JP2013109269A - Alignment jig for optical fiber, alignment method for optical fiber, and fusion method for optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an alignment jig for an optical fiber for smoothly and accurately aligning a plurality of optical fibers by a simple operation, and the alignment method of an optical fiber and the fusion method of an optical fiber.SOLUTION: An alignment jig 11 for an optical fiber for aligning a plurality of optical fibers 1 whose outside coatings 4 have been removed at terminal sections includes: an alignment guide 12 formed with an alignment groove 23 opened on one end face with a gap dimension d which is larger than the outer diameter of a coating removal part 3a obtained by removing the outside coating 4 of each of the optical fibers 1, and which is smaller than the outer diameter of the coating 4; a clamp 13 for elastically holding the portions with the coatings 4 of the plurality of optical fibers 1 aligned in parallel; and a base 14 for supporting the alignment guide 12 and the clamp 13 such that they are relatively movable along the axial direction of the optical fibers 1 put through the alignment groove 23.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber alignment jig for aligning a plurality of optical fibers, an optical fiber alignment method, and an optical fiber fusion method for fusing a plurality of optical fibers together.

It is known that a plurality of optical fibers are aligned, held in that state by a fiber holder, and collectively fused and connected like a tape-shaped multi-core optical fiber (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
As such a holder for holding an optical fiber at the time of the fusion splicing, a base having an optical fiber alignment groove and a core having a pressing member that is arranged to be openable and closable above the optical fiber alignment groove and presses the optical fiber core wire A line alignment lid is provided, and an optical fiber alignment groove is known to have a shape in which the width on the tip side is gradually narrowed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

JP-A-1-285902 JP 2007-171825 A

When the above holder is used, the optical fiber is inserted into the groove one by one with the lid closed, and the groove is narrowed while opening the lid in the middle of work and checking the alignment state visually. The operation | work which aligns the position of several coating | coated edge parts using the inclined part formed in this is performed.
However, in the groove of the holder, it is difficult to position each coated end, and in the process of inserting a plurality of optical fibers into the groove, the positions of all the optical fibers are accurately aligned by friction between the optical fibers. It was difficult. For this reason, it is necessary to visually check the image by opening and closing the lid of the holder while adjusting the position of the optical fiber back and forth, and the work is complicated.

  Also, if the axial positions of the parallel optical fibers are not accurately aligned, the positions of the ends of the optical fibers to be fused will vary, and the fusion operation cannot be performed smoothly or may be accurately connected. Sometimes it was difficult.

  In addition, it is conceivable to provide a step in the holder groove for locking the coated end of the optical fiber. In that case, the tip of the optical fiber tends to float upward on the tip side of the step, and the fusion splicer This makes it difficult to align the front end portion of the film, making it difficult to smoothly perform the fusion work.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an optical fiber alignment jig, an optical fiber alignment method, and an optical fiber fusion method capable of smoothly and accurately aligning a plurality of optical fibers with a simple operation. is there.

An optical fiber alignment jig of the present invention that can solve the above-mentioned problems is an optical fiber alignment jig that aligns in parallel a plurality of optical fibers from which the outer coating has been removed at the terminal portion,
An alignment guide provided with an alignment groove having an opening on one end surface that is larger than the outer diameter of the coating removal portion from which the outer coating of the optical fiber is removed and smaller than the outer diameter of the outer coating;
A clamp that elastically holds a portion of the plurality of optical fibers aligned in parallel and having the outer coating.

  In the optical fiber alignment jig of the present invention, it is preferable that the alignment guide is open on one side of the alignment groove in the parallel direction of the optical fibers.

  The optical fiber alignment jig of the present invention preferably includes a base that supports the alignment guide and the clamp so as to be relatively movable along the axial direction of the optical fiber that has passed through the alignment groove.

  In the optical fiber alignment jig of the present invention, it is preferable that the alignment guide is attached to the base so as to be displaceable in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the optical fiber.

  In the optical fiber alignment jig according to the present invention, the optical fiber alignment jig includes an accommodation groove capable of accommodating the coating removal portion and the outer coating of the plurality of optical fibers arranged in parallel according to the respective widths. A holder for holding the accommodated optical fiber is detachable between the alignment guide and the clamp on the base, and the holder is arranged at an arrangement position of the outer covering end in the accommodation groove. It is preferable that the position can be adjusted on the base so as to match the position of the one end face of the guide.

An optical fiber alignment method according to the present invention is an optical fiber alignment method in which a plurality of optical fibers having an outer coating removed at an end portion are aligned in parallel.
An alignment groove having a gap size larger than the outer diameter of the coating removal portion from which the outer coating of the optical fiber has been removed and smaller than the outer diameter of the outer coating is provided to the alignment groove of the alignment guide provided at one end surface. Inserting the sheath removal portions of the plurality of optical fibers in parallel,
An end portion of the outer coating of each optical fiber is brought into contact with the one end surface of the alignment guide so that the axial positions of the optical fibers are aligned and aligned.
In a state where the portion having the outer coating of the plurality of optical fibers in the aligned state is elastically held by a clamp,
A plurality of the optical fibers are accommodated in an accommodation groove of a holder, and the optical fibers in the accommodation groove are held by a holding lid provided on the holder.

  In the optical fiber alignment method of the present invention, the clamp is moved in the direction away from the end portion along the axial direction of the optical fiber while gripping the end portion of the aligned optical fiber, and the optical fiber is moved. It is preferable to remove the slack.

  In the optical fiber alignment method of the present invention, it is preferable that after the optical fiber is held by the clamp, the alignment guide is moved in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fiber and retracted from the optical fiber.

  According to the optical fiber fusion method of the present invention, a plurality of the optical fibers held in alignment with the holder by any one of the optical fiber alignment methods described above are fused and connected to the other plurality of optical fibers. It is characterized by that.

  According to the present invention, the end portion of the optical fiber is inserted extremely smoothly and accurately by inserting the end portions of the plurality of optical fibers into the alignment groove of the alignment guide and bringing the outer coated end into contact with one end surface of the alignment guide. The part positions can be aligned. Moreover, since it is known at a glance that the covering ends are aligned, it is possible to confirm the alignment state without complicated operations such as opening and closing the lid of the holder. Further, by holding the optical fiber having the end position aligned with high accuracy by the clamp, it is possible to maintain the highly accurate alignment state of the optical fiber. In addition, the plurality of optical fibers aligned with high accuracy in this way can be easily held in the holder used when performing the terminal process or the fusion splicing process while maintaining the aligned state. Thereby, the workability | operativity of a terminal process or a fusion splicing process can be improved compared with the case where a plurality of optical fibers are directly positioned and held in the receiving groove of the holder while opening and closing the holding lid.

It is a perspective view which shows an example of the several optical fiber aligned with the alignment jig for optical fibers. It is the perspective view which looked at one Embodiment of the alignment jig for optical fibers which concerns on this invention from the rear end side. It is a perspective view of the state which removed the clamp and holder in the alignment jig for optical fibers of FIG. It is a figure which shows the alignment guide which comprises the alignment jig for optical fibers of FIG. 2, Comprising: (a) is the perspective view seen from the rear end side in the alignment jig for optical fibers, (b) is from the front end side. FIG. It is a figure which shows the alignment guide which comprises the alignment jig for optical fibers of FIG. 2, Comprising: (a) is the top view seen from the rear end side in the alignment jig for optical fibers, (b) is from the front end side. FIG. It is the perspective view which looked at the state which inserted the optical fiber in the alignment guide of the alignment jig for optical fibers of FIG. 2 from the front end side. It is the perspective view which looked at the state which inserted the optical fiber in the alignment guide of the alignment jig for optical fibers of FIG. 2 from the rear end side. It is the perspective view which looked at the state which contacted the covering end of the optical fiber to the alignment guide from the state of FIG. It is a perspective view of the state which is going to close a clamp from the state of FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a state where the clamp is closed from the state of FIG. 9. It is a perspective view of the state which moved the clamp to the back end side from the state of FIG. It is a perspective view of the state which displaced the alignment guide from the state of FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a state where an end portion of the optical fiber of FIG. 12 is covered with a fusion part protective sleeve. It is a perspective view of the state which moved the fusion part protection sleeve to the clamp vicinity from the state of FIG. It is a perspective view of the state which finely adjusted the position of the holder from the state of FIG. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of FIG. 15. It is a perspective view of the state where the lid of the holder was closed from the state of FIG. It is the perspective view of the state which removed the holder and clamp which hold | maintain an optical fiber from the state of FIG. 17 from the base. It is a top view which shows the other example of the alignment guide which comprises the alignment jig for optical fibers. It is a perspective view which shows the other example of an alignment jig for optical fibers. It is a figure which shows the alignment guide which comprises the alignment jig for optical fibers of FIG. 20, Comprising: (a) is the perspective view seen from the front end side in the alignment jig for optical fibers, (b) is from the rear end side. FIG. It is a figure which shows the alignment guide which comprises the alignment jig for optical fibers of FIG. 20, Comprising: (a) is the top view seen from the rear end side in the alignment jig for optical fibers, (b) is from the front end side. FIG.

Hereinafter, an example of an embodiment of an optical fiber alignment jig, an optical fiber alignment method, and an optical fiber fusion method according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
The optical fiber alignment jig of the present embodiment aligns the end portions of a plurality of optical fibers in parallel and aligns the positions of the coated ends of the portions from which the outer coating has been removed.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which a plurality of single optical fibers 1 (four in this embodiment as an example) are arranged in parallel. Examples of the optical fiber 1 include an optical fiber core wire 3 in which the outer periphery of a glass fiber made of a core and a cladding is coated with a coating made of resin, and further coated with a coating 4 made of resin. As an example of the dimensions of the optical fiber 1, the outer diameter of the portion having the outer coating 4 is 0.50 mm, the outer diameter of the portion of the optical fiber core 3 from which the coating 4 is removed is 0.25 mm, The outer diameter of the glass fiber is 0.125 mm. Before aligning the optical fiber 1, the coating 4 on the outer side of the terminal portion is removed by using a jig such as a coating remover to provide a coating removing portion 3 a, and an optical fiber core having a predetermined length required for the fusion work Leave line 3 exposed.

As a jig for aligning a plurality of optical fibers 1 as shown in FIG. 1 before being held by a holder, an optical fiber alignment jig 11 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is used.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the optical fiber alignment jig 11 includes an alignment guide 12 and a clamp 13. The optical fiber alignment jig 11 includes an L-shaped base 14 having an elongated, substantially rectangular parallelepiped portion, and an alignment guide 12 is attached to one end side in the longitudinal direction of the base 14. The clamp 13 is detachable from the base 14. 2 and FIG. 3 is the front end side of the optical fiber alignment jig 11 at the left end in the longitudinal direction of the base 14 and the right front end side of the base 14 in FIGS. 2 and 3 is the optical fiber alignment. The rear end side of the jig 11 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the alignment guide 12 is provided with a convex knob 26 at the top and an alignment portion 21 at the lower side. The alignment portion 21 is formed with an alignment groove 23 extending in the horizontal direction on at least one end face 22 side on the rear end side. The alignment groove 23 has a gap dimension d (see FIG. 5A) of the outer diameter (for example, 0.25 mm) of the coating removal portion 3a of the optical fiber core wire 3 from which the coating 4 outside the optical fiber 1 is removed. A dimension (about 0.3 mm) that is larger and smaller than the outer diameter (for example, 0.50 mm) of the portion having the coating 4. The alignment groove 23 is open on one side in the horizontal direction (optical fiber parallel direction), and a taper portion 24 that gradually narrows toward the alignment groove 23 is formed on the open side of the alignment groove 23. . The alignment groove 23 may be any one that opens to the one end surface of the alignment guide 12 with the above-mentioned gap dimension. As shown in FIG. 4, the alignment groove 23 is located on the opposite side (the other end surface side) of the alignment guide 12. 23 and a continuous space may be widened.

  A connecting portion 25 for slidably connecting to the base 14 is formed at a position opposite to the opening side of the alignment groove 23 at the lower portion of the alignment guide 12.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the clamp 13 includes a lower clamping block 31 and an upper clamping block 32. The lower sandwiching block 31 and the upper sandwiching block 32 include frame portions 31a and 32a having shapes in which the upper portion and the front and rear are opened, and elastic bodies 33 and 34 fitted inside the frame portions 31a and 32a. Yes. As these elastic bodies 33 and 34, for example, a urethane rubber sponge or the like is preferably used.

  The lower clamping block 31 and the upper clamping block 32 are connected so that one side portions thereof are rotatable. The lower clamping block 31 is formed with a locking claw 35 on the side surface opposite to the connection side with the upper clamping block 32. Further, the upper clamping block 32 is formed with a locking piece 37 having a locking hole 36 that locks the locking claw 35 on the side surface opposite to the connection side with the lower clamping block 31.

In the clamp 13, the upper holding block 32 is rotated with respect to the lower holding block 31 in a state where the optical fiber 1 is disposed on the elastic body 33 of the lower holding block 31, and the elasticity of the lower holding unit block 31. When the elastic body 34 of the upper holding block 32 is superposed on the body 33, the optical fiber 1 is held and elastically held by these elastic bodies 33 and 34.
Further, the lower holding block 31 is provided with an engaging convex portion 39 having a magnet 38 and having a downward convex shape on the lower surface thereof.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the base 14 is formed in an L shape when viewed from above, and a concave portion 41 extending linearly in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the base 14 is formed in the vicinity of one end of the base 14. Is formed. The lower portion of the alignment guide 12 is accommodated in the concave portion 41, and the alignment portion 21 of the alignment guide 12 is disposed above the upper surface of the base 14. At the bottom of the recess 41, a linear guide groove 42 formed by being further recessed by one step is provided. In the guide groove 42, the connecting portion 25 of the alignment guide 12 accommodated in the recess 41 is inserted and engaged. Thereby, the alignment guide 12 is connected to the base 14 by the connecting portion 25, and can be slid linearly with the connecting portion by the connecting portion 25 as a guide. That is, the alignment guide 12 is attached to the base 14 so as to be slidable (in a direction orthogonal) in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the optical fiber 1.

  In the base 14, a holding groove 45 is formed in the vicinity of the other end of the upper surface along the longitudinal direction. A bottom surface 45a of the holding groove 45 is formed of a magnetic material such as iron. The holding groove 45 has a width and a depth with which the engaging convex portion 39 of the lower holding block 31 of the clamp 13 can be fitted. When the engaging convex portion 39 of the lower holding block 31 is fitted into the holding groove 45, the magnet 38 of the engaging convex portion 39 is attracted to the bottom surface 45 a of the holding groove 45. Thereby, the lower clamping block 31 is held on the upper surface of the base 14. Further, the clamp 13 can be slid along the longitudinal direction of the holding groove 45 while the engaging convex portion 39 is fitted in the holding groove 45.

  Further, a holding convex portion 47 extending in a line with the holding groove 45 is formed between the holding groove 45 and the concave portion 41 on the upper surface of the base 14, and the optical fiber 1 is fused to the holding convex portion 47. The holder 51 that holds the optical fiber 1 has a width that can be engaged when the connection is made. Further, the upper surface 47 a of the holding convex portion 47 is formed of a magnetic material such as iron in order to attract the holder 51.

  The holder 51 has a holder body 52 that is a base portion. The holder main body 52 has an accommodation groove 53 that accommodates a plurality of optical fibers 1 in parallel on the upper surface thereof along the axial direction. At one end of the holder main body 52 in the accommodation groove 53, a tip groove having a width for accommodating a plurality of optical fiber core wires 3 (coating removal portions 3a) from which the outer coating 4 of the optical fiber 1 has been removed is arranged in a line. 53a and a tapered portion 53b whose groove width is gradually narrowed toward the distal end groove 53a, and a portion having the outer coating 4 of the optical fiber 1 is provided on the other end side of the holder body 52 from the tapered portion 53b. Parallel grooves 53c having a width for accommodating a plurality of lines arranged in a row extend. At the position of the boundary portion between the parallel groove 53c and the tapered portion 53b, the end portion of the coating 4 outside the optical fiber 1 is disposed.

  The holder main body 52 is provided with a plurality of holding lids 55 on one side thereof so as to be rotatable. The upper surface of the holder main body 52 is opened and closed by rotating these holding lids 55 around the connection point with the holder main body 52. The holding lid 55 is arranged so as to cover the upper part of the accommodation groove 53 by rotating toward the upper surface of the holder body 52, and holds the plurality of optical fibers 1 accommodated in the accommodation groove 53. .

  Further, the holder main body 52 is formed with engaging convex portions 56 on both side portions on the lower surface thereof, and these engaging convex portions 56 are engaged with the edges in the width direction of the holding convex portions 47 of the base 14. By doing so, the holder 51 is positioned at a predetermined position on the upper surface of the base 14 and is detachably mounted.

  In the base 14, the position where the holder 51 is first mounted is a position adjacent to or adjacent to the alignment guide 12 as shown in FIG. 2. However, when the alignment guide 12 is slid along the recess 41 so as to be retracted from the position shown in FIG. 2, the holder 51 is held with the holder body 52 held on the holding projection 47 of the base 14. A part of the holder 51 can be arranged on the concave portion 41 by sliding along 47.

  Further, a plurality of optical fibers 1 are supported in parallel on the upper surface of the base 14 between the holding groove 45 and the holding convex portion 47 as viewed in the longitudinal direction of the front and rear, and on the front end portion adjacent to the concave portion 41. A support base 48 is provided.

Next, a method of aligning a plurality of optical fibers 1 in parallel using the optical fiber alignment jig 11 and a method of fusion-connecting the aligned plurality of optical fibers 1 to another optical fiber Will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the clamp 13 is mounted on the base 14 at a position near the recess 41 in the holding groove 45 with the lower holding block 31 and the upper holding block 32 opened. Further, the holder 51 is mounted on the holding convex portion 47 with each holding lid 55 opened. The alignment guide 12 is in a state where the lower portion is accommodated in the concave portion 41 of the base 14 and is arranged at a position aligned with the clamp 13 and the holder 51.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of (four in this example) optical fibers 1 in which the outer coating 4 is removed by a predetermined length and the optical fiber core wire 3 is exposed are prepared. As shown in FIG. 7, the coating removal portions 3 a of these optical fibers 1 are inserted into the alignment grooves 23 of the alignment guide 12 one by one in order or collectively. At this time, since one side of the alignment groove 23 in the horizontal direction is open, a plurality of optical fibers 1 can be easily inserted into the alignment groove 23 from a direction perpendicular to the axis thereof. Further, since the taper portion 24 is formed at the open end of the alignment groove 23, the coating removal portion 3a of the optical fiber 1 is guided by the taper portion 24 and smoothly inserted into the alignment groove 23.

  Since the gap dimension d (see FIG. 5) of the alignment groove 23 is larger than the outer diameter of the coating removal portion 3a, the coating removal portion 3a of the optical fiber 1 can be inserted into the alignment groove 23. However, since the gap dimension d is smaller than the outer diameter of the outer coating 4, the portion having the outer coating 4 cannot be inserted into the alignment groove 23.

  When the coating removal portions 3a of the respective optical fibers 1 are inserted into the alignment grooves 23, the portions having the coating 4 on the outer side of the adjacent optical fibers 1 are arranged in parallel so as to contact each other, and the coating removal portions 3a are gripped. The optical fiber 1 is pulled lightly toward the distal end side in the axial direction. The alignment groove 23 of the alignment guide 12 has a gap dimension d smaller than the outer diameter of the portion having the coating 4 on the outer side of the optical fiber 1, so that when the optical fiber 1 is pulled lightly, as shown in FIG. The end of the outer cover 4 abuts on one end face 22 on the rear end side of the alignment guide 12. As a result, the positions of the ends of the coating 4 in contact with the alignment guide 12 in the optical fibers 1 are aligned in the axial direction, and the positions of the end portions of these optical fibers 1 are aligned in the axial direction.

  At this time, the height of the alignment groove 23 of the alignment guide 12, the upper surface of the two support bases 48, the upper surface of the upper clamping block 32 of the clamp 13, and the upper surface of the holding groove 53 of the holder 51 are substantially the same. The optical fiber 1 is supported at the same height along the longitudinal direction.

  Next, in a state where the end of the optical fiber 1 is gripped and pulled lightly, the upper clamping block 32 of the clamp 13 is clamped on the lower side around the connection point with the lower clamping block 31 as shown in FIG. Turn to the block 31 side. Then, as shown in FIG. 10, the elastic body 34 of the upper clamping block 32 is superposed on the elastic body 33 of the lower clamping block 31, and the upper clamping block 32 is locked to the locking claw 35 of the lower clamping block 31. The locking hole 36 of the piece 37 is locked. In this way, the plurality of optical fibers 1 are clamped by the elastic bodies 33 and 34 of the lower clamping block 31 and the upper clamping block 32 at the portion having the outer coating 4 and elastically held.

  Further, in a state where the end of the optical fiber 1 is grasped and pulled lightly, as shown in FIG. 11, the clamp 13 is separated from the alignment guide 12 and the holder 51 along the axial direction of the optical fiber 1 (optical fiber). Slide to the rear end side) of the alignment jig 11 for use, and arrange at the end of the base 14 opposite to the alignment guide 12. In this way, the slack of the optical fiber 1 on the base 14 is eliminated. In addition, since the sponge made of urethane rubber is used as the elastic bodies 33 and 34 sandwiching the optical fiber 1, the friction between the elastic bodies 33 and 34 and the optical fiber 1 when the clamp 13 is moved is small, and the optical fiber 1 On the other hand, the clamp 13 can be moved smoothly, and there is no problem with the optical fiber 1 due to friction.

  Then, with the plurality of optical fibers 1 held by the clamp 13 and the optical fibers 1 held on the holder 51 and the two support bases 48, the alignment guide 12 is guided along the recess 41. It is displaced in the in-plane direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the fiber 1. That is, as shown in FIG. 12, the alignment guide 12 is slid in the direction away from the optical fiber 1 and retracted. At that time, when the knob 26 provided at the upper part of the alignment guide 12 is picked and operated, the operation of sliding the alignment guide 12 can be performed smoothly. In addition, the alignment guide 12 is moved while the alignment guide 12 is attached to the base 14 instead of removing the alignment guide 12 from the base 14, thereby improving the positional accuracy of the alignment guide 12 with respect to the base 14. Can be maintained.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 13, the fusion-portion protection sleeve 61 is put on the tip portions of the plurality of optical fibers 1. The fusion-portion protection sleeve 61 is formed of a heat-shrinkable resin and has a cylindrical shape. After the fusion bonding of the optical fiber 1, the fusion-bonding protection sleeve 61 is heat-shrinked in a state of covering the fusion-connection portion of the optical fiber 1. Thus, the fusion splicing portion is reinforced or protected. In the case where the fusion-portion protection sleeve 61 is previously passed through the other optical fiber to which the optical fiber 1 is fusion-connected, the fusion-portion protection is applied to the optical fiber 1 aligned by the optical fiber alignment jig 11. There is no need to cover the sleeve 61.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 14, the fused portion protection sleeve 61 that covers the tip portions of the plurality of optical fibers 1 is moved to the clamp 13 side.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the holder 51, which is mounted on the upper surface of the base 14 and has the holding lid 55 opened, is moved slightly toward the recess 41 along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber 1. The position of the holder 51 is finely adjusted so that the position of the boundary portion between the parallel groove 53c and the tapered portion 53b in the holder 51 is arranged on the same plane as the one end face 22 on the rear end side of the alignment guide 12. That is, the portion of the optical fiber 1 that has the coating 4 on the outside is accommodated in the parallel groove 53c, and the coating removal portion 3a of the optical fiber 1 is in the state of being accommodated in the tapered portion 53b and the tip groove 53a. Fine-tune the position.

  When the plurality of optical fibers 1 are accommodated at appropriate positions in the accommodation groove 53, the holding lid 55 is rotated toward the upper surface side of the holder body 52 as shown in FIG. It arrange | positions so that an upper part may be covered and the several optical fiber 1 accommodated in the accommodation groove | channel 53 is hold | maintained.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 18, the clamp 13 and the holder 51 holding the plurality of optical fibers 1 are removed from the base 14, and the holder 51 is moved to the fusion splicer (not shown) while holding the optical fiber 1. Set and fusion splice with a plurality of other optical fibers on the connection partner side.
Before setting the holder 51 to the fusion splicer, the coating on the optical fiber core 3 of the optical fiber 1 held by the holder 51 is removed with a jig such as a coating remover, and a glass fiber having a predetermined length is removed. Leave it exposed. In the fusion splicer, the end face of the glass fiber and the end face of the glass fiber of the optical fiber on the connection partner side are fused.

At this time, the end portions of the plurality of optical fibers 1 are accurately aligned in the axial direction by the optical fiber alignment jig 11, so that the fusion bonding connection with the plurality of optical fibers on the connection partner side is performed. Good and smooth.
In addition, as another optical fiber on the connection partner side, a plurality of single-core optical fiber cores arranged in the same manner as the optical fiber 1 or a plurality of optical fiber core wires are integrated in a parallel state with a resin. An optical fiber ribbon is used.

  As described above, when the optical fiber 1 is fused and connected to the other optical fiber on the connection partner side, the holding lid 55 of the holder 51 is rotated to open the upper surface side of the holder body 52, and the optical fiber 1 is attached to the holder. Remove from 51.

  Thereafter, the fused portion protective sleeve 61 previously placed on the optical fiber 1 is moved to be placed on the fused portion, and the fused portion protective sleeve 61 is heated. Then, the fused portion protection sleeve 61 is thermally shrunk and comes into close contact with the fused portion of the optical fiber 1, and the fused portion of the optical fiber 1 is protected by the fused portion protective sleeve 61.

  In addition, when heat-shrinking the fused part protection sleeve 61, it is preferable to apply tension to the optical fiber 1 by pulling the clamp 13 lightly. In this way, it is possible to eliminate the slackness of the optical fibers fused to each other, to align the optical fibers 1 in the fused portion protection sleeve 61, and to eliminate the positional deviation between the optical fibers 1.

  As described above, according to the above embodiment, the end portions of the plurality of optical fibers 1 are inserted into the alignment grooves 23 of the alignment guide 12 so as to be aligned, and the optical fiber 1 is pulled to align the end surface of the outer coating 4 with the alignment guide. The end portions of the optical fiber 1 can be aligned very smoothly and accurately by abutting against the one end face 22 of the twelve. Further, since the alignment guide 12 has a configuration in which the alignment groove 23 is opened at one end surface 22, if the optical fiber 1 is pulled to bring the coating 4 into contact with the one end surface 22, the end portions of the coating 4 are aligned. You can see at a glance. That is, the holding lid 55 of the holder 51 is opened and closed many times, and the alignment state is visually confirmed, and the operation of adjusting the position of the optical fiber 1 in the receiving groove 53 is not involved, and the operation is simple. It is possible to accurately align the optical fibers 1 and confirm the alignment state.

  Further, by holding the optical fiber 1 aligned with the alignment guide 12 with high accuracy by the clamp 13, it is possible to maintain the highly accurate alignment state of the optical fiber 1 and perform subsequent processing. In particular, a plurality of optical fibers 1 aligned with high accuracy can be easily held in the holder 51 used when performing terminal processing or fusion splicing processing while maintaining the aligned state. Thereby, the workability of the terminal processing and the fusion splicing process is improved as compared with the case where the plurality of optical fibers 1 are directly positioned and held in the receiving groove 23 of the holder 51 while opening and closing the holding lid 55. Can do.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the alignment guide 12 may include an alignment groove 23 that is open on the upper side, and a lid 23 a that opens and closes the upper portion of the alignment groove 23. In such an alignment guide 12, the end portion of the optical fiber 1 is gripped in a state in which the coating removal portion 3a including the optical fiber cores 3 of the plurality of optical fibers 1 is accommodated in the alignment groove 23 and the lid 23a is closed. And pull lightly. The clearance dimension of the alignment groove 23 of this form is also set similarly to the alignment guide 12 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Thereby, the end surface of the coating 4 of the optical fiber 1 can be brought into contact with the one end surface of the alignment guide 12 to be aligned.

  The alignment guide 12 has a structure in which the alignment guide 12 slides in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the optical fiber 1 with respect to the base 14. It is good also as a structure which can be displaced within the plane orthogonal to the axial direction.

  For example, the forms shown in FIGS. 20 to 22 can be adopted. The alignment guide 12 in this form is formed in a plate shape, and an alignment portion 21 is provided on the upper side thereof. The alignment portion 21 has a thin plate portion on one end surface 22 on the rear end side, and an alignment groove 23 extending in the horizontal direction is formed in the thin plate portion. The alignment groove 23 has a gap dimension d (see FIG. 22A) larger than the outer diameter of the coating removal portion 3a of the optical fiber core wire 3 from which the coating 4 outside the optical fiber 1 is removed. It is a dimension smaller than the outer diameter of the part to have. The alignment groove 23 is open on one side in the horizontal direction (optical fiber parallel direction), and a taper portion 24 that gradually narrows toward the alignment groove 23 is formed on the open side of the alignment groove 23. . In addition, a connecting hole 25 is formed in the lower portion of the alignment guide 12 at a position opposite to the opening side of the alignment groove 23 so as to be rotatably connected to the base 14. An insertion hole 42 is formed on one side of the lower portion of the base 14 at one side. The insertion hole 42 communicates with the connection hole 25 of the alignment guide 12 accommodated in the recess 41, and the connection pin 43 is inserted into the communication insertion hole 42 and connection hole 25. As a result, the alignment guide 12 is connected to the base 14 by the connecting pin 43, and can be rotated around a connecting portion by the connecting pin 43. That is, the alignment guide 12 is attached to the base 14 so as to be able to be rotated and displaced in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the optical fiber 1.

  Moreover, although the case where the four optical fibers 1 were aligned was illustrated and demonstrated in the said embodiment, if the number of the optical fibers 1 to align is two or more, it will not be restricted to four.

1: optical fiber, 3: optical fiber core wire, 3a: coating removal part, 4: outer coating, 11: optical fiber alignment jig, 12: alignment guide, 13: clamp, 14: base, 21: alignment part 22: Thin plate portion, 23: Alignment groove, 41: Recess, 45: Holding groove, 51: Holder, 52: Holder body, 53: Housing groove, 55: Holding lid

Claims (9)

An optical fiber aligning jig for aligning in parallel a plurality of optical fibers from which the outer coating is removed at the end portion,
An alignment guide provided with an alignment groove having an opening on one end surface that is larger than the outer diameter of the coating removal portion from which the outer coating of the optical fiber is removed and smaller than the outer diameter of the outer coating;
An optical fiber alignment jig comprising: a clamp that elastically holds a portion having the outer coating of a plurality of the optical fibers aligned in parallel. The optical fiber alignment jig according to claim 1,
The alignment guide for an optical fiber, wherein the alignment guide is open on one side of the alignment groove in the parallel direction of the optical fiber. An optical fiber alignment jig according to claim 1 or 2,
An optical fiber alignment jig, comprising: a base that supports the alignment guide and the clamp so as to be relatively movable along an axial direction of the optical fiber that has passed through the alignment groove. An optical fiber alignment jig according to claim 3,
The alignment guide for an optical fiber, wherein the alignment guide is attached to the base so as to be displaceable in a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the optical fiber. An optical fiber alignment jig according to claim 3 or 4,
A holder for holding the optical fiber accommodated in the accommodation groove and having an accommodation groove capable of accommodating the coating removal portion and the outer coating of the plurality of optical fibers arranged in parallel to each width. The holder is detachable between the alignment guide on the base and the clamp, and the holder is arranged such that the position of the outer covering end in the receiving groove matches the position of the one end surface of the alignment guide. The optical fiber alignment jig is adjustable in position on the base. An optical fiber alignment method for aligning in parallel a plurality of optical fibers from which an outer coating is removed at a terminal portion,
An alignment groove having a gap size larger than the outer diameter of the coating removal portion from which the outer coating of the optical fiber has been removed and smaller than the outer diameter of the outer coating is provided to the alignment groove of the alignment guide provided at one end surface. Inserting the sheath removal portions of the plurality of optical fibers in parallel,
An end portion of the outer coating of each optical fiber is brought into contact with the one end surface of the alignment guide so that the axial positions of the optical fibers are aligned and aligned.
In a state where the portion having the outer coating of the plurality of optical fibers in the aligned state is elastically held by a clamp,
An optical fiber alignment method comprising: housing a plurality of the optical fibers in an accommodation groove of a holder; and holding the optical fibers in the accommodation groove with a holding lid provided on the holder. An optical fiber alignment method according to claim 6, comprising:
The clamp is moved in the direction away from the end portion along the axial direction of the optical fiber while gripping the end portion of the optical fiber in the aligned state, and the slackness of the optical fiber is removed. Optical fiber alignment method. An optical fiber alignment method according to claim 6 or 7, comprising:
An optical fiber alignment method, wherein after the holding of the optical fiber by the clamp, the alignment guide is moved in a plane perpendicular to the axial direction of the optical fiber and retracted from the optical fiber.   A plurality of the optical fibers held in alignment with the holder by the optical fiber alignment method according to any one of claims 6 to 8 are fusion-spliced with other optical fibers. An optical fiber fusion method.

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