JP2002328263A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector that prevents various harmful effects caused by the outflow of an adhesive from the filling space of a ferrule into a mechanical splice part. SOLUTION: The optical connector is equipped with a ferrule 2 that has a fiber hole 12 for an optical fiber 16 to be inserted and a filling space 13 for an adhesive to be filled for the purpose of fixing the optical fiber 16 inserted into the fiber hole 12, and is also equipped with the mechanical splice part 3 that has a groove 20 for aligning the optical fiber 16 to be fixedly inserted into the ferrule 2 with the other optical fiber to be butt-connected to the fiber 16. Between the fiber hole 12 of the ferrule 2 and the groove 20 of the mechanical splice part 3, there is prepared a recess 30 that stores the adhesive flowed out from the filling space 13 of the ferrule 2 or a through hole that serves to discharge the adhesive outside.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an optical connector.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, various optical connectors have been developed. One of them is an optical connector shown in FIGS. 7 (a) to 7 (c). This optical connector includes a ferrule part A and a mechanical splice part B. In the ferrule portion A, two fiber holes E penetrating from the base end surface C to the connection end surface D are opened in parallel, and a predetermined length of the built-in optical fiber F is inserted and fixed in each of the fiber holes E. One end of the built-in optical fiber F in the axial direction protrudes outward from the base end face C, and the other end face is substantially flush with the connection end face D. The mechanical splice portion B is formed of a substrate H having two V grooves G formed on the upper surface thereof in parallel.
And a lid J openably and closably attached to the substrate H, the substrate H and the lid J being sandwiched therebetween, and an optical fiber disposed in the V groove G of the substrate H being sandwiched by the V groove G and the lid J. And a substantially U-shaped clamp spring L for holding and holding. The ferrule portion A and the mechanical splice portion B having the above structure are integrated with the tip convex portion M of the mechanical splice portion B inserted into the concave portion N of the ferrule portion A (FIG. 7A). The built-in optical fiber F protruding outward from the base end surface C of A is disposed inside the tip convex portion M of the V groove G of the mechanical splice portion A (FIG. 7B). Therefore, the mechanical splice B
When the connecting optical fiber K is inserted into the V-groove G from the rear end convex portion P side (FIG. 7B), the connecting optical fiber K and the built-in optical fiber F are aligned by the V-groove G, and both fibers K,
The end faces of F are abutted and optically connected (FIG. 7c).

[0003]

The conventional optical connector has the following problems. (1) To fix the built-in optical fiber F inserted into the fiber hole E of the ferrule part A, an adhesive is filled in a filling space Q opened on the upper surface of the ferrule part A,
The adhesive may flow out to the mechanical splice B side through the gap between the fiber hole E and the built-in optical fiber F, and may be cured as it is. In this case, depending on an outflow point of the adhesive, alignment of the mechanical splice portion B by the V-groove G is inhibited by the cured adhesive,
The opening and closing of the lid J may be hindered. Such a problem becomes particularly remarkable when the viscosity of the adhesive is low. (2) When the adhesive flowing out reaches the abutting portion between the built-in optical fiber F and the connecting optical fiber K along the V groove G, the adhesive is applied to the end faces of the optical fibers K and F that are abutted and connected. Adhesion increases connection loss.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

One of the optical connectors of the present application is a ferrule having a fiber hole through which an optical fiber is inserted and a filling space filled with an adhesive for fixing the optical fiber inserted through the fiber hole. An optical connector having an optical fiber inserted and fixed in a ferrule portion, and a mechanical splice portion having a groove for aligning another optical fiber butt-connected to the optical fiber, wherein a fiber hole in the ferrule portion is provided. A recess for accommodating the adhesive flowing out of the filling space of the ferrule portion is provided between the ferrule portion and the groove of the mechanical splice portion.

Another one of the optical connectors of the present application is a ferrule having a fiber hole through which an optical fiber is inserted, and a filling space filled with an adhesive for fixing the optical fiber inserted through the fiber hole. And an optical fiber inserted and fixed in the ferrule part, and a mechanical splice part having a groove for aligning another optical fiber butt-connected to the optical fiber. A through hole is provided between the fiber hole and the groove of the mechanical splice to discharge the adhesive flowing out of the filling space of the ferrule to the outside.

Another one of the optical connectors of the present application is one in which a ferrule portion and a mechanical splice portion are integrally formed.

[0008] Another one of the optical connectors of the present application is one in which a separate ferrule portion and a mechanical splice portion are integrated.

[0009]

(Embodiment 1) An embodiment of an optical connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, an optical connector according to the present embodiment has a ferrule portion 2 through which an optical fiber can be inserted and fixed on one side in a longitudinal direction of an elongated plate-shaped substrate 1, and the optical fiber on the other side. And a mechanical splice portion 3 capable of aligning another optical fiber to be butt-connected thereto.

As shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b), the ferrule portion 2 is formed such that one side in the longitudinal direction of the base material 1 is thicker than the other portion, and a guide pin hole 11 is formed in the thick portion 10 thereof. , A fiber hole 12 and a filling space 13.

As shown in FIG. 2A, the guide pin holes 11 are formed one by one on both outer sides in the width direction of the thick portion 10. Each of the guide pin holes 11 is one end surface 14 in the longitudinal direction of the thick portion 10 (= the connection end surface 14 of the optical connector).
And the other end face 15, through which a guide pin for aligning the two optical connectors is inserted when the optical connector is connected to another optical connector. Specifically, one end of a guide pin (not shown) is inserted into the guide pin hole of the optical connector or the mating optical connector, and the other end of the guide pin is inserted into the guide pin hole of the mating optical connector or the optical connector. The optical connectors are aligned with each other by insertion, that is, by straddling the guide pins between the two optical connectors. However, the guide pin hole 11 shown in FIG. 2A does not have to penetrate from the connection end face 14 to the other end face 15 as long as the guide pin insertion depth is secured.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the fiber holes 12 are formed between the two guide pin holes 11 in parallel at a predetermined interval (for example, a pitch of 0.75 mm).
The optical fibers 16 (built-in optical fibers 16) inserted into the respective fiber holes 12 are fixed by an adhesive filled in the filling space 13. Here, the built-in optical fiber 16 inserted and fixed in each fiber hole 12 has one end face in the axial direction substantially flush with the connection end face 14, and the other end in the axial direction projects outward from the base end face 17. The mechanical splice 3 has been reached. In addition, the connection end surface 14
The end face of the built-in optical fiber 16, which is substantially flush with the end face, is polished and protrudes by several microns from the connection end face 14, and the other end face is mirror-cut.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the filling space 13 is formed between the two guide pin holes 11 and in the axial direction of the fiber hole 12, and as described above. The built-in optical fiber 16 inserted in the fiber hole 12 straddles the filling space 13 and is filled with an adhesive so that the built-in optical fiber 16 can be bonded and fixed to the ferrule portion 2.

As shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, a recess 30 is formed between the ferrule 2 and the mechanical splice 3 on the upper surface of the substrate 1. That is, the built-in optical fiber 16 protruding from the base end face 17 of the ferrule part 2 straddles the concave part 30 and the mechanical splice part 3
Has been reached. Therefore, even if the adhesive filled in the filling space 13 of the ferrule portion 2 flows out to the mechanical splice portion 3 side through the gap between the fiber hole 12 and the built-in optical fiber 16 inserted therethrough (smearing). Even if it comes out), the adhesive falls and is stored in the concave portion 30 and does not flow out to the mechanical splice portion 3 side any more.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the mechanical splice portion 3 has two V-grooves 20
Are formed in parallel at a predetermined interval (the same interval as the fiber hole 12), and the optical fibers arranged in the V-grooves 20 are opened and closed by the lid 21 (FIG. 1) attached to the same substrate 1 so as to be opened and closed. And can be held between them.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the built-in optical fiber 16 protruding outward from the base end face 17 of the ferrule portion 2 is disposed near the ferrule portion 2 of the V groove 20. As shown in FIG. 3, it is sandwiched and held between the lid 21 and the V-groove 20. Therefore, another optical fiber 25 (connection optical fiber 2) is inserted into the V-groove 20 from the side opposite to the ferrule portion 2.
5), the two optical fibers 16 and 25 are
And the end faces are butted against each other. Here, even if the adhesive previously filled in the filling space 13 of the ferrule portion 2 flows out of the gap between the fiber hole 12 and the built-in optical fiber 16 inserted therein, the adhesive is The outflow to the mechanical splice portion 3 side is prevented by the concave portion 30. Therefore, there is no danger that the adhesive enters the V-groove 20 and the alignment is disturbed by the adhesive.

The end face of the built-in optical fiber 16 that is brought into contact with the end face of the connection optical fiber 25 is coated with a refractive index matching agent in advance. As shown in FIG. 1, the base material 1 and the lid 21 are sandwiched in a substantially U-shaped clamp spring 35, and the built-in optical fiber 1 is formed by the V-groove 20 and the lid 21.
6 is designed to securely and firmly hold the pinch. Therefore, when inserting the connection optical fiber 25 into the V-groove 20, the wedge 36 shown in FIG. 1 is pushed between the base material 1 and the lid 21, and as shown in FIG. After a slight gap is formed between the cover and the lid 21, the connecting optical fiber 25 is inserted into the V-groove 20, and then the wedge 36 is pulled out as shown in FIG. After that, the built-in optical fiber 16 which is aligned by the V groove 20 and butt-connected.
The connection optical fiber 25 is clamped and held by the V-groove 20 and the lid 21, and the clamp spring 35 securely and firmly clamps and holds the connection optical fiber 25.

(Embodiment 2) Another embodiment of the optical connector according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The basic configuration of the optical connector shown in the present embodiment is the same as that shown in the first embodiment. The difference is that a through hole 40 communicating with the outside is provided between the ferrule part 2 and the mechanical splice part 3 instead of the recess 30. As a result, even if the adhesive filled in the filling space 13 of the ferrule portion 2 flows out of the gap between the fiber hole 12 and the built-in optical fiber 16 inserted therein, the adhesive remains in the through hole 40. From the mechanical splice 3
No spill to the side.

(Embodiment 3) The formation position of the concave portion 30 or the through hole 40 shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 5 is an example, and the concave portion 30 or the through hole 40 can be formed at a position other than the illustrated position. However, from the viewpoint of preventing the adhesive flowing out of the filling space 13 of the ferrule part 2 from adhering to the end faces of the butt-connected optical fiber 16 and the connecting optical fiber 25, these recesses 30 or through holes 40 are incorporated. It is desirable to form the ferrule portion 2 closer to the butting position of the optical fiber 16 and the connection optical fiber 25.
Further, from the viewpoint of preventing the adhesive from flowing into the V-groove 20 of the mechanical splice portion 3 and deteriorating the alignment accuracy due to the V-groove 20, the concave portion 30 or the through-hole 40 may be used.
Is preferably formed between the V-groove 20 and the fiber hole 12. Therefore, the recess 30 is located closer to the ferrule portion 2 than the abutting position of the built-in optical fiber 16 and the connection optical fiber 25, and between the V-groove 20 and the fiber hole 12.
Alternatively, it is most desirable to form the through hole 40.

In the optical connector according to the present invention, the ferrule part 2 and the mechanical splice part 3 may be formed separately and integrated later. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6A, for example, the ferrule portion 2 having the guide pin hole 11, the fiber hole 12, and the filling space 13, and the mechanical splice portion 3 having the V-groove.
May be separately formed, and the ferrule portion 2 and the mechanical splice portion 3 may be integrally bonded and fixed as shown in FIGS. 6B and 6C. Alternatively, the ferrule portion 2 and the mechanical splice portion 3 may be integrated by insert molding.

In the above embodiment, an optical connector in which two fiber holes 12 and V-grooves 20 are arranged in parallel at a predetermined pitch has been described in order to accommodate two optical fibers.
As long as the number of the fiber holes 12 and the V-grooves 20 is increased or decreased in order to accommodate one optical fiber or three or more optical fibers, or the optical connector in which the arrangement pitch thereof is changed, the optical connector of the present invention is also provided. Included in connector.

[0022]

(1) The optical connector of the present application comprises a ferrule portion into which an optical fiber is inserted and fixed, an optical fiber inserted through and fixed to the ferrule portion, and another optical fiber which is butt-connected thereto. Since the optical fiber is provided with the mechanical splice portion, another optical fiber can be butt-connected to the optical fiber inserted through the ferrule portion and fixed in a short time with no power supply and no polishing. (2) The optical connector of the present application is provided between the fiber hole of the ferrule part and the groove of the mechanical splice part, for the purpose of accommodating the adhesive flowing out of the filling space of the ferrule part or for discharging the same. Are provided. Therefore, there is no possibility that the adhesive flowing out of the filling space and flowing into the mechanical splice portion will hinder the alignment of the mechanical splice portion. In addition, there is no possibility that the adhesive flowing out of the filling space and flowing into the mechanical splice will adhere to the end faces of the two optical fibers connected to each other and increase the connection loss. (3) According to the optical connector of the present application, in which the ferrule portion and the mechanical splice portion are integrally formed, the labor for integrating the separate ferrule portion and the mechanical splice portion can be omitted. Further, at the time of integration, there is no possibility that the relative positional relationship between the ferrule portion and the mechanical splice portion deviates from the expected positional relationship.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an embodiment of an optical connector of the present invention.

2 (a) is a plan view of the optical connector shown in FIG. 1 with a part omitted, and FIG. 2 (b) is a longitudinal sectional view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the optical connector shown in FIG. 1 with a part omitted;

4 (a) and 4 (b) are partially omitted cross-sectional views showing a process of connecting a connection optical fiber to the optical connector shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially omitted longitudinal sectional view showing another example of the embodiment of the optical connector of the present invention.

6 (a) is a partially omitted plan view showing a separately formed ferrule portion and a mechanical splice portion, and FIG. 6 (b) shows a state where the separate ferrule portion and the mechanical splice portion are integrated. FIG. 3C is a partially omitted plan view, and FIG. 4C is a partially omitted longitudinal sectional view showing a state in which a separate ferrule part and a mechanical splice part are integrated.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a conventional optical connector.
(A) is a plan view, (b) and (c) are explanatory views of a partial cross section.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base material 2 Ferrule part 3 Mechanical splice part 12 Fiber hole 13 Filling space 16 Built-in optical fiber 20 V groove 25 Connection optical fiber 30 Concave part 40 Through hole

Claims (4)

[Claims] A ferrule portion having a fiber hole through which an optical fiber is inserted, a filling space filled with an adhesive for fixing the optical fiber inserted through the fiber hole, and a ferrule portion fixed through the ferrule portion. An optical connector having an optical fiber and a mechanical splice portion having a groove for aligning another optical fiber to be butt-connected to the optical fiber, wherein a fiber hole of a ferrule portion and a groove of the mechanical splice portion are formed. An optical connector, characterized in that a concave portion for accommodating an adhesive flowing out of a filling space of a ferrule portion is provided therebetween. 2. A ferrule portion having a fiber hole through which an optical fiber is inserted, a filling space filled with an adhesive for fixing the optical fiber inserted through the fiber hole, and a ferrule portion fixed through the ferrule portion. An optical connector having an optical fiber and a mechanical splice portion having a groove for aligning another optical fiber to be butt-connected to the optical fiber, wherein a fiber hole of a ferrule portion and a groove of the mechanical splice portion are formed. An optical connector, characterized in that a through-hole for discharging the adhesive flowing out of the filling space of the ferrule portion to the outside is provided therebetween. 3. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the ferrule portion and the mechanical splice portion are integrally formed. 4. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein a separate ferrule portion and a mechanical splice portion are integrated.