JP2007052163A - Fixing structure for optical waveguide member - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fixing structure for an optical waveguide member in which an optical axis can be prevented from being deviated. <P>SOLUTION: An optical waveguide base 10 is provided with a storage recessed part 25 for storing an optical waveguide member 7. The storage recessed part 25 has :a first and a second reference face 28, 29 for positioning; a first opposing face 30 facing the first reference face 28; and a second opposing face 31 facing the second reference face 29. The first opposing face 30 has a first pressing part 34 for pressurizing the optical waveguide member 7 toward the first reference face 28, and the second opposing face 31 has a second pressing part 35 for pressurizing the optical waveguide member 7 toward the second reference face 29. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a fixing structure for mounting and fixing an optical waveguide member having an optical waveguide to an optical waveguide base.

  An optical junction block is known as an apparatus for relaying and / or optical demultiplexing / multiplexing of optical signals transmitted between optical fibers (for example, see Patent Document 1 below). Moreover, optical communication modules, such as an optical connector and an optical junction connector, are known as an apparatus that has a light emitting / receiving element and can be connected to an optical fiber (see, for example, Patent Document 2 below). These optical junction blocks and the like are provided with an optical waveguide member having an optical waveguide.

  In the optical junction block disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, the optical waveguide member provided in the optical junction block is formed in a chip shape, for example, having a rectangular shape in plan view. Inside such an optical waveguide member, the optical waveguide is routed so as to have a desired path. The optical waveguide member is formed so that the end surface and the end surface of the optical waveguide are on the same plane.

A plurality of positioning guide protrusions are formed on the back surface of the optical waveguide member. The optical waveguide member is mounted and fixed by inserting a guide projection into a guide groove formed on a base for mounting the optical waveguide member, and holding the optical waveguide member by a cover fitted to the base. It is like that.
JP 2005-165181 A JP 2004-138966 A

  It is important that the optical waveguide member is mounted and fixed so that there is no deviation in the optical axis between the optical waveguide and the components connected to the optical waveguide member, and positioning is performed by inserting the guide projection and the guide groove. In the technology, if the dimensional accuracy of the guide protrusion and the guide groove is not sufficiently managed, there is a risk that the optical axis is shifted due to some backlash. The deviation of the optical axis leads to a problem that the connection loss increases.

  In addition, since the optical waveguide member has a structure in which the end face of the optical waveguide is exposed at this end face, when the end face of the optical waveguide contacts the mating member (base) in an unintentional state during mounting and fixing, , Have the risk of scratching. If scratches occur on the end face of the optical waveguide, in this case as well, it leads to problems as described above.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical waveguide member fixing structure capable of preventing optical axis misalignment. It is another object of the present invention to provide an optical waveguide member fixing structure capable of protecting the end face of the optical waveguide.

  The optical waveguide member fixing structure according to claim 1, which has been made to solve the above-described problems, is an optical waveguide member used for optical connection with the optical waveguide. In the fixing structure of the optical waveguide member for mounting and fixing to the optical waveguide member, the optical waveguide base has a storage recess for storing the optical waveguide member, and the storage recess includes a first reference surface for positioning and a first reference surface. Two reference surfaces, a first opposing surface facing the first reference surface, and a second opposing surface facing the second reference surface, and the first opposing surface is located on the first reference surface It has the 1st pressing part which presses the said optical waveguide member toward, and said 2nd opposing surface has a 2nd pressing part which presses the said optical waveguide member toward the said 2nd reference plane, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, when mounting is started in such a manner that the optical waveguide member is fitted into the housing recess of the optical waveguide base, the optical waveguide member is moved by the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion. It is pressed against the first reference plane and the second reference plane. The optical waveguide member is pressed against the first reference surface and the second reference surface through this end surface (side surface). As a result, the optical waveguide member is prevented from moving in the storage recess. In other words, when the optical waveguide member is stored in the storage recess, the optical waveguide member is positioned and fixed at the same time. The optical waveguide member is rather press-fitted due to the presence of the first pressing portion and the second pressing portion of the optical waveguide base, and is positioned and fixed.

  An optical waveguide member fixing structure according to a second aspect of the present invention is the optical waveguide member fixing structure according to the first aspect, wherein the optical waveguide base communicates with the housing recess and is optically coupled to the optical waveguide. A plurality of connection through holes used for connection, and the storage recess has a notch extending between the connection through hole and the opening edge of the storage recess in the storage mounting direction of the optical waveguide member. It is characterized by having.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, when the optical waveguide member is attached to the housing recess of the optical waveguide base, the end surface of the optical waveguide is located with respect to the housing recess due to the presence of the notch of the housing recess. And stored in a non-contact state. The end surface of the optical waveguide is not rubbed by, for example, the housing recess, and as a result, the state of the end surface is well maintained.

  An optical waveguide member fixing structure according to a third aspect of the present invention is the optical waveguide member fixing structure according to the first or second aspect, wherein the optical waveguide member fixing structure is fitted to the optical waveguide base and is mounted on the optical waveguide member. It is characterized by comprising a cover that is in direct or indirect contact with the cover.

  According to the present invention having such a feature, the optical waveguide member housed and fixed in the housing recess of the optical waveguide base can be pressed by the cover. The optical waveguide member is also prevented from moving in this removal direction. There are two cases: the case where the cover is pressed by directly contacting the optical waveguide member, and the case where the cover is pressed by indirectly contacting the optical waveguide member with, for example, an elastic member. Shall. The cover is useful, for example, in the case of a usage form in which vibration occurs.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that the deviation of the optical axis can be prevented. Thereby, there exists an effect that an optical connection can be made into a favorable state. According to the present invention, since the structure is such that the optical waveguide member is fitted and fixed in a press-fitting manner, the effect of being excellent in productivity and mass productivity is also achieved.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to protect the end face of the optical waveguide. Thereby, there exists an effect that an optical connection can be made into a still more favorable state.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, there is an effect that it is possible to prevent the deviation of the optical axis more reliably.

  Hereinafter, description will be given with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a single-core bidirectional optical communication module showing an embodiment of a fixing structure of an optical waveguide member of the present invention. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the single-core bidirectional optical communication module of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a fixing structure of the optical waveguide member.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 1 indicates a single-core bidirectional optical communication module. The single-core bidirectional optical communication module 1 is configured so that a single optical fiber 3 can be optically connected via a ferrule 2. As an example of a specific configuration, a single-core bidirectional optical communication module 1 includes a known light-emitting element 4 and light-receiving element 5, an optical waveguide member 7 having an optical waveguide 6, a known optical filter 8, and a ferrule connection unit. And an optical waveguide base 10 having 9.

  The single-core bidirectional optical communication module 1 has a fixing structure that is a feature of the present invention for fixing the optical waveguide member 7 to the optical waveguide base 10. As will be described later, the single-core bidirectional optical communication module 1 has a fixing structure according to the present invention, so that the optical axis can be prevented from being misaligned and the end face of the optical waveguide 6 can be protected. Yes.

  First, each of the above-described constituent members will be described based on the fixing structure of the present invention, and then the operation of the fixing structure of the present invention will be described. The drawings refer to FIGS.

  The optical waveguide member 7 is a plate-like member having a rectangular shape in plan view (the shape is an example. In this embodiment, the optical waveguide member 7 is also formed as a chip-like member), and includes a plurality of optical waveguides 6 and the plurality of optical waveguides 6. And a synthetic resin substrate 11 on which the optical waveguide 6 is arranged and formed. The optical waveguide 6 has a core and a clad having a refractive index lower than that of the core. Such an optical waveguide 6 is arranged along a desired path with respect to the substrate 11 (it is not limited to the arrangement state in the figure). The end face of the optical waveguide 6 is arranged and formed so as to be flush with the end face of the substrate 11 (end face of the optical waveguide member 7).

  With respect to the material and manufacturing method of the optical waveguide member 7, in this embodiment, for example, the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 is applied.

  The substrate 11 has a flat front surface 12 and a back surface (reference numerals omitted). The substrate 11 has a flat front surface 13, a rear surface 14, a left side surface 15, and a right side surface 16. An optical waveguide 6 is disposed on the surface 12. The front surface 13 and the rear surface 14 are arranged and formed so that the end surfaces of the optical waveguide 6 are continuous on the same plane.

  The optical waveguide base 10 is made of a synthetic resin, and includes a base body 17 and a pair of substrate fixing portions 18 that are continuous with the base body 17. The base body 17 has an upper surface 19, a lower surface 20, a front surface 21, a rear surface 22, a left side surface 23, and a right side surface 24. Substrate fixing portions 18 having a substantially block shape are coupled to the rear portions of the left side surface 23 and the right side surface 24, respectively. The optical waveguide base 10 has a function of a so-called optical connector housing.

  The base body 17 is formed with a storage recess 25 for mounting and fixing the optical waveguide member 7, the ferrule connection portion 9 communicating with the storage recess 25, and a pair of element connection portions 26 communicating with the storage recess 25. Has been. The storage recess 25 is formed so that the upper surface 19 of the base body 17 is recessed. The storage recess 25 has a flat bottom surface 27 and four flat side surfaces. Specifically, the four side surfaces are a first reference surface 28 and a second reference surface 29 for positioning, and a first facing surface 30 facing the first reference surface 28 and a second facing surface facing the second reference surface 29. 31.

  The first reference surface 28 is formed as a flat surface with which the front surface 13 of the substrate 11 in the optical waveguide base 10 is in surface contact. The second reference surface 29 is formed as a flat surface that is in surface contact with the right side surface 16 of the substrate 11. A ferrule connection portion 9 is formed in the first reference surface 28 so as to penetrate the front surface 21 of the base body 17. In addition, a cutout portion 32 is formed in the first reference surface 28. The cutout portion 32 is formed between the ferrule connection portion 9 and the opening edge portion of the storage recess 25. The notch 32 is formed so as to extend in the housing mounting direction (vertical direction) of the optical waveguide member 7. The notch 32 is formed so that the width and depth thereof are larger than the width and height of the optical waveguide 6.

  The first facing surface 30 is formed as a flat surface facing the rear surface 14 of the substrate 11 in the optical waveguide base 10. Further, the second facing surface 31 is formed as a flat surface that faces the left side surface 15 of the substrate 11. A cutout portion 32 and a filter attachment portion 33 are formed on the first facing surface 30 in accordance with the position of the element connection portion 26.

  The cutout portion 32 of the first facing surface 30 is formed between the element connection portion 26 and the opening edge portion of the storage recess 25. The notch 32 is formed such that the width and depth thereof are larger than the width and height of the optical waveguide 6. The element connection portion 26 is formed so as to penetrate the rear surface 22 of the base body 17. The element connection part 26 is formed so that the light emitting element 4 and the light receiving element 5 can be fixed by press fitting.

  A first pressing portion 34 for pressing the optical waveguide member 7 toward the first reference surface 28 is formed on the first facing surface 30. The second facing surface 31 is formed with a second pressing portion 35 for pressing the optical waveguide member 7 toward the second reference surface 29. In this embodiment, the first pressing portion 34 is a protrusion extending in the vertical direction, and is disposed and formed at the center of the first facing surface 30 sandwiched between the notch portion 32 and the filter mounting portion 33. One first pressing portion 34 is formed (assumed to be an example). A taper (or roundness or the like) for facilitating guiding the optical waveguide member 7 is formed at the tip of the first pressing portion 34.

  The second pressing portion 35 is formed in the same shape as the first pressing portion 34. Two second pressing portions 35 are disposed and formed at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction. In addition, the shape, number, and arrangement of the first pressing portion 34 and the second pressing portion 35 are arbitrary. The first pressing part 34 and the second pressing part 35 may be leaf springs or other elastic bodies. It is only necessary to have a function capable of pressing the optical waveguide member 7.

  Said ferrule connection part 9 and element connection part 26 shall correspond to the through-hole for a connection described in a claim. The optical waveguide 6 is arranged and formed in accordance with the positions of the ferrule connecting portion 9 and the element connecting portion 26 (in other words, arranged in accordance with the positions of the optical fiber 3, the light emitting element 4, and the light receiving element 5). When the optical waveguide member 7 is made of a material that is slightly weak against the compressive force, the optical waveguide 6 is arranged and formed in anticipation of the contraction amount).

  The board fixing portion 18 that is continuous with the base body 17 is formed with a board insertion slit 36 and a screw hole 37 in a direction perpendicular to the slit 36. A fixing structure to a substrate (not shown) is an example.

  As the ferrule 2, the optical fiber 3, the light emitting element 4, the light receiving element 5, and the optical filter 8, known ones are used in this embodiment. Therefore, these descriptions are omitted here. The optical filter 8 blocks signal noise components from the light emitting element 4, and is set arbitrarily.

  In the above configuration, when the light emitting element 4 and the light receiving element 5 are fixed to the element connecting portion 26 of the optical waveguide base 10 and the optical waveguide member 7 is attached and fixed to the housing recess 25 of the optical waveguide base 10, single-core bidirectional light is obtained. The assembly of the communication module 1 is completed. The assembled single-core bidirectional optical communication module 1 is connected to a substrate (not shown) via the lead frames 38 of the light emitting element 4 and the light receiving element 5, and the optical waveguide base 10 and a substrate (not shown) are fixed. When the ferrule 2 of the end of the optical fiber 3 is connected via the ferrule connection unit 9, the optical connection is completed, and the optical signal can be transmitted.

  Regarding the mounting and fixing of the optical waveguide member 7 to the storage recess 25, when the mounting is started in such a manner that the optical waveguide member 7 is fitted into the storage recess 25, the optical waveguide member 7 is pressed against the first pressing portion 34 and the second pressing portion. The portion 35 is pressed against the first reference surface 28 and the second reference surface 29. In the optical waveguide member 7, the front surface 13 and the right side surface 16 of the substrate 11 are pressed against the first reference surface 28 and the second reference surface 29. As a result, the optical waveguide member 7 is prevented from moving in the storage recess 25. In other words, when the optical waveguide member 7 is stored in the storage recess 25, the optical waveguide member 7 is positioned and fixed at the same time. The optical waveguide member 7 is rather in a press-fitted state due to the presence of the first pressing portion 34 and the second pressing portion 35 of the optical waveguide base 6, and is positioned and fixed.

  When the optical waveguide member 7 is attached and fixed to the housing recess 25, alignment for optical connection is automatically completed. In addition, the mounting and fixing of the optical waveguide member 7 to the housing recess 25 has the following characteristics. That is, when the optical waveguide member 7 is attached to the storage recess 25, the optical waveguide member 7 is in a state where the end surface of the optical waveguide 6 is not in contact with the storage recess 25 due to the presence of the notch 32 of the storage recess 25. Stored. The end surface of the optical waveguide 6 is not rubbed by the storage recess 25, and as a result, the state of the end surface of the optical waveguide 6 is well maintained.

  As described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, according to the fixing structure of the present invention, there is an effect that the optical axis can be prevented from being shifted. This also has the effect that the optical connection can be made in a good state. Furthermore, according to the fixing structure of the present invention, there is an effect that the end face of the optical waveguide 6 can be protected.

  According to the fixing structure of the present invention, since the optical waveguide member 7 is fitted and fixed in a press-fitting manner, the effect of excellent productivity and mass productivity is also achieved.

  Next, another example of the single-core bidirectional optical communication module 1 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram relating to the description of the cover 39 provided in the single-core bidirectional optical communication module 1.

  In FIG. 4, the optical waveguide base 10 is fitted with a cover 39 that is fitted to the left side surface 23 and the right side surface 24 of the base body 17 and that directly or indirectly contacts the optical waveguide member 7. Yes. The cover 39 has, for example, a U-shape, and is formed with locking protrusions (not shown) that are hooked and locked to the left side surface 23 and the right side surface 24 of the base body 17 at the ends. The cover 39 is formed with, for example, an elastic protrusion (not shown) that presses the optical waveguide member 7 against the bottom surface 27 of the housing recess 25. The elastic protrusion is disposed and formed at a position not in contact with the optical waveguide 6.

  According to the fixing structure of the present invention, the optical waveguide member 7 is pressed by the cover 39. Therefore, the optical waveguide member 7 is also prevented from moving in this removal direction. According to the fixing structure of the present invention, it is possible to more reliably prevent the optical axis from being shifted due to the presence of the cover 39.

  Next, another example of the notch 32 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a notch 32 'showing another example.

  In FIG. 5, the notch 32 ′ is formed in a substantially arc shape in the depth direction instead of a rectangular shape in plan view. The notch 32 ′ is formed so as to be in a non-contact state with respect to the end face of the optical waveguide 6 in the same manner as described above. Also in this case, there is an effect that the end face of the optical waveguide 6 can be protected.

  In addition, it goes without saying that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The above description is an example in which the fixing structure of the present invention is applied to a single-core bidirectional optical communication module. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fixing structure of the present invention can also be applied to an optical junction block. It shall be.

1 is a perspective view of a single-core bidirectional optical communication module showing an embodiment of an optical waveguide member fixing structure of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the single core bidirectional | two-way optical communication module of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of the fixing structure of an optical waveguide member. It is a schematic diagram which concerns on description of a cover. It is a schematic diagram which shows the other example of a notch part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Single core bidirectional | two-way optical communication module 2 Ferrule 3 Optical fiber 4 Light emitting element 5 Light receiving element 6 Optical waveguide 7 Optical waveguide member 8 Optical filter 9 Ferrule connection part (through-hole for connection)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Optical waveguide stand 11 Board | substrate 17 Stand body 18 Board | substrate fixing | fixed part 25 Storage recessed part 26 Element connection part (through-hole for connection)
28 First reference surface 29 Second reference surface 30 First facing surface 31 Second facing surface 32 Notch portion 34 First pressing portion 35 Second pressing portion 39 Cover

Claims (3)

In an optical waveguide member fixing structure for mounting and fixing an optical waveguide member having an optical waveguide to an optical waveguide base used for optical connection with the optical waveguide,
The optical waveguide base has a storage recess for storing the optical waveguide member, and the storage recess is a first reference surface and a second reference surface for positioning, and a first facing the first reference surface. An opposing surface and a second opposing surface facing the second reference surface, and the first opposing surface has a first pressing portion that presses the optical waveguide member toward the first reference surface. The second opposing surface has a second pressing portion that presses the optical waveguide member toward the second reference surface. An optical waveguide member fixing structure according to claim 1, In the fixing structure of the optical waveguide member according to claim 1,
The optical waveguide base has a plurality of connection through holes that communicate with the storage recess and are used for optical connection with the optical waveguide, and the storage recess has an opening edge between the connection through hole and the storage recess A fixing structure for an optical waveguide member, characterized in that a notch portion extending in the housing mounting direction of the optical waveguide member is provided between the optical waveguide member and the optical waveguide member. In the fixing structure of the optical waveguide member according to claim 1 or 2,
A fixing structure for an optical waveguide member, comprising a cover that is fitted to the optical waveguide base and that directly or indirectly contacts the optical waveguide member.

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