JP2005164994A - Optical outlet - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical outlet where an optical fiber is subjected to excessive-length processing without using an outlet box in special structure. <P>SOLUTION: The optical outlet 1 has an outlet box 9 buried in a wall surface, an optical adapter 15 which is put in the outlet box 9, and an optical fiber 3 which is connected to the optical adapter 15 and arranged with its excessive length processed in the outlet box 9. The optical fiber 3 is inserted into a duct 41 in a specific shape with curvature and has its excessive length processed compactly. The space in the outlet box 9 which is narrow as usual can be given a margin and an outlet of another type can be stored in the outlet box 9. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical outlet, and more particularly to an optical outlet in which the optical fiber can be stored in a narrow space.

  Conventionally, as one of the technologies for wiring an optical fiber in a building such as a building or a house, an optical fiber wired in a space of an indoor wall and an optical fiber of a communication device installed indoors are used. Various optical outlets for connection have been proposed. For example, an optical outlet has a front panel that can be removed from an outlet box, and an optical adapter that is connected to an optical connector terminated in an optical fiber of an indoor device is provided on the front panel. The shape of the optical outlet is generally box-shaped.

  In addition, extra length processing is important for the connection in the optical outlet, and if the extra length portion becomes unstable, noise may occur in that portion. Therefore, means for fixing the optical fiber is indispensable for the extra length.

  By the way, in FTTH, there is a demand for wiring processing from the optical outlet provided on the wall surface inside the building to the withdrawal point on the pillar and the efficiency of wiring work. As part of this, wiring processing in the optical outlet, especially the above-mentioned It is necessary to improve the efficiency of the extra length processing.

  As described above, because the depth of the optical outlet is relatively narrow, a state occurs in which the optical fiber is bent more than specified, so in order to prevent this, the front panel is configured to protrude to the front side of the outlet box, An optical adapter is attached downward to the lower portion of the protruding front panel. Then, an optical connector is connected to the optical adapter, and the bending diameter of the optical fiber terminated in the optical connector is greatly relaxed and accommodated inside the outlet box (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  As another conventional optical outlet, in addition to the above-described general outlet box, another outlet box is provided on the indoor wall adjacent to the former outlet box, and an optical adapter is connected to the other outlet box. Is attached downward. Then, an optical connector is connected to the optical adapter, and the bending diameter of the optical fiber terminated on the optical connector is greatly relaxed inside the other outlet box of the latter. It is configured to be connected by an optical connector and an optical fiber which is passed through the former outlet box after being stored and passed through an indoor wall space.

  The front panel of the former outlet box is provided with adapters for jacks such as ordinary televisions, LANs and telephones at, for example, three locations. Further, the front panel of the latter outlet box is provided with one jack adapter in addition to the optical adapter.

Furthermore, as another conventional optical outlet, the above-described general outlet box is embedded in a wall, and an extra-length storage tray is provided inside the outlet box. The extra length storage tray is an extra length winding member for winding an extra length of an optical fiber such as a mandrel. Further, an optical adapter is provided on the front panel of the outlet box, an optical connector is connected to the optical adapter, and an optical fiber terminated on the optical connector is taken out of the extra length by the extra length storage tray before the building wall. An optical fiber wired in the inner space is connected by an optical connector. The front panel is provided with one jack adapter in addition to the optical adapter.
JP 2001-141956 A

  By the way, in the conventional optical outlet, the optical fiber connected to the optical adapter provided on the front panel needs to be extra length in the outlet box, and the outlet box is standardized and has a narrow storage area. There was a problem as shown in.

  In the optical outlet of Patent Document 1, since the front panel is formed so as to protrude forward from the outlet box, there is a problem that the front panel protrudes from the wall surface in the room and thus looks bad and becomes an obstacle. . In addition, the front panel is special and different from the commonly used front panel, and thus has a problem of high cost.

  In addition, in the second other conventional optical outlet described above, it is necessary to attach another outlet box to the indoor wall in addition to the general outlet box. Because it protrudes from the wall, there was a problem that it looks bad and becomes an obstacle.

  Furthermore, in the third other conventional optical outlet described above, an extra length storage tray is provided inside the outlet box, so that an adapter for a jack for a normal television, LAN, telephone, etc. is provided in addition to the optical adapter. There was a problem that it was not possible to do this, or only one adapter for the jack could be used.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems.

An optical outlet according to the present invention includes an outlet box embedded in a wall surface, an optical adapter accommodated in the outlet box, and an optical fiber connected to the optical adapter and processed by extra length processing in the outlet box. In a light outlet having
The optical fiber is configured to be inserted into a pipe having a predetermined shape having a curvature to process the extra length.

  In the optical outlet according to the present invention, it is preferable that in the optical outlet, the conduit is formed in a coil shape in advance.

  The optical outlet according to the present invention is preferably made of a resin having flexibility such that in the optical outlet, the conduit is stretchable in a direction from the coiled original shape to a substantially linear shape by a tensile force.

  In the optical outlet of the present invention, it is preferable that the curvature of the conduit does not exceed an allowable bending range of the optical fiber in the optical outlet.

  As can be understood from the means for solving the problems as described above, according to the present invention, the optical fiber can be made compact in the vicinity of the optical adapter by a simple mechanism that is simply inserted through a pipe having a predetermined shape having a curvature. Since the extra connection length can be processed, the time required for connecting the optical outlet can be shortened, and a space in the narrow outlet box can be provided, and other types of outlets can be accommodated in the outlet box. Therefore, since a standardized normal outlet box can be used, it is inexpensive and does not cause the optical outlet to jump out of the wall surface, so that it does not become an obstacle.

  Even in a narrow space of the outlet box, the extra length can be processed while maintaining a radius of curvature that does not exceed the allowable bending range of the optical fiber by the pipe line. Further, since the optical fiber is protected in advance by a pipe line, it can be protected from an external force applied to the optical fiber.

  In addition, since the duct has flexibility that can be expanded and contracted from the coil-shaped original shape, it is possible to easily perform operations such as mounting an optical adapter and other outlets to the optical outlet and wiring.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical outlet 1 according to this embodiment is configured such that light routed in a wall 7 of a room 5 in order to route an optical fiber 3 in a building such as a building or a house. The fiber 3 is connected to the optical fiber 3 of a communication device installed in the room 5.

  The optical outlet 1 uses a general outlet box 9 whose shape and size are standardized. The outlet box 9 is embedded in the wall surface of the room 5 and has a box shape in which an opening 11 is provided toward the room 5. The wall 7 is applied not only to a standing wall but also to a floor wall, a ceiling wall, a partition, office furniture, and other walls.

  Further, the outlet box 9 has an optical adapter 15 for connecting the optical connector 13 and a jack adapter for various wirings such as a TV terminal of a normal television, a DATA terminal of a LAN, and a telephone line outlet as other outlets. Arranged from the portion 11 to the inside of the outlet box 9. The optical adapter 15 and other outlets are fixed to the wall 7 by being fixed by, for example, a mounting frame 17 as a fixture. The mounting frame 17 is screwed with a bolt 21 to a screw portion 19 provided in the outlet box 9, for example. In addition, as a fixture, it may be a member different from the outlet box 9 as in the mounting frame 17 described above, or may be provided integrally with the outlet box 9.

  In this embodiment, in addition to the optical adapter 15, the mounting frame 17 is provided with TV terminals 23 and telephone line outlets 25 at a total of three locations. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3, the optical adapter 15 has an optical connector 13 terminated to the optical fiber 3 of the communication device in the room 5, as shown in FIG. It is connected to the left connector insertion port 27. A TV signal receiving coaxial cable 29 is connected to the TV terminal 23 on the left side in FIG. 1, and a telephone line jack 33 for the telephone line 31 in the room 5 is shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, it is inserted and connected to the jack insertion port 35 on the left side.

  Inside the outlet box 9, the optical fiber 3 connected to the optical adapter 15, the coaxial cable 29 connected to the TV terminal 23, and the telephone line 31 connected to the telephone line outlet 25 pass through the space in the wall 7. Wired externally.

  Further, on the front side of the wall 7, the plate 37 exposes only the plug insertion port of the optical adapter 15 and the terminal portion of the other outlet, so that the mounting frame 17, the optical adapter 15 and the other outlet, that is, the TV terminal. 23 and a telephone line outlet 25 are provided. The plate 37 is a decorative plate for covering the inside of the outlet box 9 and is made of a material such as metal, plastic, or wood.

  Next, a description will be given of a connection surplus length processing structure in the outlet box 9 of the optical adapter 15 constituting the main part of this embodiment and the optical fiber wiring connected to the optical adapter 15.

  When the optical fiber 3 is in a bent state, a so-called bending loss occurs because an optical signal traveling in the axial direction is radiated out of the waveguide without satisfying the total reflection condition of the fiber. Therefore, the optical fiber 3 needs to be accommodated in the outlet box 9 while being held so as not to be smaller than a predetermined bending radius R (allowable bending radius of the optical fiber 3). In addition, in order to connect the optical fiber 3 by the optical connector 39 inserted into the optical adapter 15 or by direct fusion, it is necessary to provide a sufficient length for the optical fiber 3 for the connection operation and future reconnection work. .

  In this embodiment, an optical fiber strand having an outer diameter of 0.25 mm, for example, is used as the optical fiber 3. The allowable bending radius for this optical fiber strand is 15 mm or more, and the length for the extra length processing is set. For example, although it is about 30 cm, the allowable bending radius and the length for the extra length processing are different depending on the optical fiber 3 used, and are not limited numerically. Generally, the allowable bending radius of the optical fiber 3 is set to 30 mm or more.

  In this embodiment, the optical fiber 3 connected to the optical adapter 15 can be processed for a surplus length while maintaining the allowable bending radius of the optical fiber 3 in a narrow space of the outlet box 9 using a simple mechanism. It is a feature. That is, as a feature, for example, a connection length processing portion of, for example, an optical fiber as the optical fiber 3 is placed in, for example, a tube 41 having a predetermined shape having a curvature in the outlet box 9. There is. The optical fiber 3 is not limited to an optical fiber, but may be applied to other forms of optical fibers such as an optical fiber core, an optical fiber tape core, an optical fiber cord, and an optical cable. In addition, the above-mentioned pipeline has a cross-sectional shape through which the above-described various types of optical fibers can be inserted.

  More specifically, in this embodiment, the optical fiber 3 is covered with the tube 41 as the above-described pipe and is in a coiled state. For example, the tube 41 is pre-shaped in a coil shape having a radius R of 15 mm or more of an allowable bending radius of an optical fiber as the optical fiber 3 as shown in FIG. The extra length optical fiber 3 passes through the tube 41. The distal end of the extra length optical fiber 3 is terminated to an optical connector 39 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, and this optical connector 39 is inserted into the connector on the right side of the optical adapter 15 of the outlet box 9 in FIG. Connected to the mouth (not shown). The end of the extra length optical fiber 3 is connected to an optical cable such as an optical fiber drop cable (not shown).

  The coiled tube 41 is preferably a plastic tube 41 having flexibility such as nylon. That is, when the tube 41 is pulled in the axial direction, the tube 41 is deformed from a coiled original shape in a substantially linear direction and easily stretched, and the rigidity that can be restored to the original shape when the tensile force is released is provided. It is desirable. Usually, the optical fiber 3 is inserted into the tube 41 by hand. In the case where it is difficult to insert by hand, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the above-mentioned extra length optical fiber is blown while air is blown into the tube 41 in a state where the coiled tube 41 is stretched almost straight. By flying 3 by air, the optical fiber 3 can be easily passed through the coiled tube 41. Alternatively, the extra length optical fiber 3 may be sucked and passed through the tube 41 with air suction force, or the extra length optical fiber 3 may be hooked on a guide hook and passed through the tube 41. Next, when the tensile force is released, the original coiled tube 41 returns to a compact extra length storage state.

  The optical fiber 3 placed in the tube 41 may be left in a free state without being particularly fixed, or may be positioned in the outlet box 9 by being fixed to another member or the like.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, an optical fiber strand having a diameter of 0.25 mm as an optical fiber 3 is inserted through a gap 43 into a coiled tube 41 having an outer diameter of 0.9 mm, for example. It is in the state.

  The operation of inserting the optical fiber 3 wired in the wall 7 as described above into the coil tube 41 can be easily performed on site. The tip of the optical fiber 3 is terminated at the optical connector 39, and then the optical connector 39 is inserted into the connector insertion port of the optical adapter 15 and connected. Then, when the coil tube 41 is pulled back and disposed at a predetermined position in the outlet box 9, the coil tube 41 has a function to maintain an extra length at a radius R that is equal to or larger than an allowable bending radius of the optical fiber 3 because the coil tube 41 is rigid. The extra length of the optical fiber 3 is stored in the outlet box 9 in a stable state without any special structure such as a complicated extra length storage tray as in the prior art. Is done.

  The tip of the optical fiber 3 in the outlet box 9 is attached with an optical connector, but the optical connector is a single-core ferrule or a multi-core MT ferrule, and the adapter is adapted to each ferrule type. . Also, it can be an on-site type optical connector. The on-site type optical connector has a mechanical connection structure such as a mechanical splice.

  As described above, since the coiled tube 41 has flexibility, it becomes easy to attach the optical adapter 15 and other outlets to the optical outlet 1 and perform operations such as wiring. Further, since the extra length optical fiber 3 is compactly accommodated without using the extra length storage tray or the like and at least not exceeding the allowable bending range of the optical fiber 3, it is possible to give a margin to the space in the outlet box 9. Since the space of other outlets is not occupied, other outlets can be stored in the outlet box 9. That is, the optical adapter 15 and other outlets can be attached to all outlet attachment portions (three places in this embodiment) of the mounting frame 17.

  Furthermore, since the connection extra length processing of the optical fiber 3 is simple, the connection time of the optical outlet 1 is shortened, and since the optical fiber 3 is protected by the tube 41, the optical fiber 3 is placed in the narrow outlet box 9. Can be protected from external forces when stored.

It is a side view which shows the cross section of the optical outlet of embodiment of this invention. It is the front view seen from the left side of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the attachment state of the optical adapter and optical connector of FIG. It is a perspective view of the state where the optical fiber was inserted in the coil tube. It is a perspective view of the state where an optical fiber is inserted in a coil tube with air in the state where a coil tube was extended. It is sectional drawing of the state which penetrated the optical fiber to the coil tube.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Optical outlet 3 Optical fiber 5 Indoor 7 Wall 9 Outlet box 13 Optical connector 15 Optical adapter 17 Mounting frame (fixing tool)
23 TV terminal 25 Telephone line outlet 27 Connector insertion port 29 Coaxial cable 31 Telephone line 33 Telephone line jack 35 Jack insertion port 37 Plate 39 Optical connector 41 Tube (pipe)

Claims (4)

In an optical outlet having an outlet box embedded in a wall surface, an optical adapter accommodated in the outlet box, and an optical fiber connected to the optical adapter and disposed in the outlet box after being subjected to extra length processing,
An optical outlet, characterized in that the optical fiber is inserted into a pipe having a predetermined shape having a curvature to process the extra length.   The optical outlet according to claim 1, wherein the conduit is formed in a coil shape in advance.   3. The optical outlet according to claim 2, wherein the pipe is made of a resin having flexibility that can be expanded and contracted in a direction that is substantially linear from a coiled original shape by a tensile force. 4. The optical outlet according to claim 1, wherein the curvature of the conduit does not exceed an allowable bending range of the optical fiber.

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