JP3277941B2 - Fixing structure for multi-core optical fiber and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-fiber optical fiber fixing structure for connecting a plurality of optical fibers together and a method of manufacturing the same .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in an optical fiber communication system, an optical connector is used as a fixing structure for connecting optical fibers. As this optical connector, a multi-core optical connector in which a plurality of optical fibers are collectively joined together in addition to a single-core optical connector is known. FIG. 6 shows a configuration of a general multi-core optical connector 2. By using the multi-core optical connector 2, the distal ends of a plurality of optical fibers 6 of the tape-shaped optical fiber cables 4 and 4 are collectively connected. Connected.

[0003] The multi-fiber optical connector 2 includes a pair of substrates 8 and a holding substrate 10, on which a plurality of V grooves 12 for arranging and accommodating a plurality of optical fibers 6 are formed. In addition, a housing groove 14 for arranging the covering portion 13 of the optical fiber cable 4 in communication with the end of the V groove 12
Is provided. On both sides of the V-shaped groove 12, first groove portions 16 for holding guide pins (not shown) and positioning the substrates 8 with each other are formed. On the other hand, the holding substrate 10 has a receiving groove 1 corresponding to the receiving groove 14 of the substrate 8.
8 and a second groove 20 corresponding to the first groove 16 are formed.

In such a configuration, the V-groove 1 of the substrate 8
In a state where the optical fiber 6 is disposed on the optical fiber cable 2 and the covering portion 13 of the optical fiber cable 4 is disposed in the accommodation groove 14, the holding substrate 10 is superimposed on the substrate 8, and this substrate 8 and the holding substrate 10 , The covering portion 13 and the optical fiber 6 are integrally fixed. The multi-fiber optical connector 2 is positioned by a guide pin (not shown) that is inserted into the first and second grooves 16 and 20 integrally.
The end faces of the optical fibers 6 are connected.

[0005]

By the way, in the multi-fiber optical connector 2, it is necessary to reduce as much as possible the connection loss due to the misalignment of each optical fiber 6 and the change in the connection loss due to the temperature change. Therefore, the substrate 8 and the holding substrate 10
It is conceivable that the V-groove 12 and the first groove portion 16 are processed with high precision in the ceramic substrate 8 and the second groove portion 20 is processed with high precision in the ceramic holding substrate 10.

However, when processing the substrate 8, first, a V-groove 12 is formed over the entire upper surface of the substrate 8,
Next, an accommodation groove 14 is provided by removing one upper end side of the substrate 8 corresponding to the portion accommodating the covering portion 13. For this reason, the V-groove 12 must be formed in the substrate 8 to an unnecessary portion. Particularly, when the substrate 8 is made of ceramic which requires a high processing cost, the processing cost of the substrate 8 is considerably increased. There is a problem in that the multi-fiber optical connector 2 becomes expensive as a result.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention solves this kind of problem, and is capable of connecting a plurality of optical fibers with high accuracy and effectively reducing costs. It is an object to provide a structure and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, a multi-core optical fiber fixing structure according to the present invention has a V-groove for accommodating a plurality of optical fibers in an aligned manner and a guide pin.
A ceramic substrate in which the first groove is formed for lifting the front
A second groove corresponding to the first groove;
A guide substrate for holding a guide pin in the second groove
If, pressing board and the guide base and the ceramic substrate for holding the optical fiber to the V groove
A holding member provided with a first insertion portion accommodating a part of the holding substrate and a second insertion portion accommodating a coating portion of the optical fiber;
Is characterized by Tei Rukoto be configured one body manner. Also book
The multi-fiber optical fiber fixing structure of the present invention has a plurality of optical fibers.
Made of ceramics with V-grooves for receiving and aligning iva
Holding the substrate and the optical fiber in the V-groove
Holding substrate for the ceramic substrate and the pressing
A first insertion portion accommodating the substrate and the optical fiber;
A retainer provided with a second insert for accommodating the covering portion of the bus
And a body, wherein the holding body is integrally formed, and
1 Openings are provided on both sides of the side
A part of the opening is first bonded to the inside of the holder.
Is configured as an agent injection port , and
A second communication portion communicating with the second insertion portion is provided at an upper portion of the second insertion portion.
An adhesive injection port is formed . other
On the other hand, a method for manufacturing a fixing structure for a multi-core optical fiber according to the present invention
In, the V-groove that holds the optical fiber and the guide pin
On a ceramic substrate having a first groove to hold,
A second groove for holding a guide pin corresponding to the first groove
Arranging a guide substrate having: the guide substrate
With the ceramic substrate on top of the holder
A step of inserting the first interpolation join the club, and the first groove and the second
Insert guide pins into the grooves to position the guide board
And a step of forming an optical fiber in the V-groove of the ceramic substrate.
Insert the fiber and keep the coated part of the optical fiber.
Inserting the holding substrate into the second insertion portion of the holding body;
It is placed on a ceramic substrate and the optical fiber is pushed.
Even supporting the substrate and the V-groove at three points ;
Supply resin-based adhesive from the adhesive injection port, and
Substrate, guide substrate, holding substrate, optical fiber, guide
And a step of collectively fixing the components inside the holder.
It is characterized by. In addition, the multi-core optical fiber fixed
In the manufacturing method of the constant structure, the V holding the optical fiber
A ceramic having a groove and a first groove for holding a guide pin;
Hold the holding substrate on the ceramic substrate
And the optical fiber is connected to the holding substrate and the V-groove.
And a step of supporting at three points, and
The ceramic substrate into the first insertion portion of the holder
Inserting an optical fiber into the V-groove of the ceramic substrate.
And insert the optical fiber
A step of inserting the holder into the second insertion portion ;
A resin adhesive is injected from the adhesive inlet and the second adhesive inlet.
Supply, ceramic substrate, holding substrate, optical fiber
Further comprising the step of fixing the inner holding member collectively, the Japanese
Sign.

[0009]

The above-mentioned fixing structure for a multi-core optical fiber according to the present invention.
In the method of manufacturing the optical fiber, since the substrate relating to the positioning accuracy of each optical fiber is made of ceramic, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of connection loss and a change in connection loss due to a change in temperature as much as possible. Furthermore, less the portion that does not require precision, for example, a portion for accommodating a covered portion of the optical fiber by providing the holding body made of a resin material or metal, it is possible to effectively reduce the processing costs, the entire fixing structure Can be easily reduced.

[0010]

EXAMPLES fixing structure for a multi-core optical fiber according to the present invention Oyo
Embodiments and a method for manufacturing the same will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, reference numeral 30 denotes
1 shows a multi-core optical connector which is a fixing structure for a multi-core optical fiber according to a first embodiment. The multi-core optical connector 30 includes a ceramic substrate 36 having a V-shaped groove 34 formed therein for receiving and aligning a plurality of optical fibers 32 of a tape-shaped optical fiber cable 31. Holding substrate 38 for holding the first
A ceramic guide substrate 4 for supporting the guide pins 39 at three points together with both wall surfaces forming the grooves 44a and 44b.
0a and 40b, and a resin body 42 as a holding body.

The substrate 36 has a substantially flat plate shape, and has a plurality of V-shaped grooves 34 formed in the center thereof.
First groove portions 44a and 44b for inserting the guide pins 39 are formed on both sides of the groove 34. The holding board 38 has a flat plate shape, and has guide boards 40a, 4b on both sides thereof.
0b abuts. The guide substrates 40a and 40b have a substantially flat shape, and the first groove portions 44a and 44
The second groove portions 46a and 46b corresponding to b are formed. The second grooves 46a, 46b are provided with the first grooves 44a, 44b.
And it is formed in asymmetric, as shown in FIG. 3, the first groove portion 44
The centers of the guide pins 39 inserted into the a and 44b and the second groove portions 46a and 46b are arranged on the same virtual center line as the center of the optical fiber 32 inserted into the V groove 34. here
The center of the guide pin 39 is not necessarily the center of the optical fiber 32
It is not necessary to arrange them on the same virtual center line.

The resin body 42 is integrally formed of a resin material, and has a flange 48 at one end. The resin body 42 has a first insertion portion 50 for receiving the substrate 36, the holding substrate 38, and the guide substrates 40 a and 40 b by cutting inward from an end opposite to the flange portion 48. On the other hand, a second insertion portion 56 capable of accommodating the covering portion 52 of the optical fiber cable 31 and the rubber cover 54 for protecting the covering portion 52 from the end on the flange portion 48 side.
Is provided. An opening 58 is formed in the resin body 42 by cutting out a portion corresponding to the holding substrate 38, and an adhesive injection port 60 is formed so as to communicate with an end of the opening 58.

Next, an operation of assembling the multi-fiber optical connector 30 having the above-described configuration will be described.

First, guide substrates 40a, 4a
The board 36 is inserted into the first insertion portion 50 of the resin body 42 in a state where 0b is provided. Then, the guide pins 39, 39 are integrally inserted into the first groove portions 44a, 44b of the substrate 36 and the second groove portions 46a, 46b of the guide substrates 40a, 40b, and the positioning of the guide substrates 40a, 40b is performed. . Further, the optical fiber 32 is inserted into the V-groove 34 of the substrate 36 and the optical fiber cable 3
The first covering portion 52 and the rubber cover 54 are
It is inserted into the insertion section 56.

The holding substrate 3 is placed on the optical fiber 32.
The optical fiber 32 is supported at three points by the holding substrate 38 and both wall surfaces of the V-groove 34 (FIG. 3).
When the resin-based adhesive is supplied into the resin body 42 from the adhesive injection port 60, the substrate 36, the holding substrate 38, and the guide substrates 40a and 40b are fixed to each other and to the inner wall surface of the resin body 42. The optical fiber 32 is fixed in the V-groove 34. The covering portion 52 of the optical fiber cable 31 and the rubber cover 54 are connected to the second insertion portion 56 of the substrate 36.
The assembly operation of the multi-core optical connector 30 is completed.

In this case, in the first embodiment, the substrate 36, the holding substrate 38, and the guide substrates 40a and 40b, which are necessary for positioning the optical fiber 32, are made of ceramic. Therefore, the V-groove 34 and the first groove portions 44a, 44b of the substrate 36 and the second groove portions 46a, 46b of the guide substrates 40a, 40b can be processed with high precision, and the occurrence of connection loss can be effectively prevented. In addition, it is possible to reduce the change in connection loss as much as possible without being affected by a change in temperature or the like. The holding substrate 38 and V
Each of the optical fibers 32 can be supported at three points with high accuracy by both wall surfaces forming the groove 34, and the positioning accuracy of the optical fibers 32 is improved.

In addition, a portion not required for positioning the optical fiber 32, that is, the second insertion portion 56 for fixing the covering portion 52 of the optical fiber cable 31 and the rubber cover 54 is made of a relatively inexpensive resin. It is provided on the body 42. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the cost of ceramic processing, which is expensive, as much as possible.
The effect that the whole manufacturing cost is reduced at once is obtained.

Further, the covering portion 52 of the optical fiber cable 31 and the rubber cover 54 are fixed to the second insertion portion 56 of the resin body 42.
1 can be reliably prevented from being broken. Also, since the resin body 42 itself is provided with the adhesive injection port 60,
The adhesive can be smoothly filled into the resin body 42, and the entire multi-core optical connector 30 can be securely fixed.

Next, a multi-core optical fiber fixing structure 80 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The fixed structure 80 is connected to a light receiving element, a light emitting element, an LN (lithium niobate) waveguide, or the like.
4 and a plurality of optical fibers 88 of the optical fiber cable 86.
And a resin body 92 serving as a holding body.

The substrate 84 and the holding substrate 90 are provided with bulging portions 94 and 96 facing each other.
A first insertion portion 98 capable of accommodating the bulging portions 94 and 96;
A second insertion portion 102 is provided, one end of which communicates with the first insertion portion 98 and the other end of which is open to the outside, and in which the covered portion 100 of the optical fiber cable 86 can be accommodated. In the resin body 92, first adhesive injection ports 104a and 104b communicating with both sides of the first insertion section 98 and a second adhesive injection port 106 communicating with the second insertion section 102 are formed.

In the fixing structure 80 configured as described above,
After the optical fiber 88 is provided in the V-groove 82 of the substrate 84, the holding substrate 90 is superposed on the optical fiber 88. For this reason, the optical fiber 88 is supported at three points by both wall surfaces constituting the V-groove 82 and the flat surface of the holding substrate 90, and in this state, the bulging portions 94 and 96 are formed by the first portions of the resin body 92.
At the same time as being inserted into the insertion portion 98, the covering portion 100 of the optical fiber cable 86 is provided in the second insertion portion 102. Then, the adhesive is supplied from the first adhesive inlets 104a and 104b, and the bulging portions 94 and 96 are fixed in the first insertion portion 98 of the resin body 92. On the other hand, when the adhesive is supplied from the second adhesive injection port 106, the covering portion 100 is fixed in the second insertion portion 102, and the optical fiber 88 is fixed in the V groove 34.

In the second embodiment, similarly to the above-described first embodiment, the substrate 84 provided with the V-groove 82 requiring accuracy and the holding substrate 90 are made of ceramic.
Other parts are provided on the resin body 92. Therefore, an effect is obtained that the processing cost of the entire fixing structure 80 can be reduced. Moreover, since the first adhesive inlets 104a and 104b and the second adhesive inlet 106 are provided in the resin body 92, it is possible to smoothly fill the desired portion with the adhesive, and the fixing structure 80 The whole can be firmly fixed.

In the first and second embodiments, the resin bodies 42 and 92 are used as the holding body, but a metal can be used instead. Metals are less affected by the environment in which they are used, and in particular, pollution due to gas generation and the like can be avoided.

[0026]

According to the present invention, a fixing structure for a multi-core optical fiber according to the present invention.
According to the method and the method for manufacturing the same , the following effects can be obtained.

The substrate relating to the positioning accuracy of each optical fiber is made of ceramic, while a portion not requiring much accuracy, for example, a portion for accommodating the coated portion of the optical fiber is provided on a holder made of resin or metal. Further, it is possible to effectively reduce the processing cost by minimizing expensive ceramic processing, and it is possible to easily reduce the manufacturing cost of the entire fixing structure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a multi-core optical connector which is a fixing structure for a multi-core optical fiber according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the multi-core optical connector.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of the multi-core optical connector.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a multi-core optical fiber fixing structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional side view of a fixing structure according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a main part of a multi-core optical connector which is a conventional multi-core optical fiber fixing structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 30 ... Multi-core optical connector 31 ... Optical fiber cable 32 ... Optical fiber 34 ... V groove 36 ... Board 38 ... Holding board 40a, 40b ... Guide board 42 ... Resin bodies 44a, 44b, 46a, 46b ... Groove part 50 ... Insertion part 52 ... Coating part 54 ... Rubber cover 56 ... Insertion part 60 ... Adhesive injection port 80 ... Fixing structure 82 ... V-groove 84 ... Substrate 86 ... Optical fiber cable 88 ... Optical fiber 90 ... Holding substrate 92 ... Resin bodies 98 and 100 ... Insertion Parts 104a, 104b, 106: adhesive inlet

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Nobutsu Fukuyama 3-150 Omoyama, Tenpaku-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi (72) Inventor Shinji Nagasawa 1-6-1, Uchisaiwaicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (56) References JP-A-1-219806 (JP, A) JP-A-63-81410 (JP, A) JP-A-3-61916 (JP, A) JP-A-3-179405 (JP, A) A) JP-A-4-352112 (JP, A) JP-A-3-35505 (JP, U) JP-A-1-77603 (JP, U)

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A ceramic substrate having a V-groove for accommodating a plurality of optical fibers aligned therein and a first groove for holding a guide pin, and a second groove corresponding to the first groove, A guide board for holding guide pins in the first and second grooves, a holding board for holding the optical fiber in the V-groove, and a housing for accommodating the ceramic substrate and the guide board together A holding member provided with a first insertion portion for accommodating a part of the holding substrate and a second insertion portion for accommodating the coated portion of the optical fiber, wherein the holding member is integrally formed; The holding substrate is provided above the first insertion portion of the holder.
An opening for projecting a portion, wherein a part of the opening is an adhesive injection port into the inside of the holder.
A fixing structure for a multi-core optical fiber, comprising: 2. The fixing structure according to claim 1, wherein said guide substrate is made of ceramic. 3. The multi-fiber optical fiber according to claim 1, wherein the second insertion portion of the holding body is configured to be capable of accommodating a rubber cover for protecting a covering portion of the optical fiber. For fixed structure. 4. A ceramic substrate having a V-groove for holding an optical fiber and a first groove for holding a guide pin,
Arranging a guide substrate having a second groove portion for holding a guide pin corresponding to the first groove portion, and inserting the ceramic substrate into a first insertion portion of a holder with the guide substrate mounted on the guide substrate; A step of inserting a guide pin into the first groove and the second groove to position the guide substrate; and inserting an optical fiber into a V groove of the ceramic substrate and covering the optical fiber. Inserting the holding substrate into the second insertion portion of the holding member, arranging a holding substrate on the ceramic substrate, and supporting the optical fiber at three points by the holding substrate and the V groove, bonding the holding member A resin-based adhesive is supplied from the agent injection port, and a ceramic substrate, guide substrate, holding substrate, optical fiber,
Fixing the guide pins collectively to the inside of the holding member, the method of manufacturing a fixing structure for a multi-core optical fiber.