JP2013015787A - Optical connector and assembling method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector which can easily remove a coating of an insertion optical fiber, and an assembling method of the optical connector.SOLUTION: An optical connector includes: a ferrule 10 in which a tip end portion of a built-in optical fiber 12 is built; a first clamp portion 20 provided so as to ensure a space 18 in which the built-in optical fiber 12 can be deflection-deformed behind the ferrule 10 and between the ferrule 10 and the clamp 20, and capable of gripping and fixing an abutting portion P of a rear end portion 12d of the built-in optical fiber 12 and a bare optical fiber 3 exposed by removing a coating 2 of the insertion optical fiber 1; and a coating removal portion 31 for removing the coating 2 of the insertion optical fiber 1 behind the first clamp portion 20. The insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted and moved forward. The bare optical fiber 3 is made to abut on the rear end portion 12d of the built-in optical fiber 12, and pressed to deflection-deform the built-in optical fiber 12 in the space 18. In this state, the abutting portion P of the bare optical fiber 3 and the built-in optical fiber 12 can be gripped and fixed by the first clamp portion 20.

Description

  The present invention relates to a field-assembled optical connector that is assembled to an optical fiber by connecting an optical fiber to a rear end of a built-in optical fiber built in a ferrule, and an assembling method thereof.

  In the operation of butt-connecting optical fiber core wires, it is widely performed to remove the coating at the tip of the core wire to expose the bare optical fibers and to butt-connect the bare optical fibers. Patent Document 1 is an optical connector that is attached to a coated optical fiber, and includes a ferrule having an optical fiber holding hole for inserting and fixing the coated optical fiber, and the optical fiber holding hole includes a coated optical fiber. A first hole to be accommodated, a second hole to accommodate a bare optical fiber from which the coating of the coated optical fiber has been peeled, and a sheath to be peeled and positioned between the first hole and the second hole are accommodated. An optical connector characterized in that the optical connector is provided with a coating receiving portion is described.

JP 2009-128422 A

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said situation, and makes it a subject to provide the optical connector which can implement | achieve coating removal of an insertion optical fiber easily, and its assembly method.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following configuration.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a space where the built-in optical fiber can be flexibly deformed is provided between a ferrule having a built-in tip portion of the built-in optical fiber and the ferrule behind the ferrule, and the built-in light A first clamp portion capable of gripping and fixing a butted portion of the rear end portion of the fiber and the bare optical fiber exposed by removing the coating of the inserted optical fiber; and removing the coating of the inserted optical fiber behind the first clamp portion A coating removing portion that inserts the insertion optical fiber to advance, but abuts the bare optical fiber exposed by removing the coating by the coating removing portion against a rear end portion of the built-in optical fiber, and further presses Then, the built-in optical fiber is bent and deformed in the space, and in this state, the butted portion between the bare optical fiber and the built-in optical fiber is the first clamp portion. Thus an optical connector can be grasped fixed.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first strator having a first insertion hole through which the built-in optical fiber is inserted between the ferrule and the first clamp portion, and the first insertion hole behind the first strator. A second strator having a second insertion hole for inserting the built-in optical fiber along the extension direction, and the built-in optical fiber between the first strator and the second strator along the longitudinal direction of the built-in optical fiber. A storator support part that supports the first and second strators while ensuring a space in which bending deformation is possible, and the built-in optical fiber is a bare wire whose coating is previously removed in the ferrule and the first clamp part. The optical connector according to the first aspect of the present invention, which is an optical fiber and is a coated optical fiber between the first strator and the second strator.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, the second strator is a bare optical fiber capable of guiding a rear end portion of the built-in optical fiber made of the bare optical fiber projecting into the first clamp portion along a longitudinal direction thereof. It is an optical connector which concerns on 2nd invention which has an insertion hole.
A fourth invention is an optical connector according to the first invention, wherein the optical connector has an observation window that allows the built-in optical fiber disposed in a space where the built-in optical fiber is flexibly deformed to be viewed from the outside of the housing. is there.
5th invention is an optical connector which concerns on 1st invention provided with the 2nd clamp part which can hold | grip and fix the said insertion optical fiber behind the said coating | coated removal part.
In a sixth aspect of the invention, the insertion direction of the insertion optical fiber is controlled while restricting the deflection of the insertion optical fiber by bringing the outer peripheral surface of the insertion optical fiber into contact with the inner wall of the insertion hole from the periphery behind the coating removal portion. It is an optical connector which concerns on 1st invention provided with the movable guide guided toward the said coating | coated removal part.

In a seventh aspect of the present invention, the insertion optical fiber is advanced, the coating at the tip of the insertion optical fiber is removed by the coating removal unit, and the bare optical fiber whose coating has been removed by the coating removal unit is removed from the coating removal unit. The built-in optical fiber is abutted against the rear end of the built-in optical fiber built in the ferrule disposed in front of the optical fiber, and the inserted optical fiber is further advanced in a state where the bare optical fiber and the built-in optical fiber are abutted. The rear end portion is pressed to bend and deform the built-in optical fiber in a space secured between the ferrule and the first clamp portion, and in this state, the bare optical fiber and the built-in optical fiber are butted together. This is an optical connector assembling method in which the part is held and fixed by the first clamp part.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first strator having a first insertion hole through which the built-in optical fiber is inserted between the ferrule and the first clamp portion, and the first insertion hole behind the first strator. A second strator having a second insertion hole for inserting the built-in optical fiber along the extension direction, and the built-in optical fiber between the first strator and the second strator along the longitudinal direction of the built-in optical fiber. A storator support part that supports the first and second strators while ensuring a space in which bending deformation is possible, and the built-in optical fiber is a bare wire whose coating is previously removed in the ferrule and the first clamp part. In the optical connector assembling method according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the optical fiber is a coated optical fiber between the first strator and the second strator. That.
In a ninth aspect of the invention, the second strator is a bare optical fiber capable of guiding a rear end portion of the built-in optical fiber made of the bare optical fiber protruding toward the first clamp portion along a longitudinal direction thereof. It is an assembly method of the optical connector which concerns on 8th invention which has an insertion hole.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, after the internal optical fiber is bent and deformed, the bending deformation of the internal optical fiber is visually confirmed before the butt portion is held and fixed by the first clamp portion. This is an optical connector assembling method.
An eleventh aspect of the invention is an optical connector assembly according to the seventh aspect of the present invention, in which the insertion optical fiber is held and fixed by the second clamp part behind the covering removal part after the butting part is held and fixed by the first clamp part. Is the method.
In a twelfth aspect of the present invention, during the coating removal by the coating removal unit, the distal end portion of the insertion optical fiber is inserted into a guide portion of a movable guide disposed on the rear side of the coating removal unit, and the deflection is restricted. An optical connector assembling method according to a seventh aspect of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to remove the coating at the distal end of the inserted optical fiber by simply moving the coated optical fiber from which the coating at the distal end has not been removed toward the coating removal portion, A butt connection to the end can be easily realized. Therefore, in the operation of assembling the optical connector at the distal end portion of the inserted optical fiber, it is not necessary to remove the coating at the distal end of the coated optical fiber to be inserted into the optical connector (previously exposing the bare optical fiber), and the optical connector can be easily assembled. Yes.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the optical connector of this invention. It is the perspective view which showed the optical connector of FIG. 1 from back. It is the perspective view which showed the optical connector of FIG. 1 from the downward direction. It is a disassembled perspective view of the optical connector of FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a connector main body of the optical connector of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of an optical fiber gripping part gripping the vicinity of a distal end portion of an inserted optical fiber, FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of a connector main body before assembly, and FIG. (A)-(c) is sectional drawing explaining the function of a coating removal member. It is (a) perspective view, (b) top view, and (c) sectional view showing an example of a covering removal member. (A), (b) is sectional drawing explaining the function of a clamp part and an insertion member. It is a side view explaining the function of the cover member of the optical connector of FIG. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state in the middle of the assembly of the optical connector of FIG. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state in the middle of the assembly of the optical connector of FIG. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state in the middle of the assembly of the optical connector of FIG. (A), (b) is sectional drawing which shows the state after the assembly of the optical connector of FIG. It is typical sectional drawing which shows an example of a press member receiving part. It is sectional drawing which illustrates the structure which adhere | attaches a connector main body and a rear housing. It is sectional drawing which illustrates the structure which engages a connector main body and a rear part housing. FIG. 18 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 17.

The present invention will be described below based on preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings.
1-3 show an example of the optical connector of the present invention. FIG. 4 shows an exploded perspective view of the optical connector 100. FIG. 5A shows a perspective view of the connector main body 101. FIG. 5B shows an exploded perspective view of the connector main body 101.
The optical connector 100 and the connector main body 101 will be described with the left side as the front and the right side as the rear in FIGS. 6 to 8 and FIGS. 10 to 15.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the optical connector 100 has a schematic configuration in which a connector main body 101 assembled by providing a coating removal member 30 (described later) and the like on the rear side of the ferrule 10 is housed in a sleeve-like housing 100H. It has become.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the housing 100 </ b> H includes a front housing 60 in which the ferrule 10 is accommodated, a coupling 65 assembled to the outer periphery of the front housing 60, and a rear side assembled to the front housing 60 from the rear. The housing 70 is comprised.
In this embodiment, as an example, the basic structure of the ferrule 10, the front housing 60, the coupling 65, and the like is in accordance with an SC type optical connector (SC: Single fiber Coupling, one defined in JIS C 5973, etc.). The front housing 60 is an SC optical connector plug frame, and the coupling 65 is an SC optical connector knob.
However, the housing is not limited to the above-described configuration. As a housing, the structure etc. which abbreviate | omitted the coupling 65 from the above-mentioned housing are employable, for example.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 6B, the connector main body 101 has a ferrule 10 to which an optical fiber 12 is inserted and fixed. Hereinafter, the optical fiber 12 inserted and fixed to the ferrule 10 is also referred to as a built-in optical fiber.
The connector main body 101 is coated on the rear side opposite to the joining end surface 11 for butt joining at the front end (front end) of the ferrule 10, such as a single optical fiber core wire or an optical fiber strand inserted from the rear of the optical connector 100. A coating removing member 30 for removing the coating 2 of the attached optical fiber 1 is provided. The coating removal member 30 has a coating removal unit 31 (coating removal blade) that removes the coating 2 of the coated optical fiber 1. Further, the coating removing member 30 is fixed to a rear extension piece 102 extending rearward from the rear end portion of the ferrule 10 and is provided to be separated from the rear end of the ferrule 10.

  The built-in optical fiber 12 is inserted and fixed in a minute hole 10 a penetrating the ferrule 10, and the end surface (front end) of the built-in optical fiber 12 is provided so as to be aligned with the joining end surface 11 of the ferrule 10. The fine hole 10a is a through hole that penetrates the ferrule 10 in the front-rear direction with a straight central axis. The built-in optical fiber 12 has a rear protrusion 12 a that protrudes rearward from the rear end of the ferrule 10. The built-in optical fiber 12 is a short optical fiber whose rear end 12 b is located in front of the coating removing member 30. The built-in optical fiber 12 is provided by inserting and fixing the front side portion from the rear side protruding portion 12 a into the fine hole 10 a of the ferrule 10. Between the ferrule 10 and the coating removal member 30, a first clamp portion 20 (described later) that holds and fixes the abutting portion P between the rear end 12 b of the built-in optical fiber 12 and the distal end portion of the insertion optical fiber 1 is provided.

The ferrule 10 of the connector main body 101 is a single-core ferrule formed in a capillary shape from a hard material such as ceramics such as zirconia or glass. Examples of the ferrule 10 include those used for SC type optical connectors and those used for MU type optical connectors (F14 type optical connectors established in JIS C 5983; MU: Miniature-Unit coupling optical fiber connector). Can be adopted. Further, as the ferrule 10, a part or the whole of which is molded with a synthetic resin can be adopted.
As shown in FIG. 6B, the rear end portion of the ferrule 10 is fixed to a flange portion 17 provided at the front end of the rear extension piece 102. Examples of the method for fixing the ferrule 10 to the inner surface 17a of the flange portion 17 include adhesive fixing with an adhesive and insert molding. The tip of the built-in optical fiber 12 is fixed to the ferrule 10 by, for example, adhesive fixing with an adhesive.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 14, the optical connector 100 includes a spring 61 that elastically biases the ferrule 10 toward the front side of the connector and gives a butting force at the time of butt connection with another optical connector. The spring 61 is specifically a coil spring, and is provided on the rear side of the flange portion 17 projecting from the outer periphery of the rear end portion of the ferrule 10, and between the flange portion 17 and the stop ring (spring push) 62. Is inserted.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 14, the front surface 62 a of the stop ring 62 is brought into contact with the step 60 a inside the front housing 60, and the engaging protrusions 62 b of the stop ring 62 are formed on both side wall portions 60 c of the front housing 60. The stop ring 62 is accommodated and fixed inside the front housing 60 by engaging with the formed engagement hole 60b.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the ferrule 10 is elastically biased toward the front side of the connector by the spring 61, and the flange portion 17 protrudes inside the front end portion (specifically, the front housing 60) of the housing 100H. The stopper wall portion 60d is provided at a front movement limit position where it comes into contact with the stopper wall portion 60d from the rear side. The flange portion 17 has a key groove 17k (see FIG. 5) in a part in the circumferential direction. By inserting a key 60k (see FIG. 14B) that protrudes rearward from the stopper wall portion 60d into the key groove 17k, the flange portion 17 is prevented from rotating in the circumferential direction of the side surface of the ferrule 10, and the ferrule 10 detents.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, when the connector body 101 applies a pressing force (pushing force) from the front to the rear on the ferrule 10, the housing 100H (specifically, the front side) The housing 60, the stop ring 62, and the coupling 65) can be pushed to the rear side of the connector. At this time, the flange portion 17 is separated from the rear side of the stopper wall portion 60d. In the example shown in FIG. 14, the rear extension piece 102 and the rear housing 70 are integrated with the ferrule 10 as described later, and thus move back and forth in conjunction with the ferrule 10.

  The connector main body 101 has a first strator 14 having a first insertion hole 14a through which the built-in optical fiber 12 is inserted along the extending direction of the fine hole 10a on the rear side of the ferrule 10, and a first rear part behind the first strator 14. A second strator 15 having a second insertion hole 15 a for inserting the built-in optical fiber 12 along the extending direction of the insertion hole 14 a, and a longitudinal direction of the built-in optical fiber 12 between the first strator 14 and the second strator 15. Thus, the built-in optical fiber 12 has a deflection accommodating portion 13 composed of a first strator 14 and a strator support portion 16 that supports the second strator 15 while securing a space 18 that can be flexibly deformed.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the rear end portion 12 d of the built-in optical fiber 12 is inserted into the second insertion hole 15 a, and the rear end 12 b of the built-in optical fiber 12 is located behind the second strator 15. The tip of the built-in optical fiber 12 is fixed in the ferrule 10. For this reason, the rear protrusion 12a is not necessarily fixed to the first strator 14.

  The rear end portion 12d of the built-in optical fiber 12 is not fixed to the second strator 15, and the rear end portion 12d is slidable in the longitudinal direction. Accordingly, as will be described in detail later, when the rear end 12b is pressed toward the ferrule 10, the portion 12c between the first strator 14 and the second strator 15 is bent and deformed as shown in FIG. 6C. Is possible. It is preferable that the portion 12c that bends and deforms is a coated optical fiber in order to increase the elastic force due to the bending deformation and suppress damage to the optical fiber. The portion where the built-in optical fiber 12 is a coated optical fiber is hereinafter also referred to as a coating portion.

Both front and rear ends of the covering portion 12c are inserted into the insertion holes 14a and 15a of the strators 14 and 15, respectively. For this reason, it is desirable that the inner diameters of the insertion holes 14a and 15a are approximately the same as the outer diameter of the covering portion 12c (the covering diameter of the coated optical fiber). Further, the second strator 15 communicates with the rear end of the second insertion hole 15a opened in the front surface thereof, and the bare optical fiber insertion hole 15b is formed on the rear surface (the surface on the first clamp portion 20 side) of the second strator 15. The rear end portion 12d of the built-in optical fiber 12, which is a bare optical fiber, can be opened and guided.
The bare optical fiber insertion hole 15b allows the rear end portion 12d of the built-in optical fiber 12 which is a bare optical fiber to be positioned on the leading end of the inserted optical fiber 1 on the alignment groove 23 of the first base member 21 of the first clamp portion 20 (described later). In view of positioning coaxially with the portion, it is preferably a circular hole formed along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber. The cross section (the cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the bare optical fiber insertion hole 15b) is generally coincident with the cross section of the bare fiber at the rear end portion 12d of the insert optical fiber 1 (cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction). In this case, the inner diameter of the bare optical fiber insertion hole 15b is set to be approximately the same (slightly larger) as the outer diameter (bare optical fiber diameter) of the rear end 12d within a range in which the sliding movement of the rear end 12d is allowable. It is preferable to do.

In the example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the strator support portion 16 is provided as a part of the rear extension piece 102, and the housing groove 16 a for housing the built-in optical fiber 12 is provided in the strators 14 and 15 in the strator support portion 16. Are formed on the mounting surface 16b. The housing groove 16a is formed to extend in the connector front-rear direction. The accommodation groove 16a is not particularly limited, but in view of positioning the covering portion 12c of the built-in optical fiber 12 coaxially with the insertion holes 14a and 15a of the struts 14 and 15, for example, a U groove, a half Circular grooves, V grooves, etc. can be adopted.
The strators 14 and 15 are fixed to fitting recesses 16c and 16d formed to be recessed from the attachment surface 16b of the strator support 16 by fitting or bonding, respectively.
Since the covering portion 12c of the built-in optical fiber 12 is placed on the strator support portion 16 in the accommodation groove 16a, the covering portion 12c is prevented from drooping without applying tension in the tensile direction. .

As shown in FIG. 14, the periphery of the flexure accommodation portion 13 is accommodated in an accommodation hole 62 c (see FIG. 4) that penetrates the above-described stop ring 62 in the front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, the covering portion 12 c of the built-in optical fiber 12 between the struts 14, 15 is provided from the outside of the housing 100 H on the top of the stop ring 62, the front housing 60 and the coupling 65. Observation windows 63, 64, and 66 are provided for visual observation. In the illustrated example, the observation windows 64 and 66 of the front housing 60 and the coupling 65 are holes penetrating in the thickness direction, and can be applied even if the transparency of the material constituting these housing members is low.
The observation window 63 of the stop ring 62 can also be a through hole. However, when the stop ring 62 is made of a material transparent to visible light, the corresponding portion of the stop ring 62 can be observed without using a through hole. 63 can be used. In this case, it is possible to prevent foreign matters such as dust from entering the housing 100H through the observation window 63 in the flexure accommodating portion 13 or to adversely affect the operation of the covering portion 12c or the like. If the observation window 63 of the stop ring 62 is closed with a transparent material and the inner surface of the receiving hole 62c is made smooth, problems such as catching are prevented even if the covering portion 12c comes into contact with the inner surface of the receiving hole 62c when it is bent.
It is also possible to configure only the observation window portion with a material having sufficient transparency for visual observation. For example, in the illustrated example, a configuration in which at least one of the observation windows 64 and 66 that are through holes is closed with a material having sufficient transparency is also possible.
Alternatively, a configuration in which at least one of the front housing 60 and the coupling 65 configured to block the stop ring 62 and the observation windows 64 and 66 is made of a material having sufficient transparency is also possible.

  In the process in which the built-in optical fiber 12 is bent and deformed in the space 18 between the first strator 14 and the second strator 15 by providing observation windows 63, 64, 66 that allow the covering portion 12 c to be seen from the outside, for example, butting Before the part P is held and fixed by the first clamp part 20, the bending deformation of the built-in optical fiber 12 can be easily confirmed through the observation window. At this time, if no deflection deformation is confirmed in the built-in optical fiber 12, for example, there may be a problem in removing the coating of the inserted optical fiber 1. You can quickly start over, such as changing to an optical connector.

Behind the second strator 15 is provided a first clamp portion 20 for holding and fixing the butted portion P where the bare optical fiber 3 from which the sheath 2 has been removed by the sheath removing portion 31 is butted against the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12. It has been. The coating removal unit 31 is provided behind the first clamp unit 20. Behind the coating removal portion 31 is provided a second clamp portion 25 for gripping and fixing the coated optical fiber 1 (the portion where the coating 2 has not been removed, the coating portion).
The coated optical fiber 1 inserted into the clamp portion of the optical connector 100 is also referred to as an inserted optical fiber 1 hereinafter.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the first clamp portion 20 includes a first base member 21, a first lid member 22 disposed to face the first base member 21, and a first lid member 22. 1 has a first clamp spring 24 that urges the base member 21 in the closing direction. The first base member 21 has a first guide groove 23 formed in the mating surface 21b (see FIG. 5B) facing the first lid member 22 so as to extend in the connector front-rear direction.
The first guide groove 23 is an alignment groove that positions and aligns the bare optical fiber 3, which is the tip of the insertion optical fiber 1, so as to be able to butt-connect to the rear end 12 b of the built-in optical fiber 12. Hereinafter, the first guide groove 23 is also referred to as an alignment groove. The alignment groove 23 is, for example, a V-groove, but is not limited to this, and a U-groove, a semicircular groove, or the like can also be employed. A groove 23a (see FIG. 6 (b)) for guiding the bare optical fiber 3 is also provided on the mating surface 22b (see FIG. 9 (a)) of the first lid member 22 facing the first base member 21, An optical fiber guide having a configuration in which the groove 23a is opposed to the alignment groove 23 may be used.

  A low-fluidity (semi-solid or solid) refractive index matching material (gel, gummy, film, etc.) can be attached to the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12. By interposing the refractive index matching material between the end faces of both optical fibers 3 and 12, the gap formed between the end faces is filled with the refractive index matching material, so that an increase in connection loss can be suppressed. Further, the slipperiness between the end faces is improved, and even if the pressing force between the end faces is strong, the end faces can be prevented from being engaged with each other in a state where the core of the optical fiber is off-axis. Therefore, when the first lid member 22 is closed toward the first base member 21, the optical fibers can be aligned smoothly.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second clamp portion 25 includes a second base member 26, a second lid member 27 disposed to face the second base member 26, and the second lid member 27. And a second clamp spring 29 that urges the base member 26 in the closing direction. The second base member 26 has a second guide groove 28 formed in the mating surface 26b (see FIG. 5B) facing the second lid member 27 so as to extend in the connector front-rear direction.
The second guide groove 28 is a guide groove that guides the insertion optical fiber 1 toward the coating removing member 30, and is also a housing groove that houses the insertion optical fiber 1 after insertion. Although it does not specifically limit as the 2nd guide groove 28, In a present Example, the single core insertion optical fiber 1 is positioned coaxially with the optical fiber insertion hole 34 with the coating | cover of the fixed guide 35 mentioned later. In view of the above, for example, a U groove, a semicircular groove, a V groove, or the like can be employed. A groove 28a (see FIG. 6 (b)) for guiding and housing the inserted optical fiber 1 is also formed on the mating surface 27b (see FIG. 9 (a)) of the second lid member 27 facing the second base member 26. It is also possible to provide an optical fiber guide portion and a receiving portion having a configuration in which the groove 28 a is opposed to the second guide groove 28.
The first base member 21 and the second base member 26 are collectively referred to as a clamp base member hereinafter.

The second guide groove 28 is provided on the extension of the alignment groove 23. The second guide groove 28 not only guides the insertion optical fiber 1 when it is inserted, but also stores the insertion optical fiber 1 after insertion, and the second lid member 27 is clamped by the second clamp spring 29. In addition, the insertion optical fiber 1 can be securely clamped. When the insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted into the second clamp portion 25 along the second guide groove 28, the insertion optical fiber 1 is guided to the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 of the fixed guide 35 through the second guide groove 28.
When the inserted optical fiber 1 is accommodated in the outer sheath 6 of the optical fiber cable 5 as will be described later, the second clamp portion 25 has an ambient temperature (temperature around the place where the optical connector after assembly is installed). Due to temperature changes, the optical fiber cable 5 may be displaced between the layers due to differences in thermal expansion coefficients (stretching directions) of the respective parts constituting the optical fiber cable 5 such as the jacket 6, the covering 2, the bare optical fiber 3, and the like. is there. At this time, in order to prevent the insertion optical fiber 1 from protruding and retracting from the jacket 6, it is preferable to secure a sufficient length for holding and fixing the insertion optical fiber 1. As an example, the holding and fixing length of the inserted optical fiber 1 by the second clamp portion 25 is about 7 mm. As will be described in detail later, a movable guide 40 and a fixed guide 35 are provided in front of and behind the second clamp portion 25 in order to regulate the deflection when the inserted optical fiber 1 is covered and removed. Thereby, even if the holding fixed length of the 2nd clamp part 25 is long, there is no possibility that the insertion optical fiber 1 will raise | generate a bending deformation within the 2nd clamp part 25. FIG. Although the insertion optical fiber 1 may bend and deform when it protrudes out of the second guide groove 28, the distance between second mating surfaces 26b and 27b of the second base member 26 and the second lid member 27 described later (second guide). By setting the interval on the outer side of the groove 28 smaller than the outer diameter (coating diameter) of the insertion optical fiber 1, the protrusion can be prevented.

Between the clamp base members 21 and 26 and the lid members 22 and 27, an interposer member for securing the gap 27a for inserting the insertion optical fiber 1 and the gap 22a for inserting the bare optical fiber 3 can be removed. It is inserted. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the insertion members 50 and 55 are provided side by side in the connector front-rear direction. The first insertion member 50 on the front side is attached to the first clamp portion 20. The rear second insertion member 55 is attached to the second clamp portion 25.
In the optical connector 100, the insertion members 50 and 55 are attached to the connector main body 101 by inserting the insertion pieces 51 and 56 of the insertion members 50 and 55 into the clamp portions 20 and 25 in advance (insertion). It is possible to sell, carry, etc. in the state of the optical connector with members. In this case, it is possible to eliminate the trouble of preparing an insertion member (wedge) suitable for the optical connector or inserting the insertion pieces 51 and 56 into the clamp portions 20 and 25 at the time of work in the wiring site.
In the illustrated example, the clamp base members 21 and 26 are provided in the rear extension piece 102, and the guide grooves 23 and 28 are formed on the same side surface of the rear extension piece 102. Thereby, both guide grooves 23 and 28 are easily formed on the coaxial line. It is also possible to configure the clamp base members 21 and 26 as separate members and attach them to predetermined positions in the housing.

As shown in FIG. 6, the rear extension piece 102 extending rearward from the rear end portion opposite to the joining end surface 11 for butt joining of the front end (front end) of the ferrule 10 is a central axis of the ferrule 10 (and It is formed in an elongated shape whose longitudinal direction is the longitudinal direction along its extension.
In the illustrated example, the strator support 16 and the clamp base members 21 and 26 are each formed as a part of the rear extension piece 102. Further, the first strator 14, the second strator 15, the coating removing member 30, and the fixed guide 35 are provided on the same side surface of the rear extension piece 102. Thereby, positioning of each part becomes easy. The strator support 16 and the clamp base members 21 and 26 may be separate members and attached to predetermined positions in the housing.

In the optical connector 100, as shown in FIG. 9A, the cover members 22 and 27 secure clearances 22a and 27a between the clamp base members 21 and 26 against the pressing force of the clamp springs 24 and 29, respectively. Therefore, the insertion pieces 51 and 56 of the insertion members 50 and 55 are inserted between the clamp base members 21 and 26 and the lid members 22 and 27. As shown in FIG. 9B, by removing the insertion members 50 and 55 from the clamp portions 20 and 25, the lid members 22 and 27 are moved to the clamp base members 21 and 26 by the pressing force of the clamp springs 24 and 29. The optical fiber F on the guide grooves 23 and 28 is gripped and fixed.
The clamp springs 24 and 29 are not particularly limited, but for example, sleeve-like ones as shown in FIG. 5 can be adopted. As the sleeve-shaped clamp spring 24, for example, a C-shaped or U-shaped cross section (cross section perpendicular to the central axis) can be used. The clamp portions 20 and 25 of the present embodiment have a configuration in which clamp base members 21 and 26 and lid members 22 and 27 arranged in the front-rear direction of the connector are accommodated inside one clamp spring 24 and 29, respectively. ing. In addition, the structure which integrated the clamp springs 24 and 29 is also employable.

  The optical connector 100 has a movable guide 40 in which an optical fiber insertion hole 41 into which the insertion optical fiber 1 can be inserted is formed in the front-rear direction on the rear side of the rear extension piece 102. The movable guide 40 is, for example, an initial position separated from the rear extension piece 102 to the rear side using the movable guide holding portion 19 formed at the rear end of the rear extension piece 102 as a guide member (FIG. 6B). It is provided so as to be able to advance toward the ferrule 10. Note that the guide member for guiding the forward movement of the movable guide 40 from the initial position is not limited to the rear extension piece 102, and for example, a guide member provided in a housing (not shown) may be used.

The movable guide 40 has a front surface 43 in which an optical fiber insertion hole 41 is opened, and a rear surface 44 in which a tapered concave portion 42 that is tapered toward the optical fiber insertion hole 41 is opened. Here, the optical fiber insertion hole 41 is a portion formed between the front end (back end) of the tapered recess 42 and the front surface 43 of the movable guide 40. The tip of the insertion optical fiber 1 is guided to the optical fiber insertion hole 41 by the tapered recess 42. When the insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted, the movable guide 40 causes the outer peripheral surface of the insertion optical fiber 1 to abut against the inner wall of the optical fiber insertion hole 41 from the periphery thereof, so that the second clamp portion 25 and the pressing fixing member The insertion direction can be guided between the second base member 26 and the second lid member 27 of the second clamp portion 25 while restricting the deflection of the insertion optical fiber 1 in the middle of 120. In order to more reliably regulate the deflection of the insertion optical fiber 1, it is desirable that the optical fiber insertion hole 41 has an inner diameter comparable to the outer diameter (coating diameter) of the insertion optical fiber 1.
The insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted through the optical fiber insertion hole 41 into the gap 27 a secured in the interval direction between the second lid member 27 and the groove bottom of the second guide groove 28. When the insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted, the gap 27a of the second clamp portion 25 is secured to the extent that the insertion of the insertion optical fiber 1 is not hindered.

Next, the coating removal member 30 shown in FIG. 7 will be described. The coating removal portion 31 of the coating removal member 30 is a coating removal blade that removes the coating 2 of the insertion optical fiber 1 and exposes the bare optical fiber 3 when the insertion optical fiber 1 is pressed from the rear side. Hereinafter, the coating removal unit 31 is also referred to as a coating removal blade.
The coating removal blade 31 illustrated in FIG. 8 is an annular blade portion 31a that is formed in a cylindrical shape through which the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 passes, and the edge of the rear end opening of the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 is a cutting edge. The annular blade portion 31a (cover removal portion 31) illustrated in FIG. 8 is formed in a tapered cylindrical shape that tapers from the front end side toward the rear side.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the distal end of the insertion optical fiber 1 inserted from the rear side into the second guide groove 28 is pressed against the rear end of the annular blade portion 31a, and the insertion optical fiber 1 is advanced toward the ferrule 10. By doing so, the coating 2 of the insertion optical fiber 1 can be removed by the annular blade portion 31a. The coating removal member 30 has a configuration in which the bare optical fiber 3 led to the tip of the insertion optical fiber 1 by the coating removal is inserted into the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 as the coating removal progresses as the insertion optical fiber 1 advances. It has become. The annular blade portion 31a separates the coating 2 around the bare optical fiber 3 of the insertion optical fiber 1 from the bare optical fiber 3 to the outer periphery of the annular blade portion 31a. The bare optical fiber 3 is inserted into a bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 opened inside the annular blade portion 31a. The bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 is a circular hole formed along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber. The cross section (the cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33) is substantially coincident with the cross section of the bare optical fiber 3 (cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the bare optical fiber 3).

  Moreover, the coating removal member 30 of the example of illustration has the window hole 32 which penetrates the coating removal member 30 in the direction orthogonal to the front-back direction in the center part in the front-back direction. The annular blade portion 31 a is a tapered cylindrical protrusion that protrudes from the front wall portion 36 of the sheath removing member 30 into the window hole 32. Further, the coating removing member 30 in the illustrated example has a coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 that passes through the rear wall portion 37 from the window hole 32 and opens at the rear end of the coating removing member 30. The coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 is formed coaxially with the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33. The front end of the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 is located slightly rearward from the rear end of the annular blade portion 31a. The separation distance between the front end of the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 and the coating removal blade 31 in the longitudinal direction of the connector is such that the insertion optical fiber 1 that is pressed against the rear end (blade edge) of the annular blade portion 31a during coating removal is straight. In terms of maintenance, it is preferable to make it as small as possible. The rear end of the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 is positioned so that the insertion optical fiber 1 can be inserted from the guide groove 28 with respect to the guide groove 28 of the second base member 26.

The coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 is a circular hole formed along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber. The cross section (the cross section perpendicular to the central axis of the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34) is generally coincident with the cross section of the insertion optical fiber 1 (cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the insertion optical fiber 1). The fixed guide 35 having the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 positions the insertion optical fiber 1 coaxially with the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 and inserts it pressed toward the rear end of the annular blade 31a for removing the coating. The buckling of the optical fiber 1 is prevented, the occurrence of removal unevenness is prevented, and it contributes effectively to the realization of smooth coating removal. The fixed guide 35 regulates the deflection of the insertion optical fiber 1 by causing the outer peripheral surface of the insertion optical fiber 1 to contact the inner wall of the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 from the periphery during insertion of the insertion optical fiber 1. However, the insertion direction can be guided toward the coating removing unit 31.
A tapered hole 34a whose diameter decreases from the outside to the inside is provided at the inlet (fiber inlet) at the rear end of the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34. By guiding the tip of the coated optical fiber 1 into the tapered hole 34a, the insertion into the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 becomes more reliable.

A second lid member 27 in a closed position in the second clamp part 25 is disposed opposite to the second guide groove 28 of the second base member 26, and guides the straightness of the inserted optical fiber 1 before and after the second clamp part 25. By arranging the fixed guide 35 and the movable guide 40 to be pressed, the insertion optical fiber 1 can be pressed into the second guide groove 28, and the bending deformation of the insertion optical fiber 1 being inserted can be regulated.
In the illustrated example, the fixed guide 35 having the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 is integrated with the coating removal member 30 having the coating removal portion 31 and the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33. However, the present invention is particularly limited to this. Instead, it is also possible to configure the fixed guide 35 separately from the coating removing unit 31. By forming the fixed guide 35 integrally with the coating removing member 30, it is easy to form the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 and the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 coaxially with high accuracy. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the sheath removing member 30 and the fixed guide 35 are recessed in the rear extension piece 102 (specifically, the mounting base portion 39 between the first base member 21 and the second base member 26). It is fixed to the mounting recess 38 formed by fitting or bonding.
The coating removal portion 31 of the coating removal member 30 shown in FIG. 8 is formed perpendicular to the forming direction of the window hole 32 and the annular blade portion 31a formed in a tapered shape around the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33. It has a horizontal blade part 31b.

As shown in FIG. 7A, when the insertion optical fiber 1 is advanced toward the fixed guide 35, the distal end of the insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted into the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34. The coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 is linear, and the inserted optical fiber 1 can be positioned straight toward the coating removal portion 31. When the tip of the insertion optical fiber 1 passes through the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34, the tip of the insertion optical fiber 1 crosses the window hole 32 and abuts against the coating removal portion 31 as shown in FIG. Then, when the insertion optical fiber 1 is pressed toward the coating removal blade 31, the coating 2 is removed as shown in FIG. 7C, and the bare optical fiber 3 is inserted into the bare optical fiber. It is inserted into the hole 33. At this time, the coating 2 can be easily separated from the bare optical fiber 3 by inserting the annular blade 31 a between the bare optical fiber 3 and the coating 2. Moreover, the unnecessary coating 2 can be easily discharged | emitted from the upper and lower sides of the window hole 32 by dividing | segmenting the coating 2 peeled cylindrically from the bare optical fiber 3 into two by the horizontal blade part 31b.
A tapered hole 33a whose diameter increases from the inside to the outside is provided at the outlet of the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33. Since the bare optical fiber 3 has a slight margin in the direction of exiting the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33, the bare optical fiber 3 can be easily guided from the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 to the alignment groove 23.

  The connector main body 101 moves the pressing fixing member 120 forward until the movable guide 40 reaches a forward limit position (for example, a position where the front surface 43 of the movable guide 40 contacts the rear end of the second clamp portion 25). The optical fiber 3 is further advanced from the butting start position, and the built-in optical fiber 12 is bent and deformed. Although details will be described later, FIG. 6B shows the connector main body 101 after assembly.

As shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the rear housing 70 of the optical connector 100 has a clamp housing portion 71 for housing the clamp portions 20 and 25 on the front side thereof, and a pressure for receiving the pressing fixing member 120 on the rear side thereof. A member receiving portion 75 is provided.
As shown in FIG. 14, the clamp accommodating part 71 has a cylindrical clamp accommodating hole 71a and a tapered hole 71b whose diameter increases toward the rear side. A first communication hole 78 (see FIG. 15) that penetrates the thickness of the rear housing 70 and inserts the insertion piece 51 of the first insertion member 50 into the first clamp portion 20 in the clamp housing hole 71a. And a second communication hole 79 (see FIG. 15) for inserting the insertion piece 56 of the second insertion member 55 in the second clamp part 25 in the tapered hole 71b. On both side surfaces of the clamp housing portion 71, protruding rotational shafts 72 are formed at positions facing each other. In addition, FIG. 15 is sectional drawing along the surface orthogonal to FIGS. 11-14, and shows a connector rear part.
As shown in FIG. 2, the pressing member receiving portion 75 includes a bottom plate portion 76 and a pair of side plate portions 77 arranged to face both sides thereof.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the illustrated optical connector 100 includes a retaining cover 80 pivotally attached to the rear housing 70 as a retaining means for the pressing fixing member 120. The retaining cover 80 includes a cover plate 81 that covers the pressing fixing member 120 housed in the pressing member receiving portion 75 at the rear end of the rear housing 70, and elongated rotating arms 82 and 82 on both sides thereof. Are provided in parallel to each other. The pair of turning arms 82 has bearing holes 82 a into which the rotation shafts 72 on both sides of the rear housing 70 are inserted. The retaining cover 80 is rotated with the rotation axis 72 in the left-right direction (the distance direction between the pair of side plate portions 77 of the pressing member receiving portion 75) with respect to the rear housing 70 by inserting the rotation shaft 72 into the bearing hole 82a. It is pivotally attached.
Here, the bearing hole 82a is a through-hole penetrating the rotating arm 82 in the thickness direction, but may be a hole with a bottom. In addition, the specific structure of the pivot attachment portion is not particularly limited, and a configuration in which a bearing hole is formed in the rear housing 70 and a rotation shaft protrusion is formed in the rotation arm 82 can be employed.

As shown in FIG. 10, the cover plate 81 can be covered on the pressing fixing member 120 accommodated in the pressing member receiving portion 75 by rotating the retaining cover 80 about the rotation shaft 72 (see FIG. 10). 13, see FIG. The position of the retaining cover 80 with respect to the pressing member receiving portion 75 at this time (the solid line portion in FIG. 10) is also referred to as a covering position. Further, when the retaining cover 80 is disposed at the covering position with respect to the pressing member receiving portion 75, the cover plate 81 is oriented along the bottom plate portion 76 of the pressing member receiving portion 75.
Before assembly of the optical connector 100 with respect to the insertion optical fiber 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the retaining cover 80 is opened so that the pressing fixing member 120 can be easily inserted between the pressing member receiving portion 75. Yes. The position of the retaining cover 80 with respect to the pressing member receiving portion 75 at this time (the chain line portion in FIG. 10) is also referred to as an open position.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a restricting projection 73 projects from the side surface of the rear housing 70 in order to restrict the retaining cover 80 from shifting from the open position to the cover position. Since the restricting protrusion 73 contacts the front end portion 84 (see FIG. 3) of the retaining cover 80, the retaining cover 80 is maintained in the open position. When the retaining cover 80 is rotated by applying a force, the front end portion 84 of the retaining cover 80 gets over the restricting protrusion 73, so that the opening position can be shifted to the covering position. Since the restricting projection 73 has an inclined surface 73a that is inclined in a direction to push the front end portion 84 outward in the width direction on the side facing the front end portion 84 when rotating from the open position to the covering position, the restricting protrusion 73 gets over the restricting projection 73. The power required for this is reduced. In the covering position, the restricting projection 73 is accommodated in a recess 82 c (see FIG. 2) formed on the inner surface of the retaining cover 80.

As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, when the retaining cover 80 is disposed at the covering position, the retraction regulating piece 83 protruding from the rear end side can be disposed on the rear side of the pressing fixing member 120. . The retraction restricting piece 83 has a notch 83 a at the rear end 123 of the pressing fixing member 120.
As shown in FIG. 13 and FIG. 14, the backward movement of the pressing fixing member 120 relative to the connector main body 101 can be restricted by arranging the backward movement restricting piece 83 on the rear side of the pressing fixing member 120. Since the optical fiber cable 5 protruding from the rear end of the optical connector 100 is disposed between the notches 83a, the retraction restricting pieces 83 are provided on both the left and right sides of the optical fiber cable 5, and the rear end of the pressing fixing member 120 is provided. A wider range of 123 can be covered.
The rotation arm 82 of the retaining cover 80 has an engagement hole 82 b that engages with an engagement protrusion 77 b that protrudes from the outer surface of the side plate portion 77 of the pressing member receiving portion 75. By engaging the engaging protrusion 77b with the engaging hole 82b, the retaining cover 80 can be maintained in the covering position with respect to the pressing member receiving portion 75.
By disposing the retaining cover 80 in the covering position, it is possible to perform a retaining operation that restricts the backward movement of the pressing fixing member 120 with respect to the connector main body 101 (rear extension piece 102). Thereby, the state which the fixing member 120 for pressing, the movable guide 40, and the movable guide holding part 19 were integrated is maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the slider 85 is inserted into the slider guide portion 74 formed at the lower portion of the rear housing 70, and the engagement protrusions 85 a formed on both side surfaces of the slider 85 are engaged with the slider guide portion 74. The rear housing 70 is attached by engaging with the mating hole 74a. The connector main body 101 (specifically, the second clamp portion 25 as shown in FIG. 11A) is sandwiched between a pair of column portions 86, 86 formed on the upper surface of the slider 85. In addition, between the column parts 86 and 86, even if the second base member 26 and the second lid member 27 are opened (see FIG. 11A), the second base member 26 and the second lid member 27 Even in a state where the gap is closed (see FIG. 14A), the second clamp portion 25 has a size that can be accommodated. On the slider 85, a base part 87 is formed behind the pillar parts 86 and 86.

  A connector main body 101 (see FIG. 6B) that is a portion extending from the ferrule 10 to the second clamp portion 25 is fixed and integrated with the rear housing 70 by a technique such as adhesion, engagement, and fitting. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, a rear housing 70 (specifically, a clamp is accommodated) using an adhesive 103 on the back surface of a mounting base portion 39 (see FIG. 5) to which the coating removing member 30 is attached to the rear extension piece 102. And a method of bonding and fixing to the inner peripheral wall portion of the clamp housing hole 71a of the portion 71.

17 and 18 show an example in which the connector main body 101 is fixed to the rear housing 70 by engagement or fitting. In the illustrated example, the latch portion 104 protruding from the side surface of the rear extension piece 102 (specifically, the mounting base portion 39) is used as the inner peripheral surface of the clamp housing hole 71a of the rear housing 70 (specifically, the clamp housing portion 71). The rear housing 70 is restrained from retreating with respect to the connector main body 101.
In this configuration, the retraction restricting piece 83 of the retaining cover 80 is disposed on the rear side of the pressing fixing member 120 to restrict the retreating of the pressing fixing member 120 with respect to the connector main body 101 (rear extension piece 102). The pressing fixing member 120 is integrated with the movable guide holding portion 19 with the movable guide 40 interposed therebetween. When the retreat restricting piece 83 comes into contact with the rear end portion of the pressing fixing member 120, the advancement of the rear housing 70 with respect to the connector main body 101 is also restricted.
It is also possible to employ a method of positioning the rear housing 70 with respect to the connector main body 101 by engagement or fitting and then fixing it by bonding using an adhesive or the like.

11-14 uses the insertion optical fiber 1 which fixed the fixing member 120 for a press which presses the movable guide 40 from the back side, and was fixed to the front-end | tip part vicinity, and attached the optical connector 100 to the front-end | tip part of this insertion optical fiber 1. The assembling method of the optical connector is illustrated. More specifically, in this embodiment, the insertion optical fiber 1 and a flexible linear strength member (not shown) are collectively covered with a synthetic resin jacket 6 so as to be parallel to each other. The case where the optical connector 100 is assembled at the end of the optical fiber cable 5 is shown.
Examples of the optical fiber cable 5 include an indoor cable and a drop cable. Examples of the tensile body include those made of tensile fibers such as aramid fibers, steel wires, and the like. The insertion optical fiber 1 is used for insertion into the connector main body 101 at a portion led out to the end of the optical fiber cable 5.

As shown in FIG. 6A, as the pressing fixing member 120, a jacket-type member that holds the optical fiber cable 5 from both sides and is fixed to the optical fiber cable 5 is used. That is, the pressing fixing member 120 is not only used as the optical fiber gripping part 121 that grips the coating 2 of the inserted optical fiber 1 (coated optical fiber 1) from which the jacket of the optical fiber cable 5 is removed, but also the optical fiber cable. It also functions as a jacket gripping part 122 that grips the five jackets 6. In the pressing fixing member 120, the optical fiber gripping part 121 and the jacket gripping part 122 are integrated. There is a possibility that the insertion optical fiber 1 led out from the optical fiber cable 5 and the outer sheath 6 of the optical fiber cable 5 are relatively displaced in the longitudinal direction due to a change in environmental temperature or the like. Nevertheless, since the optical fiber gripping part 121 and the jacket gripping part 122 are integrated, the inserted optical fiber 1 and the jacket 6 can be securely held so as not to cause relative displacement. .
The distal end portion 125 of the pressing fixing member 120 has an outer peripheral surface that is a curved surface that can come into surface contact with the tapered concave portion 42 of the movable guide 40. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the front end portion 125 of the pressing fixing member 120 can be brought into close contact with the tapered concave portion 42 of the movable guide 40 to minimize the gap therebetween.

At the end of the optical fiber cable 5, an insertion optical fiber 1 that is exposed by removing the jacket 6 at the tip of the optical fiber cable 5 is projected. The insertion optical fiber 1 protrudes from a pressing fixing member 120 fixed to the end of the optical fiber cable 5.
The insertion optical fiber 1 is a coated optical fiber in which the outer peripheral surface (side surface) of the bare optical fiber 3 is covered with a coating 2, and examples thereof include an optical fiber core wire and an optical fiber strand. The bare optical fiber 3 is, for example, a quartz optical fiber. The coating 2 is a resin coating in which, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin or a polyamide resin is coated in one layer or a plurality of layers in a substantially concentric shape.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, the built-in optical fiber 12 is a bare optical fiber from which the coating has been removed in advance in the ferrule 10 and the first clamp portion 20, and between the first strator 14 and the second strator 15, This is a coated optical fiber (the coated portion 12c described above). The coating of the built-in optical fiber 12 is, for example, a resin coating in which one or a plurality of layers such as an ultraviolet curable resin or a polyamide resin is coated in a substantially concentric shape, and the bare optical fiber is, for example, a quartz optical fiber.

In order to assemble the optical connector 100 at the end of the optical fiber cable 5, the portion near the distal end portion of the insertion optical fiber 1 is held by the pressing fixing member 120 and protruded from the pressing fixing member 120 of the insertion optical fiber 1 (protrusion). The part 4) is inserted into the second clamp part 25 and the fixed guide 35 from the rear side of the optical connector 100 via the optical fiber insertion hole 41 of the movable guide 40 and pushed toward the ferrule 10.
At this time, the insertion optical fiber 1 does not lead the bare optical fiber 3 by removing the coating at the tip of the protruding portion 4, and remains in the state of the coated optical fiber in which the entire length of the protruding portion 4 is covered by the coating 2. The optical fiber insertion hole 41 is inserted into the space between the second base member 26 and the second lid member 27 of the second clamp portion 25 (on the guide groove 28).

When the pressing fixing member 120 is advanced, as shown in FIG. 15, the long plate-like slider 85 is pulled out behind the pressing member receiving portion 75 and the pressing fixing member 120 is placed on the slider 85. Then, the slider 85 can be slid along the slider guide portion 74 in the front-rear direction of the connector. Accordingly, the pressing fixing member 120 is guided in the forward direction, and functions as an insertion work auxiliary piece for smoothly performing the coating removal of the insertion optical fiber 1 and the matching with the built-in optical fiber 12.
The slider 85 has a notch 88 (see FIG. 4) provided along the longitudinal direction from the front end 85b of the slider 85. When the slider 85 is advanced along the slider guide portion 74, the insertion pieces 51 and 56 of the insertion members 50 and 55 inserted through the communication holes 78 and 79 of the clamp housing portion 71 enter the notch portion 88. The slider 85 can be moved while the insertion members 50 and 55 are inserted in the clamp portions 20 and 25.

FIG. 11A shows an example of a state in which the distal end of the insertion optical fiber 1 has reached the coating removal unit 31. Specifically, a state in which the distal end of the insertion optical fiber 1 is brought into contact with the rear end of the annular blade 31a (see FIG. 7) is shown.
As shown in FIG. 6 (b), the movable guide 40 of the optical connector 100, from an initial position where the insertion optical fiber 1 to the rear side is spaced at a distance L ₁ that not buckle in the coating removal from the rear end of the guide groove 28 It is possible to move forward. The rear end of the guide groove 28 means the front end (back end) of the tapered recess 25a that is recessed from the rear end 25b of the second clamp portion 25 in a tapered shape. The distance L ₁ is the distance from the rear end of the guide groove 28 to the front end of the optical fiber insertion hole 41 (the front surface 43 of the movable guide 40). The optical fiber insertion hole 41 of the movable guide 40 positions the insertion optical fiber 1 coaxially with the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 of the coating removal blade 31 of the coating removal member 30, and the second clamp from the rear side of the movable guide 40. It functions as a guide part that smoothly inserts the insertion optical fiber 1 into the guide groove 28 of the part 25.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the position of the pressing fixing member 120 when the distal end of the insertion optical fiber 1 reaches the coating removal portion 31 is in contact with the rear end of the coating removal portion 31. when, rearward from the optical fiber insertion hole 41 rear end of the movable guide 40, inserted optical fiber 1 and a position spaced a distance L ₂ that does not buckle during coating removal. The rear end of the optical fiber insertion hole 41 means the front end (back end) of the tapered recess 42 that is recessed from the rear surface 44 of the movable guide 40 in a tapered shape. The distance L _2, the optical fiber holders 121 from the rear end of the optical fiber insertion hole 41 is a distance to the gripping tip 124 that grips the inserted optical fiber 1.
Note that the distance L ₁ and the distance L ₂ both have a later-described deflection width of the insertion optical fiber 1 and need to be 2.5 mm or less or 2.1 mm or less. Accordingly, the pressing fixing member 120 is advanced while the deflection of the insertion optical fiber 1 is restricted between the second clamp portion 25 and the movable guide 40 and between the movable guide 40 and the pressing fixing member 120, and the coating removal portion The covering 2 of the insertion optical fiber 1 by 31 can be removed.

The protruding portion 4 of the insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted into the guide groove 28 of the second clamp portion 25 and the coated optical fiber insertion hole 34 of the fixing guide 35, and the pressing fixing member 120 is advanced toward the ferrule 10 of the optical connector 100. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, with the advancement of the insertion optical fiber 1 in contact with the rear end of the annular blade 31a of the coating removal unit 31, the coating 2 at the tip of the insertion optical fiber 1 is removed by the annular blade 31a. The As a result, the bare optical fiber 3 with the coating 2 removed at the tip of the inserted optical fiber 1 is led out.
The coating removal of the insertion optical fiber 1 by the coating removal unit 31 starts when the tip of the insertion optical fiber 1 reaches the coating removal unit 31 as shown in FIG. 11A, and as shown in FIG. Until the movable guide 40 reaches its advance limit position, the insertion optical fiber 1 continues while moving forward with respect to the coating removing unit 31.

As shown in FIG. 11 (b), the bare optical fiber 3 that is led out to the tip of the inserted optical fiber 1 and inserted into the bare optical fiber insertion hole 33 of the sheath removing member 30 is covered with the sheath removing member 30 as the sheath removal proceeds. (See FIG. 7C) and inserted into the guide groove (alignment groove) 23 of the first clamp portion 20 located on the front side of the coating removal member 30. The bare optical fiber 3 inserted into the aligning groove 23 is positioned and aligned by the aligning groove 23 so as to be butt-connected to the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12.
During the coating removal, the pressing fixing member 120 abuts on the movable guide 40 by advancing (see FIG. 11B). The distal end portion 125 of the pressing fixing member 120 has an outer peripheral surface that is a curved surface that can come into surface contact with the tapered concave portion 42 of the movable guide 40. Thereby, the front-end | tip part 125 of the fixing member 120 for press can be closely_contact | adhered to the taper-shaped recessed part 42 of the movable guide 40, and the clearance gap between them can be minimized.

Further, the pressing fixing member 120 moves forward while pressing the movable guide 40 from the rear side until the movable guide 40 reaches its forward limit position (see FIG. 12B). In the illustrated example, it is not necessary to directly operate the movable guide 40, and the movable guide 40 can be indirectly advanced via the pressing fixing member 120. During the removal of the coating by the coating removal unit 31, the movable guide 40 is pushed from the rear side by the pressing fixing member 120 to advance the movable guide 40 while shortening the gap 45 between the movable guide 40 and the second clamp unit 25. Let
If the distance between the movable guide 40 and the second clamp portion 25 is shortened, the rear end 25b of the second clamp portion 25 does not need to be the advance limit position of the movable guide 40. The position where the two clamp portions 25 are in contact with the rear end 25 b is the forward limit position of the movable guide 40. As a result, the front surface 43 of the movable guide 40 is finally brought into contact with the rear end 25b of the second clamp portion 25 to minimize the gap, and the inserted optical fiber 1 is more securely held in the assembled optical connector. be able to.

FIG. 12A shows an example of a state in which the bare optical fiber 3 from which the coating 2 has been removed by the coating removing unit 31 is started to abut against the rear end portion 12 d of the built-in optical fiber 12.
While the movable guide 40 advances, the bare optical fiber 3 from which the coating 2 has been removed by the coating removing unit 31 is abutted against the rear end 12 b of the built-in optical fiber 12. Figure 12 _{P 1} of (a) shows the butt position of the optical fibers 3,12d at butt started. Butt starting butt position P ₁ corresponds to the position of the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12 prior to assembly in FIG. 11 (a). As will be described later, the bending deformation of the built-in optical fiber 12 starts immediately after the abutting starts, so that the abutting positions of both optical fibers 3 and 12d also start to move immediately.
A gap 45 between the movable guide 40 and the second clamp portion 25 in FIG. 12A is shorter than the gap 45 in FIG. 11B by the advance distance of the movable guide 40.

  The protruding length of the protruding portion 4 of the insertion optical fiber 1 from the pressing fixing member 120 (see FIG. 6A) is from the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12 to the pressing fixing member 120 at the start of butt connection. Set slightly longer than the separation distance. Thereby, even after the bare optical fiber 3 at the tip of the inserted optical fiber 1 hits the built-in optical fiber 12, the movable guide 40 that moves forward while being pressed from the rear side by the pressing fixing member 120 further moves to the forward limit position (FIG. 12). Some advance is allowed until (b) is reached.

  As shown in FIG. 12A, after the abutting of the bare optical fiber 3 at the tip of the insertion optical fiber 1 against the rear end of the built-in optical fiber 12, the movable guide 40 pressed by the pressing fixing member 120 further advances. The internal optical fiber 12 is bent and deformed. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12A, after the abutment of the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12 and the bare optical fiber 3 starts, the movable guide 40 is moved to the forward limit position as shown in FIG. In the meantime, the built-in optical fiber 12 is pushed by the advance of the bare optical fiber 3 butt-matched to the rear end 12b. Thereby, the built-in optical fiber 12 (specifically, the covering portion 12c) is bent and deformed in the space 18 between the first strator 14 and the second strator 15.

  As a result, the built-in optical fiber 12 is bent and deformed so that the covering portion 12 c between the first strator 14 and the second strator 15 is lifted from the accommodation groove 16 a of the strator support portion 16. Further, since the built-in optical fiber 12 has both front and rear ends of the covering portion 12c inserted through the insertion holes 14a and 15a (see FIG. 6) of the struts 14 and 15, to the bare optical fibers 12a and 12d in the struts 14 and 15, respectively. It is possible to prevent an increase in loss and damage of the built-in optical fiber 12.

FIG. 12B shows an example of a state where the movable guide 40 has reached the forward limit position (see FIG. 12B). In the illustrated example, the position where the front surface 43 of the movable guide 40 abuts on the rear end of the second clamp portion 25 is the forward limit position of the movable guide 40. Thereby, the advance of the bare optical fiber 3 is restricted, and the coating removal of the inserted optical fiber 1 by the coating removing unit 31 is stopped (completed). Figure 12 _{P 2} of (b) shows the butt position of the optical fibers 3,12d during coating removal completion. Position of _{P 2} in FIG. 12 (b) advanced from the position of _{P 1} in FIG. 12 (a). Butt position at the coating removal completion P ₂ corresponds to the position of the butt portion P when the clamp of Figure 13 (b).

  Next, with the movable guide 40 maintained in the forward limit position, as shown in FIG. 13A, the retaining member is used to hold the pressing guide 120 against the ferrule 10 and the rear extension piece 102. You may perform the retention work which controls retreat. As a result, the state in which the pressing fixing member 120, the movable guide 40, and the movable guide holding portion 19 are integrated is maintained, so that clamping work by the clamp portions 20 and 25 described later is facilitated.

Further, after the movable guide 40 reaches the forward limit position, a step of visually confirming the deflection deformation of the built-in optical fiber 12 through the observation windows 63, 64, 66 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) described above is provided. Can do. Here, visual observation is not limited to the naked eye, but also includes the case of using an instrument for correcting or assisting visual acuity such as glasses or a magnifying glass.
After the movable guide 40 reaches the forward limit position, an observation window is used to check whether the covering portion 12c of the built-in optical fiber 12 is bent and deformed in the space 18 between the first strator 14 and the second strator 15. It is preferable to visually check the inside of the housing 100H. As a result, if no deflection deformation is confirmed in the built-in optical fiber 12, for example, there may be a problem in the removal of the coating of the inserted optical fiber 1. It is possible to determine earlier whether to redo the work, such as replacing the optical connector. The visual confirmation of the inside of the housing 100H may be performed before or after the above-described retaining operation, or at the same time as the retaining operation.
Further, if the deformation of the covering portion 12c is confirmed before the butting portion P is held and fixed by the first clamp portion 20, the inserted optical fiber 1 is pulled out at the time of abnormality confirmation, or the steps after the holding and fixing are omitted. It is possible to deal with various types of problems. In addition, since it is possible to confirm the presence or absence of bending deformation of the covering portion 12c even after gripping and fixing work, and even after completion of assembly of the optical connector (including when it is used) Even if there is an abnormality and the deflection deformation disappears, it can be confirmed nondestructively without disassembling the optical connector 100.

The clamping operation is performed by first holding and fixing the abutting portion P between the bare optical fiber 3 and the built-in optical fiber 12 by the first clamp portion 20, and after inserting and fixing the abutting portion P, the insertion optical fiber 1 is inserted by the second clamp portion 25. Hold (fix the coated optical fiber).
By pulling out the first insertion member 50 from the first clamp part 20, the first clamp part 20 can grip and fix the butted part P between the bare optical fiber 3 at the tip of the inserted optical fiber 1 and the built-in optical fiber 12. it can. FIG. 13B shows a state where the first clamp unit 20 is closed and the optical fibers 3 and 12 are held and fixed.

Next, by removing the second insertion member 55 from the second clamp part 25, the insertion optical fiber 1 (part which is a coated optical fiber) can be held and fixed by the second clamp part 25. In the case of the illustrated example, the insertion members 50 and 55 can be removed from the clamp portions 20 and 25 by pulling out the operation pieces 52 and 57 exposed outside the housing 100H of the optical connector 100 as shown in FIG. . FIG. 14A shows a state in which the second optical clamp 1 is gripped and fixed by closing the second clamp portion 25.
Thereby, the assembly of the optical connector 100 to the end of the optical fiber cable 5 (the distal end portion of the inserted optical fiber 1) is completed.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the second clamp part 25 has a sufficient length to grip and fix the insertion optical fiber 1, and the rear end of the second clamp part 25, the movable guide 40, and the pressing fixing member 120. Since the gaps are in close contact with each other, the insertion optical fiber 1 is held so as not to move inside the optical connector 100. Thereby, even if an external force such as a side pull acts on the optical fiber cable 5 exposed behind the retaining cover 80 or an interlayer shift occurs due to a difference in thermal expansion coefficient (stretching direction) of each part of the optical fiber, Protrusion and pull-in of the insertion optical fiber 1 from the optical fiber cable 5 (specifically, the jacket 6) can be suppressed.

  According to this optical connector 100, while the coating 2 is removed by the coating removing unit 31, the bending deformation of the inserted optical fiber 1 is regulated by the second lid member 27 and the guide means (fixed guide 35, movable guide 40). be able to. For this reason, the optical connector 100 can reliably transmit a strong pressing force necessary for removing the coating 2 to the coating removal unit 31 by suppressing the bending of the insertion optical fiber 1 during the coating removal.

  Non-patent literature (Ryo Koyama, Kazuhide Nakajima, Masaaki Takaya, Toshio Kurashima, “Consideration on Butt Connection of Coated Optical Fiber Cores” "As described in FIG. 1 (Relationship between deflection width and maximum insertion force) of the 2009 IEICE Communication Society, B-13-8), for example, about 5 to 6 N (500 to 600 g) It is said. When the deflection width of the insertion optical fiber 1 is 2.5 mm or less or 2.1 mm or less, a pressing force necessary for removing the coating 2 is generated between the coating 2 of the insertion optical fiber 1 and the coating removal portion 31. can do. In addition, the said bending width means the length of the part which a pressing force is given to the insertion optical fiber 1 and it may bend.

The lead length of the bare optical fiber 3 is longer than the distance from the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12 before assembly to the rear end of the coating removal portion 31 (see FIG. 11A). The rear end 12 b of the optical fiber 12 is pushed into the front end of the bare optical fiber 3. Spaces 18 in which the insertion optical fiber 1 can bend and deform laterally are secured between the slaters 14 and 15 provided in the deflection accommodating portion 13. The built-in optical fiber 12 has a front end fixed in the ferrule 10 and a rear end fixed to the insertion hole 15a of the second strator 15 (slidable in the longitudinal direction).
When the insertion optical fiber 1 hits the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12, the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12 moves following the pushing of the tip of the bare optical fiber 3, and the built-in optical fiber 12 is bent and deformed. In this case, it is avoided that a strong load corresponding to the pressing force necessary for removing the coating 2 is applied between the end surfaces of the bare optical fiber 3 from which the coating 2 of the inserted optical fiber 1 is removed and the built-in optical fiber 12. Is done.
By reducing the load between the end faces of the optical fibers 3 and 12, if there is a butt failure such as "axial misalignment" between the optical fibers 3 and 12, the first clamp spring 24 The bare optical fiber 3 can be displaced by the urging force so that the optical axes of both optical fibers 3 and 12 coincide.

When the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12 is pressed from the tip of the bare optical fiber 3, the cover 12c (the portion that is a coated optical fiber) undergoes bending deformation spontaneously against the elasticity of the built-in optical fiber 12 itself. Formed. The elastic force of the built-in optical fiber 12 itself acts so as to press the rear end 12b of the built-in optical fiber 12 against the tip of the bare optical fiber 3 in the direction opposite to the pushing of the insertion optical fiber 1 (that is, rearward). The butt connection state between the optical fiber 12 and the insertion optical fiber 1 is maintained. Thereby, even if the insertion optical fiber 1 receives the reaction force from the coating removal part 31, the pressing force can be maintained at an appropriate level so that the butt connection is maintained between the end faces of the optical fibers 3 and 12. it can.
Accordingly, the lid member 22 of the first clamp part 20 can be closed with an appropriate load between the end faces, and the butt connection state between the bare optical fiber 3 and the built-in optical fiber 12 after being sandwiched by the first clamp part 20 Can be improved. As a result, it becomes easy to assemble an optical connector with good optical characteristics.

Further, as described above, the movable guide 40 of the optical connector 100 of this embodiment has a distance L at which the inserted optical fiber 1 does not buckle during the coating removal from the rear end of the guide groove 28 of the second clamp portion 25 to the rear side. It is possible to advance from the initial position separated by ₁ . Further, the distance from the rear end of the insertion hole 41 of the movable guide 40 to the front end portion 125 of the pressing fixing member 120 when the front end of the insertion optical fiber 1 abuts on the coating removal portion 31 is that the insertion optical fiber 1 is under coating removal. is set to a distance L ₂ is not buckled. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 11A, after the distal end of the inserted optical fiber 1 inserted into the guide groove 28 abuts against the coating removing portion 31, the pressing fixing member 120 is separated from the movable guide 40 to the rear side. It is possible to advance a distance longer than the distance between the first and second optical fibers 1, and to secure the coating removal length (leading length of the bare optical fiber 3) at the tip of the inserted optical fiber 1.

As mentioned above, although this invention has been demonstrated based on suitable embodiment, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned example, Various modifications are possible in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.
For example, the specific configuration of the optical connector is not limited as long as it conforms to the technical idea of the present invention. The specific procedure for assembling the optical connector can also be modified according to the specific configuration of the optical connector.

The structure and shape of the clamp part are not particularly limited as long as the clamp part is configured to align the optical fiber and clamp and hold the butt connection between the end faces. For example, the number of lids facing the substrate of the element may be one or more.
The present invention can also be applied to an optical connector in which a plurality of built-in optical fibers are inserted and fixed to a ferrule. In this case, if the alignment mechanism such as the positioning groove provided in the clamp part is provided at least for the number of the built-in optical fibers, each of the optical fibers terminated by the optical connector is connected to the built-in optical fiber by the aligning mechanism. It can be optically connected to the fiber.
The pressing fixing member to be fixed to the insertion optical fiber is not limited to a jacket holding member that holds the optical fiber cable terminal and is attached to the optical fiber cable terminal. As the pressing fixing member, it is possible to adopt a configuration in which a coated optical fiber used as an insertion optical fiber can be directly gripped and attached to the coated optical fiber.
An optical connector that does not have a housing for storing a ferrule can also be used. For example, the connector body 101 itself of the optical connector 100 of the above-described embodiment can be used as an optical connector.

Moreover, although the optical connector of the structure which comprises a movable guide was illustrated in the above-mentioned embodiment, what does not comprise the movable guide is employable as an optical connector which concerns on this invention.
That is, as an optical connector to which the assembling method according to the present invention is applied, after the butting of the bare optical fiber whose coating has been removed by the coating removing unit and the built-in optical fiber has started, the inserted optical fiber further advances, and the built-in optical fiber Any structure that can be bent and deformed in the middle part of the fiber (between the ferrule and the first clamp part) may be used.
With such a configuration, the optical connector relaxes the pressing force acting on the butt portion between the bare optical fiber whose coating has been removed and the built-in optical fiber, and the butt between the bare optical fiber at the tip of the inserted optical fiber and the built-in optical fiber. The connection can be made better.

In addition, the insertion optical fiber does not necessarily need to have an optical fiber gripping portion fixed thereto, and an insertion optical fiber without an optical fiber gripping portion attached may be used.
As the optical fiber gripping part (pressing fixing member), a configuration that can be detachably fixed to the optical fiber can be employed. In this regard, as an optical connector assembled at the distal end portion of the insertion optical fiber, a configuration in which the optical fiber gripping portion is not provided in addition to the configuration in which the optical fiber gripping portion is provided may be employed. In other words, the optical fiber gripping portion may or may not be included in the constituent requirements of the optical connector assembled at the distal end portion of the insertion optical fiber.

P: butting portion, 1 ... inserted optical fiber, 2 ... covering, 3 ... bare optical fiber, 10 ... ferrule, 12 ... built-in optical fiber, 14 ... first strator, 15 ... second strator, 16 ... strator support portion, 17 ... Flange part, 20 ... 1st clamp part, 21 ... 1st base member, 22 ... 1st cover member, 25 ... 2nd clamp part, 26 ... 2nd base member, 27 ... 2nd cover member, 31 ... Cover removal 34, coated optical fiber insertion hole, 35 ... fixed guide, 40 ... movable guide, 41 ... optical fiber insertion hole, 61 ... spring, 62 ... stop ring, 63, 64, 66 ... observation window, 100 ... optical connector , 100H, housing, 120, fixing member for pressing.

Claims (12)

A ferrule having a built-in front end portion of the built-in optical fiber, and a space where the bendable deformation of the built-in optical fiber is secured between the ferrule behind the ferrule, and a rear end portion of the built-in optical fiber; A first clamp portion capable of gripping and fixing a butted portion with a bare optical fiber exposed by removing the coating of the insertion optical fiber; and a coating removal portion for removing the coating of the insertion optical fiber behind the first clamp portion. Prepared,
The insertion optical fiber is inserted and advanced, the bare optical fiber exposed by the removal of the coating by the coating removal unit is butted against the rear end of the built-in optical fiber, and further pressed to push the built-in optical fiber An optical connector that can be bent and deformed in a space, and in this state, a butted portion between the bare optical fiber and the built-in optical fiber can be held and fixed by the first clamp portion.   A first strator having a first insertion hole through which the built-in optical fiber is inserted between the ferrule and the first clamp part, and along the extending direction of the first insertion hole behind the first strator A second strator having a second insertion hole through which the built-in optical fiber is inserted, and a space in which the built-in optical fiber can bend and deform along the longitudinal direction of the built-in optical fiber between the first strator and the second strator. A built-in optical fiber, which is a bare optical fiber with a coating removed beforehand in the ferrule and the first clamp part, The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical fiber is a coated optical fiber between the first strator and the second strator.   The second strator has a bare optical fiber insertion hole capable of guiding a rear end portion of the built-in optical fiber made of the bare optical fiber protruding toward the first clamp portion along a longitudinal direction thereof. 2. The optical connector according to 2.   The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein the optical connector has an observation window that allows the built-in optical fiber disposed in a space where the built-in optical fiber is flexibly deformed to be viewed from the outside of the housing.   The optical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a second clamp portion that can hold and fix the insertion optical fiber behind the covering removal portion.   The insertion direction of the insertion optical fiber is directed toward the coating removal portion while restricting the deflection of the insertion optical fiber by bringing the outer peripheral surface of the insertion optical fiber into contact with the inner wall portion of the insertion hole from the periphery behind the coating removal portion. The optical connector according to claim 1, further comprising a movable guide for guiding. Advance the insertion optical fiber, remove the coating of the tip of the insertion optical fiber by the coating removal unit,
The bare optical fiber whose coating has been removed by the coating removing unit is butted against the rear end portion of the built-in optical fiber built in the ferrule disposed in front of the coating removing unit,
In a state where the bare optical fiber and the built-in optical fiber are abutted with each other, the insertion optical fiber is further advanced, a rear end portion of the built-in optical fiber is pressed, and the built-in optical fiber is moved to the ferrule and the first clamp. A method of assembling an optical connector in which a bent portion between the bare optical fiber and the built-in optical fiber is gripped and fixed by a first clamp portion in a state of being bent and deformed in a space secured between the first and second optical fibers.   A first strator having a first insertion hole through which the built-in optical fiber is inserted between the ferrule and the first clamp part, and along the extending direction of the first insertion hole behind the first strator A second strator having a second insertion hole through which the built-in optical fiber is inserted, and a space in which the built-in optical fiber can bend and deform along the longitudinal direction of the built-in optical fiber between the first strator and the second strator. A built-in optical fiber, which is a bare optical fiber with a coating removed beforehand in the ferrule and the first clamp part, The optical connector assembling method according to claim 7, wherein a coated optical fiber is provided between the first strator and the second strator.   The second strator has a bare optical fiber insertion hole capable of guiding a rear end portion of the built-in optical fiber made of the bare optical fiber protruding toward the first clamp portion along a longitudinal direction thereof. 9. An assembling method of the optical connector according to 8.   The optical connector assembling method according to claim 7, wherein after the internal optical fiber is bent and deformed, the bending deformation of the internal optical fiber is visually confirmed before the butting portion is held and fixed by the first clamp portion. .   The optical connector assembling method according to claim 7, wherein, after the abutting portion is held and fixed by the first clamp portion, the inserted optical fiber is held and fixed by the second clamp portion behind the covering removal portion.   The distal end portion of the insertion optical fiber is inserted into a guide portion of a movable guide disposed on the rear side of the coating removal portion during coating removal by the coating removal portion, and advanced while restricting deflection. To assemble optical connector.

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