outer surface of the gripping member 21a, the gripping member 2
1a, the cable holding portion 21
21d, holding groove 21h parallel to cable holding groove 21f
Are formed. The holding groove 21h is formed as a gentle curved surface. The holding groove 21h is a portion that holds the optical cable 7 together with the holding groove 21h of the other holding member 21b. A plurality of parallel triangular ribs 2 for preventing the gripped optical fiber from coming off is provided on the inner surface of the holding groove 21h.
1i is formed.

The triangular rib 21i has a substantially triangular cross section, and extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the holding groove 21h is formed. The ridge line located at the apex of the triangular section of the triangular rib 21i cuts into the resin coating of the optical cable 7 to prevent the optical cable 7 from shifting. Also, a pair of triangular protrusions 21j formed to face each other are formed inside each cable holding groove 21f. Each triangular protrusion 21j also has a substantially triangular cross section, and extends in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the cable holding groove 21f is formed. A triangular projection 21j is provided for each cable holding groove 21f.
Are formed in sets of three.

After the pull-down cable 8 is pushed into the cable holding groove 21f, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the grip band 22 is attached to the cable holding portion 21d. When the grip band 22 is tightened, the triangular protrusion 21
The ridge line located at the apex of the cross-section triangle of j cuts into the resin coating of the drawn-down cable 8 to prevent the drawn-down cable 8 from shifting. Further, the grip band 22 also prevents the pull-down cable 8 from coming off to the side. The position of the cable holding groove 21f is determined by the sub through hole 54e of the seal member 54.
Corresponding to the position of one pull-down cable 8
Are inserted continuously into both.

The gripping member 21b is formed in exactly the same manner except that it has a mirror image relationship and the size of the insertion hole 21e is different. When the optical cable 7 is gripped by the gripping portion 20, a pair of gripping members 21a and 21b are arranged so as to sandwich the end of the frame 2 therebetween, and the bolt 9 is inserted into the insertion hole 21e of the gripping member 21a and the frame. 2 mounting hole 23, gripping member 21
The nut 10 is inserted through the insertion hole 21e of FIG. As a result, the optical cable 7 is fixed to the frame 2 via the holding member 21 (the frame 2 is fixed to the optical cable 7). The gripper 20 is configured as described above.

A specific mode of use of the closure 1 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. Closure 1
The main optical cable 7 is attached to a place where the pull-down cable 8 is pulled down. First, the resin jacket of the optical cable 7 is removed to expose the internal slot. A tensile wire is embedded in the slot, and a plurality of grooves for accommodating the optical fiber are formed on the outer surface of the slot. Then, the optical cable 7 is attached to the frame 2 using the gripper 20 of the frame 2.
(The frame 2 is attached to the optical cable 7).

Next, the seal member 54 is attached to the optical cable 7, and the pull-down cable 8 is inserted. A desired optical fiber 7 a is taken out of the slot of the optical cable 7, cut, and connected to the optical fiber 8 a in the cable 8. At this time, the optical cable taken out of the optical cable 7 has no margin in length, and the extra length of the optical fiber 7a that can be secured on the optical cable 7 side is short. For this reason, the connection operation is performed while securing a sufficient extra length of the optical fiber 8a on the drop cable 8 side. The optical fibers 7a and 8a may be connected by using a mechanical splice or by fusion splicing.

The frame 2 may be attached to the optical cable 7 after connecting the optical fibers 7a and 8a if possible. Next, the connection part storage tray 3 and the extra length storage tray 4 are attached to the frame 2, and the optical fibers 7a, 8a
Is stored in the fiber storage section 32 on the connection section storage tray 3, and the optical fibers 7 a and 8 a are arranged along the fiber storage section 32. Further, the extra length of the optical fiber 8a is stored in a wound state inside the extra length storage tray 4, and the optical fiber 8a is held so as to have a fixed winding curvature or more.

The pull-down cable 8 in which the excess length of the optical fiber 8a is arranged is inserted into the cable holding groove 2 of the grip 20.
It is pushed into 1f, and the holding band 22 is attached. When arranging the extra lengths of the optical fibers 7a and 8a,
In the case where the pulling-down direction of the pull-down cable 8 is reversed, the optical fiber 7
a and 8a can be converted (see FIG. 1). Finally, the upper part 50 of the sleeve 5 is attached to the upper part of the frame 2 by a pair of locking claws 53. Further, one of the opening and closing portions 52a is closed, and the locking claw 56 is locked to the lower portion of the frame 2.

Further, the other opening / closing portion 52b is closed, and the locking piece 57 (the first locking hole 57a and the second locking hole 57b) and the first locking projection 57c and the second locking projection 57d are used.
One opening / closing portion 52a is locked with the other opening / closing portion 52b. At this time, the seal member 54 is housed inside the seal member housing portion 55 of the sleeve 5. The closure 1 for which the withdrawal operation has been completed in this way is suspended by a suspension line by the suspension hook 6. If it becomes necessary to drop the optical cable again at the position where the closure 1 is installed, the sleeve 5 may be removed from the frame 2 side, a new drop-down cable may be connected, and then the sleeve 5 may be attached again.

According to the closure 1 of the present embodiment, since the sleeve 5 is detachable, the pulling-down operation is very easy. By making the sleeve 5 detachable,
Although there may be a concern that the rigidity and strength of the closure 1 cannot be sufficiently secured by the sleeve 5, the closure 1 of the present embodiment has the frame 2 so that the frame 2 secures sufficient rigidity and strength. And can be used suspended. Also, frame 2
The connection portion storage tray 3 and the extra length storage tray (excess length storage portion) 4 attached to the
The extra lengths of a and 8a can be reliably and simply arranged.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, although the closure 1 in the above-described embodiment is formed so as to be able to process twelve pull-down cables 8, the fiber storage portion 32, the cable holding groove 21f, etc. May be increased.

[0050]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the sleeve is detachable, the branching operation can be performed very easily.
The rigidity and strength of the entire closure are sufficiently ensured by having the frame, and the closure can be used by hanging. Also, the strength is increased and the rigidity is increased by the combination of the sleeve and the frame. Further, the extra-length portion of the optical fiber associated with the connection can be reliably and simply arranged by the connection portion storage tray and the extra length storage portion attached to the frame.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the optical fibers stored in the connecting portion storage tray can be arranged by the plurality of parallel fiber storage portions, and the stored optical fibers are not congested. Can be organized. As a result, the branching operation can be easily performed.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the cable holding groove for holding the branched optical cable is formed in the holding portion of the main optical cable, the main optical cable and the branched optical cable can be compactly arranged. can do. Further, the main optical cable and the branched optical cable can be gripped and held at one place, which contributes to a reduction in the number of gripping parts.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the claw portion is formed inside the cable holding groove, the branched optical cable can be reliably held.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, since the resin hinge is formed on the upper portion of the sleeve so as to be opened and closed, it is possible to effectively prevent rainwater or the like from entering the inside of the closure.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber branched from the optical cable can be connected to the optical fiber on the drawn-down cable side without storing the extra length, so that the connecting operation can be easily performed. Further, since the connecting portion is stored in a plurality of fiber storing portions parallel to the extending direction of the optical cable, the connecting portion is easily stored regardless of the position of the connecting portion.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view (a cross section of only a sleeve) of an embodiment of an optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view (a cross section of only a sleeve) of an embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a left side view of an embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a frame in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view (front surface) of a connection portion storage tray in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view (back side) of the connection portion storage tray in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view (surface) of an extra-length storage tray (excess-length storage portion) in an embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.
It is.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view (rear surface) of an extra-length storage tray (extra-length storage portion) in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.
It is.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of the sleeve in an unfolded state in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a sleeve in an unfolded state in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a rear view of the sleeve in an unfolded state in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a right side view of the sleeve in an unfolded state in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken along line XIV-XIV in FIG.

15 is a sectional view taken along line XV-XV in FIG.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a seal member in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view (partially in section) of a seal member in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

FIGS. 18A and 18B show a gripping member in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention, wherein FIG. 18A is a front view and FIG. 18B is a right side view.

FIGS. 19A and 19B show a gripping member in one embodiment of the optical cable closure of the present invention, wherein FIG. 19A is a rear view, and FIG.
FIG. 3A is a view taken along line BB in FIG.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing the vicinity of a grip portion of the optical cable closure of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Closure, 2 ... Frame, 3 ... Connection part storage tray, 4 ... Extra length storage tray, 5 ... Sleeve, 6 ... Hanging hook, 7 ... Optical cable, 8 ... Drop down cable, 7
a, 8a: optical fiber, 9: bolt, 10: nut, 2
0: gripping part, 21 (21a, 21b): gripping member, 21
c: fastening portion, 21d: cable holding portion, 21e: insertion hole, 21f: cable holding groove, 21g: flange portion, 21h ...
Gripping groove, 21i ... triangular rib, 21j ... triangular projection, 22 ...
Gripping band, 23 mounting hole, 24 regulating part, 25 locking part, 26, 27 positioning hole, 28 positioning part, 30
... Positioning protrusion, 31 ... Locking claw portion, 32 ... Fiber storage portion, 32a ... Wall portion, 33 ... Sub-housing portion, 34 ... Drop prevention portion, 35 ... Hole portion, 40 ... Positioning protrusion, 41 ... Locking claw portion , 42, 47 ... fiber holding part, 43 ... slit,
43, 44: wall portion, 45, 46, 48, 49: fiber pressing piece, 50: upper portion, 51: resin hinge, 52
a, 52b: opening / closing section, 53: locking claw, 54: sealing member, 54a: internal space, 54b: through hole, 54c: slit, 54d: water discharge port, 54e: sub through hole, 54f ...
Partition wall, 55 ... Seal member storage section, 56 ... Locking claw, 57 ...
Lock piece, 57a: first locking hole, 57b: second locking hole,
57c: first locking projection, 57d: second locking projection.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Hirofumi Ito 1 Higashi-Shinmachi, Higashi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi F-term in Chubu Electric Power Co., Inc. (Reference) 2H038 CA37 CA38

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An optical cable closure for branching a predetermined optical fiber from a plurality of optical fibers in an optical cable, comprising: a frame having grip portions at both ends for gripping the optical cable; and a lower portion of the optical cable gripped by the pair of the grip portions. A connection part storage tray that is disposed on the frame and is attached to the frame, and stores a connection part between the optical fiber in the optical cable and the branched optical fiber, and a branch part of the optical fiber that is disposed at both ends of the connection part storage tray. An extra length storage portion for storing an extra length, and an easily detachable sleeve capable of storing all of the frame, the connection portion storage tray, and the extra length storage portion therein. Optical cable closure. 2. The connection part storage tray has a plurality of fiber storage parts parallel to an extending direction of an optical cable held by the metal frame.
The optical cable closure according to the item. 3. The optical cable closure according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of cable holding grooves for holding an optical cable having a branched optical fiber therein are formed in the grip portion. 4. The optical cable closure according to claim 3, wherein a claw portion for retaining the optical cable held inside the cable holding groove is formed inside each cable holding groove. 5. The optical cable closure according to claim 1, wherein the sleeve is made of resin and has a resin hinge portion for opening and closing at an upper portion. 6. A connection of an optical cable in which a predetermined optical fiber is branched from a plurality of optical fibers in an optical cable by using the optical cable closure according to claim 1, and the branched optical fiber is drawn down from the closure as a cable. The method, wherein the optical fiber branched from the inside of the optical cable is not stored in the extra length, the optical fiber branched in the withdrawn cable side is processed in the extra length storage section and connected, and the inside of the optical cable is A method of connecting an optical cable, comprising: storing a connection portion between the optical fiber and the dropped cable that is branched and connected to the optical fiber in the connection portion storage tray.