JP2011002670A - Method of splicing beveled end face optical fibers - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To butt splice two beveled end face optical fibers by aligning bevel directions of the beveled faces with each other.SOLUTION: In the method of splicing beveled end face optical fibers, the beveled end face optical fibers 11a having a beveled end face 11c are but spliced in a centering groove of a splicing mechanism (mechanical splicing) 4. The optical fibers are beveled by holding coated optical fibers 11 in an optical fiber holder 13 when two beveled end face optical fibers 11a to be butt-spliced are obtained. The two beveled end face optical fibers 11a obtained by the beveling process are held in the optical fiber holder 13 in beveling, and butt-spliced in the centering groove of the splicing mechanism 4. The optical fibers are butt spliced in beveling while being held in the optical fiber holder 13, thus the bevel directions of the beveled end faces of the two beveled end face optical fibers are automatically aligned with each other.

Description

  According to the present invention, oblique end-face optical fibers having end faces that are obliquely cut are formed between the base portion and the lid of the connection mechanism that includes a base, a lid, and a leaf spring that elastically sandwiches both. The present invention relates to a slanted end face optical fiber connecting method for butt connection within a aligning groove.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a connection mechanism (so-called mechanical splice) 4 comprising a base 1, a lid 2 (2 a, 2 b) and a leaf spring 3 that elastically clamps both is provided as a component for connecting optical fibers. Widely used. A centering groove such as a V-groove is formed between the base 1 and the lid 2, and the wedge member 5 is pushed into the insertion port 6 formed between the base 1 and the lid 2, and the lid 2 Insert the optical fiber from both sides in the open state and butt in the alignment groove. Next, when the wedge member 5 is extracted, the optical fiber is gripped by the base 1 and the lid 2, and the butt connection of both optical fibers is completed.

  By the way, in order to make a butt connection between optical fibers, in order to reduce noise caused by reflected return light, it is generally practiced to cut the optical fiber (bare fiber (glass fiber)) obliquely to make the end face an oblique end face. It has been broken.

  Conventionally, in the case where the oblique end-face optical fibers having the obliquely cut end faces are butt-connected by the connection mechanism 4, the rotational position around the central axis of the optical fiber ( It is simply matched without considering the rotation angle of the optical fiber. This is because, for example, it is very difficult to adjust the inclination direction of the oblique end face of the very thin bare fiber such as 125 μm (the rotation angle of the optical fiber = the phase of the inclination angle of the oblique end face).

JP2003-14970

  When the oblique end surface optical fibers are simply brought into contact with each other without considering the optical fiber rotation angle as in the conventional case, naturally, the optical fiber rotation angles of the two oblique end surface optical fibers do not coincide with each other in most cases. When the optical fiber rotation angles of the opposed oblique end face optical fibers are greatly different, there is a problem that the connection loss is increased even if the action of preventing the reflected return light is obtained.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances. When the oblique end-face optical fibers having end faces that have been obliquely cut are butt-connected in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism, the oblique end faces of both oblique end-face optical fibers are connected. It is an object of the present invention to provide an oblique end face optical fiber connecting method capable of making a butt connection by matching the inclination directions.

The invention according to claim 1, which solves the above-mentioned problems, is characterized in that the base portion and the lid of the connection mechanism comprising the base, the lid, and the leaf spring that elastically clamps the two end-face optical fibers having the end faces cut obliquely. An oblique end face optical fiber connecting method for connecting butting in the alignment groove formed between the body,
In obtaining two oblique end-face optical fibers to be butt-connected, the optical fiber is held by an optical fiber holder and the optical fiber is obliquely cut.
The two oblique end face optical fibers obtained in the oblique cutting step are butt-connected in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism while being held by the optical fiber holder at the time of oblique cutting.

According to the invention of claim 2, the oblique end face optical fibers having end faces that are obliquely cut in a single-core optical fiber having no jacket are separated from each other by a leaf spring that elastically holds the base, the lid, and both. An optical fiber connecting operation for butt connection in an alignment groove formed between the base portion and the lid of the connecting mechanism is provided with a connecting mechanism arranging portion on a tool base, and the connecting mechanism arranging portion on both sides thereof. An oblique end surface optical fiber connection method performed using an optical fiber connection tool provided with an optical fiber holder holding portion slidably provided toward the side,
When obtaining two oblique end-face optical fibers to be butt-connected, the optical fiber holder is held by an optical fiber holder that holds the coating portion of the optical fiber core wire, and the optical fiber is obliquely cut.
The optical fiber holder is attached to the optical fiber holder holding portion while holding the covering portion of the optical fiber core wire at the time of the oblique cutting, and the optical fiber holder holding portion is directed toward the central connection mechanism arrangement portion side. And slanted end-face optical fibers are butt-connected in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a base and a lid at the center of a housing elongated in the longitudinal direction of an optical fiber to be connected. An optical fiber connector comprising a connection mechanism comprising a leaf spring that elastically clamps both of them and an optical fiber holder holding portion slidable toward the central connection mechanism side on both sides of the connection mechanism. An oblique end face optical fiber connecting method for connecting butting in an alignment groove formed between the base portion and the lid,
When obtaining two oblique end-face optical fibers to be butt-connected, the optical fiber cable is held by an optical fiber holder that holds the jacket of the optical fiber cable, and the optical fiber is obliquely cut.
The optical fiber holder is attached to the optical fiber holder holding portion while holding the jacket of the optical fiber cable at the time of the oblique cutting, and the optical fiber holder holding portion is slid toward the central connection mechanism side. The oblique end surface optical fibers are butt-connected in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism.

According to the oblique end-face optical fiber connecting method of claim 1, when connecting the two oblique end-face optical fibers in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism, the two oblique end-face optical fibers are optical fibers when obliquely cut. Since the butt connection is made while being held by the holder, the rotation angles of the two oblique end face optical fibers can be matched (the inclination directions of the oblique end faces are matched) only by making both optical fiber holders have the same posture. it can. In other words, the accuracy of the phase of the inclination angle of the end faces of the two oblique end face optical fibers can be improved.
Thereby, the connection loss of the butt connection between the oblique end face optical fibers can be reduced as much as possible.

  The oblique end surface optical fiber connecting method according to claim 2 is a method in which the oblique end surface optical fibers of a single-core optical fiber having no jacket are butt-connected in an alignment groove of a connection mechanism using an optical fiber connection tool. The optical fiber holder is attached to the optical fiber holder holding part of the optical fiber connecting tool while holding the covering part of the optical fiber core wire at the time of oblique cutting, and the oblique end face optical fiber is connected within the connection mechanism. When they are brought into contact with each other, the rotation angles of the two oblique end face optical fibers inevitably coincide (the inclination directions of the oblique end faces coincide). Thereby, the connection loss of the butt connection between the oblique end face optical fibers can be reduced as much as possible.

  The oblique end-face optical fiber connecting method according to claim 3 is an optical fiber connection comprising an oblique end-face optical fiber having an end face cut obliquely in a single-core optical fiber cable having a jacket, and an optical fiber holder holding portion and a connection mechanism. The optical fiber holder is attached to the optical fiber holder holding portion of the optical fiber connector while holding the outer cover of the optical fiber cable at the time of oblique cutting. When the two end-face optical fibers are brought into contact with each other in the connecting mechanism attached to the optical fiber connector, the rotation angles of the two end-face optical fibers inevitably coincide (the inclination directions of the oblique end faces coincide). Thereby, the connection loss of the butt connection between the oblique end face optical fibers can be reduced as much as possible.

(A), (b) is a figure which illustrates typically the slant end face optical fiber connection construction method of the 1st example of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which oblique end surface optical fibers are connected to each other by a mechanical splice (connection mechanism) by the oblique end surface optical fiber connecting method according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the mechanical splice in FIG. 2 (a wedge member is also shown). It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the said mechanical splice. It is a figure explaining the point which opens a mechanical splice with a wedge member, and is an AA cut end view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of an optical fiber holder for a single-core optical fiber used in the oblique end face optical fiber connection method of the first embodiment. In the oblique end surface optical fiber connecting method of the first embodiment, using the optical fiber connection tool, a diagram for explaining the point of connecting the oblique end surface optical fibers of the two optical fiber cores in the alignment groove of the mechanical splice. A, (a) is a plan view of an optical fiber connecting tool, (b) is a side view of the same. (A), (b) is a figure which illustrates typically the slant end face optical fiber connection construction method of 2nd Example of this invention. It is a perspective view of a jacket type optical fiber holder (sheath grip member) for an optical fiber cable used in the oblique end face optical fiber connection method of the second embodiment. It is a perspective view of the optical fiber connector used in the diagonal end surface optical fiber connection construction method of 2nd Example. It is a top view of the optical fiber connector of FIG. It is the expanded BB cutting | disconnection end elevation in FIG. It is CC sectional drawing in FIG. In the oblique end face optical fiber connecting method of the second embodiment, the process of butt connecting the oblique end face optical fibers of two optical fiber core wires in the alignment groove of the mechanical splice in the optical fiber connector. is there. It is a figure explaining the process following FIG. 14 in the diagonal end surface optical fiber connection construction method of 2nd Example. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the optical fiber connection by the optical fiber connector is completed through some steps following FIG. 15 in the oblique end face optical fiber connection method of the second embodiment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of an optical fiber oblique cutting machine, illustrating an oblique cutting procedure of an optical fiber of a single-core optical fiber in the oblique end face optical fiber connecting method according to the first embodiment. It is a top view of FIG. It is a side view of the optical fiber oblique cutting machine, explaining the oblique cutting procedure of the optical fiber of the optical fiber cable in the oblique end surface optical fiber connecting method of the second embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an oblique end face optical fiber connecting method embodying the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating the oblique end face optical fiber connecting method according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the oblique end surface optical fibers 11a having the end surfaces 11c that are obliquely cut in the single-core optical fiber core 11 having no jacket are used as shown in FIG. This is a case where butt connection is made in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism 4.
The optical fiber core 11 is, for example, a φ250 μm optical fiber core in which a φ125 μm optical fiber (bare fiber (glass fiber)) 11a is coated with, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin coating 11b, and the tip surface of the optical fiber 11a is This is an oblique end surface 11c formed by cutting with an optical fiber oblique cutting machine described later.
Reference numeral 13 denotes an optical fiber holder that holds the optical fiber core wire 11. When the optical fiber 11a is cut by an optical fiber oblique cutting machine, which will be described later, in order to obtain two oblique end face optical fibers 11a to be butt-connected, the optical fiber holder 13 covers the covering portion 11b of the optical fiber core wire 11. Is an optical fiber holder.

As described above, the oblique end surface optical fiber connecting method of the first embodiment is the light that holds the covering portion 11b of the optical fiber core wire 11 when the optical fiber is cut by the optical fiber oblique cutting machine to obtain the oblique end surface 11c. The fiber holder 13 is used in a state where the covering portion 11b of the optical fiber core wire 11 is held at the time of oblique cutting.
Two optical fiber cores 11 respectively held by an optical fiber holder 13, that is, optical fiber cores A and B with an optical fiber holder (that is, the left side in FIGS. 1A and 1B), respectively. prepare.
When one optical fiber core wire A with an optical fiber holder is inserted into the connection mechanism 4 from the left side in FIG. 1A, and the other optical fiber core wire B with an optical fiber holder is inserted into the connection mechanism 4 from the right side, FIG. As shown in (a), the rotation angles of the oblique end-face optical fibers 11a of the optical fiber cores 11 coincide. That is, the inclination directions of the oblique end faces 11c of the two oblique end face optical fibers 11a coincide. In other words, the accuracy of the phase of the inclination angle of the end faces 11c of the two oblique end face optical fibers 11a can be improved.
If this is supplementarily explained, when the optical fiber core wire B with the optical fiber holder in FIG. 1 (b) is rotated by 180 ° around one point P in the vicinity of the tip, two points on the right side in FIG. 1 (b). The orientation of the optical fiber core wire (B) with the optical fiber holder indicated by the chain line is obtained. When the optical fiber core wire (B) with the optical fiber holder in this posture is opposed to the optical fiber core wire A with one optical fiber holder, it becomes as shown in FIG. The inclination directions of the end face 11c coincide.
Note that “the inclination directions match” means that when the inclination angles of the two oblique end faces 11c are completely the same, both the oblique end faces 11c are parallel to each other.
However, since the angle of inclination of the end face at the time of oblique cutting is not always constant and varies, even if the oblique direction (phase) of the oblique end face completely coincides and the both oblique end faces 11c are parallel, both oblique end faces are not necessarily The gaps may not be completely close, and some gaps may occur.
Further, “the inclination directions are coincident” does not necessarily mean that the inclination directions (phases) of the oblique end faces are completely coincident. When the inclination direction (phase) of the oblique end face is slightly deviated, a gap is generated between the oblique end faces. The allowable gap size depends on the design value of the optical wiring system in which the optical connector is used.

FIG. 2 shows a specific embodiment of the oblique end face optical fiber connecting method explained in FIG. 1, and shows the connection mechanism 4 in a state where the oblique end face optical fibers 11a of the optical fiber core wire 11 are butt-connected.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the connection mechanism 4 includes a base 1, a lid 2 (2 a, 2 b), and a U-shaped leaf spring 3 that elastically sandwiches both.
On the upper surface of the base 1, a centering groove 1a is formed by, for example, a V-groove for accommodating the optical fiber 11a at the center, and a covering portion receiving groove 1b for receiving the covering portion 11b of the optical fiber core wire 11 is formed on both sides. ing. The oblique end face optical fiber 11a is butt-connected in the aligning groove 1a.
The lid body 2 is divided into three parts: a lid body 2b corresponding to the region of the alignment groove 1a and two lid bodies 2b corresponding to the covering portion receiving grooves 1b on both sides. Grooves 2c for holding the covering portion 11b of the optical fiber core wire 11 are formed in the lids 2a on both sides.
The U-shaped leaf spring 3 is divided into three regions by two slits 3a so as to individually correspond to the opening of the three lids 2a, 2b.
Further, as shown in FIG. 5, 3 of the wedge member 5 for expanding the space between the base 1 and the lids 2 a and 2 b against the elastic clamping force of the leaf spring 3 on the side surface of the connection mechanism 11. An insertion port 6 into which the two wedge portions 5a are inserted is formed.

When connecting the oblique end surface optical fibers 11a of the optical fiber core wire 11 with the connection mechanism 4 as shown in FIG. 2, as described above, the optical fiber core wire 11 is cut when the optical fiber is cut to obtain the oblique end surface 11c. The optical fiber holder 13 holding the covering portion 11b is used while holding the covering portion of the optical fiber core wire at the time of oblique cutting.
With reference to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the point of obliquely cutting the optical fiber 11 a ′ (showing the bare fiber before cutting) of the optical fiber core wire 11 will be described.
The optical fiber oblique cutting machine 15 holds the optical fiber holder 13 and can slide the slide mechanism 16, the cutter 17 for making a cut on the lower surface side of the optical fiber 11a ', and the optical fiber 11a' on both sides of the cutting portion. The optical fiber holding parts 18 and 19 which consist of a pair of upper and lower holding pieces to be rotated, and a rotating mechanism 20 for rotating the optical fiber holding part 19 on the optical fiber tip side around the optical fiber axis.
The optical fiber 11a ′ is held by the optical fiber holding portions 18 and 19 on both sides of the cutting portion, the cutter is horizontally moved as shown by the arrow in FIG. 18, and a minute cut is made on the lower surface of the optical fiber 11a ′. Then, the optical fiber holding part 19 on the distal end side is rotated by an appropriate angle around the optical fiber axis, an appropriate twisting stress is applied to the optical fiber 11a ′, and then the slide mechanism 16 is retracted in the direction of the arrow to When a tensile stress is applied to 11a ′, it is cut (cleaved) obliquely from the cut portion.

  An example of the optical fiber holder 13 holding the optical fiber core wire 11 is shown in FIG. 6, for example, as shown in FIG. In this structure, the covering portion 11b of the optical fiber core wire 11 is held by the lid body 13b.

FIG. 7 shows an optical fiber connection tool 31 that butt-connects optical fibers in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism 4. The optical fiber connection tool 31 includes a connection mechanism arrangement portion 33 that constrains and arranges the connection mechanism 4 at the center of the base 32, and optical fiber holder holding portions 34 and 35 on both sides.
The oblique end face optical fibers 11a of the two optical fiber cores 11 are butt-connected with the optical fiber holders 13 held at the time of oblique cutting attached.
The operation will be described. First, each optical fiber holder 13 is mounted on the left and right optical fiber holder holding portions 34 and 35 of the optical fiber connection tool 31. Next, the wedge portion 5 a of the wedge member 5 is pushed into the insertion port 6 of the connection mechanism 4 constrained by the connection mechanism arrangement portion 33, and the lid portion 2 is slightly lifted and opened against the elastic clamping force of the leaf spring 3. The oblique end surface optical fibers 11a of the optical fiber core wires 11 are respectively accommodated in the alignment grooves 1a (see FIGS. 2 to 5), and both the optical fiber holders 13 are slid to the connection mechanism 4 side, thereby the oblique end surface optical fibers 11a. Are butt-connected in the aligning groove 1a. Next, when the wedge member 5 is extracted, the oblique end surface optical fiber 11 a and the covering portion 11 b are gripped by the base 1 and the lid body 2 by the elastic clamping force of the leaf spring 3. In this way, the butt connection between the oblique end face optical fibers 11a is performed.

 At this time, as described with reference to FIG. 1, the rotation angles of the oblique end face optical fibers 11a of the optical fiber cores 11 on both sides coincide with each other, and the inclination directions of the oblique end faces 11c are aligned. Therefore, not only the noise due to the reflected return light can be reduced, but also the connection loss can be reduced.

In the above, the optical fiber holder that holds the optical fiber core wire 11 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 6 as long as it can detachably hold the covering portion of the optical fiber core wire 11, and employs various structures. it can.
Further, the connection mechanism for butting and connecting the oblique end surface optical fibers 11a is not limited to the structure described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5, and is a structure including a base, a lid, and a leaf spring that elastically holds both. Various structures can be adopted as long as the optical fibers are butt-connected in the alignment groove formed between the base portion and the lid.
Also, the optical fiber connection tool used for the butt connection shown in FIG. 7 is merely an example, and the connection mechanism arrangement portion is provided on the tool base and can slide on both sides toward the connection mechanism arrangement portion side. A variety of structures can be employed regardless of the structure provided with the optical fiber holder holding portion provided in the structure.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating the oblique end face optical fiber connecting method according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
In this embodiment, the oblique end face optical fibers 11a having the end faces 11c that are obliquely cut in the single-core optical fiber cable 21 having the jacket, and the alignment grooves of the connection mechanism 4 in the optical fiber connector 24 described later in detail. In the case of butt connection.
The optical fiber cable 21 is, for example, an optical drop cable, an optical indoor cable, or the like, in which an optical fiber core wire 11 similar to that described above is embedded in a jacket 21a. That is, the optical fiber of the optical fiber core wire 11 is an oblique end face optical fiber 11a having an oblique end face 11c formed by cutting with an optical fiber oblique cutting machine.
Reference numeral 23 denotes an optical fiber holder for holding the optical fiber cable 21. This optical fiber holder 23 is used for the outer sheath of the optical fiber cable 21 when the optical fiber 11a is cut by the optical fiber oblique cutting machine in the same manner as described above in order to obtain two oblique end face optical fibers 11a to be butt-connected. This is an outer-grip optical fiber holder that grips 21a.

As described above, the oblique end surface optical fiber connecting method of the second embodiment is an optical fiber that grips the outer sheath 21a of the optical fiber cable 21 when the optical fiber is cut with an optical fiber oblique cutting machine to obtain the oblique end surface 11c. The holder 23 is used in a state where the outer sheath 21a of the optical fiber cable 21 is gripped at the time of oblique cutting.
Prepare two optical fiber cables 21 each held by an optical fiber holder 23, that is, optical fiber cables C and D with an optical fiber holder (that is, those on the left side in FIGS. 8A and 8B). .
The optical fiber holder 23 of the optical fiber cable C with one optical fiber holder is attached to the left optical fiber holder holding portion 25 in FIG. 8 of the optical fiber connector 24 and is slid rightward to obliquely tilt the optical fiber core wire 11. The end face optical fiber 11a is inserted into the connection mechanism 4, and the optical fiber holder 23 of the optical fiber cable D with the other optical fiber holder is attached to the right optical fiber holder holding portion 25 in FIG. When the oblique end face optical fiber 11a of the fiber core wire 11 is inserted into the connection mechanism 4, the rotation angles of the oblique end face optical fibers 11a of the optical fiber cables 21 coincide with each other as shown in FIG. That is, the inclination directions of the oblique end faces 11c of the two oblique end face optical fibers 11a coincide.
If this is supplementarily explained, when the optical fiber cable D with the optical fiber holder of FIG. 8B is rotated by 180 ° around one point P in the vicinity of the tip, a two-dot chain line on the right side of FIG. It becomes the attitude | position of the optical fiber cable (D) with an optical fiber holder shown by. When the optical fiber cable (D) with the optical fiber holder in this posture is opposed to the optical fiber cable C with the one optical fiber holder, as shown in FIG. 8 (a), the oblique end surfaces of the two oblique end surface optical fibers 11a are obtained. The inclination directions of 11c coincide.

9 to 16 show specific examples of the oblique end face optical fiber connecting method of the second embodiment described in FIG.
FIG. 9 shows a specific example of the optical fiber holder 23. The holder main body 41 having a substantially U-shaped cross section for forming the jacket receiving groove 41a, and a cover attached to the holder main body 41 by a thin hinge portion 42 so as to be opened and closed. 43. A plurality of rows of vertical ridges 41b for firmly restraining the jacket 21a of the optical fiber cable 21 are formed on the inner wall surface of the holder main body 41, and are engaged with engagement holes 43a provided on the cover 43 side on the outer wall surface. Engaging engagement protrusions 41c are provided. When the jacket 21a of the optical fiber cable 21 is received in the jacket receiving groove 41a of the holder body 41, the cover 43 is closed, and the engagement protrusion 41c is engaged with the engagement hole 43a, the jacket 21a of the optical fiber cable 21 is obtained. Is firmly gripped.

FIG. 10 shows a specific example of the optical fiber connector 24.
A housing 51 that is elongated in the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber to be connected, a connection mechanism 4 disposed in the center of the housing 51, and an optical fiber holder that is slidable toward the connection mechanism 4 on both sides of the connection mechanism 4 A portion 52 is provided.
The connection mechanism 4 has substantially the same structure as that described with reference to FIGS. Detailed description is omitted.
The optical fiber holder holding part 52 is a member for mounting the optical fiber holder 23 holding the outer sheath 21 a of the optical fiber cable 21.
The housing 51 has a substantially U-shaped cross section having side walls 51b on both sides of the bottom plate portion 51a. The optical fiber holder holding portions 52 on both sides are placed on the bottom plate portion 51a of the housing 51 and guided by a guide groove 51c at the lower end of the side wall 51b. Each can be slid to the center side.
53 is a restraining cover. The restraint cover 53 is rotatably attached to both side walls 51b of the housing 51 with pins, and has a substantially U-shaped cross-sectional shape that covers the vicinity of the end of the housing 51 when it is tilted from the raised state in FIG. The optical fiber holder 23 is restrained in a state in which the optical fiber holder 23 holding the outer cover 21a 21 is slid toward the center and the oblique end face optical fibers are butt-connected.
54 is an insertion unit. The two insertion units 54 include a wedge member 5 as shown in FIG. 12, and the wedge member 5 is used to open and close the connection mechanism 4. Corresponding to both side portions of the connection mechanism 4 in the longitudinal direction, they are mounted side by side in the central portion of the housing 51.
The wedge member 5 has substantially the same structure as that shown in FIG.
The insertion unit 54 includes a housing contact portion 55 that contacts the upper surface portion of the housing 51, a lift portion 56 that is disposed so as to face the housing contact portion 55, and the lift portion 56 toward the housing contact portion 55. A wedge member gripping portion 57 that hangs down and grips the wedge member 5; a housing abutment portion 55 and a lifting portion 56 that are connected to each other and projecting outwardly on the left and right sides; The locking claw 55a extends from the housing contact portion 55 toward the elevating portion 56, and the protruding portion 57a is provided at the tip of the wedge member gripping portion 57 and protrudes toward the locking claw 55a.
The insertion unit 54 is attached to the housing 51 in the state shown in FIG. 12 before the optical fiber butt connection, and the wedge member 5 is inserted into the insertion port 6 of the connection mechanism 4 so that the base 1, the lid 2, There is a gap between them. After the optical fibers are abutted with each other, when the wedge member extraction operation portion 58 is pushed inward from both sides by hand, the wedge member gripping portion 57 rises together with the wedge member 5, and the wedge member 5 is inserted into the insertion port 6. The optical fiber is gripped by the base 1 and the lid 2 by the elastic clamping force of the leaf spring 3.

  The oblique end face optical fiber connecting method using the optical fiber connector 24 will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, the jacket 21a of the optical fiber cable 21 is held by the optical fiber holder 23 of FIG. 9, and the optical fiber holder 23 is placed on the slide mechanism 16 of the optical fiber oblique cutting machine 15 as shown in FIG. Fix it. Next, the optical fiber 11a ′ is obliquely cut in the same manner as described above. The two optical fiber cables 21 to be connected are subjected to the above-described oblique cutting of the optical fiber.
One of the two optical fiber holders 23 each holding the outer sheath 21a of the optical fiber cable 21 during the oblique cutting process is attached to the optical fiber holder holding part 52 of the optical fiber connector 24 as shown in FIG. At this stage, the insertion unit 54 and the connection mechanism 4 in the housing 51 are in the state shown in FIG. 12, and there is a gap between the base 1 and the lid 2.
Next, the optical fiber holder holding portion 52 is slid toward the connection mechanism 4 at the center of the housing 51 to house the optical fiber holder 23 in the housing 51 and connect the oblique end surface optical fiber 11a of the optical fiber cable 21. It is inserted into the alignment groove of the mechanism 4.
Next, the wedge member extraction operation portion 58 of the insertion unit 54 is pushed by hand from both sides, the wedge member 5 is raised together with the wedge member gripping portion 57, and is extracted from the insertion port 6 of the connection mechanism 4. As a result, the covering portion 11 b and the oblique end surface optical fiber 11 a of the optical fiber core wire 11 of the optical fiber cable 21 are gripped by the base 1 and the lid 2.
Next, as shown in FIG. 15, after the restraining cover 53 is tilted to restrain the optical fiber holder 23, the insertion unit 54 is removed from the housing 51.

  Next, the same operation is performed on the other optical fiber cable 21. That is, the optical fiber holder 23 holding the outer sheath 21a of the other optical fiber cable 21 is attached to the optical fiber holder holding portion 52 on the opposite side (right side in FIG. 15) of the optical fiber connector 24, and then The optical fiber holder holding portion 52 is slid toward the connection mechanism 4 at the center of the housing 51 so that the optical fiber holder 23 is accommodated in the housing 51 and the oblique end surface optical fiber 11a of the optical fiber cable 21 is connected to the connection mechanism 4. Is inserted into the alignment groove 1a, and abuts against the distal end surface of one of the oblique end surface optical fibers 11a previously inserted. In this case, the other oblique end face optical fiber 11a may be abutted so as to be curved as shown in the drawing to ensure an appropriate abutting pressure.

  At this time, as described with reference to FIG. 8, the rotation angles of the oblique end surface optical fibers 11a of the optical fiber core wires 11 of the optical fiber cables 21 on both sides coincide with each other, and the inclination directions of the oblique end surfaces 11c are aligned. Therefore, not only the noise due to the reflected return light can be reduced, but also the connection loss can be reduced.

Next, the connection 58 of the insertion unit 54 is pushed by hand from both sides, the wedge member 5 is lifted together with the wedge member gripping portion 57, and is extracted from the insertion port 6 of the connection mechanism 4. Thereby, the covering portion 11b of the optical fiber core wire 11 and the oblique end surface optical fiber 11a of the other optical fiber cable 21 are held by the base 1 and the lid 2 of the connection mechanism 4.
Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the right restraint cover 53 in FIG. 16 is tilted to restrain the right optical fiber holder 23, and then the right insertion unit 54 is removed from the housing 51 in FIG. 15.
In this way, the butt connection in the alignment groove 1a of the connection mechanism 4 between the oblique end surface optical fibers 11a of the optical fiber cable 21 is performed.

In the above description, the optical fiber holder that holds the optical fiber cable 21 is not limited to the structure shown in FIG. 9 as long as it can detachably hold the jacket of the optical fiber cable.
The structure of the optical fiber connector is not limited to the structure described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 16, and various structures can be used as long as the connection mechanism is provided at the center and the optical fiber holder holding part is slidable on both sides. Can be adopted.

If the core and the clad are made of glass, the optical fiber core targeted in the present invention can have any coating material and diameter.
The optical fiber cable targeted by the present invention is not limited to the optical drop cable and the optical indoor cable, and the core and the clad of the optical fiber core wire embedded in the jacket may be glass. What is called an optical fiber cord may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Base 1a Alignment groove | channel 1b Covering part accommodation groove | channel 2 (2a, 2b) Cover body 3 Leaf spring 4 Connection mechanism 5 Wedge member 11 Optical fiber core wire 11a Oblique end surface optical fiber (bare fiber)
11b Cover 11c Oblique end face 13 Optical fiber holder 15 Optical fiber oblique cutting machine 16 Slide mechanism 17 Cutter 18, 19 Optical fiber holder holder 20 Rotating mechanism 21 Optical fiber cable 21a Jacket 23 Optical fiber holder 24 Optical fiber connector 31 Light Fiber connection tool 32 Tool base 33 Connection mechanism arrangement part 34, 35 Optical fiber holder holding part 41 Holder main body 43 Cover 51 Housing 51c Guide groove 52 Optical fiber holder holding part 53 Constraint cover 54 Insertion unit 57 Wedge member gripping part 58 Wedge member Sampling operation section

Claims (3)

In an alignment groove formed between the base portion and the lid of the connecting mechanism comprising the base, the lid, and a leaf spring that elastically sandwiches the two end-face optical fibers having the obliquely cut end faces. An oblique end face optical fiber connection method for butt connection at
In obtaining two oblique end-face optical fibers to be butt-connected, the optical fiber is held by an optical fiber holder and the optical fiber is obliquely cut.
The oblique end face light characterized in that the two oblique end face optical fibers obtained in the oblique cutting step are butt-connected in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism while being held by the optical fiber holder during the oblique cutting. Fiber connection method. The base portion of the connection mechanism comprising a base, a lid, and a leaf spring that elastically sandwiches the two end-face optical fibers having the end faces that are obliquely cut in a single-core optical fiber core having no outer sheath. An optical fiber connection operation for abutting and connecting in an alignment groove formed between the cover and the lid body is provided with a connection mechanism arrangement portion on the tool base, and can be slid toward the connection mechanism arrangement portion side on both sides thereof. An oblique end face optical fiber connection method performed using an optical fiber connection tool provided with an optical fiber holder holding portion,
When obtaining two oblique end-face optical fibers to be butt-connected, the optical fiber holder is held by an optical fiber holder that holds the coating portion of the optical fiber core wire, and the optical fiber is obliquely cut.
The optical fiber holder is attached to the optical fiber holder holding portion while holding the covering portion of the optical fiber core wire at the time of the oblique cutting, and the optical fiber holder holding portion is directed toward the central connection mechanism arrangement portion side. The slant end face optical fiber connecting method, wherein the slant end face optical fibers are butt-connected in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism. In a single-core optical fiber cable having an outer jacket, the oblique end face optical fibers having the obliquely cut end faces are elastically sandwiched between the base and the lid in the center of the housing elongated in the longitudinal direction of the optical fibers to be connected. An optical fiber connector provided with a connection mechanism comprising a leaf spring and having an optical fiber holder holding part slidable toward the central connection mechanism side on both sides thereof, the base part and the lid of the connection mechanism, An oblique end face optical fiber connection method for connecting butting in the aligning groove formed between,
When obtaining two oblique end-face optical fibers to be butt-connected, the optical fiber cable is held by an optical fiber holder that holds the jacket of the optical fiber cable, and the optical fiber is obliquely cut.
The optical fiber holder is attached to the optical fiber holder holding portion while holding the jacket of the optical fiber cable at the time of the oblique cutting, and the optical fiber holder holding portion is slid toward the central connection mechanism side. The oblique end surface optical fiber connecting method is characterized in that the oblique end surface optical fibers are butt-connected in the alignment groove of the connection mechanism.

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