JP2018189998A - Optical fiber connector and connection method of optical fiber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical fiber connector facilitating operation to connect an optical fiber by eliminating coating removal operation.SOLUTION: An optical fiber connector 10 comprises: a pair of elements 2, 3 sandwiching a pair of optical fibers 1, 1; and a pair of coating removing parts 5 removing coating of the optical fiber 1 to be a bare optical fiber. The elements 2, 3 include a guide part which guides the optical fiber 1 into the coating removing part 5 while regulating movement in a radial direction. An end part lid 33 has an extended portion between a coating grip lid 32 and a base member 2. The coating grip lid 32 has a recess part receiving the extended portion. A first positioning projection part 21a is projected and formed on an opposite surface 20 of the base member 2. The first positioning projection part 21a has inner side faces respectively facing both outer faces of the end part lid 33.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to an optical fiber connector used for butt connection of optical fibers and an optical fiber connection method.

  As an optical fiber connector, it has a split structure consisting of a pair of elements, optical fibers inserted from both ends are aligned and butt-connected, and the optical fiber is sandwiched between the elements by a clamp spring and connected The thing of the structure which maintains a state is provided (refer patent document 1).

11 and 12 show an example of a conventional optical fiber connector. This optical fiber connector holds the base member 102 and the lid portion 103 inside the clamp portion 104. An alignment groove 120c and a guide groove 120b having a larger groove width than the alignment groove 120c are formed on the upper surface of the base member 102 (the surface facing the lid portion 103). The guide groove 120b is formed on one end side and the other end side of the alignment groove 120c.
The lid 103 includes a central lid 131 and two covering and gripping lids 132 provided on both ends of the central lid 131.
The central lid 131 is overlaid on the portion of the base member 102 corresponding to the alignment groove 120c, and the two covering grip lids 132 are overlaid on the portion of the base member 102 corresponding to the guide groove 120b.
As shown in FIG. 12, this optical fiber connector can hold and fix the optical fibers 1 and 1 butt-connected between the base member 102 and the lid portion 103 by the elasticity of the clamp portion 104 made of a leaf spring.
The exposed bare optical fiber 14 of the optical fiber 1 is gripped between the base member 102 and the central lid 131, and the portion where the coating 12 is formed is gripped between the base member 102 and the coating grip lid 132. .

When connecting the optical fiber 1 using this optical fiber connector, the coating 12 at the tip of the optical fiber 1 is removed in advance, and the bare optical fiber 14 is exposed.
In a state in which the wedge member 106 is inserted between the base member 102 and the lid 103 and the gap is pushed wide, the optical fibers 1 are respectively inserted from the ends of the covering and gripping lid 132, and the bare optical fiber is inserted in the alignment groove 120c. 14 ends are connected to each other.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-297242

However, in the conventional optical fiber connector, it is necessary to remove the coating 12 at the tip of the optical fiber 1 before connecting the optical fiber 1, so that there are many work steps and the operation becomes complicated.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an optical fiber connector and an optical fiber connection method that can facilitate the operation for connecting an optical fiber without requiring a coating removal operation.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides the following configuration.
One embodiment of the present invention is a pair of coating removals in which a pair of optical fibers sandwiched between a pair of optical fibers and a pair of optical fibers inserted between the elements are removed to form bare optical fibers. And a clamp part for gripping and fixing a butt portion of the bare optical fibers whose coatings have been removed by the coating removal part between the elements, and the coating removal part is provided after the insertion direction of the optical fiber. A taper cylindrical ring-shaped blade portion projecting toward the side, and at least one of the elements, the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element is removed from the coating while restricting radial movement A guide portion which is a groove portion or a hole portion leading to a portion is formed, one of the pair of elements is a base member, the other is a lid body facing the base member, and the lid body is A central lid for sandwiching a butted portion of the bare optical fiber with the base member; a covering grip lid provided on both ends of the central lid for sandwiching the optical fiber coating with the base member; and An end lid provided on each of both ends of the covering grip lid, and the guide portion is formed between the end lid and a base member of a portion facing the end lid, and the element The optical fibers inserted from both ends of the optical fiber are guided between the covering grip cover and the base member, and the clamp portion faces the central cover and the covering grip cover, and the central cover and the covering grip cover. The end cover includes a portion extending between the covering grip cover and the base member, and the covering grip cover receives the extended portion. Concave formed A pair of first positioning projections are formed on the opposing surface of the base member facing the lid, and the pair of first positioning projections are formed on both outer surfaces of the end lid, respectively. An optical fiber connector having opposing inner surfaces is provided.

In the optical fiber connector, first side recesses having the outer side surfaces are formed on both side surfaces of the end cover, respectively.
The pair of first positioning protrusions are preferably fitted into the first side surface recess.

  In the optical fiber connector, second side recesses are formed on both side surfaces of the end lid in different positions in the direction of the guide portion with respect to the first side recess, and the lid of the base member It is preferable that a pair of second positioning projections that respectively fit in the second side recesses protrude from the opposing surface facing the body.

  In the optical fiber connector, it is preferable that third side concave portions are formed on both side surfaces of the covering grip lid, and a part of the second positioning convex portion is fitted into the third side concave portion.

  It is preferable that an alignment groove for positioning the end of the bare optical fiber so as to be abutted and connected can be formed in the base member of the central lid or a portion facing the center lid.

  It is preferable that the said coating removal part has the plate-shaped blade part protruded in the multiple places of the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the said annular blade part.

  One embodiment of the present invention is a pair of coating removals in which a pair of optical fibers sandwiched between a pair of optical fibers and a pair of optical fibers inserted between the elements are removed to form bare optical fibers. And a clamp part for gripping and fixing a butt portion of the bare optical fibers whose coatings have been removed by the coating removal part between the elements, and the coating removal part is provided after the insertion direction of the optical fiber. A taper cylindrical ring-shaped blade portion projecting toward the side, and at least one of the elements, the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element is removed from the coating while restricting radial movement A guide portion which is a groove portion or a hole portion leading to a portion is formed, one of the pair of elements is a base member, the other is a lid body facing the base member, and the lid body is A central lid for sandwiching a butted portion of the bare optical fiber with the base member; a covering grip lid provided on both ends of the central lid for sandwiching the optical fiber coating with the base member; and An end lid provided on both ends of the covering grip lid, and the guide portion is formed between the end lid and a base member of a portion facing the end lid, The optical fibers inserted from both ends are guided between the covering grip lid and the base member, and the clamp portion faces the central lid and the covering grip lid, and the central lid and the covering grip lid. The end cover has a portion extending between the covering grip cover and the base member, and the covering grip cover has a recess for receiving the extended portion. Is formed and said A pair of first positioning projections are formed on the opposite surface of the sleeve member facing the lid, and the pair of first positioning projections are opposed to both outer surfaces of the end lid, respectively. An optical fiber connector having an inner side surface, and the pair of optical fibers are connected to each other from both ends of the element through the guide portions with the central lid, the covering grip lid, and the base member opened. The coating is removed by guiding to the coating removal unit, the bare optical fibers from which the coating has been removed are butt-connected, and then the central lid, the coating gripping lid, and the base member are closed by the clamp unit, and the butt portion is An optical fiber connection method for holding and fixing between the elements is provided.

One embodiment of the present invention is a pair of coating removals in which a pair of optical fibers sandwiched between a pair of optical fibers and a pair of optical fibers inserted between the elements are removed to form bare optical fibers. And a clamp part for gripping and fixing a butt portion of the bare optical fibers whose coatings have been removed by the coating removal part between the elements, and the coating removal part is provided after the insertion direction of the optical fiber. A taper cylindrical ring-shaped blade portion projecting toward the side, and at least one of the elements, the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element is removed from the coating while restricting radial movement An optical fiber connector in which a guide part which is a groove part or a hole part leading to the part is formed.
One of the pair of elements is a base member, and the other is a lid that faces the base member, and the lid includes a central lid that sandwiches a butted portion of the bare optical fiber with the base member, A coating grip lid provided on both ends of the central lid and sandwiching the coating of the optical fiber with the base member, and the guide portion includes the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element. It is preferable to guide between the covering grip lid and the base member.
The lid includes end lids provided on both ends of the covering grip lid, and the guide portion is formed between the end lid and a base member at a portion facing the end lid. It is preferable.
It is preferable that an alignment groove for positioning the end of the bare optical fiber so as to be abutted and connected can be formed in the base member of the central lid or a portion facing the center lid.
In the covering and gripping lid, it is preferable that the length of the optical fiber in the length direction of the portion where the optical fiber is sandwiched between the base member is 1 to 3 mm.
It is preferable that the said coating removal part has the plate-shaped blade part protruded in the multiple places of the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the said annular blade part.

  One embodiment of the present invention is a pair of coating removals in which a pair of optical fibers sandwiched between a pair of optical fibers and a pair of optical fibers inserted between the elements are removed to form bare optical fibers. And a clamp portion (13) for gripping and fixing the butted portions of the bare optical fibers whose coatings have been removed by the coating removing unit between the elements, the coating removing unit inserting the optical fiber A taper-cylindrical annular blade portion that projects in a tapered manner toward the rear side of the direction, and the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element is restricted at least in one of the elements while restricting radial movement. Using an optical fiber connector in which a guide part which is a groove or a hole leading to the sheath removal part is formed, the pair of optical fibers are respectively connected to both ends of the element from the guide part. Then, the light is guided to the coating removal portion to remove the coating, the bare optical fibers from which the coating has been removed are butt-connected, and then the elements are closed by the clamp portion, and the butt portion is held and fixed between the elements. Provide a fiber connection method.

  The optical fiber connector is a pair of coating removals that removes a pair of elements sandwiching a pair of optical fibers to be butt-connected and a pair of optical fibers inserted between the elements to form a bare optical fiber. And a clamp part for gripping and fixing a butt portion of the bare optical fibers whose coatings have been removed by the coating removal part between the elements, and the coating removal part is provided after the insertion direction of the optical fiber. A taper cylindrical ring-shaped blade portion projecting toward the side, and at least one of the elements, the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element is removed from the coating while restricting radial movement A guide portion that is a groove portion or a hole portion that leads to a portion is formed, one of the pair of elements is a base member, and the other is a lid that faces the base member, and the lid A center lid that sandwiches the butted portion of the bare optical fiber with the base member; and a covering grip lid that is provided on both ends of the center lid and sandwiches the coating of the optical fiber with the base member. An end lid provided on each of both ends of the covering grip lid, and the guide portion is formed between the end lid and a base member of a portion facing the end lid, The optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element is guided between the covering and holding base and the base member, and the clamp portion includes the central cover and the covering and holding cover, and the central cover and the covering and holding cover. And a pair of first positioning projections are formed on the opposing surface of the base member facing the lid, and the pair of first positioning projections are The end Both the outer surface may be configured to each have an inner surface that faces.

  The optical fiber connector includes a pair of elements that sandwich a pair of optical fibers that are inserted from both ends and butt-connected, and a coating of the pair of optical fibers that is inserted between the pair of elements to remove bare light. A pair of sheath removal portions to be fibers, and a clamp portion for gripping and fixing the butted portions of the bare optical fibers whose sheaths have been removed by the sheath removal portion between the elements, the pair of elements, The pair of optical fibers are respectively inserted, and can be opened and closed with the pair of guide portions that are grooves or holes leading to the pair of coating removal portions while restricting the radial movement of each optical fiber. A first holding and fixing portion for holding and fixing the butted portion of the bare fiber after the coating removal by the pair of coating removing portions; A pair of second gripping fixing parts for gripping and fixing the covering portions of the pair of optical fibers each gripping and fixing the abutting part by the first gripping fixing part, and the pair of second gripping fixing parts in each of the pair of second gripping fixing parts The dimension in the optical fiber longitudinal direction of the portion in contact with the optical fiber is set to a length that does not cause buckling of each optical fiber, and the coating removal portion is a window hole that penetrates in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber to be inserted. And an optical fiber insertion hole into which the optical fiber is inserted, a bare optical fiber insertion hole that is opposed to the optical fiber insertion hole and the window hole, and tapers toward the rear side in the optical fiber insertion direction. An annular blade formed in the shape of a projecting taper cylinder and formed around the bare optical fiber insertion hole, and in the outer periphery of the annular blade, the penetrating direction of the window hole and the optical fiber A pair of main plate-like blade portions projecting in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and a pair of sub-plate-like blades projecting in the penetration direction of the window hole on the outer periphery of the annular blade portion, Also good.

According to the present invention, since the coating removal portion having the annular blade portion is provided, the coating can be removed from the inserted optical fiber to obtain a bare optical fiber. This eliminates the need to previously remove the coating on the tip of the optical fiber, thereby improving the connection workability.
When the optical fiber is butt-connected, the optical fiber is inserted with a gap secured between the elements. If a strong pressing force is applied to the optical fiber to remove the coating, the optical fiber is likely to buckle. Since the movement of the optical fiber in the radial direction is restricted by the portion, buckling of the optical fiber is prevented.

It is a perspective view showing the whole optical fiber connector of one embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of an optical fiber connector. It is a top view of the base member in an optical fiber connector. It is sectional drawing of an optical fiber connector. It is a perspective view of a coating removal part. It is sectional drawing of a coating removal part. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which inserted the wedge member in the optical fiber connector. The optical fiber connection method is shown, (a) is a plan view of a base member showing a state in which one optical fiber is pushed in, (b) is a base member showing a state in which the other optical fiber is pushed in following (a). FIG. It is a perspective view of the partially broken state which shows the modification of a coating removal part. (A) It is a side view of a coating removal part. (B) It is the II sectional view taken on the line of the coating removal part of (a). It is a disassembled perspective view which shows an example of the conventional optical fiber connector. It is sectional drawing which shows the optical fiber connector of a previous figure.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the illustrated embodiments. 1 to 7 show an optical fiber connector 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the optical fiber connector 10 includes a base member 2 and a lid 3 that sandwich a pair of optical fibers 1 and 1 to be butt-connected, and an optical fiber 1 inserted between them. And a clamp portion 4 that holds and fixes the butted portion between the optical fibers 1 and 1 between the base member 2 and the lid 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the base member 2 (base-side element) has a flat facing surface 20 that faces the lid 3.
The lid 3 (lid side element) includes a central lid 31, two covering grip covers 32 on both ends of the central cover 31, and two end covers 33 on both ends of the covering grip cover 32. These are provided so as to be superposed on the base member 2 in a side-by-side state.

A plurality of support convex portions 21 (21a, 21b, 21c) for positioning the lid 3 with respect to the base member 2 are formed on the base member 2 so as to protrude from the facing surface 20 at intervals in the length direction. ing.
The support convex portion 21 includes a first support convex portion 21a at both ends of the base member 2, a second support convex portion 21b provided on the inner side in the length direction of the base member 2 than the first support convex portion 21a, The third support convex portion 21c is further provided on the inner side in the length direction with respect to the second support convex portion 21b.

The first support protrusions 21 a are provided on both sides of the base member 2, and the end cover 33 is positioned by fitting into a concave one side end 33 h formed on the side surface of the end cover 33. To do.
The second support protrusions 21b are provided on both side portions of the base member 2, respectively, and the concave other end portion 33i formed on the side surface of the end cover 33, and the side surface of the covering grip cover 32 adjacent thereto. These are positioned by fitting into the concave one side end portion 32h.
The end cover 33 is in a state in which the movement of the base member 2 in the length direction is restricted by positioning both ends by the first support protrusion 21a and the second support protrusion 21b.

The third support convex portion 21c is formed by fitting the concave other side end portion 32i formed on the side surface of the covering and gripping lid 32 and the concave end portions 31h at both ends of the side surface of the central lid 31 into the covering gripping lid. The other end 32 i of 32 and the end 31 h of the central lid 31 are positioned.
The third support protrusion 21c is provided only on one side of the base member 2, and the hinge protrusion 22 is formed on the side of the base member 2 where the third support protrusion 21c is not formed. ing.

A hinge recess 34 (see FIG. 7) corresponding to the hinge projection 22 is formed in the central lid 31 and the covering grip lid 32. When the hinge convex portion 22 engages with the hinge concave portion 34, the central lid 31 and the covering grip lid 32 can be rotated with the hinge convex portion 22 as a fulcrum.
The central lid 31 and the covering grip lid 32 can be rotated in the opening direction with respect to the base member 2 by inserting the wedge member 6 (see FIG. 7).

As shown in FIG. 4, groove portions 32 b and 33 b made of V grooves, U grooves, round grooves, and the like are formed along the length direction on the facing surface 32 a of the covering grip lid 32 and the facing surface 33 a of the end lid 33. Has been.
The groove portions 32b and 33b are formed to communicate with each other in the length direction.
The groove part 33b of the end cover 33 is somewhat deeper than the groove part 32b of the covering and gripping cover 32, so that the friction with the optical fiber 1 is reduced in the groove part 33b and the optical fiber 1 is smoothly inserted in the direction of insertion. It is possible to move.

As shown in FIG. 2, groove portions 20 b such as V grooves, U grooves, and round grooves are formed on the facing surface 20 of the base member 2 at positions facing the groove portions 32 b and 33 b of the covering grip lid 32 and the end cover 33. Has been.
The groove 20b of the base member 2 and the groove 32b of the covering and gripping lid 32 form an introduction path 24 through which the optical fiber 1 is inserted. The length L1 is a dimension in the length direction of the optical fiber 1 in the introduction path 24, and is a length dimension of a portion that sandwiches the optical fiber 1 (a portion where the groove 32b is formed).

The groove portion 20 b of the base member 2 and the groove portion 33 b of the end lid 33 form a guide hole 28 (guide portion) for introducing the optical fiber 1 into the introduction path 24.
The guide hole 28 prevents buckling of the optical fiber 1 when the optical fiber 1 is attached and connected, and is a hole through which the optical fiber 1 from which the coating 12 is not removed is inserted.
The depths of the grooves 20b and 33b constituting the guide hole 28 can restrict the movement of the optical fiber 1 in the radial direction so as not to cause buckling of the optical fiber 1 and do not hinder the smooth insertion of the optical fiber 1. Is set.

  The base member 2 and the end cover 33 are formed with an insertion port 25 made of a recess tapered toward the guide hole 28 so that the optical fiber 1 can be easily inserted into the guide hole 28. Can be done.

In the optical fiber connector 10, the buckling prevention effect can be enhanced by shortening the length L1 of the introduction path 24 shown in FIG.
The length L1 is preferably 1 to 3 mm. By setting the length L1 within this range, the optical fiber 1 disposed in the introduction path 24 can be shortened, so that buckling of the optical fiber 1 can be reliably prevented.
If the length L1 of the introduction path 24 is too short, the gripping force when gripping and fixing the optical fiber 1 is reduced. However, if the length L1 is within the above range, a sufficient gripping force by the covering gripping lid 32 is obtained. be able to.

On the opposing surface 20 of the base member 2, an alignment groove 20c made of a V-groove, U-groove, round groove or the like is formed.
The alignment groove 20c positions and aligns the bare optical fibers 14 and 14 to be butt-connected with high accuracy.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 7, the clamp portion 4 is made of, for example, a thin metal plate, and extends from the both sides of the back plate portion 4 a and the back plate portion 4 a over the entire length in the longitudinal direction of the back plate portion 4 a. A side plate portion 4b is formed so as to protrude perpendicularly to the back plate portion 4a.
The side plate portion 4b is divided into three portions corresponding to the central lid 31 and the covering and gripping lid 32 by a slit-shaped cut portion 4d.
The clamp portion 4 includes a first clamp spring portion 41 that holds one covering grip lid 32 and the base member 2, a second clamp spring portion 42 that holds the central lid 31 and the base member 2, and the other covering grip. A third clamp spring portion 43 that holds the lid 32 and the base member 2 is provided.

The side plate portion 4b is formed with an engaging convex portion 4c protruding in a direction approaching each other.
On the other hand, engagement grooves 31d and 32d are formed in the center lid 31 and the covering grip lid 32 at positions corresponding to the engagement protrusions 4c. The base member 2 also has an engagement groove 21d formed at a position corresponding to the engagement protrusion 4c.
In a state in which the central lid 31 and the covering and gripping lid 32 are overlapped on the base member 2 and the clamp portion 4 is attached thereto, the engaging convex portion 4c is the engaging groove 21d of the base member 2, the central lid 31 and the covering and gripping lid 32. The engaging grooves 31d and 32d are engaged.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in a state where the lid 3 is assembled to the base member 2, the wedge insertion port 27 is provided between the base member 2 and the central lid 31 and between the base member 2 and the covering grip lid 32. It is formed. The wedge insertion port 27 is formed on the side of the base member 2 opposite to the hinge projection 22. The wedge insertion port 27 is for inserting a wedge member 6 (see FIG. 7) to be described later. By inserting the wedge member 6 into the wedge insertion port 27, the central lid 31 and the covering grip lid 32 become the base member 2. It rotates in the opening direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the coating removing unit 5 is provided between the base member 2 and the left and right coating grip lids 32 so as to be positioned on both sides of the central lid 31.
The coating removing unit 5 removes the coating 12 from the optical fiber 1 inserted from both ends of the optical fiber connector 10 to form a bare optical fiber 14, and guides the bare optical fiber 14 to the central lid 31 side.

As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the coating removal portion 5 is a block portion 51 formed in a substantially rectangular solid shape, an optical fiber insertion hole 52 formed in the block portion 51, and the optical fiber insertion hole 52. And a bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 formed in such a manner.
The optical fiber insertion hole 52 and the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 are opposed to each other through a window hole 54 formed so as to penetrate the block portion 51 in the thickness direction (a direction orthogonal to the insertion direction of the optical fiber 1). Yes.

As shown in FIG. 6, the optical fiber insertion hole 52 is for inserting the optical fiber 1 before the coating 12 is removed, and has an almost same diameter as the outer diameter of the optical fiber 1.
The optical fiber insertion hole 52 is formed with an introduction port 52a that opens in a tapered shape into which the optical fiber 1 enters, and the optical fiber 1 is introduced from the introduction port 52a. By introducing the introduction port 52a into a tapered shape, the optical fiber can be smoothly guided to the optical fiber insertion hole 52.
The terminal end of the optical fiber insertion hole 52 faces the window hole 54. The bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 is for inserting the bare optical fiber 14 that has been exposed after the coating 12 is removed, and is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the bare optical fiber 14.
The bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 is formed to be coaxial with the optical fiber insertion hole 52, and faces the optical fiber insertion hole 52 through the window hole 54. The end of the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 is a lead-out port 53a opened in a taper shape, and this lead-out port 53a faces the alignment groove 20c formed in the base member 2.

An annular blade portion 55 is formed in the coating removal portion 5. The annular blade 55 separates the optical fiber 1 pushed out from the optical fiber insertion hole 52 into the coating 12 and the bare optical fiber 53, and goes to the rear side (right side in FIG. 5) in the optical fiber 1 insertion direction. Accordingly, a tapered cylindrical shape protruding in a tapered shape is formed around the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53.
The bare optical fiber 53 separated from the coating 12 by the annular blade 55 is inserted into the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 and further pushed out from the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 into the alignment groove 20c. The annular blade portion 55 is formed so as to protrude into the window hole 54 of the block portion 51.

  A plate-like blade portion 56 is formed on the outer periphery of the annular blade portion 55. The plate-like blade portion 56 protrudes from a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the annular blade portion 55, and cuts the coating 12 of the optical fiber 1 reaching the annular blade portion 55 at the outer periphery of the annular blade portion 55. By this cutting, the covering 12 becomes a narrow band shape and can escape into the window hole 54.

As shown in FIG. 6, the coating removing portions 5 are arranged on both sides of the central lid 31, and each pair of optical fibers 1 is pushed in from the guide holes 28 on both sides of the optical fiber connector 10. 1 reaches the optical fiber insertion hole 52 and is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 52.
By further pushing the optical fiber 1, the optical fiber 1 reaches the annular blade portion 55, and the annular blade portion 55 is inserted between the bare optical fiber 14 and the coating 12.
By this insertion, the coating 12 can be easily peeled from the bare optical fiber 14, and the bare optical fiber 14 is led out. The exposed bare optical fiber 14 is pushed out into the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 and inserted into the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53. At this time, the coating 12 is cut by the plate-like blade portion 56 on the outer periphery of the annular blade portion 55 to form a narrow band shape, and the narrow band-shaped coating 12 escapes to the window hole 54 side.

In this way, the bare optical fiber 14 is smoothly inserted into the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 by the coating 12 escaping to the window hole 54 side.
The bare optical fiber 14 inserted into the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 passes through the outlet 53a and enters the alignment groove 20c of the base member 2, but the outlet 53a of the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 is tapered. Therefore, there is a slight margin in the direction from the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53, and the bare optical fiber 14 can be easily guided to the aligning groove 20c.
As described above, the pair of optical fibers 1 are pushed into the optical fiber connector 10 and the coating 12 is removed, and the end portions of the bare optical fibers 14 led out from the coating 12 are abutted and connected.

For connection of the optical fiber 1, a wedge member 6 shown in FIG. 7 is used. The wedge member 6 includes a wedge body 61 and a wedge piece 62 protruding from the wedge body 61.
The wedge piece 62 is inserted into a wedge insertion port 27 (see FIG. 1) formed in the base member 2, the central lid 31 and the two covering grip lids 32, and has an outer shape and a position corresponding to the wedge insertion port 27. And it is formed in the wedge main-body part 61 so that it may become number.

Next, a method for connecting a pair of optical fibers 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.
The central lid 31, the two covering grip lids 32 and the two end lids 53 are overlapped with the base member 2, and the clamp portion 4 is attached to the central lid 31, the two covering grip lids 32, and the base member 2.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the wedge piece 62 of the wedge member 6 is inserted into the wedge insertion port 27. As a result, the central lid 31 and the two covering and gripping lids 32 rotate with respect to the base member 2, and the base member 2 and the lids 31 and 32 are somewhat opened to form a gap. Can enter the introduction path 24 without difficulty.

The optical fiber 1 is pushed and inserted from one (right side) guide hole 28 of the optical fiber connector 10 shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 8A, the inserted optical fiber 1 passes through the guide hole 28 and the introduction path 24 and reaches the coating removal unit 5.
In the coating removal unit 5, the optical fiber 1 is inserted into the optical fiber insertion hole 52, and the coating 12 and the bare optical fiber 14 are separated by the annular blade 55. The bare optical fiber 14 is inserted into the bare optical fiber insertion hole 53 and introduced into the alignment groove 20c from the outlet 53a.
In the coating removal portion 5, the coating 12 separated by the annular blade portion 55 is cut by the plate-shaped blade portion 56 and escapes to the window hole 32 side, so that the coating 12 does not hinder the smooth entry of the optical fiber 1.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the same operation is performed for the other optical fiber 1, thereby causing the bare optical fibers 14 of the pair of optical fibers 1 to abut in the aligning groove 20 c.
After this butting, the wedge member 6 is pulled out from the wedge insertion port 27. Thereby, the central lid 31 and the two covering grip lids 32 are closed by the elastic force of the clamp portion 4, and the connection state of the optical fiber 1 can be maintained.

  According to the optical fiber connector 10, since the coating removing unit 5 having the annular blade 55 is provided, the coating 12 can be removed from the inserted optical fiber 1 to form the bare optical fiber 14. For this reason, an operation for removing the coating 12 at the tip of the optical fiber 1 in advance is not required, and the connection workability can be improved.

  When the optical fiber 1 is butt-connected, the optical fiber 1 is inserted in a state in which a gap is secured between the base member 2 and the covering grip lid 32. Therefore, when a strong pressing force is applied to the optical fiber 1 for removing the coating, Although the optical fiber 1 is likely to buckle between the covering and gripping lid 32 and the base member 2, since the movement of the optical fiber 1 in the radial direction is restricted by the guide hole 28, the buckling of the optical fiber 1 is prevented. Is done.

9 and 10 show another example of the coating removal unit.
In the following description, the X direction is the direction in which the optical fiber insertion hole 52 is formed, the insertion direction of the optical fiber 1 is + X, and the opposite direction is −X. The Y direction is the thickness direction of the block portion 51 and is a direction orthogonal to the X direction. One side is + Y and the opposite direction is -Y. The Z direction is a height direction orthogonal to the X direction and the Y direction, and the upper side in FIG. 9 is + Z and the lower side is −Z. In addition, about the same component as the coating removal part 5 of FIG. 5, it attaches | subjects the same code | symbol and abbreviate | omits description.

The coating removal part 75 shown here differs from the coating removal part 5 of FIG. 5 in a plate-like blade part 76 formed on the outer peripheral surface of the annular blade part 55.
The plate-like blade portion 76 includes a pair of main plate-like blade portions 76A and 76A and a pair of sub-plate-like blade portions 76B and 76B.
The main plate-like blade portions 76A and 76A are formed substantially along the XZ plane, protrude upward (+ Z direction) and downward (−Z direction) from the outer peripheral surface of the annular blade portion 55, respectively. The surface and bottom are reached.

The coating removal part 75 differs from the coating removal part 5 (refer FIG. 5) by the point provided with the sub-plate-shaped blade parts 76B and 76B extended to the side.
The sub-plate-like blade portions 76B and 76B are formed substantially along the XY plane, and project from the outer peripheral surface of the annular blade portion 55 to one side (+ Y direction) and the other side (−Y direction), respectively. .
The side edges 76B1 and 76B1 of the sub-plate-like blade portions 76B and 76B are flush with the side surface 51a of the block portion 51.
These four plate-like blade portions 76 (76A, 76A, 76B, 76B) are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction of the annular blade portion 55.

In the coating removal part 75, since the four plate-shaped blade parts 76 are provided, the coating | coated 12 of the optical fiber 1 can be cut | disconnected in four places from which the circumferential direction position differs.
For this reason, compared with the case where the coating 12 is cut at two locations, the load applied to each plate-like blade portion 76 can be reduced, and damage to the plate-like blade portion 76 can be prevented.
Therefore, the resistance when inserting the optical fiber 1 into the optical fiber connector 10 does not increase, and the operation becomes easy.

In the present invention, the specific form of the guide portion is not limited as long as the radial movement of the optical fiber can be restricted so as not to cause buckling.
In the above embodiment, the guide hole 28 is a hole formed by the groove 20b of the base member 2 and the groove 33b of the end cover 33. However, the guide part in the present invention is the base member 2 and the end cover 33. It may be formed by a groove formed in one of them, or may be a hole formed in one of the base member 2 and the end cover 33.
Moreover, although the coating removal part 75 of the example shown to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 has the four plate-shaped blade parts 76, the number of plate-shaped blade parts is not restricted to this, For example, it is good also as six or more sheets.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical fiber, 2 ... Base member (base side element), 3 ... Cover body (lid side element), 4 ... Clamp part, 5 ... Cover removal part, 6 ... Wedge member, 10 ... Optical fiber connector, 12 ... 14 ... Bare optical fiber, 28 ... Guide hole (guide portion), 31 ... Center lid, 32 ... Cover grip lid, 33 ... End lid, 55 ... Ring blade, 56, 76, 76A, 76B ... Plate shape Blade part.

Claims (7)

A pair of elements sandwiching a pair of optical fibers to be butt-connected;
A pair of coating removal units that remove the coating of the pair of optical fibers inserted between the elements to form a bare optical fiber;
A clamp portion for gripping and fixing a butt portion of the bare optical fibers whose coatings have been removed by the coating removal portion, between the elements, and
The covering removal portion has a tapered cylindrical annular blade portion that projects tapered toward the rear side in the insertion direction of the optical fiber,
At least one of the elements is formed with a guide part that is a groove or a hole that guides the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element to the sheath removing part while restricting radial movement,
One of the pair of elements is a base member, and the other is a lid that faces the base member.
The lid body is provided on each end of the center lid with a center lid that sandwiches the abutting portion of the bare optical fiber with the base member, and sandwiches the optical fiber coating between the base member and the base member. A covering grip cover, and end cover provided on both ends of the covering grip cover, respectively,
The guide portion is formed between the end lid and a base member at a portion facing the end lid, and the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element is connected to the covering grip lid and the base member. Led between and
The clamp portion holds the central lid and the covering grip lid, and a base member of a portion facing the central lid and the covering grip lid,
The end cover has a portion extending between the covering grip cover and the base member,
The covering grip lid is formed with a recess for receiving the extended portion,
A pair of first positioning projections are formed to protrude on the facing surface of the base member facing the lid,
The pair of first positioning convex portions is an optical fiber connector having inner side surfaces respectively opposed to both outer side surfaces of the end cover. First side recesses having the outer surface are formed on both side surfaces of the end cover, respectively.
2. The optical fiber connector according to claim 1, wherein the pair of first positioning convex portions are fitted in the first side surface concave portion. Second side recesses are formed on both side surfaces of the end lid, with different positions in the direction of the guides relative to the first side recesses, respectively.
3. The optical fiber connector according to claim 2, wherein a pair of second positioning protrusions that respectively fit into the second side recesses protrude from the opposing surface of the base member that faces the lid. . Third side recesses are formed on both sides of the covering grip lid,
4. The optical fiber connector according to claim 3, wherein a part of the second positioning protrusion is fitted into the third side surface recess. 5.   The light according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an alignment groove for positioning the end of the bare optical fiber so as to be abutted and connected is formed in the base member of the central lid or a portion facing the central lid. Fiber connector.   The optical fiber connector according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the coating removal portion has plate-like blade portions protruding from a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery of the annular blade portion. A pair of elements sandwiching a pair of optical fibers to be butt-connected, a pair of coating removal sections that remove the coating of the pair of optical fibers inserted between the elements to form bare optical fibers, and the coating removal sections And a clamp portion for gripping and fixing the butted portions of the bare optical fibers from which the coating has been removed between the elements, and the coating removal portion projects tapered toward the rear side in the insertion direction of the optical fiber. A groove portion or a hole portion that guides the optical fiber inserted from both ends of the element to the covering removal portion while restricting radial movement, at least one of the elements. A guide portion is formed, one of the pair of elements is a base member, and the other is a lid body facing the base member, and the lid body is a protrusion of the bare optical fiber. A central lid that sandwiches the mating portion between the base member, a covering grip that is provided on both ends of the central lid and sandwiches the optical fiber coating between the base member, and And an end lid provided on both ends, wherein the guide portion is formed between the end lid and a portion of the base member facing the end lid, and is inserted from both ends of the element. Further, the optical fiber is guided between the covering and holding base and the base member, and the clamp part is a base member of the central cover and the covering and holding cover, and a portion of the base member facing the central and covering cover. The end lid has a portion extending between the covering grip lid and the base member, and the covering grip lid is formed with a recess for receiving the extended portion, The base member; An optical fiber having a pair of first positioning projections projecting from opposing surfaces facing the body, and the pair of first positioning projections having inner side surfaces respectively opposed to both outer side surfaces of the end cover. Use the connector
The pair of optical fibers are guided to the coating removal portion from both ends of the element through the guide portions with the central lid, the coating gripping lid, and the base member opened, and the coating is removed. Optical fiber connection method in which the bare optical fibers from which the optical fiber is removed are butt-connected and then the center lid, the covering grip lid and the base member are closed by the clamp portion, and the butt portion is gripped and fixed between the elements .

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