JP2014228742A - Optical fiber holding capillary - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber holding capillary that can enhance positional accuracy of an optical fiber.SOLUTION: An optical fiber holding capillary stores a bundle of optical fibers that have substantially the same shape of radial sections, in a through hole 11, so that some of the optical fibers are arranged in a vertical direction and others in a lateral direction. At least one optical fiber 3A is in contact with two optical fibers 2A and 2B that are located above or below the optical fiber 3A in the vertical direction and adjacent to each other, lowermost optical fibers 1A and 1B in the vertical direction are in contact with a bottom wall surface 11d of the through hole 11, and the uppermost optical fiber 3A in the vertical direction is in contact with a top wall surface 11a of the through hole 11 that is substantially parallel to the bottom wall surface 11d.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber holding capillary for storing a plurality of optical fibers.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, glass components for connecting optical fibers called capillaries, sleeves, ferrules, and the like have been used to store a plurality of optical fibers when connecting optical fibers or optical fibers and light emitting / receiving elements, etc. (Patent Document 1). ~ 3).

  FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a conventional optical fiber holding capillary. As shown in FIG. 8, a through hole 61 and a through hole 62 are formed inside the optical fiber holding capillary 60. An optical fiber 3A is disposed in the through hole 61, and optical fibers 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B are disposed in the through hole 62. The longitudinal direction of the optical fiber holding capillary 60 is the z direction, that is, the direction from the back to the front of the drawing. Therefore, the through holes 61 and 62 and the optical fibers 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, and 3A are also provided so as to extend in the z direction.

  The optical fiber holding capillary 60 shown in FIG. 8 can be used, for example, as an optical fiber connected to a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems) device such as an optical switch for optical communication. For example, the optical fiber 3A can be used as an optical signal input optical fiber of the optical switch, and the optical fibers 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B can be used as optical signal output optical fibers of the optical switch.

JP 2000-329968 A JP 2000-39535 A JP-A-2-73312

  The relative positional accuracy between the optical fiber 3A and the optical fibers 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B depends on the relative positional accuracy between the through hole 61 and the through hole 62. In the manufacturing process, there is a limit to increasing the relative positional accuracy of the through hole 61 and the through hole 62.

  The objective of this invention is providing the capillary for optical fiber holding | maintenance which can raise the positional accuracy of an optical fiber.

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber holding capillary for storing in a through hole a bundle of optical fibers in which a plurality of optical fibers having substantially the same cross-section in the radial direction are arranged in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction, respectively. The two optical fibers are in contact with two adjacent optical fibers located in the upper or lower stage in the vertical direction, and the lowermost optical fiber in the vertical direction is in contact with the bottom wall surface of the through hole, and is the lowest in the vertical direction. The upper optical fiber is characterized by being in contact with a ceiling wall surface of a through hole substantially parallel to the bottom wall surface.

  The at least one optical fiber is preferably the uppermost optical fiber.

  The through hole preferably has an inclined wall surface between the bottom wall surface and the ceiling wall surface. In this case, it is preferable that the uppermost optical fiber is not in contact with the inclined wall surface.

  It is preferable that the uppermost optical fiber has a smaller number than the optical fiber located in the lower stage in the vertical direction.

  When the optical fiber holding capillary of the present invention is used as an optical switch or the like, the bundle of optical fibers may be composed of input and output optical fibers. In this case, it is preferable that at least one optical fiber is one of input and output optical fibers, and at least one optical fiber other than the input and output optical fibers is the other of input and output optical fibers.

  The cross-sectional shape of the through hole is preferably a substantially polygonal shape.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it can be set as the capillary for optical fiber holding | maintenance which can improve the positional accuracy of an optical fiber.

It is typical sectional drawing which shows the optical fiber arrange | positioned in the through-hole and through-hole in the capillary for optical fiber holding | maintenance of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the optical fiber arrange | positioned in the through-hole and through-hole in the capillary for optical fiber holding | maintenance of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber holding capillary according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the capillary for optical fiber holding | maintenance of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the optical fiber arrange | positioned in the through-hole and through-hole in the capillary for optical fiber holding | maintenance of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the optical fiber arrange | positioned in the through-hole and through-hole in the capillary for optical fiber holding | maintenance of the 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is typical sectional drawing which shows the optical fiber arrange | positioned in the through-hole and through-hole in the capillary for optical fiber holding | maintenance of a comparative example. It is a typical sectional view showing a conventional capillary for holding an optical fiber.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In the drawings for describing the following embodiments and the like, members having substantially the same function are referred to by the same reference numerals.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a through hole in an optical fiber holding capillary according to a first embodiment of the present invention and an optical fiber disposed in the through hole. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the optical fiber holding capillary of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a through hole 11 is formed inside the optical fiber holding capillary 10. A plurality of optical fibers are accommodated in the through hole 11. The longitudinal direction of the optical fiber holding capillary 10 is the z direction, that is, the direction from the back to the front of the drawing. Therefore, the through hole 11 and the optical fiber accommodated therein are also provided to extend in the z direction.

  FIG. 1 shows a through hole 11 and an optical fiber disposed in the through hole 11. The through-hole 11 has four or more inner wall surfaces, at least two inner wall surfaces are substantially parallel to each other, and another two inner wall surfaces are substantially parallel to each other. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the inner wall surface of the through hole 11 is composed of wall surfaces 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, and 11f. The cross-sectional shape of the through hole 11 is a substantially hexagon. The ceiling wall surface 11a and the bottom wall surface 11d are provided so as to be substantially parallel to each other. A side wall surface 11c extending in a substantially vertical direction toward the ceiling wall surface 11a is connected to one end of the bottom wall surface 11d. A side wall surface 11e extending in a substantially vertical direction toward the ceiling wall surface 11a is connected to the other end of the bottom wall surface 11d. Therefore, the side wall surface 11c and the side wall surface 11e are provided so as to be substantially parallel to each other. An inclined wall surface 11b is formed so as to connect between the ceiling wall surface 11a and the side wall surface 11c. An inclined wall surface 11f is formed so as to connect between the ceiling wall surface 11a and the side wall surface 11e. The inclined wall surface 11b and the inclined wall surface 11f are inclined so as to approach each other as they approach the ceiling wall surface 11a.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first-stage optical fibers 1A and 1B, the second-stage optical fibers 2A and 2B, and the third-stage optical fiber 3A are accommodated in the through hole 11. Therefore, a total of five optical fibers are accommodated in the through hole 11. These optical fibers have substantially the same shape in the radial section of the optical fiber. In the embodiment of the present invention, two optical fibers are arranged in the x direction, that is, the horizontal direction, and three optical fibers are arranged in the y direction, that is, the vertical direction. There is one third-stage optical fiber 3A, and only one third-stage optical fiber is arranged in the x direction. However, the “plurality” in “arranging a plurality of optical fibers in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction” of the present invention is that the maximum value of the number of optical fibers arranged in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction is plural. That means.

  In the present invention, the “lateral direction” is a direction in which the centers of all optical fibers arranged in the direction are aligned on a straight line. The “vertical direction” is a direction substantially perpendicular to the horizontal direction. Also, in the arrangement of the stages at both ends in the vertical direction, the stage with the smaller number of optical fibers arranged is the “uppermost stage in the vertical direction”, and the end stage opposite to the uppermost stage is the “lowermost stage in the vertical direction”. " When the number of optical fibers arranged at both ends in the vertical direction is the same, one of the end stages is the uppermost stage, and the other end is the lowermost stage.

  By forming the inclined wall surfaces 11b and 11f, the volume of the space in the through hole 11 can be reduced. Generally, an adhesive is injected into the space in the through hole 11 after the optical fiber is accommodated. By reducing the volume of the space in the through hole 11, the amount of adhesive to be injected can be reduced. When the amount of the adhesive is large, the optical fiber is liable to be displaced due to expansion / contraction due to the temperature change of the adhesive. By reducing the amount of the adhesive, it is possible to reduce the displacement of the optical fiber due to the expansion and contraction accompanying the temperature change of the adhesive. Therefore, by forming the inclined wall surfaces 11b and 11f, it is possible to reduce the positional deviation of the optical fiber due to the expansion and contraction accompanying the temperature change of the adhesive.

  The lowermost optical fibers 1A and 1B in the vertical direction are in contact with the bottom wall surface 11d. The uppermost optical fiber 3A in the vertical direction is in contact with the ceiling wall surface 11a. Further, the optical fibers 1A and 2A located on the leftmost side of each step in the horizontal direction are in contact with the side wall surface (left wall surface) 11e, and the optical fibers 1B and 2B located on the rightmost side of each step are the side wall surfaces (right wall surface). 11c is in contact. Further, the optical fiber 3A is in contact with two adjacent optical fibers 2A and 2B which are located in the lower stage.

  In the present embodiment, the lowermost optical fibers 1A and 1B in the vertical direction are in contact with the bottom wall surface 11d, and the uppermost optical fiber 3A in the vertical direction is in contact with the ceiling wall surface 11a. The ceiling wall surface 11a is provided so as to be substantially parallel to the bottom wall surface 11d. Further, the optical fibers 1A and 2A located on the leftmost side of each step in the horizontal direction are in contact with the side wall surface (left wall surface) 11e, and the optical fibers 1B and 2B located on the rightmost side of each step are the side wall surfaces (right wall surface). 11c is in contact. The side wall surface (left wall surface) 11e is provided so as to be substantially parallel to the side wall surface (right wall surface) 11c. The optical fiber holding capillary is generally formed by a drawing method. In molding, generally, molding is performed based on two substantially parallel surfaces. Although the shrinkage rate due to the wire drawing in the x direction and the y direction may be different, the ceiling wall surface 11a is substantially parallel to the bottom wall surface 11d even if the shrinkage rates due to the wire drawing in the x direction and the y direction are slightly different from each other. Since the side wall surface 11e and the side wall surface 11e are provided substantially in parallel, the side wall surface 11e can be formed without a large inclination. On the other hand, the inclined wall surfaces 11b and 11f may be formed with a large deviation from a predetermined inclination angle if the shrinkage rates due to the drawing in the x direction and the y direction are different from each other.

  In the present embodiment, the uppermost optical fiber 3A and the lowermost optical fibers 1A and 1B are in contact with the ceiling wall surface 11a and the bottom wall surface 11d, respectively, and are sandwiched between these wall surfaces in the vertical direction. Further, the optical fibers 1A and 2A located on the leftmost side of each stage in the horizontal direction and the optical fibers 1B and 2B located on the rightmost side of each stage are in contact with the side wall surface 11e and the side wall surface 11c, respectively. It is sandwiched between walls. As described above, the ceiling wall surface 11a and the bottom wall surface 11d, and the side wall surface 11e and the side wall surface 11c can be formed with high accuracy. Therefore, in this embodiment, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is increased. be able to.

  Further, the uppermost optical fiber 3A is positioned in the lateral direction by contacting two adjacent optical fibers 2A and 2B located in the lower stage. For this reason, the relative positional accuracy with respect to 2A, 2B, 1A, and 1B in a horizontal direction can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, the uppermost optical fiber 3A is provided so as not to contact the inclined wall surfaces 11b and 11f. As described above, the inclined wall surfaces 11b and 11f may be formed by being greatly deviated from a predetermined inclination angle by drawing. In the present embodiment, since the uppermost optical fiber 3A is provided so as not to contact the inclined wall surfaces 11b and 11f, the positional accuracy of the uppermost optical fiber 3A decreases due to the deviation of the inclination angle of the inclined wall surfaces 11b and 11f. There is nothing to do.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the uppermost optical fiber 3A and the lowermost optical fibers 1A and 1B are in contact with the ceiling wall surface 11a and the bottom wall surface 11d, respectively, and are located on the leftmost side of each stage in the lateral direction. The optical fibers 1A and 2A and the optical fibers 1B and 2B located on the rightmost side of each stage are in contact with the side wall surface (left wall surface) 11e and the side wall surface (right wall surface) 11c, respectively, and are sandwiched between these wall surfaces in the lateral direction. Therefore, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction can be increased. Further, since the uppermost optical fiber 3A is in contact with the two adjacent optical fibers 2A and 2B located at the lower stage, the relative positional accuracy with respect to 2A, 2B, 1A and 1B in the lateral direction is increased. be able to. Therefore, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the through hole 11 can be increased.

  For example, by using the optical fiber 3A as one of the input and output of an optical signal and using the other optical fibers 1A, 2A, 1B, and 2B as the other of the input and output, the optical fiber holding capillary of the present embodiment can be used as an optical signal. It can be used as an input / output optical fiber holding capillary such as a switch.

(Comparative example)
FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a through hole in an optical fiber holding capillary of a comparative example and an optical fiber disposed in the through hole.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the inner wall surface of the through hole 51 of the comparative example is composed of wall surfaces 51a, 51b, 51c, 51d, and 51e. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 51 is a substantially pentagon. As in the first embodiment, the first-stage optical fibers 1A and 1B, the second-stage optical fibers 2A and 2B, and the third-stage optical fiber 3A are accommodated in the through hole 51. A side wall surface 51b extending in a substantially vertical direction is connected to one end of the bottom wall surface 51c. A side wall surface 51d extending in a substantially vertical direction is connected to the other end of the bottom wall surface 51c. An inclined wall surface 51a extends from the upper end of the side wall surface 51b. An inclined wall surface 51e extends from the upper end of the side wall surface 51d. The inclined wall surface 51a and the inclined wall surface 51e are inclined so as to approach each other, and are connected to each other above the optical fiber 3A.

  However, as described above, the inclined wall surface 51a and the inclined wall surface 51e cannot be formed with higher accuracy than the bottom wall surface 51c, the side wall surface (right wall surface) 51b, and the side wall surface (right wall surface) 51d. Therefore, the optical fiber holding capillary of this comparative example cannot increase the positional accuracy of the optical fibers 1A, 2A, 1B, and 2B in the vertical direction. In addition, the relative positional accuracy of the uppermost optical fiber 3A with respect to 1A, 2A, 1B, and 2B cannot be increased.

  On the other hand, as described above, in the first embodiment, the optical fiber 3A is in contact with the ceiling wall surface 11a that can be formed with high accuracy. For this reason, the positional accuracy of the optical fiber 3A and the positional accuracy of the other optical fibers 1A, 2A, 1B, and 2B can be increased.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a through hole and an optical fiber disposed in the through hole in the optical fiber holding capillary according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an optical fiber holding capillary according to the second embodiment shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a through hole 21 is formed inside the optical fiber holding capillary 20. A plurality of optical fibers are accommodated in the through hole 21. The longitudinal direction of the optical fiber holding capillary 20 is the z direction. Therefore, the through hole 21 and the optical fiber accommodated therein are also provided to extend in the z direction.

  FIG. 2 shows the through hole 21 and the optical fiber disposed in the through hole 21. As shown in FIG. 2, in the through hole 21, the first stage optical fibers 1A, 1B and 1C, the second stage optical fibers 2A, 2B and 2C, the third stage optical fibers 3A, 3B and 3C, and the fourth stage The optical fibers 4A and 4B for the eyes are accommodated. Therefore, a total of 11 optical fibers are accommodated in the through hole 21. In the present embodiment, the number of optical fibers arranged in the horizontal direction is 3, and the number of optical fibers arranged in the vertical direction is 4.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the inner wall surface of the through-hole 21 is composed of wall surfaces 21a, 21b, 21c, 21d, 21e, and 21f. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 21 is a substantially hexagon. What is the ceiling wall surface 21a and the bottom wall surface 21d? They are provided so as to be substantially parallel to each other. A side wall surface 21c extending in a substantially vertical direction toward the ceiling wall surface 21a is connected to one end of the bottom wall surface 21d. A side wall surface 21e extending in a substantially vertical direction toward the ceiling wall surface 21a is connected to the other end of the bottom wall surface 21d. Therefore, the side wall surface 21c and the side wall surface 21e are substantially parallel. An inclined wall surface 21b is formed so as to connect between the ceiling wall surface 21a and the side wall surface 21c. An inclined wall surface 21f is formed so as to connect between the ceiling wall surface 21a and the side wall surface 21e. The inclined wall surface 21b and the inclined wall surface 21f are inclined so as to approach each other as they approach the ceiling wall surface 21a.

  The lowest optical fibers 1A, 1B, and 1C in the vertical direction are in contact with the bottom wall surface 21d. The uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B in the vertical direction are in contact with the ceiling wall surface 21a. The optical fiber 4A is in contact with two adjacent optical fibers 3A and 3B located in the lower stage, and the optical fiber 4B is in contact with two adjacent optical fibers 3B and 3C in the lower stage. Yes. Further, the optical fibers 1A, 2A, and 3A located on the leftmost side of each stage in the lateral direction are in contact with the side wall surface (left wall surface) 21e, and the optical fibers 1C, 2C, and 3C located on the rightmost side of each stage are the side wall surfaces. (Right wall surface) 21c is in contact.

  In the present embodiment, the uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B and the lowermost optical fibers 1A, 1B, and 1C are in contact with the ceiling wall surface 21a and the bottom wall surface 21d, respectively, and are sandwiched between these wall surfaces in the vertical direction. In addition, the optical fibers 1A, 2A, and 3C located on the leftmost side of each stage in the horizontal direction and the optical fibers 1C, 2C, and 3C located on the rightmost side of each stage are in contact with the side wall surface 21e and the side wall surface 21c, respectively. The direction is sandwiched between these wall surfaces. As described above, the ceiling wall surface 21a and the bottom wall surface 21d, and the side wall surface 21e and the side wall surface 21c can be formed with high accuracy. Therefore, in this embodiment, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is increased. be able to.

  The uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B are positioned in the lateral direction by making contact with the two adjacent optical fibers 3A and 3B and 3B and 3C located in the lower stage. For this reason, the relative positional accuracy with respect to 3A, 3B, 3C, 2A, 2B, 2C, 1A, 1B, and 1C in the horizontal direction can be improved.

  In this embodiment, since the uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B are provided so as not to contact the inclined wall surfaces 21b and 21f, the positional accuracy of the uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B is determined by the inclination angle of the inclined wall surfaces 21b and 21f. It does not decrease due to the deviation.

  Therefore, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the through hole 21 can be increased.

(Third embodiment)
FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a through hole and an optical fiber arranged in the through hole in the capillary for holding an optical fiber according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first-stage optical fibers 1A, 1B, and 1C, the second-stage optical fibers 2A, 2B, and 2C, and the third-stage optical fibers 3A and 3B are accommodated in the through hole 31. . Therefore, a total of eight optical fibers are accommodated in the through hole 31. In the present embodiment, the number of optical fibers arranged in the horizontal direction is 3, and the number of optical fibers arranged in the vertical direction is 3.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the inner wall surface of the through hole 31 is composed of wall surfaces 31a, 31b, 31c, 31d, 31e, and 31f. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 31 is a substantially hexagon. The ceiling wall surface 31a and the bottom wall surface 31d are provided so as to be substantially parallel to each other. A side wall surface 31c extending in a substantially vertical direction toward the ceiling wall surface 31a is connected to one end of the bottom wall surface 31d. A side wall surface 31e extending in a substantially vertical direction toward the ceiling wall surface 31a is connected to the other end of the bottom wall surface 31d. Therefore, the side wall surface 31c and the side wall surface 31e are substantially parallel. An inclined wall surface 31b is formed so as to connect between the ceiling wall surface 31a and the side wall surface 31c. An inclined wall surface 31f is formed so as to connect between the ceiling wall surface 31a and the side wall surface 31e. The inclined wall surface 31b and the inclined wall surface 31f are inclined so as to approach each other as they approach the ceiling wall surface 31a.

  The lowest optical fibers 1A, 1B, and 1C in the vertical direction are in contact with the bottom wall surface 31d. The uppermost optical fibers 3A and 3B in the vertical direction are in contact with the ceiling wall surface 31a. Further, the optical fibers 1A and 2A located on the leftmost side of each stage in the horizontal direction are in contact with the side wall surface (left wall surface) 31e, and the optical fibers 1C and 2C located on the rightmost side of each stage are side wall surfaces (right wall surface). It is in contact with 31c. The optical fiber 3A is in contact with two adjacent optical fibers 2A and 2B located in the lower stage, and the optical fiber 3B is in contact with two adjacent optical fibers 2B and 2C located in the lower stage. Yes.

  In the present embodiment, the uppermost optical fibers 3A and 3B and the lowermost optical fibers 1A, 1B, and 1C are in contact with the ceiling wall surface 31a and the bottom wall surface 31d, respectively, and are sandwiched between these wall surfaces in the vertical direction. Further, the optical fibers 1A and 2A located on the leftmost side of each stage in the horizontal direction and the optical fibers 1C and 2C located on the rightmost side of each stage are in contact with the side wall surface 31e and the side wall surface 31c, respectively. It is sandwiched between walls. As described above, the ceiling wall surface 31a and the bottom wall surface 31d, and the side wall surface 31e and the side wall surface 31c can be formed with high accuracy. Therefore, in this embodiment, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the vertical and horizontal directions is increased. be able to.

  The uppermost optical fibers 3A and 3B are positioned in the lateral direction by contacting the two adjacent optical fibers 2A and 2B and 2B and 2C, which are located in the lower stage. For this reason, the positional accuracy relative to the other fibers in the lateral direction can be increased.

  In the present embodiment, since the uppermost optical fibers 3A and 3B are provided so as not to contact the inclined wall surfaces 31b and 31f, the positional accuracy of the uppermost optical fibers 3A and 3B depends on the inclination angle of the inclined wall surfaces 31b and 31f. It does not decrease due to the deviation.

  Therefore, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the through hole 31 can be increased.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a through hole and an optical fiber disposed in the through hole in an optical fiber holding capillary according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 6, in the through hole 41, the first-stage optical fibers 1A, 1B and 1C, the second-stage optical fibers 2A and 2B, the third-stage optical fibers 3A, 3B and 3C, and the fourth-stage optical fibers Optical fibers 4A and 4B are accommodated. Therefore, a total of ten optical fibers are accommodated in the through hole 41. In this embodiment, the second-stage optical fibers 2A and 2B are shifted from the first-stage optical fibers 1A, 1B, and 1C and the third-stage optical fibers 3A, 3B, and 3C by the radius of the optical fiber in the lateral direction. Is arranged. Therefore, the first to fourth optical fibers are stacked in a so-called stacking manner.

  In the present embodiment, the number of optical fibers arranged in the horizontal direction is 3, and the number of optical fibers arranged in the vertical direction is 4.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the inner wall surface of the through hole 41 is composed of wall surfaces 41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e, and 41f. Therefore, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 41 is a substantially hexagon. The ceiling wall surface 41a and the bottom wall surface 41d are provided so as to be substantially parallel to each other. A side wall surface 41c extending in a substantially vertical direction toward the ceiling wall surface 41a is connected to one end of the bottom wall surface 41d. A side wall surface 41e extending in a substantially vertical direction toward the ceiling wall surface 41a is connected to the other end of the bottom wall surface 41d. Therefore, the side wall surface 41c and the side wall surface 41e are substantially parallel. An inclined wall surface 41b is formed so as to connect between the ceiling wall surface 41a and the side wall surface 41c. An inclined wall surface 41f is formed so as to connect between the ceiling wall surface 41a and the side wall surface 41e. The inclined wall surface 41b and the inclined wall surface 41f are inclined so as to approach each other as they approach the ceiling wall surface 41a.

  The lowest optical fibers 1A, 1B, and 1C in the vertical direction are in contact with the bottom wall surface 41d. The uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B in the vertical direction are in contact with the ceiling wall surface 41a. Further, the optical fibers 1A and 3A located on the leftmost side of each step in the lateral direction are in contact with the side wall surface (left wall surface) 41e, and the optical fibers 1C and 3C located on the rightmost side of each step are side wall surfaces (right wall surface). 41c is in contact. The optical fiber 4A is in contact with two adjacent optical fibers 3A and 3B located in the lower stage, and the optical fiber 4B is in contact with two adjacent optical fibers 3B and 3C in the lower stage. Yes. Further, in this embodiment, the optical fiber 2A is in contact with the two adjacent optical fibers 1A and 1B located in the lower stage and the two adjacent optical fibers 3A and 3B located in the upper stage. ing. The optical fiber 2B is in contact with the two adjacent optical fibers 1B and 1C located in the lower stage and the two adjacent optical fibers 3B and 3C located in the upper stage.

  In the present embodiment, the uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B and the lowermost optical fibers 1A, 1B, and 1C are in contact with the ceiling wall surface 41a and the bottom wall surface 41d, respectively, and are sandwiched between these wall surfaces in the vertical direction. The leftmost optical fibers 1A and 3A and the rightmost optical fibers 1C and 3C are in contact with the side wall surface 41e and the side wall surface 41c, respectively, and are sandwiched between these wall surfaces in the lateral direction. As described above, the ceiling wall surface 41a and the bottom wall surface 41d, and the side wall surface 41e and the side wall surface 41c can be formed with high accuracy. Therefore, in this embodiment, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is increased. be able to.

  The uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B are positioned in the lateral direction by making contact with the two adjacent optical fibers 3A and 3B and 3B and 3C located in the lower stage. For this reason, the relative positional accuracy with respect to the other fibers in the lateral direction can be increased.

  In this embodiment, since the uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B are provided so as not to contact the inclined wall surfaces 41b and 41f, the positional accuracy of the uppermost optical fibers 4A and 4B is determined by the inclination angle of the inclined wall surfaces 41b and 41f. It does not decrease due to the deviation.

  Therefore, the positional accuracy of each optical fiber in the through hole 41 can be increased.

  As described above, by using the optical fiber holding capillary according to the present invention, the optical fiber can be accommodated with improved positional accuracy of the optical fiber.

  In the above embodiment, the through hole having a substantially hexagonal cross-sectional shape has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, a rounded or chamfered surface may be formed at the corner portion, which is a connecting portion between the wall surface of the through hole and the wall surface having a substantially polygonal cross-sectional shape.

1A, 1B, 1C ... First stage optical fibers 2A, 2B, 2C ... Second stage optical fibers 3A, 3B, 3C ... Third stage optical fibers 4A, 4B ... Fourth stage optical fibers 10, 20, 60 ... Optical fiber holding Capillaries 11, 21, 31, 41, 51, 61, 62 ... through holes 11a, 21a, 31a, 41a ... ceiling wall surfaces 11b, 21b, 31b, 41b, 51a ... inclined wall surfaces 11c, 21c, 31c, 41c, 51b ... Side wall surface 11d, 21d, 31d, 41d, 51c ... Bottom wall surface 11e, 21e, 31e, 41e, 51d ... Side wall surface 11f, 21f, 31f, 41f, 51e ... Inclined wall surface

Claims (8)

An optical fiber holding capillary for storing in a through hole a bundle of optical fibers in which a plurality of optical fibers having substantially the same cross-section in the radial direction are arranged in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction,
At least one optical fiber is in contact with two adjacent optical fibers located in the upper or lower stage in the longitudinal direction;
The lowermost optical fiber in the longitudinal direction is in contact with the bottom wall surface of the through hole,
An optical fiber holding capillary in which the uppermost optical fiber in the vertical direction is in contact with the ceiling wall surface of the through hole substantially parallel to the bottom wall surface.   The optical fiber holding capillary according to claim 1, wherein the at least one optical fiber is the uppermost optical fiber.   The capillary for holding an optical fiber according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the through hole has an inclined wall surface between the bottom wall surface and the ceiling wall surface.   The optical fiber holding capillary according to claim 3, wherein the uppermost optical fiber is not in contact with the inclined wall surface.   The optical fiber holding capillary according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the uppermost optical fiber has a smaller number of optical fibers than the optical fiber located in the lower stage in the longitudinal direction.   The optical fiber holding capillary according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the bundle of optical fibers includes optical fibers for inputting and outputting optical signals.   7. The optical fiber holding device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one optical fiber is one optical fiber for input and output of an optical signal, and the optical fiber other than the at least one optical fiber is the other optical fiber for input and output. Capillary.   The capillary for holding an optical fiber according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a cross-sectional shape of the through hole is a substantially polygonal shape.

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