JP2006030754A - Optical connection structure, its manufacturing method, and support member used for it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To simply perform connection working well by simply mounting an optical transmission medium by an arrangement groove. <P>SOLUTION: The optical connection structure 10 comprises at least a pair of the optical transmission media 1a and 1b, an arrangement member 2 having the arrangement groove 2a, a connection member 3 having refractive index conformation, and a support member 4 provided with the connection member 3. The end faces of the optical transmission media 1a and 1b are mounted to be opposed in the arrangement groove 2a of the arrangement member 2, the support member 4 is mounted on the upper part of the arrangement groove 2a between the optical transmission media 1a and 1b, and the optical transmission media 1a and 1b are optically connected by sandwiching the connection member 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connection structure, a manufacturing method thereof, and a support member used therefor.

  Optical connectors currently used as connection parts for optical transmission media use connection parts such as FC, SC, MU, and LC for single-core connection and MPO, MPX, and MTP types for multi-fiber connection. It has been. In these optical connectors, the optical fiber is fixed to a precision-molded ferrule or plug, and the optical fiber is aligned by a precision-molded sleeve or guide pin. It was.

  Therefore, a method of connecting optical fibers by connecting them with alignment grooves or through holes has been proposed. In particular, in a connection method using alignment grooves such as V-grooves, the optical transmission medium can be installed from above. As an optical transmission medium connection method that allows an operator to easily perform the connection work and effectively use the space on the board is not required. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

Also, when optical connection between optical transmission media is performed using alignment grooves, a liquid refractive index matching material having a refractive index equivalent to or close to that of the optical fiber core is interposed on the end face of the optical transmission media to optically connect the optical transmission media. (For example, refer to Patent Document 2). This is a method of reducing the connection loss by avoiding Fresnel reflection caused by air by preventing the intrusion of air at the end face of the optical fiber by the refractive index matching material.
JP 2001-296448 A JP-A-10-170747

  However, the refractive index matching agent used as the optical fiber connecting member described in Patent Document 2 is generally a silicone-based or paraffin-based liquid or grease-like material. For this reason, it is extremely difficult to apply a certain amount to the end face of the optical fiber having a very small area. Therefore, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561, usually, the coating is often performed in a wide range inside the V groove. In this case, the refractive index matching material is filled in the lower part of the tip of the optical fiber and pushes up the tip of the optical fiber, thereby causing an axis misalignment and increasing the connection loss. When the refractive index matching agent is applied excessively in this way, contamination around the connection portion and adhesion of dust and the like thereby become a problem.

  The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-described problems, and an optical connection structure capable of easily placing an optical transmission medium by an alignment groove and performing a connection operation easily and satisfactorily and its manufacture. It is an object to provide a method and a support member used therefor.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following means.
The invention according to claim 1 is an optical connection structure including at least a pair of optical transmission media, an alignment member having alignment grooves, a connection member having refractive index matching, and a support member having the connection member. The end faces of the at least one pair of optical transmission media are placed opposite to each other in the alignment groove of the alignment member, and the support member is placed on the alignment groove between the optical transmission media to connect the connection The at least one pair of optical transmission media is optically connected with a member interposed therebetween.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the optical connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the alignment member has a groove in a direction intersecting the alignment groove, and the support member is placed in the groove. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 3 is the optical connection structure according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the support member has at least one protrusion, and the alignment member has at least one hole. The protrusion of the support member is inserted and fixed in the hole, and the support member is placed on the alignment groove.

  The invention according to claim 4 is the optical connection structure according to claim 3, wherein the support member is U-shaped or U-shaped.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the optical connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the alignment groove is V-shaped.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the optical connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the connection member is flexibly deformed.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the optical connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connection member has adhesiveness.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the optical connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the connection member is applied to at least a part of the outer peripheral portion of the support member. It is characterized by.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the optical connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the connection member is in a film form.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, at least a pair of optical transmission media, an alignment member having alignment grooves, and a support member having a connecting member having refractive index matching are used, and the at least one pair of optical transmission media is optically connected. A method of manufacturing an optical connection structure, the step of placing end faces of the at least one pair of optical transmission media facing each other in the alignment groove of the alignment member, and an upper portion of the alignment groove between the optical transmission media A step of placing the support member; and a step of optically connecting the at least one pair of optical transmission media with the connection member interposed therebetween.

  The invention according to claim 11 is a support member used in the optical connection structure according to claim 1, and includes a connection member having refractive index matching to connect the optical transmission medium to a part of the outer peripheral portion. It is characterized by that.

  The invention according to claim 12 is the support member according to claim 11, wherein the support member has a protrusion at least partially.

  The invention according to claim 13 is the support member according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the connection member is an adhesive material.

  As described above, according to the optical connection structure of the present invention, the method for producing the optical connection structure, and the support member used in the optical connection structure, the operator can directly connect the connection member by providing the support member with the connection member. It is possible to handle the optical transmission medium without contact. In addition, since a certain amount of the connection member is provided on a part of the outer peripheral portion of the support member, the connection member can be attached only to the connection end surface between the optical transmission media, and contamination, dust, etc. adhere around the connection portion. There is no influence. Furthermore, when removing the connection member at the time of attachment / detachment, it is only necessary to move the support member, it can be easily replaced, and workability can be greatly improved.

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, an optical fiber is used as an example of an optical transmission medium, but the present invention is not limited to this.
As shown in FIG. 1A, the optical connection structure 10 according to this embodiment includes a pair of optical fibers 1a and 1b, an alignment member 2 having an inverted triangular V-shaped alignment groove 2a, and a refractive index. And a support member 4 having a connecting member 3 that is flexible and deforms. Further, the optical fibers 1a and 1b are cut by removing the covering of the end portions. The support member 4 has a columnar shape, and a connecting member is applied to the lower outer periphery (a part of the outer periphery) 4a.

A method for producing the optical connection structure 10 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG.
First, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, a pair of optical fibers 1a and 1b are placed in the V groove 2a of the alignment member 2 from above. At this time, the optical fibers are placed with an appropriate distance. Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, a support member 4 is placed on the upper portion 2b of the V-groove 2a of the alignment member 2 between the optical fiber 1a and the optical fiber 1b, and this is not shown. Temporarily fixed with. At this time, the connection member 3 is provided on the lower outer peripheral portion 4a of the support member 4, and the connection member 3 exists so as to hang down inside the V groove 2a. Then, as shown in FIG. 1D, the two optical fibers 1a and 1b are advanced in the direction of the support member 4. Then, the tips of the optical fibers 1a and 1b come into contact with the connecting member 3 provided on the support member 4, so that the connecting member 3 is attached only to the tips of the optical fibers 1a and 1b. Further, the optical fibers 1a and 1b facing each other are moved inward until they are abutted, and the ends are abutted with the connection member 3 interposed therebetween, whereby the optical connection structure 10 of the present invention is configured. In addition, as shown in FIG.1 (e), optical fiber 1a, 1b fixes optical fiber 1a, 1b from the upper part by plate-shaped holding | suppressing member 5a, 5b.

  According to the optical connection structure 10, the manufacturing method of the optical connection structure 10, and the support member 4 used in the optical connection structure 10 according to the present invention, by providing the connection member 3 on the support member 4, the operator directly attaches to the connection member 3. It becomes possible to handle the optical fibers 1a and 1b without contact. In addition, since a certain amount of the connection member 3 is provided on the lower outer peripheral portion 4a of the support member 4, the connection member 3 can be attached only to the connection end surfaces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b. There is no influence of adhesion of dust or the like. Further, since alignment can be performed on the V-groove 2a, optical connection can be performed without causing a shift in the optical axes of the optical fibers 1a and 1b.

  The optical transmission medium used in the present invention includes, for example, the above-described optical fiber, but the type thereof is not particularly limited, the optical fiber is not limited in any way, and may be appropriately selected for the application. An optical fiber made of a material such as quartz or plastic can be used. In addition, the present invention can be applied to different types of optical transmission media to be used and optical transmission media having different outer diameters as long as the core diameter is the same. Also, an optical fiber having a special structure such as a holey fiber may be used. The number of optical transmission media is not limited at all.

  Further, the connecting member 3 of the present invention has refractive index matching between optical transmission media. The refractive index matching in the present invention refers to the degree of proximity between the refractive index of the connection member 3 and the refractive index of the optical transmission medium. Accordingly, the refractive index of the connecting member 3 constituting the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is close to the refractive index of the optical transmission medium. However, the difference in refractive index is ± 0 in terms of transmission loss due to avoidance of Fresnel reflection. Is preferably within 1 and more preferably within ± 0.05.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the alignment member 2 may have a V-groove 2c in a direction crossing the alignment groove 2a, and the support member 4 may be placed in the groove 2c. In this case, the depth of the groove 2c is shallower than the depth of the alignment groove 2a, and the support member 4 is located above the centers of the optical fibers 1a and 1b. Further, the upper side of the support member 4 is open. In the connecting step, as shown in FIG. 2B, the optical fibers 1a and 1b are placed in the alignment groove 2a, and as shown in FIG. 2C, the support member 4 is placed in the groove 2c. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 2 (d), the optical fibers 1 a and 1 b are advanced in the direction of the support member 4. At this time, when the tips of the optical fibers 1a and 1b come into contact with the connection member 3 provided in the support member, the connection member 3 is attached only to the tips of the optical fibers 1a and 1b. At this time, if the opposing optical fibers 1a and 1b are further moved, the support member 4 comes into contact with the optical fibers 1a and 1b. As a result, the optical fibers 1a and 1b are pressed against the support member 4, but since the upper side is open, the support member 4 moves upward by pressing the optical fibers 1a and 1b, while the optical fibers 1a and 1b It can move inward until it is abutted. And the optical connection structure 20 of this invention is comprised when the edge parts of optical fiber 1a, 1b are faced | matched on both sides of the connection member 3. As shown in FIG. Thus, by providing the alignment member 2 with the groove 2c intersecting the alignment groove 2a and placing the support member 4 in the groove 2c, the position of the support member 4 can be easily fixed.

  In addition, as a supporting member used for said each embodiment, it is necessary to use it in the state to which the connection member was always fixed, and although it does not specifically limit about the shape, For example, Fig.3 (a)-(f) It is preferable to use a support member having a shape as shown in FIG. The shape of the support member may be a rod shape as shown in FIG. 3 (a), or a protrusion 4b may be provided on the support member, for example, as shown in FIG. 3 (b) and FIG. 3 (c). An L-shape or T-shape having two protrusions, or two protrusions as shown in FIGS. 3D and 3E may be used. In addition, a protrusion part here refers to the protrusion part which protruded in the direction which cross | intersects the axial direction of an alignment groove, and when this support part places a support member on an alignment member, a support member is shown. Stability can be improved. Moreover, since the support member shown to Fig.3 (a)-(f) has a simple shape, preparation is very easy. Further, by providing the holding portion 4c on the upper side as shown in FIG. 3 (f), it is easy to hold the support member, and the working efficiency when mounting is improved.

  Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, a pair of holes 2d may be provided on both sides of the V-groove 2a, and the support member 4 may be the support member shown in FIG. In this configuration, the support member 4 can be placed on the upper portion 2b of the alignment groove 2a by inserting the protrusions 4b of the support member 4 into the pair of holes 2d of the alignment member 2, respectively. As described above, when the support member 4 is placed on the alignment member 2, the protrusion 4b is inserted into the hole 2d of the alignment member 2 so that the support member 4 and the alignment member 2 can be easily aligned. At the time of optical connection, the position of the support member 4 can be stabilized.

  Further, the connecting member 3 may be a material that can be flexibly deformed. In the case of this configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, when the optical fibers 1 a and 1 b facing each other in the alignment groove 2 a are abutted through the connection member 3, the optical fibers 1 a and 1 b are abutted against the connection member 3. The connecting member 3 is compressed and deformed by being depressed inside. Thus, by deform | transforming with a recessed part corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of optical fiber 1a, 1b, the space | interval of optical fiber 1a, 1b becomes small, and the optical loss between optical fiber 1a, 1b is made very small. be able to. Moreover, it becomes difficult to apply excessive pressure to the optical fibers 1a and 1b, and damage to the optical fibers 1a and 1b can be prevented. Furthermore, when a material that is deformed flexibly is used, the connection member 3 is compressed between the end faces when the optical fibers 1a and 1b are abutted with each other via the connection member, so that the connection member 3 is minimized. Can be optically connected.

  As described above, the connecting member 3 is preferably made of a material that can be flexibly deformed, and more preferably, the connecting member 3 has adhesiveness. When the connecting member 3 having adhesiveness is used, since the surface has wettability, the optical fiber can be easily brought into close contact with the ends of the two optical fibers 1a and 1b to be joined together, and the adhesive force thereof. In order to maintain the adhesiveness with 1a and 1b, a better optical connection can be made. In addition, since there is wettability and adhesive force on the surface, it is not necessary to apply an excessive pressing force, so that there is no possibility that the optical fibers 1a and 1b are broken or broken. Furthermore, since it has removability as an adhesive property, it can be used repeatedly even if it is attached and detached multiple times.

  Further, the positional relationship between the support member 4 and the connection member 3 only needs to be provided in the support member 4, and may be appropriately selected depending on the manufacturing process and the connection form. For example, alignment grooves such as those attached to the entire outer surface of the support member as shown in FIG. 6 (a) or those attached to the lower outer periphery as shown in FIGS. 6 (b), (d) and (e). The connection member 3 may be attached in accordance with the position and the size, and the connection member 3 may be shaped so as to hang downward in the lower part of the outer peripheral portion as shown in FIG.

  The method of attaching the connection member 3 to the support member 4 is not particularly limited. For example, a liquid connection member may be applied by spraying or brushing, and according to this method, a plurality of support members are manufactured at once. can do. Alternatively, the connecting member 3 may be formed into a film and wound around the outer periphery of the support member 4 as shown in FIG. 7 (a) or attached to the lower portion of the outer peripheral portion as shown in FIG. 7 (b). If the connection member 3 formed into a film in this way is used, the thickness of the connection member 3 can be made constant, and the end portions of the optical fibers 1a and 1b can be stably connected. Moreover, when removing the connection member 3 from the support member 4, since the film can be peeled off as it is, the removal becomes easy and the workability is improved.

  The support member 4 of the present invention is a member for supporting the connection member 3 that optically connects at least the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b. For example, as shown in FIG. It is sufficient that the optical connection state between the optical fibers 1a and 1b is maintained as shown in FIG. 8B by being sandwiched between the end faces of the fibers 1a and 1b. Further, as shown in FIG. 8C, the support member 4 may be removed. In order to cancel the optical connection, the optical fibers 1a and 1b may be taken out from the alignment groove 2a, and the connecting members attached to the ends of the optical fibers 1a and 1b may be removed.

  The connecting member 3 of the present invention is preferably a solid such as a film, but even if it is not a solid, it does not matter if it does not flow in a static state. Further, any material can be used as long as it can be sandwiched between optical fibers and has refractive index matching. For example, porous substrates such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, acrylic, epoxy, vinyl, silicone, rubber, urethane, methacrylic, nylon, polyimide, fluorinated epoxy, fluorinated Acrylic resin or the like can be used. Moreover, a crosslinking agent, an additive, a softening agent, or the like may be added to the material to arbitrarily adjust flexibility, and water resistance or heat resistance may be added. If there is no optical problem, a multi-layer structure may be used, but a single-layer structure in which reflection by the interface between layers does not occur is preferable.

  The support member 4 of the present invention only needs to be able to hold the connection member 3 stably, and the cross-sectional shape thereof is a polygonal shape such as a circle, an ellipse, a triangle, or a quadrangle as shown in FIGS. There may be, and it is not specifically limited. Further, the number of members constituting the support member 4 is not limited, and may be appropriately selected and used according to the use environment and specifications. Furthermore, the material of the support member 4 may be appropriately selected from metals, glasses, plastics, rubber materials, and the like.

  Further, in the optical connection structure of the present invention, there is no need to have a connection point between the optical fibers 1a and 1b immediately below the support member 4. For example, as shown in FIG. 10A, the optical fiber 1a placed in the alignment groove 2a is brought into contact with the connecting member 3, and the connecting member 3 is attached to the end face of the optical fiber 1a as shown in FIG. 10B. In addition, the optical fiber 1a can be further moved, and optically connected to another optical fiber 1b at a position different from the support member 4. Next, as shown in FIG. 10C, the optical fiber 1 a can be fixed by pressing the support member 4 downward with the pressing upper plate 5.

  The size of the alignment member 2 of the present invention is not particularly limited, and may be selected depending on the type or number of optical fibers, and the shape thereof is not particularly limited. Further, the number of the alignment grooves 2a may be selected depending on the number of optical fibers. Even when there are a plurality of optical fibers, the interval between the alignment grooves 2a may be appropriately selected according to specifications. Further, the shape of the alignment groove 2a is not particularly limited, and in addition to the V shape as shown in FIG. 11A, an elliptical shape, a circular shape, and a rectangular shape as shown in FIGS. It may be a shape or the like. At this time, if the alignment groove space 2e is provided in the vicinity of the end face of the optical fiber as in the V-groove shape and rectangular shape of FIGS. 11A and 11D, the connection member 3 described above is deformed and connected. In this case, since the protruding material spreads in the alignment groove space 2e, the distance between the optical fibers is further reduced, and the optical loss is also reduced. In addition, since the optical fiber is closely adhered to the entire end face of the optical fiber, the optical connection of the optical fiber can be stabilized. In particular, the V-groove is the most suitable structure because it is easy to place and stabilize an optical fiber. Further, the material of the alignment member 2 is not particularly limited. For example, a material having a low coefficient of friction such as polyacetal resin, a material having good mechanical properties such as heat deformation, stainless steel, ethylene trifluoride A material that does not corrode, such as a resin or a tetrafluoroethylene resin, or a material that has low reactivity with respect to a chemical substance or a solvent is preferable.

  In the present invention, any one of the optical fibers 1a and 1b and the support member 4 may be placed on the alignment member 2 first. Moreover, the space | interval of the optical fibers 1a and 1b which are mounted in the alignment groove | channel 2a is not specifically limited, What is necessary is just to select suitably and use if there is a space | interval which can mount the support member 4. FIG. Further, the means for fixing the optical fibers 1a and 1b placed is not limited as long as the optical connection state is maintained. For example, a plate is placed on the upper surface, pressed by applying spring pressure, or bonded. The optical fiber may be bonded to the alignment member with an agent or the like. In order to stably fix the optical fibers 1a and 1b in the alignment groove 2a, a through hole may be provided at the end of the alignment groove 2a to insert the optical fiber.

  In the present invention, the means for abutting the optical fibers 1a and 1b placed in the alignment groove 2a is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected according to the environment and specifications around the connection structure. Further, the position to be abutted is not particularly limited, and may be appropriately selected depending on the length of the optical fibers 1a and 1b and the surrounding work space.

  Next, specific examples of the present invention will be described below, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

  In order to produce the optical connection structure shown in FIG. 1, an alignment member 2 (size 5 mm × 12 mm × 3 mm) having a regular triangular V-shaped alignment groove 2 a having a cross section of 0.3 mm on a side, and two plate-like upper plates 5a and 5b (size 5 mm × 5 mm × 3 mm), the tip was removed, and cut optical fiber core wires (diameter 0.25 mm) 1a and 1b, and the connection member 3 held by the support member 4 were prepared. The support member 4 uses a cylindrical pin having a diameter of 0.1 mm and a length of 3 mm, and the connecting member 3 uses a urethane elastomer resin adjusted to a refractive index of 1.46, and the film thickness is 0.1 mm to 0 on the outer periphery of the pin. The connecting member was applied so as to be about 4 mm.

In order to produce an optical connection structure using each of the above members, first, the optical fibers 1a and 1b are placed in the alignment groove 2a, and one optical fiber 1a is placed at a position about 2 mm away from the optical fiber 1b. . Next, the support member 4 is placed at substantially the center of the upper portion of the alignment groove 2a of the alignment member 2 sandwiched between the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b. At this time, although not shown, the support member 4 is lightly pressed from above by a spring so that the support member 4 does not easily float.
Thereafter, the optical fibers 1a and 1b were moved inward, brought into contact with the connection member 3, and further moved to optically connect the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b. At this time, by pushing the optical fibers 1a and 1b, the connecting member 3 applied to the support member 4 on the optical axis adheres to the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b, and further pushes the optical fibers 1a and 1b. They were connected to each other (see FIGS. 1A to 1D).

  According to the optical transmission medium connection method of the present invention, a required amount of the connection member 3 is supplied to the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b by placing the support member 4 including the connection member 3 on the V-groove. did it. Further, since the obtained optical connection structure is formed by placing the connection member 3 from above, the connection can be made without performing a complicated operation such as coating during the operation on the substrate. Further, since the connection member 3 is supplied only in a necessary amount into the alignment groove 2a, the surrounding contamination does not occur, and light loss due to the axis deviation caused by the connection member 3 does not occur. In addition, when removing the connection member 3, it is only necessary to remove the support member 4, thereby improving work efficiency. The connection loss at this time was 0.3 dB or less, and there was no problem in optical characteristics.

  In order to produce the optical connection structure shown in FIG. 12, the alignment member 2 used in Example 1 intersects the alignment groove 2a and has a regular triangular groove 2c having a piece of 0.1 mm. 5 was optically connected using the same member as in Example 1 except that one piece having a regular triangular groove of 0.2 mm was used at the corresponding position of the groove 2c of the alignment member 2. .

In order to fabricate an optical connection structure using each of the above members, first, as shown in FIGS. 12A and 12B, optical fibers 1a and 1b are placed in the alignment groove 2a as in the first embodiment. Next, the support member 4 is placed in the groove 2 c of the alignment member 2. Then, as shown in FIG. 12C, the optical fiber 1a, 1b is prevented from floating by placing the upper plate 5 from above so that the support member 4 can fit in the groove.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 12 (d), the optical fibers 1 a and 1 b are moved and brought into contact with the connection member 3. Then, by pushing in the optical fibers 1a and 1b, the connecting member 3 applied to the support member 4 on the optical axis adheres to the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b, and further pushes in as shown in FIG. 12 (e). Thus, the optical fibers 1 a and 1 b were optically connected to each other via the connection member 3. At the same time, the support member 4 moved upward, without interfering with the connection of the optical fibers 1a and 1b, and without damaging the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b.

  According to the connection structure of the optical transmission medium of this embodiment, the support member 4 can be easily placed and easily aligned by providing the alignment member 2 with the groove 2c intersecting the alignment groove 2a. I was able to. In addition, when removing the connection member 3, it is only necessary to remove the support member 4, thereby improving work efficiency. In addition, although repeated connection was performed 100 times, in all the present Examples, the optical fibers 1a and 1b were not damaged. In addition, the connection loss at this time was 0.2 dB or less, and there was no problem in the optical characteristics.

  In order to produce the optical connection structure shown in FIG. 4, a connection member (held by a U-shaped support member (width 2 mm) having two cylindrical protrusions (length 3 mm, diameter 0.15 mm) ( 3 mm in length) was prepared. The alignment member has two holes 2d (diameter 0.15 mm, depth 3 mm) on both sides of the alignment groove, and is the same as in Example 1 except that the protrusion 4b of the support member 4 can be inserted into this hole. An optical connection was made using these members. The support member 4 was made of stainless steel. The connecting member 3 used in Example 1 was applied to the lower part of the outer periphery with a brush.

In order to produce an optical connection structure using each of the above members, first, after placing the optical fibers 1a and 1b with the end faces facing both sides of the support member 4 on the alignment groove 2a, The protrusion 4b of the support member 4 having the connection member 3 was inserted into the two holes 2d, and the support member 4 was placed on the alignment groove 2a of the alignment member 2 so as to intersect the alignment groove 2a. Next, the upper plates 5a and 5b were placed and fixed on the optical fibers 1a and 1b so as to press the optical fibers 1a and 1b, and the optical fibers 1a and 1b were pressed.
Thereafter, the optical fibers 1a and 1b are moved inward, the tips of the optical fibers 1a and 1b are in contact with the connecting member 3, and are further moved to optically connect the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b. An optical connection structure was formed (see FIG. 4 above).

  According to the optical connection medium connection method of the present embodiment, the alignment member 2 and the support member 4 can be simply aligned by simply inserting the protrusion 4b of the support member 4 into the hole 2d provided in the alignment member 2. I was able to wear it. In addition, the connection loss at this time was 0.2 dB or less, and there was no problem in the optical characteristics.

  In order to produce the optical connection structure shown in FIG. 12, the support member 4 used in Example 2 is wound around the outer periphery of the support member 4 within a range of 2 mm in width as shown in FIG. The members 3 were joined together, and the connecting member was hung about 0.2 mm below the outer periphery. An optical connection was made using the same member as in Example 2 except that it was used for the support member 4. The connecting member 3 was made of an acrylic adhesive resin (refractive index: 1.467) as a film and had a thickness of 25 μm.

In order to produce an optical connection structure using each of the above members, first, the connection member 3 is formed into a film as described above, and the thickness is made uniform so that the optical fibers 1a and 1b are uniformly pressed. Thus, a stable optical connection with an optical loss of 0.18 dB or less was achieved. Moreover, since the connection member 3 can be detached only by peeling off the film, workability is improved.
Since the adhesive resin is used for the connecting member 3, the optical fibers 1a and 1b are easily adhered to the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b due to the wettability of the resin, and with an appropriate pressing force by the adhesive force. Adhesion with the connection member 3 could be maintained. Further, since the connecting member 3 is flexible, the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b are not damaged, and optical connection can be made with extremely good handling properties. Furthermore, since it has removability, the connecting member 3 attached to the V-groove and the optical fibers 1a and 1b can be easily peeled off, so that the connecting member 3 can be replaced and reconnected.

  The optical connection structure shown in FIG. 13 includes optical fiber fixing members 6a and 6b, an alignment member 2, a pin-shaped support member 4, a pin-shaped introduction member 7, optical fibers 1a and 1b, and a pressing member 8. I have. First, the tip of the optical fiber 1a is fitted and held in the fixing part 6c of one optical fiber fixing member 6a, and the tip of the optical fiber 1b is fitted in the fixing part 6d of the other optical fiber fixing member 6b. Retained. At this time, the end faces of the optical fibers 1a and 1b protrude 1.1 mm from the end face of the fixed part. An elastic body (acrylic adhesive material) 9 was attached to the pressing protrusion 8a of the pressing member 8 for pressing the support member 4 and the pin-shaped introduction member 7 from above.

  In order to produce an optical connection structure using each of the above members, first, the optical fiber connection members 6a and 6b holding the optical fibers 1a and 1b are mounted on the alignment member 2, respectively. The optical fibers 1a and 1b were temporarily fixed so as to be placed in the groove 2a. At this time, as shown in FIG. 13A, the tip portion of the optical fiber is placed in the alignment groove 2a, but the tip of the optical fiber 1b is lifted by about 0.3 mm from the alignment groove 2a. It was.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, a pin-like introduction member 7 made of stainless steel with a diameter of 1 mm and a support member 4 were placed on the alignment member 2 between the optical fiber fixing members 6a and 6b. At this time, since the adhesive resin is applied to the lower part of the outer peripheral portion of the support member 4, the adhesive resin functions as the connection member 3. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13 (c), the latch portion 8b of the pressing member 8 is engaged with the engaging portion 2f of the alignment member 2, and the pressing member 8 is pressed against the alignment member 2 from above to form a pin-shaped introduction member. 7 and the support member 4 were pressed onto the alignment groove 2a. In this case, the pin-shaped introduction member 7 is in a state where the tip of the optical fiber 1a protruding from the optical fiber fixing member 6a is pressed into the alignment groove, and the tip of the optical fiber 1b is aligned from the right fiber fixing member 6b. It is in a state of protruding from the groove 2a.

  Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 13D, when the right fiber fixing member 6b is moved forward and the optical fiber 1b is moved forward, the tip of the optical fiber 1b comes into contact with the lower outer peripheral portion of the support member 4, and the lower outer peripheral portion. Is introduced into the alignment groove 2a while being pressed downward by the. At this time, the connection member 3 can be attached when the connection member 3 at the lower part of the outer periphery of the support member 4 contacts the end face of the optical fiber 1b. Further, when the optical fiber 1b is pressed downward, the optical fibers 1a and 1b are aligned with each other, and when the optical fiber 1b is further advanced, the tips of both optical fibers 1a and 1b are brought together and connected. Thus, the optical connection structure of the present invention was produced.

  In the optical connection structure obtained by this embodiment, not only the support member 4 has a function of supporting the connection member 3, but also the optical fibers 1a and 1b are aligned by pressing the support member 4 downward. I was able to.

It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the optical connection in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the optical connection in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the various shapes of the supporting member in this invention. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the optical connection structure in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the optical connection structure in this invention. It is a figure explaining the positional relationship of the supporting member and connecting member in this invention. It is a figure explaining the preparation methods of a supporting member provided with the connection member in the present invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the optical connection in this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the various shapes of the supporting member in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the optical connection in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the shape of the alignment groove | channel of the alignment member in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the Example in this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the other Example in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1a, 1b Optical fiber (optical transmission medium)
2 Alignment member 2a Alignment groove 2b Alignment groove upper part 2c groove 2d hole 2e Alignment groove space 2f Engagement part 3 Connection member 4 Support member 4a Support member outer peripheral part lower part 4b Protrusion part 4c Holding part 5, 5a, 5b Presser upper plate 6a, 6b Optical fiber fixing member 6c, 6d Fixing part 7 Pin-shaped introduction member 8 Pressing member 8a Pressing protrusion 8b Latch part 9 Elastic body 10, 20 Optical connection structure

Claims (13)

An optical connection structure comprising at least a pair of optical transmission media, an alignment member having alignment grooves, a connection member having refractive index matching, and a support member having the connection member,
The end faces of the at least one pair of optical transmission media are placed opposite to each other in the alignment groove of the alignment member, and the support member is placed on the alignment groove between the optical transmission media. An optical connection structure, wherein the at least one pair of optical transmission media are optically connected to each other.   The optical connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the alignment member has a groove in a direction intersecting the alignment groove, and the support member is placed in the groove.   The support member has at least one protrusion, the alignment member has at least one hole, the protrusion of the support member is inserted and fixed in the hole, and the support member is aligned. The optical connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the optical connection structure is placed on an upper part of the groove.   The optical connection structure according to claim 3, wherein the support member is U-shaped or U-shaped.   The optical connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the alignment groove has a V shape.   The optical connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the connection member is flexibly deformed.   The optical connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the connection member has adhesiveness.   The optical connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the connection member is applied to at least a part of an outer peripheral portion of the support member.   The optical connection structure according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the connection member has a film shape. An optical connection structure manufacturing method for optically connecting at least a pair of optical transmission media, using an alignment member having alignment grooves, and a support member having a connecting member having refractive index matching. There,
Placing the end faces of the at least one pair of optical transmission media opposite to each other in the alignment groove of the alignment member; placing the support member on the alignment groove between the optical transmission media; and And a step of optically connecting the at least one pair of optical transmission media with a connecting member interposed therebetween. A support member used in the optical connection structure according to claim 1,
A support member comprising a connecting member having refractive index matching for connecting the optical transmission medium to a part of an outer peripheral portion.   The support member according to claim 11, wherein the support member has a protrusion at least partially.   The support member according to claim 11, wherein the connection member is an adhesive material.

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