JP2015034944A - Optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical connector capable of maintaining good optical properties after transforming an arrangement of light paths of a multicore fiber into a different arrangement.SOLUTION: An optical connector is for transforming an arrangement of cores of a multicore fiber into a different arrangement and includes; optical fibers 30 which are optically connectable to each core of the multicore fiber; a first end portion 10 which is located on a side of the multicore fiber to arrange the optical fibers 30 at one end in an array that is same as that of the multicore fiber; a second end portion 20 which is located on a side opposite to the first end portion 10 to arrange the optical fibers 30 at the other end to have fewer rows than the first end portion 10; an open space portion 60 which is located between the first and second end portions 10, 20 to allow the optical fibers 30 to extend from the first end portion 10 to the second end portion 20; and an alignment sleeve 40 which is located in the open space portion 60 to arrange the optical fibers 30 extending from the second end portion 20 to have the same number of rows as the fiber array at the first end portion 10.

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical connector, and more particularly to an optical connector that converts each optical path of a multi-core fiber into another arrangement.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a PON (Passive Optical Network) system has been realized to provide an FTTH (Fiber To The Home) service that enables optical communication between a single transmitting station and a plurality of subscribers. In this PON system, each subscriber shares one optical fiber by interposing a multi-stage optical splitter, but in order to cope with the recent increase in transmission capacity, the transition to the SS (Single Star) system has been made. Is considered. When migrating to the SS system, the number of fiber cores inside the station increases compared to the PON system. Therefore, it is proposed to use a multi-core fiber with multiple cores in the same cladding as the optical fiber for the station inner optical cable. Has been. In addition to the FTTH, it is desired to increase the capacity of optical transmission, and it has been proposed to perform optical transmission from a transmission device to various terminals via a multi-core fiber.

  On the other hand, since the optical device on the terminal side is generally assumed to be connected via a single-core fiber, when using a multi-core fiber, each core of the multi-core fiber is branched to the optical device via the single-core fiber. It is necessary to connect with. Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes a plurality of optical connection members that branch a multi-core fiber into a plurality of optical paths and connect to a single core fiber or the like.

International Publication No. 2012/172906 JP 2010-286661 A International Publication No. 2012/121318 International Publication No. 2013/051656 JP 2007-279194 A

  By the way, in the optical connection member described in Patent Document 1, although optical branching is performed while suppressing the connection loss with the multi-core fiber with a simple configuration, the optical fiber built in the optical connection member is a single-core fiber from the multi-core fiber side. There is a risk of twisting when extending to the side, and a technique for improving the characteristics of transmitted light is desired.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an optical connector that can favorably maintain optical characteristics when each optical path of a multi-core fiber is converted into another arrangement.

  In one aspect of the present invention, each optical path of a multicore fiber in which a plurality of optical paths are arranged in a first clad in the same clad is converted into a plurality of optical paths arranged in a second arrangement. An optical connector, in the first arrangement, each stage in which at least one optical path is arranged in a predetermined direction is arranged over N stages, and in the second arrangement, at least one optical path is arranged in a predetermined direction. A plurality of optical fibers that are arranged over M stages (where N and M are natural numbers and satisfy N> M), and are optically coupled to the optical paths of the multi-core fiber; A first end that is disposed on the multi-core fiber side and that has one end of each of the plurality of optical fibers arranged in the first array is disposed on a side opposite to the first end, and the other end of the plurality of optical fibers. Arrange the end or the middle to be the second array A second end portion, a space portion positioned between the first and second ends such that the plurality of optical fibers extend from the first end portion toward the second end portion, and a space portion And an alignment section that aligns the plurality of optical fibers extending from the second end so as to have N stages.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the optical characteristic at the time of converting each optical path of a multi-core fiber into another arrangement | sequence can be maintained favorable.

It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the optical connector which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector shown in FIG. It is the perspective view except a part of optical connector shown in FIG. It is the expanded sectional view which expanded a part of FIG. It is a figure which shows the end surface by the side of the multi-core fiber of the optical connector shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the end surface of the one end side of an alignment sleeve. It is a figure which shows the end surface of the other end side of an alignment sleeve. It is a figure which shows the end surface by the side of the single core fiber of the optical connector shown in FIG.

[Description of Embodiment of the Present Invention]
First, the contents of the embodiment of the present invention will be listed and described.

  In one aspect of the present invention, each optical path of a multicore fiber in which a plurality of optical paths are arranged in a first clad in the same clad is converted into a plurality of optical paths arranged in a second arrangement. An optical connector, in the first arrangement, each stage in which at least one optical path is arranged in a predetermined direction is arranged over N stages, and in the second arrangement, at least one optical path is arranged in a predetermined direction. A plurality of optical fibers that are arranged over M stages (where N and M are natural numbers and satisfy N> M), and are optically coupled to the optical paths of the multi-core fiber; A first end that is disposed on the multi-core fiber side and that has one end of each of the plurality of optical fibers arranged in the first array is disposed on a side opposite to the first end, and the other end of the plurality of optical fibers. Arrange the end or the middle to be the second array A second end portion, a space portion positioned between the first and second ends such that the plurality of optical fibers extend from the first end portion toward the second end portion, and a space portion And an alignment section that aligns the plurality of optical fibers extending from the second end so as to have N stages.

  In this optical connector, a space is formed between the first and second ends, and the optical fiber extending from the second end is the same as the fiber arrangement at the first end. An alignment portion is arranged to align in N stages. In this case, the presence of the space portion makes it difficult for the optical fiber extending from the second end portion to be twisted. In addition, since the alignment portion is provided, the optical fiber can be guided to the first end portion after the optical fibers are aligned in advance.

  In the above optical connector, the interval between the stages of the plurality of optical fibers in the alignment portion may be larger than the interval between the stages in the first array. In this case, since the intervals between the optical fiber stages in the alignment portion are larger than those in the first arrangement, the optical fiber alignment operation in the alignment portion can be easily performed.

  In the above optical connector, the first end portion has an arrangement region in which a plurality of optical fibers are arranged in the first arrangement, and a gap is provided between the arrangement region and the tip of the alignment portion. The intervals between the stages of the plurality of optical fibers in the section may be converted into the intervals between the stages in the first array in the gap. In this case, when the optical fiber extending from the tip of the alignment portion is introduced into the first end portion having a narrower array region (for example, an inner hole), the optical fiber may be brought closer to the inside due to the presence of the gap. It becomes possible, and it becomes possible to easily introduce the optical fiber extending from the front end of the alignment portion into the arrangement region of the first end portion without bending. Thereby, the optical characteristic at the time of converting the some optical path of a multi-core fiber into another arrangement | sequence can be maintained in a still more favorable state.

  In the above optical connector, the alignment portion may be fixed to the first end portion, and the first end portion may have a taper in at least a part of the region facing the gap. In this case, the optical fibers aligned at the alignment portion can be easily introduced into the first end portion having a smaller diameter by using the taper without changing the fiber arrangement.

  In the above optical connector, the alignment section may have a plurality of through holes for aligning the optical fibers, and the thickness between the through holes may be smaller than the inner diameter of the through holes. In this case, it becomes difficult to destroy the fiber array aligned in the alignment part, and it becomes easy to introduce the optical fiber into the first end without destroying the fiber array aligned in the alignment part.

  In the above optical connector, the space portion includes a first arrangement at the first end portion and a second arrangement at the second end portion in a direction orthogonal to the opposing direction of the first end portion and the second end portion. A space larger than each width of the array may be defined. In this case, twisting of the optical fiber extending from the second end can be more reliably prevented.

[Details of the embodiment of the present invention]
Specific examples of the optical connector according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited to these illustrations, is shown by the claim, and it is intended that all the changes are included within the meaning and range equivalent to the claim.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector shown in FIG. FIG. 1 also shows a multi-core fiber 3 (hereinafter referred to as “MCF 3”) connected to the optical connector 1 and a rectangular single-core ferrule 5. The MCF 3 is held and fixed at the center of the rectangular single-core ferrule 5 by a rectangular parallelepiped rectangular single-core ferrule 5 so that the tip of the MCF 3 is exposed to the optical connector 1 side. In the MCF 3, a plurality of cores (optical paths) are arranged in a predetermined arrangement (first arrangement) in the same cladding, with two cores in the upper stage, three cores in the middle stage, and two cores in the lower stage. ing. That is, in the MCF 3, a plurality of cores are arranged in three upper and lower stages.

  The optical connector 1 is an optical component that converts each core of the MCF 3 arranged over a plurality of stages (N stages) into a core arrangement (second arrangement) having a smaller number of stages (M stages) than the MCF 3 and a different arrangement. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first end 10, the second end 20, a plurality of built-in optical fibers 30 (seven optical fibers in this embodiment), an alignment sleeve 40, and A pair of alignment pins 50 is provided. As shown in FIG. 1, one end of the optical connector 1 (on the MCF 3 side) can be optically connected to a rectangular single-core ferrule 5 that holds the MCF 3. That is, one end of the plurality of optical fibers 30 can be optically coupled to each core of the MCF 3 on the first end 10 side of the optical connector 1. On the other hand, on the second end 20 side (outer surface 20a) of the optical connector 1, the other ends of the plurality of optical fibers 30 can be optically coupled to a plurality of single core fibers (not shown).

  The first end portion 10 is arranged on the MCF 3 side, and fixes and fixes one end of the plurality of optical fibers 30 so as to be in the same arrangement as the core arrangement in the MCF 3 and in a plurality of upper and lower three stages. It is a member (see FIG. 5). The first end portion 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped main body portion 12 and a ferrule 14 that is held and fixed in the main body portion 12. The main body 12 is formed of a resin having a small linear expansion coefficient, such as PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) resin or PEI (polyetherimide) resin. The ferrule 14 has an outer surface 14 a on one end side that coincides with the outer surface 12 a on one end side of the main body portion 12, and the other end side from the inner surface 12 b on the other end side of the main body portion 12 toward the second end portion 20. It is being fixed to the main-body part 12 so that it may protrude.

  The ferrule 14 is a hollow cylindrical holding member formed of, for example, zirconia or the like, and holds a plurality of optical fibers 30 in a predetermined arrangement that is the same arrangement as the core arrangement in the MCF 3. The ferrule 14 has one holding through-hole 16 (arrangement region), and the plurality of optical fibers 30 are introduced into the through-hole 16 so as to have a predetermined arrangement, and are held and fixed. As an example of the arrangement of the plurality of optical fibers 30 in the through-hole 16, FIG. 5 illustrates an arrangement of two upper and lower stages, two upper stages, three middle stages, and two lower stages. It is not necessarily limited, and it may be a plurality of stages corresponding to the arrangement of MCF3. Further, in the arrangement shown in FIG. 5, the optical fibers 30 are also arranged in a triangular lattice pattern, in which one fiber is arranged at the center and six fibers are arranged at intervals of 60 ° around it. It also becomes. The optical fibers 30 disposed in the through holes 16 are held so as to be parallel to each other.

  The second end portion 20 is disposed on the connection side with the single core fiber that is opposite to the first end portion 10, and the other ends of the plurality of optical fibers 30 are fewer in number than the first end portion 10. This is a member that is arranged and fixed so as to be one stage (second arrangement) (see FIG. 8). The second end portion 20 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and is formed of a resin such as a PPS resin or a PEI resin. The second end portion 20 has a plurality of through holes 22 having an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the optical fiber 30.

  A plurality of through holes 22 extend along the facing direction of the first end portion 10 and the second end portion 20, and a plurality of through holes 22 are formed so as to be arranged in order in a direction orthogonal to the through direction. Each through-hole 22 is mutually parallel. The optical fiber 30 is introduced into each through-hole 22, and the other end of the optical fiber 30 is arranged and fixed in the through-hole 22 so as to extend to the outer surface 20 a on the other end side of the second end portion 20. By such arrangement and fixation, the other ends of the optical fibers 30 are arranged and fixed so as to be parallel to each other in a single line, that is, in a one-dimensional manner, as shown in FIG. Thereby, it arranges so that it may become one stage which is the number of stages smaller than the 1st end part 10.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the other end of the optical fiber 30 is coincident with the outer surface 20a of the second end portion 20 is illustrated, but the optical fiber 30 is further outside from the outer surface 20a of the second end portion 20. As a configuration that extends to the center, a pigtail optical connector may be used. In this case, the second end portion 20 is arranged and fixed so that the middle portion of the optical fiber 30 has a smaller number of steps (one step) than the first end portion 10.

  Further, the first end portion 10 and the second end portion 20 are provided with through holes 11 and 21 in which the alignment pins 50 are disposed on both sides. By arranging the alignment pins 50 in the through holes 11 and 21, the relative positional relationship between the first end portion 10 and the second end portion 20 is defined. A space 60 is formed between the first end 10 and the second end 20 that are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance via the alignment pin 50. The space portion 60 has an array width W1 on the one end side of the optical fiber 30 at the first end portion 10 and a second width in the lateral direction orthogonal to the direction in which the first end portion 10 and the second end portion 20 face each other. This is a region having a lateral width larger than any of the arrangement width W2 on the other end side of the optical fiber 30 at the end portion 20. The alignment pin 50 extends further outward from the first end 10 and is also fitted into the through hole 7 of the square single-core ferrule 5 that holds the MCF 3, so that the optical connector 1 and the square single-core ferrule are fitted. 5 is defined, and both are fixed by a clip member or the like.

  As described above, the optical fiber 30 is a single-core built-in optical fiber that can be optically coupled to each core of the MCF 3 at one end and optically coupled to the core of the single-core fiber at the other end. One end of the optical fiber 30 is held and fixed by the first end 10, and the other end is held and fixed by the second end 20. In the present embodiment, the optical connector 1 includes the seven optical fibers 30, but the number of the optical fibers 30 only needs to be plural, and the number of the optical fibers 30 is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of optical fibers 30 has a plurality of stages such as two in the upper stage, three in the middle stage, and two in the lower stage, as shown in FIG. 5, on the first end 10 side. While being arranged in a two-dimensional manner, details will be described later, but the two-dimensional shape is eliminated toward the second end portion 20 side so that the two-dimensional shape spreads in a one-dimensional shape. As shown in FIG. 8, the array is converted into one row, that is, one-dimensional, on the second end portion 20 side.

  The alignment sleeve 40 is a cylindrical member made of nickel or the like, for example, and the optical fibers 30 arranged one-dimensionally on the second end 20 side are arranged two-dimensionally on the first end 10 side. The optical fiber 30 is introduced into the through hole 16 of the ferrule 14 without destroying the aligned fiber array. The alignment sleeve 40 has a plurality of (seven in this embodiment) through holes 42 for alignment of the optical fibers 30, and the number of through holes 42 corresponds to the number of the optical fibers 30. Yes. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the through-holes 42 of the alignment sleeve 40 have a total of seven holes, two in the upper stage, three in the middle stage, and two in the lower stage. The arrangement of the through holes 42 is a triangular lattice-like arrangement corresponding to the arrangement of the optical fibers 30 in the ferrule 14 of the first end portion 10 (that is, the core arrangement of the MCF 3). And six through-holes 42 are arranged at intervals of 60 °. The through holes 42 are formed in a straight shape from one end to the other end of the alignment sleeve 40, and the optical fibers 30 are arranged and arranged in the through holes 42.

  Further, the alignment sleeve 40 has a tapered tip at the first end 10 side (see FIG. 4). The tapered portion 44 enters the other end side of the ferrule 14 of the first end portion 10 and is fixed to the ferrule 14 by the fixing member 48. The other end side of the alignment sleeve 40 is a free end.

  With such a configuration, in the optical connector 1, the plurality of optical fibers 30 can be fanned out (so-called fan-out) from the first end portion 10 side toward the second end portion 20 side. Each core of MCF3 in which a plurality of cores are arranged in a predetermined arrangement in the clad can be converted into an arrangement different from the core arrangement of MCF3.

  Here, the configuration in which the optical fiber 30 introduced into the alignment sleeve 40 is introduced into the ferrule 14 without breaking the fiber arrangement will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 3, some components are removed or cut away to make it easy to understand the conversion of the arrangement state of the optical fibers.

  First, the optical fiber 30 introduced into the through hole 42 of the alignment sleeve 40 will be described. The alignment sleeve 40 is formed with a plurality of through holes 42 that are separated from each other, and the optical fibers 30 are disposed in the through holes 42. That is, the center distances D1 and D2 (see FIG. 6) of each stage of the plurality of optical fibers 30 in the alignment sleeve 40 are the center distances D3 of each stage of the optical fibers 30 in the cores of the MCF 3 and the through holes 16 of the ferrule 14. , D4 (see FIG. 5).

  Further, as described above, a tapered portion 44 that tapers toward the ferrule 14 is formed at the tip of the alignment sleeve 40. On the other hand, the ferrule 14 is formed with an insertion port 18 having a taper corresponding to the taper portion 44, and the taper portion 44 and a part of the insertion port 18 come into contact with each other and are fixed by a fixing member 48. The alignment sleeve 40 and the ferrule 14 are fixed to each other.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 4, the optical connector 1 is configured such that the tip of the alignment sleeve 40 does not reach the through hole 16 of the ferrule 14, and the tapered portion 44 at the tip of the alignment sleeve 40 and the ferrule 14 A gap 46 is formed between the through hole 16 that fixes the optical fiber 30. The gap 46 is an area defined by the tapered insertion port 18 and the through hole 16 of the ferrule 14 and the tip of the alignment sleeve 40. In other words, the tapered insertion port 18 of the ferrule 14 is a region facing the gap 46.

  In the optical connector 1, by providing such a tapered gap 46, the plurality of optical fibers 30 aligned by the alignment sleeve 40 so as to have the center distances D1 and D2 can be obtained without destroying the fiber arrangement. It can be introduced as it is into the through holes 16 of the ferrule 14 having a smaller diameter so as to have the center intervals D3 and D4. With such a configuration, the intervals D1 and D2 of each stage of the plurality of optical fibers 30 are reduced and converted into the intervals D3 and D4 in the gap 46. Specifically, when the optical fiber 30 disposed in the through-hole 42 located outside the alignment sleeve 40 is to be introduced into the through-hole 16 of the ferrule 14, the tip of the optical fiber 30 extending from the alignment sleeve 40. Is guided inward along the taper surface of the insertion port 18 and can be introduced into the through-hole 16 by natural movement, so that the taper arrangement can be maintained. Although FIG. 4 illustrates the case of the through hole 42 in the middle stage of the alignment sleeve 40, the same guidance is performed in the through holes 42 in the upper stage and the lower stage.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the through holes 42 of the alignment sleeve 40 are formed so as to be separated from each other by a distance D6 smaller than the inner diameter D5 when the inner diameter of each through hole 42 is D5. That is, the wall thickness D6 between the through holes 42 is considerably smaller than the inner diameter D5 of the through holes 42. As described above, in the alignment sleeve 40, in addition to the guidance by the tapered surface described above, the distance between the adjacent through holes 42 is reduced, so that the degree of freedom of movement of the optical fiber 30 held by the alignment sleeve 40 is increased. In this way, the optical fiber 30 can be introduced into the through hole 16 of the ferrule 14 without breaking the fiber arrangement.

  As described above, in the optical connector 1, the space 60 is formed between the first end 10 and the second end 20, and the optical fiber 30 extending from the second end 20 is inserted into the space 60. An alignment sleeve 40 is provided that aligns to correspond to the fiber array at the first end 10. Due to the presence of the space portion 60, in the optical connector 1, the optical fiber 30 extending from the inner surface 20 b of the second end portion 20 is not easily twisted. That is, in the optical connector 1, it is suppressed that the optical fibers 30 cross each other, and the optical characteristics when each core of the MCF 3 is converted into another arrangement can be favorably maintained. Further, since the alignment sleeve 40 is provided, in the optical connector 1, the optical fiber 30 can be guided to the first end portion 10 after the optical fiber 30 is aligned in advance.

  Furthermore, by providing the alignment sleeve 40, in the optical connector 1, the fiber arrangement on the first end portion 10 side (see FIG. 5) and the fiber arrangement on the second end portion 20 side (see FIG. 8) are desired. It is easy to set the correspondence. In particular, when the space 60 is provided to prevent twisting of the optical fiber 30, the correspondence between the fiber arrangements in the first end 10 and the second end 20 can be easily set as described above. It becomes easy to manufacture the optical connector 1.

  Further, in the optical connector 1, the intervals D1 and D2 of each stage of the plurality of optical fibers 30 in the alignment sleeve 40 are larger than the intervals D3 and D4 of each stage in the core arrangement at the MCF 3 or the first end portion 10. Yes. For this reason, the optical fiber 30 can be easily aligned with the alignment sleeve 40 (for example, fiber insertion into the through hole 42).

  In the optical connector 1, a gap 46 is provided between the through-hole 16 of the ferrule 14 that fixes the optical fiber 30 and the tip of the alignment sleeve 40, and each stage of the plurality of optical fibers 30 in the alignment sleeve 40 is provided. The intervals D1 and D2 are converted into the intervals D3 and D4 of each stage in the core arrangement at the gap 46 in the core arrangement at the MCF3 or the first end portion 10. Therefore, when the optical fiber 30 extending from the tip of the alignment sleeve 40 is introduced into the through-hole 16 having a narrower inner hole, the optical fiber 30 can be brought closer to the inside due to the presence of the gap 46. The optical fiber 30 extending from the tip of the alignment sleeve 40 can be easily introduced into the through hole 16 of the ferrule 14 without being bent. Thereby, the optical characteristic at the time of converting the several core of MCF3 into another arrangement | sequence can be maintained in a still more favorable state.

  In the optical connector 1, the space portion 60 includes the fiber array and the second end portion in the first end portion 10 in the width direction orthogonal to the opposing direction of the first end portion 10 and the second end portion 20. A space having a width larger than each of the widths W1 and W2 of the fiber array is defined. Since the space portion 60 in which the optical fiber 30 is disposed is sufficiently wide in this way, it becomes possible to more reliably prevent twisting of the optical fiber 30 extending from the second end portion 20. Since the space 60 is not filled with a resin or the like that can apply pressure to the optical fiber 30, the twist of the optical fiber 30 can be more reliably prevented in this respect.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be applied. For example, in the above-described embodiment, each optical fiber 30 incorporated in the optical connector 1 has been described as independent, but some of the optical fibers 30 among the plurality of optical fibers 30 are arranged according to the stage in which they are arranged. You may make it tape and put it together. In this case, the introduction work to the alignment sleeve 40, the ferrule 14 and the like can be easily performed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the ferrule 14 and the alignment sleeve 40 are exposed to the outside. However, a lid that covers the ferrule 14 and the alignment sleeve 40 may be provided to seal the inside of the optical connector. . In this case, it is possible to prevent dust from entering the optical connector.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical connector, 3 ... MCF, 10 ... 1st edge part, 14 ... Ferrule, 16 ... Through-hole, 18 ... Insertion port, 20 ... 2nd edge part, 30 ... Optical fiber, 40 ... Alignment sleeve, 42 ... through hole, 44 ... taper part, 46 ... gap, 60 ... space part, D1 to D4 ... center interval, D5 ... inner diameter, D6 ... separation distance, W1, W2 ... arrangement width.

Claims (6)

An optical connector for rearranging each optical path of a multi-core fiber in which a plurality of optical paths are arranged in a first arrangement in the same cladding into a plurality of optical paths arranged in a second arrangement,
In the first arrangement, each stage in which at least one optical path is arranged in a predetermined direction is arranged over N stages,
In the second arrangement, each stage in which at least one optical path is arranged in a predetermined direction is arranged over M stages (however, N and M are natural numbers and N> M is satisfied).
A plurality of optical fibers that can be optically coupled to each optical path of the multi-core fiber;
A first end portion disposed on the multi-core fiber side, wherein one end of the plurality of optical fibers is disposed to be in the first arrangement;
A second end disposed on the opposite side of the first end, and disposed at the other end of the plurality of optical fibers or in the middle thereof in the second array;
A space that is positioned between the first and second ends such that the plurality of optical fibers extend from the first end toward the second end;
An alignment portion that is arranged in the space and aligns the plurality of optical fibers extending from the second end so as to be in the N-stage;
An optical connector.   2. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein an interval between each stage of the plurality of optical fibers in the alignment unit is larger than an interval between each stage in the first array. The first end portion has an array region in which the plurality of optical fibers are in the first array, and a gap is provided between the array region and the tip of the alignment unit,
3. The optical connector according to claim 1, wherein an interval between each stage of the plurality of optical fibers in the alignment unit is converted into an interval between each stage in the first array in the gap.   The optical connector according to claim 3, wherein the alignment portion is fixed to the first end portion, and the first end portion has a taper in at least a part of a region facing the gap. . The alignment portion has a plurality of through holes for aligning the optical fibers;
The optical connector as described in any one of Claims 1-4 whose thickness between the said through-holes is thinner than the internal diameter of the said through-hole.   The space portion includes the first array at the first end portion and the second at the second end portion in a direction orthogonal to the facing direction of the first end portion and the second end portion. The optical connector as described in any one of Claims 1-5 which defines the space larger than each width | variety of this arrangement | sequence.

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