JP2020012915A - Method for manufacturing optical fiber cable with optical connector attached thereto - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector attached thereto, with which, when assembling a dual optical connector to an end of an optical fiber cable, it is possible to suppress the length of leading an insertion optical fiber from the optical fiber cable.SOLUTION: The method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector attached thereto, includes: simultaneously removing the sheaths of two lengths of insertion optical fibers 3A, 3B led out from an optical fiber cable 1; simultaneously cutting ends on sheath-removed side of two lengths of insertion optical fibers having had the sheaths removed; inserting two lengths of insertion optical fibers respectively into spaces of the clamp units of two optical connector bodies 11A, 11B having a ferrule by which a built-in optical fiber is held and a clamp unit for fixing the connection of the built-in optical fiber and the insertion optical fiber, putting the two lengths of insertion optical fibers against the built-in optical fibers of the two optical connector bodies, respectively; and simultaneously fixing the connection of the built-in optical fiber and the insertion optical fiber for the two optical connector bodies.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a field-assembled optical connector that can be easily assembled to an optical fiber cable terminal at an optical fiber laying site has been proposed. In the field-assembled optical connector, the built-in optical fiber is inserted and fixed in the factory in advance at the factory, and the end of the built-in optical fiber is arranged between a pair of elements that are half of the clamp part (mechanical splice part). ing. Then, at the optical fiber laying site where the assembling work is performed, the end of the inserted optical fiber extracted from the optical fiber cable is inserted between the elements, and is clamped and fixed by the elasticity of the spring of the clamp portion. The end faces abut each other, and the connection of the optical fiber is fixed.

  In connection with such a field-assembled optical connector, Patent Document 1 discloses an optical fiber processing device such as a coating removing tool for removing a coating of an inserted optical fiber and a fiber cutter for cutting an end of the inserted optical fiber. It has been disclosed. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses that the connection of the butted optical fibers is fixed by pulling out a wedge (insertion member) inserted between the elements.

JP-A-2000-193831 JP 2005-99706 A

  In some cases, a duplex optical connector (duplex connector) having two single-core ferrules is assembled at the end of an optical fiber cable. In this case, two single-core field-assembled optical connectors are separately assembled, and two single-core field-assembled optical connectors after assembly are connected to each other to assemble a dual-type optical connector. That is, it is necessary to separately perform the work of removing the coating of the inserted optical fiber, cutting the end portion, inserting the optical fiber into the clamp portion, and fixing the connection between the optical fibers for each single-core field-assembled optical connector. For this reason, while assembling the one single-core field-assembled optical connector, it is necessary to avoid the other single-core field-assembled optical connector. Accordingly, since the other single-core field-assembled optical connector is avoided, the length of exiting the inserted optical fiber from the optical fiber cable becomes longer than necessary.

  The present invention provides a method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector, which can suppress the length of the insertion optical fiber from the optical fiber cable when assembling the double optical connector at the end of the optical fiber cable. The purpose is to do.

  Some embodiments of the present invention are a method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector for assembling an optical connector at an end of an optical fiber cable having a plurality of optical fibers, wherein the optical fiber among the plurality of optical fibers Removing simultaneously the coatings of the two insertion optical fibers exiting from the cable, simultaneously cutting the ends of the two insertion optical fibers from which the coating has been removed, on the side from which the coating has been removed; A ferrule holding a fiber, an optical connector body having a clamp portion for fixing a connection state between the built-in optical fiber and the insertion optical fiber, wherein a gap between the clamp portions of the two optical connector bodies is provided. Inserting the two insertion optical fibers, respectively, inserting the two insertion optical fibers into the two optical connector bodies; Butt each fiber, which is the two method for manufacturing an optical connector-equipped optical fiber cable, characterized in that the optical connector body to secure the connection between the insertion optical fiber and the built-in optical fiber simultaneously.

  Other features of the present invention will be apparent from the description in the specification and the drawings described below.

  According to some embodiments of the present invention, when assembling a duplex optical connector at an end of an optical fiber cable, the length of exiting an insertion optical fiber from the optical fiber cable can be suppressed.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment with an optical fiber connection tool 50 attached. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment with the optical fiber connection tool 50 removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment with the optical fiber connection tool 50 removed, as viewed from below. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the optical fiber cable 1 with the optical connector 10 and the optical fiber connection tool 50. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ferrule 20 with a clamp. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing the optical fiber cable 1 with the optical connector 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D are views showing a state in which the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment is assembled to a terminal of the optical fiber cable 1. FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are explanatory diagrams of a state in which the jacket 13 and the optical fiber cable 1 are set in the holder 80. FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the coating removing tool 90. FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the cover removing tool 90 with the holder 80 and the blade member 91 removed. FIG. 9 is a top view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment with the cover 14 removed. FIGS. 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams showing a state in which the end of the insertion optical fiber 3 led out from the optical fiber cable 1 is inserted into the clamp unit 23. FIG. 11A is a view of the optical fiber connection tool 50 as viewed from above. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber connection tool 50 taken along line AA in FIG. 11A. FIG. 11C is a view of the optical fiber connection tool 50 as viewed from the front. FIG. 11D is a diagram of the optical fiber connection tool 50 viewed from behind. FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the first insertion portion 55 and the second insertion portion 56 are inserted into the first insertion recess 36 and the second insertion recess 37, respectively. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the first insertion portion 55 has been removed from the first insertion recess 36. FIG. 12C is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the second insertion portion 56 has been removed from the second insertion recess 37. FIGS. 13A to 13F are views showing a state where the optical connector 10 according to the comparative example is assembled to a terminal of the optical fiber cable 1. FIG. 14A is a perspective view of an optical connector 10 according to a modification in which the cover 14 is closed. FIG. 14B is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 according to the modified example with the cover 14 opened. FIG. 15A is a top view of the optical connector 10 according to the modified example with the cover 14 removed. FIG. 15B is a front view of the optical connector 10 according to the modification. FIG. 15C is a diagram of the optical connector 10 according to the modification as viewed from the right.

  At least the following matters will be apparent from the description in the specification and the drawings described below.

  What is claimed is: 1. A method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector, comprising: assembling an optical connector at an end of an optical fiber cable having a plurality of optical fibers, wherein two of the plurality of optical fibers are inserted from the optical fiber cable. Simultaneously removing the coating of the fiber, simultaneously cutting the ends of the two inserted optical fibers from which the coating has been removed, on the side from which the coating has been removed, a ferrule holding a built-in optical fiber, and An optical connector main body having an optical fiber and a clamp portion for fixing a connection state between the optical fiber and the insertion optical fiber, wherein the two insertion optical fibers are respectively inserted into gaps between the clamp portions of two optical connector main bodies. Abutting the two insertion optical fibers with the built-in optical fibers of the two optical connector bodies, respectively. , The two method for manufacturing an optical connector-equipped optical fiber cable, characterized in that at the same time securing the connection between the insertion optical fiber and the internal optical fiber for the optical connector body is apparent. According to such a method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector, when assembling the double optical connector at the end of the optical fiber cable, it is possible to reduce the length of the insertion of the inserted optical fiber from the optical fiber cable. it can.

  The two insertion optical fibers are sandwiched and held by a holder, the coating of the two insertion optical fibers is removed by a pair of blade members, and the direction in which the holder sandwiches the two insertion optical fibers is It is desirable that the direction is perpendicular to the direction of the blade line of the pair of blade members. Thereby, the coating of the two inserted optical fibers can be easily and simultaneously removed by the pair of blade members.

  It is preferable that the two insertion optical fibers are arranged in parallel with each other on the holder, and the ends of the two insertion optical fibers are simultaneously cut. Accordingly, when cutting the ends of the two insertion optical fibers, the lengths from the tapping start position to the ends (cut ends) of the two insertion optical fibers can be aligned with high precision.

  It is desirable that the optical connector has a housing that houses the two optical connector bodies. Thereby, when assembling the double optical connector at the end of the optical fiber cable, the length of exiting the inserted optical fiber from the optical fiber cable can be suppressed.

  Preferably, the optical fiber cable is held by the housing, and the two optical connector bodies are symmetrically arranged with respect to a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber cable held by the housing. Thereby, when inserting the two insertion optical fibers into the optical connector body, respectively, it is easy to simultaneously butt against the built-in optical fibers.

=== This embodiment ===
<Overall Configuration of Optical Connector 10>
FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment with an optical fiber connection tool 50 attached. FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment with the optical fiber connection tool 50 removed. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment with the optical fiber connection tool 50 removed, as viewed from below. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the optical fiber cable 1 with the optical connector 10 and the optical fiber connection tool 50. 1A shows a state where the cover 14 of the optical connector 10 is opened, and FIG. 1B shows a state where the cover 14 of the optical connector 10 is closed.

  In the following description, each direction is defined as shown in the figure. That is, the direction parallel to the optical axis of the built-in optical fiber 22 inserted and fixed to the ferrule 21 is referred to as “front-back direction”, the end face side of the ferrule 21 is referred to as “front”, and the opposite side (the optical fiber cable 1 side) is referred to as “forward”. After ". Also, the direction perpendicular to the mounting surface of the rear housing 42 (housing 12) on which the outer gripping member 13 is mounted is referred to as the "up-down direction", and the side on which the outer gripping member 13 is disposed is viewed from the mounting surface. Is “up” and the other side is “down”. Further, a direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction and the up-down direction is referred to as a “left-right direction”, a right side when viewing the rear side from the front side is “right”, and a left side is “left”.

  The optical connector 10 is a connector for connecting an optical fiber. The optical connector 10 of the present embodiment is a field-assembled optical connector for connecting optical fibers in the optical connector 10 by a mechanical splice method. Further, the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment is an optical connector assembled to a terminal of the optical fiber cable 1. Further, the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment is a double connector (duplex connector) including two single-core ferrules (ferrules 21 described later).

  In the following description, one of the members / parts of the dual connector is given a suffix “A”, and the other member / part is given a suffix “B”. As shown in FIG. 1A to FIG. 3, in the optical connector 10, the suffix of the reference numeral attached to the member / part on the side of the single-core ferrule arranged on the left is “A”, and the single-core The suffix of the reference numeral attached to the member / site on the side of the ferrule is “B”. In addition, when referring to a member / part common to both the left and right, a suffix may not be added. For example, both the ferrule 21A and the ferrule 21B may be simply referred to as "ferrule 21".

  The optical connector 10 includes two optical connector main bodies 11, a housing 12, and a jacket gripping member 13.

  The optical connector main body 11 is, for example, an LC type optical connector. However, the optical connector body 11 may be a single-core optical connector other than the LC-type optical connector. For example, as the optical connector main body 11, an SC optical connector, an MU optical connector, or the like can be used. Each of the two optical connector bodies 11 of the optical connector 10 includes a plug frame 15 and a ferrule 20 with a clamp. The plug frame 15 is a housing that houses the ferrule 20 with a clamp. The rear part of the plug frame 15 (optical connector main body 11) is housed in the front housing 41 of the housing 12, and the front part of the plug frame 15 (optical connector main body 11) protrudes forward from the front housing 41. An engagement piece 16 is formed on the plug frame 15. The engagement pieces 16 formed on the plug frame 15 are engaged with the engagement holes 17 formed on the front housing 41, so that the plug frame 15 is fixed to the front housing 41. The structure of the ferrule 20 with a clamp will be described later.

  The housing 12 is a housing for accommodating the two optical connector main bodies 11 (the ferrules 20 with clamps), and is also a member in which the optical fiber sorting unit 40 is provided. The housing 12 includes a front housing 41 and a rear housing 42. The front housing 41 is a portion for housing rear portions of the two optical connector main bodies 11. The front housing 41 also functions as a stop ring that contacts a rear end of the spring 18 described later. An opening is formed in the lower side of the front housing 41, and an insertion piece (an insertion of the optical fiber connection tool 50) for opening and closing the clamp portion 23 (mechanical splice portion) of the ferrule 20 with the clamp portion is formed in this opening. Part 51) is inserted. The rear housing 42 is a portion for accommodating two inserted optical fibers 3 exiting from the optical fiber cable 1. Further, the rear housing 42 is also a part that accommodates the jacket 13 to be described later.

  The jacket gripping member 13 is a member that grips the optical fiber cable 1 and fixes the optical fiber cable 1 to the rear housing 42 (housing 12). The jacket gripping member 13 grips the optical fiber cable 1 by making a gripping claw (not shown) provided therein bite into the jacket 2 of the optical fiber cable 1. However, the outer sheath gripping member 13 may be gripped by another structure as long as the optical fiber cable 1 can be gripped. As shown in FIG. 3, two insertion optical fibers 3 led out from the optical fiber cable 1 extend on the front side of the jacket gripping member 13. The front end of the outer cover gripping member 13 may be referred to as a “starting start position”. In addition, the optical connector 10 does not need to have the jacket gripping member 13 by directly fixing the optical fiber cable 1 to the rear housing 42 (housing 12).

  The optical connector 10 has a cover part 14 and a spring 18 in addition to the two optical connector main bodies 11, the housing 12, and the jacket gripping member 13. The cover part 14 is a member that covers the rear housing 42 (housing 12) from above. When the cover 14 covers the rear housing 42, the space surrounded by the cover 14 and the rear housing 42 becomes a space for accommodating the inserted optical fiber 3. The cover 14 is opened by bending the rear portion of the cover 14 upward (see FIG. 1B). The spring 18 is a member that urges the ferrule 20 with a clamp portion forward with respect to the front housing 41. The ferrule 20 with the clamp portion is retractably housed in the plug frame 15 and the front housing 41 (housing 12) while being urged forward by the spring 18.

<Optical fiber cable 1>
The optical fiber cable 1 has two optical fibers. However, the optical fiber cable 1 may have three or more optical fibers. The insertion optical fiber 3 is an optical fiber output from the optical fiber cable 1 (for example, a drop cable or an indoor cable). The end of the insertion optical fiber 3 is cut after the coating is removed, and the insertion optical fiber 3 (the bare optical fiber portion 4 and the coating portion 5) of a predetermined size extends forward from the jacket gripping member 13. A bare optical fiber portion 4 having a predetermined size is provided at the end of the insertion optical fiber 3.

  At the time of assembling the optical connector 10 to the terminal of the optical fiber cable 1, the operator inserts the jacket gripping member 13 holding the jacket 2 of the optical fiber cable 1 into the rear housing 42 (housing 12). The operator feeds the end of the inserted optical fiber 3 to the clamp 23 (mechanical splice) by sliding the jacket gripping member 13 forward on the rear housing 42. Thus, inside the clamp portion 23, the end face of the built-in optical fiber 22 previously inserted and fixed to the ferrule 21 and the end face of the inserted optical fiber 3 are abutted. When the end of the insertion optical fiber 3 is fed into the clamp portion 23, a wedge-shaped insertion piece (the insertion portion 51 of the optical fiber connection tool 50) is inserted into the clamp portion 23 in advance. The gap inside the portion 23 (the gap between the base member 25 and the lid member 26) is widened. After the built-in optical fiber 22 and the inserted optical fiber 3 are abutted with each other, the interposed piece is pulled out from the clamp portion 23, so that the built-in optical fiber 22 and the inserted optical fiber 3 are fixed by the clamp portion 23. When the cover portion 14 is lowered, the outer gripping member 13 (the optical fiber cable 1) is fixed to the housing 12.

<Basic structure of ferrule 20 with clamp>
FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the ferrule 20 with a clamp.

  The ferrule with clamp portion 20 has a ferrule 21 and a clamp portion 23.

  The ferrule 21 is a member that holds an end of the built-in optical fiber 22. Here, the ferrule 21 is a cylindrical ferrule used for a single-core optical connector. One end (front end) of the built-in optical fiber 22 is adhesively fixed to the ferrule 21, and the end face is polished together with the ferrule 21. The other end (rear end) of the built-in optical fiber 22 is disposed inside the clamp portion 23 (specifically, the alignment groove 31 of the base member 25). Thereby, the built-in optical fiber 22 is inserted and fixed to the ferrule 21.

  The clamp unit 23 is a member (optical fiber connection device) that axially aligns (aligns) the built-in optical fiber 22 and the inserted optical fiber 3 by a mechanical splice method and fixes the built-in optical fiber 22 and the inserted optical fiber 3. . An alignment groove 31 is formed in the clamp portion 23, and the end surface of the built-in optical fiber 22 and the end surface of the insertion optical fiber 3 are aligned by the alignment groove 31. Further, an insertion portion 32 (insertion opening) is formed at the rear end of the clamp portion 23, and the insertion optical fiber 3 is inserted from the insertion portion 32.

  The clamp unit 23 includes a base member 25, a lid member 26, and a clamp spring 29.

  The base member 25 is a member having an alignment groove 31 for aligning optical fibers (the built-in optical fiber 22 and the inserted optical fiber 3). The ferrule 21 is fixed to the base member 25. The ferrule structure 30 is configured by the base member 25 and the ferrule 21. That is, the ferrule with clamp portion 20 includes the ferrule structure 30, the lid member 26, and the clamp spring 29. A flange portion 33 is formed on the base member 25 (ferrule structure 30), and an alignment groove 31 is formed on a portion behind the flange portion 33.

  The alignment groove 31 is a so-called V-groove, and the end of the built-in optical fiber 22 is arranged on the alignment groove 31. The covering portion accommodation groove 34 extends rearward from the rear end of the alignment groove 31. The covering portion accommodation groove 34 is formed up to the rear end (insertion portion 32) of the base member 25, and is formed as a groove larger than the alignment groove 31. Thereby, the covering portion 5 of the insertion optical fiber 3 can be arranged on the covering portion accommodation groove 34. The end of the insertion optical fiber 3 is inserted from the covering portion accommodation groove 34, and the end (the bare optical fiber portion 4) of the insertion optical fiber 3 is guided to the alignment groove 31.

  The lid member 26 is a member that presses the optical fibers (the built-in optical fiber 22 and the inserted optical fiber 3) toward the alignment groove 31 of the base member 25. The lid member 26 has a pressing surface on the side of the base member 25, and the pressing surface contacts the optical fiber and presses the optical fiber. In other words, the lid member 26 and the base member 25 constitute a holding member that holds the optical fiber therebetween. The lid member 26 includes a first lid member 27 and a second lid member 28. The first cover member 27 is a member that presses the bare optical fiber portion 4 of the insertion optical fiber 3, and the second cover member 28 is a member that presses the covering portion 5 of the insertion optical fiber 3.

  The clamp spring 29 is a spring member that presses the base member 25 and the lid member 26 so as to sandwich them. The clamp spring 29 continues to apply a pressing force (elastic force) so as to sandwich the base member 25 and the lid member 26. In the insertion recess 35 (the first insertion recess 36 and the second insertion recess 37), an insertion portion 51 (a first insertion portion 55 and a second insertion portion 55) of an optical fiber connection tool 50, which will be described later. 56), the gap between the base member 25 and the lid member 26 is opened against the pressing force of the clamp spring 29, so that the insertion optical fiber 3 can be inserted into the clamp portion 23, and the built-in optical fiber 22 can be inserted. And the end face of the insertion optical fiber 3 can be abutted. When the insertion portion 51 is removed from the insertion recess 35, the built-in optical fiber 22 and the inserted optical fiber 3 are pressed and fixed between the base member 25 and the cover member 26 by the pressing force of the clamp spring 29. Will be. The insertion recess 35 may be formed on one of the base member 25 and the lid member 26, and the insertion recess 35 may not be provided.

  The insertion concave portion 35 into which the wedge-shaped insertion portion 51 is inserted includes a first insertion concave portion 36 and a second insertion concave portion 37. The first insertion recess 36 is an insertion recess provided immediately above a point (a connection point 58 described later) at which the end face of the built-in optical fiber 22 and the end face of the insertion optical fiber 3 meet. The second insertion recess 37 is an insertion recess provided immediately above the covering portion accommodation groove 34. The first insertion portion 55 is inserted into the first insertion recess 36, and the second insertion portion 56 is inserted into the second insertion recess 37. When the first insertion portion 55 is removed from the first insertion recess 36, the internal optical fiber 22 and the insertion light are inserted between the base member 25 and the first lid member 27 by the pressing force of the clamp spring 29. The connection point 58 with the fiber 3 is pressed and fixed. When the second insertion portion 56 is removed from the second insertion recess 37, the covering portion 5 of the optical fiber 3 is inserted between the base member 25 and the second lid member 28 by the pressing force of the clamp spring 29. It will be fixed by pressing. Note that the insertion concave portion 35 is not divided into two insertion concave portions like the first insertion concave portion 36 and the second insertion concave portion 37, but one insertion concave portion. Alternatively, the first insertion recess 36 and the second insertion recess 37 may be integrally formed.

<Method of manufacturing optical fiber cable 1 with optical connector 10>
FIG. 5 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing the optical fiber cable 1 with the optical connector 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6A to FIG. 6D are views showing a state in which the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment is assembled to a terminal of the optical fiber cable 1.

  In the following description, the optical fiber cable 1 in which the optical connector 10 is assembled to the terminal may be referred to as “the optical fiber cable 1 with the optical connector 10”. In the manufacturing operation of the optical fiber cable 1 with the optical connector 10, first, the operator taps out the inserted optical fiber 3 from the optical fiber cable 1 (S001), and sets the optical fiber cable 1 on the jacket gripping member 13 (S002). .

  When tapping out the inserted optical fiber 3 from the optical fiber cable 1, the operator first makes a cut in the jacket 2 along the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber cable 1. Then, the operator opens the cutout jacket 2 and takes out the optical fiber from the inside of the jacket 2. In addition, a not-shown strength member or the like may be collectively folded back and fastened by a not-shown fastener or the like. In the present embodiment, the worker taps out two optical fibers of the plurality of optical fibers included in the optical fiber cable 1.

  In the following description, as shown in FIG. 6A, the length of the inserted optical fiber 3 extending from the jacket gripping member 13 may be referred to as “optical fiber exit length” or “optical fiber cable processing length”. In addition, the "optical fiber tapping length" and the "optical fiber cable processing length" may be simply referred to as "pulling length" and "processing length". Further, as shown in FIG. 6A, in the present embodiment, the insertion optical fiber 3 is led out by a predetermined length (D1). Further, when the jacket gripping member 13 is inserted into the rear housing 42 of the housing 12 (see FIGS. 6D and 10C described later), the built-in optical fiber 22 of the ferrule 20 with a clamp portion and the inserted optical fiber 3 are butted. The lead length D1 is assured.

  Next, the operator sets the jacket gripping member 13 and the optical fiber cable 1 in the holder 80 (S003).

  FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B are explanatory diagrams of a state in which the jacket 13 and the optical fiber cable 1 are set in the holder 80. FIG. 7A shows a state in which the cover 82 of the holder 80 is opened, and a state in which the cover 82 of the holder 80 is closed.

  The holder 80 is a member that holds the jacket 13 and the optical fiber cable 1. With the optical fiber cable 1 held by the holder 80, the coating on the end of the inserted optical fiber 3 is removed and cut. The holder 80 has a main body 81 and a lid 82.

  The main body section 81 is a member provided with a housing section 84 for housing the jacket 13 and an optical fiber mounting section 83 on which the two inserted optical fibers 3 are mounted. The operator accommodates the jacket gripping member 13 in the accommodation section 84 of the holder 80. At this time, the two inserted optical fibers 3 are mounted on the optical fiber mounting portion 83 of the holder 80. The so-called V-groove is formed in two places in the optical fiber placement part 83, and two insertion optical fibers 3A and 3B are placed on the two V-grooves (the optical fiber placement parts 83A and 83A). The optical fiber mounting portions 83B) are disposed respectively.

  The lid 82 is a lid member that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 81. The lid 82 holds the outer gripping member 13 holding the two inserted optical fibers 3 between the main body 81 and the outer gripping member 13. As shown in FIG. 7B, when the lid 82 is closed, the outer gripping member 13 is pressed, and the outer gripping member 13 is held between the main body 81 and the lid 82. Thereby, the holder 80 can hold the jacket 13 and the optical fiber cable 1 having the two inserted optical fibers 3. When the sheath gripping member 13 and the optical fiber cable 1 are set in the holder 80, the two inserted optical fibers 3 protruding from the optical fiber cable 1 extend to the front side of the holder 80 (see FIG. 7B).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7B, a state in which the two insertion optical fibers 3A and 3B are mounted on two V-grooves (the optical fiber mounting portion 83A and the optical fiber mounting portion 83B). Then, the holder 80 (the main body 81 and the lid 82) sandwiches the inserted optical fiber 3. That is, the holder 80 (the main body 81 and the lid 82) sandwiches and holds the two insertion optical fibers 3A and 3B in a state of being arranged side by side. Therefore, the direction in which the holder 80 (the main body portion 81 and the lid portion 82) sandwiches the two insertion optical fibers 3A and 3B is orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the two insertion optical fibers 3A and 3B.

  Next, the operator removes the coating of the end of the inserted optical fiber 3 that has exited from the optical fiber cable 1 (S004), and cuts the end of the inserted optical fiber 3 (S005). As a result, the insertion optical fiber 3 (the bare optical fiber portion 4 and the coating portion 5) of a predetermined size extends forward from the jacket gripping member 13 (the starting position of tapping), and the bare optical fiber portion 4 of the predetermined size is inserted into the insertion light beam. It is provided at the end of the fiber 3. The operator processes the inserted optical fiber 3 (removal of the coating in S004 and cutting of the end in S005) with the jacket gripping member 13 and the optical fiber cable 1 set in the holder 80.

  FIG. 8A is a perspective view of the coating removing tool 90. FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the cover removing tool 90 with the holder 80 and the blade member 91 removed.

  The coating removing tool 90 is a tool for removing the coating 5 of the insertion optical fiber 3. The coating removing tool 90 is sometimes called a “stripper” or the like. The coating removing tool 90 has a main body and a pair of blade members 91. The pair of blade members 91 are configured as separate members with respect to the main body of the coating removing tool 90, and are configured to be detachable. In the following description, the main body of the coating removing device 90 may be simply referred to as “the coating removing device 90”.

  The blade member 91 is a blade for removing the coating 5 of the insertion optical fiber 3. When removing the covering portion 5 of the insertion optical fiber 3, the insertion optical fiber 3 is pulled out in a state where the insertion optical fiber 3 is sandwiched between the pair of blade members 91. Thereby, the covering portion 5 of the insertion optical fiber 3 is removed by the pair of blade members 91.

  When the pair of blade members 91 are mounted on the mounting portion 92 of the coating removing tool 90, the blades of the pair of blade members 91 protrude inward (toward the inserted optical fiber 3). As shown in FIG. 8B, in the present embodiment, the two insertion optical fibers 3 </ b> A and 3 </ b> B are arranged in the same direction as the direction of the blade line of the pair of blade members 91. For this reason, in the state where the two insertion optical fibers 3 are sandwiched between the pair of blade members 91, the two insertion optical fibers 3 are pulled out, so that the covering portion 5 of the two insertion optical fibers 3 is removed. Can be removed at the same time. In addition, the direction in which the holder 80 (the main body portion 81 and the cover portion 82) sandwiches the two insertion optical fibers 3 is the same as the direction in which the holder 80 sandwiches the two insertion optical fibers 3. Perpendicular to the direction of the line. Thus, the coating portions 5 of the two insertion optical fibers 3A and 3B can be easily and simultaneously removed by the pair of blade members 91.

  In the present embodiment, the ends of the two inserted optical fibers 3 are cut while the holder 80 holds the jacket gripping member 13 and the optical fiber cable 1. At this time, the two insertion optical fibers 3A and 3B are arranged in the holder 80 in parallel with each other, and the ends of the two insertion optical fibers 3 are simultaneously cut (see FIG. 6C). By arranging the two insertion optical fibers 3 in parallel with each other, the distance from the tapping start position when the two insertion optical fibers 3 are cut to the ends (cut ends) of the two insertion optical fibers 3 is reduced. The length can be controlled with high precision. That is, when cutting the ends of the two insertion optical fibers 3, the lengths from the tapping start position to the ends (cut ends) of the two insertion optical fibers 3 can be aligned with high precision. .

  Next, the operator removes the jacket gripping member 13 from the holder 80 in order to insert the jacket gripping member 13 into the rear housing 42 of the housing 12 (S006). Then, the operator inserts the jacket gripping member 13 into the rear housing 42 of the housing 12 (S007).

  FIG. 9 is a top view of the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment with the cover 14 removed. FIGS. 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams showing a state in which the end of the insertion optical fiber 3 led out from the optical fiber cable 1 is inserted into the clamp unit 23.

  An optical fiber sorting section 40 is provided in the rear housing 42. The optical fiber sorting section 40 is a part that sorts the ends of the two inserted optical fibers 3 in two directions. The optical fiber sorting section 40 has a roof 46 and a wall 47.

  The roof 46 is a part that sorts the ends of the two inserted optical fibers 3 in two directions when the ends of the two inserted optical fibers 3 are accommodated in the rear housing 42. The roof portion 46 is formed to be convex from the bottom surface of the rear housing 42 in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface. However, the roof portion 46 does not have to be formed from the bottom surface of the rear housing 42 in a direction perpendicular to the bottom surface. Specifically, when the optical fiber sorting unit 40 is viewed from the front side, the roof 46A is formed by a slope that faces downward from the center to the left. When the optical fiber sorting section 40 is viewed from the front side, the roof 46B is formed by a slope that faces downward from the center to the right side. In other words, the roof 46 of the present embodiment is formed by two inclined surfaces that are inclined so as to approach the bottom surface of the rear housing 42 with the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber cable 1 held by the rear housing 42 as the top. You. Therefore, when the ends of the two insertion optical fibers 3 are accommodated in the rear housing 42, the two insertion optical fibers 3 are placed so as to be divided into the boundary between the roof 46A and the roof 46B. By simply doing so, the ends of the two insertion optical fibers 3 can be easily sorted in two directions (see FIG. 10A).

  The wall portion 47 is a portion that widens the space between the two insertion optical fibers 3 when the end portions of the two insertion optical fibers 3 are to enter the insertion portions 32 of the clamp portion 23, respectively. The wall portion 47 includes a first wall portion 48 and a second wall portion 49. The first wall portion 48 is provided in parallel in the front-rear direction, and the insertion portion 32 of the clamp portion 23 is located ahead of the first wall portion 48 extending forward. The second wall portion 49 is provided as a tapered surface provided so as to expand from the rear side to the front side. The ends of the two insertion optical fibers 3 enter along the second wall 49 so that the space between the two insertion optical fibers 3 expands, and the second wall 49 (the second wall 49A and the second wall 49A). After having spread to the interval between the second wall portions 49B), it is guided to the insertion portion 32 of the clamp portion 23 along the second wall portion 49. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the insertion optical fiber 3 from bending inward (to the wall portion 47 side). However, the second wall portion 49 may not be provided as a tapered surface provided so as to expand from the rear side to the front side, and may be provided in parallel in the front-rear direction.

  Note that the optical fiber sorting section 40 of the present embodiment extends in the front-rear direction from the insertion section 32 of the clamp section 23 to a position where the insertion of the two insertion optical fibers 3 starts. Therefore, when the ends of the two insertion optical fibers 3 are accommodated in the rear housing 42, the two insertion optical fibers 3 are placed so as to be divided into the boundary between the roof 46A and the roof 46B. By simply doing so, the ends of the two insertion optical fibers 3 can be easily sorted in two directions. More specifically, for example, two insertion optical fibers 3 having tolerances such that the end of the insertion optical fiber 3A enters the clamp portion 23B and the end of the insertion optical fiber 3B enters the clamp portion 23A. Thus, it is possible to suppress entry into the clamp portion 23. However, the optical fiber sorting section 40 does not have to extend in the front-rear direction from the insertion section 32 of the clamp section 23 to the exit start position of the two insertion optical fibers 3.

  When the sheath gripping member 13 is inserted into the rear housing 42 of the optical connector main body 10, the end of the optical fiber 4 led out from the optical cable 3 is inserted into the clamp portion 14 (see FIG. 1B), and the optical fiber 4 and the built-in optical fiber 22 are butt-connected.

  In the present embodiment, the two optical connector main bodies 11A and 11B are symmetrically arranged with respect to the longitudinal direction of the optical fiber cable 1 held by the jacket gripping member 13 (see FIG. 6D). Since the two optical connector bodies 11 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the longitudinal direction, the rear side of the internal optical fiber 22 inside the clamp portion 14 can be moved from the rear side housing 42 into which the jacket 13 is inserted. The length up to the end (connection point 58) is the same for the two optical connector bodies 11. As described above, the lengths of the two insertion optical fibers 3 from the tapping start position to the ends (cut ends) of the two insertion optical fibers 3 are aligned with high precision. This facilitates simultaneous butting against the built-in optical fiber 22 when the two inserted optical fibers 3 are inserted into the clamp portions 14 respectively.

  After inserting the jacket gripping member 13 into the housing 12 (the rear housing 42) of the optical connector 10 (after S007), the operator removes the optical fiber connection tool 50 from the optical connector 10 (S008).

  FIG. 11A is a view of the optical fiber connection tool 50 as viewed from above. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the optical fiber connection tool 50 taken along line AA in FIG. 11A. FIG. 11C is a view of the optical fiber connection tool 50 as viewed from the front. FIG. 11D is a diagram of the optical fiber connection tool 50 viewed from behind.

  The optical fiber connection tool 50 is a tool that opens and closes a gap between the base member 25 and the lid member 26 of the clamp part 23 of the optical connector 10. In the following description, a gap between the base member 25 and the lid member 26 of the clamp unit 23 may be simply referred to as a “gap of the clamp unit 23”.

  The optical fiber connection tool 50 has an insertion section 51, an operation section 52, and a rotation shaft section 53.

  The insertion portion 51 is a portion that is inserted into a gap between the clamp portions 23 of the optical connector main body 11. As described above, the insertion portion 51 is inserted into the insertion concave portion 35 of the clamp portion 23, thereby opening a gap between the clamp portions 23, enabling the insertion optical fiber 3 to be inserted into the clamp portion 23, and being built in. The end face of the optical fiber 22 and the end face of the insertion optical fiber 3 can be abutted. Further, since the insertion portion 51 is removed from the insertion concave portion 35, the built-in optical fiber 22 and the insertion optical fiber 3 are pressed and fixed in the gap of the clamp portion 23. As shown in FIG. 11B, in the present embodiment, the corners of the insertion portion 51 are formed round. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 12B and FIG. 12C described later, the operation unit 52 can be smoothly rotated about the rotation shaft 53. That is, since the corner of the insertion portion 51 is formed to be round, the corner of the insertion portion 51 is caught by the step portion 43 of the rear housing 42 when the operation portion 52 is to be rotated. Can be suppressed. However, the corners of the insertion portion 51 need not be rounded.

  The insertion section 51 includes a first insertion section 55 and a second insertion section 56. The first insertion portion 55 is inserted into the first insertion concave portion 36 provided immediately above the connection point 58 where the end surface of the built-in optical fiber 22 and the end surface of the insertion optical fiber 3 abut. Further, the second insertion portion 56 is inserted into the second insertion recess 37 provided immediately above the covering portion accommodation groove 34. When the first insertion concave portion 36 and the second insertion concave portion 37 are formed integrally, the first insertion portion 55 and the second insertion portion 56 may be formed integrally. .

  In the present embodiment, the optical fiber connection tool 50 has two insertion portions 51A and 51B. As described above, the optical connector 10 of the present embodiment has two optical connector bodies 11 (ferrules 20 with clamps). The two insertion portions 51A and 51B open and close the gap between the two clamp portions 23A and 23B.

  The operation part 52 is a part operated by an operator when the insertion part 51 is pulled out from the gap of the clamp part 23 of the optical connector main body 11. When the operator presses the operation section 52 upward, the optical fiber connection tool 50 rotates about the rotation shaft section 53, and the insertion section 51 is pulled out. As described above, the optical fiber connection tool 50 has the two insertion portions 51A and the insertion portion 51B. The insertion portion 51B can be removed. Thereby, the insertion portions 51 inserted into the gaps between the two clamp portions 23 can be pulled out together. The two insertion portions 51A and 51B are provided in a direction parallel to an axial direction of a rotating shaft portion 53 described later.

  The rotating shaft portion 53 is a portion serving as a rotating shaft when the optical fiber connection tool 50 is rotated by pressing the operation portion 52 upward. The rotation shaft 53 is provided between the operation unit 52 and the insertion unit 51. By pressing the operation unit 52 upward, the operation unit 52 moves upward, and a force is applied to move the insertion unit 51 downward according to the leverage principle. Thereby, the insertion portion 51 is pulled out.

  The optical fiber connection tool 50 has a locking claw 57 in addition to the insertion portion 51, the operation portion 52, and the rotation shaft portion 53. The locking claw 57 is a part that locks to the housing 12 of the optical connector 10. The state in which the optical fiber connection tool 50 is attached to the optical connector 10 can be maintained by locking the locking claw 57 to the housing 12. Thereby, for example, while the optical connector 10 to which the optical fiber connection tool 50 is attached is transported, it is possible to prevent the optical fiber connection tool 50 from coming off the optical connector 10 unexpectedly.

  FIG. 12A is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the first insertion portion 55 and the second insertion portion 56 are inserted into the first insertion recess 36 and the second insertion recess 37, respectively. FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the first insertion portion 55 has been removed from the first insertion recess 36. FIG. 12C is a cross-sectional view of the optical connector 10 in a state where the second insertion portion 56 has been removed from the second insertion recess 37.

  In the present embodiment, the first insertion portion 55 is provided closer to the connection end face of the ferrule 21 than the second insertion portion 56. Further, by rotating the optical fiber connection tool 50 about the rotation shaft 53, first, the locking claw 57 comes off the housing 12. Then, after the first insertion portion 55 is removed from the first insertion recess 36, the second insertion portion 56 is removed from the second insertion recess 37. That is, after fixing the connection point 58 at which the end face of the built-in optical fiber 22 and the end face of the insertion optical fiber 3 abut against each other, the connection point 58 of the insertion optical fiber 3 is fixed. As a result, the connection is fixed from the side near the connection point 58 which is the end of the insertion optical fiber, and the displacement of the butted state between the built-in optical fiber 22 and the insertion optical fiber 3 can be suppressed.

  As described above, when the optical fiber connection tool 50 is removed, the insertion portion 51 of the optical fiber connection tool 50 is pulled out of the insertion recess 35 of the ferrule 20 with a clamp portion, and inserted into the built-in optical fiber 22. The optical fiber 3 is fixed by the clamp 23. Thereby, the operation of assembling the optical connector 10 to the terminal of the optical fiber cable 1 is completed (the operation of manufacturing the optical fiber cable 1 with the optical connector 10 is completed).

<Comparative example>
FIGS. 13A to 13F are views showing a state where the optical connector 10 according to the comparative example is assembled to a terminal of the optical fiber cable 1.

  In this comparative example, when assembling the double field-assembled optical connector to the terminal of the optical fiber cable 1, two single-core field-assembled optical connectors are separately assembled. That is, removal of the covering portion 5 of the insertion optical fiber 3 (see FIG. 13B), cutting of the end portion of the insertion optical fiber 3 (see FIG. 13C), insertion of the end portion of the insertion optical fiber 3 into the clamp portion 23, and optical fiber For fixing the connection between them (see FIG. 13D), one insertion optical fiber 3 (here, insertion optical fiber 3B) is performed first, and the other insertion optical fiber 3 (here, insertion optical fiber 3A) is performed later. (See FIG. 13E). Here, while the assembling operation is performed on one insertion optical fiber 3, the other (not yet assembled) insertion optical fiber 3 needs to be avoided because it interferes with the operation (FIG. 13A). Therefore, it is necessary to have a margin in the exit length D2 by the amount of avoiding the other insertion optical fiber 3. That is, when the outer gripping member 13 is inserted into the rear housing 42 of the housing 12, a margin is provided in addition to the lead length D1 at which the built-in optical fiber 22 of the ferrule 20 with a clamp portion and the inserted optical fiber 3 can be butted. There is a need. For this reason, in this comparative example, it is necessary to make the exit length longer than in this embodiment (D2> D1).

<Modification>
FIG. 14A is a perspective view of an optical connector 10 according to a modification in which the cover 14 is closed. FIG. 14B is a perspective view of the optical connector 10 according to the modified example with the cover 14 opened. FIG. 15A is a top view of the optical connector 10 according to the modified example with the cover 14 removed. FIG. 15B is a front view of the optical connector 10 according to the modification. FIG. 15C is a diagram of the optical connector 10 according to the modification as viewed from the right.

-Engagement hole 44 and engagement protrusion 45
As shown in FIG. 14A, in the optical connector 10 according to the modified example, the cover portion 14 is provided with the engagement hole 44, and the housing 12 is provided with the engagement protrusion 45. Then, as shown in FIG. 14B, the cover portion 14 is held by the housing 12 by engaging the engagement hole portion 44 with the engagement protrusion 45 with the cover portion 14 opened. . Thereby, it is possible to prevent the cover 14 from being accidentally closed when the cover 14 is opened. In this modification, two engagement holes 44 and two engagement protrusions 45 are provided in the left-right direction.

・ Stopper 60
As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, a stopper 60 is provided in the optical connector 10 according to the modification. The stopper 60 is a member that prevents the optical fiber connection tool 50 from coming off the optical connector 10 unexpectedly. When the optical fiber connection tool 50 is attached to the optical connector 10, the stopper 60 is provided so as to be inserted into a cutout 59 formed in the optical fiber connection tool 50 (FIGS. 14A and 14B). reference). The length in the left-right direction of the stopper 60 is formed larger than the length in the left-right direction of the optical fiber connection tool 50 (see FIG. 15B). In addition, as shown in FIG. 15C, the stopper 60 is provided so as to be located on the front side of the rotation shaft 53. Thus, when the stopper 60 is inserted through the cutout 59, the optical fiber connection tool 50 can be prevented from rotating around the rotation shaft 53.

.Optical fiber sorting section 40
In the present modification, the optical fiber sorting section 40 does not include the first wall section 48 provided in parallel in the front-rear direction, but has a tapered surface (second wall section 49) provided so as to expand from the rear side to the front side. ) May be formed.

=== Others ===
The embodiments described above are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

1 optical fiber cable, 2 jacket, 3 insertion optical fiber,
4 bare optical fiber part, 5 coating part, 10 optical connector,
11 optical connector body, 12 housing, 13 jacket gripping member,
14 cover part, 15 plug frame, 16 engagement piece,
17 engaged hole, 18 spring, 20 ferrule with clamp,
21 ferrule, 22 built-in optical fiber, 23 clamp part,
25 base member, 26 lid member, 27 first lid member, 28 second lid member,
29 clamp spring, 30 ferrule structure, 31 alignment groove,
32 insertion part, 33 flange part, 34 covering part accommodation groove,
35 insertion recess, 36 first insertion recess, 37 second insertion recess,
40 optical fiber sorter, 41 front housing, 42 rear housing,
43 steps, 44 engagement holes, 45 engagement protrusions,
46 roof, 47 wall, 48 first wall, 49 second wall,
50 optical fiber connection tool, 51 insertion part,
52 operation part, 53 rotation shaft part, 55 first insertion part, 56 second insertion part,
57 locking claw, 58 connection point, 59 notch, 60 stopper,
61 Stopper head, 62 Stopper leg,
80 holder, 81 body part, 82 lid part, 83 optical fiber mounting part,
84 accommodation part, 90 coating removal tool, 91 blade member, 92 mounting part

Claims (5)

A method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector for assembling an optical connector at an end of an optical fiber cable having a plurality of optical fibers,
Of the plurality of optical fibers, simultaneously removing the coating of the two inserted optical fibers exited from the optical fiber cable,
Simultaneously cutting the ends of the two insertion optical fibers from which the coating has been removed, on the side from which the coating has been removed;
An optical connector body having a ferrule holding a built-in optical fiber, and a clamp portion for fixing a connection state between the built-in optical fiber and the insertion optical fiber,
Inserting the two insertion optical fibers into gaps between the clamp portions of the two optical connector bodies, respectively;
Abutting the two insertion optical fibers with the built-in optical fibers of the two optical connector bodies, respectively, and simultaneously fixing a connection state between the built-in optical fiber and the inserted optical fiber with respect to the two optical connector bodies. A method for producing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector.
It is a manufacturing method of the optical fiber cable with an optical connector of Claim 1, Comprising:
Holding the two inserted optical fibers by a holder and removing the coating of the two inserted optical fibers with a pair of blade members;
A method of manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector, wherein a direction in which the holder sandwiches the two insertion optical fibers is orthogonal to a direction of a blade line of the pair of blade members.
It is a manufacturing method of the optical fiber cable with an optical connector according to claim 2,
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector, comprising: arranging the two insertion optical fibers in the holder in parallel with each other, and simultaneously cutting the ends of the two insertion optical fibers.
It is a manufacturing method of the optical fiber cable with an optical connector according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector, wherein the optical connector has a housing that houses the two optical connector bodies.
It is a manufacturing method of the optical fiber cable with an optical connector according to claim 4,
The optical fiber cable is held in the housing,
A method for manufacturing an optical fiber cable with an optical connector, wherein the two optical connector bodies are symmetrically arranged with respect to a longitudinal direction of the optical fiber cable held by the housing.

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