JP2019066634A - Boot, ferrule, and optical connector - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable even an optical fiber ribbon where the pitch of an adjacent optical fiber is small to be attached to a ferrule where the pitch of a hole into which an optical fiber is inserted is large.SOLUTION: Provided is a boot 20 for optical connectors, comprising: a first end face 20a and a second end face 20b facing each other; an optical fiber ribbon holding hole 21a provided between the first end face 20a and the second end face 20b, into which an optical fiber ribbon 30 is introduced; and a plurality of separation fiber holding holes 21b communicating with the optical fiber ribbon holding hole 21a, into which each of a plurality of coated optical fibers is inserted. The first end face 20a has an opening 21d as an introduction opening of the optical fiber ribbon holding hole 21a, and the second end face 20b has a plurality of openings 21e linearly arranged in a row in correspondence to the plurality of separation fiber holding holes 21b, the center to center distance of two adjacent openings 21e out of the plurality of openings 21e being larger than the diameter of each of the plurality of openings 21e.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

  The present invention relates to a boot, a ferrule and an optical connector.

  In an optical connector used to connect an optical fiber, a boot for preventing bending or the like is attached to an end of an optical fiber ribbon, and then the end is inserted into a ferrule. Patent Document 1 shows a boot for maintaining the position and posture of the optical fiber in the ferrule even if the thickness of the optical fiber ribbon changes.

JP, 2011-33728, A

  In recent years, studies on thin diameter fibers with a smaller diameter than those used for conventional optical fiber ribbons have been underway, and a tape core using small diameter fibers has also been studied for the tape core. There is. However, the small diameter fiber ribbon has a small pitch between the plurality of optical fibers as compared with the conventional tape fiber and is difficult to attach to the conventional ferrule for the tape fiber. Therefore, although it is necessary to carry out a revising process or the like for adjusting the pitch between the optical fibers, it can be considered to lead to an increase in the number of operation steps.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above, and a boot that can be attached to a ferrule with a large pitch of holes into which optical fibers are inserted even for a tape core wire with a small pitch of adjacent optical fibers, the boots It is an object of the present invention to provide a ferrule used in combination with the above and an optical connector using the boot.

The present invention
(1) A boot for an optical connector,
First and second end faces facing each other;
A tape core holding hole provided between the first end face and the second end face into which the tape core is introduced;
A plurality of separated fiber holding holes which communicate with the tape core holding holes and into which a plurality of coated optical fibers are respectively inserted;
Have
The first end face has an introduction port for the tape core wire holding hole,
The second end face has a plurality of openings linearly arranged corresponding to the plurality of separation fiber holding holes,
The distance between the centers of two adjacent openings of the plurality of openings is a boot that is larger than the diameter of each of the plurality of openings.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to use a boot that can be attached to a ferrule with a large pitch of the hole into which the optical fiber is inserted, even in the case of a tape core wire having a small pitch of adjacent optical fibers, in combination with the boot A ferrule and an optical connector using the boot are provided.

It is an exploded perspective view of an optical connector concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed typically the cross section at the time of assembling an optical connector. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the boot. FIG. 3 (b) is a front view of the boot. FIG. 3C is a right side view of the boot. FIG. 3D is a left side view of the boot. It is a figure showing the state where the tape cable core was inserted to boots. It is an application example to the router apparatus of an optical connector. FIG. 6A is a plan view of a boot according to a modification. FIG. 6 (b) is a front view of the boot. FIG. 6C is a right side view of the boot. FIG. 6D is a left side view of the boot.

Description of an embodiment of the present invention
First, embodiments of the present invention will be listed and described.

(1) The boot according to the present invention is a boot for an optical connector, in which the first end face and the second end face opposite to each other and the tape core wire provided between the first end face and the second end face are introduced. And a plurality of separation fiber holding holes communicating with the tape core holding holes and into which a plurality of coated optical fibers are respectively inserted; It has an introduction port of a tape cored wire holding hole, and the second end face has a plurality of openings linearly arranged corresponding to the plurality of separated fiber holding holes, and two adjacent ones of the plurality of openings are provided. The boot, wherein the center-to-center distance of the openings is larger than the diameter of each of the plurality of openings.

  According to the above boot, a plurality of separation fiber holding holes communicating with the tape core holding hole are provided, and a plurality of openings corresponding to the separation fiber holding holes are provided on the second end face. And the center-to-center distance of the adjacent openings is made larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber. Therefore, at the opening of the second end face, a plurality of optical fibers are inserted at an interval larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber at the opening of the second end face. It will be in a separated state and will be larger than the spacing of multiple optical fibers in the tape core. Therefore, it is possible to attach to a ferrule with a large pitch of the hole into which the optical fiber is inserted, even for a tape core wire with a small pitch of the adjacent optical fiber.

(2) Moreover, this invention can be made into an aspect whose diameter of each of the said some opening is 140 micrometers or more and less than 200 micrometers about the boot as described in said (1).

  The above boot is preferably used when the diameter of each of the plurality of openings provided in the second end surface is in the above range.

(3) Further, the ferrule of the present application is a ferrule for an optical connector in which the boot according to the above (1) or (2) is used, and comprises a front end face and a rear end face facing each other, the front end face and the rear end A boot insertion hole into which the boot is inserted, and a plurality of fiber holes communicating with the boot insertion hole and into which a plurality of optical fibers are respectively inserted; The front end face has a plurality of openings linearly arranged corresponding to the plurality of fiber holes, and the distance between the centers of two adjacent openings of the plurality of openings is the distance between the plurality of openings. Greater than twice the diameter of

  According to the above-mentioned ferrule, the distance between the centers of two adjacent openings among the plurality of openings linearly arranged corresponding to the plurality of fiber holes provided on the front end face is the diameter of each of the plurality of openings To provide ferrules that can be applied to optical fibers in which a plurality of optical fibers inserted in the ferrules are thin and in which the adjacent optical fibers have a small pitch when made into a tape core. be able to.

(4) Further, in the ferrule of the present invention according to (3), the diameter of each of the plurality of openings may be 70 μm or more and less than 100 μm.

  The above-mentioned ferrule is suitably used, when the diameter of each of a plurality of openings corresponding to a plurality of fiber holes is in the above-mentioned range.

(5) Further, in the ferrule of the present invention according to (3) or (4), the plurality of openings may be arranged in a plurality of rows.

  When a plurality of openings are arranged in a plurality of rows as in the above-described ferrule, it is possible to obtain an optical connector in which a ferrule and a plurality of tape cores are combined.

(6) Moreover, the optical connector of this application is an optical connector which has the boot as described in said (1) or (2), the ferrule as described in said (3) or (4), and a tape core wire. The tape core is inserted into the tape core holding hole of the boot, and the end is separated into a plurality of coated optical fibers and inserted into the separation fiber holding hole, and each of the second end faces The tip of the plurality of apertures protrudes from the plurality of openings, and the tips of the plurality of coated optical fibers protruding from the plurality of apertures have their coatings removed to expose the optical fibers (bare fibers), and the tape core The boot into which the wire is inserted is introduced into the boot introduction hole, and the plurality of optical fibers protruding from the plurality of openings and from which the coating is removed are respectively guided to the fiber hole of the ferrule. The ferrule, the boot, the tape core, the plurality of coated optical fibers, and the tip end surfaces of the plurality of optical fibers are exposed from the plurality of openings of the front end surface; The plurality of optical fibers are adhesively fixed.

  According to the above optical connector, the plurality of separation fiber holding holes communicating with the tape core wire holding hole of the boot are provided, and the plurality of openings corresponding to the separation fiber holding holes are provided on the second end face of the boot The center-to-center distance of adjacent openings is made larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber. Therefore, at the opening of the second end face, the plurality of optical fibers 31 are spaced at a distance larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber at the opening of the second end face. It will be in the state of being separated and it will be inserted in the ferrule in a state of being larger than the spacing of the plurality of optical fibers in the tape core. Then, the ferrule, the boot, the tape core wire, and the plurality of optical fibers are bonded and fixed. Therefore, in the above-described optical connector, it is possible to attach a tape core wire having a small pitch of adjacent optical fibers to a ferrule having a large pitch of holes into which the optical fibers are inserted.

(7) Further, the optical connector according to the present application comprises a plurality of boots according to the above (1) or (2), a ferrule according to the above (5), and a plurality of tape cores as many as the boots. A plurality of optical fiber ribbons inserted into the optical fiber core holding hole of the boot, and an end portion of the optical fiber connector is separated into a plurality of coated optical fibers to be inserted into the optical fiber holding hole The tips of the plurality of coated optical fibers which are inserted and whose tips protrude from the plurality of openings of the second end face and which protrude from the plurality of openings, respectively, are coated and the optical fiber is exposed The plurality of boots into which the tape core wire is inserted are introduced into the boot introduction hole in a superimposed state, and protrude from the plurality of openings of each of the plurality of boots so that the coating is removed And the plurality of optical fibers are respectively introduced into the fiber hole of the ferrule, and in the state in which the tip surfaces of the plurality of optical fibers are exposed from the plurality of openings of the front end surface, The plurality of boots, the plurality of tape cores, the plurality of coated optical fibers, and the plurality of optical fibers are bonded and fixed.

  According to the above optical connector, the plurality of boots are provided with the plurality of separation fiber holding holes communicating with the tape cable core holding hole, and the second end face of the boot is provided with the plurality of openings corresponding to the separation fiber holding holes The center-to-center distance of the provided and adjacent openings is made larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber. Therefore, the plurality of tape cores inserted into each of the plurality of boots from the introduction port of the tape core holding hole at the first end face has a plurality of spacings larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber at the opening of the second end face. The optical fiber 31 is separated, and inserted into the ferrule in a state of being larger than the distance between the plurality of optical fibers in the tape core. Then, the ferrule, the plurality of boots, the plurality of tape cores, and the plurality of optical fibers are bonded and fixed. Therefore, in the above-described optical connector, it is possible to attach a plurality of tape cores with small pitches of adjacent optical fibers to a ferrule with a large pitch of holes into which the optical fibers are inserted.

(8) Further, in the optical connector according to the above (6) or (7), the present invention is characterized in that the glass diameter of each of the plurality of optical fibers of the tape is 80 μm and is covered by a coating An embodiment in which the coating diameter is 160 μm can be adopted.

  The above optical connector is suitably used when the glass diameter of each of the plurality of optical fibers contained in the optical fiber ribbon and the coating diameter in the state covered by the coating fall within the above range.

[Details of the Embodiment of the Present Invention]
Specific examples of the boot, the ferrule, and the optical connector according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It is to be noted that the present invention is not limited to these exemplifications, is shown by the claims, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

  FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an optical connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. Moreover, FIG. 2 is the figure which showed typically the cross section at the time of assembling an optical connector. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the optical connector 1 is configured to include a ferrule 10, a boot 20, and a tape core wire 30.

  The ferrule 10 is a member for an optical connector made of resin, for example, an MT optical connector ferrule. The ferrule 10 has a front end face 10a and a rear end face 10b opposed to the front end face 10a. And between the front end face 10a side and the rear end face 10b, the several fiber hole 11 which inserts the optical fiber contained in the tape cable core 30 is provided by predetermined spacing (pitch). A boot insertion hole 12 into which the boot 20 is inserted is provided on the rear end face 10b side. The plurality of fiber holes 11 communicate with the boot insertion hole 12.

  In addition, "a space | interval (pitch)" demonstrated by this embodiment points out the distance between centers of an adjacent target object. Therefore, “the plurality of fiber holes 11 are provided at a predetermined interval (pitch)” indicates that the distance between the centers of the adjacent fiber holes 11 is a predetermined value.

  The front end face 10a of the ferrule 10 is provided with two guide pin holes 13 used when inserting a guide pin. Also, four fiber holes 11 are disposed between the two guide pin holes 13. The four fiber holes 11 are arranged substantially in the same plane and extend in parallel from the front end face 10a to the rear end face 10b. The diameter of the fiber hole 11 is set corresponding to the optical fiber of the below-described tape core wire 30. In the present embodiment, since a small diameter fiber with a diameter of 80 μm is used as an optical fiber of the tape core wire 30, the diameter of the fiber hole 11 is also 80 μm. Further, the spacing (pitch) of the fiber holes 11 of the ferrule 10 is set to 250 μm. Each of the plurality of fiber holes 11 has an opening 11a at the front end face 10a. The openings 11 a are linearly arranged in a line, but the interval (pitch) between the adjacent openings 11 a is 250 μm. Therefore, in the ferrule 10 of the present embodiment, the center-to-center distance between the adjacent openings 11 a is larger than twice the diameter (80 μm) of the fiber hole 11. Each of the plurality of fiber holes 11 has an opening 11 b also on the boot insertion hole 12 side. Similarly to the openings 11a, the openings 11b are also arranged linearly in a line, and the interval (pitch) of the adjacent openings 11b is 250 μm.

  The ferrule 10 may be provided with a window communicating with the fiber hole 11 and the boot insertion hole 12 from the outside on the surface different from the front end surface 10 a and the rear end surface 10 b. This window can be used for alignment of an optical fiber at the time of manufacturing the optical connector 1, introduction of an adhesive, confirmation of fixation by an adhesive, and the like.

  The boot 20 is a member for an optical connector made of resin. The boot 20 has a first end face 20a and a second end face 20b opposed to the first end face 20a. And the through-hole 21 which inserts the tape core wire 30 is provided between the 1st end surface 20a and the 2nd end surface 20b. The details of the boot 20 will be described later.

  The tape core 30 includes a plurality of optical fibers 31 and a resin coating 32 (coating) that coats the optical fibers 31. The optical fibers 31 are arranged in a line along the direction intersecting the light guiding direction. In the present embodiment, an example in which four optical fibers 31 are arranged in a line is shown. The resin coating 32 is a resin (tape material) that integrally covers a plurality of optical fibers 31. Although the resin coating 32 is provided around each of the plurality of optical fibers 31 in FIG. 1 and the like, the resin coating 32 collectively covers the plurality of optical fibers 31 so that the surface is flat. It is good also as composition. A plurality of optical fibers 31 can be integrated by the resin coating 32 to form a tape core wire 30.

  The optical fiber 31 used for the tape core wire 30 has, for example, a glass diameter (diameter) of 80 μm. Further, in the state of being covered by the resin coating 32, for example, the coating diameter (diameter) is set to 160 μm. That is, in the case of the tape core wire 30, the interval (pitch) of the optical fibers 31 is set to 160 μm.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tape core wire 30 is inserted into the through hole 21 of the boot 20 in a state where the resin coating 32 is provided. Further, only the optical fiber 31 (a bare fiber) from which the resin coating 32 is removed is inserted into the fiber hole 11 of the ferrule 10. Therefore, in the ferrule 10, the fiber hole 11 corresponding to the plurality of optical fibers 31 is provided.

  The boot 20 will now be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3A is a plan view of the boot 20. FIG. FIG. 3 (b) is a front view of the boot 20. FIG. 3C is a right side view of the boot 20 (a side view on the first end face 20 a side). FIG. 3D is a left side view of the boot 20 (a side view on the second end face 20 b side).

  As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the boot 20 is provided with through holes 21 extending on the same plane. The through holes 21 are a plurality of separated fibers corresponding to the number of optical fibers 31 and a number of optical fiber holding holes 21 a having a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the tape cores 30 so that the tape cores 30 can be inserted integrally. It is comprised by the holding hole 21b. The tape core wire holding hole 21a is provided on the first end face 20a side. Further, the separation fiber holding hole 21b is provided on the second end face 20b side. The tape core wire holding hole 21a and each of the plurality of separation fiber holding holes 21b communicate with each other. The plurality of optical fibers 31 (and the resin coating 32 around the single fibers) which are single-core separated from the tape core wire 30 are inserted into the plurality of separation fiber holding holes 21b. In the plurality of separation fiber holding holes 21b, a first area 211, a first area 211, and a tape core holding hole extending parallel to each other and in a direction orthogonal to the second end face 20b and the first end face 20a, respectively. And a second region 212 connecting with the end of 21a. In the second region 212, the optical fiber 31 (and the resin coating 32 around it) divided from the tape cable core 30 reaches the first region 211 of the separation fiber holding hole 21b from the end of the tape cable holding hole 21a, respectively. As a result, it is formed to be inclined with respect to the direction orthogonal to the second end face 20b and the first end face 20a. In the following embodiment, the state in which the optical fiber 31 single-core separated from the tape core wire 30 and the resin coating 32 provided around the optical fiber 31 may be referred to as “coated optical fiber”.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, in the boot 20 of the present embodiment, four separation fiber holding holes 21b are formed separately in the through hole 21. Further, the second region 212 of the separation fiber holding hole 21b is provided so that the distance between the separation fiber holding holes 21b becomes wider as it goes from the tape cable holding hole 21a to the first region 211 of the separation fiber holding hole 21b. There is. Each of the separation fiber holding holes 21b has a cross section corresponding to the coated optical fiber.

  The first end face 20 a of the boot 20 is provided with an opening 21 d (tape core wire inlet) corresponding to the tape core wire holding hole 21 a of the through hole 21. The opening 21 d of the first end face 20 a and the tape core wire holding hole 21 a continuing from the opening 21 d have a shape corresponding to the cross section of the tape core wire 30. On the other hand, the second end face 20b is provided with a plurality of openings 21e corresponding to the separation fiber holding holes 21b (particularly, the first region 211) of the through holes 21. The opening 21 e of the second end face 20 b has a shape corresponding to the coated optical fiber. The plurality of openings 21 e are linearly arranged in a line, and the interval (pitch) of the adjacent openings 21 e is 250 μm. The spacing (pitch) of the plurality of openings 21 e corresponds to the spacing (pitch) of the fiber holes 11 in the ferrule 10.

  The plurality of openings 21 e are spaced apart at a predetermined interval (pitch). That is, the distance between the centers of two adjacent openings 21e among the plurality of openings 21e is larger than the diameter of each of the plurality of openings 21e.

  The state where the tape core wire 30 is inserted into the above-mentioned boot 20 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the core wire 30 is inserted into the through hole 21 from the opening 21 d on the first end face 20 a side of the boot 20. It is assumed that, at the tip of the tape core wire 30, the resin coating 32 is removed and the optical fibers 31 (bare fibers) are exposed.

  When the tape core 30 is inserted into the through hole 21 (tape core holding hole 21a) from the first end face 20a side of the boot 20, the through hole 21 is formed at the boundary between the tape core holding hole 21a and the separation fiber holding hole 21b. The tape core wire 30 is divided into optical fibers 31 in accordance with the shape of. The divided optical fibers 31 are inserted into the second region 212 of the separation fiber holding hole 21b from the tape core line holding hole 21a in a state of being separated from each other. The tip of each optical fiber 31 moves from the second area 212 to the first area 211 along the shape of the separation fiber holding hole 21b. Then, each optical fiber 31 (and the resin coating 32 around it) passing through the separation fiber holding hole 21b protrudes outward from the opening 21e of the second end face 20b of the boot 20.

  In the state shown in FIG. 4, while inserting the boot 20 attached to the tape core 30 into the boot insertion hole 12 of the ferrule 10, the optical fiber 31 (naked with the resin coating 32 on the tip on the second end face 20b side removed) Each fiber is inserted into the fiber hole 11 so that the end face of the optical fiber 31 is exposed from the opening 11 a of the fiber hole 11. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 2, the ferrule 10, the boot 20 and the tape core wire 30 are integrated. In this state, the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment is obtained by bonding and fixing the plurality of optical fibers 31 (and the resin coating 32 around them), the ferrule 10, the boot 20 and the tape core wire 30 using an adhesive or the like. Be

  FIG. 5 shows an application example of the optical connector 1. The optical connector 1 is used, for example, as a backplane (optical wiring board) of a large-capacity router device or a server device. FIG. 5 schematically shows a backplane portion in the router device. In the router device 100, a plurality of wiring boards 110 such as line cards are connected to the backplane 120 via the optical connectors 1 and 2. The optical connector 1 is a connector on the back plane 120 side, and the optical connector 2 is a connector on the wiring board 110 side. The backplane 120 is provided with a wiring portion 5 connected to the optical connector 1 via an optical fiber. The wiring section 5 is provided with an optical fiber wiring for connecting the wiring board 110 to another device or the like.

  In the router apparatus or the server apparatus, the space in which the backplane 120 is accommodated is often required to be miniaturized. Therefore, instead of using a conventional tape fiber (for example, glass diameter 125 μm), use a tape cable using a recently developed thin fiber (for example, glass diameter 80 μm). Thus, the miniaturization of the wiring portion 5 can be realized, and space saving of the backplane 120 can be promoted.

  On the other hand, since conventional optical fibers are often used on the wiring board 110 side, the spacing (pitch) of the arranged optical fibers in the optical connectors 1 and 2 corresponds to that of the conventional optical fibers. Is used. Therefore, the pitch of the fiber holes 11 at the front end face 10a of the ferrule 10 of the optical connector 1 is set to a pitch corresponding to the tape core of the conventional optical fiber. Therefore, in the optical connector 1 on the backplane 120 side, a state may occur in which the pitch of the optical fiber (small diameter fiber) in the tape core wire does not coincide with the pitch of the fiber hole 11 in the ferrule 10.

  In the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment, as described above, since the small diameter fiber is used as the optical fiber 31 in the tape core wire 30, the interval (pitch) between the optical fibers 31 is 160 μm. On the other hand, the spacing (pitch) of the fiber holes 11 of the ferrule 10 is 250 μm. As described above, the pitch of the plurality of optical fibers 31 in the tape core wire 30 and the pitch of the fiber holes 11 in the ferrule 10 are different from each other. In the case as described above, in order to insert the plurality of optical fibers 31 into the fiber holes 11 of the ferrule 10, it is necessary to change the pitch.

  As a method of inserting the optical fiber of the tape core into a ferrule having a fiber hole of a pitch larger than the pitch of the optical fiber in the tape core, the jig is used after single-core separation of the tape core for each optical fiber Etc., and can be fixed to a desired pitch. However, there is a problem that the number of operation steps at the time of manufacturing the optical connector is increased.

  Therefore, in the boot 20 according to the present embodiment and the optical connector 1 using the boot 20, the through holes 21 of the boot 20 have a function of converting the pitch between the optical fibers 31 in the tape core wire 30. The boot 20 has a shape corresponding to the tape core 30 in the tape core holding hole 21a of the through hole 21 on the side of the first end face 20a, but the separation fiber holding hole 21b is provided. In the plurality of openings 21e provided in the two end faces 20b, the center-to-center distance between the adjacent openings 21e is larger than the diameter of each of the openings 21e. That is, the center-to-center distance between adjacent openings 21e is larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber. For this reason, in the second end face 20b, the plurality of optical fibers 31 inserted into the boot 20 are separated at a distance (pitch) larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber, and the tape is inserted into the tape It becomes larger than the space | interval (pitch) of the several optical fiber 31 in the center line 30. FIG. Therefore, even when the fiber holes 11 of the ferrule 10 are larger than the pitches of the plurality of optical fibers 31 in the tape core wire 30, the pitch of the optical fibers can be adjusted using the boot 20. In addition, since the adjustment of the pitch of the optical fiber using the boot 20 according to the present embodiment can be performed more easily than the conventionally known ribonizing process, it is possible to suppress the increase in the number of steps. it can.

  In addition, the diameter of each of the plurality of openings 21 e in the boot 20 can be set to 140 μm or more and less than 200 μm. The boot 20 is preferably used for a so-called small diameter fiber when the diameter of each of the plurality of openings 21 e provided in the second end face 20 b is in the above range. However, the diameter of the opening 21 e can be appropriately changed depending on the size of the coated optical fiber of the tape core to which the boot 20 is applied.

  Further, in the ferrule 10 according to the present embodiment, the center-to-center distance between two adjacent openings 11a among the plurality of openings 11a linearly arranged corresponding to the plurality of fiber holes 11 provided in the front end surface 10a is , And the diameter of each of the plurality of openings 11a is larger than twice. With such a configuration, the plurality of optical fibers 31 to be inserted into the ferrule 10 is thin, and in the case of using the tape core wire 30, it is also applicable to an optical fiber in which the pitch of the adjacent optical fibers 31 is small. A ferrule 10 can be provided.

  Further, the diameter of each of the plurality of openings 11 a in the ferrule 10 can be 70 μm or more and less than 100 μm. The ferrule 10 is suitably used when the diameter of each of the plurality of openings 11 a corresponding to the plurality of fiber holes 11 is in the above range.

  According to the optical connector 1 according to the present embodiment, a plurality of separation fiber holding holes 21b communicating with the tape core wire holding holes 21a of the boot 20 are provided, and the separation fiber holding hole 21b is formed in the second end face 20b of the boot 20 There are provided a plurality of openings 21e corresponding to. In addition, the center-to-center distance between adjacent openings 21e is larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber. Therefore, the tape core wire 30 inserted into the boot 20 from the opening 21d serving as the introduction port of the tape core wire holding hole 21a of the first end face 20a has the diameter of the coated optical fiber at the opening of the second end face 20b. The plurality of optical fibers 31 are separated at a large interval, and are inserted into the ferrule 10 in a state of being larger than the intervals of the plurality of optical fibers in the tape core wire 30. Then, the ferrule 10, the boot 20, the tape core wire 30, and the plurality of optical fibers 31 (and the resin coating 32 around it) are bonded and fixed. Therefore, in the optical connector 1 described above, it is possible to attach the tape core wire 30 with a small pitch of the adjacent optical fibers 31 to the ferrule 10 with a large pitch of the holes into which the optical fibers 31 are inserted.

  In the optical connector 1 described above, the glass diameter of each of the plurality of optical fibers 31 of the tape core wire 30 may be 80 μm, and the coating diameter in the state of being covered by the coating may be 160 μm. The optical connector 1 is suitably used when the glass diameter of each of the plurality of optical fibers 31 included in the tape core wire 30 and the coating diameter in the state covered by the coating fall within the above range.

(Modification)
Next, modified examples of the optical connector according to the modified example, in particular the boot and the ferrule, will be described.

  First, in the above embodiment, the tape core in which four optical fibers are integrated has been described, but the number of optical fibers constituting the tape core can be changed as appropriate. The number of fiber holes 11 in the ferrule 10 and the number of separation fiber holding holes 21b in the boot 20 can be appropriately changed in accordance with the number of optical fibers constituting the tape core.

  In the above embodiment, in the ferrule 10, the fiber holes 11 are provided on the same plane and the plurality of openings 11a are also arranged in a line. However, the fiber holes 11 have a plurality of different ones. It may be provided on a plane, and the plurality of openings 11a may also be arranged in a plurality of lines. When such a ferrule is used, a plurality of tape cores 30 can be attached to one ferrule. The number of tape cores 30 can be attached to the ferrule in a number corresponding to the number of rows of the openings 11a. Therefore, when the openings 11a are arranged in two rows, two tape cores 30 can be attached to the ferrule. At this time, the boot 20 is attached to each of the plurality of tape cores 30. Further, the plurality of boots 20 attached to the plurality of tape cores 30 are inserted into the boot insertion hole of the ferrule in a state where the plurality of boots 20 are overlapped. In this state, the optical fibers of each of the plurality of tape cores 30 are inserted into the fiber holes, and the tip surfaces of the plurality of optical fibers are exposed from the plurality of openings in the front end surface of the ferrule. In this state, the ferrule, the plurality of boots 20, the plurality of tape cores 30, and the plurality of optical fibers 31 (and the resin coating 32 around the same) are adhered and fixed by an adhesive or the like. An optical connector with connected wires is obtained.

  When a plurality of openings are arranged in a plurality of rows as in the ferrule according to the above-described modified example, it is possible to obtain an optical connector in which the ferrule and the plurality of tape cores are combined. Further, according to the optical connector according to the above-described modified example, as in the boots described in the above-described embodiment, the plurality of split fiber holding holes communicating with the tape core wire holding holes are provided in each of the plurality of boots 20. Further, the second end face of each of the plurality of boots 20 is provided with a plurality of openings corresponding to the separation fiber holding holes, and the distance between the centers of the adjacent openings is larger than the diameter of the coated optical fiber. Therefore, the optical fiber is inserted into the ferrule while being larger than the spacing of the plurality of optical fibers in the tape core. Then, the ferrule, the plurality of boots, the plurality of tape cores, and the plurality of optical fibers (and the resin coating 32 therearound) are bonded and fixed to obtain an optical connector. Therefore, also in the optical connector according to the modification, it is possible to attach a plurality of tape cores with small pitches of adjacent optical fibers to a ferrule with a large pitch of holes into which the optical fibers are inserted.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the through holes 21 of the boot 20 are formed on the same plane, that is, the tape core wire holding hole 21a and the separation fiber holding hole 21b are formed on the same plane has been described. However, the tape core holding hole 21a and the separation fiber holding hole 21b may not be formed in the same plane. It is possible to flexibly change the arrangement of the optical fiber 31 projecting from the second end face 20b of the boot 20 by changing the extending direction of the separation fiber holding hole 21b from the surface on which the tape core wire holding hole 21a is formed. it can.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the boot 200 in which the extending direction of the separation fiber holding hole 21b is changed from the surface in which the tape core holding hole 21a is formed as described above. FIG. 6A is a plan view of the boot 200. FIG. FIG. 6B is a front view of the boot 200. FIG. FIG. 6C is a right side view of the boot 200 (a side view on the side of the first end face 20a). FIG. 6D is a left side view of the boot 200 (a side view on the second end face 20b side).

  In the boot 200, the shape of the tape core wire holding hole 21a is the same as that of the boot 20, but the shape of the separation fiber holding hole 21b is changed to that of the boot 20. Specifically, also in the separation fiber holding hole 21b of the boot 200, a first area 211, a first area 211, and a tape extending parallel to each other and in a direction perpendicular to the second end face 20b and the first end face 20a, respectively. And a second region 212 connecting the end of the core line holding hole 21a.

  However, the first regions 211 of the boot 200 are not formed on the same plane, and as shown as the openings 21 e in FIG. 6D, the four first regions 211 are at different height positions. Is arranged. This point is a point different from the boot 20. Then, in the second region 212 of the boot 200, the optical fiber 31 (and the resin coating 32 around it) divided from the tape cable core 30 are respectively connected to the end of the tape cable core holding hole 21a In order to reach the 1 area 211, it is formed to be inclined with respect to the direction orthogonal to the second end face 20b and the first end face 20a. At this time, in the boot 20, the tape core wire holding hole 21a and the separation fiber holding hole 21b (the first area 211 and the second area 212) are formed to extend on the same plane. The extending directions of the second regions 212 are different from each other according to the arrangement of the first regions 211 of the separation fiber holding holes 21b.

  In the case of the boot 200, for the separation fiber holding hole 21b provided with the opening 21e above the illustration in FIG. 6 (d), as shown in FIG. 6 (b), a tape is formed in the second region 212 of the separation fiber holding hole 21b. It inclines so that it may go to the upper part (left side in FIG.6 (b)) from the edge part of the core wire holding hole 21a. On the other hand, with regard to the separation fiber holding hole 21b in which the opening 21e is provided in the lower part of FIG. 6 (d), as shown in FIG. 6 (b), in the second region 212 of the separation fiber holding hole 21b, It inclines so that it may go below from the end of hole 21a (right side in Drawing 6 (b)). Thus, in the boot 200, the plurality of openings 21e provided corresponding to the plurality of separation fiber holding holes 21b can be shaped so as not to be arranged in a line.

  Thus, the shape and the extending direction of the separation fiber holding hole 21b in the boot can be changed as appropriate. In addition, the lengths of the tape core wire holding hole 21a and the separation fiber holding hole 21b can be appropriately changed. Furthermore, the length of each of the first region 211 and the second region 212 in the separation fiber holding hole 21b and the shape thereof can be changed as appropriate.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Optical connector, 10 ... Ferrule, 10a ... Front end surface, 10b ... Rear end surface, 11 ... Fiber hole, 11a, 11b ... Opening part 12 ... Boot insertion hole, 20 ... Boots, 20a ... 1st end surface, 20b ... 1st 2 end face 21 through hole 21a tape core wire holding hole 21b separation fiber holding hole 21d, 21e opening 30 tape core 31 optical fiber 32 resin coating.

Claims (8)

A boot for an optical connector,
First and second end faces facing each other;
A tape core holding hole provided between the first end face and the second end face into which the tape core is introduced;
A plurality of separated fiber holding holes which communicate with the tape core holding holes and into which a plurality of coated optical fibers are respectively inserted;
Have
The first end face has an introduction port for the tape core wire holding hole,
The second end face has a plurality of openings linearly arranged corresponding to the plurality of separation fiber holding holes,
A boot, wherein a center-to-center distance between two adjacent ones of the plurality of openings is larger than a diameter of each of the plurality of openings.   The boot according to claim 1, wherein a diameter of each of the plurality of openings is 140 μm or more and less than 200 μm. A ferrule for an optical connector in which the boot according to claim 1 or 2 is used,
Front and rear end faces facing each other;
A boot insertion hole provided in the space between the front end face and the rear end face, into which the boot is inserted;
A plurality of fiber holes communicating with the boot insertion hole and into which a plurality of optical fibers are respectively inserted;
Have
The front end face has a plurality of openings linearly arranged corresponding to the plurality of fiber holes,
A ferrule, wherein a center-to-center distance between two adjacent openings of the plurality of openings is greater than twice a diameter of each of the plurality of openings.   The ferrule according to claim 3, wherein a diameter of each of the plurality of openings is 70 μm or more and less than 100 μm.   The ferrule according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of openings are arranged in a plurality of rows. An optical connector comprising the boot according to claim 1 or 2, the ferrule according to claim 3 or 4, and a tape core wire,
The tape core wire is inserted into the tape core wire holding hole of the boot, and the end is separated into a plurality of coated optical fibers and inserted into the separation fiber holding hole, and the plurality of the second end face are respectively inserted. Its tip projects from the opening of the
The tip of the plurality of coated optical fibers protruding from the plurality of openings is stripped of the coating to expose the optical fiber,
The boot into which the tape core wire is inserted is introduced into the boot introduction hole,
The plurality of optical fibers protruding from the plurality of openings and from which the coating is removed are respectively introduced into the fiber holes of the ferrule, and the plurality of optical fibers are respectively introduced from the plurality of openings in the front end face With the tip end face of the
An optical connector, wherein the ferrule, the boot, the tape core wire, the plurality of coated optical fibers, and the plurality of optical fibers are bonded and fixed. An optical connector comprising a plurality of boots according to claim 1 or 2, a ferrule according to claim 5, and a plurality of tape cores equal in number to the boots.
Each of the plurality of tape cores is inserted into the tape core holding hole of the boot, and an end thereof is separated into a plurality of coated optical fibers and inserted into the separation fiber holding hole, The tip portion protrudes from the plurality of openings on the end surface,
The tip of the plurality of coated optical fibers protruding from the plurality of openings is stripped of the coating to expose the optical fiber,
The plurality of boots, into which the tape core wire is inserted, are introduced into the boot introduction hole in an overlapping state,
A plurality of the optical fibers protruding from the plurality of openings of the plurality of boots and from which the coating is removed are respectively introduced into the fiber holes of the ferrule, and the plurality of openings of the front end surface With the distal end surface of each of the plurality of optical fibers exposed,
An optical connector, wherein the ferrule, the plurality of boots, the plurality of tape cores, the plurality of coated optical fibers, and the plurality of optical fibers are bonded and fixed.   The optical connector according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a glass diameter of each of the plurality of optical fibers of the tape ribbon is 80 μm, and a coating diameter in a state of being covered by a coating is 160 μm.

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